No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R builds on successes, experiences for 2024 challenge

DETROIT (Nov. 6, 2023) — Cadillac Racing’s preparations for the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship began soon after the checkered flag Saturday in the 8 Hours of Bahrain. The dedicated crew prepped the race-worn No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R for Sunday’s WEC Rookie Test at Bahrain International Circuit, where Cadillac Racing driver Alex Lynn set up the hybrid racecar for INDYCAR-bound Kyffin Simpson and Nico Varrone, who helped Corvette Racing win the GTE Am championship.

“I think Nico and I were able to notice some things that the drivers who drive this all the time just kind of get accustomed to. Hopefully, they can take that information and improve the car for next year,” Simpson said. Seeking improvement on and off the racetrack is a constant goal, and Cadillac Racing’s Hypercar program is aiming to exceed expectations in its second WEC season that kicks off in March in Qatar. Click it: Cadillac Racing, Hypercar field FIA WEC season statistics “We learned a lot this year on many aspects of the car,” said Earl Bamber, who co-drove the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R with Richard Westbrook and Lynn. “From where we started has been a big achievement, but we know where we can improve. I think this one year of experience in the series will be a big help to us. We’ll know the tracks now, we know what our weaknesses are, we know what compounds suit us and all those kinds of things. We’ll work on that for next season and be even stronger and have better opportunities of achieving our ultimate goal.”

Highlighting Cadillac Racing’s inaugural WEC season was the third-place finish in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans. The podium at the endurance classic was the first for Cadillac Racing, which returned to Circuit de la Sarthe after a 21-year absence.  The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, driven by Lynn, Bamber and Westbrook, started the season with top-five finishes at Sebring, Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps. The Cadillac LMDh platform, featuring the purpose-built 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team paired with the LMDh spec hybrid system, made its initial on-track appearance only 16 months ago. “2023 was a great season for us. We had ups and we had downs. But what was most important was we were able to learn so much throughout the season,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Obviously, one of our huge moments was the third place at Le Mans and our success at that race. Even beyond that, every race we figured out how to be better. “As we were putting this jigsaw puzzle together that is Cadillac Racing with our Hypercar, we’re getting stronger and stronger and getting ready for ’24. We will try to get in as much testing as possible that makes sense. We’ll look where we need to fill holes in personnel and figure out how to be better with our resources across the board.” A December test in Spain is scheduled, which will be augmented by two test dates for Cadillac Racing’s two-car IMSA Grand Touring Prototype program.“It was a solid first season for the Cadillac Racing WEC team,” team manager Stephen Mitas said. “Obviously, the competition is super tough and with a new team, new program the learning curve was high. The team has come together well. Operationally, we’re happy with how things are working, and we’re just have to work on ’24 to deliver on the promise that has been forming over the course of 2023. We have a test in December, so a lot of work to come and areas to improve on technically with the car and momentum we’re putting together with the team.”

CONCORD, NC – November 6, 2023 – After 10 months of traveling across the country, the 2023 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series handed up big checks and special awards during the year-end awards banquet Sunday evening.Along with Bobby Pierce being crowned the 2023 champion, the top-15 in points were honored throughout the night with many walking away with extra hardware.2023 Champion: In his first season with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models, Bobby Pierce had a dominant stretch in the season’s second half to earn his first Series championship. The Oakwood, IL driver took home $150,000 for winning the title and another $25,000 from the Winners Circle bonus. He also won the Social Ambassador of the Year award for his consistent promotion of World of Outlaws races and DIRTVision throughout the year. By earning this accolade, he’ll receive a commercial on DIRTVision for his merchandise. The “Smooth Operator” finished the season with 14 wins, 25 top fives, and 32 top 10s en route to the Series title. “It honestly means the world,” Pierce said. “This season, I want to dedicate to my dad. He’s 71 years old, going on 72, and he gets up and down the road working on the car like a young guy. He keeps going, and we keep each other going, so that’s awesome. He’s been there my whole life, supporting me every step of the way. “It’s been a long year. It started a little rocky. We came off the first two races with DNFs, and we were like, man, it’s going to be tough to come back. But we came back, won the first race out (at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals), and from then on, we got off going pretty well.” Here’s a look at who earned the Special Awards for the 2023 season:2023 Crew Chief of the Year Award: This year’s Crew Chief of the Year award went to Bobby Pierce’s crew chief and dad, Bob Pierce. The Hall of Famer took home the iconic wrench trophy to accompany the team’s championship accolades. “I may be getting the Crew Chief of the Year award, but my son made me look good a lot of times,” Pierce said. “Being on the World of Outlaws for the first year is pretty cool. Going up and down the road with a lot of miles has been pretty fun for an old guy like me. I keep this thing going because I love racing.” Engine Builder and Chassis Builder of the Year Award: These awards were given to the manufacturers behind Bobby Pierce’s championship. Vic Hill, from Vic Hill Race Engines, accepted the Engine Builder of the Year award, while Longhorn Chassis won Chassis Builder of the Year. Steve Arpin, owner of Longhorn Chassis, accepted the award—the first World of Outlaws title for the chassis builder. Germfree Rookie of the Year: With his fifth-place finish in the World of Outlaws Late Models standings, Nick Hoffman won the 2023 Germfree Rookie of the Year. As the top rookie, the Mooresville, NC driver received an extra $10,000 and custom ear molds from Racing Electronics.  “At first, our ultimate goal was to try and win the Rookie of the Year,” Hoffman said. “To win one race this year was pretty cool. Especially at a race track I’ve never been to (at Stateline Speedway). It was a good year for us, a building year for sure. We got to build our notebook and try to get better. I feel like that’s the biggest thing we lacked a little bit. There were so many racetracks I hadn’t been to. So, we’ve been trying to build notes and make our program better.” Todd Cooney earned $3,000 for finishing second in the Rookie of the Year standings, while Dustin Walker took home an extra $2,000 for finishing third. HASS Horizontal Awards: In 2023, Hass Horizontal sponsored three awards for those who won the most Features, most Heat Races, and most Last Chance Showdowns. Series champion Bobby Pierce earned $3,500 for winning the most Features (14) and $1,500 for winning the most Heat Races (21). Ryan Gustin earned $1,500 for winning the most Last Chance Showdowns (5). The Raye Vest Award: This $500 award went to the drivers who had the best and worst pill draw in the 2023 season. It honors Raye Vest, a long-time supporter of 2011 Series champion Rick Eckert. This year’s winners were Todd Cooney (highest average) and Chris Madden (lowest average). FOX Factory Hard Charger Award: The Fox Factory Hard Charger award was given out each race to the driver who advanced the most positions by the end of the race. Winning the overall award for the year was Brett Larson, having earned sevenFOX Factory Hard Charger awards in 2023. Fan Favorite Award: Throughout the last month, fans voted for their favorite World of Outlaws Late Models driver. When the votes were tallied, it was Series rookie Todd Cooney who had the most votes, making him the Fan Favorite award winner in 2023. Racing With Jesus Ministries Sportsman Award: In 2023, Racing With Jesus Ministries awarded a Sportsman of the Year award worth $500. Lacey Walker, the daughter and crew chief for World of Outlaws driver Dustin Walker, won the award for her efforts and positive attitude throughout the 10-month grind of the 2023 schedule. “I’m just so happy that I was able to do it this year,” Walker said. “Especially with my dad, making new friends, meeting more people, and learning so much more about the racing.” Here’s a look at the top 15 in the final standings for the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models and their end of the year payouts including points fund and Winner Circle program:1. Bobby Pierce ($175,000)2. Chris Madden ($125,000)3. Brandon Sheppard ($110,000)4. Kyle Bronson ($100,000)5. Nick Hoffman ($90,000)6. Brian Shirley ($80,000)7. Ryan Gustin ($75,000)8. Dennis Erb Jr. ($72,000)9. Tanner English ($68,000)10. Cade Dillard ($65,000)11. Shane Clanton ($62,000)12. Brent Larson ($60,000)13. Gordy Gundaker ($25,000)14. Todd Cooney ($25,000)15. Dustin Walker ($25,000)

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction E

AVONDALE, AZ – November 6, 2023 – Stewart-Haas Racing’s Cole Custer won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix on Saturday while Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series championship on Sunday, completing a weekend sweep of both series by Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines. This weekend also marked the first time an OEM has won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck, Xfinity, and Cup Series championships in the same season since 2001, and the sixth time that has happened in NASCAR history.

“Congratulations to Ford Performance, Team Penske, and Stewart-Haas Racing on the Cup and Xfinity Series championships,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It’s been a challenging year, but the leadership at Ford Performance, our Ford partnered race teams, and all the employees at Roush Yates Engines continued to work on our racing programs and never gave up! Cole (Custer) and Ryan (Blaney) battled throughout both races and earned their respective championship titles! We are blessed to be a part of the Ford family and provide championship-winning race engines.”

“As much as we’re a car company and we make and sell cars and trucks and we’re out here racing them, we’re also a family company, a people company and it’s all about the people that are racing these cars inside the shop and ultimately the drivers that get it done on track. Those three drivers that had a win this weekend to win a championship, to have Ben Rhodes, Cole Custer and Ryan Blaney as champions for this sport and representing our brand, we’re really proud of what they’ve done. I knew they all could do it and really glad to see them as champions,” commented Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Ford Performance.

“It was somewhat of an up and down year, but you’re gonna have those moments and through the summer we just worked really hard to get back to where we needed to be and set a deadline for the playoffs and we met that deadline. I’m just super proud of the effort by everybody at Team Penske who put in tons and tons of hours of hard work and nobody really got down. They just put their heads down and decided to really put in a lot of work and it showed up, especially these playoffs and especially the last five weeks. It’s so cool to have all of their hard work pay off, so they should be proud,” commented Blaney.

Ryan Blaney started Sunday’s race in P15, behind fellow championship 4 playoff contenders Christopher Bell, William Byron, and Kyle Larson. The first non-competition caution came out on lap 109 after a brake rotor failure on Christopher Bell’s car ended his day. Stewart-Haas’s Kevin Harvick finished Stage 1 in P2, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in P6, and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney in P10.

RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher went on to win Stage 2, passing Ross Chastain for the lead with 14 laps to go in the stage while Ryan Blaney finished P6. With 31 laps remaining in the race, Blaney restarted sixth while Larson was third and Byron fifth, but the Team Penske driver passed Byron three laps later and then battled Larson before passing him on lap 292 of the 312-lap event. Blaney finished the race in second place, highest of any championship 4 driver, behind Ross Chastain. This year’s race was the first time since NASCAR instituted its winner-take-all final race championship format in 2014 that the winner of the final race of the season was not a driver racing for the title. RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher finished in P5, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick in P7, and Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell in P9.

Cole Custer started Saturday’s race in P7, second highest of the playoff contenders. As the green flag came out to start stage 2, Custer passed John Hunter Nemechek and maintained the lead throughout the entire stage to take the stage win. In a race that produced eight cautions for a total of 46 laps, Custer led a race-high 96 of 202 laps. The end of the race came down to Cole Custer, Justin Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek in a three-wide battle for the lead. Custer dove to the inside of the dogleg after starting on the outside during a restart and pulled away while Allgaier and Nemechek battled behind for second. Custer went on to win the race 0.601 seconds ahead of second place Sheldon Creed. Stewart-Haas teammate Riley Herbst finished in P4.

