POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 15, 2024) – Defending Trans Am by Pirelli series champion and 2023 race winner Chris Dyson took a hard-fought victory Saturday at NOLA Motorsports Park in suburban New Orleans, streaking under the checkered flag in his #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang a scant 0.390 seconds ahead of the Mustang of Paul Menard. “It was a great race with Paul,” Dyson after climbing from his car at the winner’s circle. “We were phenomenal on long runs.  We had worked hard all weekend to find a balance between one-lap pace and full race performance, and that’s never easy with these levels of horsepower and on such hot days.  My hat’s off to the crew for giving me this rocket ship today.” Menard, winner of the season opener at Sebring after Dyson was taken out in a first-turn crash, acknowledged that fact following the race. “Chris was just too fast on old tires,” he said. Dyson, starting second and running with a chassis setup that maximized the performance of his tires over the course of the entire race, shadowed pole-sitter Paul Menard for the first three-quarters of the 100-mile sprint before seizing the lead at the event’s three-quarter mark. After pure bad racing fortune denied him a victory in the first two races of the season, it looked like Dyson had the third round of 2024 in hand after overtaking Menard and pulling a gap. A couple of laps later a red flag incident that left the field parked for a substantial period appeared to negate Dyson’s advantage and perhaps give one to Menard, whose car was very strong on cold tires on restarts. But with four laps remaining in the race Dyson timed the rolling restart perfectly and established a slim but significant half-second lead over Menard. “I knew it was critical that I not let Paul get close enough to make a move, so I couldn’t afford even the slightest mistake.  I drove the sections where I was quicker like a madman just to build a margin.  But Paul was still hanging with me, so I had to be absolutely relentless and give it everything down the stretch.” Dyson forecast that the remainder of the season would continue to feature this same kind of hard racing which defined this season so far and indeed the Trans Am Series in its more than half-century history. “Paul is really strong, Tomy (Drissi, a former series champion) is still getting up to full speed with his new team, and Adam (Andretti, winner at Road Atlanta) is going to be a threat all season. It’s going to be a fight every weekend.  I can’t wait for the next one.” With his 24th Trans Am Series victory at NOLA Motorsports Park, Dyson moved into joint fourth on the all-time Trans Am winners list. Matos Domination of NOLA TA2 Race Makes for a Weekend Sweep by CD Racing’s Branding Partners Driving a Concord American Flagpole-branded Nitro Motorsports Ford Mustang, Rafa Matos on Sunday scored his first CUBE 3 Architecture TA2-class win of 2024. The win by the two-time TA2 champion was eerily similar to Dyson’s win in the TA class the previous day. Matos won the pole position, and then shadowed the early race leader before taking the lead and holding to the finish. “Thanks to Chris Dyson and Concord American Flagpole for supporting me this year,” Matos said after climbing for his car and before mounting the top step of the podium. Adding to his 2018 and 2021 series titles, the victory at NOLA, his 21st, makes Matos the winningest driver in TA2 history. The Concord American Flagpole branding, which also features prominently in CD Racing’s open-wheel dirt-track racing program, made its first Trans Am appearance in 2022 when Matthew Brabham drove a CD Racing entry into Victory Lane at Virginia International Raceway.  “I’m happy CD Racing was able to bring our USAC Silver Crown and sprint car partner to support Rafa with Nitro in his quest for a third championship,” Dyson said. “He’s doing a terrific job on track and showcasing the company.  It was amazing for us to each win races on the same weekend.  Here’s to continued success!” Matos’ next race is May 11, when the TA2 class races at World-Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, IL. Click here for more on Chris Dyson Racing. Next Up: Lime Rock Park With his win in New Orleans Dyson has closed the TA championship points gap to series leader Menard to just 8 points. The Trans Am Series’ next event is on Memorial Day at the Dyson team’s home track, Lime Rock Park in rural Northwest Connecticut. Dyson has won three of the four races run during the current Trans Am era at the short but very fast New England circuit. And last year at Lime Rock was where Dyson first took the championship point lead. “Lime Rock is a great track for us,” Dyson said. “I’ve been racing there for 25 years and my family’s history at Lime Rock goes back 50 years. And beyond the history, the Memorial Day weekend at Lime Rock is when all of our extended family and our many local friends have the chance to come and watch the team in person at a fan-friendly venue.  We’ll be pushing hard in the next few weeks to make sure we can have another strong race there.” NOLA Rebroadcast Schedule A 60-minute highlights show of the NOLA event will be broadcast this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.

April 15, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Freightliner Mustang Dark Horse had an encouraging run in Sunday’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, leading the race at one point and putting themselves in position for a good finish before being collected in a crash during the first attempt at an Overtime finish. Their 28th place finish did not accurately reflect Burton’s and the Freightliner team’s performance in a race that saw the yellow flag fly on 16 occasions for 72 laps.

Burton started 29th and ended the first 80-lap Stage in 34th place, one lap behind the leaders.

In the second Stage, Burton and the team worked their way back onto the lead lap following a caution period at Lap 102 for a multi-car crash.

The Freightliner team made a pit stop during a caution period at Lap 114 and joined the top 25 by Lap 130.

When another caution flag flew for a crash by Josh Berry, Burton stayed on the track while others made pit stops and lined up seventh for the ensuing restart, at Lap 143.

Burton held his own in the top 10 for the remainder of Stage Two, finishing seventh and earning four Stage points.

The team elected to stay on the track during the caution period following the end of the Stage and moved up to third place for the Lap 173 restart.

Burton made a move to the inside and took the lead on the opening lap and held it for seven circuits.

As drivers with fresher tires overtook him, Burton continued to run in the top 10 until Lap 192, and he was in 12th place when he made a green-flag stop at Lap 199.

He returned to the track in 33rd place and began reclaiming spots. After another stop he was in 24th place for a restart with eight of the scheduled 267 laps left to run.

When yet another wreck sent the race into Overtime, Burton was in 21st place for the restart but was involved in an incident with Kaz Grala that brought out yet another yellow flag.

After a pit stop for tires and fuel, Burton returned to the track in 32nd place and drove up to 28th by the time a wreck by Ross Chastain on the second attempt at an Overtime finish froze the field on the white-flag lap.

Burton and the team now head to Talladega Superspeedway for next Sunday’s GEICO 500.

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team confident heading into Round 2 of the WEC season

DETROIT (April 15, 2024) – Earl Bamber is certain that memories will wash over him this week at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari. The racecourse in Imola, Italy, that will host the second round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season is a substantive notation on Bamber’s motorsports CV. “Imola actually was my first-ever European race,” said Bamber, who will co-drive the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R with Alex Lynn in the 6 Hours of Imola. “It was 2008 and I won. I have fond memories of Imola because it was my first time racing on a European track and winning made it extra fun.”

Ride alongWatch the race from the drivers’ perspective in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R HERE. Media resources* En français: Imola event preview in French* Drivers CV: About Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn* ’24 WEC statistics* ’23 WEC statistics* Cadillac all-time statistics

The New Zealander, who had raced to that point in Formula BMW Asia, Formula V6 Asia, the Toyota Racing Series, among others, joined ADM Motorsport for the two rounds of the International Formula Master series (aka Formula Super 2000) in September 2008 at Imola. Driving a spec Formula 2000, Bamber placed seventh in the first race and won the second. “It was an eye-opening event, a great weekend at Imola,” Bamber added. “I’m looking forward to going back with Cadillac Racing and compete for another win there.” Cadillac Racing tested for two days in mixed conditions in September 2023 on the 3-mile (4.9 km), 21-turn (12 left) Imola course. The facility, which hosted its first race in 1953 and last Intercontinental Le Mans Cup — precursor of the WEC — race in 2011, replaced Monza on the WEC calendar this year as the latter is undergoing scheduled work. “As a team, we’re excited to go racing again. Now the season really starts to ramp up in preparation for Le Mans,” said Lynn, who will also compete at Imola in July as he seeks to successfully defend his European Le Mans Series LMP2 championship. Cadillac Racing and the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R opened their second season of WEC competition as Bamber, Lynn and Sebastien Bourdais drove to a fourth-place finish in the 19-car Hypercar field March 2 at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar. On March 27, the FIA issued a report that disqualified the Cadillac Racing entry because of a post-race technical inspection infraction. Cadillac issued the statement: During the FIA World Endurance Championship race in Qatar on March 2, the rear diffuser strakes on the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R were unintentionally out of specification relative to the homologated height. We have cooperated with the FIA and ACO and accept their findings. Bourdais co-drove with Anthony Davidson to victory in the No. 7 Peugeot 908 entry in the six-hour Intercontinental Le Mans Cup race July 3, 2011, at the Imola circuit. Davidson earned the pole and Bourdais set the LMP1 race lap record of 1 minute, 33.112 seconds.The 6 Hours of Imola is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET, Sunday, April 21. Max and discovery+ will provide live streaming coverage in the U.S. along with the FIA WEC app. RadioLeMans.co will have flag-to-flag coverage. Viewers can also ride along in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R during the race HERE. What they’re saying

Earl Bamber: “I think Qatar was a good start to the season considering our limited preparation. I think the whole team did a fantastic job to sort of pull us out of a hole on strategy and really on the fuel strategy place us on the right pit stop cycle rotation. It’s a credit to the whole team and just the whole progression that the Cadillac program is coming toward. We’re getting stronger and stronger with each race. It was a good race of execution and now shows we have good footing and I think where we are car-wise we’re excited going to Imola. We drove there once already and it was phenomenal. I think it’s going to be really difficult with traffic management and I think it will be a spectacular race for the fans. With Ferrari and Lamborghini on the grid, I think the fans are going to be out in full force. It should be a real festive feeling.”

Alex Lynn: “I’m looking forward to Imola. It’s a great track, a historic place and I think it’s a great place to host the second round of WEC in 2024. I think the fans will bring some big atmosphere, which is always fun when we get to European WEC races. As a team, we’re excited to go racing again. Now the season really starts to ramp up in preparation for Le Mans. Imola is a twisty circuit, a lot of stop, start, which we seem to be very agile with our car so I’m quite optimistic for a successful event.”

