Announcer Johnny Gibson, Owners Tony Stewart & Dennis Roth Headline 12-Man Group of LegendsKNOXVILLE, IA – June 4, 2022 – In the world of Sprint Car racing, there is no greater achievement when honoring the life work of an individual than to be inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Today, the next 12 men in line receive that ultimate honor of forever being enshrined as an impactful member of the sport.Founded in 1986 and spearheaded by visionaries Ralph Capitani, Don Lamberti & C.K. Spurlock, the Hall of Fame has been recognizing the dedication and passion of drivers, owners, manufacturers, promoters, and more for 35+ years. The museum, an iconic fixture outside of turn two at Knoxville Raceway, has been educating fans and honoring legends since it broke ground in 1991.As the class of 2022 heads to the hall today at The Sprint Car Capital of the World, many inductees make their way into the history books with a significant impact on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.John Gibson has dedicated his life to the World of Outlaws, that’s no exaggeration. The Pennsylvania native parlayed a program-selling business and a chance opportunity to take the mic with Bobby Gerould into a career as what he calls “the luckiest race fan in the world” back in 1995. Proof of his passion for the sport is the fact that Gibson has called more than 2,000+ consecutive World of Outlaws races since he made his first call 27 years ago. From his iconic Often Imitated, Never Duplicated four-abreast tagline to his signature shouting of QuickTiiimeee, “Gibby” has created a niche of loyal fans with his knack for painting a picture with words and his otherworldly knowledge of the sport. His induction wasn’t a matter of if, but when, and that time finally comes today for a well-deserved man.Tony Stewart has earned his induction into the Hall of Fame in every category imaginable – driver, owner, promoter, you name it. The driving portion of his career is covered by a historic USAC Triple Crown in 1995 and three World of Outlaws wins on a part-time basis. As a car owner, he’s one of the greatest in World of Outlaws history with 300+ victories and nine championships provided by the likes of Donny Schatz, Danny Lasoski, Steve Kinser, and more in 20 years of operation. As a promoter, he’s kept the legacy of Eldora Speedway alive and well in the post-Earl Baltes era and he’s resurrected the All Star Circuit of Champions into the best shape in Series history. Everything “Smoke” has touched, he’s done with 100% passion in hopes of elevating the sport to the next level. On his induction into the Sprint Car Hall of Fame, he said “it means more than all of the other ones, because I’ve poured my heart and soul into this sport for the last 20-30 years.”Dennis Roth is one of the longest tenured car owners in World of Outlaws history, and he’s got the credentials to go along with it. The man behind the Beef Packers mobile has seen his #83 entry reach victory lane with The Greatest Show on Dirt on 98 occasions, two shy of becoming only the sixth man in 45 years to send his car on 100 winning ways. He’s offered his seat to countless men over the years, owning the record for most World of Outlaws wins with different drivers (15). The California businessman now supplies the ride for James McFadden and continues to be one of Sprint Car Racing’s biggest supporters. He’s enjoyed glory at Knoxville before with multiple Nationals titles, but this induction to the Hall of Fame may be his sweetest triumph in Iowa as we acknowledge his contributions as world-class car owner.Tim Green of San Jose, CA is a 12-time World of Outlaws winner, still ranking 39th on the All-Time Win List. In less than 20 full seasons behind the wheel, Green left a lasting mark as one of the most impressive stars to come from California’s west coast throughout the 1970’s and 80’s. He was a multi-time champion with NARC 410, topped specials at Manzanita’s Western World, Skagit’s Dirt Cup, and twice sat on the pole of the Knoxville Nationals before finishing fourth.Terry Gray of Bartlett, TN claimed his lone World of Outlaws win at the young age of 22 years old at one of his home tracks, Riverside (AR), in 1980. It would be his only win with the Series in 200+ starts, but that was only the beginning of his Hall of Fame career. The Tennessee native went on to become a legend in the ASCS and USCS ranks, winning championship after championship, and becoming an acclaimed mentor for the next generation.Jack Kromer also heads for the Hall of Fame this year, a distinguished dirt track photographer, who has been crafting imagery longer than the World of Outlaws have been around. He’s joined in the media category with Gibson and the late, great Robin Miller, who’s passion for dirt track racing never wavered amid his transition to cover the world of IndyCar racing.Also included in this year’s National Sprint Car Hall of Fame class is drivers Eric Gordon and Bob Frey, mechanic Ralph Heintzelman Sr., owner Walter T. Ross, and Melvin “Slim” Rutherford in the pre-1945 category.

World of Outlaws Champions Brad Sweet & Donny Schatz Round Out PodiumGRAND FORKS, ND – June 3, 2022 – On Monday, Sheldon Haudenschild & Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing made their mark as the first five-time winner in 2022 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. On Friday night, Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing quickly backed them up and followed suit with a fifth win to match.Capitalizing amid heavy lap traffic on an even heavier race track, Macedo snookered Logan Schuchart on Lap 11 at River Cities Speedway and never looked back. The Lemoore, CA native set a torrid pace at the Grand Forks, ND bullring, lapping up to ninth-place within five minutes and 17 laps, and going unchallenged over the final three restarts with Schuchart, Donny Schatz, and Brad Sweet lining up behind him.It was a much-needed confidence boost for a team that was still reeling from a stunning disqualification (weight requirement) at Williams Grove three weeks ago. They should’ve left Mechanicsburg with the championship lead, but instead began down a rough five-race stretch with an 13.2 average finish and fell to fourth in the standings.By Friday, all that was in the rear view mirror and out of focus for the Rocky Mount, MO-based team. The Albaugh #41 was stout all night long at the North Dakota 1/4-mile, winning his NOS Energy Drink Heat Race, the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, and then the 35-lap Feature for his first triumph at River Cities.”I think we’ve just had a bit of bad luck on top of being a little bit off lately,” Macedo said on their struggles lately. “I’m just happy to put these guys back in victory lane and pick up everyone’s confidence. We can go to Huset’s with our heads held high and hopefully contend for another win.Phil [Dietz], Clyde [Knipp], and Nate [Repetz] have been working so hard. The character in the track really made it interesting tonight. It honestly felt like the more the race went on, the worse I got. My car just got heavier and tighter as the track was chunking out, and that was all while dealing with lap traffic. Luckily, I chose that right lane and snuck by Logan, that was a big move.”That move around Schuchart on Lap 11 is what ultimately won Macedo his 22nd career World of Outlaws win. The first 22 laps of the race ran caution-free before the first restart allowed the Shark Racing, DuraMAX Oil, Drydene Performance Products #1S to line up alongside Macedo’s #41.Knowing this was arguably his best shot yet with a double-file restart, Schuchart went full send into turn one with hopes of whipping around Macedo to re-claim the lead after pacing the first 10 laps. However, the track had different plans, reaching out and grabbing Schuchart as he started to hop, skip, and jump before flipping it over and landing upside down in turn two. Luckily, in a move that could pay dividends in the championship battle, the Shark crew made repairs in the work area and sent Schuchart back out to finish sixth.Prepared for surfaces of all kinds, Macedo credited his training as an essential tool in claiming Friday’s win on a rough and tough race track.”I spend as many days in the gym as I can to be ready for situations like tonight,” Macedo said on the surface. “We see everything with the World of Outlaws and sometimes you’re gonna get a cowboy up track for 35 laps. I was a bit fatigued by the end, so it’s all about having enough muscle left in you when you most need it.”Ending an eight-race absence from the podium, championship leader Brad Sweet finally returned to the top-three for the first time since Tai-State (IN) in late April. A runner-up result for the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 extended The Big Cat’s points advantage as we approach the 25% mark of the 2022 season.”It’s always nice to be on the front stretch,” a relieved Sweet said. “That was tricky, though. There was so much going on with the rappers, plus it felt like the track was only gaining grip as we went on. It was honestly pretty fun in lap traffic, though. I’ll take a second after this recent stretch we’ve been on. The results haven’t showed how hard these NAPA Auto Parts guys are working.”Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND made the hour-long drive north to Grand Forks and continued his remarkable run of success at the track with a third-place effort. The 10-time World of Outlaws champion earned his fifth podium of the year, extending his record to 26 top-five finishes in 28 Series starts at River Cities Speedway. It was another solid effort with car owner Tony Stewart in attendance ahead of his induction into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame tomorrow in Knoxville.”I don’t know if I’ve ever been on two wheels that many times in my life,” Schatz joked on the unique characteristics of the track. “There’s no denying this place had a lot of character tonight, I think Larry [Hillerud] would’ve been smiling down on that one. That’s the nature of the beast, though, not much surprises me on the road anymore. This team keeps digging and we keep putting the results together. The more we show up on this podium, we’ll eventually get back into victory lane.”Closing out the top-five on Friday night was James McFadden in fourth-place aboard the Roth Motorsports #83, and David Gravel in fifth-place in the Big Game Motorsports #2.Rounding out the top-10 at River Cities was the #1S of Logan Schuchart in sixth, the #3Z of Brock Zearfoss in seventh, the #9 of Kasey Kahne in eighth, the #13 of Mark Dobmeier in ninth, and the #20G of Noah Gass in tenth.NOS NOTEBOOK (River Cities Speedway, 6/3/22)Carson Macedo’s fifth win of the season brings him and the Jason Johnson Racing #41 into a tie with Sheldon Haudenschild and the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 for most wins with the Series in 2022. By pacing 25 laps on Friday, Macedo also becomes the first driver through 24 races to lead 100+ laps this season.Macedo’s 22nd career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory moves him beyond Rick Ferkel and Tim Kaeding into sole possession of 28th on the All-Time Win List. Next up is Ron Shuman of Tempe, AZ at 24 career wins.Of the 11 drivers to break into the nine-second bracket during My Place Hotels Qualifying, Sheldon Haudenschild led them all with a lap of 9.693 seconds around River Cities Speedway. He’s the sixth driver to earn multiple Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company QuickTime Awards this season.A trio of NOS Energy Drink Heat Race wins went to Carson Macedo (67th career), Kasey Kahne (15th career), and Kraig Kinser (123rd career). Macedo followed that with his second DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash win of the season to earn the pole position. Austin Pierce of Grand Forks, ND topped the MicroLite Last Chance Showdown. He was one of 11 local drivers to qualify for their first NOS Energy Drink Feature of the 2022 season.18-year-old Noah Gass of Mounds, OK earned Friday’s KSE Hard Charger Award with a 17th-t0-10th victory. It marked the first-career World of Outlaws top-10 finish for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender.UP NEXT (Sun) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will be off tomorrow night, but the racing resumes on Sunday, June 5 with the first of four stops at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, SD. The Sunday night showdown is a precursor for the upcoming $100,000-to-win High Bank Nationals at the track on June 23-25. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps) – 1. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [7][$6,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$3,500]; 4. 83-James McFadden [8][$2,800]; 5. 2-David Gravel [11][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$2,300]; 7. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [9][$2,200]; 8. 9-Kasey Kahne [3][$2,100]; 9. 13-Mark Dobmeier [13][$2,050]; 10. 20G-Noah Gass [17][$2,000]; 11. 5-Spencer Bayston [12][$1,600]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6][$1,400]; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5][$1,200]; 14. 2A-Austin Pierce [19][$1,100]; 15. 11M-Brendan Mullen [14][$1,050]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$1,000]; 17. 8H-Jade Hastings [15][$1,000]; 18. 6N-Greg Nikitenko [21][$1,000]; 19. 99-Jordan Graham [20][$1,000]; 20. 17K-Zach Omdahl [18][$1,000]; 21. O-Nick Omdahl [24][$1,000]; 22. 26-Blake Egeland [22][$1,000]; 23. 55-Nick Ranten [23][$1,000]; 24. 9N-Wade Nygaard [16][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Logan Schuchart 1-10, Carson Macedo 11-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 20G-Noah Gass[+7]NEW Championship Standings (After 24/77 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (3,328); 2. David Gravel (-52); 3. Sheldon Haudenschild (-56); 4. Carson Macedo (-62); 5. Logan Schuchart (-88); 6. Donny Schatz (-148); 7. James McFadden (-172); 8. Spencer Bayston (-184); 9. Jacob Allen (-250); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-384).Photo – Trent Gower

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: NOS Energy Drink (Official Energy Product), Case Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ACME Trading, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), Micro-Lite LLC, MSD, My Place Hotels and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include Dirt Car Lift, FIREBULL, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, and Sea Foam.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

This email was sent to trishyunick@me.com 

Oakwood, IL Driver Holds Off Kyle Bronson for Fourth Career Series Win

GRANITE CITY, IL – June 3, 2022– Bobby Pierce had one thing on his mind before the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Feature Friday at Tri-City Speedway. Win the race off Turn 2. 