“I thought it was over. I mean, I went from first to third and I was able to shift the car all night and the Doug Yates horsepower worked out and pulled me off the corner. I can’t believe we won that thing after going back to third on that restart, but I can’t say enough about these guys. I mean, we started the year off and it was a struggle and we kind of had to dig deep with each other and really talk about how to get better. To see how much this group has grown through the year and to be a part of something, I knew I wanted to work with JT. I knew that he was the guy that could make it happen and I wouldn’t want to do it with anybody else. I just can’t thank Gene Haas enough. He’s given me opportunities and I wouldn’t be here without him. I can’t thank him enough, and Ford Performance, Haas Automation, everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing. It’s awesome to bring one back to Stewart-Haas right now. Man, I’m gonna enjoy this. I’ve been waiting to hear Wayne on the radio for a few times now, so I’m pumped,” commented Cole Custer.

39 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 458 WINS – 420 POLES

November 5, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team closed the 2023 Cup Series season with a 26th-place finish in Sunday’s Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.

Burton started the 312-mile race from 25th place and finished 27th in the first 60-lap Stage, which ran under the green flag from start to finish. 

In the second Stage, Burton finished 26th but was lapped by the leaders in the closing laps.

In the third and final segment of the race, Burton spent countless laps in the Free Pass position as the first driver a lap down, but the caution flags didn’t fly in his favor and he ended the race in 26th place, one lap down.

The finish of Sunday’s race saw Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, a former Wood Brothers driver, outrun his fellow championship contenders to capture his first Cup Series title.

It also was the first Cup title for Blaney’s crew chief Jonathan Hassler, whose first stint as a Cup crew chief was on the No. 21 Ford in 2021. Blaney drove for the Wood Brothers from 2015-2017 and delivered the team its 99th win at Pocono in his final season aboard the No. 21 Ford.

Team Penske, which fields three Cup entries including the No. 12 team of Blaney and Hassler, shares an alliance with the Wood Brothers and the No. 21 team.

“All of us here at Wood Brothers Racing are really happy for Ryan, Jonathan, everyone on the No. 12 team and all their families,” Eddie Wood said. “Every team starts the season hoping to win a championship, but it’s extremely difficult to actually do it.

“To see people we’ve worked with accomplish what they did makes us very proud. They were – and still are – part of our Wood Brothers racing family.”

Wood also congratulated team owner Roger Penske,Team Penske and all the people at Ford Performance for their second-straight title in NASCAR’s elite division.

 “It’s a victory for all of us in the Ford camp,” he said.  

Burton and the No. 21 team will return to the track on Feb. 4 for the non-points Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. The points-paying, season-opening Daytona 500 gets the green flag on Feb. 18. 

Chevrolet Ends 2023 NCS Season with 18 Triumphs

·      Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain took Chevrolet to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series season-finale at Phoenix Raceway, marking Chastain’s second victory of the 2023 season and his fourth career win in NASCAR’s top division.  ·      Falling just short of his second career NASCAR Cup Series championship, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team recorded a third-place finish at Phoenix Raceway to lead Chevrolet in the final points standings in the runner-up position.  ·       In his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship Four appearance, William Byron capped off a career season by driving his No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 to a fourth-place finish, ending the 2023 season third in the final points standings.  ·       With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season complete, Chevrolet led its manufacturer competitors in NASCAR Cup Series wins (18), top-fives (77), top-10s (149), laps led (3,631) and stage wins (26) this season.  ·       The 2023 season brought Chevrolet its 42nd NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championship; its 25th Bill France Performance Cup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; and its 11th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturer Championship – the Bowtie Brand’s fifth time sweeping the manufacturer championship titles across all three NASCAR national series (2012, 2005, 1998 and 1996).  ·       With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 851 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL13rd      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL14th      William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the track at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on February 4, 2024.

TEAM CHEVY RACE WINNER QUOTE:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1Finished: 1st“For me, for everybody with Worldwide Express, to end the season like this. We lost Rob Rose (of Worldwide Express) last year, but it’s his vision that started this program. Really for Advent Health, Moose, Jockey, Kubota, all of our partners, there were some questionable times this year, and as we went, we continued to fight and prepare the same. There were some tough days and nights, and sleepless nights, but it made us even hungrier and we brought the thunder this weekend.” Talk about racing with the championship contenders…“That last caution saved me. We were way too tight. Phil Surgen, these boys and girls, Michael Hann, our whole sim group, General Motors’ sim group, the whole workforce of 140-plus employees at Trackhouse, came up with a way to make this hot rod turn. She turned that last run, and drove off into the sunset.”

TEAM CHEVY CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR: POST-RACE QUOTES

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 3rd“(Ryan Blaney’s) car was really fast, really for the last few months especially here today. Our pit crew and pit road just really kept us in the game. We weren’t really the greatest on the track but I was hoping for pit stops because I knew the way our team executed our lights, and the way our pit crew can execute a fast pit stop, I knew that that was our only shot really to win. They did everything in their power to give us the winning job done there. A huge thank you to them. I needed to come out the leader on that restart. Ross (Chastain) got a really good start from the second row, and was hoping I could’ve got clear of Denny (Hamlin) and get the lead and have Ross (Chastain) protect behind me. I’m not really sure that would’ve made a difference, really. I was just not as good as a few guys, especially (Ryan) Blaney and Ross (Chastain) probably. It would’ve been difficult, but my team did a really good job all season. I’m extremely proud of them. We had an up and down year, and we finally put together two solid weeks in a row. I don’t know if we’ve done that all year. A huge thank you to HendrickCars.com, Team Chevy, Valvoline, Jinya Ramen Bar, everybody back at Hendrick Motorsports, the engine shop, everyone. We’ll come back next year and try to be stronger.” Ryan Blaney made a point in his interview to talk about how respectful you and the two other contenders raced….“I tried to take as much as I could in turns one and two to see if I could do anything just because (Ryan Blaney) was a lot faster. He was behind me a number of times during the race and never touched me, so I would say, for me and my respect level, it started with him. He raced with a lot of respect early on in the race. He always has, too. It was fun watching Ryan (Blaney), and William (Byron), and (Christopher) Bell kind of when he was still out there, us all racing hard. A lot of fun there, and congrats to Ryan (Blaney) – he’s a deserving champion. Him and his team have done an amazing job. It’s been fun to come up through the ranks with him, and now see him as a champion. Congrats to Team Penske and their whole team, and we’ll try to beat them next year.”

William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1Finished: 4thYou dominated the beginning parts of this race. Around Stage Two, it seemed to get away from you guys. “Yeah, once the track rubbered in, we got really tight, especially when we lost the lead. We just had a big balance shift and got tight back in second through fifth and just couldn’t gain a lot of speed through (turns) one and two, and just had to really over slow the car to get it to the bottom. That’s all we had there. Just really proud of this No. 24 Axalta Chevy team. It’s been a great season. It stinks to come up short, but I’d like to think we’re going to be back in this position and we’re going to have more shots at it. We just have to keep working. Keep working on the short-track program for us – that’s definitely been the tough part of our season. But I felt like we brought a good car this weekend, and really until the track changed, I thought we were in the game. Just all we had there.” What was it like racing with Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson? You guys were so close at times and you know you’re racing for the win, but also for a championship. “Yeah, I feel like we all raced really hard. I felt like in Stage One and Two, I could kind of take Ryan’s (Blaney) lane away a little bit and get him tight. And then once he got in front of us, it was really hard to chase him back down. With (Kyle) Larson, I thought we were pretty even. We came off pit road and he did a good job the last run. They had more speed than us the last run. The last run of the race, we were pretty tight there.  Like I said, just really proud of this team. We’ve had a great season and there’s a lot to be proud of, and we’re going to keep digging hard.”

Final laps for Corvette C8.R in the hands of Corvette Racing  SAKHIR, Bahrain (November 5, 2023) – The championship-winning No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R turned its final laps in the hands of Corvette Racing on Sunday as part of the annual FIA World Endurance Championship Rookie Test, with two drivers new to the mid-engine GTE car having the opportunity to sample it the day after the Eight Hours of Bahrain: · Antoine Doquin: Nominated by the WEC following an LMP3 championship in the Asian Le Mans Series and a strong showing in the European Le Mans Series’ LMP3 category· Timur Boguslavskiy: GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup champion in 2023 and GTWC Europe Sprint Cup runner-up in 2020, 2022 and 2023

Corvette Racing and program management used Sunday’s pair of sessions to test and evaluate each driver for potential future opportunities with the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, which will begin competing next year in the WEC, IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and Fanatec GT World Challenge America. In the next garage over from the C8.R, Corvette Racing’s Nico Varrone received the opportunity to test Cadillac Racing’s Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar a day after his GTE Am championship season closed. Varrone won three times this year with Corvette Racing – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and teammates Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg, who also turned his final laps in the C8.R on Sunday. Varrone, who drove for the first time with Corvette Racing at last year’s Rookie Test, will be part of AWA’s GTD full-season lineup in the WeatherTech Championship as the team transitions to Z06 GT3.R with two entries in 2024, starting with the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. NICKY CATSBURG: “To me, the best thing about today was to look at my teammate Nico and see how he did in the Cadillac Hypercar. We all have high expectations for him, so it’s very cool for him to get this opportunity. For me, it was nice to turn my last laps in this car before it goes into Ben Keating’s garage! That’s always a pleasure. I loved this car right from the start when I first drove it four years ago. It always has been a car that suited my driving style and I always felt comfortable in it. On one hand, I feel like next year’s Corvette GT3 car is going to be similar so it doesn’t feel like a final goodbye. I enjoyed today as much as I could and see if I could help the rookies out a little bit.” NICO VARRONE: “Bahrain continues to be very special to me! I have been dreaming of the opportunity to drive a Hypercar, but I thought it would never come so early in my career. It has been great. It’s a different car, full of power and in the top class of endurance racing. The high-speed corners with the aero was really nice. Braking was a little bit difficult, of course, and it was one of the main things. But it was so nice to drive!”GM is like a family. At Le Mans and this season, we shared a lot of time and space together. You get to know everyone, even if it’s just saying hi. It was quite relaxing rather than coming into a new place. They were all very nice, I have to say. It was great. I’m really thankful to the entire Cadillac team, to GM, to Laura (Wontrop Klauser, GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager), Christie (Bagne, Corvette Z06 GT3.R Program Manager) and many others. This is an opportunity I will never forget.” ANTOINE DOQUIN: “That was really, really fun and I enjoyed that a lot! Thank you to the WEC and Corvette Racing for the opportunity. This was my first time in a GTE car, and I absolutely loved it. It’s a GT3 car but 10 times better without ABS, so it’s all about the braking. It was a very good day but very tough with tire management. The track is quite tough for a stint with the tire degradation. I learned a lot and know now how the Corvette team works. I’m really happy and we will see what the future brings us. I would love to be with Corvette. There is such a great atmosphere with the team and the mechanics. I have been with them for two days, and they are very, very kind… always funny and always with a smile! A big thanks to all of the team from the mechanics to the engineers for this moment because I really loved it.” TIMUR BOGUSLAVSKIY: “This was my first ever in a Corvette, and I like it quite a lot. I have tested three cars in my life, and this is more like a prototype than any GT3 car I have tested – a proper racing car. I enjoyed how the team works and you can see immediately why they have so much success. With the car, I feel I was struggling with the brakes because I am normally driving with ABS. To go to a car without it, you have to change your style and you are going to be inconsistent. At the end of the day, I don’t think I did a bad job. This track is not easy. Overall this was a great feeling and I hope to continue to work together again with Corvette in the future.”