Brittany Force reaches semifinals, John Force makes early exit

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2024) – Austin Prock paced John Force Racing by finishing second in Sunday’s final round of Funny Car competition in the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. With team owner John Force failing to advance in the first round, and teammate Brittany Force being eliminated in the Top Fuel semifinals, it was left to Prock to carry the banner for JFR – and that’s just what he did. Prock has had an outstanding start to the season, reaching the finals in three of the first four races. He finished runner-up in the season-opening race at Gainesville, won his first career NHRA Funny Car race (in just his third-ever start in the class) last week at Phoenix, and now finished runner-up in Las Vegas. He also won Saturday’s Las Vegas edition of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty competition, a race-within-a-race that takes place in each of the 20 NHRA national events. Interestingly, in each of his three final round appearances thus far this season, Prock also was No. 1 qualifier in those respective races, as well, making him the fourth driver in NHRA Funny Car annals in the last 25 years to earn No. 1 qualifier in three of a season’s first four races. “It was almost a perfect weekend,” Prock said. “We got No. 1 qualifier, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty deal and runner-upped at this deal.” Prock and his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car got off to a good start in the final round but couldn’t hold off winner Bob Tasca III. “We were out front and the engine nosed over, shot a spark plug out downtrack about 650 or 700 feet and the thing just nosed over,” Prock said. “We were still good enough to run second. “Tasca made a great run, great job by that team. We knew they were going to be tough this year but I think everybody in these pits knows we’re going to be tough this year, as well.” It was the furthest Prock has ever gone in Las Vegas. His previous best was reaching the semifinals in 2022, while driving a Top Fuel dragster for JFR. Prock was the quickest (3.916 seconds at 322.58 mph) of the 16 drivers in the first round. In the semifinals, he reached back for a little bit extra to capture his quad (3.907 seconds/324.75 mph) and advance to the final round against Tasca, Matt Hagan and Ron Capps. Prock moved into the Funny Car points lead during Saturday’s qualifying and then increased his edge over second-ranked J.R. Todd to 48 points (Prock has 367 points, Todd has 319 points). ——————————- In Top Fuel, Brittany Force made her quickest and fastest (3.750 seconds/335.90 mph) pass of the weekend in her first quad, sending her into the semifinals. The driver of the Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster was seeking to make her fourth final quad appearance at Las Vegas, as well as potentially add to her win there in 2022. Unfortunately, the two-time NHRA Top Fuel champ (2017, 2022) fell short in those semis, even though she had a strong run of 3.776 seconds at 331.94 mph. “Overall, it was a good weekend for our Monster Energy team,” Brittany Force said. “We made big improvements in performance on the racetrack. “Our car was running with everyone else. We qualified fifth and first round we came out and ran a 3.75, which was outstanding. I was slow on the tree and it cost us in Round 2. It’s tough, I’m beating myself up over it, but this whole team, we take our wins together and our losses together. “I feel like our race car is definitely coming around. We struggled last year with it and the beginning of this season but now it’s starting to run consistent and starting to put good ETs on the board.” Force leaves Las Vegas tied for eighth in the Top Fuel points. ——————————- As for team owner John Force, he was looking to repeat his record 156thcareer win from last week at Phoenix, but fell short, losing in Sunday’s first round. The 16-time NHRA Funny Car champ lost traction on his car about halfway down the track, almost going sideways. Being forced to lift to avoid a tangle with the retaining wall, Force finished with an ET of 4.165 seconds at 257.63 mph, not enough to advance to the semifinal round. “My car moved around a little bit, I may have corrected it too hard,” Force said. “I got a tire out of the groove, blew a tire off, dropped a hole because it spun and I had my hands full at the other end, but I’m just trying to win.” While Force, who was No. 2 qualifier behind Prock coming into Sunday’s eliminations, would have liked a better finish for himself and his PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, he was happy with his team’s overall performance. “Brittany went some rounds, I didn’t, but Prock, being No. 1 runner-up, John Force Racing is strong,” Force said. “We qualified good and now we just move on to the next one.” Force falls from third to fifth in the Funny Car standings, just seven points out of fourth and 23 points out of third, where he had been ranked heading into this weekend. ——————————- Up Next: The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series next heads to zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. for the second of two NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 26-28.

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2024) — Most firsts do not come easy, and that includes the first time attempting four-wide competition in a Funny Car for Buddy Hull, driver for Jim Dunn Racing. This weekend’s Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway posed many unexpected hurdles for the Jim Dunn team, but Hull is confident that it was an opportunity to shake off any first-time jitters in preparation for the second four-wide race in Charlotte in a couple of weeks.

 Buddy Hull executes burnout in the KGC Funny Car, photo credit NHRA/National Dragster

“No one is harder on me, than me,” said Hull. “I was super excited going into this weekend to show off all the progress we have been making with the car, and we unfortunately did not deliver. I must remember that it is rare that progress is linear. We were able to collect several rounds of data this weekend. We’re going to take a hard look at it over the next two weeks and come back to Charlotte an even stronger team. I know we can, and will, do better moving forward.”
 
The fourth round of qualifying was the strongest for Hull. He made a 4.236 second, 294.31 mph pass, finishing second behind No. 12 qualifier Chad Green.
 
“If we could have made a few more passes like we did in Q4, we would have been in much better shape,” said Hull. “But we are in Vegas after all, and that is just the luck of the draw sometimes. It was great to be out there on Friday and Saturday, running four-wide in a Funny Car for the very first time. I’m getting more and more comfortable in the car. By the time we get to Charlotte at the end of this month, and make four more four-wide passes, it will be second nature.”
 
Despite the tough weekend, morale is still high for Hull and Jim Dunn Racing. The Charlotte four-wide race will officially mark four years since Hull made his professional debut.
 
“Four years into this crazy experience, I couldn’t be more thankful for where I am now,” said Hull. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, both in my Top Fuel dragster, and now driving a nitro Funny Car for Big Jim. But the lows make me appreciate the highs that much more. I have a good feeling going to Charlotte, that we’ll have a really positive weekend to mark my professional anniversary. This weekend will ultimately just be a steppingstone to bigger and better race weekends in the near future.”
 
Reflecting on the weekend, Hull said that the highlights included representing sponsor KGC Construction on the side of his car, driving a Lamborghini Huracán GT race car at new Vegas attraction Dream Racing, and interacting with Vegas fans.
 
Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team will be back in competition in two weeks at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Concord, North Carolina on April 26-28 at zMAX Dragway. There will be two qualifying sessions on Friday, April 26 and two qualifying sessions on Saturday, April 27. For tickets or more information on the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals visit nhra.com.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: No run
Q2: 4.310 sec, 289.32 mph; Qual. 20
Q3: 6.932 sec, 98.51 mph; Qual. 20
Q4: 4.236 sec, 294.31 mph; Qual. 19
Bonus Points: 0

CHEVROLET IN NHRA2024 NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALSTHE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAYLAS VEGAS, NEVADATEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP | NOTES & QUOTESAPRIL 14, 2024 CHEVROLET CAPTURES FACTORY X AND FLEXJET FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS VICTORIES; RACES TO RUNNER-UP FINISH IN THE FUNNY CAR FINAL ROUND IN LAS VEGAS

Notes:Austin Prock, driver of the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car raced to his third final round of the 2024 season, his first year in Funny Car, finishing runner-up to Bob Tasca II by 0.01 seconds with his run of 3.904 seconds E.T. at 318.77 mph to Tasca’s 3.915 seconds E.T. at 329.75 mph. Prock qualified No. 1 for the third time in four races this season in his Funny Car debut year, capturing his sixth career No. 1 qualifier in NHRA and third in Funny Car.Prock also raced his way to the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty victory, which includes a cash prize and bonus points, after defeating Paul Lee, Blake Alexander, and Daniel Wilkerson.Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, raced her way to the four-wide semifinals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, fell in the first round at Las Vegas to Matt Hagan and Jason Rupert.Jeg Coughlin, Jr., driver of the SCAG Power Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, raced to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals victory in Pro Stock and his 66th career win in the category, with his run of 6.616 seconds E.T at 207.18 mph defeated Erica Enders, Jerry Tucker, and Brandon Foster.Jerry Tucker, driving the Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS Pro Stock, qualified No. 1 for the four-wide event in Las Vegas with his run of 6.612 seconds E.T. at 206.61 mph.After the NHRA Winternationals were postponed due to weather in Pomona, the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown finally crowned a champion with the Wally trophy and special media, with Stephen Bell outrunning David Davies II in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro.On Sunday, Ricky Hord raced to the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Wally over Scott Liebersher, David Janac, and Mark Pawuk in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, his third victory in FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown.Greg Stanfield, with his run of 7.121 seconds E.T. at 192.77 mph in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, defeated Alex Laughlin for the Factory X victory at Las Vegas.Earning the provisional No. 2 position in qualifying with his run of 3.947 seconds E.T. at 321.42 mph in Q2, Prock led the John Force Racing trio at the conclusion of Friday’s qualifying.

Quotes:BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:“Overall, it was a good weekend for our Monster Energy team. We made big improvements in performance on the racetrack. Our car was running with everyone else. We qualified fifth and in first round we came out and ran a 3.75, which was outstanding. I was slow on the tree, and it cost us in Round 2. It’s tough, I’m beating myself up over it, but this whole team, we take our wins together and our losses together. We will pack up, put it behind us and try and figure out what I did wrong and fix it before I go to the Charlotte 4-Wide. I feel like our race car is definitely coming around. We struggled last year with it and the beginning of this season but now it’s starting to run consistent and starting to put good ETs on the board.” AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“It was almost a perfect weekend. We got No. 1 qualifier, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty deal and runner-up’d at this deal. We were out front and the engine nosed over, shot a spark plug out down track at about 650 or 700 feet and the thing just nosed over. We were still good enough to run second. (Bob) Tasca made a great run, great job by that team. We knew they were going to be tough this year, but I think everybody in these pits knows we’re going to be tough this weekend, as well.” JOHN FORCE, DRIVER OF THE PEAK CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“Brittany (Force) went some rounds, I didn’t, but (Austin) Prock, being No. 1 runner-up, John Force Racing is strong. We qualified good and now we just move on to the next one. My car moved around a little bit, I may have corrected it too hard. I got a tire out of the groove, blew a tire off, dropped a hole because it spun and I had my hands full at the other end, but I’m just trying to win.” How more successful can (Austin) Prock become?“If you win a championship then you’re successful. He’s got a good car but you’ve got to watch the championship. Robert (Hight) was there the last two years in a row and then they took away all the points (when the points reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs) and then he wound up losing by three points or whatever it was. But stuff happens, it’s the same for everybody. I just hope (Prock) can continue as he’s going. He’s got his head on right, driving the car real good, has a great team with his dad, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Up Next:The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series next heads to zMAX Dragway in Concord, N.C. for the second of two NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 26-28, 2024. Friday and Saturday qualifying airs on Sunday, April 28, at 11 a.m. ET. Sunday’s eliminations broadcast at 6 p.m. ET. All sessions from near Charlotte air with NHRA on FOX on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 14, 2024) – For the first time, factory stock competitors brought their Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Dodge Drag Paks and Ford Cobra Jets to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and raced them four-wide with a Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown NHRA Wally on the line. After two days of qualifying, Ricky Hord entered race day as the No. 1 qualifier but Winternationals winner Stephen Bell, the No. 6 qualifier, was looking to defend the $1,000 Flexjet bounty while No. 2 qualifier Mark Pawuk was aiming to claim his second Flexjet title of the season and regain the points lead.
 
After three rounds, it was Hord, a third-generation racer, winning for the first time in his Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown career outrunning Janac, Scott Libersher and Pawuk. Hord earned a first round competition bye and then took two more round wins to become the third different driver to win in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series in 2024.

 Ricky Hord (third from right) stands with his team in the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winners circle,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“Getting this win means everything,” said Hord. “We’ve worked three years to get this first win and it’s been a long road. We broke a lot of parts and finally got one. It feels amazing to finally come out here and win. It’s satisfying to win the four-wide. It adds a little bit of stress because of the complexity of having to look around in the car and make sure everyone’s stage. I think the four wide is actually an awesome race.”
 
In the first round, Libersher and Scott took win lights outrunning Winternationals runner-up David Davies II and his Dodge Drag Pak and Lee Hartman. Libersher’s and Scott’s Chevrolet Camaros posted winning times of 7.884 and 7.974 seconds respectively. In the next quad it was most recent winner, Bell, and provisional No. 1 qualifier Janac moving into the next round with a win over Doug Hamp in an all-Camaro race. Pawuk and Raymond Nash drove their Dodges past Anthony Troyer’s Camaro in the final quad of the first round.
 
