Palou, Honda Start “The Month of May” With Victory at Indianapolis

May 13, 2023 — SPEEDWAY, IN

• Alex Palou wins the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis, as the activities begin at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway leading up to the Indianapolis 500
• Christian Lundgaard starts from pole, finishes fourth for Honda and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing
• Scott Dixon recovers from opening lap incident to finish sixth; Marcus Ericsson runs eighth as Honda drivers claim six of the top-10 finishing positions

Alex Palou cruised to his first victory of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season at today’s GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis, piloting his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a nearly 17-second victory in the opening event of activities leading up to the Indianapolis 500 later this month.

Starting third on the faster, but more fragile, Firestone alternate “red” tires, Palou moved past fellow Honda driver and pole qualifier Christian Lundgaard on the opening lap, and was in command for much of the 85-lap contest.  At the checkers, Palou finished 16.8 seconds ahead of Pato O’Ward in second, having led a race-high total of 52 laps.

Running the “red” tires in the closing stint, Lundgaard finished fourth for Honda and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, his best result of 2023.  In his #9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, Scott Dixon recovered from delays caused by an opening-lap incident ahead of him to finish sixth; with teammate and defending Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson running eighth at the checkers.

With today’s win, Honda has increased its lead in the INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship to 26 points over Chevrolet (413-387), while Palou moves to the top of the championship points standings for drivers with 174.

GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis Honda Race Results

1st Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
6th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th Marcus Ericsson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Colton Herta	Andretti Autosport Honda
10th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
11th Romain Grosjean	Andretti Autosport Honda
14th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport Honda
15th Marcus Armstrong-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17th Devlin DeFrancesco	Andretti Autosport Honda
20th Jack Harvey	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
22nd Helio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
25th Simon Pagenaud	Meyer Shank Racing Honda               Did not finish [mechanical]
26th David Malukas	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda  Did not finish [contact]
27th Sting Ray Robb-R	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda   Did not finish [mechanical]

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 5 of 17 rounds)

Honda	413 points
Chevrolet	387 points

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings (unofficial, after 5 of 17 rounds)

1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda	174 points
2. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren	-6
3. Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda	-19
4. Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport Honda	-40
5. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske	-41

Quotes
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) race winner, first win of 2023: “What an amazing job from the #10 crew, and our first win with [sponsor] American Legion.  We knew we had a fast car right from the start of the race weekend.  We were P1 [in practice] yesterday and the car’s been amazing all weekend.  Once we knew we were starting on [Firestone] reds, I think we knew we could fight for the win.  I just had to execute.  Today could not be a better start [to May] for us.” 

Christian Lundgaard (#45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) pole qualifier, finished fourth: “I’m satisfied with a fourth [place finish], but it was a tough day.  The #45 Hy-Vee Honda has been quick all weekend.  It wasn’t AS quick today, unfortunately, but to come home fourth is OK.  There was a point in the race where I wasn’t sure if we could finish in the top 10.  Our performance was strong all weekend, and that’s the positive to take away from this weekend.”

Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished sixth: “The PNC Bank #9 was super fast, but we got caught up in a complete mess on the first lap when Graham [Rahal] spun in front of us after he got hit.  Then there was another accident in Turn 7 and I think we were like 17th or something at that point.  Then we spent the rest of the race trying to make up spots.  But 17th to 6th is pretty good!  I think if we’d had a [mid-race] caution, we couldn’t made a run at [the victory], but congrats to Alex [Palou], that’s awesome for the whole Ganassi team.”

David Salters (President and Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda victory at the GMR Grand Prix: “Huge thanks to all the marvelous men and women at HPD for the pole and win. That’s testament to all their hard work.  Congratulations to Alex [Palou] and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing on their win today.  Also to Rahal Letterman Lanigan and Christian [Lundgaard] on his first INDYCAR pole.  We still have a couple of important weeks coming up here [in Indianapolis], but things were a lot more relaxing because we had “Barley”, our surrogate HPD Race Dog here this weekend.  He’s been to two races this year [Daytona and todays GMR GP], and we got pole and wins at both of them.  So big shout out to Barley!”

Fast Facts

• Honda continues to lead the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship, with three victories and four poles in the first five races this season. Honda currently has a 36-point advantage (413-387) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in the last six years in 2023.
• Today’s 85-lap race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course kicked off three weeks of on-track activities leading up to the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.
• The 15 Indianapolis 500 wins by Honda at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway lead all other major automobile manufacturers.

Next
Activities at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway continue this week, but move to the historic 2.5-mile oval with four days of practice, starting Tuesday, followed by qualifying next weekend for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.

CHEVROLET IN THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES2023 GMR GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP MAY 13, 2023 PATO O’WARD AND ALEXANDER ROSSI PUT CHEVROLET ON THE PODIUM AT INDIANAPOLIS ROAD COURSEArrow McLaren INDYCAR Finishes All Three Entries In Top-Five Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s Pato O’Ward (second) and Alexander Rossi (third) give Chevrolet their 290th and 291st podium finishes in the 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo injection era (since 2012), the sixth and seventh of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season.Arrow McLaren INDYCAR teammate Felix Rosenqvist finished in the top-five, giving Arrow McLaren INDYCAR a strong finish and start to the month of May.Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s Alexander Rossi led the morning GMR Grand Prix Warm Up for Team Chevy, finishing the session second with his fastest lap of 01:10.4153. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin finished seventh, and teammate Josef Newgarden finished eighth. INDIANAPOLIS (May 13, 2023) – As the checkered flag dropped on the 2023 GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course, Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s Pato O’Ward and Alexander Rossi concluded a physically challenging and hot race to give Chevrolet their 290th and 291st podium finishes as a V6 engine supplier since the 2012 return to the NTT INDYCAR Series. Earning the sixth and seventh podium of the 2023 season, O’Ward and Rossi were joined in the top-five by teammate Felix Rosenqvist, giving the Arrow McLaren INDYCAR team a strong start to the month of May at Indianapolis and momentum heading into the shift to the oval next week. “We’ve always been really strong on Sundays,” said Rossi. “We just haven’t really gotten the results we deserve for the performance of the car. But the fact that McLaren got three cars in the top-five in this field, and this competition, that’s a huge testament to the organization and what we have going on here. It’s a big confidence boost in good momentum going into the most important race of the year.” “For us, I mean, we were two, three and five as a team, that’s pretty freaking phenomenal,” reflected O’Ward. “The guys gave us a great race car. We were kind of just running our own race today. We were there fighting with (Christian) Lundgaard between all of us teammates. Once I got in front of him, I just had to try and minimize the gap I had with Alex (Palou), but I just think they were very strong today.” “Overall, I’m really happy for the team,” stated Rosenqvist. “Top-five for all of us. That’s insanely good. That’s a very rare result in INDYCAR these days, so a big congrats to the whole team. Personally, I wasn’t certainly super happy with that race when we had some sense, but we lost a bit too much on the final lap in the sequence on the reds, and too much (degradation). Otherwise, apart from that, it was a pretty good race.” Up next for Team Chevy is the prestigious month of May, shifting focus to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval with practice starting Tuesday, May 16, 2023. The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge takes the green flag live on NBC starting at 11 a.m. ET on NBC Sunday, May 28, 2023. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RESULTS:POS. DRIVER2nd    Pato O’Ward3rd     Alexander Rossi5th     Felix Rosenqvist7th     Josef Newgarden 2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:291: NTT INDYCAR SERIES podiums as a V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.187: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR. 108: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 121: Earned poles since 2012. 7: NTT INDYCAR SERIES by Chevrolet drivers in 2023 so far.7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012. 7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING (QUOTES):Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“We unfortunately had a slow final stop. I think we had a slow plug in. I think we lost seven or eight seconds just trying to get that right. I think today was a third-place day. If we get the final stop all good, that’s probably where we land and we ended up seventh. It’s kind of been the story of the year, just not great timing on some of this stuff. Not a bad day. I told the team this was a good fighting day. Great fighting day with the Snap On car. Team Chevy did a fantastic job. I would have been really pleased if we left with a third but we’ll take the seventh and roll in to the big show and hopefully have a really, really good day.” CONSIDERING YOUR TEAM OWNER OWNING THE SPEEDWAY, DO YOU NEED A REMINDER HOW IMPORTANT THE NEXT TWO WEEKS ARE?“Oh no. We all know it. But it’s important to all of us. The pressure is always there. We want to do well. I want to do well as anybody, just as much as (Roger Penske) does. We’re ready. We’re as ready as we can be. Hopefully we can get it right.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske: “Obviously a little frustrated at how we qualified with the Odyssey Battery Chevrolet. After practice I thought we should challenge for the Firestone Fast Six. Then, after warmup, I thought we were better and starting on the red tires would give us a chance to make up a few positions over the start of the race. The first corner of this race is always a bit chaotic and it caught us today with some front wing damage that we had to come in and repair. Immediately that changes our strategy but we fought back and looked to be in a position for a top 10, which would have been acceptable considering. We’ll have to go back and look at why we got so low on fuel. Luckily the light came on in time for me to hit pit road and take on one gallon to make it to the end. Frustrating but we need to forget this result and focus on the 500.” Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“It was good recovery. I mean, real pity about that incident to get spun out. Persona attack the rest of the day; but happy to get back to 12th. Now we move on to the big one.” Conor Daly, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“Today seemed a bit odd. We made a lot of progress at the start and seemed like we were moving forward. I am not sure how the strategies ended up playing out so we didn’t end up moving forward as much as we wanted. We lost a lot of tire grip at the end, but we tried to make the best out of the situation and pass a lot of cars. It just didn’t seem to fall our way. I can’t wait to get to the oval and keep that good momentum that I have had here before going.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“It was a pretty good race, but quite tough. We were just short on pace, but in every on-track battle I found myself in I was able to get the better spot. I did everything I could today and we were able to move up to 13th from 17th. Brought the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet home clean, picked up some points and now am looking forward to the Indianapolis 500.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“For us, I mean, we were two, three and five as a team. That’s pretty freaking phenomenal. The guys gave us a great race car. We were kind of just running our own race today. We were there fighting with (Christian) Lundgaard between all of us teammates. Once I got in front of him, I just had to try and minimize the gap I had with Alex (Palou), but I just think they were very strong today. We were just kind of hanging on there in the end trying not to destroy our reds and bring it home, bring some solid points.” ON RACING IN THE HEAT WITH THE HUMIDITY AND THE AEROSCREEN, HOW ARE YOU FEELING WITH A RACE THAT MOSTLY WENT GREEN?“Obviously, it’s one of the toughest races we have year-round, but I don’t spend all those hours in the gym to be struggling. I feel great.” IT’S HARD NOT TO THINK ABOUT THE INDIANAPOLIS 500, HOW SOON TO YOU SHIFT WITH THE ROAD COURSE TO THINK OF TUESDAY AND THE INDY 500?“Our 500 started weeks ago at the Open Test, so we come back on Tuesday, and we want to make it better. We want to make it the best we can, and come race day, we’ll try and give ourselves that opportunity once again and see where we stack up.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Overall, I’m really happy for the team. Top-five for all of us. That’s insanely good. That’s a very rare result in INDYCAR these days, so a big congrats to the whole team. Personally, I wasn’t certainly super happy with that race when we had some sense, but we lost a bit too much on the final lap in the sequence on the reds, and too much (degradation). Otherwise, apart from that, it was a pretty good race. I think me and (Alexander Rossi) passed each other six times our there, so I wasn’t generally quick in the beginning. It was quicker at the end of the stint, and I think that’s where it got him the podium in the end. Pato (O’Ward) did a solid sequence in the middle of the race as well, which leaped him up to the front. It was good. I mean, these days are rare, but you can always be better.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“We’ve always been really strong on Sundays. We just haven’t really gotten the results we deserve for the performance of the car. But the fact that McLaren got three cars in the top-five in this field, and this competition, that’s a huge testament to the organization and what we have going on here. It’s a big confidence boost in good momentum going into the most important race of the year. I think we’ve been there every race. Like I said, we’ve been there on Sundays all year. You know, we were we were we had a good day going in Texas. We were a lap away from finishing the top six in Long Beach. It’s just we haven’t quite executed completely. But you know, the pace in the car is there. It’s a really lovely racecar to drive. You just we got to find a way to extract a little bit more performance for optimal lap time.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Long day for us at AJ Foyt Racing. We were having a really solid day, and probably would have wound up with a pretty easy top-15. But that’s racing. A wheel nut just came off when we put the gun down, so that happens. That happens to the best of us. Other than that, the Sexton Properties Chevrolet was really strong. Looking forward to getting back out to the next road course, but now we’ve got the (Indianapolis) 500.” Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Tough day. We were super fast honestly. I think we were the seventh fastest average lap time the whole race, so unfortunately we went four laps down at the start due to the radio giving us issues. As a rule, we can’t be out there if the radio’s not sorted. Big bummer, just due to the fact we were really fast. I think the potential to be top-12 is there after starting P23, so we’re making huge gains from a driving perspective in car. That’s the most important thing. We’ve just got to get all the other little details for Indy.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“Bit of a tough race. We had a first couple stints that wasn’t the best. Struggling a bit with the tires, and then managed to pull it back a bit at the end. Had some good pace but unfortunately was out a bit of position to make it easy to come back. Ended up P18 from P24. It’s been a tough weekend. I wish we could’ve got a little bit more out of it. Sometimes it’s like that. We just have to understand why and move on, and make it better for the next one.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, AND ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET — Podium Press Conference Transcript:PATO, JUST YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT COMING HOME SECOND, ANOTHER PODIUM HERE IN 2023?PATO O’WARD: “Super stoked for the team. We put three cars in the top five. Fricking hard to do in this series with how competitive it is. Just stoked for everybody in the organization, for our 5 crew. We made our strategy really work, right? I just think today Palou and Ganassi were very, very strong, so we couldn’t quite get them there in the end. Historically this hasn’t been the best of tracks for us. So this is awesome to see just the massive step forward we’ve taken here in race pace. Super happy to see that.Rolling with some great momentum into our Super Bowl.” ALEXANDER, CONGRATULATIONS. CHOMPING AT THE BIT WAITING FOR A MOMENT LIKE THIS WITH THE NEW TEAM.ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Like Pato said, to get three cars in the top five is near on impossible these days. Arrow McLaren has done a phenomenal job all year. You can’t talk about how challenging it is to add a car in the off-season. They’ve done it with relative apparent ease. There’s a lot of work behind the scenes. Really proud to get the first podium for the team, the first one as part of Team Chevy. It was a good day. We’ve had a really strong pace on Sundays, we just haven’t gotten the results that we feel like we deserve. We’re missing a little bit on Saturdays. The pieces are coming together. I’ve got an awesome team, awesome teammates around me.” PATO, I THINK PALOU IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE TOP SEVEN TO STARTED ON REDS.ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Yeah, I started 10th (smiling).” ANY SECOND THOUGHTS THERE ON STARTING ON THE ALTERNATE?PATO O’WARD: “No, I was happy with my strategy. I just think right when we were I believe second-to-last stint, I just blew too much push to pass. I could have used some more to keep Palou behind us, which I think we might have been able to do. Yeah, you got to pick your battles. I was like, You know what, at this point of the stage of the race. I think that was the defining moment of the race because a yellow never came out. If a yellow did come out, I would have been in very big trouble. I just played it safe, yeah, chose my battles cautiously. Super happy, content with the solid points that we got today.” WHEN HE WINS BY 13 SECONDS, IS IT LIKE DOESN’T MATTER WHAT STRATEGY?PATO O’WARD: “Track position is so much here. I took longer to get by Lundgaard than what Alex did. I got stuck behind other guys a little bit longer than where he made up the time. When he got out of the pits, I was held up by some lappers. That all just adds up to the amount of time that you just keep losing, especially in those crucial in and out laps. Yeah, I mean, obviously we’re going to look into it and see what we could have done better. I think it was a job really well done, not just by our car but all three Arrow McLarens.” ALEX, FOR THE NEXT STEP, ARE YOU LOOKING TO EXTRACT MORE IN QUALIFYING?ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Yeah, I mean, it’s a very different car than I’m used to. I just haven’t quite found my happy spot for like the ultimate lap. It’s close. It seems like we’re permanently qualifying 10th, 11th or 12th. It’s not a disaster. We’re certainly much better in race pace, or have been so far this year. Yeah, I mean, it’s not the end of the world. We’ll get there. It’s competitive, and you can’t be missing a 10th of a second. Ultimately that’s what we’re missing. We’ll keep our heads down. A bit of a shift now for the next two weeks. Yeah, really looking forward to getting started on the oval.” CAN YOU ADDRESS THE CONFIDENCE YOU COME OUT OF THIS WITH?PATO O’WARD: “I mean, I think confidence comes with — what I’m getting at, it’s a different beast, right? Indy is different. We’re not really going to know what we’ve got up until we put all the fast bits on the car, we see where we stack up. Obviously last year the Ganassis were the different benchmark. They’re the ones that we’re chasing. We’ve been putting so much hard work. I know the engineers have spent endless hours of just time in all the different ways that we can find lap time for Indy. I’m just so excited to see what we can do. We’ve continuously put ourselves into good positions there past few years. I think I can do it again for all of us at the 5 stand. Hopefully we get that opportunity and go that one more step that we want to do.” ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Man, this is a momentum game. We talk about it a lot. Performance here doesn’t translate the other direction, but it’s good mentally for everyone. You know you’ve got the ability to have the results across all three cars. When everyone is relaxed and just doing what they know how to do, the confidence in their abilities is when the performance comes.” IS THERE A GREATER FEELING OF PRIDE IN THAT THERE’S THREE ARROW MCLAREN CARS IN THE TOP FIVE OR IS THE FEELING MORE FRUSTRATION THAT IT’S NONE OF THEM IN THE TOP STEP OF THE PODIUM?ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Yeah, I think it’s hard to win these races. I think the 10 car was just stronger. A stronger car will really make any strategy look good. I don’t think we would do anything different if we had to do it again. Yeah, I think it’s all pride in the fact that it’s three cars in the top five. Obviously for Pato it’s probably frustrating. I’ve been in that boat before. You just got to enjoy the seconds, because that’s what counts at the end.” PATO, DO YOU ENJOY THE SECONDS?PATO O’WARD: “Man, I’m flowing. I know my wins will come. I’m chilling.” ALEX, IT HAD BEEN A TOUGH COUPLE YEARS AT THE END OF YOUR STINT WITH ANDRETTI. IS THIS THE TYPE OF DAY YOU WERE HOPING FOR WITH A FRESH START WITH A NEW TEAM?ALEXANDER ROSSI: “I was actually talking to a friend about it this morning. Our frustration in the fact that we’re qualifying 10th, that’s a good sign. There’s still so much potential. The whole group, not just my car. There’s things that we know that we need to improve. It’s very clear objectives that we need to improve upon. When we unlock it all, it’s going to be a really cool thing for three cars out there.” THE WAY THIS TEAM HAS BEEN ABLE TO ADD SO MANY PERSONNEL AT A FULL-TIME PROGRAM, DO SOMETHING WE HAVE SEEN SOME TEAMS STRUGGLE WITH, BUT I DON’T THINK ANYONE FOUND THEIR WAY TO A PODIUM AS QUICK AS YOU HAD IN A BRAND-NEW PROGRAM.ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Yeah, it’s a testament to every single individual there, to management, to Gavin, to Brian, to all the engineers. It’s a very hard task. Some of the people on my car in particular had never seen an INDYCAR before. Just the improvement and development every single time I show up at the racetrack is very impressive.We just got to keep pushing along, keep addressing our weakness. Like I said, it’s going to be a cool ride for everyone.” PATO, YOU’RE PRETTY COMFORTABLE WITH THREE SECOND-PLACE FINISHES IN FIVE RACES SO FAR. AT WHAT POINT WILL IT GET FRUSTRATING IF THAT WIN DOESN’T COME ALONG?PATO O’WARD: “It won’t. I mean, honestly, if we’re second for the rest of the season, we’re chilling. Yeah, they will fall. Is it going to fall the next one, in two, three, four, five? Who knows. Is it going to fall until next year? You never know. I sure know that what we’ve been doing, we’ve been knocking on the door every single weekend. Like, there hasn’t been one weekend where we’re lost, no. There’s been some weekends where we haven’t started off that strong. We make changes and we’re right there. I’m just really enjoying it. We’re growing massively as a team. We get to work with some pretty cool people. I mean, I know Zak is having a total fan moment right now over there. I know he’s pumped to get to the 500. There’s been so much going into not just that race but for all three cars, all four cars for the 500, but all three cars for a full season. Yeah, we just got to keep doing what we’re doing.” SEEMS WHEN ALEX PALOU HAS A GOOD DAY, HE CAN RUN AWAY FROM THE FIELD, HARD TO DO IN THIS SERIES. FROM WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT HIM, WHAT DO YOU FEEL IT IS ABOUT HIM THAT WHEN HE’S ON, HE CAN BE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO BEAT?PATO O’WARD: “Impossible to beat? I don’t agree. But he’s strong. He’s in one of the best teams, arguably the best in the past few years. We’re pushing. We’re pushing. We’re right there. We’re not far off. I know we’re going to find it. Not worried.” ALEX, I KNOW YOU WERE A BIG BELIEVER IN BRIAN BARNHART AT THE LAST TEAM. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GET A PERFORMANCE LIKE THIS NOW THAT YOU AND BRIAN ARE WITH ARROW MCLAREN?ALEXANDER ROSSI: “Yeah, I mean, Brian, I can’t say enough good things about what he does, the position that he’s in now at the team in terms of a management role, not just being a strategy guy. He’s instrumental in the success that this team has had to start the year. I’m very fortunate to have him on my car. I was fortunate to have him last year. To be able to continue the relationship in new colors is a very good thing for both of us.” PATO, YOU WERE ABLE TO GET ALEX DURING THE OFF-SEASON AS A TEAMMATE. HOW QUICK DID IT TAKE FOR THE THREE OF YOU TO MESH, BECOME A PRETTY GOOD TRIO?PATO O’WARD: “Honestly, it didn’t take much time. I mean, he can correct me if I’m wrong, but I think he needed a change. I think he’s fit in very well. I think he’s really embraced how we work as a team. I think it’s extremely different to a lot of other teams on the grid. Yeah, I mean, it’s not just like Alex. I feel like with his team, I feel like all of us are working really hard to have the best three cars on the grid.” PATO, YOU HAVE AN INDY 500 WINNER ON YOUR TEAM, ADD ANOTHER ONE TO THE LINEUP ON TUESDAY. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR THE TEAM DYNAMIC? HOW MUCH IS HAVING SOMEBODY WITH THAT MUCH EXPERIENCE GOING TO MEAN TO YOU GUYS?PATO O’WARD: “I mean, obviously there’s so much that you can tap into, chat with them in certain scenarios, right? Indy is a different beast in its own where I feel in my experience I’ve always been on my island. We know we’ve had Montoya, Alonzo. Everybody usually just goes with what they’re comfortable with. If you keep chasing something that maybe your teammate likes, you need to find what works for you. When you find what works for you, that’s how you are going to put yourself in positions to win the race. You’re not going to get there by trying to chase someone else’s setup and hope you can drive it the same way. Everybody drives differently. So I think it’s all about maximizing what you need from your car, trying to help the whole team while you’re doing that, right? A lot of the times my car, my teammates never liked my car. Montoya was on the other stratosphere of setups. Yeah, it doesn’t mean one’s better than the other. We just drive very differently. When you’re going 230, 240 miles an hour, you need something that you’re comfortable with.” PATO, ARROW MCLAREN WAS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR WITH YOU FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS. SINCE YOU EXPANDED THIS TEAM, IT FEELS LIKE IT’S ON THE THRESHOLD OF BREAKING THAT GLASS CEILING. WHAT IS IT ABOUT GAVIN COMING IN?PATO O’WARD: “I think his approach. He has a very humored approach to everything. I can say he’s not only helped the team, but I have improved outside of the race car because of Gavin, just kind of having a different set of eyes that looks at things in a different way. At the end of the day this is all a human sport. None of us are robots. We’re all the ones that are putting in the work. That’s what it takes. Sometimes it’s important to know that we all need some rest and recharge sometimes. You can’t always go full on. What you need is you need to make sure you’re in the position to do it when it counts, right? Just hats off to everybody that worked so hard in the off-season. There’s countless guys and gals in the team that spend many hours in the off-season to find more lap time.”