CONCORD, NC (Nov. 4, 2023) – Ricky Thornton Jr. has had an unforgettable year – one he made sure he and the SSI Motorsports team will never forget, going back-to-back to cap the 2023 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series season Saturday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Thornton’s 33rd overall Feature win on the national dirt Late Model scene this year was one of his most impressive, wheeling the Dyno One, Longhorn/Clements No. 20RT from 10th on the starting grid up to the lead in 27 laps to bank the $25,000 grand prize in the World of Outlaws World Finals finale.

Race after race, track after track, big payday after big payday, Thornton and the SSI Motorsports team have dominated 2023. But as they closed out the season with Thornton’s fourth career World of Outlaws victory and third this year, surely, they’ve had a moment to let all their accomplishments soak in, right?

“Definitely not,” Thornton said. “My guys bust their butts. You figure every down day is a day you’re not getting better.”

One thing Thornton got much better at over the four-day race weekend – far more than any other driver – was getting around on the high side. Early on in the 50-lap main event, Thornton began ripping the top line around the 4/10-mile, red clay oval and worked his way up to third by Lap 17.

“I started losing track of the guys on the bottom,” Thornton said. “I’m like, ‘You know what, the top looks pretty good.’ I could see [Brandon] Sheppard running up there and figured if I was gonna have a shot to win it, I just gotta go now.”

Soon, Thornton had closed in on the rear bumper of Chris Madden and dove underneath him in a bid for second going into Turn 3 on Lap 24. He slid up in front of Madden out of Turn 4 to seal the pass and immediately set his sights on leader Cade Dillard, who was less than a second ahead.

In only three laps, Thornton reeled Dillard in and put the same move on him as he did for Madden with a deep dive down low going into Turn 3, then sliding back up in front of him out of Turn 4 to take the lead.

Now with the lead, it seemed like nothing could slow Thornton’s pace – not even the race’s only caution flag with 33 laps complete. He and Madden broke away from the field on the ensuing restart and battled side-by-side for the top spot briefly, but Thornton was too quick.

By this time, Mike Marlar had climbed back up into the top three, getting by Dale McDowell for third on Lap 37. After catching his rear bumper, Marlar as well dove underneath Madden in Turn 3 to grab second out of Turn 4.

He closed slightly in the final laps, but Marlar came up one spot short of his third career win at Charlotte. Madden hung on for third while McDowell and Garrett Smith completed the top five.

Crossing the line behind Smith in sixth was Bobby Pierce, who had drove up from 11th on the starting grid and was later crowned with his first dirt Late Model national championship in his first season aboard the World of Outlaws tour.

Pierce, the second-generation racer from Oakwood, IL, had mathematically clinched the points title Wednesday after taking the green flag in Qualifying, which put him more at ease racing against 74 other cars throughout the weekend.

“This has been a great weekend for us, just learning this track,” Pierce said. “But I definitely wouldn’t have liked to head into this deal with a tight point battle. We were very relaxed.”

At 26 years old, Pierce already solidified himself as an undeniable talent several years ago with his abundance of DIRTcar Late Model national points titles, DIRTcar Summer Nationals titles and several marquee event wins at the national level – most notably his win in the 2016 World 100 at Eldora Speedway at the age of 18.

Now, he’s a national Late Model series champion. But even with all of those accomplishments as such a young age, he said he’s nowhere close to being done.

“It’s definitely an uplifting thing to know,” Pierce said. “I’ve got a lot more years to go – just a lot more years to learn. Heck, a lot of times, you don’t figure things out ‘til late in your life. I feel like, especially this weekend, taught me there’s lot I have to learn still.

“We’re gonna come back next year, try to get another one. See how many of these we can get.”

While the points championship stayed locked-up over the weekend, the battle for fourth and several thousands of dollars in points fund checks was settled.

Kyle Bronson came into the weekend holding the fourth spot and retained it with a 10th-place finish in Saturday’s Feature. 2023 Germfree Rookie of the Year Nick Hoffman finished seventh Saturday and advanced two spots in points up to fifth.

While Brian Shirley’s ran 22nd Saturday, he did retain sixth place in points after jumping up one spot earlier in the week, and Ryan Gustin fell two points positions after taking a DNF Saturday. Dennis Erb Jr. jumped up one spot in points to eighth, while Tanner English rolled back to ninth after a trying weekend of no finishes better than 20th.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

CASE Construction Equipment  Feature (50 Laps): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[10]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 3. 44-Chris Madden[3]; 4. 17M-Dale McDowell[2]; 5. 10-Garrett Smith[6]; 6. 32-Bobby Pierce[11]; 7. 9-Nick Hoffman[9]; 8. 97-Cade Dillard[1]; 9. 20-Jimmy Owens[16]; 10. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 11. 49-Jonathan Davenport[19]; 12. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 13. B5-Brandon Sheppard[25]; 14. 16-Ben Watkins[12]; 15. 0-Scott Bloomquist[14]; 16. 79-Donald McIntosh[23]; 17. 39-Tim McCreadie[13]; 18. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[17]; 19. 1T-Tyler Erb[22]; 20. 96V-Tanner English[26]; 21. 25-Shane Clanton[27]; 22. 8-Brian Shirley[18]; 23. 93-Carson Ferguson[24]; 24. 76-Brandon Overton[8]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[15]; 26. 57-Zack Mitchell[21]; 27. 22-Chris Ferguson[20]; 28. B1-Brent Larson[28]

Sweet slips by Rico Abreu late to top final night of the 2023 season and clinch fifth championship

CONCORD, NC (Nov. 4, 2023) – Brad Sweet could’ve been careful. He could’ve put the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 in cruise control. With a front row starting spot, all he needed was to finish 22nd or better to seal a fifth consecutive World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car championship.

But “The Big Cat” had no intentions of taking it easy to close out 2023. He gave the sold-out grandstands what they paid for.

Sweet slipped back slightly to start the 25-lapper on Saturday night. But the Grass Valley, CA native rallied back to snatch the lead late from Rico Abreu after a side-by-side duel. Sweet then held on to put the exclamation mark on his title campaign with his first win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

“Just happy to be here in front of this large crowd,” Sweet said. “Happy we were able to get our NAPA Auto Parts car in Victory Lane. We’ve been trying here for a long time. I think with the points you’re always so conservative, but tonight we had a car capable of doing it. I was able to be pretty conservative on the bottom and keep my tires under me and just kind of snuck by Rico there at the end and tried to just hold him off there coming to the checkered.”

Sweet’s 11th victory of 2023 with The Greatest Show on Dirt elevated his career total to 90, moving him within five of Dave Blaney’s total of 95, which is eighth all-time. It was also his first triumph at the Charlotte oval in his 38th attempt. With the fifth consecutive championship, Sweet equaled the second longest streak of all-time and is one away from Steve Kinser’s record mark of six straight.

Brian Brown and Sweet brought the field to green for the season finale, and it was Brown leading the way on the opening lap. On the second circuit, Abreu ripped the top around Sweet to take over the runner-up spot.

Abreu quickly began his pursuit of Brown and closed in little by little over the next few laps. The St. Helena, CA native attempted a slider on Brown early but couldn’t clear him. Only a couple laps later, traffic presented an issue for Brown and allowed Abreu to roar around him on the top for the lead.

Behind the two leaders, Friday’s winner – Brent Marks – was coming to life as he rolled by Sweet for third on Lap 9. Then only one lap later, he slid Brown to take control of second. Sweet followed suit by making a move on Brown to climb into the third spot.

Both Marks and Sweet began pursuit of Abreu as the race crossed the halfway point. The Pennsylvanian trimmed Abreu’s lead all the way down to barely more than two tenths on Lap 16. But he saw a surging Sweet drive by him for second on the next time around.

RELATED: Pierce, Sheppard, Sweet Crowned 2023 Champions at World Finals

Sweet then began to cut into Abreu’s lead as the two used entirely different lines. Abreu pounded the top around the fence while Sweet patiently rolled the bottom. With only four laps remaining, Sweet had knocked Abreu’s lead under two tenths of a second as the two went side by side.

“I think it takes two different setups. You’re either set up to run the top and go real fast, or you’re set up to go real slow around the bottom,” Sweet said. “I just felt like we needed to be on the bottom there with everything we had going. I feel like you can keep your tires under you and keep them cool down there, and it seems to pay off. It seems like passing lapped cars is even harder on the top when the guy is real patient on the bottom. So, I just tried to be patient.”

Ultimately, patience paid off for Sweet. Coming out of Turn 4 on Lap 23, Abreu didn’t hit the top as smoothly as he had been, and Sweet capitalized by completing the pass on the front straightaway. 

With the lead in his possession, only two more laps stood between him and closing out his title campaign with a trip to Victory Lane. He wheeled the Napa Auto Parts #49 smoothly around the 4/10-mile two more times to claim the checkered flag. 

“It’s just really neat to cap it off with a win like this, and it’s basically like a walk-off homer,” Sweet said. “It just feels really good, and were going to celebrate… I’m just super happy. It’s just such a relief. These seasons are so long and so grueling and so hard. It’s just unbelievable that we’ve been able to accomplish what we’ve been able to accomplish.”

For the second time in three nights, Abreu brought home the runner-up spot, marking his 17th World of Outlaws podium of the year – by far the most for any competitor not running the full schedule. Despite losing out on a potential win late, Abreu kept his head up and looked at the result as an opportunity to absorb a lesson.

“I think you learn more losing these races than you do winning them,” Abreu said. “You’re racing the best in the country, so your margin for error is so minimal. You have lapped traffic running side-by-side in front of you eight laps into the race. You’re just trying to manipulate and pick and choose which lanes to run. My car was set up to run the top, and I committed up there. You win and lose those races. It’s just part of it.”

Rounding out the final podium of the 2023 World of Outlaws season was Logan Schuchart aboard the Shark Racing #1S. The result helped him lock up the fifth spot in points as he entered the night in a close battle with Donny Schatz for the spot. The Hanover, PA native found speed on the top and stuck to it throughout the race.