The “Smooth Operator” accomplished that feat, thundering past Ryan Unzicker and leading all 40 laps for his second Series victory of 2022. 

Pierce, who started on the pole, realized the importance of that position before the race began.  

“I noticed [the track] wasn’t all that tacky,” Pierce said. “I was glad that I drew the pole and had a good start and had really good restarts. 

“It was the perfect night for us. We needed it after all the bad luck we’ve been having and how hard the crew worked the past few days.”

While the Oakwood, IL driver dominated the race, he had concerns toward the end. Pierce was worried about stepping to the outside as the laps wound down. 

“I was getting loose off Turn 2, and the crumbs on the bottom were throwing up,” Pierce said. “I figured I might have a good enough gap from second place that if I made a bobble, I could get back down and protect. But I was worried.

“I just had to not make mistakes, and it was my race to lose.”

Pierce’s $10,000 triumph is his fourth career World of Outlaws Victory and second in his home state. 

Kyle Bronson crossed the line second, his third top-five of the season with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models.

The Brandon, FL driver took advantage of his third starting spot to grab second on the first lap. 

“It was bottom dominant there for most of the race, but they did everything they can; there were a lot of race cars,” Bronson said. “I kind of slowed down in the middle of the race and took care of my tires. We just gotta be one spot better and gotta learn how to redraw a little better, I guess.”

Ryan Gustin finished third, his second straight Series podium. The “Reaper” fell back a few spots early in the race before a Lap 11 restart when he passed three cars in six laps. 

Gustin felt he had the best car in the Feature but couldn’t get by Bronson and Pierce. 

“It kind of circled up around the bottom, but that’s part of it,” Gustin said. “It was smooth and slick for the start; it’s just kind of one of them deals. I think we had the best car. We just weren’t able to do anything there.”

From El Paso, IL, Ryan Unzicker finished fourth, his first top-five of the season with the World of Outlaws.

While he felt starting on the outside didn’t help his chances of winning, he’s still happy to walk away with a top-five.

“I told myself driving down here [Friday] that if I ran top-five, I’d be happy as heck,” Unzicker said. “I’m a little bummed, honestly. Anytime you start on the front row and back up a couple of spots, you know it’s still a great run for our team, but it’s obviously, you know, going backward. 

“A couple of spots kind of hurt, but it’s great momentum.”

Kyle Hammer, the Rookie of the Race, rounded out the top-five, the second of his World of Outlaws career. He took advantage of his fifth starting spot to hold on to the top-five run.

“We got lucky we started on the bottom,” Hammer said. “They reworked it, and it gave us good traction for the first couple of laps. Honestly, I didn’t expect Gustin to be coming around on the top with everyone running the bottom in front of us, so that was kind of a surprise. 

“To be able to settle in and at least get a top-five is a pretty good night for us here.”

Max Blair finished 9th, cutting his points deficit on Series leader Dennis Erb Jr. to 98 points. The Carpentersville, IL driver crossed the line 12th.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models travel to Missouri on June 24-25 for the inaugural St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff. 

Oakwood, IL Driver Holds Off Kyle Bronson for Fourth Career Series Win

GRANITE CITY, IL – June 3, 2022– Bobby Pierce had one thing on his mind before the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Feature Friday at Tri-City Speedway. Win the race off Turn 2. 

The “Smooth Operator” accomplished that feat, thundering past Ryan Unzicker and leading all 40 laps for his second Series victory of 2022. 

Pierce, who started on the pole, realized the importance of that position before the race began.  

“I noticed [the track] wasn’t all that tacky,” Pierce said. “I was glad that I drew the pole and had a good start and had really good restarts. 

“It was the perfect night for us. We needed it after all the bad luck we’ve been having and how hard the crew worked the past few days.”

While the Oakwood, IL driver dominated the race, he had concerns toward the end. Pierce was worried about stepping to the outside as the laps wound down. 

“I was getting loose off Turn 2, and the crumbs on the bottom were throwing up,” Pierce said. “I figured I might have a good enough gap from second place that if I made a bobble, I could get back down and protect. But I was worried.

“I just had to not make mistakes, and it was my race to lose.”

Pierce’s $10,000 triumph is his fourth career World of Outlaws Victory and second in his home state. 

Kyle Bronson crossed the line second, his third top-five of the season with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models.

The Brandon, FL driver took advantage of his third starting spot to grab second on the first lap. 

“It was bottom dominant there for most of the race, but they did everything they can; there were a lot of race cars,” Bronson said. “I kind of slowed down in the middle of the race and took care of my tires. We just gotta be one spot better and gotta learn how to redraw a little better, I guess.”

Ryan Gustin finished third, his second straight Series podium. The “Reaper” fell back a few spots early in the race before a Lap 11 restart when he passed three cars in six laps. 

Gustin felt he had the best car in the Feature but couldn’t get by Bronson and Pierce. 

“It kind of circled up around the bottom, but that’s part of it,” Gustin said. “It was smooth and slick for the start; it’s just kind of one of them deals. I think we had the best car. We just weren’t able to do anything there.”

From El Paso, IL, Ryan Unzicker finished fourth, his first top-five of the season with the World of Outlaws.

While he felt starting on the outside didn’t help his chances of winning, he’s still happy to walk away with a top-five.

“I told myself driving down here [Friday] that if I ran top-five, I’d be happy as heck,” Unzicker said. “I’m a little bummed, honestly. Anytime you start on the front row and back up a couple of spots, you know it’s still a great run for our team, but it’s obviously, you know, going backward. 

“A couple of spots kind of hurt, but it’s great momentum.”

Kyle Hammer, the Rookie of the Race, rounded out the top-five, the second of his World of Outlaws career. He took advantage of his fifth starting spot to hold on to the top-five run.

“We got lucky we started on the bottom,” Hammer said. “They reworked it, and it gave us good traction for the first couple of laps. Honestly, I didn’t expect Gustin to be coming around on the top with everyone running the bottom in front of us, so that was kind of a surprise. 

“To be able to settle in and at least get a top-five is a pretty good night for us here.”

Max Blair finished 9th, cutting his points deficit on Series leader Dennis Erb Jr. to 98 points. The Carpentersville, IL driver crossed the line 12th.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models travel to Missouri on June 24-25 for the inaugural St. Louis Firecracker Faceoff. 

Mineral Wells, WV (June 3, 2022) – Devin Moran regained the lead from Jonathan Davenport on lap 24 to score the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win on Friday night at the West Virginia Motor Speedway; the first appearance by the series since 2013 at the 5/8-mile facility promoted by Cody Watson. Both Moran and Davenport each led 15 laps during the 30-lap, caution free main event. Gregg Satterlee came home in third followed by Ricky Thornton Jr. and Earl Pearson Jr. Moran bolted to the lead at the start of the race with Davenport in tow. Moran led until Davenport passed him on lap ten for the race lead. Davenport extended his lead and looked to be on his way to his fourth straight win at WVMS, but Moran caught the three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series champion in heavy traffic passing him on the inside on lap 24. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the fourth time this season and the sixth time in his career, Moran made the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series return to WVMS a memorable one for the packed hillside. “Obviously, JD’s got his stuff rolling. His car is really good. I’ve got a lot of work to do to beat him tomorrow. Wylie (Moran) said before the race that lapped traffic was going to be important; I was hoping we would be leading at that point. He was trying to make a move around those guys and just messed up. I was able to slide underneath of him.” The 27-year-old Ohio native’s key to victory was not to get too close to lapped traffic. “That was definitely the biggest key to us winning. I didn’t want to get too close to those lapped cars when they got bunched up, I didn’t want to do what he did. The track was a little tricky tonight, but it was really smooth. I am sure Cody (Watson) will have it awesome for tomorrow.” Davenport, who entered the event looking for his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season came home with another second-place run. “It is sort of getting to be like Groundhog Day, every time we make the right move to get the lead then I lose it in lapped traffic. I was really trying to separate myself from lapped traffic. I was making some moves I really didn’t want to make there. It was really hard to get to the outside of a lapped car. Congratulations to Devin on the win and thanks to my guys for giving me another good hot-rod.” Satterlee was in the thick of things at the end as he rounded out the podium in third. “It was a good night for us. A top three, we can’t complain about that. We learned a couple of things on the car tonight. We need to be a little bit more maneuverable in the feature. The lapped traffic was pretty tough to get by.” The winner’s Tye Twarog Racing Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by C&W Trucking, CarSourceAuto.com, Bilstein Shocks, Tri-Valley Equipment Sales, Accuforce Dynos and Testers, McHugh Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat, Igimage.com, Eibach Springs, Red Oak Pub, Tommy Pope Construction, J.R. Hall Properties LLC, and Haulin’ Haskell’s.  Completing the top ten were Kyle Strickler, Brandon Sheppard, Tyler Erb, Tim McCreadie, and Hudson O’Neal. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Jan Dils Attorneys at Law “Historic 100” Presented by Arizona Sport ShirtsFriday, June 3rd, 2022West Virginia Motor Speedway – Mineral Wells, WV Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Devin Moran / 20.627 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport / 20.764 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 3. 8-Kyle Strickler[3]; 4. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[4]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[6]; 6. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 7. 34C-Pete Crum[7]; 8. K11-George Klintworth[8] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4Transfer): 1. 22-Gregg Satterlee[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 4. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 5. 12-Ryan Montgomery[5]; 6. 0-Edward Shuman[6]; 7. 16-Josh Tonkin[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 4. 89-Ashton Winger[5]; 5. 71R-Rod Conley[7]; 6. 119-Bryan Bernheisel[3]; 7. 15-Justin Duty[8]; 8. 113-Brandon Francis[6] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[3]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[4]; 5. 12D-Doug Drown[5]; 6. 22*-GR Smith[6]; 7. 37F-Wayne Francis[8]; 8. 2A-Matt Altiers[7] FAST Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 71R-Rod Conley[2]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 4. 12-Ryan Montgomery[3]; 5. 12D-Doug Drown[4]; 6. 119-Bryan Bernheisel[6]; 7. 15-Justin Duty[10]; 8. 113-Brandon Francis[14]; 9. 22*-GR Smith[8]; 10. 34C-Pete Crum[9]; 11. 37F-Wayne Francis[12]; 12. 16-Josh Tonkin[11]; 13. 2A-Matt Altiers[15]; 14. 0-Edward Shuman[7]; 15. K11-George Klintworth[13]

Richard Childress Racing at World Wide Technology Raceway … The NASCAR Cup Series will make its debut at World Wide Technology Raceway this weekend. Richard Childress Racing has tasted success at the 1.25-mile speedway located near Madison, Ill., racking up two wins with Kevin Harvick in consecutive races in 2000 and 2001. Harvick led 221 of 400 possible laps 55.25 percent) in those races. Harvick gave Childress his first Xfinity Series title as a owner in 2001.    