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R two-tenths of a second off pole time

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 13, 2023) — Cadillac Racing will start on the outside of Rows 2 and 3 Sunday in the 2-hour, 40-minute MOTUL Course de Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Pipo Derani recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 15.007 seconds in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R in the 20-minute qualifying session on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course to secure the fourth starting position in the nine-car IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype field.Derani was two-tenths of a second off the pole-winning time of the No. 7 Porsche 963, which marked the fourth different pole sitter in as many races. Derani, who earned the pole for the Twelve Hours of Sebring in March, and Alexander Sims will aim to earn their second victory of the season. Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, qualified sixth with a lap of 1:15.335. Bourdais will share driving duties with Renger van der Zande, who will be making his 100th start in all classes of North American sports car racing.NBC will televise the race at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, with streaming in the U.S. on Peacock and outside the U.S. on IMSA.com/TVLive. The race will be broadcast on IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and on SiriusXM (XM 207, Web/App 992).

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.RSebastien Bourdais, Renger van der ZandeBourdais drove in the 20-minute qualifying session (qualified sixth at 1 minute, 15.335 seconds on 7 laps): “I really wasn’t expecting what we got. Balance didn’t seem to be too bad but was low on grip. I didn’t put the lap together that I really wanted to be further up the grid. Not being able to do a qualifying sim this morning really hurt us. So, we’ll see what tomorrow brings. It will be similar (weather) conditions, so we’ll work on the car and get the balance right for long stints and the tire deg.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RPipo Derani, Alexader SimsDerani drove in the 20-minute qualifying session (qualified fourth at 1 minute, 15.007 seconds on 8 laps): “I’m quite happy with this qualifying. I think I extracted everything I could from the car. Sometimes you come away with a pole position and you’re like ‘oh, I think we could have done better,’ and today we came away with P4 and I think my lap was quite good. Obviously, we wanted to be a little bit further up the grid but it’s very tight – two-tenths from P1 – so just one of those days where you have to be happy with P4 because you know you extracted everything you could out of the car. I think we have a very good car for the race, especially thinking long stints and tire deg.”

May 13, 2023

A season-best qualifying effort has put Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang in 14^th place for the start of Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.

Burton circled the Lady In Black at 168.891 miles per hour in qualifying on Saturday. His best previous start this season was 16^th at Circuit of the Americas. 

His qualifying speed at Darlington was significantly better than his best lap in practice, which was at 164.062 mph on the third of the 26 laps he ran in the session.

That placed him 26^th on the speed chart for practice. He was 22^nd best on a 10-consecutive-lap run, averaging 161.974 mph on his first 10 laps.

Sunday’s Goodyear 400 is set to start just after 3 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 90 and 185.
 

MONTEREY, Calif. (May 13, 2023) – Corvette Racing will roll off from the fifth spot in the GTD PRO field for Sunday’s MOTUL Course de Monterey – its 25th consecutive start at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Jordan Taylor set a lap of 1:24.907 (94.889 mph) in Saturday’s 15-minute qualifying session for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. He will start Sunday’s race behind the wheel of the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that he shares with Antonio Garcia. Taylor was seventh-fastest among all GTD cars but only four-tenths of a second off the pole time. Compare that to being more than a second off the pace in qualifying a year ago, and there is reason to be optimistic heading into Sunday’s race, which airs live at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. A year ago, the Corvette qualified in the same position but an early strategy call to take fresh tires early helped gain track position and allowed Garcia and Taylor to gain a spot to fourth at the finish. A year on with a notebook full of car, tire and track data should help the Corvette program move further up the order. This is the 25th straight year that Corvette Racing has visited the 2.238-mile, 11-turn Laguna Seca circuit. The track is one of two where the program has raced in each of its previous 24 years – Sebring is the other – with Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta joining the list at the end of the season. This weekend also marks another important milestone: Garcia will become the first driver in the WeatherTech Championship to make 100 starts in the series since the start of the post-merger era in 2014 when the American Le Mans Series and GRAND-AM joined together for one American sports car championship. Since that time, Garcia has won 20 races – including in 2014 at Laguna Seca – and four championships… all with Corvette Racing. The MOTUL Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N is set for 12:10 p.m. PT / 3:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 14 and airs live on NBC with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will have live audio coverage on XM 207, SiriusXM Online 992 and IMSA.com, which will have IMSA Radio coverage.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTD PRO:“If you look at where we are this year in qualifying compared to last year, it’s much better. The BoP is in kind of a similar position to where we were last year, so it shows that we made some big gains on everyone else to be only four-tenths off pole. We made some good moves in strategy last year that gave us track position, and I think being more competitive this year opens up those options even more. I’m more excited now to go racing, and hopefully we can make some good calls and jump some guys in the pits.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY GOODYEAR 400 TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT MAY 13, 2023    Five Camaro ZL1’s Take Top-10 Starting Spots at Darlington Raceway ·       At the conclusion of the NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet drivers took the top-three spots on the final speed chart, led by Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Llumar Throwback Camaro ZL1 team, clocking-in a fastest lap of 29.231 second, at 168.232 mph.  ·       Defending Darlington Raceway NASCAR Cup Series winner, Erik Jones, was second-fastest in his No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1, followed by Elliott’s teammate William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Throwback Camaro ZL1, in the third position.  ·       Five Chevrolet drivers advanced to the final round of qualifying to take a top-10 starting position in tomorrow’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway led by the 2023 Daytona 500 Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., qualifying his No. 47 Kroger / Country Crock Camaro ZL1 in the third position.  ·       Stenhouse Jr.’s top-three qualifying effort marks his second top-10 start at Darlington Raceway; and his fourth top-10 start this season.  ·       FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Goodyear 400 on Sunday, May 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on the MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.    TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER3rd      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Country Crock Camaro ZL14th      William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Throwback Camaro ZL15th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express / UPS Camaro ZL16th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Quaker State Camaro ZL17th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Throwback Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.  DRIVER1.        Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2.        Bubba Wallace (Toyota)3.        Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet)4.        William Byron (Chevrolet)5.        Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)

NASCAR CUP SERIES

DARLINGTON RACEWAY

GOODYEAR 400

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 13, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 LUCAS OIL CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Darlington Raceway. Press Conference Transcript: 

WE’RE HONORING THE 75 GREATEST DRIVERS IN NASCAR HISTORY. HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING ON THAT LIST? DID YOU EXPECT THAT AND WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO IT? 