“I got the bye in the first round so I was happy with that but we got lucky because we had a plug wire cut off so I made a run with seven cylinders,” said Hord. “That kind of saved us but after that round win, the adrenaline kind of takes over. I’ve gone rounds before, but it felt good to just keep on going and take it to the final and win.”

 Ricky Hord with NHRA Wally trophy presented to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown winners,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

 
Pawuk showed his driving skills in the second round, winning his quad on a double hole shot driving the Don Schumacher memorial Empaco Dodge Drag Pak. The Gatornationals winner was first off the starting line with a 0.021 reaction time and the advantage got his 7.971 second elapsed time to the finish line first over quicker runs by Janac’s 7.945 and Bell’s 7.953 second passes. Janac was able to advance to the final quad but Bell’s day ended and the Flexjet $1,000 bounty was collected by Pawuk for the round win.
 
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will return to action at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago, May 17-19.
 
Race Results
First Round
No. 1 Ricky Hord, 8.298 sec, 160.79 mph vs. bye
No. 2 Mark Pawuk, 7.930 sec, 171.73 mph, No. 7 Raymond Nash, 8.264 sec, 163.91 mph def. vs. No. 11 Anthony Troyer, 11.297 sec, 80.57 mph
No. 3 David Janac, 7.906 sec, 173.29 mph, No. 6 Stephen Bell, 7.886 sec, 173.54 mph def. No. 10 Doug Hamp, 7.947 sec, 170.43 mph
No. 4 Scott Libersher, 7.884 sec, 174.89 mph, No. 8 Tony Scott, 7.794 sec, 174.48 mph def. No. 5 David Davies II, 7.965 sec, 173.92 mph, No. 9 Lee Hartman, 8.954 sec, 130.48 mph
Second Round
Pawuk, 7.971 sec, 172.63 mph, Janac, 7.945 sec 172.04 mph def. Bell, 7.953 sec, 172.30 mph, Nash, 8.307 sec, 164.77 mph
Hord, 7.911 sec, 172.96 mph, Libersher, 7.925 sec, 173.70 mph def. Scott, 8.115 sec, 171.49 mph
Final Quad
Winner: Ricky Hord, 7.890 sec, 174.03 mph
Runner-up: David Janac, 7.986 sec, 172.67 mph
Semifinalists: Scott Libersher, 10.926 sec, 100.92 mph, Mark Pawuk, 12.315 sec, 80.85 mph
 
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)
$1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Norwalk winner)
Winternationals (Pomona, CA)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (Gatornationals winner)
Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals (Las Vegas, NV)
$1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Winternationals winner)
2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Mark Pawuk, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up
Pomona – Stephen Bell, winner; David Davies II, runner-up
Las Vegas1 – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up
Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Point Standings
1. Mark Pawuk                  271
2. Stephen Bell                  260
3. David Janac                  229
4. Ricky Hord                    183
5. David Davies III             179
6. Scott Libersher              167
7. Doug Hamp                   159
8. Anthony Troyer             121
9. Tony Scott Jr.                117
10. Lee Hartman               97

Toyota earns fifth consecutive Top Fuel win

LAS VEGAS (April 14, 2024) – No. 1 qualifier Doug Kalitta took home his first Wally Trophy of the season at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas Sunday afternoon, the 53rd win of his career and his first in a Four-Wide Nationals event. Kalitta’s 3.715 elapsed time was enough to capture victory against a stout Top Fuel final lineup with Justin Ashley, Steve Torrence and Tony Stewart. The triumph is also Toyota’s fifth consecutive Top Fuel win and gives Kalitta Motorsports three of the first four category wins to begin the season.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps reached the final round, but came up short in star-studded finals that featured Austin Prock, Matt Hagan and event winner, Bob Tasca III. This was the 148th final round appearance of Capps’ historic career. J.R. Todd and Alexis DeJoria both reached the second round on Sunday.

The triple final round appearance in Top Fuel and Capps’ finals feature in Funny Car now makes 27 straight NHRA events where Toyota has reached the finals in its competing categories. 

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Race 4 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W (3.728) v. S. Torrence (3.766) & S. Langdon (3.945) W (3.751) v. S. Torrence (3.777), B. Force (3.776 – holeshot) & J. Hart (3.796) W (3.715) v. J. Ashley (3.745), S. Torrence (3.745) & T. Stewart (3.769)
Justin Ashley	SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Runner-up	W (3.777) v. T. Totten (3.911), T. Schumacher (4.109) & S. Reed (4.197) Adv. (3.798 – holeshot) v. T. Stewart (3.754) C. Millican (3.789) & T. Totten (4.052) L (3.745) v. D. Kalitta (3.715), S. Torrence (3.745) & T. Stewart (3.769)
Steve Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finalist	Adv. (3.766) v. D. Kalitta (3.728) & S. Langdon (3.945) Adv. (3.776 – holeshot) v. D. Kalitta (3.751), B. Force (3.776) & J. Hart (3.796) L (3.745) v. D. Kalitta (3.715), J. Ashley (3.745) & T. Stewart (3.769)
Shawn Langdon	Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L (3.945) v. D. Kalitta (3.728) & S. Torrence (3.766)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L (3.807) v. C. Millican (3.773), T. Stewart (3.773), & K. Baldwin (No Time)
Billy Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L (4.094) v. B. Force (3.750), J. Hart (3.957) & J. Salinas (4.666)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Finalist	W (4.289) v. J. Todd (4.356), D. Richards (4.637) & D. Wilkerson (7.286) W (3.932) v. M. Hagan (3.938), J. Todd (3.951) & J. Rupert (4.055) L (3.902) v. B. Tasca III (3.915 – triple holeshot), A. Prock (3.904) & M. Hagan (3.895)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Second Round	Adv. (3.946) v. A. Prock (3.916), J. Diehl (3.995) & B. Alexander (4.178) L (3.932) v. A. Prock (3.907), B. Tasca III (3.922) & C. Green (3.954)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Second Round	Adv. (4.356) v. R. Capps (4.289), D. Richards (4.637) & D. Wilkerson (7.286) L (3.951) v. R. Capps (3.932), M. Hagan (3.938) & J. Rupert (4.055)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Final Result: Winner

How much fun are you having driving this car right now after today’s victory?

“Yeah, Alan Johnson (crew chief), Mac (Savage, assistant crew chief) and all of these Mac Tools Toyota Revchem guys really got this thing running. Each round, we were running quick times. Yeah, it’s great to do it in (Las) Vegas and my first Four-Wide win. It’s pretty special!”

Walk us through the experience of that final round.

“Yeah, that was a hell of a run there. I was really happy to see a win light come on. Obviously, those other three teams are hungry and running strong there. Yeah, that was as exciting as it gets there. It was super close for all four cars and the fans got their money’s worth. We came out with the win there and getting my first Four-Wide win was pretty special as I’ve been really hungry to pull one of these off. My guys really had my car running strong this weekend. We qualified with a low elapsed time, and I think we had the lowest times in each session. Yeah, it would’ve been a crying shame to miss this opportunity and fortunately, we got it done.”

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Final Result: Finalist

How would you describe your day and that final round?

“I mean, what a drag race there at the end! It was interesting, we had all of the manufacturers represented there and we sure wanted to get that win in that quad for Toyota. But I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am with our NAPA team. What they’ve done with a new car and a lot of new parts, they’ve had to get used to and it usually takes a lot longer than this. I’m pretty bummed that we couldn’t win that round. The car got out there, and I’m not sure if the wind or what it was, but it made a jump on me and I think if I could’ve caught it quicker and kept it straighter, we wouldn’t have lost a lot of elapsed time there and might have gotten the win there. I also need to get better on the tree. But look at (Matt) Hagan. Hagan was the quickest elapsed time and last. So that was a crazy, crazy race. But so happy we have our race car back. Now, head to Charlotte and get on the swing here where we’re getting comfortable. I’m so happy with the car but bummed at the same time.”

 

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 14, 2024) — The first four-wide race of the season is in the books and Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team made strides at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After four qualifying sessions Hart made continually quicker runs and entered race day at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals as the No. 12 qualifier. The first round quad was comprised of Brittany Force, Billy Torrence and Jasmine Salinas. It was a tough group of competitors, but Hart felt the two runs on Saturday set his R+L Carriers team up for success.

 Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster raced to the second round at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

When all four 12,000 horsepower Top Fuel dragster rolled into their assigned lanes it was Hart in lane two flanked by Force in lane one and Torrence in lane three. Hart was first off the line with a .073 reaction time and at half-track Force had driven past him but he held off Torrence and Salinas to advance to the second round. His win came at a cost as his engine expired at the finish line in a quick ball of flames. His winning time of 3.957 seconds at 275.96 mph was his quickest pass of the weekend and set him up with another race against Force along with Doug Kalitta and Steve Torrence.
 
“I think the thing that sticks with me the most is this team is so much better than the results we have seen so far this season,” said Hart. “Everyone is working their tails off, but we are just having to really battle. That is what makes this sport so hard and so satisfying. I know we will start seeing more positive results and I am looking forward to getting to Charlotte. We had an expensive first round, but we got this R+L Carriers racecar put back together and we made our best run of the weekend. That is a testament to how good this team is.”
 
In the second round Hart left the starting line just a tick behind Kalitta and Torrence and his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster made an improved run that was smooth right down the middle of his lane. Unfortunately, Kalitta and Torrence held him off at the finish line stripe posting winning elapsed times of 3.751 and 3.777 seconds just in front of Hart’s best of the weekend 3.796 seconds at 328.78 mph. At the end of the day Hart held his position in the Top Ten and crew chief Ron Douglas left the track with positive data and determination for improvement at the next four-wide race in two weeks at zMAX Dragway.
 
“We are moving in the right direction with this new combination, but nothing moves fast enough,” said crew chief Ron Douglas. “We are fixing issues on every run and these last three runs here in Las Vegas were more steps in the right direction. The key is being able to duplicate good runs and not tear our stuff up.”
 
For the second year in a row Hart advanced out of the first quad at the unique four-wide race in Las Vegas. The young driver has developed a pattern of building on his four-wide success at the Charlotte national event racing to the final quad every year he has competed at the track location just north of Charlotte. Hart will be back on track for two qualifying runs in two weeks.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 7.180 sec, 84.57 mph; Qual. 14
Q2: 4.543 sec, 180.19 mph; Qual. 14
Q3: 3.834 sec, 324.59; Qual. 9
Q4: 3.828 sec, 324.36 mph; Qual. 12
Bonus Points:

Race Results
First Round

1. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif, (.095), 3.750, 335.90 mph

2. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.073), 3.957, 275.96 mph def.

3. Billy Torrence, Kilgore, Tex., Capco dragster, (.112), 4.094, 219.44 mph

4. Jasmine Salinas, Brownsburg, Ind., Scrappers Racing, (.133), 4.666, 162.33 mph

Second Round

1. Doug Kalitta, Ypsilanti, Mich., Mac Tools dragster, (.076), 3.751, 336.65 mph

2, Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Tex., Capco dragster, (.074), 3.777, 333.00 mph 

3. Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif, (.098), 3.776, 331.94 mph

4. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (.081), 3.796, 328.78 mph def.

Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1. Justin Ashley           351
2. Shawn Langdon      328
3. Steve Torrence       300
4. Doug Kalitta             290
5. Billy Torrence          249
6. Tony Stewart          206
7. Tony Schumacher   204
8. Antron Brown         203
8. Brittany Force         203
10. Josh Hart              163
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AUTOTRADER ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT APRIL 14, 2024

·       Chase Elliott became Team Chevy’s fourth different winner of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, taking the manufacturer to its series-leading sixth victory in nine points-paying races.  ·       The victory marked Elliott’s first NASCAR Cup Series win of the season, and the Team Chevy driver’s 19th all-time victory in 295 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.  ·       The victory is Chevrolet’s series-leading 18th NASCAR Cup Series victory at Texas Motor Speedway, with Elliott extending the manufacturer’s NCS win streak to four-straight at the 1.5-mile Texas oval.  ·       Elliott led Chevrolet to a season-high six top-10 finishers in the NASCAR Cup Series’ ninth points-paying race of the season – earned by drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations.  ·       Elliott’s victory capped off a weekend sweep for Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway, with Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch earning the victory in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race and Sam Mayer claiming the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.  ·       Chevrolet’s trio of victories at Texas Motor Speedway marks the manufacturer’s third tripleheader weekend sweep of the 2024 NASCAR season – extending its record as the only manufacturer to accomplish the feat thus far this season.  ·       With 24 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has a winning percentage of 66.7% with 16 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – six wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – four wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – six wins). ·       The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Talladega Superspeedway with the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 21, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:  POS.   DRIVER1st      Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hooters Camaro ZL13rd      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL15th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Kubota Camaro ZL18th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL19th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Zone Camaro ZL110th    Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Premier Security Camaro ZL1

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES: CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 1stChase Elliott, the 42-race drought is over. You did everything just right. How does it feel?“Oh, man, couldn’t feel any better. First off, thanks to everybody that came out today. You guys are unbelievable. Hooters has been a partner of ours for a number of years now. It’s been a dream of mine to pay respect to the late Alan Kulwicki. Driving this car to a victory and do a Polish victory lap – just really crazy how things came full circle there in that moment. It was pretty emotional for me. He beat dad back in the day. Here we are sharing his sponsor and having an opportunity to win today. Man, couldn’t be more grateful for this journey and kind of the path that hasn’t always been fun, but certainly have enjoyed working with our guys. We’ve been working really hard and really well together. Like I said, hasn’t always been fun, but we’ve enjoyed the fight together.” You mentioned you have been fighting together. Today it was a fight on the racetrack. That race looked like it was crazy to drive. How intense was it on the track?“It was just crazy. This place is so sketchy. I haven’t seen a replay of Denny (Hamlin) and us. I didn’t feel like I did anything super crazy there any more than anybody’s ever done to me. Just had to run forward. I want to look at it. I didn’t feel like I did anything to crash him. I think just the circumstances. But nonetheless, apologies to him, if so. Couldn’t be more proud of our team. Thanks to our partners at NAPA, Chevrolet. Everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Had a big week last week. Boss, thank you for sticking with me. Really, really proud of this. Appreciate all the folks back home that have stuck with me and helped us get back on track.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 2ndTELL US ABOUT THE CLOSING LAPS OF THAT AND WHAT HAPPENED ON THE BACKSTRETCH WITH YOU AND CHASTAIN. “I just had a big run. Ross (Chastain) and I race really well, and I didn’t want to wreck him there, but he blocked me late, which is understood. It’s racing at the end, but I was already there and unfortunately, we made enough contact to where it got him squirrelly and it happened. So, I hate that that happened, but it’s the last lap and I had the run so I am going to just take the run. I didn’t expect it, but I don’t want to do that to a fellow Chevy guy, and we always race really well.  Happy for Chase (Elliott) and those guys. They did a great job; executed really well and had a good car. Our No. 24 Liberty University Chevy, we struggled all day and had to fight tooth and nail all day just to keep our track position. We just had a few restarts go our way at the end.”   DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 KUBOTA CAMARO ZL1Finished: 5thLOT OF OVERTIME RESTARTS AND YOU HAD TO FIGHT YOUR WAY TO GET UP THERE. WHAT WAS THIS RACE LIKE FOR YOU?“It was tricky. I thought we were going to be pretty strong, and we were pretty good in the first run. Then in the first green-flag cycle, I don’t know what happened to the car because we were super loose. And then after that, we started making adjustments and we got the car better. We started making progress and we got a penalty, and we went to the back again. We started making progress and we had another bad pit stop. It was just not a very clean day at all. It was a good result at the end of the day because the strategy worked out good, and we got a couple of good restarts. But we have some work to do. We have to continue to in order to move forward.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 8th “Just happy for the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevy team. That was a big finish for us, and I am proud of the fight that our guys showed. To come home with eighth is big because we had struggled with the handling of the car. We made some good calls to get us some track position, and we had some good restarts at the end to get us a good finish. Man, after this year, this feels like a win and hopefully we can build off of this.” DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 SOUTH POINT HOTEL AND CASINO CAMARO ZL1Finished: 17th“Thanks to Michael Gaughan, everyone at South Point, and all of our supporters at Kaulig Racing for sticking with us. It’s not been thrilling or exciting the last few weeks, but at the end of the day we’ve managed a couple times this year to finish better than we raced. That’s what we did here today. I’m proud of Trent [Owens] for making the call to take two tires there and getting some track position. I need to do a better job on restarts; we had a couple go our way there at the end, especially that last one. I’m proud of the fight from this No. 31 team today.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage TwoFinished: 37th Could you tell what happened? “Really what started it was what happened on pit road and getting buried back there. We should have been up in the top-10. But yeah, we were just racing those guys really hard. I was in a really bad spot to have a guy crash and have to climb into the brake pedal. The No. 22 (Joey Logano) saw it before I did, just because of how we were all stacked up. I had to climb into the brake pedal a little bit harder than I wanted to, and it just spun out as soon as I did.  Definitely a bummer. We had a really fast No. 48 Ally Camaro there in the beginning of the first stage. We were going through the field pretty well. We just had that deal on pit road that put us in the back, and then that happened.”  Are you feeling OK? “Yeah, it was pretty minor, damage-wise. Just how we got hit, there was no good way to fix it.” AUSTIN HILL, NO. 33 UNITED RENTALS CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by a mechanical issue in Stage Two. Finished: 38th“Really hate our race ended early today at Texas Motor Speedway. Our United Rentals Chevrolet was pretty solid and track position and clean air were so important. The strategy that Keith (Rodden, crew chief) called should have worked out in our favor with the amount of cautions that flew once we went to the garage. The No. 33 team tried to fix the mechanical issue, but unfortunately, there was something wrong in the steering. The most important thing was not to wreck the car before our next race together. Driving the Cup car is so different compared to the Xfinity car though, so I was learning on the fly. I would have loved to finish the race and see where we could have ended up. Overall, just proud of this Richard Childress Racing crew and we will come back again soon. Appreciate United Rentals and RCR for the opportunity to run this race.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AUTOTRADER ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE 400 TEAM CHEVY ACCIDENT QUOTE APRIL 14, 2024

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two Could you tell what happened? “Really what started it was what happened on pit road and getting buried back there. We should have been up in the top-10. But yeah, we were just racing those guys really hard. I was in a really bad spot to have a guy crash and have to climb into the brake pedal. The No. 22 (Joey Logano) saw it before I did, just because of how we were all stacked up. I had to climb into the brake pedal a little bit harder than I wanted to, and it just spun out as soon as I did.  Definitely a bummer. We had a really fast No. 48 Ally Camaro there in the beginning of the first stage. We were going through the field pretty well. We just had that deal on pit road that put us in the back, and then that happened.”   Are you feeling OK? “Yeah, it was pretty minor, damage-wise. Just how we got hit, there was no good way to fix it.”

Arizona driver becomes sixth different winner in first six races of 2024

FARMER CITY, IL (April 13, 2024) – The signs were there. Mid-pack runs turned to podium finishes, and it seemed it was only a matter of time before Ashton Torgerson broke through to Victory Lane.

On the night following a runner-up finish at Farmer City Raceway, the 17-year-old national Midget series rookie from Glendale, AZ, proved he had the skill to be one spot better, taking the green from the pole and leading all but one lap en route to his first career Feature win with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

The win gained other accolades as well, as Torgerson continued the parity streak in becoming the sixth different winner in the first six races of the season. It also counted as his second win of the year with the co-sanctioning POWRi National Midget League and, with the help of Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) teammates Cannon McIntosh and Ryan Timms, gave the Indiana-based team a sweep of the podium.

After taking the checkered, Torgerson gave praise to the KKM team, which he joined as a driver in March. Torgerson first made his debut with the Xtreme Outlaw Series in May 2023 with Tanner Thorson Racing, and notched his first podium in the car, but expressed that his time at KKM thus far has been of utmost importance.

“This year, with Keith, I just feel super comfortable and keep getting better each time,” Torgerson said. “I can’t thank Keith and the whole crew enough for getting me this comfortable.”

From the pole on the starting grid, Torgerson jumped out to the early lead and quickly encountered pressure from fifth-starting Chase McDermand. The two traded passes for the lead before Torgerson gained enough momentum on the top side to zoom past McDermand for good on Lap 5.

As the race neared halfway, Timms had already entered the podium from 11th on the starting grid, and on Lap 11 made the pass on McDermand to take second. He began to cut into Torgerson’s lead and had it down to a half-second before the race’s only yellow flag was displayed on Lap 18.

Torgerson knew his car was fast, but also knew of the competition he had directly behind him.

“Under the yellow, I was listening to the [driver radio] and they said, ’67 of Timms,’ and I was like, ‘Well, I know he’s gotta be fast,’” Torgerson said. “I knew he’d be quick, and I knew I had to hit my marks, or he’d be there to capitalize on it.”

On the restart, Timms lunged at an opportunity to make the pass, trying a slide job in Turns 3 and 4, but was unable to get enough speed to slide in Torgerson’s path. As Torgerson began to pull away in the closing laps, Timms encountered pressure from behind from teammate McIntosh.

“I changed my line in (Turns) 3 and 4; I was entering in on it and turning down and it gave me a lot of speed going into 1,” Timms said. “I was slowly catching [Torgerson], but it allowed Cannon to catch me.

“We got side-by-side and there was kind of a single-file line on the bottom of lapped cars, and it was kind of narrow to try and race each other, and he got by me.”

McIntosh used the slower cars ahead of him to his advantage, completing the pass on Lap 28 by going around Timms on the outside through Turns 3 and 4 while Timms stayed low behind the lapped cars.

“I think we were both catching the leader and Ryan made a couple mistakes and I was able to get by him,” McIntosh said. “Ultimately, just ran out of time to have a chance to run Ashton down.”

McIntosh pinned the throttle in pursuit of Torgerson out front, but his time expired. The Oklahoma racer crossed the stripe in second over Timms, expanding his points lead over Timms by 10 up to a total of 27 points.