NASCAR Xfinity Series at Portland … This will be the first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Portland International Raceway. NASCAR has held events in the area at Portland Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series competed at the half-mile speedway in 1956 and 1957 while the Truck Series held four races at the facility from 1995-1998. Mike Skinner, driving an RCR truck, won the inaugural event in impressive fashion, winning the pole and leading all 200 laps. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and Northwest Series competed at Portland Speedway until 2000. 

Tom Blomqvist puts the Meyer Shank Racing on the front row in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship qualifying for Saturday’s Detroit Grand Prix

10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 lines up third in the hands of Ricky Taylor

Aidan Read qualifies #51 Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 fifth in GTD

DETROIT, Mich. (June 3, 2022) – Meyer Shank Racing’s Tom Blomqvist led the charge for Acura in today’s qualifying today on the Belle Isle Park circuit, and will start his #60 Acura ARX-05 on the outside of the front row, second, for Sunday’s one-hour, 40-minute IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race in Detroit.

The #60 Acura will line up just ahead of the Wayne Taylor Racing #10 ARX-05, which qualified third in the hands of Ricky Taylor and will be co-driven by Filipe Albuquerque. Blomqvist will partner Oliver Jarvis in MSR’s effort to claim their second victory of the year, following a win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona to kick off the season in January.

In the production-based GTD class, the #51 Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 qualified fifth in the hands of Aidan Read, who will share driving duties tomorrow with IMSA veteran and former Touring Car champion Ryan Eversley.

IMSA Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio Acura Qualifying Results
2nd overall – #60 Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
3rd overall – #10 Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
5th GTD – #51 Aidan Read, Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22

Quotes
Tom Blomqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05) Qualified 2nd: “I think that was a great effort from the team, really. We made good steps with the car throughout today, and this was my first time here so I think I was getting better and better with every lap. So we’ve got to be happy with the job we’ve done, because I think we’ve made such huge improvements with the car, not only today, but throughout the last few events. And it’s really starting to show. So now the focus is on [the race] tomorrow.”

Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05) Qualified 3rd: “Decent is a good word to describe it. I’m not very happy with myself after the qualifying, I think I made a little mistake on my best lap—the only lap we had the pace for the pole. It’s definitely a shame. Track position is really important here, so I think the opening lap is going to be critical. There’s only 16 total cars on track, so you won’t have the same amount of opportunities in traffic and a lower potential for yellows, so we’re going to have to make the most of the moments on track and in the pits with the strategy. So I think the first opportunity, the first lap, is going to be exciting because everyone is going to be looking to make up as many spots as they can. And, we’re on the right side of the start at least to hopefully make our way up!” 


Aidan Read (#51 Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22) Qualified 5th in GTD: “That was definitely our best qualifying of the year, so I’m really proud of this team. I’m glad that we’ve been able to put together a good car this week. We’ve been bouncing around the top five for most of the day and ended up in the top five. I think our car is strong here—and we’ve shown glimpses of top-three speed. It was a bit of a tough day, we tagged the fence early in practice, and the walls are so tight here it felt like we were kissing the wall every other lap from them on. It’s been hard on the car and hard on the guys, and they’ve worked really hard to make sure we have a good car. I gave it everything out there and we ended up with our best qualifying of the year. Now, to rest up, to come back, and race tomorrow. We start in the top five, so now we just have to finish there. That’s the goal.”

Fast Facts
Acura Motorsports has recorded four previous victories on the streets of Belle Isle Park, including the 2019 event, won by Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya aboard their Acura ARX-05 prototype; consecutive GTD triumphs for the Acura NSX GT3 in 2017-18; and another overall win for the Acura ARX-01b prototype in 2008.

Acura and Honda Performance Development – the North America racing arm of Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports – come to the Detroit Grand Prix seeking to continue a run of major race wins. Acura has won the two most recent IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship events of 2022, and opened the season with a second consecutive win at the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January.

In 2021, HPD became the first engine build firm to win both the Rolex 24 at Daytona overall and the Indianapolis 500 in the same calendar year. The company repeated that feat in 2022, with Meyer Shank Racing leading a 1-2 finish for Acura at Daytona and Marcus Ericsson scoring Honda’s third consecutive victory – and 15th win – at the Indianapolis 500.

Sebastien Bourdais sets fourth track record in No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac

DETROIT (June 3, 2022) – Sebastien Bourdais put the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R on the pole for the fourth time in the past five IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship races – setting the track qualifying lap record each time – and will lead the field to the green flag June 4 for the 100-minute Chevrolet Sports Car Classic.

Bourdais got around the tricky 2.35-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit on Belle Isle in 1 minute, 18.818 seconds on his final lap in the 15-minute qualifying session to steal the lap record from Juan Pablo Montoya (1:19.373) in 2019. The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac previously started from the pole at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the Long Beach street circuit and Sebring International Raceway. Bourdais and co-driver Renger van der Zande won at Long Beach. Van der Zande co-drove the No. 01 Cadillac entry to victory at Belle Isle in 2021. Cadillac has won three of the four races at Belle Isle in the DPi era.

Bourdais’ best lap came after a gusty tailwind caught him off-guard in Turn 2 and pushed the No. 01 Cadillac into the unforgiving barrier. “At that point, I thought I cost myself a shot at the pole,” he said. “I still had some Michelin tires potential left and it all came together. That last lap was mega. It was a messy qualifying, but like I said you have to commit so much around here that you expose yourself.”

Save the date: The Project GTP Hypercar that previews the third-generation Cadillac prototype race car is coming June 9.

The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber, will start fourth. Olivier Pla, making his debut in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R, qualified fifth and will share driving duties in the race with reigning IMSA DPi champion Pipo Derani. The No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R, co-driven by Tristan Vautier and Richard Westbrook, qualified sixth.

The USA Network will telecast the race live at 3 p.m., while IMSA Radio will broadcast all sessions at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992. Rory Harvey, Cadillac Global Vice President, will deliver opening remarks and is the honorary starter. A Corvette C8 Stingray will lead the field to the green flag. An interview with pole winner Sebastien Bourdais (No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R): TALK ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT THIS ONE WAS.“I couldn’t leave the track record to Juan Pablo. It’s really sweet. Obviously, a couple of really big laps, a really big hit and super happy that the Cadillac is so strong because any other car, I think, that was the end of the session halfway through. I took off and ended in the wall pretty square in Turn 2. That was unexpected. There was a strong tailwind in (Turns) 1 and 2, and it caught me off-guard. Really happy for Cadillac at its home race. Big commitment around here; really rewarding. It’s really the first time I put everything together in qualifying in Detroit. I’ve been fast here, but never in qualifying. Hoping for a good day tomorrow. The 01 won last year so the expectations are high.” DID YOUR FASTEST LAP COME AFTER YOU HIT THE WALL?“Yes. I hit really hard, regrouped for two or three laps. I wasn’t really sure everything was right; I was checking tire pressures for a couple of laps. As bad a hit as it was, I didn’t want to keep pushing through but make sure everything was right. At that point, I thought I cost myself a shot at the pole. I still had some Michelin tires potential left and it all came together. That last lap was mega. It was a messy qualifying, but like I said you have to commit so much around here that you expose yourself. I think that’s why you see so many mistakes; it’s a really unforgiving place. A good, traditional street track with walls right on the edges. Very sharp curbs on the entry and exit. Big reward when you put it together but high intensity behind the wheel.” AN UP AND DOWN YEAR FOR YOU. DO YOU WISH IT WAS MORE CONSISTENT?“For sure. I’ve had a fairly uneventful season. Mostly, it’s been running out of luck. We’ve had electrical issues that really never happens. It’s not so much on the guys. I don’t think I’ve hit the wall that many times in succession in a long time – since I was 16 or 17 when I was dumb and stupid. I guess I’m not getting any wiser. You have to hustle the car around so much and push that you expose yourself. The BoP is tough for us on a track that is historically strong for us. I think it proves that we have to dig that deep. Track position is key. We haven’t had the season we’ve wanted so far as far as results. We’ve been really fast and have had a bunch of poles, but opportunity doesn’t reward the points you need to win the championship. We’re hoping to kickstart our season in the second half and put some points on the board. Hopefully, it starts tomorrow.” MAXIMIZING THE POINTS IN QUALIFYING HELPS A LITTLE?“It’s a small consolation prize. We’re 200 points behind in the championship. We have to start getting things to come our way and our opponents to have some issues if we want to get back in that fight. We have to keep our heads down, push as hard as we can and minimize mistakes and hope we get a little luck at some point.”

Cadillac Racing from the cockpit No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V. (Cadillac Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisBourdais drove in the qualifying session (start first, 1:18.818). Van der Zande and Bourdais co-drove the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R to the victory on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting from the pole. … It was the 16th IMSA victory for van der Zande and eighth for Bourdais. … Bourdais set the qualifying lap record time in the event. He set the lap record time in earning the pole for the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Bourdais earned the pole for the May 15 Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio. … van der Zande, in addition to claiming the 2021 overall victory at Detroit, co-drove to IMSA Prototype Challenge class wins in 2015 and ’16 at Belle Isle. … Bourdais is a four-time INDYCAR champion and two-time winner at Belle Isle in INDYCAR competition. … Bourdais and van der Zande are on the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.Car chief-Phil BinksLead engineer-John HennekRace strategist-Peter Baron No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex LynnLynn drove in the qualifying session (start fourth, 1:19.334). “I think the car deserved better, to be honest. I was quick enough to deliver something better, but long race tomorrow and we’ll make it better.” First-year entry in expanded Cadillac Racing DPi program. … Bamber and Lynn co-drove to a runner-up finish on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting second. … They, along with Neel Jani, co-drove to victory March 19 in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Bamber salutes his home country with a silver fern design on the sides of his helmet — a quasi-national emblem used for various official New Zealand symbols. … Lynn is on the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.Car chief-Jamie CoatesLead engineer-Danielle ShephardRace strategist-Michael Harvey No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Olivier PlaPla drove in the qualifying session (fifth, 1:20.298): “First time in the car and with the team. Coming to this place, I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I tried every lap learn from the car and get more confidence. We’re going to continue to push and see what I can improve on for the race and give the car to Pipo in position to win the race.” Pla is making his debut in the No. 31 Cadillac at Detroit. … Derani and Felipe Nasr were runners-up in 2021 and 2019 at Detroit. … Derani and Tristan Nunez co-drove to third place on the Laguna Seca road course after starting sixth. They followed with a third-place finish May 15 at Mid-Ohio. … Derani and Nunez, joined by Mike Conway, started second and finished third in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … The three-driver team started seventh and finished fourth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the season. … Derani and Felipe Nasr were the 2021 IMSA DPi Driver Champions and Whelen Engineering/Action Express Racing was the Team Champion. … Derani and Pla are teammates for the second consecutive year for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.Car chief-Bill KeulerTechnical director/lead engineer-Iain WattRace strategist-Tim Keene No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard WestbrookVautier drove in the qualifying session (start sixth, 1:20.331): “Today was challenging. We were hoping to have a little more after being strong here last year. The top Cadillacs have made a step up and we have to find what we’re missing. We’re hard at it. We have the warmup to try a few things and hopefully have a solid race.” Vautier and Westbrook co-drove to third place on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting fifth. Vautier and Westbrook, joined by Loic Duval, drove to second place in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring and opened the ’22 season by starting second and finishing third at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. … Westbrook is a London-trained chef. … Vautier and Westbrook are on the entry list for the 24 Hours of Le Mans this month.Car chief-Josh KerriganLead engineer-Rick CameronRace strategist-John Church

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WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

ENJOY ILLINOIS 300

TEAM CHEVY POST-PRACTICE NOTES & QUOTES

JUNE 3, 2022

TEAM CHEVY: TOP-20 IN NASCAR CUP SERIES PRACTICE

5th      ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP CAMARO ZL1 

6th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 

8th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 

9th      ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1

14th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 

16th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 

18th    TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVROLET MILITARY APPRECIATION CAMARO ZL1 

20th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 

·       The NASCAR Cup Series participated in a 50-minute practice session to kick-off the series’ inaugural race at World Wide Technology Raceway. 