“Yeah, I guess to answer ‘did I expect that’ – yeah, I did. So it wasn’t necessarily going to be a surprise, but I feel like it’s a cool honor and a humbling one in that to be a part of that group, just with my past successes and all the people that have brought me to this point of my career. It wouldn’t have been possible without the very beginning of time, racing in Las Vegas in legend cars and late models, all the way through the ranks to get to the top. And then all the great team members that I’ve worked with from HMS, JGR and now RCR. Obviously you take that as much as you can with the accolade and the things that you’ve done. To say that you’ve had a really good career is great. Obviously hopefully it’s not over.”

FROM THE DRIVING SIDE OF IT, WHAT MAKES PASSING DIFFICULT AT A PLACE LIKE THIS? WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE ‘LADY IN BLACK’ AND BEING SUCKED IN, BUT WHAT IS IT LIKE TO TRY AND PASS HERE OR NAVIGATE A RACE? 

“Yeah, I think the biggest thing that makes it tough is just the one groove, one lane race track here where it’s very narrow and there’s kind of one way in getting around turns one and two, for sure. You go in low; you wash up to the wall and you turn back down off of turn two. (Turns) Three and four are a little bit more racy because you can go low and you can go high. But as tires wear, everybody tends to migrate to the top and be on the top. It’s hard to find that clean air in order to get enough front downforce under your car to make it turn and not get tight behind that guy in front of you. So that’s the biggest deficit and that’s what makes it really, really tough here. 

I remember 2008 when they first repaved this place. We were running around and I was leading, and I caught Juan Montoya as a lap car and I couldn’t pass him for 20 laps. Second-place caught me and actually got by me for the lead, and then got by Montoya and I was still stuck behind Montoya. So there is a trend here of how to make passes and stuff. Whoever that is with the slide job better go back and watch recent history because nobody lets you in. So if you try and throw it off into the corner underneath somebody and wash up in front of him, you’re going to crash because that guy is going to stuff it back on your outside. That doesn’t happen anymore these days.. anybody letting you in.”

YOU EXPRESSED SOME FRUSTRATION WITH ROSS CHASTAIN OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS. DID YOU FEEL LIKE WHAT HAPPENEND LAST WEEKEND NEEDED TO HAPPEN, AND DO YOU THINK DRIVERS SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DUKE IT OUT OR WAS IT GOOD THAT SECURITY STEPPED IN? 

“OK – so yeah, I’ve had issues with a lot of guys and (Ross) Chastain has been the most frustrating one because he has it every single week. So when it happens with you, because it’s every single week and it’s so repetitive with one guy, then you get even more frustrated because it’s like the guy hasn’t even learned a single lesson or any bullet point of what the problem is. There’s a common denominator. And he’s got an aggressive style. We all want to say that he is and whatever.. well we’re all aggressive to a point because we’re all going to push hard and try to make runs; get spots, get good finishes, things of that nature. 

Did that need to happen afterwards? Yeah, I don’t know if Noah (Gragson) was the right guy (laughs). I think Denny (Hamlin) has more reasons to do that. But Noah obviously wanted to show his frustration and I think Noah had a somewhat similar philosophy as I did, where it’s like the same guy all the time. I’m not going to take that crap and go up to him and confront him. I feel like security stepped in about 10 seconds too quick. You let one guy get a hell of a hit and then you block the other guy from getting a hit back. At least let the guy try and then maybe get one in. I would seriously urge NASCAR to go with some hockey rules, you know? Once you get to the ground, we’re going to break it up; or when one of you guys look gassed, we’re going to break it up. Let them get a good 30 seconds in.. it’s going to be way better for TV and ratings are going to go off the charts.”

EVERYTIME SOMEBODY WINS, WE HEAR ‘OH THEY’RE IN THE PLAYOFFS NOW AND THEY CAN JUST FOCUS ON GETTING READY FOR THE PLAYOFFS’. FOR YOU, PSYCHOLOGICALLY, HOW DOES A WIN EFFECT YOU? DO YOU BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF AND GO – OK, I’M IN THE PLAYOFFS NOW, I CAN FOCUS ON JUST RACING, OR HOW DOES THAT EFFECT YOU? 

“Yeah, there’s a lot of things that change in that. So by being able to get a win, I would say – yes, it relaxes you to a point where you’re able to say OK I’m in the playoffs. You’re not stressed out about every single move all of the time, and what positions gained or loss are going to do for you. I would say for us, for me, right now – having the wins that we have, I’m still super, super frustrated in our last couple of weeks and now dropping to 12th in points I think it is. I’m still under the mindset and thought process to get as many points as we can. Get ourselves up the points ladder. We need to be able to contend for stage points. We have probably the least amount of stage points this year of anybody, so it’s very frustrating in that respect for us. We just have to get our act together and run up front. A lot of that is on me, too. Like me speeding on pit road, right? I’m winning that award this year, but I’m also number one rolling on pit road this year, too. So what’s the risk versus reward there? We’re always going to push and having that win allows you to push. It allowed us to push fuel at Talladega to grab another win. You’re going to put yourself in some tighter spots on restarts and things like that because you do have that win and you’re going to be a little bit more aggressive. As long as you don’t look like Ross Chastain, you’ll be fine.”

IS THE PRESSURE TO WIN – WHETHER THE INTERNAL OR SPONSOR PRESSURE – THESE DAYS CREATING MORE DRIVERS WILLING TO BE AGGRESSIVE MORESO THAN 15 YEARS AGO? 

“Yeah, I think a little bit of this car and the parity of this car allows drivers to be more aggressive and push harder because they feel like they’re the difference and they need to makeup the difference if they’re not running upfront or contending every week. So they’re going to push harder.. run into more stuff and run into more guys because they’re trying to get a better finish or whatever out of themselves. You used to have cars that had a little bit of discrepancy between them when you go to the race track. The good guys that ran good would know that they were good and would race for wins, and the others that are 12th on back know they’re place and they’re going to run 12th on back. Well now those guys 12th on back think that if they do some things on restarts and whatnot to get themselves further upfront, that they’re going to finish further upfront. They’re not 100 percent wrong, but there is a place in there where you still have to find your home in the running order.”

HAVE YOU TRIED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ROSS (CHASTAIN), OR IS THAT KIND OF LIKE THE DENNY HAMLIN THING WHERE IT JUST FELL ON DEAF EARS AND IT WASN’T REALLY WORTH THE TIME OR ENERGY? 

“Yeah, I talked to him I think it was either after the Darlington thing with (Kevin) Harvick here or his next one after that. He asked me a couple of questions and I talked to him about it.. just told him don’t be the headline every week and chill a little bit. Don’t push and force as hard each week. Like those two – whether Harvick won or Chastain – he would have looked a hell of a lot better finishing second to Harvick than he did with a crashed car here at Darlington. So yeah, no he hasn’t learned. He hasn’t listened to anybody and I’m sure there’s more than me that have tried to talk to him. I’m not sure what that is.. I don’t know that guy. Don’t need to know the guy.”

LOOK AHEAD TO THE COCA-COLA 600, WHAT KIND OF MEMORIES DO YOU HAVE ABOUT BRUTON SMITH, THE WAY HE RAN THINGS AND THE WAY EVOLVED THE SPORT OVER THE YEARS? 

“Yeah, to me, Bruton (Smith) was just a class act. He obviously had a knack for fans and putting on a show. He hired one of the best of them, Humpy Wheeler, a long, long time go to run Charlotte Motor Speedway. He certainly has done a lot for our sport; with SMI and all the race tracks that they have. Seeing and having a vision of a lot of different things that have come through and he’s kind of led that onto Marcus (Smith), and I feel like Marcus has really done a great job of being a visionary, as well. Trying things and not being afraid to try some things. A couple of them probably not so good ideas.. Texas (Motor Speedway) repave. 

With Bruton, give the guy and the family credit where credit is due. They’ve put a lot of time and effort, blood and sweat, into our sport and it’s very appreciated.”

WE’VE SEEN AT TIMES WHERE CREW MEMBERS GET INVOLVED IN FIGHTS. I THINK WITH YOU AND (JOEY) LOGANO YEARS AGO, YOU GOT TAKEN RIGHT DOWN BY CREW MEMBERS. SAME CONCEPT WHERE CREW MEMBERS SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT? THEY WANT TO PROTECT YOU GUYS, BUT DO THEY NEED TO STAY OUT OF IT AND LET YOU GUYS HANDLE IT? 

“Yeah, like I said, to a point. Rodeos are eight seconds, right? A round in boxing is three minutes. There isn’t a damn one of us that’s going to make a round of three minutes, I’m going to tell you that (laughs). So if it’s 15-, 20-, 30-seconds, whatever.. come up with a number, start the clock, let’s go.”

AUSTIN (DILLON) HAD A CHANCE TO TEST TIRES UP AT NORTH WILKESBORO. GIVEN SOME OF HIS FEEDBACK, WHAT KIND OF RACE DO YOU EXPECT UP THERE AND HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO NORTH WILKESBORO AND THE ALL-STAR RACE THERE? 

“Yeah, I think it’s going to be interesting, for sure. The tire falloff at that race track is by far the worst I think we’ll ever see. So 50 or 60 lap runs on tires that you have to go – I mean that’s a long time anyways, but it’s not quite 100 laps like late model races or modified races that are going to run there next week. Still, I think you’re going to have to figure out how hard to push. If you’re a guy upfront, do you push for a little while? If you’re a guy in the back, how much do you ride? Is the field going to catchup and are you going to go a lap down? Things of that nature. 

I look at Josh Berry probably today as being one of the absolute best of that world, coming in through the late model stock ranks that he did. I remember a race he ran at Myrtle Beach – it might have been the last one at Myrtle Beach – where he fell all the way around to be about a lap down to the leader. He rode there in front of that guy for 40 laps, and then with 30 to go or something, he took off and drove all the way back around, passed that leader and won the race. I have no clue how to do that. I remember me racing at Berlin trying to ride around and save tires, and then the caution came out and there was a restart with 10 or 15 laps to go. I was like – alright, I’m going to get ‘em now and I had nothing to go with. So that’s the biggest thing that I see sometimes, is like how hard are you pushing. Really, you kind of don’t know until it’s time to go. But I think you’re going to see different strategies and if that race goes green the whole way, it’s going to be way more beneficial to the guys that are upfront and have the track position versus if a caution comes out. It’s going to be way more beneficial to those that rode and saved a little bit.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES

DARLINGTON RACEWAY

GOODYEAR 400

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT

MAY 13, 2023

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS / UPS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Darlington Raceway. Chastain Media Availability Quotes: 

ROSS, TALK ABOUT THE HONOR OF BEING ABLE TO RUN THE CLASSIC DALE JARRETT PAINT SCHEME ON THE ‘TRACK TOO TOUGH TO TAME’? 

“Yeah, it’s all sinking in right now just walking in. And I’m going to do it – I’ve known Mr. Jarrett for a few years. He doesn’t like me to call him that, but I have. In passing in the garage and talking on the phone – he called me after my first Cup win and we talked for a little bit that night. But then walking up here and knowing that we’re walking up here to do something together, it’s just absolutely incredible. I can’t even think about what it’s going to feel like pulling out on the track in that car yet.”

YOU SAID YESTERDAY YOU DON’T WANT TO BE FIGHTING, BUT I’M CURIOUS, WHAT’S THE TRIGGER POINT? WHAT’S THE POINT WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO TAKE THINGS INTO YOUR OWN HANDS? 

“I don’t have any preconceived ideas of what that would be. It’s more just in the moment – living and reacting. But knowing this is big-time auto racing, this is not hockey. I standby last week what happened. I’m not saying that every time in a little bit different situation it’s going to react like that. I want to talk to guys and have conversations, but last week was too far.”

YOU SAID THAT YOU AND NOAH (GRAGSON) TALKED IT OUT MONDAY A LITTLE BIT. CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH THAT? DID YOU APPROACH HIM OR DID HE APPROACH YOU, AND WHAT WAS THAT CONVERSATION LIKE? 

“Yeah, he called me Sunday night. I was still in the garage and I didn’t feel like I had the bandwidth to think about it or talk about it. I was just happy we got out of there with a top-five and was ready to get home. I called him back Monday. I was heading up to Hickory to run a late model stock. I’m kind of doing a lot of this racing stuff backwards and now I’m driving a late model stock at Hickory for the first time. So I called him on my way up there. We talked for a little while and was in a really good place. And then we both went to Millbridge Monday night and with the Chevy program; we ran micros and had a blast. Just bonded over fast, little sprint cars. It was good – just laughing and joking, and we’ve been good at the gym all week.” 

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT LEADING THE POINTS AT THIS PARTICULAR POINT OF THE SEASON? HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP TO YOU, AND IS IT MORE IMPORTANT NOW TO HAVE THE BONUS POINTS WITH THE FACT YOU HAVEN’T WON YET? 

“Yeah, look I’ll always take one more point than one less. In today’s world, you’re just trying to grab as many points as you can. I missed out on a really big opportunity last week by not staying out for that Stage Two late restart that the No. 22 (Joey Logano) ended up winning. That would have been an – execute on the restart, win the stage and then reset only a couple spots back. Phil Surgen (crew chief) made the call to stay out and to do that. I saw how many people were pitting and I decided to pit. So those little things, I just look at it as I missed 10 points right there. But everybody is missing chunks of points every stage and every race. 