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets will get nearly a month off before returning to action in a two-race swing through Kansas – Friday, May 10 at Humboldt Speedway and Saturday, May 11 at 81 Speedway.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 67K-Ashton Torgerson[1]; 2. 71K-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 3. 67-Ryan Timms[11]; 4. 56D-Mitchell Davis[13]; 5. 40-Chase McDermand[5]; 6. 97-Gavin Miller[8]; 7. 56-Tyler Edwards[9]; 8. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[2]; 9. 97K-Kale Drake[4]; 10. 43-Gunnar Setser[22]; 11. 7U-Zach Daum[6]; 12. 21K-Karter Sarff[12]; 13. 13-Elijah Gile[18]; 14. 55-Trevor Cline[7]; 15. 1K-Brayton Lynch[15]; 16. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[14]; 17. 14S-TJ Smith[17]; 18. 66-Jayden Clay[25]; 19. 5U-Peter Smith[20]; 20. 98-Luke Drotschie[16]; 21. 71-Jade Avedisian[10]; 22. 57-Mark McMahill[23]; 23. 10C-Dalton Camfield[24]; 24. 16C-David Camfield Jr[19]; 25. 73W-Luke Wackerlin[26]; 26. 17C-Devin Camfield[21]

PEVELY POWERHOUSE: Donny Schatz Drives Away to I-55 World of Outlaws VictorySchatz takes the lead early and builds a commanding lead on his way to third win at the Pevely, MO oval (Trent Gower Photo)PEVELY, MO (April 13, 2024) – Donny Schatz is undeniably one of the best to ever drive a Sprint Car. And the 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion gave yet another example of why on Saturday night.The Greatest Show on Dirt invaded Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 for the second straight night, and Schatz gave the huge crowd a show. The Fargo, ND driver started fourth for the 40-lap finale, took the lead on Lap 11, and stretched his advantage to nearly five seconds at one point before taking the checkered flag for his second win of 2024.The trip to Victory Lane felt especially rewarding after a 20th place Qualifying effort left him and the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing team playing catch up early in the night.“If you were near my trailer after Qualifying, you probably heard some choice words, so I apologize for that,” Schatz said. “It just shows the heart of this team. It’s such a double-edged razor blade somedays. We dug out of a huge hole tonight and got a win at a racetrack we typically don’t run good on. We threw two kitchen sinks at it tonight. This place is demanding, and we haven’t been to Victory Lane here in a long time and didn’t really know what the track was going to do. I just went where everybody wasn’t, and it actually felt pretty good.”Schatz upped his World of Outlaws win total to 313. The victory was his third at I-55 and first since 2015. It also marked his 50th top-10 finish at the Pevely, MO bullring – making it the fifth track where he’s reached the impressive feat. Win number two of 2024 makes it 26 consecutive seasons of multiple World of Outlaws checkered flags.The 40-lap main event got off to a wild start. Michael “Buddy” Kofoid led the field to green with Logan McCandless – making only his sixth Series appearance – to his outside. McCandless slipped up down the front straightaway allowing the second row of Bill Balog and Donny Schatz to his inside. In the first set of corners, Kofoid got tight which let Balog roll by him down the back straightaway to take the lead and pace the opening circuit.An early restart saw near disaster at the front of the field. Kofoid used a huge run to attack Balog for the lead exiting Turn 2. Balog slid up, and Kofoid used evasive action to avoid making contact with the Anderson’s Maple #17B. Behind the top two Schatz stuck the bottom and rolled right by Kofoid to snag the runner-up spot.Over the next few laps Kofoid challenged Schatz in an attempt to regain second, but Schatz fended him off and set his sights on Balog. The “North Pole Nightmare” kept a solid advantage, but Schatz began to close in as traffic thickened ahead.On the 11th circuit, Balog found himself caught up behind a lapped car which opened the door for Schatz. The pilot of the Carquest #15 fired a slide job in Turns 3 and 4 and cleared both Balog and the slower car.Balog stayed right with Schatz throughout the next couple circuits. But it didn’t take long for Schatz to establish a rhythm and begin to look like prime Donny Schatz. He put a pair of lapped cars between himself and Balog and began to pull away.From there, Schatz sliced his way through the tail of the field with precision. If they were running high in front of him, he went low. If they were low, he went high. If they were in the middle, he could choose either the top or the bottom. Schatz’s lead bloomed to as much as 4.6 seconds.Carson Macedo took the second spot from Balog on Lap 25 and looked to bring a battle to Schatz. As the race dipped inside 10 laps remaining, the Jason Johnson Racing pilot began to take chunks out of the margin. He cut it below two seconds on Lap 36, but it was too little, too late as Schatz rolled to his third I-55 win.“Sometimes it’s probably better to be in the position where you’re in that second row not knowing what the racetrack is going to do,” Schatz said. “And I think that was a huge thing tonight. The #41 there he was pretty good on the bottom early, and I couldn’t ever really get down there. I was worried about the hole off of (Turn) 2. Hats off to the whole Carquest team. It was actually a pretty fun race. Normally when we come here it’s up near the fence. And tonight, we could roll around on the fence, on the bottom, kind of anywhere. So that felt really good.”Macedo’s runner-up gave him back-to-back podium efforts with the JJR crew. He’s still yet to miss the top-10 since the finale of DIRTcar Nationals in early February. Another strong Albaugh #41 machine led Macedo to another solid outing, his sixth top three in the last eight I-55 races.“I feel like we had a strong race car there throughout that whole race,” Macedo said. “I was able to move around a lot in traffic. Philip Dietz did an incredible job there. I feel like we made some good adjustments in the Dash and got even better there in the Feature, which feels really good.”Rounding out the top three was Buddy Kofoid and the Roth Motorsports crew. The pairing continues to build momentum with their third podium in the last four races. A win seems imminent for the Penngrove, CA native. After the race, a contrite Kofoid offered apologies for some late contact with David Gravel.“First off I just want to apologize to David and his whole crew,” Kofoid said. “Obviously, that was not my intention. I feel really bad about that. I know saying that isn’t going to change anything… We were good all day. Good weekend for our Roth Motorsports/Mobil 1, Toyota guys. I don’t know if we were good enough to win, but I felt like I kind of made a couple of mistakes early and then got going in the middle and end, but it wasn’t quite enough to get there.”David Gravel and Bill Balog completed the top five.A 23rd to 11th drive gave Austin McCarl the KSE Racing Hard Charger.Carson Macedo claimed his third Simpson Quick Time of the year and the 36th of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four went to Carson Macedo (116th Heat Race win of career), Giovanni Scelzi (44th of career), and Landon Crawley (second of career). Milton Hershey School Heat Two belonged to David Gravel (247th of career).Garet Williamson won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars make their only appearances of 2024 in Kentucky and Indiana next weekend. First, the tour invades Kentucky’s Paducah International Raceway for the first time since 2012 on Friday, April 19. Then it’s the annual stop at Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 20. For tickets to Paducah, CLICK HERE. For tickets to Tri-State, call (812) 768-6025.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.FEATURE RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 15-Donny Schatz[4]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo[5]; 3. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]; 4. 2-David Gravel[6]; 5. 17B-Bill Balog[3]; 6. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[7]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[9]; 8. 87-Aaron Reutzel[19]; 9. 70-Kraig Kinser[12]; 10. 2KS-Chase Randall[16]; 11. 88-Austin McCarl[23]; 12. 23-Garet Williamson[21]; 13. 7S-Landon Crawley[8]; 14. 29-Logan McCandless[2]; 15. 22-Riley Goodno[13]; 16. 3-Ayrton Gennetten[15]; 17. 122-Joe B Miller[14]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[25]; 19. 23B-Brian Bell[10]; 20. 37-Ayden Gatewood[18]; 21. 20G-Noah Gass[24]; 22. 6-Bill Rose[17]; 23. 95-Matt Covington[20]; 24. 24T-Christopher Thram[22]; 25. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[11]For complete results, CLICK HERE.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Xtreme Outlaw Midgets Debut at Farmer City for Illini 100 CONCORD, NC (April 9, 2024) – The April racing schedule for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota continues with a visit to another track brand-new to the Series – Farmer City Raceway for the annual Illini 100. Standing as one of the most prestigious dirt track racing events in the state of Illinois, the Illini 100 has traditionally been billed as a Super Late Model and DIRTcar UMP Modified event. But in 2024, the event welcomes Midget racing to the card for the first time, joining the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series and the MARS Modified Championship. The stars of Midget racing’s newest national tour take on the 1/4-mile bullring for back-to-back nights of racing this Friday and Saturday, April 12-13. Preceded by an evening of practice on Thursday, April 11, Friday’s program kicks off the racing action with a 25-lap, $4,000-to-win main event, leading up to a 30-lap, $5,000-to-win finale on Saturday. Both nights will be sanctioned in conjunction with the POWRi National Midget League, marking Rounds 1-2 of competition in the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series. This 10-race miniseries awards a $2,500 check to the driver with the most points accumulated after all events are complete in addition to checks for each of the drivers in the top-five of final points. Tickets for this weekend’s events are on sale in advance for $5 off at the links below and will also be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision. BUY FRIDAY TICKETSBUY SATURDAY TICKETS Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this weekend: HOT STREAK – Through the first four races of 2024, no driver owns more top-five finishes than the current Series points leader, Cannon McIntosh. The 21-year-old has not finished outside of the top five yet and boasts the win in the season-opening weekend in Du Quoin last month. He led laps in both Features last weekend at US 36 Raceway and Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex en route to his second pair of top-five finishes, boosting his lead in the points standings to 47 over Keith Kunz Motorsports teammate Ryan Timms. Farmer City will be a track brand-new to McIntosh this weekend. The 1/4-mile bullring has never hosted a national Midget series event, and the young Oklahoma racer will be among the favorites to become its first winner. BOUNCE BACK – Zach Daum has climbed back from large points deficits before and now prepares to do it again after a weekend gone bad in Missouri. A sixth-place finish last Friday at US 36 kept him in the thick of the battle for the points lead but internal mechanical failure struck him early in the program Saturday at Sweet Springs, taking him out of competition and leaving him with his first DNS of the season. That cost him almost 200 points in the standings as he fell from 16 points out of the lead in second-place, down to eighth-place where he now sits 215 points behind McIntosh. Despite his misfortune, the 32-year-old returns to racing in his home state of Illinois this weekend with a fresh power plant inside the Trifecta Motorsports No. 7U. While he starts a climb back in the Xtreme Outlaw standings, he’ll start fresh with the first race of the Challenge Series with POWRi, of which he was the champion in 2023. SHARK’S TANK – Karter Sarff is back on the Xtreme Outlaw Series roster for the third weekend in-a-row as he prepares to take on one of his home-state tracks at Farmer City. Sarff, 21, of Mason City, IL, has made his presence felt early this season, knocking off the Series regulars last Friday at US 36 for his third career Xtreme Outlaw win. He followed that up with an eighth-place effort the next night at Sweet Springs, vaulting him up to fourth in the points standings. Fitting for the first race of the 2024 Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series, Sarff enters Farmer City representing the POWRi side its defending national champion – an honor he clinched in the final race of the season last October. CHAMP RETURNS – Jade Avedisian returns to the Xtreme Outlaw Series roster this weekend after spending a week on the asphalt in Sonoma, CA, for the opening round of the Toyota GR Cup. The reigning Series champion from Clovis, CA, will return to the Keith Kunz Motorsports stable for both races in Farmer City following finishes of 14th and fourth in the season opener in Du Quoin last month. Like most others in the field, Avedisian does not have any laps in a Midget at Farmer City but has been strong on the banked bullrings in the past with wins at Jacksonville Speedway, Southern Illinois Raceway and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55. BACK IN THE SADDLE – Gavin Miller has healed from surgery and has been cleared to compete this weekend, returning to the seat of the KKM LynK/Toyota No. 97 after missing the past two races. Miller, 17, of Allentown, PA, posted finishes of second and 11th in the season opener last month and sat fourth in points – a great start for the championship hopeful. However, a crash in a Micro Sprint event in California two weeks later took him out of action due to an injury suffered in the incident and put teammate Kale Drake in the seat of his No. 97 for races at US 36 and Sweet Springs. Drake, 18, of Collinsville, OK, took the opportunity and ran with it, bagging a Heat win and a seventh-place result in the Feature at US 36 before scoring his first national Midget series win with a last-lap pass on teammate Taylor Reimer the next night at Sweet Springs. While Miller reassumes his normal driving duties in the No. 97, Drake has earned the right for more seat time and will also pilot a KKM car of his own at Farmer City, making seven total KKM cars on the roster this weekend – comprised of himself, Ryan Timms, Cannon McIntosh, Luke Drotschie, Ashton Torgerson, Jade Avedisian, and Gavin Miller. THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE When and where Friday-Saturday, April 12-13 at Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, IL On the internet Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota Twitter – @Xtreme_Outlaw Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw Facebook – @XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG Live broadcast DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com. Annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month. Current championship points standings (view full standings)Cannon McIntosh: 872 points (Keith Kunz Motorsports #71K)Ryan Timms: -47 points (Keith Kunz Motorsports #67)Chase McDermand: -59 points (CMR-Mounce/Stout Motorsports #40)Karter Sarff: -82 points (Karter Sarff Motorsports #21K)Taylor Reimer: -90 points (Keith Kunz Motorsports #25K)Ashton Torgerson: -163 points (Keith Kunz Motorsports #67K)Hayden Reinbold: -180 points (Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports #19AZ)Zach Daum: -215 points (Trifecta Motorsports #7U)TJ Smith: -239 points (Mounce/Stout Motorsports #14S)Trevor Cline: -257 points (Cline Racing #55) Toyota Feature winners (4 drivers) 1 win – Thomas Meseraull (Engler Racing), Cannon McIntosh (Keith Kunz Motorsports), Karter Sarff (Karter Sarff Motorsports #21K), Kale Drake (Keith Kunz Motorsports #97) Toyota Feature laps led (4 drivers) 36 laps – Cannon McIntosh 35 laps – Joe B. Miller27 laps – Thomas Meseraull12 laps – Taylor Reimer 11 laps – Karter Sarff4 laps – Tyler Edwards1 lap – Kale Drake Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Awards (2 drivers) 3 awards – Ethan Mitchell 1 award – Cannon McIntosh Heat Race winners (16 drivers) 2 wins – Tyler Edwards, Chase McDermand1 win – Ryan Timms, Thomas Meseraull, Shane Cottle, Gavin Miller, TJ Smith, Cannon McIntosh, Jade Avedisian, Nick Hoffman, Ashton Torgerson, Kale Drake, Zach Daum, Karter Sarff, Kyle Jones, Taylor Reimer High-points honors (4 drivers) 1 honor – Cannon McIntosh, Tyler Edwards, Chase McDermand, Karter Sarff Last Chance Showdown wins (6 drivers) 1 win – Taylor Reimer, Gunnar Setser, Austin Torgerson, Gavin Miller, Shane Cottle, Ethan Mitchell DIRTVision Hard Charger Awards (4 drivers) 1 award – Will Armitage, Ryan Timms, Ryan Timms, Hayden Reinbold Podium finishes (9 drivers) 2 podiums – Zach Daum, Ryan Timms, Cannon McIntosh 1 podium – Thomas Meseraull, Gavin Miller, Kale Drake, Taylor Reimer, Karter Sarf, Chase McDermand Top-10 finishes (23 drivers) 4 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Chase McDermand 3 top-10s – Zach Daum 2 top-10s – Shane Cottle, Ryan Timms, Karter Sarff, Taylor Reimer, Kale Drake, Ashton Torgerson 1 top-10 – Gavin Miller, Joe B. Miller, Thomas Meseraull, Jade Avedisian, Will Armitage, Mitchell Davis, Trey Marcham, Rylan Gray, Hayden Reinbold, TJ Smith, Ethan Mitchell, Gunnar Setser, Todd McVay, Kyle Jones 2024 Schedule & Winners – Race No. Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Fri, March 15 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Thomas Meseraull (1) 2. Sat, March 16 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Cannon McIntosh (1)3. Fri, April 5 / US 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Karter Sarff (1) 4. Sat, April 6 / Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex / Sweet Springs, MO / Kale Drake (1)