·       At the end of the practice session, four Camaro ZL1’s placed in the top-10 of the speed charts, with Erik Jones leading the way for Chevrolet as the fifth-fastest car overall.  

·       Tyler Reddick (6th), Kyle Larson (8th) and Ross Chastain (9th) rounded out the Team Chevy top-10. 

·       Qualifying to set the lineup for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event at World Wide Technology Raceway will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00 a.m. CT.

·       FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 Presented by TicketSmarter at World Wide Technology Raceway live at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 5. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1; ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1; AND WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with media after the NASCAR Cup Series practice. Media session highlights:

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1

HOW DID YOU FEEL AFTER THE PRACTICE AT GATEWAY – ABOUT HOW THE SIMULATOR TOLD YOU IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE OR WAS IT DIFFERENT? 

“Yeah, it’s about like everything I’ve watched here before. It’s kind of like a big Martinsville, honestly. It reminds me a little bit of that, just on a larger scale. I think the racing is going to be a lot like Martinsville was this year, too, so it should be good.”

WILL IT BE AS TOUGH TO PASS BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS TO SHIFT ? 

“I’m not sure it has as much to do with the shifting as it is just the proximity of the guy in front of you. The entry is pretty narrow, so for you to get some fresh air is pretty difficult to do. So, you’re always kind of following that guy in front of you on entry. It’s hard to position yourself in a different spot to gain some comfort via clean air; therefore, you kind of get to a certain point in disturbed air and it’s going to be difficult to feel as comfortable as you would if you weren’t.”

QUALIFYING TOMORROW IS VITAL? 

“Pit stops and restarts will be vital on who wins.”

HAVE YOU SEEN ANY MORE FALLOFF WITH THE TIRE BECAUSE YOU COMPARED IT TO MARTINSVILLE; AND PART OF THE PROBLEM AT MARTINSVILLE WAS THE FALLOFF OF THE TIRE.

“I don’t think the falloff and the shifting was the issue at Martinsville. I really don’t. I feel like it was just the lack of ability of being able to be close to someone on entry. It was very difficult to be right behind a guy without missing your center. I think you have to be in position in the center to pass a guy on exit. You’re not going to pass them unless you’re in a position to do so.

The tire falloff has been minimal at Martinsville for a while, especially when the temperatures are as cold as they were. That wasn’t the first time we’ve seen that. So, I don’t agree with that narrative.” 

JUST THE FEELING ABOUT COMING HERE TO ST. LOUIS AND THE INAUGURAL RACE AND THE ENERGY SURROUNDING THIS. I’M SURE YOU’VE HEARD THAT SUNDAY IS SOLD OUT, SO WHAT IS THAT LIKE FOR YOU AS A DRIVER?

“It’s great to come to a new market like this and a market that seems like they want us to be here. It’s always exciting. I did a NAPA event in Litchfield, Illinois, this morning and there were a lot of people there and there was a lot of excitement about the race this weekend. I would say 80 percent of the people that were there are coming to the race and were excited about all the things that were going on here. 

I think there’s a lot of traction, so now, we need to make sure we put on a good show number one. And then, we’ve seen this before, where the track gets an influx of people for the first time like they’re going to have this weekend; and the roadways aren’t prepared and we have a lot of traffic. If I was a spectator, I wouldn’t want to sit in four hours of traffic leaving this thing or be late getting in. We had that issue in Nashville and we had that issue in Kentucky years ago. So, I hope we’re prepared this weekend and we’ve learned our lesson there.”

DID YOU FIND ANY QUIRKS ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT YOU DIDN’T EXPECT?

“No – honestly, don’t take this the wrong way, I don’t have it figured out by any means – but nothing really surprised me.”

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1

HOW WERE THINGS OUT THERE DURING PRACTICE?

“Good. The track is different than what I remember it from the truck races I did in 2018 and 2019. By myself out there, it was fun. The ends are so different and tire falloff is just enough that I was starting to lose grip. I wasn’t really slowing down as much, but I was starting to get loose and get tight. It’s like a new challenge; it’s like a new race track.”

WHEN YOU WALKED IN THIS MORNING AND THE TRACKHOUSE RACING HAULERS WERE ALL THE WAY UP TOWARDS THE FRONT, WAS THERE ANY SPECIAL PRIDE IN THAT OR DO YOU NOT CARE?

“I do care. I accidently walked in from the other end of the garage, so I got to walk down the whole lane and it’s wild. I kept looking around – I mean I knew it, but I was like ‘holy cow’. Just to think that we’re second in points, I feel like we’ve out kicked our coverage a little bit. Week in and week out, we’ve had speed and raking in the points.”

THAT FEELING OF WALKING INTO THE GARAGE, WHERE THE HAULERS ARE AND BEING SECOND IN POINTS – IS THAT A FEELING THAT YOU WANT TO STAY; OR DO YOU THINK EVENTUALLY IT SHOULD BE A NORMAL FEELING FOR YOU GUYS?

“I think it’s human nature to get more comfortable in your surroundings once you’ve done it awhile. Everybody tells me I should expect to be fast. I should expect to be here; I should expect to race with my heroes. But until that day, I don’t really know how that’s going to happen. I mean it is getting more normal, but I still have the same feeling. 

Yes, I think I should find some middle ground. I think looking back on this year, I’ll hopefully come back next year and have a different mindset of some things. I hope to evolve; I hope to be better. But I hope that it’s still special to walk into the garage for a long time. I hope that feeling never goes away.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1

BYRON ON THE FLAT TIRE IN PRACTICE: 

“I think it was just not knowing what our travels were going to be and putting ourselves in a little bit of a bad spot there. We definitely kind of had some ride quality issues down the straightaway. I started bouncing and I was a little bit nervous about it. I’ve had a couple of them, so as soon as it went, I knew. Luckily, it was on the straightaway.”

IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE CONFIDENT THAT IT WILL BE FIXED TOMORROW?

“Yeah, it was fine the next two runs. I think we ran 15 laps the next run and we were fine. The base of the car seemed decent, we just made kind of a testing change that last run and tried to learn some stuff. It wasn’t what we needed for right now.”

YOU HAVE 13 PLAYOFF POINTS; YOU AND ROSS (CHASTAIN) HAVE THE MOST. THERE ARE AROUND EIGHT DRIVERS WITHIN SEVEN POINTS. TYPICALLY IN SOME YEARS, WE’VE SEEN BIG GAPS. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER AND INTO THE PLAYOFFS?

“Yeah, it’s going to be a dog fight this year. We’ve had speed, but then we’ve had some weeks where we just miss it. We’re just learning this car. I feel like the times that we’ve missed it, it’s definitely tough to overcome. I feel like we’re still trying to find our footing; but when we nail the setup, we’re great and we can win. And when we miss the setup, we’re like 15th. So, we’ve got to figure out how to put our window closer together so we’re not a first-place car or a 15th-place car. It’s just a matter of figuring out those little things; me doing a good job communicating; and just bringing us together so we learn this car even better.”

EPPING, N.H. (June 03, 2022) – It was business as usual for Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevy dragster team as they opened the NHRA New England Nationals with a provisional No. 2 qualifier at New England Dragway. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team currently sit No. 4 while in Funny Car, John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS are No. 5 and Robert Hight has the AAA New England Chevy No. 12. Leading the Camping World Drag Racing Series points, Brittany Force handled her Monster Energy dragster to a stout 3.687-second pass at 329.50 mph. Force would have to drive through a bit of tire shake but held on to settle into No. 2. “Back here in Epping, ended up running a 3.68 to currently sit number two. It’s a good position, we’re happy with it. We’re always aiming for top three, and we were right in our range. We were looking for a high 60, low 70 so we hit our mark. We get two more tomorrow to see if we can push this Monster Energy dragster and get it down the track a little bit quicker to set us up for a good race day.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand dragster would have a bit of a wild ride with cylinders going in and out before a flash of flames on their way to a 3.749-second pass at 293.22 mph. They’ll get day two of qualifying started from the No. 4 spot. “It was definitely an exciting start to the weekend for the race fans. We put on a little bit of a fireworks show there. We had a rear oil line crack due to a parts fire that started an oil fire at about 300 feet but still made a competitive run,” Prock said. “We shut off about 200 feet early so we went 3.74 at 293.50 mph that puts us 6th so not a terrible start but definitely a little bit of work for the guys but we’ll be ready to go for tomorrow.” John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy were off to a good run before driving into tire smoke and shutting off for only a 5.835-second pass at 123.14 mph that puts them in the No. 6 spot. “Not the start we wanted but Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they’ll get it figured out,” Force said. “This PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy will be ready tomorrow. We get two more and now that we have one under our belt, we take what we learned and give it another go.” Robert Hight, in his AAA Chevy livery, ran into trouble immediately. The Camaro Funny Car shut off right at the hit and didn’t make it off the starting line. The three-time championship team would record no-time but end up No. 12. “Definitely not the way this AAA Chevy team wanted to start the weekend. We had a mechanical failure. It was basically a wire that shot the parachutes out and closed the throttle – just a safety system. The system thought that it had the burst panels out of the manifold, so it shut it off. It’s kind of a bummer because those were our best conditions to try and get the top spot. Let’s hope the clouds stick around tomorrow and we can get another shot at trying to go to the top.” Race action at New England Dragway for the NHRA New England Nationals continues Saturday with qualifying sessions at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) starting with qualifying shows Friday at 9 p.m. and Saturday at 7 p.m. Eliminations will air Sunday at 7 p.m. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 26, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:4th; 3.749-seconds; 293.22 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 35, Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.687-seconds; 329.50 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +2 (2nd quickest Q1)JOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:6th; 5.835-seconds; 123.14 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0ROBERT HIGHT, 52, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:12th; no-timeBonus Qualifying Points:0

Toyota Driver Steve Torrence Posted the Quickest Time in Q1 at the New England Nationals in Epping, NH on Friday afternoon. The run was the fastest that Torrence has posted since joining Team Toyota at the beginning of the 2022 season. A quote from Torrence following today’s session is below. Of note, there are two additional qualifying sessions scheduled for Saturday to determine qualifying positions.

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

Q1 TF Qualifying: 3.664 seconds, 329.50 mph

How important was it for you to post the fast time in Q1 tonight?

“Fastest run of the year and so much emotion behind that run just because we’ve been working so hard and diligently to really make this car do that. Couldn’t be happier for every one of these guys on the team because it’s so much hard work and this is like seven or eight races now without us winning one and it’s all a sacrifice you have to make. You have to tear stuff down to build it back up stronger and that’s where we’re at. I’m not going to say that we’re there yet, but we’re definitely a step in the right direction. That’s a confidence booster for myself and for every one of the guys. That’s what we needed to do and it came at the perfect time.”

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WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

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TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

JUNE 3, 2022

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice session at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway. Press Conference Transcript: 

KYLE, YOU HAVEN’T RACED HERE HAVE YOU? YOU’VE RACED CLOSE BY, BUT NOT AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY. CAN YOU TELL US HOW YOU’VE PREPARED FOR THIS? ARE YOU EXCITED AND WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO?