I think it’s big. It’s so crazy to think we’re leading the points. But then again, it’s not. We belong there and we belong to be parked at the front of the garage. I’ve been here for the spring Darlington race and parked second from last, so it’s pretty wild to walk down that same line. I still caught myself yesterday coming in ahead of the Truck race and Cup tech and just walking, purposely, from this end to that end to just look at it. I still take these moments to try to realize what all of this is. This isn’t always going to be the case. We’re not always, for the rest of time, we’re not going to be the Cup Series points leader, so some special times right now. If we keep running like this, I fully believe the wins will come.”

ARE YOU FEELING THE PRESSURE? I WAS LISTENING TO THE PODCAST OF KYLE LARSON WITH BRAD SWEET AND HE SAID – ROSS CHASTAIN OWNS IT AND HE SAID HE’S MOVING THE NEEDLE AND THAT HE MAY END UP BEING MORE POPULAR THAN CHASE ELLIOTT. ARE YOU FEELING THE PRESSURE FROM OUTSIDE? 

“There’s two things, right? There’s on the track and off. And on the track, I am. I’m comfortable making these guys uncomfortable and that’s not always going to come across well, but I’m OK. Get out of the car and I’m learning to become comfortable in this role. I’m not the guy that grew up wanting to be on camera. I wanted to be like my dad – I wanted to farm watermelons. I wanted to be like all the other guys in our town that we knew and I grew up around. I wanted to drive my three-quarter ton diesel truck to the farm; work, grow a crop and go home. Out there in the field, you can go all day and never see anybody if you want to. Everybody thinks about Florida and beaches, but you come inland where we’re at and there’s nobody out there. It’s something I’m growing into off the track. Sometimes I’ll get on camera and I see it when I watch it back – I’ll kind of bring my draw in and protect, in my mind. 

But just being myself is the best thing I can do and if people like it, they do. I’d say last night at the Truck race, it was maybe 70/30, cheers to boos. I’m interested to see what Sunday is. But no matter what, I’m proud to be moving the needle. I hear it, I see it. People come to me, either online or in person, and they’re telling me the good and the bad, and I kind of just walk away and I’m like – that’s pretty wild that they’re watching my racing and they care that much. I’m learning to become comfortable in that role, too.”

(5/12/23 – Ben Deatherage) Hanford, CA … Teenage sensation Corey Day continued on his winning ways with an impressive Peter Murphy Classic opening night showing at Kings Speedway.  Day powered past James McFadden in the NARC 410 NAPA Auto Parts Sprint Car Series headliner at the halfway point and never looked back to score his third series victory of the season. 

The 30-lap headliner kicked off with polesitter McFadden grabbing the early race lead aboard the Dennis and Teresa Roth-owned Toyota Racing Development/HR Livestock #83 Maxim. The Australian driver, racing for just the second time in his career with the NARC, was jungle cat-quick, but several caution flags prevented him from thoroughly checking out from the rest of the pack.  

After a lap thirteen restart, Day rocketed past McFadden coming to the line, only for the pass to be negated by a red flag incident for Cole Macedo.  He was uninjured in the accident.

Once the wreckage was cleared, Day hunted McFadden down on an open racetrack and passed him for the point, manhandling the high side of the racetrack.  Day, who started seventh, dominated the rest of the way aboard the Jason Meyer Racing-fielded Meyers Constructors/Four C’s Construction/Autry Plumbing #14 KPC.

 “We were really good there!” said a pleased Day in victory lane, after scoring his ninth career series win and first at the Peter Murphy Classic.  “We had to do a motor change after hot laps, and we never gave up and kept pushing through. To start seventh, come through like that, and beat an Outlaw is cool.”

McFadden finished a very respectable second, followed by the Scelzi Enterprises/Whipple Superchargers/Red Rose Transportation #41 Maxim driven by Dominic Scelzi. The balance of the top five consisted of fourth finishing Shane Golobic in the Works Limited #57 EMI and the Larry Antaya-owned Fire Protection Management of Bay Area/Northstar Concrete Pumping #16A Helix, piloted by Colby Copeland, in fifth.

Buddy Kofoid, Justyn Cox, Jonathan Allard, rookie Joey Ancona, and Ryan Bernal rounded out the top ten.   Eleventh finisher Tanner Holmes earned the Williams Roofing Hardcharger award after starting 20th.

NAPA AUTO PARTS FEATURE (30 laps): 1. 14-Corey Day[7]; 2. 83-James McFadden[1]; 3. 41-Dominic Scelzi[4]; 4. 57W-Shane Golobic[11]; 5. 16A-Colby Copeland[6]; 6. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[10]; 7. 42X-Justyn Cox[9]; 8. 0-Jonathan Allard[12]; 9. 88A-Joey Ancona[8]; 10. 22-Ryan Bernal[16]; 11. 18T-Tanner Holmes[20]; 12. 69-Bud Kaeding[18]; 13. 115-Nick Parker[21]; 14. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[17]; 15. 2X-Justin Sanders[3]; 16. (DNF) 88N-DJ Netto[15]; 17. (DNF) 46JR-Joel Myers Jr[14]; 18. (DNF) 21T-Cole Macedo[2]; 19. (DNF) 24-Chase Johnson[5]; 20. (DNF) 26-Billy Aton[23]; 21. (DNF) 2K-Kaleb Montgomery[19]; 22. (DNF) 72W-Kurt Nelson[24]; 23. (DNF) 36-Craig Stidham[22]; 24. (DNS) X1-Michael Faccinto

METTEC TITANIUM LAP LEADERS:  McFadden 1-15, Day 16-30

WILLIAMS ROOFING HARDCHARGER: Tanner Holmes – 20th to 9th.

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (30 Cars): Cole Macedo, 13.727 (27 Cars)

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 laps): 1. 41-Dominic Scelzi[2]; 2. 16A-Colby Copeland[1]; 3. 21T-Cole Macedo[4]; 4. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[3]; 5. X1-Michael Faccinto[5]; 6. 22-Ryan Bernal[9]; 7. 26-Billy Aton[7]; 8. 2K-Kaleb Montgomery[6]; 9. 36-Craig Stidham[8] 

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 laps): 1. 24-Chase Johnson[2]; 2. 88A-Joey Ancona[1]; 3. 83-James McFadden[4]; 4. 57W-Shane Golobic[6]; 5. 46JR-Joel Myers Jr[3]; 6. 83V-Dylan Bloomfield[5]; 7. 115-Nick Parker[7]; 8. 12B-Dawson Faria[8]; 9. 10-Mauro Simone[9]

 BEACON WEALTH STRATEGIES & RAYMOND JAMES HEAT THREE (8 laps): 1. 14-Corey Day[2]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders[4]; 3. 42X-Justyn Cox[1]; 4. 0-Jonathan Allard[6]; 5. 88N-DJ Netto[5]; 6. 69-Bud Kaeding[3]; 7. 18T-Tanner Holmes[7]; 8. 72W-Kurt Nelson[8]; 9. 92-Andy Forsberg[9]

 SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 laps): 1. 1. 83-James McFadden[2]; 2. 21T-Cole Macedo[1]; 3. 2X-Justin Sanders[3]; 4. 41-Dominic Scelzi[4]; 5. 24-Chase Johnson[5]

KAEDING PERFORMANCE B FEATURE (10 Laps): 1. 1. 2K-Kaleb Montgomery[1]; 2. 18T-Tanner Holmes[4]; 3. 115-Nick Parker[3]; 4. 36-Craig Stidham[7]; 5. 26-Billy Aton[2]; 6. 72W-Kurt Nelson[6]; 7. (DNF) 92-Andy Forsberg[9]; 8. (DNF) 12B-Dawson Faria[5]; 9. (DNF) 10-Mauro Simone[8]

Sweet picks up his second Williams Grove victory by leading every lap MECHANICSBURG, PA (May 12, 2023) – Brad Sweet cupped his hand to his ear and stuck out his tongue as he rose atop his wing Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway.The fans stayed quiet. But “The Big Cat” knew there’d be minimal cheers. Truthfully, he was expecting more boos than he received.After all, the Pennsylvania Posse were forced to watch as a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car driver parked in Victory Lane at one of their most prided tracks. Sweet dominated on his way to winning at the historic half mile – leading all 25 laps of the Morgan Cup opening night Feature. Why not play into the rivalry after such a perfect performance?“I was looking forward to getting booed,” Sweet said with a smirk. “But they’re (the crowd) kind of quiet. I don’t know if they’re speechless or what.”The Grass Valley, CA native is now a two-time winner at “The Grove” – adding Friday’s triumph to last year’s Summer Nationals crown. It took Sweet more than 50 tries to add a Williams Grove win to his list of accomplishments. It took him only three more attempts to tally a second at the Mechanicsburg, PA oval.Sweet now sits tied for the most Feature wins this season with four, and his 83rd career victory with Kasey Kahne Racing with the Series brings him within one of equaling Stevie Smith for 10th all time.“The guys gave me a great race car,” Sweet said. “We were on the second row of the Heat (Race) tonight and were able to get to the Dash and draw the number one. I think that was the key to winning. I don’t know if we had the best car. I’ll go back and watch, but the last few laps I was actually kind of struggling. I don’t know if I was trying too hard or what the guys were doing behind me. Just excited to get to Victory Lane.”Winning the Toyota Dash was exactly what set Sweet up for success. Once the green flag flew, Sweet never looked back from the pole position. On the race’s initial green flag, Sweet jumped ahead in the Napa Auto Parts #49.Even as a handful of caution periods slowed the early part of the race, Sweet had no issue on every single restart. The 37 year old pulled ahead with ease every time the green flag flew. Then around the midway part of the race when it appeared traffic would become a factor, another yellow flag flew, giving him clean air once again. The caution was a welcome sight for Sweet.“I’ll be honest. I didn’t feel like I was going to have very much luck getting by them in traffic,” Sweet admitted. That hole in (Turn) 3 just had me spooked all night. We tried something a little different for the A (Main), and I’m not sure it was really good to run the bottom like we were in the Dash. It seemed like my car was better up high, but I was happy to get out of it (traffic) and focus on trying to get really good restarts. I didn’t want to leave myself open.”That late caution effectively sealed the deal as Sweet excelled on yet another restart. Ultimately, the four-time Series champion would go on to take the checkered flag with more than a two second advantage.Behind him offered plenty of drama for the runner-up spot. Rico Abreu held onto it for much of the early going after starting outside pole. But late in the going challengers arose. Brent Marks slid ahead of Abreu on the late restart to take command of second. The Myerstown, PA native did everything in his power behind the wheel to run down Sweet but didn’t have enough. The runner-up result was Marks’ second consecutive after finishing second Wednesday at Lincoln. The defending Morgan Cup champion came away encouraged knowing they aren’t far from a win.“We’re pretty happy with our program right now,” Marks said. “We were still just a tick off there. We’re just missing something really small, and I think we’re dialing in on it. I wish we had a shot to try to give Brad a run for his money but never got to lapped traffic tonight.”Shortly after Marks charged by Abreu, Donny Schatz did the same in his Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15. The 10-time champion rolled the bottom smoothly all race on his charge from starting sixth onto the podium. Schatz now owns a whopping 56 podiums in World of Outlaws competition at Williams Grove alone. The Fargo, ND native has finished within the top three in three of the last four races. Despite the encouraging stretch, Schatz is searching for a little more comfort behind the wheel.“We made up some spots,” Schatz said. “That’s what you’ve got to do. The guys just keep taking big swings at it. I just can’t seem to get slowed down when I need to slow down, and I can’t get sped up when I need to go. But we’re digging and working on it. We’re doing a great job. Scuba (Steve Swenson), he’s pulling everything out of the hat he can. They’re doing what they can. It’s a decent run here to get us a decent spot.”Rounding out the top five was Rico Abreu and Anthony Macri. Sweet’s victory extended his advantage to 36 markers over David Gravel (finished sixth) in the championship standings. Carson Macedo (finished ninth) isn’t too far behind in third – 46 points behind Sweet.The Feature’s KSE Racing Hard Charger went to Freddie Rahmer with a drive from 21st to 12th aboard the Eichelberger #8.The night began with David Gravel claiming his fourth Simpson QuickTime of the year and the 101st of his career.CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Justin Peck (sixth Heat win of career). NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Carson Macedo (87th of career), Rico Abreu (36th of career), and Anthony Macri (eighth of career).Freddie Rahmer won the MicroLite Last Chance Showdown.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are back at Williams Grove for the Morgan Cup finale on Saturday, May 13. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.RESULTS:A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet[1]; 2. 19-Brent Marks[3]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz[6]; 4. 24-Rico Abreu[2]; 5. 39M-Anthony Macri[8]; 6. 2-David Gravel[5]; 7. 69K-Lance Dewease[13]; 8. 13-Justin Peck[7]; 9. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart[10]; 11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[17]; 12. 8-Freddie Rahmer[21]; 13. 44-Dylan Norris[12]; 14. 11-Cory Eliason[14]; 15. 48-Danny Dietrich[24]; 16. 12-Billy Dietrich[19]; 17. 99M-Kyle Moody[18]; 18. 5-Spencer Bayston[20]; 19. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[16]; 20. 11T-TJ Stutts[22]; 21. 5C-Dylan Cisney[26]; 22. 23-Devon Borden[25]; 23. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[9]; 24. 7S-Robbie Price[23]; 25. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[15]; 26. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[11]

May 13, 2023 — SPEEDWAY, IN

• Christian Lundgaard scores his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole in qualifying for Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis
• Honda drivers continue 2023 qualifying dominance on road and street circuits
• Alex Palou, Jack Harvey and Kyle Kirkwood also advance to the final round of knockout qualifying at Indianapolis

In another thrilling NTT INDCAR SERIES qualifying session, Honda-powered Christian Lundgaard prevailed to score his first pole in Indy car competition today, and the Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver will lead the field to the green flag in Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix on the road course of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Honda drivers have now claimed the pole in the four INDYCAR road and temporary street circuit events conducted in 2023.

All three Rahal Letterman Lanigan drivers and the full, four-car Andretti Autosport effort advanced out of the first round of knockout qualifying today on the IMS road course, as Honda drivers made up eight of the 12 entries in second-round qualifying. 

Behind Lundgaard at the end of “Firestone Fast Six” final qualifying, Alex Palou will start Saturday’s 85-lap race from the inside of the second row, third.  Lundgaard’s RLL teammate, Jack Harvey, will start fourth, while Long Beach pole qualifier and race winner, Kyle Kirkwood rounded out the top six today for Andretti Autosport.

GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis Honda Qualifying Results

•   1st Christian Lundgaard            Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda   
•   3rd Alex Palou                          Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
•   4th Jack Harvey                       Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda    
•   6th Kyle Kirkwood                    Andretti Autosport Honda
•   7th Marcus Ericsson                 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
•   8th Graham Rahal                    Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
•   9th Scott Dixon                         Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 11th Marcus Armstrong-R           Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 14th Colton Herta                       Andretti Autosport Honda
• 15th Devlin DeFrancesco            Andretti Autosport Honda
• 18th Romain Grosjean            Andretti Autosport Honda
• 19th Simon Pagenaud                Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 20th David Malukas                    Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
• 22nd Sting Ray Robb-R              Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 26th Helio Castroneves              Meyer Shank Racing Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes
Christian Lundgaard (#45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) pole qualifier: “The Hy-Vee Honda has been fast all day. I was hoping for this but I wasn’t quite expecting it. I can finally call this (IMS) home, I think. It feels amazing. Waking up this morning, I knew we were going to have a chance to get into the Fast Six, because we’ve done that pretty much every time we’ve been here and I hoped it was going to happen, and now I can sit here and it’s a reality, which is pretty cool. Honestly, right now it feels awesome getting my first NTT P1 award, but with that said, [teammates} Jack [Harvey} is P4 and Graham [Rahal] is P8. That is the best qualifying we’ve had in the two years that we’ve been teammates. I think it shows the progress that we’re on. It’s taken a little longer than we would have liked, but now we’ve got to finish it off tomorrow, but I’m just super happy for the team.”

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified third: “I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t get the pole. We were looking strong all day; third in Practice 1 and then P1 in Practice 2. We just missed it by a bit, but it’s good to be disappointed when you’re starting third. The car feels great, just need to find a little bit more during the warm-up and try to get our first win of the season.”

Fast Facts

• This is Honda’s fourth pole in five rounds of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES.  The other Honda-powered pole winners this year include Romain Grosjean at St. Petersburg and Barber Motorsports Park; plus Kyle Kirkwood at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
• Honda holds the early-season lead in the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship, with two victories and four poles this season. Honda comes to Barber Motorsports Park with a 13-point advantage (325-312) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in the last six years in 2023.

Where to Watch
Television coverage of Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix starts at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.  Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on NBC Peacock, the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).

Honda Racing social media content and video links can be found on:
Instagram        (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd)
TikTok             (www.tiktok.com/hondaracing_hpd)
Twitter             (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD)
Facebook        (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD)
YouTube         (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV)

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

GMR GRAND PRIX

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT

MAY 12, 2023

FELIX ROSENQVIST PUTS CHEVROLET ON FRONT ROW FOR THE GMR GRAND PRIX

• Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s Felix Rosenqvist led Team Chevy drivers, qualifying second and starting from the front row for Sunday’s GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.
• Rosenqvist’s teammate Pato O’Ward joined him in the Firestone Fast Six.
• Rosenqvist and Team Penske’s Will Power advanced from Round 1, Group 1 in GMR Grand Prix Qualifying.
• O’Ward and Alexander Rossi advanced from Round 1, Group 2 in GMR Grand Prix Qualifying.
• O’Ward led the combined practice results, with his fastest lap time of 01:09.4981 at 126.340 mph in Practice 1.
• O’Ward led second practice for Team Chevy, with his fastest lap of 01:10.2604 to finish third on the leaderboard. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden (sixth), Scott McLaughlin (seventh), and Power (eighth) followed, rounding out the top-10.
• O’Ward led the first practice session with his quickest lap of 01:09.4981, with McLaughlin next for Team Chevy in fourth. Rosenqvist (sixth), Power (ninth), and Rinus VeeKay (tenth) rounded out the top-10 for the Bowtie brand in the first session of Friday.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULT:

POS.   DRIVER

2nd     Felix Rosenqvist

5th      Pato O’Ward

10th     Alexander Rossi

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“I had two laps of fuel which is pretty much what everyone’s going to do. I did an okay first lap. I was going for it. But you know at this point you can’t go through there with the yellow (from Benjamin Pedersen spin) and go quicker otherwise I’m was going to get a penalty so I backed off a little bit there. Then I decided to it because I thought that I could really go quicker on the whole lap. But, man I lost so much at the start of it that seemed irrelevant at that point. So it was unfortunate because that was the lap to really put it together. I would say it was bad timing again,  you know, what are we going to do? I mean, it’s not anybody’s fault outside of the timing.

“I’m not going to go back and like be mad at anybody or even myself, it’s just bad timing. You can’t predict that stuff but  I thought the car was good. Timing is going be more important tomorrow.  Thanks to Snap On and Team Chevy, we will just go for it tomorrow.”

Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“We changed a little bit in Practice 2. Nothing crazy. A little smidgen here or there. Just missed the ballpark. Anyway, it is what it is.”

On the Indianapolis track and how weather sensitive it is…

“I’m sure we’ll get a little bit of sprinkles. Something, but it wasn’t crazy. It’s just tight. INDYCAR is just so hard. It’s why you love it. We just missed it and unfortunately, when you miss it by just a little bit, you’re just too far off. We’ll work hard. We’ve got a great team behind us. Hopefully, we’ll come through at the front.”

Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:

“I just tried a different gear in turn 7 to see. We’re just so far off. That was everything I had. I screwed the first lap up so we’re probably going to be 12th. Certainly, we’re missing a half of a second. The car doesn’t feel that bad. I felt in practice we were pretty good, kind of hanging out in the top-10. Never P1 material, but we’ll just have to dig deep tomorrow. We’ve had some pretty good races, so we’ll see if we can get the Verizon car up there. I got a new Chevy engine this week, so got plenty of horsepower. We’ll see what we can do.”

Conor Daly, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“Obviously, we’re going to try and work our butts off to be quick tomorrow but, you know, it’s kind of been the trend of our season. We’ve slipped a little back at every track we’ve been at. We have to do a better job and, you know, we as drivers have to deliver the information as best we can, and we’ve got to work together to make us better because both Rinus (VeeKay) and I can’t be happy with where we’re starting. We just got to be honest with ourselves and we’ve got to be willing to get this to the next level. It’s a real, real shame because obviously, we’ve had a tough year. Hopefully, tomorrow, you never know what could happen. We’ve always raced well here so we’ll try to take this BITNILE.COM Chevrolet forward.”

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“Today was difficult with the weather being unpredictable. We are missing the balance for the new tires so we are chasing it a bit. A tough session especially when a tenth would move us into the second round. We can race our way forward tomorrow. Even when things are tough like today, we always can make progress. We have an extra set of red tires for tomorrow and the team will do everything they can.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“P5 for us today in qualifying here for the Indy GP. My Turn 1 on that lap definitely didn’t deserve pole today, but we’ve got a strong race car. It should rain overnight, so I think warmup will be interesting, then we’ll give it hell in the race.”

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“It’s been a tough day to prefer. We’ve been quick since rolling off the trucks. But it’s always hard getting a lap in, and you know, traffic and things happening. It’s very tight, and one-tenth wrong, you’re out. It’s always hard to put it together here and it’s so tight. Big thanks to my Arrow McLaren team, SmartStop. We came together when it mattered in the end. That was our quickest run of the day. I did a little mistake in the snake on the final lap. I’m kind of beating myself up about it a little bit, but hey, we can’t be perfect. That was all I had for that lap.”

Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“That’s pretty much it, unfortunately. We just haven’t quite been able to unlock this car to the level that we need for qualifying. We’re just perpetually seeming to qualify from 12th through 10th which is getting frustrating. You just have to keep working at it. It’s hard on these quick weekends. It’s hard when you only have so many bites at it. We’re close, we just haven’t quite found that tuning tweak that I guess I need.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“We just had another electrical issue that really set us back. Obviously, I just didn’t put together the cleanest one-lap run because we were trying to fight traffic and not impede anybody. It is so tight here. This is the tightest track we come to all year. Everyone’s got a million laps here. Our car is just not in the window yet. We’re working on it. We’re doing the best we can. Nothing like starting from the back and trying to make our way through the field tomorrow, and I’m sure we’ll do that.”

Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“Honestly, it was a really good lap. Unfortunately, we just don’t quite have the speed in the car. Definitely the best lap I’ve done in an Indy car so I’m very proud of that. I think P23 for tomorrow. We’ll see if we can’t work some magic on the strategy perspective and have a really good race and move forward, which is the big goal. First time here in an Indy car and loving it. Just trying to get better and better every day.”

Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“We’re just not in the right direction yet. Not easy. We tried so much stuff to make it work and we’re just missing something. We put the car into a good balance window, but I mean, I think it was seven-tenths to the front. Not easy, not easy. The race is a different story. We’ll see what we can do.”

Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:

“We didn’t had the best qualifying, honestly. We made some changes. The car feels a little bit worse than practice. In practice, we were better, but it is what it is. We will do our best tomorrow. We’ll try to finish the race and take some points.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – Press Conference Transcript:

TELL US ABOUT THAT LAST LAP AND THE LAST COUPLE CORNERS BEFORE YOU HIT THE START-FINISH LINE?

“Yeah, I thought I had a mega lap going and I kind of messed it up a bit in Turn 9. I was just going for make or break and didn’t make. Three thousandths, that’s always tough, but honestly, I’m super happy to be P2. This is a track where, as Christian said, I think a lot of European drivers have excelled, and I’ve had two poles here previously and almost three now, so maybe try starting on P2 instead and see how that goes.”

FELIX, WITH HOW TIGHT IT WAS TO CHRISTIAN, LOOKING BACK OVER THAT LAP, IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY THAT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN YOU POLE, OR WAS THAT THE FASTEST THAT CAR WAS GOING TO GO?

“I mean, you can always go better. I think maybe Christian could probably go a tenth or two quicker (…) That’s why I don’t bother anymore saying I could have, should have. We all go all in, all out, out there, and it’s always so tight. This track honestly, if you’re one or one and a half tenths off, it can normally be the difference of maybe starting like 16th or P5. Like it’s so tight. You have to really put it together every qualifying segment. It’s hard. There’s traffic out there. There’s different challenges coming towards you, and when it’s so tight, you just have to be perfect all the time. But yeah, we always look back and that’s why we get better every time. This time it didn’t work out, but I’m happy for Christian. That was an awesome run, and he really deserves it.”

DOES THIS CIRCUIT SEEM MORE EUROPEAN THAN THE OTHER ROAD CIRCUITS ON THE SERIES, AND IF SO, WHAT MAKES IT THAT WAY?

“It’s just more about maximizing what you have rather than being like close to the walls or close to the gravel. I think here if you can make the car work for you, you can make a difference, and maybe it’s a bit of a smoother lap. You don’t see anyone really fighting the car a lot. You have a couple of snaps here and there, but it’s not like Detroit or Nashville or even Iowa, something like that. It’s a fairly smooth lap, smooth surface, high grip, and also the fact that we can do the lap in lap one is kind of unique. At least we can have kind of a slow out lap and then do a lap and then the tires are gone. I think that, at least for Christian, Formula 2, it’s pretty similar to that. But it’s not like we’re only good here, I think. But may be in other favor a bit.”

FELIX, YOU’VE QUALIFIED WELL BEFORE THIS YEAR, BUT THE RESULTS HAVEN’T QUITE BEEN THERE. ANY REASON, ANY KIND OF PRE-RACE MEETING YOU’LL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, HEY, HOW CAN WE EXECUTE AND GET THE FINISH THAT BACKS UP QUALIFYING?

“Well, I think our year has basically been two DNFs on the first two races, set us back a lot. We were pretty much last in the standings after those two races, and since then we’ve been in the mix pretty much everywhere. We haven’t really had a proper weekend in terms of everything coming together, which is normal, but we’ve been top 10 pretty much every session, qualifying race. I think this weekend things just kind of worked out a bit better so far at least, and that’s just INDYCAR. You just need to put yourself in that position as many times as you can in the season, and hopefully we can get on a bit of a roll from here, and I think it will come to us.”

WHAT SEGMENT OF THIS TRACK THAT IF YOU GET IT RIGHT, YOU KNOW YOU’RE ON A HOT LAP? IS THERE ONE PART OF THIS TRACK THAT’S THE TELLTALE FOR WHAT’S COMING?

“My first attempt on the first set of reds, I blew it in Turn 1, so it’s kind of like you have to go for it, but we’re doing our laps in the first lap, so if the tires aren’t in, and you go for it, you’re not going to make it. That’s kind of what Christian said, when you pass that corner you know what grip you have, you know what you need to do, but you never really know until you turn in for Turn 12, which is after the timing line.”