The Smooth Operator leads 48 laps en route to his first win in 2024 with the World of Outlaws CASE Late ModelsFARMER CITY, IL (April 13, 2024) – If there is one thing you can expect when visiting Farmer City Raceway in the 2020s, Bobby Pierce will be the driver that all dirt Late Model drivers are chasing.The reigning World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models champion opened up the notebook for the 60-lap Feature race through tires – giving his #32 Longhorn Chassis the ability to use each lane of the quarter-mile race track and helping him earn his 19th career Feature win with the Series.The Feature commenced with Gray Court, SC driver Chris Madden leading the field to the green flag until three cautions in the first five laps plagued the field in the early portion.From there, the caution never saw the skies for the rest of the Feature – allowing drivers to make ground around the treacherous Illinois bullring.That final restart saw Pierce make ground on the leaders immediately – passing by Friday night winner Nick Hoffman and having to maneuver the high and low lanes to get by Madden in the tight race for the lead.Pierce got by Madden by using the low line on Lap 12 and never relinquished the lead for the rest of the event.The short track had lapped cars play an important factor in deciding the night’s Feature winner. Pierce used this to his advantage by using a mix of the high and low lines of the race track to gain the race lead from Madden off of Turn 4 – a cleaner look to how he attempted to pass Hoffman on Friday night.From there, Pierce navigated the lap traffic like he was playing a video game on easy mode – lapping up to ninth place when he took the checkered flag to win his second Illini 100 Feature race. The win also marks Pierce’s sixth straight podium finish in every World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature at Farmer City.For Pierce, the difference was a last-minute change of tires before he rolled the car up to the grid because he noticed the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets Feature made the race track slick.“I made a last-second call on the tires,” Pierce said. “My dad was like ‘Are you sure?’ and I said yes because the Midgets slicked up the track. It just worked out for us, I loved to see the race go caution-free the rest of the way once we got going. That really helped us out there.“Growing up here, watching races as a young kid and I remember watching Late Models around here and thinking ‘Man, these guys are crazy for running the cushion like that.’ So, it’s pretty cool to get another win here.”Hoffman took home a second-place finish – looking to continue building momentum while acknowledging the difficulty of racing lapped cars while chasing Pierce in the process.“At the start, we were frustrated because we couldn’t even get a lap in,” Hoffman said. “Then, we basically went the distance from there. Looking at the lap traffic, you had to look at their tendencies and where they were gonna move around. You can’t be too aggressive, but you have to find some ground because you know they are coming from behind. I had a decent lead over third so I was just doing what I needed to do to not be in a bad spot or hit the Yuke tires too hard or something stupid.”New Waverly, TX driver Tyler Erb climbed his way through the field to finish inside the podium – losing patience with the lapped traffic while he worked on his chances to pass Hoffman for second place by the end of the Feature.“Our cars are fast,” Erb said. “I’m trying to be better, and if we could’ve gotten through lap traffic a little better, but it’s part of not winning our Heat. It’s our fault, our cars were fast, we’re qualifying and Heat racing good. We just need to win those Heat races so we can be in a better position in the Feature. All in all, our car was really f-ing good, and thanks to everybody that helps us.”Florida native Kyle Bronson brought the heat to Farmer City by picking up his second top-five of the 2024 season with a fourth-place result.Current Series points leader Brandon Sheppard was rounding out Saturday night’s top-five finishers. Beginning the night with a tough qualifying effort and Heat race, the New Berlin, IL driver had to climb 18 positions from his 23rd starting spot to finish fifth – awarding him the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award.“I don’t even know what to say,” Sheppard said. “For a lack of better words, I effin sucked to begin the night. We changed a bunch of stuff tonight, got the car back to how I raced it last year and it was really good. It’s small stuff that I’ve got to do better at, and I have no idea what it is yet.“At this point, it’s about making the qualifying and early night program better. We have to get that dialed in if we’re going to win the championship. There’s no other way around it. These Longhorn guys and Sheppard Riggs Racing crew are trying and it’s all hands on deck to get back to where we need to be. We gotta keep our heads up, keep the team pumped because nights like these are a testament to the team. I’m putting in 100% effort.”UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models are heading Southbound towards Tennessee for a night at Thunderhill Raceway on Thursday, April 18.This leads up to a trip to Alabama for two nights at the Talladega Short Track, April 19-20. For more information and tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model race live on DIRTVision.CASE Late Model Feature (60 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 2. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[10]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[5]; 5. B5-Brandon Sheppard[23]; 6. 44-Chris Madden[1]; 7. 1-Tim McCreadie[7]; 8. 97-Cade Dillard[9]; 9. 25-Jason Feger[6]; 10. 97C-Cody Overton[13]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[22]; 12. 81-Jason Riggs[8]; 13. 111-Max Blair[17]; 14. 3S-Brian Shirley[25]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[11]; 16. 19-Dustin Sorensen[12]; 17. 84-Myles Moos[15]; 18. 22*-Max McLaughlin[19]; 19. B1-Brent Larson[21]; 20. 6JR-Parker Martin[16]; 21. 19R-Ryan Gustin[24]; 22. 20-Jimmy Owens[14]; 23. 33-Frank Heckenast Jr[20]; 24. 174-Ethan Dotson[26]; 25. 4GG-Tripp Gerrald[18]; 26. 18-Shannon Babb[2]

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: CASE Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Racing Electronics (Official Radio Supplier), Simpson Performance Products (Preferred Safety Gear Partner), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Evolve Transporters, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), MD3, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Swift Springs, and Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Bilstein, Capital Race Cars, Dirt King Simulators, FAST 1 Speed Shop, FIREBULL, Gorsuch Performance, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, and Sea Foam.