“Yeah, I haven’t raced here. I’ve raced at Tri-City (Speedway), which is 15 minutes from here. Pevely (Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55), which is probably 35 minutes; and then at the Dome. So, I’ve raced all around it, but never here. 

I’m excited. I haven’t had too much time at all to prepare. I hadn’t gotten to run any laps here to test or nothing on a simulator. So, we’ll get the hang of it hopefully quickly here later on today. I’m excited about the opportunity. I’ve always wanted to race here, so it’s nice that we have Cup weekend here now.”

DID YOU WANT TO DO THE SIM AND JUST COULDN’T GET IN; OR DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE JUST SO USED TO COMING TO TRACKS AND LEARNING THEM THAT YOU DIDN’T NEED TO? 

“No – my schedule is just pretty busy and by the time I realized it was Gateway week, I realized I was racing every day this week. So, just didn’t have time. I wasn’t at home at all. But I think it will be fine. I go to more new race tracks than anybody does on our circuit, so I feel like I adapt pretty quickly. Usually we have a really good track record at tracks we go to the first time and hopefully this weekend is no different.”

WHAT IS THE KEY TO GETTING UP TO SPEED AT A NEW TRACK? CAN YOU GO ALL-OUT THE FIRST COUPLE OF LAPS? DO YOU HAVE TO WORK UP TO IT?

“Usually I think you work up to it just a little bit. All of us have a lot of experience in racing stock cars and going to new tracks that I feel like you’re kind of close to those limits even right off the bat and then you can find them pretty quickly. I don’t think you’re going to see anybody struggling or anybody way better than the next person. I think we’re all really good drivers and we will all figure it out quickly. I’ll definitely probably try and brake sooner than what I think is the potential and then kind of creep up to it.”

SHIFTING ON OVALS HAS OBVIOUSLY HAPPENED MORE THIS YEAR THAN EVER BEFORE. DRIVERS HAVE SAID IT MAKES IT HARDER TO PASS AND IT DOESN’T MAKE THE RACING GOOD ON OVALS. WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THAT? DOES IT MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT?

“Yes – I think it makes it tougher to pass because it keeps your pace up it seems. If the lap times start to slow down, you start downshifting to go faster. I think we’ve all learned that you need pace falloff to pass. Now with shifting, the pace doesn’t fall off quite as much, so it makes things a little tougher. These cars and the aerodynamics makes things a little tougher, as well. 

We’ll see. I don’t know how this place will be this weekend. I definitely think it will be hard to pass, whether we would be shifting or not. I think it’s just a pretty flat, looks like high grip, style race track. Those are typically hard to pass on, so with shifting, who knows. Regardless, I think it will be difficult to pass anyways.”

TWO WEEKS AGO, WE RAN THE ALL-STAR RACE AT TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF RUNNING IT AT CHARLOTTE; AND THEN AT BRISTOL AND TEXAS AGAIN. AFTER THE SUCCESS OF THE BUSCH CLASH, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THE ALL-STAR RACE NOW? 

“I don’t know – It’s kind of, I feel like, in Marcus Smith’s hands. Whatever they want to do, I think we’re all OK with. Maybe not OK with, but we’re going to be there. 

I’m not really sure. I don’t think Texas (Motor Speedway) – I hate to be another one of the guys to bash it – but it’s not a good track at all. It just doesn’t produce good racing and it’s tough to have an exhibition-style race there when the track isn’t very racy at all. 

I think we’d all like to see it move around probably. You look at other sports, all-star games and stuff – they move from city to city each year. I think maybe the cities and the arenas are taking bids on it, I’m not sure. But I think that would be a fun thing to do; move the All-Star Race around. I think it would add some excitement to the event.”

I’M CURIOUS ABOUT ADDING THE CHUTE AT SONOMA (RACEWAY). SINCE YOU WON THERE LAST YEAR, HOW DO YOU THINK IT WILL CHANGE THE DYNAMIC?

“I don’t know. They raced there forever with I think the layout they were going to now. I’m sure it will be a lot like those races, I would guess.”

DO YOU THINK HAVING THE DIRT TRACK GOING FULL BLOWN RIGHT NOW DURING GATEWAY WEEK THAT IT IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO BRING PEOPLE BACK AND FORTH FROM ONE TRACK TO THE OTHER AND BUILD THE FAN BASE BETWEEN THE TWO SERIES?

“Yeah, I hope so. The crowd was really big last night. I wish it would have been a day later and I wish we could have raced there tomorrow night at Tri-City (Speedway) because I think Saturday night would be extremely big. But I think tonight with the World of Outlaws Late Models and sprint cars with myself running a late model; I think (Alex) Bowman and (Chase) Briscoe are running sprint cars. I’m not sure if (Christopher) Bell is running or not. But yeah, it should be an even bigger crowd I would imagine. 

It’s exciting. The crossover is always good.”

IT WAS ANNOUCED THIS WEEK THAT PHOENIX (RACEWAY) WILL HOST THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE AGAIN NEXT SEASON. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT A FOURTH YEAR OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE BEING HELD AT PHOENIX?

“I think Phoenix is a great area to host the championship weekend. It’s got a great amount of grandstands that always seem to sell out, which is good. It adds to the atmosphere. And two, again like going to the All-Star Race, I would say ‘oh it should move from city to city’. But November in some states is difficult to put a race on, so you have to think about that. There are only a handful of tracks that could really host the championship weekend and not be concerned with the weather forecast. I think that’s why it was in Florida for a long time and then they moved it to Arizona. Phoenix (Raceway) is a difficult track to pass on, but I feel like there are moments where it can be more exciting than an intermediate-style track if you get a late race caution and things like that. 

I’m not sure if that answers your question, but I think it’s OK. In the future, yeah I would like to see it move around, as well. But I think there is just a small group of tracks that it could really move to.”

THERE HAS BEEN SOME BETTER RACING AT INTERMEDIATE TRACKS. THIS CAR SEEMS TO WORK AT BIGGER TRACKS. INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS A BEAST IN ITSELF, BUT WITH SOME OF THE SUCCESS ON INTERMEDIATE TRACKS, DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY HOPE THAT THESE CARS COULD RUN BETTER ON THE OVAL THAN WHAT THEY HAVE? 

“Well, I think Indy (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) is just a difficult track. You can look at even the IndyCar race this year – it wasn’t that exciting and those cars build really big runs. So, I still think it would be not very good racing for us. And it seems like with these cars and the way the air runs off the back, I think it could have the potential of being even worse than normal, just because it’s a flat track. 

As a driver, I would love to win on the oval there. But the road course is, to me, more exciting racing. I’m not sure if more people tune into the race because it’s on the road course or more people show up because it’s on the road course. But I know, excitement-wise, it’s probably a little bit better on the road course. Prestige-wise, I think we would all love it on the oval.”

ARE YOU PLANNING TO RUN THE KNOXVILLE TRUCK RACE? 

“No – Never running a dirt truck race again (laughs).”

WHAT ARE YOU DOING ON THE OFF WEEK? 

“Nothing – just taking it off.”

I KNOW YOU HAVEN’T BEEN HERE, BUT ARE YOU ANTICIPATING IT TO BE SORT OF LIKE NEW HAMPSHIRE OR PHOENIX? HOW WILL THIS TRACK RACE COMPARED TO OTHERS?

“I watched a little bit of onboard from somebody who was here testing in the Chevy – I think it was (Justin) Allgaier). It kind of reminded me of a blend of New Hampshire (Motor Speedway) and Phoenix (Raceway). I don’t know until I get out there, but that’s kind of where my brain is at right now. I don’t think there’s another race track that we run that you could compare it to. I think those two are good comparisons. I feel like the pavement grip level would probably be similar to Phoenix. I think that end kind of looks more like (turns) one and two of Phoenix; and then I think this end is probably a tighter New Hampshire maybe.”

We were able to get another TOP 16 while competing in Orlando. Orlando was an eventful round for the sereis with hard down poor to a tornado warning but the most enthusiastic and dedicated fans! RAD DAN competed on a wet track in TOP 32 against Japanese driver, Masuyama. Dan had the perfect balance of composure and aggressiveness on the wet track advancing him into TOP 16 where he met the 3 time champion again, Chris Forsberg. It was a close battle but Dan had a few mistakes that gave Chris the win. Overall, Orlando was a very successful round and we are in a good position headed into Round 4 in New Jersey next week! Thank you for your ongoing support to keep our race program progressing. We are very excited for what is ahead the rest of the season for all of us!

Former national champion making his final laps this season

BUFFALO, IL – June 2, 2022 – Jeff Leka’s never been one to brag. He won’t tell you about his 40-plus years of racing around the Midwest, or his collection of over 350 Feature wins and a DIRTcar national championship, but he will embrace a well-deserved victory lap before calling it a career at the end of this season.

“From where I started to where I ended up … there aren’t too many people that could do what I did,” said Leka, a multi-time champion from Buffalo, IL, at several of DIRTcar’s most historic venues. “And I don’t brag on anything, but man, we did good. And now I’ll always have something I can look back on.”

In the meantime, he’s enjoying the new perks of the legacy he’s leaving behind with race fans across the nation.

“If you Google my name, it’s a big deal,” Leka said. “I just went to a place last weekend looking for a new camper and the guy Googled my name and said, ‘I can’t believe it, you’re Jeff Leka!’”

“It’s kinda neat.”

THE DECISION

The 2008 DIRTcar UMP Modified national champion has seen a recent boom in business at Leka Tree Service, and at 55 years of age, he’s devoting more time away from work to family, friends and helping the next generation of dirt track stars.

“I started a small business that turned into a big business, and we just don’t have the time anymore,” Leka said. “I’ve raced all my life. It’s just time to call it quits.

“Next year, I just want to help a few people and just enjoy the races every night from the garage.”

His decision didn’t come easy, though it had been on his mind for some time. Winning races and track titles was a fuel source that kept his competitive flame burning, even when the end seemed near.

“When I turned 40, I said I was going to quit racing. Well, when I turned 40 and I was winning races I was like, ‘Well, I ain’t gonna quit now,’” Leka said. “Then when I turned 50, I said I was gonna quit racing … I turned 50 and I’m still winning races and said ‘Well, I ain’t gonna quit now.’

“It doesn’t matter what you do, it always comes to an end. When you’re winning 20 Features a year and on top of the world, you don’t look at that. You don’t look down the road and think, ‘This is going to come to an end one of these days.’ You just keep racing.”

THE RACING

Jeff, nephew to 1989 DIRTcar Late Model national champion Jim Leka, learned from a young age the value of hard work in the garage, wrenching on and racing a UMP Sportsman with his father in the early 1980s. He’s applied that discipline to each of the different rides he’s piloted since then, but also recognizes the increasing amount of time and effort that requires to uphold that same success in 2022.

“Now, I haven’t been winning races because, like everybody says is true – you win races in your shop,” Leka said. “You have to work hard in your shop to be ahead of everybody else. When you don’t do that, you don’t win races, and the fun’s not there.”

“I don’t have the time like I used to. When I had an 8-5 job, I had time.”

Leka ate plenty from the fruits of his shop labor early on in his career, first strapping into the seat of a Charlie Hartung-owned UMP Modified in 1992. Just three years into his Modified venture, he was crowned both Modified and Late Model track champion at Macon Speedway in 1994 before repeating as dual champ in 1997 – the first and only driver in track history to accomplish the feat.

He later capped off the stretch of dominance with one of his biggest career accolades, clinching the 1999 NASCAR Winston Racing Series national title in his Modified, worth $150,000 in prize money.