“When I was racing with Carson a little earlier in the race, he kind of went to the bottom and that’s why I got by him. It looked like he slipped off the bottom a little bit,” Schuchart explained. “So, I didn’t want that to happen to me, and I didn’t know what it felt like. I didn’t want to go somewhere I didn’t want to go. So, I just kind of stuck to pounding the top of the racetrack and seeing what I could make happen up there. Once the tires started going away the last couple laps, I couldn’t run it in there as hard as I wanted to anymore. But all in all, a great end to our season to finish on the podium.”

Brent Marks and Tyler Courtney completed the top five.

David Gravel drove from 21st to seventh to earn the KSE Racing Hard Charger. Gravel’s result made the final margin between himself and Sweet 60 points, which is the fifth straight year it has been within 100 and the eighth closest ever.

Giovanni Scelzi completed his Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year campaign with a fourth place finish in points, equaling both Jeff Swindell (1981) and Brad Doty (1982) for the best debut season in Series history.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Rico Abreu. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Brent Marks, Tyler Courtney, and Brad Sweet.

David Gravel won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

Brian Brown claimed the Toyota Racing Dash.

UP NEXT: The 2024 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign will begin on with the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals on Feb. 8-10 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL.

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet[2]; 2. 24-Rico Abreu[4]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart[5]; 4. 19-Brent Marks[3]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[7]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[9]; 7. 2-David Gravel[21]; 8. 41-Carson Macedo[8]; 9. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[10]; 10. 21-Brian Brown[1]; 11. 5-Spencer Bayston[16]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen[15]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[13]; 14. 13-Justin Peck[6]; 15. 83-James McFadden[25]; 16. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[23]; 17. 2MD-Cap Henry[12]; 18. 69K-Justin Henderson[18]; 19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[20]; 20. 8-Cory Eliason[14]; 21. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11]; 22. 1T-Tanner Holmes[17]; 23. 99-Skylar Gee[19]; 24. 9-Kasey Kahne[22]; 25. 7S-Robbie Price[26]; 26. 42-Sye Lynch[24]; 27. (DNS) 20G-Noah Gass

(11/4/23 – Ben Deatherage) Stockton, CA … Buddy Kofoid was in a class of his own at the Stockton Dirt Track to best the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series and win the 30-lap Tribute To Gary Patterson. 

Kofoid, piloting the Toyota Racing Development/Roth Enterprises #83JR Maxim for car owners Dennis and Teresa Roth, had to hold off a pair of hard-charging contenders and fight through some busy traffic to secure the victory. 

Corey Day and car owner Jason Meyers, who experienced mechanical issues early in the main event, claimed the 2023 NARC championship.

When the initial green flag dropped, Kofoid sprinted past DJ Netto in the Netto Ag/Penny Newman Grain #88N KPC to pace the field. Four caution periods during the first six circuits disallowed the leader from developing any safety margin on the rest of the field.

After the fourth and final caution period, Kofoid managed to set a fast pace on an open racetrack and it only took a handful of laps before he reached the tail end of the field.  Heavy traffic made things interesting and made the eventual winner work hard for his money.  His brief inability to get around some cars mid-race brought Netto and Shane Golobic, wheeling the NOS Energy Drink/Southern Pacific Farms #17W KPC, into the mix to challenge.

Having to time his moves in traffic carefully, Kofoid made some brilliant maneuvers, despite almost getting overtaken around the halfway mark by Netto.  However, that served as a wake up call for Kofoid who pulled away and comfortably scored his second career NARC 410 Sprint Car Series win. It was his first triumph since winning the Howard Kaeding Classic in July 2017 at Ocean Speedway.

“That was the most physical race I’ve ever run here,” said a worn-out winner.  “I think the last fifteen laps I was holding on thinking “this is going to be the white” then next lap “this is the white,” and then I got stuck behind some guys and began to get tired and started making mistakes but then I was able to eventually pick them off.”

“I’m super happy to win a NARC race, especially when we’ve run second a couple of times and finally get a win, especially in a 410, at this race. I got to thank Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity to drive such an iconic and beautiful car. I’m extremely proud to have this Toyota under the hood.”

“I found a lane that I was able to make it work, then once I got to traffic and found out that it was dictating the speed of the entrance into the corners, it got a little fluffier, and I got tight,” stated second finishing Netto, “I decided to get behind (Buddy) and see if I could capitalize on a mistake. I feel fortunate to finish in second and would have really loved to win for my guys.”

Golofic was third. Dominic Scelzi finished fourth in his Scelzi Motorsports/Whipple Superchargers/Red Rose Transportation #41 Maxim while the Mittry Motorsports-fielded MittryConstruction.com/Framers Brewing/North County Plastering #2X Maxim in fifth.

 Justyn Cox managed to end the night sixth over Bud Kaeding. Colby Copeland would beat out teenager Dylan Bloomfield for eighth. Tanner Carrick rounded out the top ten finishers.

Kofoid set a quick time in ARP Qualifying, while heat winners were Golobic, Netto, and Sanders.

 NAPA AUTO PARTS A-FEATURE (30 Laps): 1. 83JR-Buddy Kofoid[2]; 2. 88N-DJ Netto[1]; 3. 17W-Shane Golobic[5]; 4. 41-Dominic Scelzi[7]; 5. 2X-Justin Sanders[6]; 6. 42X-Justyn Cox[8]; 7. 69-Bud Kaeding[3]; 8. 16A-Colby Copeland[10]; 9. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[12]; 10. 83T-Tanner Carrick[11]; 11. 26-Billy Aton[15]; 12. 115-Nick Parker[16]; 13. 17M-Kalib Henry[9]; 14. 5T-Ryan Timms[14]; 15. 7-Ashton Torgerson[13]; 16. 2R-Richard Brace Jr[17]; 17. 14-Corey Day[4]

 METTEC TITANIUM LAP LEADERS: Buddy Kofoid 1-30

 WILLIAMS ROOFING HARD CHARGER: Billy Aton +4

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 Laps): 1. 17W-Shane Golobic[2]; 2. 41-Dominic Scelzi[1]; 3. 83JR-Buddy Kofoid[4]; 4. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[3]; 5. 5T-Ryan Timms[5]; 6. 115-Nick Parker[6]

 KIMO’S TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 Laps): 1. 88N-DJ Netto[1]; 2. 17M-Kalib Henry[3]; 3. 14-Corey Day[4]; 4. 83T-Tanner Carrick[2]; 5. 26-Billy Aton[5]; 6. 2R-Richard Brace Jr[6]

 BEACON WEALTH STRATEGIES & RAYMOND JAMES FINANCIAL HEAT THREE (8 Laps):  1. 2X-Justin Sanders[2]; 2. 42X-Justyn Cox[1]; 3. 16A-Colby Copeland[5]; 4. 7-Ashton Torgerson[3]; 5. 69-Bud Kaeding[4]

 SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 Laps): 1. 88N-DJ Netto[1]; 2. 83JR-Buddy Kofoid[4]; 3. 69-Bud Kaeding[2]; 4. 14-Corey Day[3]; 5. 17W-Shane Golobic[5]; 6. 2X-Justin Sanders[6]

ARP QUALIFYING QUICK TIME: Buddy Kofoid, 13.261 (17 Cars)

CONCORD, NC (Nov. 4, 2023) – All dirt roads led to the brightest lights, the largest fireworks, the biggest stage and the most prestigious trophies at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Saturday night.

Basking in the rays of those glowing honors were Brad Sweet, Matt Sheppard and Bobby Pierce.

For the first two drivers, it was a familiar sight as Sweet scored his fifth straight World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title and Sheppard earned a historic 10th Super DIRTcar Series championship. But for Pierce, it was a moment like no other: his first national championship in his first full season with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models.

It’s a moment many wrote off before the season even started.

“It was really nice proving everybody wrong, all the naysayers and all that,” Pierce said. “And not just proving them wrong but winning the whole thing and dominating toward the end.

“I don’t doubt them for having disbeliefs. I only ran a full series one time. It was a long time ago. It was 2018. You see it all the time, guys drop off and they go run Summer Nationals or whatever they might do, and it just doesn’t work out. We knew we had a set mind that we were going to do it.”

Pierce ended the World of Outlaws season with 14 wins 25 top-five finishes and 32 top 10s – he had four Series wins in 77 starts before the 2023 season.

With his title, he becomes the fifth driver in Series history to win the championship in their first full season, joining Billy Moyer, Scott Bloomquist, Mike Marlar and Brandon Sheppard in that category. The Oakwood, IL native also becomes the fifth straight Series champion from Illinois. Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, won 2019-2021 and Dennis Erb Jr., of Carpentersville, IL, won his first Series championship last year.

“Man, it’s just, it’s really a goal that came true,” Pierce said. “We set out with our goal at Volusia (Speedway Park in January) to run the whole Series, and then when we noticed we were pretty fast the goal quickly changed to win the series. We had a lot of points to make up at one time and we did that. Yeah, just a crazy effort by everybody.

“The car was really fast all year. Won a lot of races. Just been one of them monumental years for us. It’s pretty crazy. The Outlaw title is something that, for me… I never knew when I was going to run a national Series again. So, like, when we ran it this year, at first, I wasn’t sure we would even be in the hunt to win this thing. To come out on top was very very special for us. The history with the World of Outlaws, I think it is one of the best Series of racing in the world. It’s pretty cool.”

While Pierce soaked in the championship glory for the first time, Sheppard hoisted the Super DIRTcar Series championship trophy for the 10th time in his career, solidifying himself as the winningest champion in Series history.

“Ten is a big number, it’s a lot of championships,” Sheppard said before pausing, trying to comprehend the significance of his achievement. “It’s just a huge accomplishment for myself and my team.”

It’s not only a milestone moment with the Series, but a historic moment in motorsports as Sheppard joins a small elite list of drivers who have reached 10 or more titles, joining the likes of 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser and 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz in the dirt racing landscape.

“It really is (cool),” Sheppard said about being in the same company as the two legends. “Every year it seems like we enter our name in the record book a little further. It’s probably something I’ll look back on more when I’m done racing. I would like to think I still have some good years in me.”

Sheppard, of Waterloo, NY, capped off the 2023 season by winning the final night of the World of Outlaws World Finals – his second win in three days at the Charlotte track – bringing him to five wins for the season and 94 Series wins overall.

Milestone moments continued with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series as Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, clinched his fifth straight Series title by also winning the final night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte ­– his first win at the track. He, again, wrote his name next to Kinser and Schatz in the history book, joining them under the category of drivers who have won five straight championships.

“Really excited we’ve been able to make these accomplishments,” Sweet said. “It is certainly not easy. Every year presents new challenges. Man, I can’t really believe it.”

Sweet’s triumph also marked a significant milestone for Kasey Kahne Racing. By bringing the team its sixth World of Outlaws title (Daryn Pittman in 2013 and Brad Sweet 2019-2023), KKR is now tied with Steve Kinser Racing for third most championships with the Series.

“It’s a team effort,” Sweet said. “You can’t do it without good people, a good car owner, good sponsors. When one thing is out of whack it doesn’t work. To win a championship means you’re the best overall team.”

Coming down to the final Feature in the 72-race season, Sweet beat David Gravel by 60 points to win the championship, finishing the season with 11 wins, 44 top-five finishes and 64 top 10s.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series will commence its 2024 season during the DIRTcar Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Jan. 17-20.

Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 5-17) at Volusia Speedway Park will open the 2024 season for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series (Feb. 8-10) and Super DIRTcar Series (Feb. 14-17). It will also welcome the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models, Feb. 15-17. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

November 4, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motocraft/Quick Lane Mustang are set to start 25th in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. Burton took that spot with a lap at 131.286 miles per hour in qualifying Saturday afternoon.

In practice on Friday, Burton was 14th fastest, with a best lap at 129.744 mph. He posted that speed on the third of 55 laps run in the session. Among drivers who ran 10 consecutive laps he was 22nd best, averaging128.371 mph from his 15th through 24th laps. 

When Burton and his fellow drivers strap in for Sunday’s championship-deciding season finale they’ll get the command to fire engines from a group that includes Giselle Hicks, a fourth-generation member of the Wood Brothers racing family.

Hicks is part of a group of four former Cup Series champions and four young racers who will share the duties.

Hicks is the nine-year-old great granddaughter of the Wood Brothers team founder, the late Glenn Wood. Her dad, Michael Hicks, also is a racer as he’s a tire changer on the No. 20 of championship contender Christopher Bell.

Hicks, now in her third year in the sport, races a wing kart and finished fourth in points this year at MillbridgeSpeedway in North Carolina. She has multiple wins to her credit.

Sunday’s 312-lap race on the one-mile oval is set to get the green flag just after 1 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern Time), with TV coverage on NBC. 

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 60 and 185. 

Byron Claims Pole Position for NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix RacewayTeam Chevy Championship Four Drivers to Start in Top-Four Positions

·       In his first career appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Four, William Byron posted a best-lap of 27.15 seconds, at 132.597 mph, in the final round of qualifying to claim the pole position for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.  ·       The feat marks Byron’s fourth pole win of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, and his 12th career pole win in NASCAR’s premier series.  ·       Team Chevy is the only manufacturer to have its Championship Four drivers represented in the final round of qualifying, with Byron’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team posting the fourth-fastest qualifying lap.  ·       Byron delivered Chevrolet its ninth NASCAR Cup Series pole win of the 2023 season, and its 743rd all-time pole win in NASCAR’s top division.  ·       NBC will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 5. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER1st      William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL14th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL17th      Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Allways Rewards Camaro ZL18th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP: POS.  DRIVER1st      William Byron (Chevrolet)2nd     Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)3rd      Kevin Harvick (Ford)4th      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)5th      Bubba Wallace (Toyota)

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 – Post-Qualifying Media Availability Quotes:  Q. William, do you feel like you guys have the race pace to match that? Obviously looking at the practice speeds yesterday, it seemed like the 20 and 12 had long run speed. Do you feel like you guys have that in the 24 car?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I don’t know. I think we were right there in the mix. We definitely needed to connect our corner a little bit better and just kind of get our overall balance a little bit closer. Felt like we leaned heavily on some of the Chevy teammates, so thanks to Kyle Busch and RCR for some of the changes they made, also the 1 car.Feel like we have something to race with. Q. Knowing the 24 car’s legacy, the championship dry spell, what are your thoughts?WILLIAM BYRON: I don’t really think about that. I think, I mean, maybe when I got in the car it felt that way and thought about that, but not at this point. It’s just all about our team that we’ve built.Yeah, it’s great to have Jeff here and his support, and we share a bond, but I’m not thinking about that when I’m driving. Q. William, I don’t know if you know, the restart zone was in one area yesterday, they moved it back. You’re leading the field on the initial restart. Did that matter that they moved it back to where it was? Do you practice that?WILLIAM BYRON: I think it would have definitely been an adjustment given where it was, I mean, just watching the Truck race, kind of seeing how that played out.I think moving it back to the traditional spot is great. Kudos to them for doing that, recognizing it. I think yeah, I won’t do anything different on the initial start. Just try to have a good start, I guess, get through the gears. Q. We’ve been through press conferences after press conferences to get to this point. Is this like a relief that now you get to get in the car and go race?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, for sure (smiling). I mean, it’s nice to be done with all the hoopla. It’s going to be great to get in the car.I mean, it’s been nice. I love it out here. We’ve done a lot of fun things. My friends are here. I’m just excited to kind of do normal stuff for the next 24 hours. Q. In the past races, it’s come down to a final pit stop and a short green-flag run. How do you feel about confidence-wise your speed in the short run versus the long run? What’s more important?WILLIAM BYRON: Try to be good the whole run.Honestly, for us it’s not really that focused until maybe we see in the race what our weaknesses are. In practice, nobody ran 60 laps on tires to know what that falloff is going to be like. I felt like  Q. William, your first time in the Championship 4. Have you gotten any advice from Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, the guys that have done it?WILLIAM BYRON: No, not really. I mean, I haven’t really asked. I feel like it’s just trying to experience it for myself. That’s the best way you can learn.I feel like for me, I kind of go back to Xfinity days, what that felt like, because it was the same format, albeit a lot different competition. Yeah, I just kind of go back to my own experience because I feel like that’s all that really matters. Q. I’m struck by seeing the two of you guys sitting up there. You’re each respectively potentially the future of these two iconic teams, could go on to become a great rivalry. I’d like to hear you talk about each other as a driver, how the future feels like it’s here.WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, Christopher and I have known each other since Truck. We spent a lot of time racing each other. I feel like that has continued into the Cup Series. We got in a little bit different time, a little bit different path. We’ve always raced really hard and with respect.It’s good to race people all the way up through the ranks because I feel like you really respect those kind of people more so than just someone I guess who came in and you don’t know anything about, so, yeah. Q. William, you talked about being in this format before in the Xfinity Series. There’s a lot of talk about first-timers, pressure. Do you feel any pressure? Is it any different or a normal weekend in a lot of respects?WILLIAM BYRON: Yeah, I mean, you’re going to be nervous because that’s normal. I think that having that experience was something that really stuck with me to get in the Cup Series.Yeah, no, I don’t feel any different this week. I feel like it’s a lot of pressure to get to the Final 4. I feel like all of us would say that it’s a big accomplishment to get here. You’d like to have this every year. You’d like to this the same meaning behind the championship weekend.I’m excited. I feel like we have a great opportunity.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COMCAMARO ZL1 – Post-Qualifying Media Availability Quotes:  THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Kyle Larson. We’ll get right to questions. Q. Yesterday Cliff said that them having to revinyl part of the car, that just means they’re in the right spot for the weekend. How important is it for you to have him, that support?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, that’s good. I don’t think any team would be upset if their driver scuffs the wall on the straightaway. As often as I do it, it doesn’t seem to annoy him as much as maybe it would annoy some other crew chiefs.No, I mean, yeah, I feel like I have the support of my whole team, even when I make dumb mistakes. But, yeah, I don’t know really where I’m going with it… It’s just a scuff (smiling). Q. Was that just a mistake and was there any concern about the handling of the car?KYLE LARSON: I barely touched the wall. Q. The fact that you and William are top four in this, is this a Hendrick Motorsports race I don’t want to say to lose, but do you feel you have shown that you haven’t lost a step since the spring?KYLE LARSON: I wouldn’t say that. I mean, I think we all saw the practice sheets yesterday. I think the 12 and the 20 looked a step better than especially me and even William a little bit. Was honestly surprised that they didn’t make the final round there, all that.So, no, I’m not counting out Blaney or Bell at all. It’s a long race, so they’ll overcome wherever they start. I’m sure they’ll drive through the field. The Final 4 guys, most everybody respects or shows a lot of respect to on the racetrack and gives a lot of space.I think they’ll find their way to the front pretty quickly. Q. New tire this weekend. How did it feel out there compared to the spring?KYLE LARSON: I mean, the spring has been so long ago, I don’t really remember how I felt in practice. Yesterday I was just struggling for entry grip a lot. We made a lot of adjustments overnight. I felt much better there in qualifying. It’s qualifying trim versus race trim. Still don’t know how I’ll be compared to yesterday.I think the entry grip was better with the other tire. I don’t even know the differences within the tire. Yeah, no, I mean, lap times seem to be a little bit faster, at least in qualifying trim. I don’t know what that means, though, for the race. Q. You talked about the 12 and the 20 had what seemed good long run speed yesterday in practice. How do you expect the conditions and what you learned in the practice session yesterday to translate to tomorrow?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I’m not sure. I miss practice. It was great to have practice. 50 minutes at night, three sets of tires, it was just chaos yesterday (smiling).I don’t know. I’m not saying I miss the three practice sessions that we used to have, but I thought it was just really chaotic yesterday. I felt like there was may more chaos than a 20-minute session just because three sets of tires, it’s like you’re always in traffic. You were either catching somebody or you were in the way of somebody, being on different laps on tires. Yesterday’s practice was difficult. Nighttime, we don’t race anywhere close to nighttime tomorrow, so…Yeah, I left last night just basically being more confused I think than had I just not practiced at all. Yeah, that was interesting and makes the weekend kind of more difficult. I guess that part of it’s good. Q. You have seven top-five finishes here at Phoenix. You looked good in qualifying. How confident are you going into tomorrow?KYLE LARSON: I don’t know. I mean, last night I was not too confident, just more so confused. We qualified better today than I thought we would. I think my race car is quite a bit better than we were yesterday.I understand it’s going to be a tough race. I don’t know. I mean, yeah, past results help confidence, but it’s a different race every time you come back. Q. You’ve been here before. You’ve won a championship. What experiences can you draw on from then to now?KYLE LARSON: Nothing. I mean, it’s a totally — I said it a lot on Media Day, but it’s a totally different series than it was two years ago. The cars are different. Restarts are different. Just the style of racing is different. The way cars react around other cars is different.There’s not really anything I feel like I can take from a couple years ago, other than just knowing that we’ve done it before so we can do it again. But that really doesn’t mean anything either. Q. A few years back in the championship race, you talked about really not wanting to upset things and being very respectful. Does that era still exist in this series like in that Homestead race? Is the expectation that people will race you as you raced a few years back in Homestead?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I’m not sure. I think circumstances are different. I think then, that race you’re speaking of, I was running third, and I was really fast catching Martin, who was leading, but catching Kyle as well. I knew if I passed Kyle, I was going to screw his chance at winning a championship. I kind of wanted to leave it to those two to race it out.I think it just varies from driver to driver. I think there is a handful of drivers in the field that would have the Championship 4 drivers in mind, and then there’s probably a handful of drivers that are going to race hard, which you can appreciate both ways.Everybody wants to win a Cup race. They’re hard to win. Phoenix, I feel like there’s more opportunity for people to win than at Homestead back then. I think because of that, yeah, the people will be more aggressive in the way that they race or just race more normal probably.Like I said, every circumstance is different. You don’t really know until you get out there and get in those situations. Q. Blaney is 15th. Bell is 20th. You’re 4th. Byron is 1st. Does any of that really matter? The race comes down to the last pit stop. Does any of that help you? At the end of the race, what are you looking for to make sure you get off pit road?KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, even though they start 15th and 20th, they still get to pick third and fourth pit stall selections. They’re going to end up in a good stall. Their car obviously was really good in practice yesterday, so they’re going to find their way to the front.I don’t view anything about where they qualified. I wish I would have got the pole. Just was a little bit off of William there. I think honestly if I would have qualified a little bit better the first round, I think what I did in the second round would have caught him off guard a little bit sooner than it did, and I probably would have beat him, gotten the first pit stall selection.Yeah, just got to execute every chance you get. I just didn’t execute quite good enough the first round. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Kyle.