Prock earns his third No. 1 qualifier position in the season’s first four races

LAS VEGAS (April 13, 2024) – Austin Prock continued his red-hot ways Saturday, leading John Force Racing in the final day of qualifying for Sunday’s 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Having switched to Funny Car for the first time in his career to start this season, Prock continues to dominate qualifying in the class, earning his third No. 1 qualifier in the first four races of the season. He’s also moved into the No. 1 position in the Funny Car points standings. The Lansing, Mich., native then doubled up by winning this week’s edition of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge, a season-long series of races-within-a-race that was worth an extra $10,000 for Prock and his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car crew. Prock now hopes to make it two winning weekends in a row, as he won his first-ever NHRA “Wally” Funny Car winner’s trophy in last Sunday’s race in Phoenix. “It gives you a lot of confidence coming into Sunday morning running like we are,” Prock said. “So I’m chomping at the bit to get into the first round tomorrow and hopefully we can go three more (rounds to win).” Because it is the 4-Wide Nationals, there are only three rounds of eliminations as opposed to the usual four rounds at traditional two-lane races. Prock had two outstanding runs Saturday. In the morning session, he moved up from the provisional No. 2 qualifier to No.1 with a run of 3.904 seconds at 321.42 mph. Then in the final qualifying session of the weekend, Prock recorded a run of 3.915 seconds at 326.95 mph. “It’s really cool to get the first (#2Fast2Tasty), that’s pretty special,” Prock said. “It’s pretty crazy. I’ve been in a handful of these things and never been able to get it done but we did the job today. “I just had a new aim, a new focus and it worked with two pretty stellar lights (at the starting line) today and we need to keep that up tomorrow for sure because we’re going to have the best conditions that we’ve seen all weekend. The track’s going to be the most even and you’re going to see a lot of great runs. “We always love competing and it does help that you kind of get in that zone. Hopefully, I didn’t waste any of it today for tomorrow, so we’ll see. “This team’s had a lot of success here in the past and they’re showing it again. So I’ve just got to keep being a sponge, keep learning and keep doing the best I can and I know this team’s going to give me an awesome car.” Prock faces Jeff Diehl, Blake Alexander and Alexis DeJoria in the first round on Sunday.——————————— But Prock’s accomplishments Saturday weren’t all for John Force Racing. Team owner John Force qualified No. 2 with two stout runs himself. In the morning, the driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car covered the 1,000-foot drag strip in 3.938 seconds at 328.06 mph. Then in the afternoon session, Force improved on his previous ET with a run of 3.908 at 326.79 mph. “Prock ran good and did his job,” Force said. “Brittany qualified up there and I’m up there finishing second for PEAK and Chevy, that’s always important. … No one knows the 4-wide better than me. I won the inaugural one in Charlotte.” Force’s first-round quad matchup will be with Matt Hagan, Cruz Pedregon and Jason Rupert.——————————— In Top Fuel, Brittany Force will start fifth in Sunday’s eliminations. In a unique Saturday morning session, Force was one of three female drivers – the others were Krista Baldwin and Jasmine Salinas – that faced each other. Force moved up from the provisional No. 5 to No. 3 with a dominating run of 3.799 seconds at 332.26 mph. Force came back with an even stronger outing in Saturday afternoon’s final session, piloting her Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster with a run of 3.787 seconds at 333.66 mph. But she still got shuffled back from No. 3 to the No. 5 starting position, where she will start Sunday’s eliminations from. Force will face Billy Torrence, Jasmine Salinas and Josh Hart in the first round of eliminations. “I feel good,” Force said. “Looking at our ladder, we’re sitting in a good position, qualified No. 5. We even stepped it up a little bit on that last run which was huge for this team. “We’re looking for three rounds tomorrow, that’s all we need. Four-wide is a lot to focus on but we know what to do, we’ve won here before and we need to execute tomorrow.” Speaking of tomorrow (Sunday), the weather conditions are expected to take a dramatic drop. The last two days have been in the mid-80s, but Sunday’s forecast calls for temps barely above 70 and gusty winds. That could bring about a dramatic change for race setups. But that’s good, as cooler temps make race cars go faster. “That’ll change things up a little bit, but it should make things a little easier,” Brittany Force said. “We need our car to go down there every single lap. We usually struggle in the heat, so the fact that we did so well and qualified No. 5, it makes me very curious about how things will go down tomorrow. “We’ll definitely be there, we’re going to step it up and see what we can do in the cooler conditions.” John Force is happy and excited at how his team is doing overall. They are the hottest organization in the sport right now. “Taking a world champion, Robert Hight, out of the seat – it was his choice because of personal stuff – but putting Prock in, I was worried sick how it would go, even though I knew the kid could drive. “He didn’t have much seat time in a Funny Car, but he stepped right up to the plate with his dad, Jimmy (the team’s crew chief), and his brother, Thomas (assistant crew chief). And, boy, they look really good. So I’m excited with that. Brittany’s car’s coming around with a lot of changes made. We’re four races in. Let’s see where this goes.”

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 13, 2024) —- After four rounds of qualifying and preparing for the unique Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals,  Ricky Hord powered his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to the No. 1 qualifier with two strong runs today at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hord earned his first career Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 qualifier on the strength of his third-round pass of 7.939 seconds at 172.54 mph. The run moved the driver from Orlando, Fla., into the top spot around provisional No. 1 David Janac. Hord will lead a tough Factory Stock field into eliminations in front of No. 2 qualifier Mark Pawuk and his Dodge Drag Pak, the Gatornationals winner and Winternationals runner-up. After he had secured the quickest run of the weekend Hord was all smiles talking about the accomplishment.
 
“It’s a good feeling and we’ve been working really hard the last couple of seasons,” said Hord, who is a relative newcomer. “This is only my third season running any kind of car let alone a Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown car. It felt good to come out and run well. We had some issues in Pomona and the car was kind of all over the place, so it felt good to come back and make ‘A to B’ passes in every run at the four wide. To be the No. 1 qualifier is awesome.”

 Ricky Hord runs to the No.1 Qualifier at the Las Vegas Four-Wide NHRA Nationals, photo courtesy of Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

The complexity of racing four-wide was not lost on Hord or the rest of the class. Heading into tomorrow’s eliminations, concentration and patience will be keys to success if a driver is looking to see three win lights in Las Vegas.
 
“It’s hard to stage four cars at the same time anyways and you have some guys that have never done it before,” said Hord. “I’ve only done it twice now so it’s a little bit of a trip to look around and try to figure out how everything works. It will make for an exciting race day. I want to thank everyone on my team for all their hard work. Keeping up with the information to run in four different lanes isn’t easy but it makes it pretty fun.”
 
Hord will be looking to chase the Flexjet $1,000 bounty from Stephen Bell who won the Winternationals during the final qualifying session today and enters the race as the No. 6 qualifier. Bell added the win to his runner-up finish and along with Pawuk would be considered favorites to take home a second win of the year.
 
“The four-wide nationals is just pretty interesting because you don’t have to be the best you just want to be one of the first two guys to the finish line,” said Bell. “If you are one or two in the first couple of rounds you are doing well and then you have the final which is a free-for-all. I’m just going to try to get in the car and do my job tomorrow. I’ve got the best crew with Aaron and Greg Stanfield. We have a lot of fun and I’m just happy for everyone on my team that we got one win and we get the chance to go after another one tomorrow.”
 
David Janac was the provisional No. 1 qualifier after Friday’s lone session posting a time of 7.984 seconds at171.27 mph. Right behind Janac and his Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro sits fellow Camaro racers Scott Libersher, Ricky Hord and Lee Hartman. Mark Pawuk was the best Dodge Drag Pak sitting sixth after the first session running 8.034 seconds at 171.86 mph.
 
Final eliminations will take place tomorrow starting at 10 a.m. PST from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
 
 
First Round Match-ups
 
No. 1 Ricky Hord vs. bye vs. bye vs. bye
No. 2 Mark Pawuk vs. No. 7 Raymond Nash vs. No. 11 Anthony Troyer vs. bye
No. 3 David Janac vs. No. 6 Stephen Bell vs. No. 10 Doug Hamp vs. bye
No. 4 Scott Libersher vs. No. 5 David Davies II vs. No. 8 Tony Scott vs. No. 9 Lee Hartman
 
2024 FLEXJET NHRA FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN SCHEDULE
May 17-19                   24th annual Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago
June 7-9                      23rd annual NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, Bristol, Tenn.
June 27-30                  18th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Norwalk, Ohio
Aug. 15-18                  42nd annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Brainerd, Minn.
Aug. 28-Sept. 2           70th annual Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals, Indianapolis
Sept. 12-15                 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, Reading, Pa.
Sept. 27-29                 13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis

 

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 13, 2024) – Two weeks ago a severe rain shower that included a brief hailstorm halted the Winternationals at In-N-Out Burger Dragstrip at Pomona. Points leader and No. 1 qualifier Mark Pawuk, Stephen Bell and David Davies II remained in competition and completed the race today at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. Flexjet 2023 championship runner-up Bell emerged victorious outrunning Davies in a classic Chevrolet versus Dodge final round. Bell took a starting line advantage and never trailed in the race posting a winning time of 7.984 second at 172.41 mph over Davies’ 12.098 second run that was hampered by tire shake off the starting line.

 Stephen Bell, winner of the NHRA Winternationals, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“It’s just an absolute dream come true to get out here and race with your friends and be competitive,” said Bell, at the top end of The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. “Man, outside of marrying my wife and having my three beautiful children winning a Wally is right up there with one of the greatest days of your life. So, no complaints here.”
 
The two-week delay in getting to the winner’s circle was always in the back of Bell’s mind. In 2023 Bell won the Norwalk Nationals and was runner-up twice in a solid run for the championship. He opened the 2023 season with a runner-up finish at the NHRA Gatornationals. With the win today he moved into the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown points lead and will carry the Flexjet $1,000 bounty into tomorrow’s Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals event.

 Stephen Bell and his Chevrolet COPO Camaro (foreground) take off on the way to victory at the rain delayed NHRA Winternationals, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

“In the back of my mind, there was just always something on my mind the past two weeks,” said Bell. “About half the time I couldn’t remember what it was, you know. We’ve always been able to complete races, whether it was Monday or whatever it was so, in the back of my mind, I was just like, something was always bothering me. I finally realized it was the race I still needed to finish. It was way cool to win the Winternationals in Las Vegas. This was just incredible.”
 
In the semifinals Davies got the jump on the starting line against Mark Pawuk and never trailed in the drag race winning on a hole shot. For his effort Davies also collected the Flexjet Bounty of $1,000 to defeat the Gatornationals winner. On the track Davies’ reaction time of .030 combined with his elapsed time of 7.983 seconds at 172.50 mph was enough to get him to the finish line in front of Pawuk’s quicker 7.958 seconds elapsed time. Davies advanced to his first career final in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series.
 
“We had a tough weekend and I am really happy with the effort from my whole team,” said Davies. “Our generator went out on our trailer yesterday and then we lost a motor in the second qualifying session. We had to get a new generator here at 7 a.m. today and replace our motor. The win over Mark was huge and that is a big boost of confidence to get a win like that. Mark is a tough, tough competitor. We just got a little aggressive the final, but I have a lot of confidence in our Mission 22 Dodge Drag Pak team.”
 
Bell was racing a competition bye in semifinal, and the driver of the Stanfield Engines Red Chevrolet COPO Camaro overpowered the track and drove down the right lane with a time of 12.881 seconds. He will give up lane choice to Davies in the final.
 
During the original race there were several huge races in the opening rounds including Scott Libersher taking a solid starting line advantage and leading 2023 championship runner-up Bell until 1,000 feet when Bell chased him down for the win. Bell posted low E.T. of the event on the run with a blistering 7.799 seconds at 173.38 mph run in his red Chevrolet COPO Camaro. Two pairs later, Tony Scott Jr. had 0.005 reaction time combined with an 8.252 second at 149.65 mph run to try and take out Gatornationals winner Mark Pawuk and win the Flexjet $1,000 Bounty. Unfortunately for Scott, Pawuk’s Dodge Drag Pak had more power at the top end and defeated Scott’s Chevrolet COPO Camaro to advance to the quarter finals with a winning run of 7.875 seconds at 179.16 mph.
 
In the second round Davies made his best run of the weekend, 7.828 seconds at 175.82 mph to advance to the semifinals outrunning No. 3 qualifier David Janac. No. 1 qualifier Pawuk earned a competition bye and he stepped his performance up with a 7.831 second run at 175.21 mph. Bell and Doug Hamp were racing with the chance to secure a guaranteed appearance in the final round. Bell made the most of his run getting off the line first with a 0.029 reaction time and posting a 7.800 second pass, the quickest run of the session.  
 