By the early 2000s, Leka had gone all-in on UMP Modified racing to chase a trophy he did not yet have. He posted five-straight top-10 finishes in DIRTcar national points from 2003-2007, including two runners-up, and was getting tired of coming so close.

Leka and longtime rival Denny Schwartz battled neck-and-neck for the points lead throughout 2007, culminating with an exciting finish in the season-ending DIRTcar Fall Nationals at Eldora Speedway. Coming into the Feature, Leka needed a victory and Schwartz to finish outside the top-three to overcome the two-point deficit he faced. They both finished on the podium, and Leka was again left with the sting of a bridesmaid finish against the best in the nation.

“I was joking with my wife one time and was like, ‘I’m gonna be like Mark Martin; I’m never gonna win this. I’m always second,’” Leka said. “And then boom, I win it.”

Leka came back with vengeance the following year, winning a grand total of 30 Features, handily winning the 2008 DIRTcar UMP Modified national championship by a whopping 159 points.

“Back then, it was more of the driver and who had the smoothest foot and could feel the car,” Leka said. “In ’08, the car was just perfect. It didn’t matter where we went – Granite City, Fairbury – we were on fire.”

THE PEOPLE

Week-in and week-out, Leka and the #3L team took down DIRTcar’s best racers. He recalls the battles he had with the greats in the region – Chad Kinder, Dan Hamstra, Mike Harrison, Gary Cook Jr. – but is most fond of the time he spent on track with Denny Schwartz.

“He was the guy to beat,” Leka said. “I started racing Farmer City and he’d come up there and we’d battle back-and-forth. He’d lead one lap, I’d lead one lap. The next night, we’d go somewhere else and we’d battle back-and-forth again.”

Leka most cherishes the mutual respect they shared as competitors, especially in times of need. He vividly recalls his 2008 Fall Nationals weekend at Eldora where he blew an engine in Friday Hot Laps, while Schwartz broke a rear-end component later on. Schwartz offered up his backup car to Leka to finish out the weekend and took the rear-end that Leka offered from his car to get through the weekend.

“Him and I being like we were and knowing the kind of friendship we had meant a lot,” said Leka, trailing off into deep reflection. “Everybody that’s helped me in my whole career – I’ve got to say thanks to them. If it wouldn’t have been for the help and the sponsors, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

“From my Late Model days to my Modified days … I’ve just got to say thanks to everybody.”

And after 40-plus years of racing, more than 350 wins and a national championship, that’s no bragging.

$100,000/Win Huset’s High Bank Nationals Only Three Weeks Away Nearly Half-Million Dollar Purse to be Paid at Inaugural Race on June 23-25 BRANDON, SD – June 2, 2022 – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will compete for four, six-figure paydays across the 2022 season, and the first one is only three weeks away. A brand new event crafted by the always-innovative Tod Quiring, the inaugural High Bank Nationals will debut at Huset’s Speedway on Thursday-Saturday, June 23-25. Nearly a half-million dollars will be paid out over three nights at the Brandon, SD facility and it’s all capped off by a $100,000-to-win, $3,000-to-start main event. More money will be spread all throughout the Feature with the top-five finishers in the finale each cashing five-figure checks – second at $30,000, third at $20,000, fourth at $15,000, fifth at $10,000. Both preliminary fields include boosted purses as well with the opener paying $15,000-to-win, and night two offering $20,000-to-win, and $1,500-to-start. The unique format for the three-day event is currently being finalized by track officials and will be released once completed. 3-DAY TICKET PACKAGE (June 23-25) Prior to the three-day spectacular, The Greatest Show on Dirt will tune-up for the race with a one-night stop at the 1/3-mile oval coming this Sunday, June 5. Weekly winners at the track this season already include Parker Price-Miller, Lynton Jeffrey, Giovanni Scelzi, and Ryan Timms. Through 50 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car races at the track since 1983, a total of 19 different drivers have won with the Series at Huset’s. The trio of Sammy Swindell (10), Mark Kinser (9) & Steve Kinser (7) stand out above the rest, but when it comes to active drivers Donny Schatz (4) and David Gravel (2) lead the way. Others like Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild, and Aaron Reutzel have one win apiece. Reutzel enters as the winner of last year’s Huset’s 50, a different two-day variation of this event with $30,000 on the line. That was in the Roth Motorsports #83 – now piloted by James McFadden – and now Reutzel wheels the Ridge & Sons Racing #8 in pursuit of another big payday in South Dakota. For David Gravel, the Watertown, CT native is hoping to capitalize on recent success at Huset’s, the track owned by his car owner Tod Quiring and the name that dons his #2 Big Game Motorsports entry. He was twice a World of Outlaws winner at the track last year, and now looks to add the $100,000 High Banks Nationals to his list of Crown Jewel wins like the Knoxville Nationals, National Open, and Bristol Bash. The most successful of all these drivers is the 10-time champion and 303-time winner, Donny Schatz. The Fargo native hails from North Dakota, but still owns the most active wins at the South Dakota oval with four triumphs and his last coming in 2016. The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanain Racing #15 has a knack for stepping up and shining during the biggest moments, and he’ll get his first chance this season in three weeks at Huset’s. Defending Series champion and current championship leader Brad Sweet has always said his season centers around the Crown Jewel races, and that begins with the High Bank Nationals. The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 won a 2016 event at the track, but to make the big bucks in three weeks, they’ll need to snap a winless spell that runs back to late March since The Big Cat’s first and only win of 2022. Young guns Sheldon Haudenschild and Carson Macedo are the two winningest drivers with the World of Outlaws in 2022 ahead of the $100,000-to-win race. Haudenschild owns five wins in the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17, while Macedo is up to four wins with the Jason Johnson Racing #41. The duo has finished 1-2 before at Huset’s with Sheldon getting the edge over Carson in 2020. Also in the mix is the Shark Racing duo of Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen. The Hanover, PA team has put the #1A in victory lane twice already and the #1S is consistently on the podium these days battling for the championship lead. Both Jacob (3rd) and Logan (7th) set their Huset’s Speedway career-best finishes last year. Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contenders Spencer Bayston (CJB #5), Kasey Kahne (KKR #9), and Noah Gass(#20G) will race their first Crown Jewel as full-time World of Outlaws drivers at the High Bank Nationals. If you can’t attend the inaugural $100,000-to-win event in person, you can watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision. HUSET’S SPEEDWAY WINNERS (50 Races):  10 wins – Sammy Swindell 9 wins – Mark Kinser 7 wins – Steve Kinser 4 wins – Donny Schatz 3 wins – Doug Wolfgang 2 wins – Craig Dollansky, David Gravel, Mark Dobmeier 1 win – Aaron Reutzel, Sheldon Haudenschild, Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, Tim Kaeding, Brooke Tatnell, Terry McCarl, Brian Paulus, Stevie Smith, Dave Blaney, Bobby Davis Jr.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

ENJOY ILLINOIS 300 PRESENTED BY TICKETSMARTER

WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

MADISON, ILLINOIS

JUNE 5, 2022

RACE #15 – WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY

In a season full of new with the competition debut of the Next Gen car, this weekend adds another unknown element for teams of the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) to face. For the first time in the series’ history, World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) will be the host of NASCAR’s premier series for the Enjoy Illinois 300 Presented by TicketSmarter. The inaugural trip to the 1.25-mile oval located just east of St. Louis, Missouri, marks the only new points-paying venue on the NCS schedule for 2022. Last season, four new venues made their debut on the NCS schedule, all of which were won by Chevrolet drivers:

·       Circuit of The Americas: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

·       Nashville Superspeedway: Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

·       Road America: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

·       Indianapolis Road Course: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Joining the NASCAR Cup Series for a trip to the Midwest is the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) with the Toyota 200; the series’ 11th race of the 2022 season. While World Wide Technology Raceway may be new to the NCS, it’s familiar territory for the NCWTS. The series debuted at WWTR in 1998, competing through 2010, and later returned to the schedule in 2014. Within that timeframe, WWTR has hosted 21 NCWTS races. Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 11 victories, including the inaugural event when Rick Carelli drove his Chevrolet-powered machine to victory lane. On that list of wins includes a streak of the last five, the most recent by Sheldon Creed when he drove the No. 2 GMS Racing Silverado to the win of the NCWTS Playoff Opener that was held at the track in 2021. 

NXS HEADS TO PACIFIC NORTHWEST

The NASCAR Cup Series isn’t the only series to face the challenges of a new track this weekend. For the first time in NASCAR Xfinity Series history, teams will make the venture to the Pacific Northwest to Portland International Raceway (PIR) for the Pacific Office Automation 147 on Saturday, June 4. The 1.97-mile, 12-turn road course will mark just the second road course race for the series thus far in 2022. 

Earlier this season at Circuit of The Americas, notable road course master, AJ Allmendinger, drove his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS to his 11th-career NASCAR Xfinity Series win; and his first of the 2022 season to secure a Playoff berth. In the last 10 road course events in the NXS, AJ Allmendinger leads all drivers with four wins, nine top-five’s and 116 laps led. 

While it’s a new track to the series, Allmendinger already has success at the Oregon road course circuit, where he won the 2006 ChampCar race held at the venue. This weekend’s trip to PIR will be Allmendinger’s first time back to the track since that triumph. Following Saturday’s NXS race at PIR, Allmendinger will head back east to join the NASCAR Cup Series at World Wide Technology Raceway, pulling double duty for Kaulig Racing. 

GOING FOR SIX-IN-A-ROW AT PORTLAND

In another dominant day for Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the Camaro SS captured its fifth-consecutive victory when Josh Berry powered the JR Motorsports No. 8 Camaro SS to victory lane at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a special win for the Chevrolet team as it marked the organization’s first-ever win at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the hometown track for JR Motorsports. Berry took the Stage One win, going on to lead a race-high 89 laps en route to his second win of 2022 by an impressive 18.039 seconds over the runner-up finisher. 

Berry’s win was celebrated by a strong day posted by all of his JR Motorsports teammates. Of the five drivers that led laps in last Saturday’s event, four of them came from JR Motorsports, totaling 190 laps led of the 200-lap race. Joining Berry in the stage win category, Justin Allgaier picked up the Stage Two win to give JR Motorsports its 10th-consecutive stage victory; a feat that extended the series record the Chevrolet team accomplished at Kansas Speedway. 

Chevrolet had seven drivers finish inside the top-10, including three of the top-five positions. JR Motorsports, Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing and Jordan Anderson Racing were all represented in the top-10 at the conclusion of the 200-lap event. Now sitting at eight wins in 13 races, Chevrolet has posted double the win count of its manufacturer competitors.  

Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger maintains the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver points lead by 33-points over fellow Chevrolet driver, Noah Gragson. Four Chevrolet drivers make up the top-five in the standings, with seven rounding out the top-10. Chevrolet also remains in the lead of the NXS manufacturer standings by 57-points over second. 

SILVERADO RST LOOKING TO GO BACK-TO-BACK

In a thrilling overtime victory, Ross Chastain drove Chevrolet to its second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of the season. Chastain took the victory after fellow Chevrolet driver, Grant Enfinger, pushed Chastain past John Hunter Nemechek on a final lap run to take the checkered flag by 0.102 seconds over Enfinger to give Chevrolet a 1-2 finish. The win marked Chastain’s fourth-career NCWTS win and his first at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval. 

Chastain’s Niece Motorsports teammate, Carson Hocevar, was a key storyline driver of the night. The 19-year-old driver’s first-career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win has been on the horizon in recent weeks and Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway looked to be his night. Hocevar had led a race-high 57-laps ahead of the first attempt at an overtime finish. Battling to keep the lead following the restart, contact with the second-place truck took Hocevar out of contention, resulting in a 16th-place finish. 