Catsburg, Keating, Varrone, No. 33 Corvette team wrap up historic season SAKHIR, Bahrain (November 4, 2023) – Corvette Racing finished seventh Saturday at the Eight Hours of Bahrain to close the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship and put a cap on a historic season. Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone battled challenging conditions throughout the season finale in hopes of securing a GTE Am podium finish in the final contest for the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R and the rest of the GTE machinery in WEC.

The championship season included three victories – Corvette Racing’s ninth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in the U.S., and the Six Hours of Portimão – three pole positions for Keating and a championship clinch at Monza in July with two races to go. It was a fitting way for the C8.R and Corvette Racing to close their campaigns in the WEC. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is slated to be part of the WEC grid next year in the hands of TF Sport for the LM GT3 category while the No. 33 C8.R team transitions back to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports banner. Keating qualified the C8.R fifth in class Friday, and hopes were high for a run at a sixth podium finish this season. The green flag brought rare misfortune to Corvette as Keating had to avoid multiple cars when prototype entries spun and went off-track in front of the GTE Am field. The C8.R rejoined the track in ninth place and mired in traffic. It didn’t help that the Corvette faced an uphill battle on the performance front with the C8.R 15 pounds heavier than any other GTE Am car and a pre-event reduction in power. Keating made his first stop just past the 30-minute mark in a strategic call to free him from class traffic. The off-strategy call saw him run as high as fourth in his final two stints of the season before swapping over to Varrone just shy of three hours. A year after his first laps in the C8.R at the WEC Rookie Test at Bahrain, Varrone rejoined the race in 10th place with the goal of managing the Corvette’s tires, a tough task on a track notorious for high degradation due to its rough surface. Again, the Corvette got up as high as fourth in Varrone’s three stints, and he swapped to Catsburg for the final run with less than two hours to go. Rejoining eighth in class, Catsburg gained one spot inside the final hour but didn’t have the performance to get any higher in the order before the finish.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “The result of today isn’t important. If we couldn’t win today, it’s great to see the Iron Dames win. I think they deserved one all season. But we deserved the championship. We celebrated it once, and it was nice to celebrate it again tonight with the team. On the cool-down lap, I was thanking them and I realized that the stuff we accomplished this year was really cool. We did it with two races to go but that doesn’t make tonight any less special. I’m super happy and super proud of the entire team, and I can’t wait to work them again in America next season.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “I didn’t have any contact at the start. There were cars everywhere. I lost a lot of positions but avoided any contact. It was a green and clean race, and unfortunately we didn’t have the pace this weekend. I think it was the price for having really good strategy all year. It was a magical season and a magical time – the last race for GTE, the last race for me with Corvette Racing and the last race for me in World Endurance Championship. It’s still surreal and magical when you think about this season. To have won the championship, to have won Le Mans and had such great results all season long… it’s pretty hard to sit back and enjoy it when you’re as busy as I was out there in the race. But I tried to remind myself of it as often as I could. It’s been a lot of fun.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “I’m really happy to finish the season with Corvette Racing. It was an amazing year and a fairytale story. Driving the C8.R for the final time in Bahrain was really nice, and I’ve enjoyed every minute. This race was tough for us with tires and our performance. Other cars were passing us easily, and we had no power in a straight line. The only chance we had to match them was trying to save our tires and see if that worked. I tried to be consistent and not make mistakes to lose as little time as possible. Other than that, the Corvette was good. Always here it is tricky with traction and grip. We were just missing power. That’s just how it was. We cannot complain too much. We’ve had an amazing season.”

LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS CAR RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “There aren’t enough words to describe how proud we are for everyone on the Corvette Racing team for an incredible season. Winning the final GTE Am championship is great, winning three races – including Le Mans – is something you never will forget. But to do all that in one year with this group is indescribable. I’m confident we are only getting started with WEC championships and wins with more to come with the Z06 GT3.R in the future.”

Catsburg, Keating, Varrone, No. 33 Corvette team wrap up historic season SAKHIR, Bahrain (November 4, 2023) – Corvette Racing finished seventh Saturday at the Eight Hours of Bahrain to close the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship and put a cap on a historic season. Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone battled challenging conditions throughout the season finale in hopes of securing a GTE Am podium finish in the final contest for the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R and the rest of the GTE machinery in WEC.

The championship season included three victories – Corvette Racing’s ninth class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, at the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in the U.S., and the Six Hours of Portimão – three pole positions for Keating and a championship clinch at Monza in July with two races to go. It was a fitting way for the C8.R and Corvette Racing to close their campaigns in the WEC. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is slated to be part of the WEC grid next year in the hands of TF Sport for the LM GT3 category while the No. 33 C8.R team transitions back to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports banner. Keating qualified the C8.R fifth in class Friday, and hopes were high for a run at a sixth podium finish this season. The green flag brought rare misfortune to Corvette as Keating had to avoid multiple cars when prototype entries spun and went off-track in front of the GTE Am field. The C8.R rejoined the track in ninth place and mired in traffic. It didn’t help that the Corvette faced an uphill battle on the performance front with the C8.R 15 pounds heavier than any other GTE Am car and a pre-event reduction in power. Keating made his first stop just past the 30-minute mark in a strategic call to free him from class traffic. The off-strategy call saw him run as high as fourth in his final two stints of the season before swapping over to Varrone just shy of three hours. A year after his first laps in the C8.R at the WEC Rookie Test at Bahrain, Varrone rejoined the race in 10th place with the goal of managing the Corvette’s tires, a tough task on a track notorious for high degradation due to its rough surface. Again, the Corvette got up as high as fourth in Varrone’s three stints, and he swapped to Catsburg for the final run with less than two hours to go. Rejoining eighth in class, Catsburg gained one spot inside the final hour but didn’t have the performance to get any higher in the order before the finish.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “The result of today isn’t important. If we couldn’t win today, it’s great to see the Iron Dames win. I think they deserved one all season. But we deserved the championship. We celebrated it once, and it was nice to celebrate it again tonight with the team. On the cool-down lap, I was thanking them and I realized that the stuff we accomplished this year was really cool. We did it with two races to go but that doesn’t make tonight any less special. I’m super happy and super proud of the entire team, and I can’t wait to work them again in America next season.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “I didn’t have any contact at the start. There were cars everywhere. I lost a lot of positions but avoided any contact. It was a green and clean race, and unfortunately we didn’t have the pace this weekend. I think it was the price for having really good strategy all year. It was a magical season and a magical time – the last race for GTE, the last race for me with Corvette Racing and the last race for me in World Endurance Championship. It’s still surreal and magical when you think about this season. To have won the championship, to have won Le Mans and had such great results all season long… it’s pretty hard to sit back and enjoy it when you’re as busy as I was out there in the race. But I tried to remind myself of it as often as I could. It’s been a lot of fun.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SEVENTH IN CLASS: “I’m really happy to finish the season with Corvette Racing. It was an amazing year and a fairytale story. Driving the C8.R for the final time in Bahrain was really nice, and I’ve enjoyed every minute. This race was tough for us with tires and our performance. Other cars were passing us easily, and we had no power in a straight line. The only chance we had to match them was trying to save our tires and see if that worked. I tried to be consistent and not make mistakes to lose as little time as possible. Other than that, the Corvette was good. Always here it is tricky with traction and grip. We were just missing power. That’s just how it was. We cannot complain too much. We’ve had an amazing season.”

LAURA WONTROP KLAUSER, GM SPORTS CAR RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “There aren’t enough words to describe how proud we are for everyone on the Corvette Racing team for an incredible season. Winning the final GTE Am championship is great, winning three races – including Le Mans – is something you never will forget. But to do all that in one year with this group is indescribable. I’m confident we are only getting started with WEC championships and wins with more to come with the Z06 GT3.R in the future.”

CONCORD, NC (Nov. 3, 2023) – Prior to this week, Ricky Thornton Jr. hadn’t raced at The Dirt Track at Charlotte in nine years. But on Friday night, he drove around it like it was his home track, scoring his first career World of Outlaws World Finals Feature win and the $15,000 grand prize.

“I’ve only been here two other times – 2010 and 2014 – and I think out of those six nights, I only made one show,” Thornton said. “We did a lot better this year.”

Over 30 Feature wins in 2023 has dubbed the Arizona native one of the most dominant dirt Late Model drivers in the nation. He and the team at SSI Motorsports faced one of the biggest and most competitive fields they’d seen all year with 74 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models in the pits, on a track they’d yet to race together at.

But that didn’t scare Thornton at all. He embraced the bright spotlight.

“It’s pretty awesome,” Thornton said. “There’s a lot of people in attendance, and it’s one of the biggest races of the year.”

Of those 74 entrants, his biggest challenge in the Feature was one of the best red-clay oval racers in the Southeast – Chris Madden. The South Carolina racer took the lead from the pole at the drop of the green and paced the field in the opening laps while Dale McDowell and Thornton followed.

A caution flag on Lap 10 restacked the field for what was the race’s only restart. Thornton devised his plan to get around McDowell under the yellow and quickly sprang into action.

“I just kinda Hail-Mary’d the top in Turns 1-2 and was able to get back to second,” Thornton said. “I was able to get back down in front of Dale and just kinda blocked him for a few laps until I got my stuff going again.”

Now with only Madden in front of him, Thornton tightened his grip on the steering wheel and began to close the gap.

Madden crossed the line at the halfway point with a line of lapped traffic in front of him. He entered low in Turn 1 behind the first lapped car but drifted up off the bottom lane at the exit of Turn 2, opening the door for Thornton right behind him to slip by underneath.

“I was just trying to negotiate lapped traffic there and I rolled out to the outside, and [Thornton] filled the hole,” Madden said. “I really wasn’t tight enough to be where I needed to be. Sometimes, it’s hard to lead in this lapped traffic in the conditions that we’re in here.”

They drag raced down the backstretch, but Thornton had the speed and the preferred line on the bottom as he rounded Turns 3-4 and took the lead on Lap 19.

“The more my car stayed the same, the more [Madden’s] kinda slowed down,” Thornton said. “He got to traffic, made one little mistake and slid off the bottom. I knew I had to go for it then.”

Thornton maintained the advantage over Madden as the laps wound-down under five-to-go and encountered some lapped traffic of his own in front of him – a cause for a bit of concern in the final laps.

“I was just worried we’d get too close, and we’d have a freight train with five or six of us,” Thornton said. “Usually, that’s when the guy in second can try and move around and find a way to get around you.”