HERSHEY, PA (May 12, 2023) – On May 11, 1939, Hersheypark Stadium hosted its first race – a 28 car midget race in front of a crowd of more than 11,000 spectators.Eighty-four years later, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in partnership with Milton Hershey School (MHS) celebrated the local racing history on the same grounds with the Hersheypark Sprint Car Experience.Both the Stadium and School – which offers life changing opportunities through cost-free education for qualifying students – were founded by Milton Hershey.Race teams, drivers, fans, and Milton Hershey staff and students converged upon the historic stadium in a celebration of the region’s rich racing tradition. About a dozen cars were lined up on display, and visitors were also given tours of the team’s haulers.Last year, a similar event was held on a smaller scale. With this year’s edition falling on the 84th anniversary of Hersheypark Stadium’s racing origin, it was only natural for the event to grow.“When we realized that May 11th was actually the 84th anniversary of the very first race at Hersheypark Stadium Speedway, we thought what could we do that’s bigger and more robust?” said Melvyn Record, Director of Business Development at World Racing Group. “So, we came up with this idea of the Hersheypark Sprint Car Experience, and that was Milton Hershey’s idea. They asked the World of Outlaws, ‘Can you get some drivers to participate?’ It initially started off as maybe we can get four drivers or maybe we can get six drivers. And we ended up with, I think, 11 drivers that came along because I’m pretty convinced that the drivers understand what it is that Milton Hershey is trying to do for the students.”As talks continued, it became evident to both sides that the event should expand to include the public.“It started as a conversation about allowing the kids to meet with the drivers, which is part of our partnership with the World of Outlaws,” said Kristina Pae, Director of Integrated Marketing at Milton Hershey School. “And the more we added some really fun components to it we felt like we were losing out if we don’t open this up to our full community knowing how passionate central Pennsylvania is about the sport and the deep history and roots that the sport has here.”The result was an overwhelming turnout. Hundreds of students and staff first had the opportunity to meet the drivers, get autographs and photos, and view the race cars. Then, the gates opened to the public and hundreds more came filing in.The fans and students weren’t the only ones impacted by the proceedings. The drivers themselves were moved by the amount of support. Milton Hershey School is a partner of Brock Zearfoss, and he saw it as a sign of even more growth in the future.“I think World Racing Group and Milton Hershey have done a fantastic job promoting this event,” Zearfoss said. “I think the turnout exceeded what they thought it was going to be. It was really great to see the amount of people and the kids that came out and supported it. It can only go up from here I believe. I think it’s going to be one of those events that just keeps getting bigger each year and turns into something that fans and students at Milton Hershey look forward to coming to every year.”Spencer Bayston and his CJB Motorsports crew were also participants – even showing up early in the morning to help with local television coverage.“It’s definitely a great opportunity for all of these kids to come out and experience something a little different, something that we’re really passionate about,” Bayston said. “They’re in the position now of trying to find their passion and where their life is going to go, and this is a great way to kind of display something unique. It was definitely cool to see all of the kids and then the public really turned out this evening. There was a really good crowd of people here.”Even before the Sprint Car Experience began, four drivers – Brock Zearfoss, Carson Macedo, Gio Scelzi, and Logan Schuchart – visited classes at the school to help teach students more about what they do with the World of Outlaws. Zearfoss and Macedo talked with engineering and design students while Scelzi and Schuchart took time with an automotive class. The latter pair even helped judge a tire changing contest between students.From start to finish, the day proved to be hugely impactful for all involved. Fans, students, and staff were treated to a unique experience that may not only attract new fans to the sport, but also influence the career path of a student trying to find the right direction.“I’m hoping that for a lot of the children that were there they’ll remember this day for a long time,” Record said. “They got to sit in a race car. They got to meet a racing driver. They got a picture. Thanks to the generosity of Milton Hershey School, they got a t-shirt. They got a sticker. They got a program with pictures in it. All of these things help build fans for the future.”“I am thrilled,” Pae said. “The event has absolutely met the vision that I and our team has had for it. I think that our students who attended really enjoyed themselves. The World of Outlaws drivers were so gracious and kind and interactive with our kids and just really provided a different, wonderful experience for them. So, from that perspective, I couldn’t have asked for more, exposing our kids to just another potential career opportunity and to just dream big about what you can do with your life. That’s one of the things we try to do at our school – open up doors of opportunity, allow kids to think about what their future can hold if they really follow their passions.”The World of Outlaws turn their attention to the Morgan Cup at Williams Grove Speedway, Friday-Saturday, May 12-13, where four Milton Hershey School students will get the opportunity to serve as an honorary crew member with a Sprint Car team. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 11, 2023) – The FALS Spring Shootout presented by Titan Industries kicks off the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup on Saturday, May 13 at the Fairbury Speedway in Fairbury, IL.  The mini-series within the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule consists of sixteen (16) events that pay $30,000 or more to the winner. Drivers with perfect attendance on the tour will earn points in these sixteen (16) events based on their respective finishes. The driver that earns the most points at the sixteen (16) Crown Jewel Cup events will be crowned the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Champion – earning a $15,000 cash bonus at the year-end awards banquet. The drivers who finish second through fifth in the Crown Jewel Cup standings will earn $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 in cash, respectively for a total point fund of $30,000 for these sixteen (16) events. “We want to thank Arizona Sport Shirts for their continued support of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series,” stated Wayne Castleberry, Sales and Marketing for Lucas Oil. “Arizona Sport Shirts has and continues to play an important role allowing the series to offer the biggest point fund and payouts in the history of Dirt Late Model Racing. The Crown Jewel Cup program is a great compliment to the point fund and other contingencies that will be awarded in 2023.” Arizona Sport Shirts will continue to have a presence at all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events as the Official Merchandise Provider for the series along with their extensive online store at https://www.gottarace.com/collections/lucas-oil-late-model-dirt-series For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. 2023 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Schedule:Sat. May 13 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – $30,000Sat. May 27 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – $50,000Sat. Jun. 3 – West Virginia Motor Speedway – Mineral Wells, WV – $50,000Sat. Jun. 17 – Smoky Mountain Speedway – Maryville, TN – $50,000Sat. Jun. 24 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, PA – $50,000Sat. Jul. 1 – Muskingum County Speedway – Zanesville, OH – $30,000Sat. Jul. 8 – Deer Creek Speedway – Spring Valley, MN – $50,000Sat. Jul. 22 – Huset’s Speedway – Brandon, SD – $53,000Sat. Aug. 12 – Florence Speedway – Union, KY – $75,000Sat. Aug. 19 – Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, AR – $50,000Sat. Aug. 26 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA – $50,000Sun. Sep. 3 – Tyler County Speedway – Middlebourne, WV – $30,000Sat. Sep. 16 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA – $50,000Sat. Sep. 23 – Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, IN – $30,000Sat. Sep. 30 – Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway – Imperial, PA – $30,000Sat. Oct. 21 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH – $100,000 About Arizona Sports Shirts:

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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

GMR GRAND PRIX

THE ROAD COURSE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE

MAY 12-13, 2023

CHEVROLET LOOKS TO ADD TO MAY SUCCESS AT THE GMR GRAND PRIX

DETROIT (May 11, 2023) – The month of May in Indianapolis kicks off this weekend for Team Chevy NTT INDYCAR Series drivers and teams with the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway near Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dominant on the road course in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injection era, the Bowtie brand has won six events in nine races (since 2014’s debut of the event), seven pole awards, 11 podiums, and holding 393 laps led on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn permanent road course integrated within the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Last year’s winner Alexander Rossi, who joined Chevy-supported Arrow McLaren INDYCAR in the offseason, carries both momentum from the early season as well as success on both courses at Indianapolis. He is looking to the weekend to deliver a repeat win as well as hand Chevrolet their 109th victory in the series since 2012.

”Entering the Month of May and Indy GP, I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead,” noted Rossi. “Last year’s victory has me eager to perform well, and as a new group, we’re close to having our breakout weekend. With rain in the forecast, adaptability will be key, but we’re prepared to face any conditions on race day. I’m excited to tackle the challenges, and I hope we can put on a great show for the fans, rain or shine.”

With Chevrolet’s success that includes a win and/or pole award in each year since 2015, 2021’s event winner, Rinus VeeKay of Ed Carpenter Racing, has his sights set on kicking his month of May off at this weekend’s GMR Grand Prix with a return visit to victory lane.

“I am very excited to race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course again,” exclaimed VeeKay. “Of course, it’s the place where I won my first race and it’s great to come back as a previous winner. Hopefully double it up this year! I am ready to get back to good results and if there’s a perfect place to do it, it’s at IMS for the road course and the Speedway itself! I can’t wait to get the Month of May started. I’m ready for the adventure!”

“The GMR GP on the IMS Road Course sets the stage for the Chevrolet-powered teams in the NTT INDYCAR Series for the remainder of the month of May leading into the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500,” said Rob Buckner, INDYCAR Program Manager at General Motors. “While there aren’t many similarities between the road course and the speedway packages, the GP is an important step in helping our teams start to get the rhythm of The Speedway, and the atmosphere of events.

Coming off a win at Barber Motorsports Park, our Chevrolet engineers with our teams are fine-tuning what we learned at Barber with the goal of winning on the IMS Road Course. In addition, drivers will be able to deliver feedback on track conditions relative to tire wear. We are ready to kick off May with a victory on Saturday.”

The GMR Grand Prix kicks off with Practice 1 Friday, May 12 at 9:30 a.m. ET, with Practice 2 starting at 1 p.m. ET. Qualifications then start at 4 p.m. ET Friday. A final warm-up will start race day Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 160. The 85-lap, 207.32-mile race Sunday, May 13 will take the green flag at 3:30 p.m. ET live on NBC.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“Last year, the Indy GP was one of the craziest races that we’ve had in a couple years. I’m looking forward to starting the Month of May and trying to finish better here than we did last year.”

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

”It’s good to be back at the GP. It’s probably one of my best qualifying tracks with two poles here, including one last year. I think the race has been a bit more difficult for us historically, especially when it’s warm. We race twice here every year, so it’s important for us to get all the data we can for when we come back later in the summer. I’m ready for the Month of May to get going.”

Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“For as often as we get to race at the Indy GP, it’s always surprising how different the track behaves each time we race here. And with mixed weather in the forecast, I’m sure we’ll get something different again. The team’s focus is unchanged; we’re happy to go racing again and we take each race as a chance for us to grow and get better as a team. If we keep that mindset, the results will take care of themselves in time.”

Conor Daly, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“The GMR Grand Prix is one of my favorite events! The IMS Road Course has been a successful place for me in the past, both in qualifying and the race. Just need to get on the podium now! We hope that we have the same speed we had last year, if anything be faster! We will all work together and get a good result. We need the season to turn around now, it has been really difficult to handle so far. Hopefully, all smiles and happiness this month and starting off strong at the Indy GP always helps!”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“I’m looking forward to this weekend. I like the IMS road course because I feel it fits my driving style pretty well. The track is very flowy, very fast. It’s always been an enjoyable race for me, an enjoyable time to be inside IMS. So, hoping that we can bring that spirit this weekend and carry on with our development of the Sexton Properties Chevy.”

Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“Very excited for this weekend for the GMR Grand Prix. I’ve raced here in the past in INDY NXT, but obviously, not here in INDYCAR, so really looking forward to that. Have had really good success here in INDY NXT. There’s a chance of rain. Feeling very optimistic, and really looking forward to this weekend in the Sexton Properties Chevrolet.”

CHEVROLET AT INDIANAPOLIS ROAD COURSE:

Wins at GMR Grand Prix (since 2012): 6

2015 – Will Power

2016 – Simon Pagenaud

2017 – Will Power

2018 – Will Power

2019 – Simon Pagenaud

2021 – Rinus VeeKay

Chevrolet Driver with the Most Indianapolis Road Course Wins (since 2012): Will Power, 3 (2015, 2017, 2018)

Number of Team Chevy Pole Awards at Indianapolis Road Course (since 2012): 7 (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022)

Chevrolet Driver with the Most Indianapolis Road Course Pole Awards (since 2012): Will Power, 4 (2015, 2018, 2020, 2022)

Number of Team Chevy Podiums at Indianapolis Road Course (since 2012): 11

Number of laps led by Team Chevy at Indianapolis Road Course (since 2012): 393

2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS

186: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR. 

108: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 

121: Earned poles since 2012. 

7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012. 

7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012. 

26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer. 

14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including the past 11 with Chevrolet power. 

9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver. 

44: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.

*Will Power’s career total of 68 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

May 10, 2023 | Featured, Megan Meyer, Race Results

To kick off her official return to drag racing competing in the inaugural Nitro Chaos championship series, Megan took the top qualifying spot and finished in the semifinals at Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati, OH last weekend in her Randy Meyer Racing-owned, Gunk-sponsored nitro dragster.

Megan’s father, Randy, had his other two Top Alcohol Dragsters in Indianapolis that same weekend for the NHRA Lucas Oil Regional race, so he split up the team and sent Megan’s little sister, Rachel Meyer, with her to be the crew chief. Randy was there to assist with tuning on Friday during their two qualifying runs where the Gunk dragster ran a 3.69 ET at 215 mph in the eighth-mile and a 3.67 ET at 217 mph. During qualifying, Megan was called-out by the “BushWacker” team who won with a 3.61 ET. https://www.youtube.com/embed/iJOrBHt6qfk

However, during the last chance qualifying session the following day, Rachel tuned Megan to a 3.50 ET at 228 mph to take the number 1 qualifying spot and be ahead of the field by more than a tenth of a second. There were 16 cars entered for the one-class race that were then split in half with the top 8 as the A field and second 8 as the B field. Megan was paired up against #8 qualifier, Eric Stevens in the “Bluegrass Thunder” funny car, for first round and won with a 3.64 ET at 215 mph. Moving onto the semifinals, Megan was matched up against Tyler Hilton in the “Great Expectations” front-engine dragster. Unfortunately Megan was too anxious and did a two-step before the green light and was disqualified. https://www.youtube.com/embed/ELvznYoPR04

“I am so disappointed in myself for redlighting,” Megan claimed. “I know better than to do that, but I got distracted before the run started and wasn’t in the zone. I know this car has the potential to win another championship, and my crew proved that in qualifying. But I need to get back into the mindset of a champion and after 2 years off, this was a good reminder that it doesn’t come easy.

“My little sister did a fantastic job of tuning the Gunk dragster which was a dream we’ve had since we were little girls. I can’t thank my family and crew for putting together a makeshift operation for this race and supporting me to chase a new goal. We had a blast at Edgewater and are looking forward to returning next year in the Gunk dragster.”

Megan won the second Nitro Chaos exhibition race in 2022 at Mo-Kan Dragway, and it planted the seed to make a full-time appearance in the championship series, “When I decided to retire from NHRA, I had no desires of getting back behind the wheel,” said Megan. “But at that time the Nitro Chaos hadn’t existed yet. Once I learned about the outlaw-style of drag racing that is close to my home, it was a no brainer to give it a shot and see if I still have what it takes to drive these 4,000 horsepower nitro machines. When I did the Mo-Kan race, I was hooked. This style of racing is so much fun and it’s the coolest thing ever to get to race against front-engine dragsters, funny cars, and altereds. I couldn’t have asked for a better series to make me want to come back to drag racing.”

Megan’s next Nitro Chaos race will be at Eddyville Raceway Park in Iowa on Memorial Day Weekend, where Rachel will also be behind the wheel of the Randy Meyer Racing Team’s other dragster with support from Gunk, and teammate Julie Nataas will return to the Funny Car for an action-packed weekend!

May 11, 2023

For this weekend’s Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway, Harrison Burton and the DEX Imaging team will throw it back to 1999 with the No. 21 Mustang carrying a paint scheme like the one Jeff Burton, Harrison’s dad, carried on his No. 99 Roush Racing Ford that swept both Cup races at Darlington that year.

Harrison Burton, who wasn’t even born back in ’99, said on a teleconference Wednesday that he got to help choose the paint scheme.

“Obviously, the one where he won in the rain at Darlington – swept that year at Darlington – was an easy answer,” he said. “So, that was a cool moment and something I’m excited to drive.”

Burton said that as he looks forward to this weekend’s Goodyear 400, he knows that like all races on the Lady In Black it’s going to be a challenge.

“It’s going to be a tough race,” he said. “It’s a fairly long race, it’s going to be hot, it’s going to be really slick with the worn-out surface.

“You’re going to have all this tire wear, which creates some interesting scenarios – who puts on the tires when – and the green flag pit-stops are really interesting.

“The biggest thing for me is who’s versatile enough to be able to get off the wall in [Turns] Three and Four.” There are other factors as well.

“You have to be on your game,” he said. “You’re going to be inches off the wall for four hours, probably going to kiss it once or twice, and you’re just going to ride that ragged edge for a long time. So, staying focused and locked-in for four hours at Darlington is really tough when you add the heat to it.