The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series will complete the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals tomorrow and then return to action at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway, May 17-19.
 
Flexjet Bounty Program
Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)
$1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Norwalk winner)
 
Winternationals (Pomona, CA)
$1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (Gatornationals winner)
 
2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results
Gainesville – Mark Pawuk, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up
Pomona – Stephen Bell, winner; David Davies II, runner-up
 

Antron Brown wins Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Top Fuel

LAS VEGAS (April 13, 2024) – Through sunny skies at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, reigning Top Fuel champion, Doug Kalitta, captured the No. 1 qualifying spot for tomorrow’s eliminations in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals. The Michigan native laid down a blistering 3.738 elapsed time, a 336-mph top speed, in the first qualifying session Saturday afternoon – earning his 54th career No. 1 qualifier position.

Defending Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winner, Antron Brown was victorious in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge Saturday afternoon by defeating Kalitta, Shawn Langdon and Tony Stewart. Brown’s 3.792 elapsed time in the final qualifying session put him No. 6 for tomorrow. This is the second time Brown has won the challenge, and he couples this victory with the Pep Boys All Star Callout win at Gainesville to start the season.

In Funny Car, points leader, J.R. Todd put down his best run of the weekend, a 3.930 elapsed time, late Saturday afternoon to propel him to the No. 3 spot going into Sunday. Alexis DeJoria will be ninth when tomorrow’s eliminations begin and Ron Capps is 11th.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Race 4 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponents
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	1st	S. LangdonS. Torrence
Billy Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	4th	B. ForceJ. HartJ. Salinas
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6th	C. MillicanT. StewartK. Baldwin
Shawn Langdon	Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	8th	D. KalittaS. Torrence
Steve Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	9th	D. Kalitta S. Langdon
Justin Ashley	SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	10th	T. SchumacherS. ReedT. Totten

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponents
Austin Prock	Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car	1st*	B. AlexanderA. DeJoriaJ. Diehl
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	3rd	D. WilkersonR. CappsD. Richards
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	9th	A. ProckB. AlexanderJ. Diehl
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	11th	J. ToddD. WilkersonD. Richards

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, 

TF Qualifying Result: 1st

How does this No. 1 qualifying position feel going into race day tomorrow?

“We definitely feel good heading into race day. My guys stepped it up with the 3.738 in that first session today which was plenty strong for the conditions, and I’m feeling really confident with what we have going on. I think on our last run, we pushed it a little too much to see what we could do. The track feels plenty good in all the lanes so it should be a good day for tomorrow. So much for the advantage of being the low qualifier, but I’ll definitely be up for those three guys – it should be a fun deal. Alan (Johnson, crew chief), Mac (Savage, assistant crew chief) and all my guys will take a look at that ladder and realize we definitely have to get down the track and be on our A Game so it should be fun. It was a little cooler today, but in general, it didn’t really feel like it was. I’m sure it was, but it’ll be a little cooler tomorrow which should play into our hand performance wise. This is always an interesting place to race; there’s always a lot of challenges here, but it’s one of my favorite tracks. I haven’t won here a lot, but it’s a beautiful facility.”

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 6th

Can you talk about the win in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge today and the momentum it brings?

“For sure, a lot of momentum. I think we’re going in the right direction, just need to keep building and get quicker and quicker. When we go out there, I mean, that track, is getting better and better even though the sun is coming out. We thought we needed to run a 3.750 time there, but we just didn’t want to kick ourselves in the foot. So, we stepped it up and did a little bit. Expected like a 3.780 time there. Tomorrow is going to be a whole different ballgame. Our fellas out there, I felt like we were in a good position. Felt Shawn (Langdon) right on the side of us. Something happened to him right around the end of the track, inching and inching, and just drown a little bit around him at the end. It’s so incredible how tight this class is and the way the Kalitta Motorsports cars are running. But yeah, when you have Doug Kalitta, the champion, Shawn Langdon, a previous champion and then you have Tony Stewart, ‘Smoke,’ make it to the final round. I mean, the top eight cars in this Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, they’re all cars that can win on any given day. Going into tomorrow, this gives us a little more confidence, but you know, we have to keep working forward to go forward to be competitive to win this race as it’s going to be triple-A throwdown with the cooler conditions. The track is going to get better, and when it does that, someone is going to run a 3.680 to 3.700 flat and that’s the range you’re going to have to be in to go out there, be competitive and get the job done.”

J.R TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 3rd

Moving up each session and making your best run at the end of the day, the team seems to be working hard and the results are coming.

“Yeah, the guys are working hard and have been doing that all season long. There’s no quit in these guys. Yeah, that’s nice, a 3.930 was something we were shooting for earlier in the weekend, but it’s nice to see that show up on the scoreboard to move us up in the standings. The Four-Wides are such an unknown, it really doesn’t matter where you qualify when you’re racing three other cars out there. But it is nice to have lane choice going into tomorrow and hopefully we can turn on four win lights for everyone out here supporting us with DHL, Revchem, Sealmaster. Want to thank everybody for sticking with us.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AUTOTRADER ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING REPORT APRIL 13, 2024

·       For the third consecutive race, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team will lead the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green-flag in tomorrow’s AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.  ·       Larson posted a fastest-lap of 28.366 seconds, at 190.369 mph, in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to claim his 19th career NASCAR Cup Series pole.  ·       The feat marked yet another milestone achievement for Hendrick Motorsports with Larson delivering the Chevrolet organization its 250th all-time pole in NASCAR’s premier series.  ·       This marks Larson’s third consecutive pole win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, also extending Chevrolet’s pole streak to four-straight in the series – a run that dates back to his teammate William Byron’s pole at Circuit of The Americas (March 24, 2024).  ·       The pole marks Chevrolet’s 16th all-time NASCAR Cup Series pole at Texas Motor Speedway, and the manufacturer’s 747th all-time pole in NASCAR’s premier series – both of which are series-leading records.  ·       FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, April 14, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL16th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1

Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 – Pole Win Media Availability Quotes TAKE US THROUGH YOUR POLE-WINNING LAP HERE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY. “Yeah, it was a pretty intense qualifying session. I felt like the track was really slick in practice, and then having to kind of talk to yourself before you make your lap, knowing that you have to commit even more than you did in practice to go fast is difficult. And then yeah, just the lap itself – the first round and second round both, there were moments where you have grip, and then moments where you’re like man, I’m going to crash. It’s pretty intense from behind the wheel, but always great when you can accomplish a pole and feel like you beat your confidence a little bit.” WHAT’S IT LIKE RIGHT NOW, GOING THROUGH THIS PHASE OF HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HITTING SO MANY DIFFERENT MILESTONES ACROSS ALL THE DRIVERS? OBVIOUSLY YOU WEREN’T THERE AT THE START, BUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS WILL PROBABLY BE AROUND FOR A LOT LONGER WITH A LOT MORE MILESTONES TO COME. BUT IN THIS MOMENT NOW, OVER THE LAST EIGHT OR NINE MONTHS, WHAT’S THAT LIKE TO BE A PART OF THAT LEGACY? “Yeah, it’s pretty neat. Whenever you can kind of be ‘the guy’, I guess, to know that your name is going to be next to that milestone number – it’s pretty special. You know, like when I was able to be a part of win 269, like you feel the excitement; the happiness from Rick (Hendrick) and everybody that’s been a part of the organization for a long time. And then, even being out there on the opposite side of things – with William (Byron) winning 300 last year here at Texas, I was obviously super bummed because I was dominating the race and lost, but at the same point, I was really happy for the team. Even last week, I’m obviously bummed I didn’t win, but super, super happy for the team. Especially this year, being the 40th anniversary season for Hendrick Motorsports, there’s these milestones that are all kind of coming up right now. It’s just cool to get the 250th Cup Series pole, and I feel like I’m contributing to the record books at Hendrick Motorsports.” NOT JUST FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY PROGRAM – 52 POLES NOW FOR ALL OF THEM, BUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT MILESTONES FOR THAT PROGRAM, AS WELL. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO SEE THAT PROGRAM NOW FINALLY SEEING THE FRUITS OF ITS LABOR AND THE SUCCESS THAT IT’S HAVING FROM ALL OF THAT INVESTMENT TO THE PROGRAM? “Yeah, I think I kind of touched on it maybe last week. Same thing.. it’s just really cool to see it all paying off. I think now, you’re seeing it pay off because these drivers are in really good equipment. You need good equipment in this sport, but it takes a large investment and they’ve been able to do that here lately. It seems like the last few years have helped get their drivers in some good stuff.  Yeah, it’s awesome and I definitely always cheer those drivers on. When they can get a pole or get a win, it’s definitely good for the program.” BETWEEN NOW AND WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO OVER TO THE DIRT TRACK, ARE YOU FOCUSED ON THE RACE TOMORROW? IS THERE A LOT OF DEBRIEF, OR ARE YOU ABLE TO TAKE A NAP? DO YOU HAVE TO GO OVER AND DO ANY ADMINISTRATIVE STUFF AS A HIGH LIMIT SERIES OWNER? “No.. no, we’ll have our debrief here in a couple of minutes to talk about today. I think I have maybe an autograph session here in a little bit.. just normal stuff. Everything is pretty well handled on the High Limit side. When it’s race day, I’m just a driver. I’ll go say ‘hi’ to all of them, but no, there’s nothing I need to do on the administrative side. And then same thing with the No. 57 sprint car.. like everything is pretty well handled there. I just show up; go to the driver’s meeting, hop in the car for engine heat, go race and cross my fingers and hope I do good.” I’VE HEARD PEOPLE MENTION THAT PIT STALLS AND STARTING POSITIONS ARE EVEN MORE IMPORTANT HERE IN TEXAS. IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU, AND HOW EXCITING IS IT TO DO AS WELL AS YOU DID IN QUALIFYING GOING INTO THE RACE? “Well I think in the Next Gen stuff, qualifying is very important because of just track position and it being much harder to pass than it used to be. As far as pit stalls and stuff, this is one of the easier pit roads, I feel like. It’s wide and the stalls are not too small, so it’s not too bad, as long you as you don’t get stuck. Like say you qualified bad and you have to pick a stall in between two good cars and you’re also a good car.. like Kyle Busch will probably have a rough day on pit road tomorrow.  But yeah, you try to put an emphasis on qualifying for sure these days.” GOING BACK-AND-FORTH BETWEEN A CUP CAR AND A SPRINT CAR IS ROUTINE FOR YOU, BUT HOW ABOUT GOING BACK-AND-FORTH BETWEEN THE INDYCAR AND THE CUP CAR.. IS THAT MORE DIFFICULT, BASICALLY BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CAR? “Well I mean I don’t really think it is that different anymore. I’m not sure.. I just think maybe with my experience of just driving different cars – I’m just guessing, but maybe I just adapt quicker than others might bouncing back-and-forth. But this week, the track was so gripped up in Indy that you’re just kind of driving around the track. It wasn’t ever sketchy-feeling, and hopefully it never gets that way.  But no, I don’t know.. it’s fine. I think the biggest thing for me, going from a Cup car to an IndyCar, is just remembering what all the buttons and stuff on the steering wheel do. That’s really the biggest thing, so far. Like every time I get in, I’m like – OK, what’s this weight jacker, left versus right, do.. moving the bar forward versus rearward, like what does that do. I just have to get reminded of that it seems like every time I get back in it.”