That guy in second was Madden, who did move off the bottom once more in Turn 2 on Lap 33 in a last-chance attempt to get back by Thornton. But instead, the car behind him took the open door underneath him once again.

McDowell had been patiently waiting in tow for a mistake from Madden and took advantage of it by slipping by him on the bottom and into second place off of Turn 2.

“I felt like I may could have done something in Turns 3-4, so I was gonna try to ease out there and see if we could do it in 1-2, and I lost a spot there,” Madden said.

McDowell hung on to finish second for his second top-five finish, while Madden came home third – his second podium of the week.

UP NEXT

The 2023 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series campaign comes to a close in the World Finals finale Saturday, Nov. 4 at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. A 50-lap, $25,000-to-win main event will headline the event, racing alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds.

Tickets and more information are available at WorldofOutlawsWorldFinals.com. Can’t be at the track? Stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

CASE Construction Equipment Feature (35 Laps): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell[2]; 3. 44-Chris Madden[1]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[8]; 5. 8-Brian Shirley[9]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[11]; 7. 0-Scott Bloomquist[7]; 8. 10-Garrett Smith[5]; 9. 97-Cade Dillard[4]; 10. 18D-Daulton Wilson[19]; 11. 32-Bobby Pierce[15]; 12. 1-Hudson O’Neal[24]; 13. 20-Jimmy Owens[14]; 14. 9-Nick Hoffman[10]; 15. 93-Carson Ferguson[12]; 16. 19M-Spencer Hughes[16]; 17. 22-Chris Ferguson[22]; 18. 76-Brandon Overton[13]; 19. B5-Brandon Sheppard[25]; 20. 40B-Kyle Bronson[18]; 21. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[21]; 22. 25-Shane Clanton[17]; 23. B1-Brent Larson[28]; 24. 49-Jonathan Davenport[20]; 25. 96V-Tanner English[27]; 26. 174-Ethan Dotson[23]; 27. 19R-Ryan Gustin[26]; 28. 7T-Drake Troutman[6]

Marks, Peck, and Courtney trade the lead multiple times before Marks secures his second win of the year

CONCORD, NC (Nov. 3, 2023) – The World of Outlaws World Finals means only a few chances remain to pick up a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car win this year. And that also means the intensity rises each and every lap.

That heightened intensity was on complete display Friday night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. An all-out war erupted between Brent Marks, Justin Peck, and Tyler Courtney for a $15,000 payday and a trip to Victory Lane.

Sliders. Crossovers. More sliders and crossovers. Cars using multiple grooves. Endless action led to a thrilling 25-lap main event on the penultimate night of the 2023 campaign for The Greatest Show on Dirt. 

When the dust settled, Brent Marks claimed the checkered flag narrowly ahead of Peck to snag a win for the Pennsylvania Posse. As Marks rose atop his wing in Victory Lane, the massive crowd on hand erupted in appreciation for the show he and his fellow competitors had delivered. 

“It feels amazing,” Marks said. “To win in front of this crowd is an amazing moment. Standing up here on this stage at this racetrack means a lot to me. To get another World of Outlaws victory also means a lot to me. That was a really fun race.”

The win was Marks’ second of the season, marking the third consecutive year he’s notched multiple World of Outlaws wins. Adding to his 2021 Charlotte victory, Marks became the 12th driver to own multiple Series triumphs at the 4/10-mile. His win also completed a clean sweep of the program as he set QuickTime, won his Heat, topped the Dash, and finished it off with the Feature victory.

Marks earned the pole of the Feature after topping the Toyota Racing Dash. Courtney slid ahead of “The Myerstown Missile” in Turns 3 and 4, but Marks dipped under him to lead the opening lap by a hair and slide back in front in Turns 1 and 2.

As the early laps unfolded, Marks couldn’t shake Courtney as Marks opted for the cushion while “Sunshine” tiptoed the bottom. Courtney pulled alongside Marks multiple times within the first handful of laps but couldn’t quite make the move.

But then on the 10th lap, Marks tripped up in traffic as he went through the slick in Turns 3 and 4, allowing Courtney to sneak by on the bottom and claim the top spot aboard the Clauson Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink #7BC.

Quickly changing track conditions allowed Peck to surprise both Marks and Courtney. While the lead duo committed to the bottom, Peck ripped the top in the Buch Motorsports #13 and went around Marks on Lap 12. One lap later, Peck blasted by Courtney for the lead.

Two laps later, Marks surged back into contention as he rolled the bottom to pass Courtney coming to the line and pull alongside Peck, In Turns 1 and 2, Marks pulled the trigger on a slide job to reclaim the lead. Peck returned the favor the next time around in the same set of corners. Marks crossed over out of Turn 2 and aimed for the top in Turn 3, so Peck threw another slider. Marks again dipped under Peck and then fended off his next move in Turn 1.

“I was running the top there in the beginning and saw Tyler down on the bottom there a couple times,” Marks recalled. “So, I switched my line up and felt pretty good. And then I think I slipped up and he got by me and fell back to second. I just tried to work that in down there a little more, and Justin railed around both of us on the top, so I fell back to third. I just started moving around just trying to figure out what was going to work best for my car. I felt like I could go anywhere but was definitely better up top. I just knew we needed to stick to that, and that’s what we did and ended up racing our way back up through there.”

Following the intense battle with Peck, Marks built a decent lead as the laps faded late in the going. But suddenly lapped traffic became an issue again.

Marks stared down cars using both his preferred high line and the low line. Peck chipped away at the gap, and when the white flag flew he found himself within striking distance. Marks thought the lapped car ahead would go low in the final set of corners but guessed wrong, causing him to drift through the slick in Turns 3 and 4. Peck closed fast and looked under Marks coming to the checkered flag but came up slightly short as Marks grabbed the win.

“I felt like the track crew did an amazing job there at getting the track two lanes of racing and getting it pretty tricky around the top,” Marks said. “Man, I just got to lapped traffic there and wanted to make sure I didn’t get off the top. I just felt like my pace slowed up too much. I was getting a little worried about Justin behind me closing in on us. Then I had a run on Logan (Schuchart) going down the backstretch on the last lap, and last minute he pulled off to go to the bottom, and I had already set up to try to slide him. That just kind of got me stuck in the middle a little bit. I knew he was going to have a head of steam. Fortunately, we hung on there at the end and won us this race.”

A second place run for Peck equaled his best World of Outlaws finish. While proud of he and the Buch team’s efforts, Peck couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed with coming so close to what’s become an elusive first Series victory.

“My guys gave me a really good race car,” Peck said. “Me, Brent, and Sunshine raced each other pretty hard there. It’s just one of those deals where it’s got to come sometime, right? It feels like we’ve run second quite a few times now and been on the podium but just can’t seem to pull off a win.”

Courtney rounded out the top three to post his sixth career World of Outlaws podium. The Indianapolis, IN native felt he was missing just a little speed to lock up his second Series win of the year.

“Once Brent cleared Justin there, we just got back around the top,” Courtney said. “We were running really fast laps up there. We’re set up a little bit more to run down off the top, so I was a little too tight to run around the top there.”

Brad Sweet and James McFadden completed the top five. Sweet’s result combined with David Gravel’s sixth place run pushed Sweet’s lead atop the standings to 46 points. Sweet now needs a finish of 22nd or better in the season finale to lock up his fifth straight championship with Kasey Kahne Racing.

Donny Schatz earned the KSE Racing Hard Charger with a 25th to 13th drive.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Rico Abreu (48th Heat Race win of career). NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Brian Brown (82nd of career), Brent Marks (29th of career), and Tyler Courtney (13th of career).

Hunter Schuerenberg won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars complete the 2023 season with a $25,000 to win finale at The Dirt Track at Charlotte’s World Finals on Saturday, Nov. 4. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (25 Laps): 1. 19-Brent Marks[1]; 2. 13-Justin Peck[5]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[2]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet[11]; 5. 83-James McFadden[10]; 6. 2-David Gravel[9]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[12]; 8. 24-Rico Abreu[6]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[15]; 10. 69K-Justin Henderson[4]; 11. 41-Carson Macedo[13]; 12. 21-Brian Brown[3]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[25]; 14. 5-Spencer Bayston[22]; 15. 9R-Chase Randall[7]; 16. 14-Cole Macedo[17]; 17. 88-Austin McCarl[8]; 18. 8-Cory Eliason[20]; 19. 39M-Anthony Macri[16]; 20. 71-Parker Price Miller[24]; 21. 2MD-Cap Henry[19]; 22. 9-Kasey Kahne[18]; 23. 1S-Logan Schuchart[14]; 24. 7S-Robbie Price[27]; 25. 20G-Noah Gass[28]; 26. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg[21]; 27. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[26]; 28. 99-Skylar Gee[23]

Chevrolet clinched three championship titles before entering NASCAR’s season finale race weekend at Phoenix Raceway – claiming its 42nd NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championship; its 25th Bill France Performance Cup in the NASCAR Xfinity Series; and its 11th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturer Championship.

This marks Chevrolet’s fifth time sweeping the manufacturer championship titles across all three NASCAR national series – also accomplishing the feat in 2012, 2005, 1998 and 1996.

Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to sweep the manufacturer championship titles across the NASCAR national ranks in the same season on multiple occasions.

This marks the third consecutive year, and 42nd time overall, that Chevrolet has won the manufacturer championship title in NASCAR’s premier series.Chevrolet won its first manufacturer championship in the NASCAR Cup Series in 1958, later recording a streak of 13 consecutive titles between 2003 – 2015.

This marks Chevrolet’s series-leading 25th time receiving the Bill France Performance Cup. Since the Camaro made its debut as Chevrolet’s flagship vehicle in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2013, the manufacturer has earned nine titles with 2023 marking its seventh consecutive title-winning season.

Competing in the series since its inception in 1995, the Silverado claimed the manufacturer championship title in the series’ inaugural season, with Chevrolet going on to win four-straight.This marks Chevrolet’s 11th time earning the manufacturer championship title in the series.

Chevrolet is the only manufacturer in NASCAR history to sweep both the manufacturer championships and the driver championships in all three NASCAR national series in the same season – accomplishing the feat in 1998 and 1996.

1996 Driver Champions: NASCAR Cup Series – Terry Labonte (Hendrick Motorsports)NASCAR Busch Grand National Series – Randy LaJoie (BACE Motorsports)NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Ron Hornaday, Jr. (DEI)

1998 Driver Champions: NASCAR Cup Series – Jeff Gordon (Hendrick Motorsports)NASCAR Busch Grand National Series – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (DEI)NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Ron Hornaday, Jr. (DEI)

Chevrolet is heading into the 2023 NASCAR season finale race weekend at Phoenix Raceway with 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series Driver Championships and 14 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Driver Championships.