“I think it’s going to be a tough race for a lot of guys. Hopefully that leads to opportunities as well for others. I think it’ll be fun. It’s always one of my favorites, that’s for sure.”

Burton and his crew chief Brian Wilson said the speed of the No. 21 midway through last Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 gives them encouragement heading into Darlington.

“The No. 21 Ford showed some of our most competitive speed this year,” Wilson said. “We were the highest-ranked Ford on pass ratio, and several times posted the fastest lap through the race.

“Seeing that gave everyone on the team a nice boost of confidence.”

Wilson also is heartened by the team’s performance last year at Darlington.
 
“The races at Darlington were some of our more competitive of the season,” he said. “This week we have a in large stagger change in the tires from Goodyear. We’ll use the notes from last year’s races as well as previous stagger changes to have our Mustang ready to rip when practice starts.”

Like his driver, Wilson is looking forward to Darlington’s annual throwback weekend, which this year will include appearances by two Wood Brothers’ favorites – the 1971 Mercury driven by David Pearson and the 1981 Thunderbird piloted by Neil Bonnett. (The Woods are Ford’s all-time winningest team at Darlington with eight Cup wins in 100 starts.)

“As we head to Darlington, the industry celebrates our history with the throwback weekend,” Wilson said.

“It’s only fitting that the Wood Brothers team has a great scheme this week.”

“The pink-and-black DEX Ford throws back to one of Harrison’s father’s iconic schemes. I’m sure it will look great running the high line at Darlington.” 

Practice for the Goodyear 400 is set for Saturday at 10:35 a.m. Eastern Time to be followed by qualifying at 11:20.

Sunday’s 293-lap, 400-mile race is scheduled to start just after 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 90 and 185. FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage both days.

CONCORD, NC (May 11, 2023) – For the first time in nearly five years, Holly Shelton will return to the seat of a dirt Midget – Thursday, June 1, at Illinois’ Tri-City Speedway in her debut with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

Bundy Built Motorsports has readied a Spike Chassis with Bundy Built power for the 27-year-old Californian as she aims to tackle the famed 3/8-mile for the first time since her rookie season in 2016. Tri-City will be the first of what she said will be a pick-and-choose slate of 10-to-15 Midget races over the 2023 season.

Though the official partnership was only recently formed, Shelton and the Bundy Built team go back further than many may realize. She and driver Ethan Mitchell were Outlaw Kart competitors before their time in the Midget ranks, even racing together occasionally out on the West Coast. Fast forward to 2023, and the two are going Midget racing together on the same team – Mitchell and his father Bundy both serving as her crew members.

“To see how competitive they are now, I’m pretty pumped to be with them,” Shelton said. “They’ve got their stuff really good.”

While the Bundy gang is making it happen, Shelton got the ball rolling with a simple conversation.

“I came to them earlier this year with the idea,” she said. “Sitting on the couch, watching Chili Bowl from home – wishing [I was] there kind of made me want to get back out there.

“I see how good the girls are doing now; it’s awesome. I miss it.”

Shelton stepped away from racing at the completion of the 2018 season, ending a three-year stint with Keith Kunz Motorsports and Toyota Racing Development. She’s since graduated college and moved to the Charlotte area with her fiancée – NASCAR Cup Series driver, Erik Jones.

In that time, many were left wondering if she’d ever return to the national Midget ranks. So, why now?

“I don’t know… it might’ve been one night with a couple drinks and I’m like, ‘You know what, I should get back in a Midget.’ And Erik’s like, ‘Yeah you should!’ So, I was like, ‘Okay, that’s permission. Let’s do it!’”

It was a big enough spark to light the flame inside her that still wanted to compete and still had unfinished business.

“You never lose that competitive drive,” she said.

During her 2018 campaign, Shelton drove to a runner-up finish at a POWRi race in Missouri, which then stood as the record for the highest a female had ever finished in a national-level Midget event. Fast forward to 2023; the landscape has changed.

In January 2022, it was Kaylee Bryson’s record-breaking accolade as the first woman ever to start the Chili Bowl Nationals A-Main. Last year, Taylor Reimer and Jade Avedisian became the first female drivers to win a national Midget event. And this year, Avedisian continues to add pages to the history books, leading the Xtreme Outlaw points standings in March after her third career Series victory.

“I love Jade – she is a total badass, on and off the track,” Shelton said. “One of the last times I talked to her on Twitter I said, ‘I’m gonna come and race you, so don’t beat me too bad.’”

Though she sings the praises of her fellow KKM talents, Shelton also wants a slice of the proverbial pie before she hangs it up for good – whenever that may be.

“To see those girls lock into Chili Bowl – it’s a cool thing to see from a girl’s perspective,” Shelton said. “But then, you’re also like, ‘Damn, I want to do that.’

“There’s a few things left that I want to do before I get really old and have a family.”

Don’t miss Shelton’s headlining return to Midget racing when the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota makes its debut at Tri-City Speedway on Thursday, June 1.

Tickets will be available for purchase at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

Goodyear 400Darlington RacewayDarlington, South CarolinaMay 14, 2023

CELEBRATING THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTUREAs the celebration of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary continues, all three of NASCAR’s national series are on the horizon of the annual “Throwback Weekend” at Darlington Raceway, where drivers and teams across the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will pay tribute to the sport’s history.  The 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval has been a staple piece of NASCAR’s history, holding a spot on the series’ schedule since 1950. Famously known as the “Lady in Black”, the South Carolina venue has been the site of the annual “Throwback Weekend” since 2015. The sixth tripleheader race weekend of 2023, Chevrolet will head to Darlington Raceway as the winningest manufacturer of the season across all three NASCAR national series.

TOO TOUGH TO TAME? Known as one of the most challenging tracks on the circuit, Chevrolet has a storied history at the “Track Too Tough to Tame”, collecting a series-best 42 wins in 123 NASCAR Cup Series races. 21 different drivers have contributed to Chevrolet’s win record at Darlington Raceway including Herb Thomas, who produced the Bowtie brand’s first win at the track in 1955 behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Bel Air.  The NCS’ most recent appearance at Darlington Raceway saw Erik Jones park his No. 43 Camaro ZL1 in victory lane for a playoff upset win in the Cook Out Southern 500 (Sept. 2022). The triumph in the crown jewel event was also a monumental feat for the iconic No. 43 with Jones’ victory giving the car number that was made famous by Richard Petty its 200th all-time win.

WIN STREAKS IN SOUTH CAROLINA In NASCAR’s more than 70 year history at Darlington Raceway, 13 different drivers are credited with posting consecutive wins at the track in NASCAR’s premier series. Topping that elite list is Dale Earnhardt Sr., who was the first driver to post three consecutive wins at the track – all behind the wheel of a Chevrolet-powered machine (Sept. 1989, April and Sept. 1990). Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon went on to match Earnhardt Sr.’s three-race winning streak at the track – collecting three of his seven career NCS victories at Darlington Raceway in the 1995 and 1996 seasons.

FIGHTING FOR FIVE-IN-A-ROW AT DARLINGTONThe NASCAR Xfinity Series will return to the track after a one-week break with Saturday’s Shriners Children’s 200 at Darlington Raceway – the series’ 11th race of the 2023 season. The NXS made its debut at the 1.366-mile oval in 1982 and the South Carolina track has since hosted 65 races for the series. Chevrolet has amassed 21 all-time NXS wins at the track – including wins in the series’ past four races at the track courtesy of JR Motorsports (Justin Allgaier – May 2021 & May 2022; Noah Gragson – Sept. 2021 & Sept. 2022).  Three of Chevrolet’s NASCAR Cup Series regulars will be doing the Darlington double, also climbing behind the wheel of a Camaro SS for Saturday’s 200-mile event.

–       Kyle Larson will add his name to the star-studded lineup for Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 Camaro SS – marking his first NXS start of the season. The former NCS Champion will be the fifth NCS regular to get behind the wheel of Kaulig Racing’s “All-Star” car this season, joining fellow Team Chevy drivers Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley. Darlington Raceway is the site of Larson’s most recent NXS start, collecting a top-five finish in the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro SS.  –       For the first time since September 2018, Ty Dillon is set to return to the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NXS stable behind the wheel of the No. 3 Camaro SS. The 31-year-old North Carolina native has 134 career NXS starts in the RCR entry, collecting 84 top-10 finishes. The No. 3 RCR Camaro SS made its series’ debut at Daytona International Speedway in 2002 and the entry has since seen an elite group of drivers behind the wheel including the Dillon brothers (Ty and Austin), Mike Porter, Jeff Green, Ron Hornaday Jr., Steve Park and Shane Lee.  –       Ross Chastain will take over the driving duties of the No. 91 DGM Racing Camaro SS for his second NXS start of the season. Chastain first joined DGM Racing last season, with the 30-year-old Florida native driving the team to a fourth-place finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (July 2022). Chastain will also make his third consecutive NCTS start of the season this weekend, returning to the seat of the No. 41 Niece Motorsports Silverado RST. In four NCTS starts this season, he’s powered the team to a pole win (COTA) and two top-five finishes (COTA and Kansas).

ENFINGER’S WIN MOVES GMS RACING CLOSER TO MILESTONE VICTORY WITH CHEVROLETGMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 Silverado RST team will head to Darlington Raceway with added momentum as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ most recent winner. Sporting a special Chevy Military Appreciation paint scheme, Enfinger drove his No. 23 Silverado RST to the team’s first win of the season at Kansas Speedway last weekend – also securing a berth into the series’ playoffs for a run at the championship title. The triumph marked Enfinger’s eighth career NCTS victory – with each of those victories recorded at a different race track on the series’ circuit.

The 38-year-old Alabama native’s victory moved GMS Racing one step closer to a milestone victory with Chevrolet. Enfinger delivered GMS Racing its 43rd all-time NCTS win – all of which have been recorded with Chevrolet. The organization now ties Kevin Harvick Incorporated as the winningest Chevrolet team in NCTS history, playing a large part in the manufacturer’s storied history in the series. “Chevrolet has been a partner of Maury’s (Gallagher) since the team’s inception 10 years ago,” said Enfinger following the win. “They’ve been a huge part of this truck series team. Chevrolet has been great to us.”

The victory marked Chevrolet’s 266th all-time NCTS victory – extending its record as the winningest manufacturer in NCTS history. “Chevrolet has been a heck of a partner and continues to be a great partner,” continued Enfinger. “They were on our truck with a beautiful paint scheme with the Chevy Military Appreciation initiative, so just very, very thankful. It’s not just been Mike (Beam), Maury (Gallagher) and the guys at GMS Racing that has put the effort behind this – it’s been Dayne (Pierantoni, Chevrolet Program Manager – NASCAR Truck Series) and everybody at Chevrolet that has been behind this effort and they continue to stand behind it.”

NCTS HITS HALFWAY POINT IN REGULAR-SEASONAt the drop of the checkered flag at Kansas Speedway last weekend, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is officially halfway through the series’ 16-race regular-season. A look at Chevrolet’s 2023 NCTS season highlights, to date:

·       Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading four wins in eight NCTS races thus far this season – recorded by four drivers from four different Chevrolet teams. The manufacturer’s first NCTS win of the season came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when Kyle Busch drove his No. 51 KBM Silverado RST to victory lane – the organization’s first win since joining Chevrolet at the beginning of the season. Chevrolet NCTS regulars that have also collected a win for the Bowtie brand this season includes Christian Eckes (Atlanta Motor Speedway), Carson Hocevar (Texas Motor Speedway) and Grant Enfinger (Kansas Speedway).  ·       Team Chevy drivers account for four of the top-10 positions in the NCTS’ driver points standings – with each driver coming from a different Chevrolet team. GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger and McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes lead the Bowtie brigade from the fifth- and sixth-positions, respectively – both already securing a playoff spot by virtue of a win. NCTS rookie contender Nick Sanchez (No. 2 Rev Racing Silverado RST) is ninth, and Matt DiBenedetto (No. 25 Rackley W.A.R. Silverado RST) rounds out the top-10.  ·       Chevrolet continues to lead in the NCTS’ manufacturer points standings, heading into the second-half of the regular-season with a 10-point advantage over its competitors.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Darlington Raceway:    Erik Jones – 2 (2022, 2019)Kyle Busch – 1 (2008) ·       In 123 NASCAR Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 43 victories, including the series most recent visit at the track (Erik Jones – 2022).  ·       13 drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history have captured consecutive wins at Darlington Raceway. Dale Earnhardt Sr. (1989-1990) and Jeff Gordon (1995-1996) top the list with three consecutive wins each – all recorded with Chevrolet.  ·       Only three drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are repeat winners this season, all coming from Team Chevy (William Byron – Las Vegas & Phoenix; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega).  ·       In 12 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (seven), top-fives (28), top-10s (51), stage wins (13) and laps led (1,619). ·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with seven victories in 12 NASCAR Cup Series races, six victories in 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and four wins in eight NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of at least 50%.  ·       Grant Enfinger’s win at Kansas Speedway marked GMS Racing’s 43rd all-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win, tying Kevin Harvick Incorporated as the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS history.  ·       Chevrolet’s series-leading seven NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from three different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports). ·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 13 of the 24 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (six; series-leading), Ross Chastain (four), Kyle Larson (two) and Chase Elliott (one).  ·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 30 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 28 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 10 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  ·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 840 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.  Tune In: NASCAR Cup Series – Goodyear 400; 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 14(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity Series – Shriners Children’s 200(FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – Buckle Up South Carolina 200; 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 12(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS / UPS CAMARO ZL1 Can you talk about driving the Worldwide Express, UPS scheme this weekend?“It was really cool that Worldwide Express chose a Dale Jarrett UPS paint scheme. There is a natural connection for Worldwide Express to select that scheme. WWEX is actually the largest UPS authorized reseller. So there’s a business connection for them choosing it and Dale made that paint scheme very visible during his career. So many fans and people remember Dale driving the brown and white scheme, and all of the commercials they used to do.” What do you think about Darlington?“I like going to Darlington. It’s such a unique track and I love how challenging it is. Every corner is so unique and it’s so challenging to get your car set to turn well at the track. This weekend I’ll be able to get a lot of laps in by running all three series. It’s a fun weekend with it being throwback and all of the excitement that surrounds it.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1What are your thoughts on Darlington Raceway?“I’ve always loved Darlington Raceway. It’s a historic track and a lot of drivers and teams circle it at the beginning of the year as a place they would love to win at, myself included. We finished second at Darlington a couple of years ago. It’s a demanding track. Darlington is a place that falls off, so tire management becomes important, and I really like that. It’s nice that we’re going to place that long run speed matters a bit.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at Darlington Raceway: “I always look forward to going to Darlington (Raceway). I want to win everywhere, but especially at tracks I haven’t won at yet. Darlington would definitely be one of the top on my list of tracks I hope to win at. I’ve been really fast there before and I’m excited to race at ‘The Lady in Black’ again.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1Daniels on what makes Darlington a challenging track: “Kyle (Larson) loves Darlington (Raceway). I love Darlington. It is such a great track because it is so challenging. Every aspect of the track is so much fun. It’s got the character of bumps, different lanes and different age asphalt. You’ve got the patch of (turns) one and two that is newer pavement and has a lot of grip and then the rest of the track doesn’t have much grip. It’s a track that we love going to. What it takes to get it done there, of course, is in the department of having a fast car, great execution and all of those things. I feel like we’ve done that before and it still hasn’t quite paid off for us. Hopefully, we find whatever the final tokens are that we need to get it done.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 LUCAS OIL CAMARO ZL1 What is the key to running well at Darlington? Can the driver make a bigger difference in the car’s performance at Darlington than at another track?“The biggest thing about Darlington is that it’s a very comprising racetrack. Turns 1 and 2 are so different than Turns 3 and 4 so having a good compromise between the two ends of the racetrack really means a lot there to have a good day. You also have to search around and find different grooves throughout the race and what works for you and your car and also traffic. If you’ve got a guy in front of you that’s running your line, you’ve got to find another line that you can run just as well so you can get some clean air on your car in order to make a pass. With the fast speeds that you have at Darlington, even though it’s a tight mile-and-a third racetrack, aerodynamics is a huge factor. Getting clean air on your car, especially through the majority of the run, is important because now tire falloff is so big that you have to have that grip as much as you can have of it.” How special is your win at Darlington in 2008? You led the most laps and beat Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon for the victory. “Winning at Darlington in 2008 was cool because that was my first Crown Jewel win. It was also early on in my first year at JGR. It was a repave at Darlington so it was a new surface and it made passing and racing around that track very challenging because the speeds were so high. I remember bouncing off the wall a few times and maybe it made the car faster each time I did, I don’t know, but it seemed like we kept on digging and kept on going fast. That was really cool to score that win there and I’ve been close a couple of other times, which is very frustrating, because I want to win there again and be more than just a one-time Southern 500 winner.” You have recently experienced more than your share of misfortune at Darlington. How important is it to turn that around in a few weeks?“It’s just been really, really frustrating. Last year we had an engine blow up while leading. I think two or three years before that we were running second and just couldn’t pass the leader in the last run of the race and finished second. There was another year there where I blew a right-front tire with two to go and there was another year where I was leading in the final run, had a flat tire and I had to pit. It’s been a lot of misfortune at Darlington but it would certainly mean a lot to get another win there.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1Elliott on what this weekend’s throwback scheme means to him: “This one means a lot. Those years were extremely crucial, not only for the number, but I’m not even sure I would have found racing had those years not been going on. If I wasn’t exposed then, I don’t know that I’d find it. Those years impacted me heavily and certainly sparked my interest to want to try to do it.” Elliott on racing at Darlington: “Darlington (Raceway) has been a struggle over the years. We ran really good there my first trip (in the NASCAR Xfinity Series), but really ever since then it’s been hard to be consistently strong there. Both ends of the track are really different and it’s always kind of hard to get your car exactly like you want it on both ends. Obviously, I haven’t quite figured out how to do that. If I had to give a one-word answer on racing at Darlington, it would be challenging.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on what is key for running well at Darlington: “To be good at Darlington (Raceway), I think you’ve got to have a good handling car. (Turns) one and two are really fast. You have to be able to drive up the hill with security and turn and race across the center of the corner, run a lot of throttle and then turn down off of two with good front-end turn and stability. In (turns) three and four, you typically get loose into that corner and then tight through the center and free off, so it’s a barrage of issues. It’s very different loading end-to-end and how the car responds from the accelerations. It makes it tough, but it makes it really fun and gives you the opportunity to make a difference, you know, both with the car and the driver. I love the place. It’s one of the most unique tracks we’ve got and it’s super specific.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1Byron on what he expects for this weekend: “Darlington (Raceway) is one of the tracks I really like racing at. You have to manage tires throughout a run because the surface is so old and really uses tires up. We had a hot slick surface last weekend to race on and had a couple tires ‘slip’ because of it. This weekend will be similar in that situation but you really have to manage them throughout the entire run as well. You can’t go too hard early on because you’ll fall off too much in the end. I think running the truck race on Friday will help with that as well. It will help me get up to speed on what the track characteristics are like since we were there last fall.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1Fugle on what makes Darlington a good race: “You have two completely different ends to Darlington (Raceway). (Turns) one and two you will run a lot of throttle and you’ll be pretty close to the wall. Going into (turn) three you’re going to have to stomp on the brakes, and you can get fairly low or you can rip the wall, but just know you’ll get loose at that end of the track if you do. It makes for a heck of a race. It’s one of those races that you don’t get the full experience unless you watch it in person. If you could get down there and sit in turn four to see how sideways the cars are, you’ll see how crazy it is to drive those things.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“We had a really great finish at Darlington last year, one of my best in the Cup Series, so I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to turn our luck around. Darlington is a track that has been up and down for me – it’s definitely a driver’s track. I feel like tires will wear and strategy will be really important. Hopefully we can get some speed back in our race cars and have another good showing at the Lady in Black.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1“Darlington will be a cool weekend. The “throwback” weekend is always fun especially with the No. 43 Chevrolet the last few seasons. Just being able to run that car with the “Petty Blue” on it is an honor. I always love going there, Darlington has been a good track for me, been a good track for our team. So, hopefully we can get there, have the same kind of speed that we had last year, put a good race together, and contend. I look forward to it and hopefully have solid day.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COUNTRY CROCK CAMARO ZL1”Darlington is one of the most physical tracks we go to. Timewise it feels like it’s as long, if not longer, than the Coca-Cola 600 sometimes because it’s just a grueling race. It’s tough on equipment, tough on the driver, tough on the pit crews. We will be making a lot of pit stops. Every time there is a caution, we will come in and get tires. It’s a tough race on everyone. For us, it’s about having a good balanced race car. You don’t have to be the fastest, but you have got to have a car that’s driving good and maintaining the same speed throughout the run. It’s also about eliminating mistakes. You are going to have some green flag pit stops, which is tricky at Darlington. The heat will be a factor. We’ve had a couple hot races the last two races, but I feel good in the race car and my training is good. I’m not really worried about that issue. It’s going to be a tough test for everyone.” BLAKE HARRIS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY THROWBACK CAMARO ZL1Harris on preparing for Darlington: “Darlington (Raceway) is one of my favorite tracks. It’s a little older and it has a lot of character. It burns tires off and is one of the highest tire degradation tracks we go to, so typically I think it is one of the best races we have. There are a lot of driver inputs and guys who are good at managing their stuff can utilize their ability to do that this weekend. There is a lot that comes into play from the set-up perspective as well. I have had a couple of Southern 500 wins there with other drivers before joining Hendrick Motorsports. When I went to Colorado to join Furniture Row (Racing), we were kind of an underdog team and winning the Southern 500 was the victory that put us on the map. So, I think because of that win, it’s always been a special place for me – and it’s close to home, so I get a little more time at home with my family.” Harris on what it takes to win at Darlington: “Darlington (Raceway) is one of those places that if you win a race, it doesn’t matter which one, there is something gritty about that. The guys that can just get up on the wheel, get after it all day, put it all together and survive show a lot of talent. The evolution of the race is the toughest part. You have guys that are going to get into the wall or blow a tire or slide into someone else and lose their cool and there are a lot of pit stops. Darlington is one of the places that has so many layers just to get to the final stage on the lead lap and that doesn’t even take into account the fact that you need a good handling car.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 QUAKER STATE CAMARO ZL1How do you feel going to Darlington?“We have had speed in the car this season, but for a variety of reasons we haven’t gotten the finish we deserve. It’s going to come here soon. Hopefully this weekend in Darlington.” What do you think about your Darlington paint scheme?“I watched a video of Ricky’s career the other day and it’s obvious that he was a great driver and one tough man. We hope this paint scheme reminds the older generation of fans of happy times watching Ricky Rudd race and teaches the younger generation about his accomplishments.” GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTNow that you and your team have a win in the bank, what are some of your most important goals before the playoffs start?“Our immediate goals for how we approach Darlington don’t necessarily change. However, if there’s a strategy play, we can be more aggressive with our calls and I can drive more aggressively. That mindset can change for some of the other races, but we are focused on getting better as a team and clicking off more wins. The countless hours of hard work that everybody at GMS has put into our Champion Power Equipment Chevy paid off for us last week, but we are always hungry for more and I’m excited to see where we can stack up before the time the playoffs roll around.” RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTKansas was a great sign of competitiveness for you and your team, how can you parlay that into a better weekend in Darlington? “It’s a big vote of confidence and a testament not only to the capability, effort and sacrifices of the men and woman on my 24 Wendell Scott Foundation Silverado, but also the work of everyone at GMS Racing, GMS Fabrication, our body hangers, General Motors and Chevrolet. I can’t wait to tackle another historic NASCAR facility and hopefully make it to the end with a solid result.” DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 RACE TO STOP SUICIDE SILVERADO RSTDarlington is undoubtedly one of the tougher tracks for a rookie to go to for the first time, what comes to your mind racing here?“As a driver, you always hear about Darlington being tough. I’m looking forward to the challenge and will be leaning on my teammates and their experience and utilizing our sim time to make the most of our weekend. We’re going to take advantage of practice as much as we can and learn throughout the entire race with our No. 43 team at GMS Racing.” CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTYou had a tough race at Kansas. Are you glad that there is another race on the schedule right away?“I’m glad that we are strapping right back into our trucks not even a week later. That’s a really good thing mentally as a driver — having an opportunity to get a good finish and quickly get your confidence back.” Darlington is a unique race track. How do you attack the race Friday night?“Obviously it requires a lot of focus and it’s a driver’s race track. It’s important to have a truck that is stable enough and has enough security to run up against the wall and be aggressive. I think the driver who can run on top and run against the wall the best is going to be the driver to beat. You have to keep the nose on it and stay clean — don’t make mistakes like we did last weekend. It’s back to the drawing board this weekend and it’s an opportunity to have a good point’s day and put ourselves back in contention — if we do everything right maybe even come out with a win.” At what point do you start looking at where you stand on the playoff grid?“I’ve already started looking at it and it’s already been on my mind. I know we are 11th in driver’s points and we’re sitting 12th in playoff points — I think we’re 18 points out or something like that. Realistically we are only one good day away from being in, but obviously we’d like to win and guarantee ourselves a spot.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 51 HENDRICKCARS.COM SILVERADO RSTAre you looking forward to racing in a truck at Darlington?“I really, really love racing at Darlington and I’m looking forward to racing there for the first time in a truck on Friday night. It was really fun being back in the Truck Series with KBM at the Bristol dirt race. It’s funny when I got in the truck it was the same smells and same feelings inside the truck — that was the cool part. I felt all those feelings I used to feel, and it was really fun. Obviously, it was on dirt and things were a little bit different than normal, but now that I’ve got a race under my belt with everybody on this No. 51 HendrickCars.com team and I was able to get reacclimated to driving a truck, we’re ready to go out and do everything we can to try and win a couple races these next two weeks.”

The Brandon, FL driver is second in the standings, 18 points behind Chris Madden

MARION CENTER, PA – May 11, 2023 – Kyle Bronson’s debut as a full-time World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models driver has left a favorable first impression. 

When the Series returns to action at Marion Center Raceway on Friday, May 19, the Brandon, FL driver finds himself second in points—18 points behind Chris Madden.

But despite opening the season with a top five and four top 10s, he knows it’s only a small portion of the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models schedule with more than 35 races to go.

That’s where his past national touring experience comes into play.

“The car’s been really good,” Bronson said. “Everything’s been going good and pretty smooth. But this deal is long. I’ve raced Lucas for four years, and I know it’s a long season, and there’s a lot of races to go.”

That’s why his focus isn’t on points racing but on adding to his Series win total.

“We can’t give up,” Bronson said. “We just need to keep working. I put myself in a bad situation at Talladega (Short Track), and I felt like we should’ve came out with the points lead. But a couple of contact things kind of messed our weekend up. Overall, our car has been extremely fast, so we’re not worried about the points. We’re going to go out and win some races and let the rest take care of itself.”

Bronson hopes to carry his early season momentum into the Northeast when the Series kicks off a Northeast swing at Marion Center. However, he knows first-hand how quickly things can change from night to night and how hard it is to keep that momentum rolling.

“This stuff is so tough,” Bronson said. “I remember as a kid going to East Bay in the grandstands and watching Billy Moyer win four races in a row and then miss the next [Feature]. It’s so crazy. This deal is so tough, so you never underestimate your competitors because everybody’s working, and the one second you feel like you got it figured out, the next guy works harder than you and beats you.”

It’s not only the competitors that make racing with the World of Outlaws a season-long grind but also the cross-country travel. One element of the season that eases that grind for Bronson is having one of his best friends on tour—Brian Shirley.

“It’s good to travel up and down the road with somebody,” Bronson said. “This stuff right here is grueling, driving up and down the road across the country. People don’t realize how hard that is sometimes. It always makes it more fun when you go up and down the road with your buddies and have a good time and really enjoy your life doing this. 

“At the end of the day, though, it’s all about winning. You can run 10th, and you’re miserable the next day. It’s still pretty cool getting to do this with a lot of your buddies, and I’m blessed to get to say that we do it.”

Another factor that helps ease that grind is racing for big paydays and purses throughout the season. 

Those purses are something Bronson appreciates, especially when he’s running toward the front of the field. 

“Anytime you can race for good money, it’s awesome,” Bronson said. “People have to put a lot of work in to let us do that. I’m very appreciative of that, and when you race for a living like we do, anytime you get to go race for a big payday, it makes your life a whole lot easier when you run good.”

Bronson hopes his strong first impression as a World of Outlaws CASE Late Model driver lasts throughout the season, keeping him in contention for his first Series title. He knows the formula to make that happen too — taking it one race at a time, he said.

“You just have to give it 120% and work as hard as you can, never let your guard down and work hard for the next one.” 

Bronson and the World of Outlaws will kick off a two-week Northeast swing on Friday, May 19, at Marion Center Raceway in Marion Center, PA. Then, they’ll head to Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, PA, on Saturday, May 20, before returning to Stateline Speedway in Busti, NY, on Tuesday, May 23. 

The Northeast swing finishes with three nights at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH, May 25-27, for the 2023 edition of the Battle at the Border.