Chevrolet is the only manufacturer to have two drivers represented in the Championship Four across all three NASCAR national series:

NASCAR Cup Series

Kyle LarsonNo. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1William Byron No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Sam Mayer No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SSJustin Allgaier No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series

Carson Hocevar No. 42 Niece Motorsports Silverado RSTGrant EnfingerNo. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R to start third in the eight-hour season finale

SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 3, 2023) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R started the day at Bahrain International Circuit with a first — topping the lap time chart in free practice – and rounded out track time with its best qualifying position in its initial season of FIA World Endurance Championship competition. Alex Lynn recorded a lap time of 1 minute, 47.265 seconds in the hybrid Cadillac Racing entry on the challenging 5.412-kilometer (3.36-mile), 15-turn circuit to qualify third for the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Saturday. Cadillac Racing’s previous best in six races was fourth at Spa-Francorchamps in April.

“Excited and thrilled for the performance today,” GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Alex had a terrific drive. The team set it up and everyone has been working so closely together to get it sorted for Bahrain. Our goal was to finish on a high note here and we’re in process for doing it.” The stats: Cadillac Racing WEC qualifying The No. 2 Cadillac team of Lynn, Earl Bamber and Richard Westbrook is aiming to tap into the success it experienced at the start of the season, which included top-five finishes at Sebring, Portimão and Spa ahead of their podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Using the hard Michelin tire compound in the 15-minute session at sunset, Lynn took the provisional pole in the 12-car Hypercar field with 8:50 remaining. He totaled five laps before pitting and exiting the car with just under 5 minutes left. The No. 8 Toyota moved to the top in the final 6 minutes with a lap of 1:46.564. “It was a really positive day,” Lynn said. “We were quick on one lap and we’re quick on the long run, too. I’m proud of our team and we’re motivated to have a good day tomorrow.”

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R began on-track preparations at Bahrain International Circuit with an impressive set of free practices. In the midday session preceding qualifications, Lynn’s lap of 1:49.512 was quickest of all Hypercars, which was a first for the program in a timed session. “Everyone has played the tire strategy differently, but I think we are in a good spot,” Lynn said following the session. Cadillac was third quick in the second session a day earlier under the lights and with cooler temperatures in the desert at 1:47.690. The initial session was interrupted early on by a 45-minute red flag period because of strong winds that blew banners onto the track at Turn 1, prompting race control to extend the session. Heavy rain with 30 minutes remaining also impacted the lap times. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage of the race (2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time / 7 a.m. ET Saturday) in the U.S., as will the FIA WEC app. Radio Le Mans will stream coverage of the race. Additionally, watch the eight-hour race unfold from the driver’s point of view inside the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R HERE.

What they’re saying Alex Lynn: “I think it was a really positive day. Quickest in free practice three, long-run pace looked really strong and consolidated with P3 in qualifying. Really happy for Cadillac Racing. The main thing I think is we’re quick on one lap and we’re quick on the long run. I’m proud of our team and motivated to have a good day tomorrow. I’m excited to have a good race because I think we’re going to have a good one and challenge for the podium.” Earl Bamber: “I think we rolled out with a good car and did our homework. I think this track suits us and we’re in the mix for that podium spot. Now we just need to do the final preparations and try to make that next little step to hopefully finish off the season well.” Richard Westbrook: “I’d say we’re in a much stronger position than we have been in the last few races. We seem to have good one-lap pace and good long-run pace. We all know Bahrain is very hard on the tires and it’s all about how you can preserve your tires better than your competitors. The car feels nice in old tire conditions when you’re lapping considerably a lot slower than you would on new tires. I’m really encouraged for the race and we’ll be going all out for a strong result.”

One last ride for Corvette C8.R in GTE race finale SAKHIR, Bahrain (November 3, 2023) – Corvette Racing will close its FIA World Endurance Championship season with a third-row start in the GTE Am field for Saturday’s Eight Hours of Bahrain. Ben Keating set a best lap of 1:59.412 (101.408 mph) during Friday’s 15-minute session to qualify fifth in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. As he has all season, Keating will team Saturday with fellow GTE Am champions Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone with the trio going for its fourth win of 2023. The Thursday and Friday practice sessions were each in dramatically different conditions, which – if nothing else – gave the Corvette team and the rest of the WEC paddock and opportunity to explore a variety of setups and options ahead of Saturday’s 2 p.m. local start.

Thursday’s practice was interrupted first by a severe wind and sand storm and then by a steady rain shower. The day’s night practice was in dry and cooler conditions while Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions were in more typical conditions for Bahrain – hot and sunny. The latter gave teams a read on likely conditions for the start of Saturday’s race and the level of tire degradation that will ultimately play a large role in the race’s outcome. This is the second year at Bahrain for the C8.R, which finished second in GTE Pro in 2022 with Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy sharing the Corvette. Saturday’s race and Corvette Racing’s presence is notable for a number of reasons. The Corvette team is aiming to cap off a banner season in which it already has claimed the GTE Am Drivers and Teams titles, three race wins – including the 24 Hours of Le Mans – and three pole-position runs for Keating. Another win Saturday would give the C8.R a total of 21 victories worldwide in 82 events and close Corvette Racing’s two-year campaign in the FIA WEC with a fifth victory. It also would send Corvette out as the final race-winner of the GTE class. One of the mainstays of GTE racing since the category was introduced in 2011, the Corvette program also has been one of the most successful with 48 of its 127 worldwide victories coming with GTE machinery – which also includes North American wins in the American Le Mans Series’ GT class as well IMSA’s GT Le Mans category. As much of a coronation as this weekend is for the Corvette program, it also serves as a transition point. The Corvette Z06 GT3.R is slated to be part of the WEC grid next year in the hands of TF Sport for the LM GT3 category while the No. 33 C8.R team transitions back to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship under the Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports banner. As in previous races, the C8.R is running at Bahrain with a level of rewards weight due to its successes earlier this year: 15 kilograms for leading the championship and 10 kilograms for finishing second in the previous race at Fuji on top of 10 extra kilograms added to the car’s minimum weight ahead of the Monza round for a total of 35 kilograms – five less than at the Japanese round but still the heaviest car in class. The Corvette also received a two-liter decrease in fuel capacity and a 0.6mm restrictor adjustment to limit engine power. The Eight Hours of Bahrain is scheduled for 2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time / 7 a.m. ET on Saturday. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage, as will the FIA WEC app. Radio Le Mans will stream live audio coverage of the race.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of the FIA WEC’s Eight Hours of Bahrain. Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Racing racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH: “More than where we qualified, I’m happy with the lap time. That was one second quicker than anything than did in my qualifying simulation. There is so much tire degradation here that it’s a balance between taking care of the tire – because we have to race on these same tires – and trying to hit the peak of the tire. I think the reason I was able to put that lap together was because it was my third one and on the peak of the tire. I kept trying to repeat it, and I couldn’t. It just wasn’t there in the tire. It’s really interesting how my two laps that were closest to that were seven-tenths of a second off. It’s worth that much time. I’m happy with the time but also with the result. Tyler (Neff, race engineer) said before qualifying that he thought a top-five result was possible, and he nailed it.”Final GTE qualifying session: “I’m sure this will be going through my head the entire weekend. I’m driving around at the end of qualifying, and I’m thinking that this is the last time that I’m qualifying this car in GTE. It’s the last time I’m going to qualify in WEC. It’s been such a special year this year with the Corvette. Even when you qualify fifth and it’s your lowest result of the entire year, it’s still special.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I feel like everyone will struggle with tires here. Historically, this track is really rough on tires and everyone will have that issue. But if you take away that issue, we still have quite a bit of deficit in terms of pace. So we need to understand where we can gain little bits of time to reduce that gap. As always, I do believe that with our lineup we do have a bit of an advantage over some of the other teams. We need to remain calm and be focused on the race. This will be more difficult than all other events we’ve done. I’m just going to do my best for the team and enjoy this last GTE race.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “For me, this place is very special. Not even one year ago, I arrived here for the rest time and met the Corvette Racing team for the first time. I was shy at the beginning, I didn’t speak too much and had pressure because I knew this could be big for me. It was a really good opportunity. I had the desire to do well but also some pressure that goes on inside. But everything went well. I got the drive and what has happened after that was amazing – winning Sebring, Portimao and Le Mans for Corvette on the 70th anniversary for Corvette and the Centenary Le Mans. And now we are champions. That’s why being here and this whole atmosphere being at this track means so much.”

2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am (After six of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 1642. Michelle Gatting/Rahel Frey/Sarah Bovy – 793. Davide Rigon/Francesco Castellacci/Thomas Flohr – 734. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 685. Ahmad Al Harthy/Charlie Eastwood/Michael Dinan – 65 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 1642. No. 85 Iron Dames – 793. No. 54 AF Corse – 734. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 685. ORT by TF – 65 CORVETTE RACING AT BAHRAIN: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette• 3: Positions gained in GTE Pro by Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in last year’s Bahrain race in the No. 64 Corvette• 3: Number of GTE Am wins in four FIA WEC races this season for Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone with the No. 33 Corvette C8.R• 7: Hours difference between Manama, Bahrain and Detroit in the Eastern Time Zone• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship• 35: Kilograms of success ballast for the Corvette C8.R at Fuji – 10 for finishing second at Fuji, 15 for leading the GTE Am championship and 10 additional kilograms added to the car’s minimum weight by the organizers• 127: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC• 283: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 6,883: Approximate mileage from Detroit Metropolitan Airport to Bahrain International Airport, one way. That’s a greater distance than the No. 33 Corvette C8.R has raced this year in WEC competition• 361,214.36: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Bahrain2022No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 2nd in GTE Pro

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R places third on time sheet in first day of practice

SAKHIR, Bahrain (Nov. 2, 2023) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R began on-track preparations for the FIA World Endurance Championship season-concluding 8 Hours of Bahrain with an impressive first day outing. With Richard Westbrook, Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn sharing seat time, the hybrid Cadillac recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 47.690 seconds on the challenging 5.412-kilometer (3.36-mile), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit in the second free practice session for third best of the 12 Hypercar entries.

“Good start for the team; we managed to get through most of our race prep. Also did some qualifying work, so we’re going into free practice 3 and qualifying prepared,” team manager Stephen Mitas said. “Still some work to finish off before the race, but it’s looking good.” The No. 7 Toyota led the way at 1:46.851 under dry track conditions after sunset.

Media resources * WEC statistics* On-track photos* Driver candids* Cadillac sweeps IMSA GTP championshipsShift your focusWatch the eight-hour race unfold from the driver’s point of view inside the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R HERE.

The No. 2 Cadillac team is aiming to tap into the success it experienced at the start of the season, which included top-five finishes at Sebring, Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps ahead of their podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.  Cadillac Racing is in its first season of WEC competition with the Cadillac Hypercar that features a purpose-built 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Michigan. Lynn and Bamber combined to turn 22 laps in the initial free practice that was interrupted early on by a 45-minute red flag period because of strong winds that blew banners onto the track at Turn 1, prompting race control to extend the session. Heavy rain with 30 minutes remaining also impacted the lap times. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R recorded a best lap of 1:50.542 — .686 of a second off the session-leading time. A one-hour free practice Friday precedes the 20-minute qualifying session under the setting sun. Radio Le Mans will stream coverage of the final practice and qualifying in addition to the race (2 p.m. Arabian Standard Time / 7 a.m. ET Saturday). MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage, as will the FIA WEC app.