Heading into the World Wide Technology Raceway weekend, Hocevar leads Chevrolet in the eighth position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver points standings. Grant Enfinger, who drove his No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST to his third top-five finish in the last four races, sits in the ninth spot in the driver standings to round out the Team Chevy top-10. 

NEW TO THE SERIES, FAMILIAR TO SOME DRIVERS

World Wide Technology Raceway may be a new track to the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, but some drivers won’t be getting on-track for the first time. With The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series having history at the track, a variety of drivers in NASCAR’s premier series already have wins at the Illinois venue on their resume. Of that elite list includes Chevrolet’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley. 

In the year that Ross Chastain came home runner-up in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship standings (2019), Chastain drove his Niece Motorsports Silverado to victory lane at World Wide Technology Raceway that June, marking his second-career win in the series. WWTR also holds a special spot in Justin Haley’s career, where Haley scored his first-career NCWTS win at the track in June 2018. 

STANDINGS CHECK

Already tapped as the longest race on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule, last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 made the record books as the longest race in NASCAR’s history; with two overtime finishes pushing the race to 413-laps/619.5 miles. In a race that saw 18 cautions and 31 lead changes, the final running order saw four Camaro ZL1’s battle to top-10 finishes, with Tyler Reddick leading the charge for Chevrolet in sixth-place. 

Of the 13 drivers who led laps in the crown jewel event, six of which were Chevrolet drivers, totaling 346 laps led for the Camaro ZL1. The top-four drivers with the most laps led came from the bowtie brigade, with Ross Chastain topping the charts with a race-high 153-laps led in his No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1. 

Chevrolet drivers also performed a sweep in stage wins – (Chase Elliott; Stage One winner); (Daniel Suarez; Stage Two winner); and (Ross Chastain; Stage Three winner) – bringing Chevrolet to a manufacturer-leading 15 stage wins in 2022 thus far. Each of the race’s 100-mile markers also saw a Camaro ZL1 out front: Chase Elliott (100 mile; 200 mile); Daniel Suarez (300 mile); Ross Chastain (400 mile; 500 mile); and Kyle Larson (600 mile).

With 14 NASCAR Cup Series events in the books, here’s a look at the points standings:

·       For the 10th-consecutive week, Chase Elliott remains in the top spot of the NCS driver standings, with a 34-point lead over fellow Chevrolet driver, Ross Chastain.

·       Chevrolet drivers make up five of the top-10 in the NCS driver standings, with Elliott leading Ross Chastain (2nd), William Byron (7th), Alex Bowman (8th) and Kyle Larson (9th).

·       All five of those drivers have recorded wins already this season to take a spot in the 16-driver NCS playoff field.

·       Chevrolet continues to lead in the NCS manufacturer standings, with a 26-point lead over second. 

BOWTIE BULLETS

·       Of the active NASCAR Cup Series drivers who have previously won at World Wide Technology Raceway in either the NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, two of which are Chevrolet drivers: 

Justin Haley, GMS Racing Silverado in the NCWTS (2018)

Ross Chastain, Niece Motorsports Silverado in the NCWTS (2019)

·       With 14 NASCAR Cup Series races complete in the 2022 season, Chevrolet continues to lead all manufacturers in NCS wins (7), top-five’s (36), top-10’s (67), laps led (2,230) and stage wins (15). 

·       Chevrolet led 346 of the 413 laps at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend, with Ross Chastain leading a race-high 153 of those laps. This marks the most laps that Chastain has led in a single event in his six year NASCAR Cup Series career. 

·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr. posted a seventh-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600, extending his top-10 streak to four-consecutive races. This feat marks not only the longest streak of Stenhouse’s NASCAR Cup Series career, but the most for JTG Daugherty since they entered NCS competition in 2009. 

·       Seven Team Chevy drivers have combined 15 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins: Tyler Reddick 2 – (Fontanax2)

Alex Bowman 1 – (Las Vegas)

Ross Chastain 3 – (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte)

William Byron 3 – (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega)

Daniel Suarez 2 – (COTA), (Charlotte)

Chase Elliott 3 – (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte)

Kyle Larson 1 – (Bristol)

·       Of the three NASCAR Cup Series drivers that have recorded multiple wins this season, two come from the Chevrolet camp: (Ross Chastain – COTA, Talladega), (William Byron – Atlanta, Martinsville). 

·       Chevrolet leads the driver points standing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chase Elliott remains in the top position in the NCS standings with a 34-point advantage over second; and AJ Allmendinger continues to lead the NXS standings by 33-points. Chevrolet also remains atop both the NCS and NXS manufacturer points standings. 

·       With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships; 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships; and 821 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR. 

TUNE IN

FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 Presented by TicketSmarter at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 5. FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota 200 at 1:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 4. Live coverage of both events can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

FS1 will broadcast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pacific Office Automation 147 at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 4. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 

QUOTABLE QUOTES

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1 

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES FOR DRIVERS AT GATEWAY?     

“The heat of course. No matter what time of day, it will be hot and couple that together with heavy braking. I think of that track a lot like a yo-yo. You build up speed through turns 3 and 4. It’s flat but it is a wider turn so you have a lot of speed off turn 4. You get down to turn 1, you really have to slow the car down and that creates a lot of heat in the brakes, and causes the tires to slide. Creating the momentum in 3 and 4, to make a pass in turn 1, out brake somebody and slide up in front of them, downshift, and all of that work coupled with the heat and humidity that we’ll have there. You’re going to have to be on it to make it through a whole Cup race there. I was worn out after the truck race and that’s a lot shorter.”

TALK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE RACING AT GATEWAY:                

“I’ve raced twice at Gateway. Start and parked a truck in 2018. I went back in 2019 and won the race which is unheard of. I’m looking to build off of the base I have there and with this current car, we will be shifting. We were shifting with the trucks so we will be with the car. The weather, it’s summertime, the chances for a late afternoon storm and a green track to race on and the challenges that presents.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 GET BIOETHANOL CAMARO ZL1

YOU’VE COMPETED AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY IN THE NASCAR TRUCK SERIES, BUT IT’S BEEN A FEW YEARS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE WEEKEND? 

“Like everyone else, I’m not sure what to expect. It’s been a long time since I’ve raced at Gateway in the NASCAR Truck Series. I remember we did okay in the race, but a lot can change about a track in 12 years. I do think our Richard Childress Racing team has performed well this season, and a mile-long track like World Wide Technology Raceway will play into our strengths. I’ve been spending time on the simulator to prepare for the race, and I feel ready and excited to get there.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 

LARSON ON PREPARING FOR THE INAUGURAL WWTR RACE: 

“I’ll watch some (NASCAR Camping World) Truck Series races on YouTube – probably the most recent truck races and maybe some old Xfinity races. It looks like a cool track and I’m sure Cliff (Daniels, crew chief of No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1) and the team have been using every tool and resource possible to ensure we have a good package when we unload there.”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 

DANIELS ON PREPARING FOR THE FIRST RACE AT THE MADISON, ILLINOIS, TRACK: 

“The trucks just raced there last year or the year before, and I have been watching that race today. We also have data from a wheel-force tire test a few weeks ago, so we have data and in-car cameras from that – all OEM’s do. That data is super valuable just to help understand our simulation tools and how those match up to what we saw on the track data. Then we try to understand the nuance of the track and compare it to similar tracks we’ve been to with a Next Gen car, which would probably be Phoenix (Raceway). Fortunately, we do have the 50-minute practice on Friday to really tune on the car. It’s not a lot of time, but it’s enough to get a good feel for things.”

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 

“There are a lot of unknowns this weekend at Gateway for sure. This is the first Cup race there with the Next Gen car. We’ve spent a lot of time in the SIM preparing for this race but I’m sure once we get on the track there will be other things we’ll need to work on. This practice on Friday afternoon is extremely important to get our 3CHI Chevrolet driving good. I’m excited for this new challenge.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1 

ELLIOTT ON HEADING TO THE 1.25-MILE OVAL FOR THE FIRST TIME:

“I think anytime you head to a new track it’s tough. You can do everything to try to prepare, but you’re not really going to know until you make those first laps in practice. We’re getting a little more track time than we do at most tracks so that will help give us an opportunity to try to figure some things out ahead of Sunday. There are a lot of unknowns, but I’m looking forward to heading there and seeing what we can do.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 HOOTERS CAMARO ZL1

GUSTAFSON ON RACING AT THE ST. LOUIS-AREA TRACK: 

“We’re just going to have to be prepared to adapt. We’ve been looking at our notes from Phoenix (Raceway) and Richmond (Raceway) and trying to put them together as we’ve been anticipating what to expect. I don’t really think anybody is going to be able to hit it right off the truck, so that’s where you’re going to have to be able to adapt and adjust. Whoever does a good job of that is going to be fast. Chase always does great at providing feedback and telling us what he needs out of the car, so hopefully we’ll be in a good position heading into Sunday.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 

BYRON ON HIS THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEKEND: 

“I don’t know what to expect this weekend really. I think Gateway will race similar to how Phoenix (Raceway) does. We had some speed there earlier this year so I think we have a good starting point, plus we have a full 50-minute practice this Friday to really feel things out. It’s been a few years since I’ve raced there, and when I did, we had a good race going and led a bunch of laps. The last few weeks we haven’t gotten the results we’ve wanted despite leading laps and running up front. This weekend is a good chance for us to turn that around heading into the summer stretch of the season.”

RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1 

FUGLE ON WHAT HE THINKS IT WILL TAKE TO WIN ON SUNDAY: 

“Gateway may be a mile-and-a-quarter long but it races more like a short track with long straightaways. So far this season with the Next Gen car, we have been fast on those style tracks so that gives us confidence heading into this weekend. It’s a unique track that’s tough to figure out and those are the challenges I enjoy as a crew chief. I think it’s safe to say that track position is going to be a major factor this weekend and that pit stops are going to be a major key to that. We’ve really improved on pit road the last few weeks, so that gives me confidence as well. You always go to the race track wanting to win, but with this being the first Cup Series race there, everyone wants to be able to say that they were the winner of an inaugural event.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP CAMARO ZL1 

YOU’VE BEEN TO WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY BEFORE, BUT THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME THE CUP SERIES HAS RACED AT THE TRACK. TALK ABOUT THE TRACK AND WHAT YOU EXPECT THIS WEEKEND. 

“I’m looking forward to getting there. World Wide Technology Raceway is a fun track. I’ve been there a few times in Trucks. It’s always a great crowd, so that’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s kind of a, I always think of it as a big Martinsville, but it does race a little different from that. Turns one and two are pretty tight and turns three and four are pretty big sweeping corners. I know they’ve paved it since the last time I was there, so that will be quite a bit different. It will be fun to get there with the new car, new venue. I always enjoy switching it up in the Cup Series and going to new tracks with these cars. Obviously, I think World Wide Technology Raceway is going to be a good one for us. It’s going to be hot. It’s going to be a tough weekend. I know it’ll be warm there. I’m excited to get there and see what these cars do there.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SUNNYD CAMARO ZL1 

“It will be interesting this weekend because you can downshift so easy. Shifting wise, there are two different corners like Phoenix Raceway. We’ve been working hard and hope we have improved our short track program. We’ll continue learning and working on it throughout the race weekend. We want to keep our good runs going and have a solid performance for SunnyD and Kroger in our Camaro on Sunday.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 

BOWMAN ON HIS CONSISTENCY THIS SEASON: 

“I am happy that we have been able to finish in the top-10 as much as we have, but I think we are capable of more. Our goal was to be more consistent this year and we are achieving that – now we need to stay consistent and move our aim to higher finishes. We have been close to the front at the end of races and have been able to make a few passes when it counts. Just need to find a way to be in the front of the pack and contend for more wins. I am proud of the effort every week from our guys, and we will continue to work hard and try to knock off a few more wins this year.”

GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 

IVES ON HOW HE IS PREPARING FOR THE RACE AT THE ILLINOIS-BASED TRACK: 

“Our short track package is pretty good – we have run well at Richmond (Raceway) and Martinsville (Speedway). We will lean on our notes from those tracks and what I have learned from conversations with Rudy (Fugle, crew chief of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1). He has run there in the (NASCAR Camping World) Truck Series and though they aren’t Cup cars, it helps us with how the track will progress through the race and what to expect the racing to look like as the day goes on.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1

CAN YOU TAKE MOMENTUM FROM SUNDAY NIGHT TO ST. LOUIS?            

“I know we can. Trackhouse Racing is building rocket ships for Ross and I. We didn’t get the finishes we wanted in Charlotte, but we are learning and I believe they will come soon. This weekend is a different type of track, but I am very confident we’ll have good cars there.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RST

“I am heading into this weekend’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway with a lot of confidence. Charles and all of GMS Racing team have been putting in so much effort, and I feel like it’s starting to pay off. Gateway is a track that falls right in my wheelhouse, and knowing the team’s successful history here, I am ready to capitalize on a great race. We have been showing some signs of great improvement over the past few weeks, and I feel that we should be able to contend for the win this weekend.”

JACK WOOD, NO. 24 TWO FRIENDS GOLF SILVERADO RST

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Gateway, I earned my first top-10 finish there last year, so there’s definitely some high hopes to go back there and have a solid run. It’s going to be nice to go back to somewhat a short track, which is similar to what I grew up racing on. We are still waiting to find that race to turn our season around, but there is a lot of confidence in this No. 24 team, so we are going to put our heads down and give it all we’ve got with our Two Friends Golf Chevy.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics

Manufacturers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 40

First title for Chevrolet: 1958

Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15)

Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021

Drivers Championships:

Total (1949-2021): 33

First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)

Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)

Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021)

Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021

Event Victories:

Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)               

2022 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    

Wins: 7

Poles: 2

Laps Led: 2,230

Top-five finishes: 36

Top-10 finishes: 67

Stage wins: 15

• Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)
• Alex Bowman (Las Vegas)
• Ross Chastain (Las Vegas), (Darlington), (Charlotte)
• William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta), (Talladega)
• Daniel Suarez (COTA), (Charlotte)
• Chase Elliott (Martinsvillex2), (Charlotte)
• Kyle Larson (Bristol Dirt)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:

Total Chevrolet race wins: 821 (1949 to date)

Poles won to date: 725

Laps led to date: 243,566

Top-five finishes to date: 4,174

Top-10 finishes to date: 8,622

Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:

           General Motors: 1,155

           Chevrolet: 821

           Pontiac: 154

           Oldsmobile: 115

           Buick: 65

           Ford: 814                                                         

           Ford: 714

           Mercury: 96

           Lincoln: 4

           Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467

           Dodge: 217

           Plymouth: 191

           Chrysler: 59

           Toyota: 166

Will final race on Belle Isle be win No. 100 for Chevrolet V6 engine? DETROIT (June 2, 2022) – Chevrolet will race on home ground this weekend as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races on Detroit’s Belle Isle for the final time in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix. It’s the seventh round of this year’s championship with Team Chevy continuing its push for a landmark victory in the series. The next win for Chevrolet will mark its 100th since it returned to INDYCAR in 2012 with its 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine. There might be no better place to do it with the GM Renaissance Center overlooking the racetrack and Chevy’s history at the venue.

Chevrolet has won two of the past four races on Belle Isle and seven times since 2012. This year’s race marks the first time for a single INDYCAR race on Belle Isle after doubleheaders for the last nine years – except for the 2020 event that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With four wins on the season, Chevrolet leads the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer championship, as it has since claiming victory in the season’s first race at St. Petersburg. This weekend’s race will be the final one on Belle Isle as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will move to a new 10-turn, 1.7-mile layout through the streets of downtown Detroit. “Racing in Detroit is important for everyone at Chevrolet and General Motors,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “There are so many employees in Detroit who touch this program in some way that never get a chance to see the end result of all their hard work. So it’s great to race in front of them and give them a good show. It’s great from that perspective, but also to continue the long tradition of open-wheel racing in the Motor City. We’re looking to rebound from Indianapolis in a strong way, and getting our 100th win with the 2.2-liter V6 would do the trick.” Eleven Chevrolet-powered IndyCars are set to tackle Belle Isle this weekend – including Santino Ferrucci filling in for Callum Ilott in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Chevrolet-powered IndyCar. One of the leading contenders will be Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 McLaren Chevrolet from Arrow McLaren SP. He won the second of two races on Belle Isle a year ago and is coming off a runner-up finish in the Indianapolis 500 to go along with a win earlier this year at Barber Motorsports Park. Team Penske teammates Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 Shell Chevrolet) and Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet) already have claimed street circuit victories this year – McLaughlin at St. Petersburg and Newgarden at Long Beach.  He and Team Penske’s Will Power, in the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet, are among the other previous Belle Isle winners for Team Chevy. Newgarden was victorious in 2019 and Power won in 2014 and 2016. While on Belle Isle, Team Chevy fans can enjoy all that the Chevrolet display, located in the heart of the Meijer Fan Zone inside the circuit, has to offer. Included in the display activities will be six Q&A sessions with some of the star Chevrolet drivers and personalities. Friday• Noon: Chevrolet Women in Racing Forum• 1:00 p.m.: Arrow McLaren SP – Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist• 2:00 p.m.: Ed Carpenter Racing – Rinus VeeKay, Conor Daly• 2:30 p.m.: Team Penske – Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Will Power Saturday• 2:15-2:30 p.m.: Juncos Hollinger Racing – Santino Ferrucci and Callum Ilott Sunday• 1:00 p.m.:  A.J. Foyt Racing – Dalton Kellett, Tatiana Calderon, Kyle Kirkwood The Chevrolet Motorsports Display opens at 8 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Numerous Chevrolet vehicles and other highlights include: • 2023 Corvette Z06 Coupe and Convertible• Corvette Stingray R concept• Corvette Stingray 70th Anniversary Edition• Chevrolet electrical models Bolt EV, Bolt EUV and Silverado EV• Additional Chevrolet models such as Bolt EUV Premier, Blazer RS, Silverado 2500 HD, Silverado 1500 ZR2, Trailblazer ACTIV, Silverado 1500 MCM RST, Traverse High Country Redline, Tahoe Z71, Camaro ZL1, Camaro SS, Equinox RS and Colorado Bison ZR2• A cutaway chassis of the 2023 Corvette Z06• An opportunity to receive a 2022 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix t-shirt Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season with the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 5 from the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. The race will air live on USA, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160) beginning at 3 p.m. ET. Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.com.

TEAM CHEVY QUOTESCONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “Detroit is still one of the best street courses on our schedule. It’s a classic venue and the home of Chevrolet as well! Having scored a podium there in the past, the goal is to do that again. We’re on a great streak of momentum right now and I don’t see any reason why we won’t be able to continue that. I’m very excited with the good points we’ve gotten recently and our movement up in the championship standings and ready to get going again!” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING TEAM WITH BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING: “I am very excited to go to Detroit! We had a really good year there last year, finished second in the first race and qualifying third for Race 2. I think we can do that again, or even be one step higher on the podium! We have a very good car and I believe we put the Month of May behind us. We’ll work hard on the next few races, which are very important. I am also looking forward to trying some Coney dogs.” SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 77 DYNAMIC EDGE CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING: “Although I am happy to be back in the car, it’s unfortunate for Callum under the circumstances. I hope his hand heals really quickly and he is back on track soon. I’m just here to help with the team and see if we can get them a really good result and bring in some different knowledge from my experience in Detroit. I am looking forward to having some fun and carrying the momentum I have from Indy. I can’t thank the guys over at Juncos Hollinger enough with in trusting me this weekend and hopefully it goes really smoothly.”BY THE NUMBERS: Chevrolet in INDYCAR· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after six races· 2: Consecutive front-row starts in the Indianapolis 500 for Rinus Veekay of Ed Carpenter Racing· 3: Team Chevy drivers in this year’s race who have won on Belle Isle: Will Power (2014 and 2016), Josef Newgarden (2019) and Pato O’Ward (2021)· 4: Consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole and race at St. Petersburg. Penske teammate Josef Newgarden won at Texas and Long Beach, and Pato O’Ward was victorious at Barber Motorsport Park for Arrow McLaren SP· 6: Different Chevrolet drivers to win races dating back to the start of 2020. Scott McLaughlin was the most recent at St. Petersburg· 6: Number of Manufacturer Championships in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012· 6: Number of Team Chevy Driver/Entrant championships since 2012· 7: Wins on Belle Isle for Chevrolet-powered teams since 2012· 9: Wins from pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver· 13: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 10 with Chevrolet· 18: Wins by Roger Penske-owned entries in the Indy 500 since 1972· 25: Wins by Will Power since 2012. All have come with Chevrolet, giving him the most of any driver with same manufacturer· 39: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver· 99: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012· 108: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012· 171: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA New England Nationals 

Pre-Race Report

Fifth in points and consistently qualifying in the NHRA Nitro Funny Car Top Five has Cruz Pedregon and team right where they want to be as they head to the New England Dragway. The team has been getting the Snap-on^®“Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^® ready to go for the weekend Cruz says they’re all looking forward to.

“The great thing about this team is that we’re working together so well and we’re continuing to see these top qualifying performances out of the Snap-on Makers and Fixers Dodge,” says Cruz. “That’s been a tough thing to accomplish in today’s Funny Car competition with so many cars running so close. We’re going to hang our hat on that and keep digging to be ready for the next race.”

Cruz says “Epping is a good race” where the team will use what they learned from ignition system issues in Virginia and “being aggressive” in the changing weather conditions.

Prior to the race, Cruz will ride along with Nitro Franchisee Chris Bartholomew who has been on board with Snap-on for 17 years. According to Chris, his customers really appreciate interacting with Cruz when he stops by their shops during these ride-alongs. Chris has managed hospitality events in Cruz’s pits on both sides of the country after making a move from California to New Hampshire. He enjoys it so much here at the races, he has 30 clients coming with him to the track both Saturday and Sunday. These makers and fixers will get to see Chris’s name on the side of Cruz’s car and maybe take some pictures with the equipment to post to Snap-on’s makersandfixers.com.

What: NHRA New England NationalsWhen: Friday, June 3-Sunday, June 5Where: New England Dragway in Epping, New HampshireTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations at 7 p.m. ET June 5                                                                       Chevrolet teams seek to continue successful first half of seasonPro Stock rejoins the schedule; John Force Racing building momentum

DETROIT (June 1, 2022) – Following her “Wow!” weekend in Houston, Camrie Caruso immediately wanted to get behind the wheel of the Sand Haulers of America Chevrolet Camaro SS. The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock schedule curbed those plans – but not her desire to succeed – for six long weeks.Caruso’s coming out party April 24, highlighted by her inaugural No. 1 qualifier honor and fender-close runner-up finish to four-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders in a similar Camaro SS, garnered nationwide attention and further fueled the 24-year-old, third-generation driver’s aspirations in the technically challenging and ultra-competitive class. “I want to be racing every weekend possible. But we have a simulator at the shop that I’ve been in and we have been out testing, so we try to stay on top of things and stay on top of the progress that we have made to make sure that we are going into Epping with our full potential and we leave nothing on the table,” she said. “We are pleased with testing and excited to see what Epping brings. “Houston was an amazing race, but we want more success.” Though the NHRA New England Nationals this weekend in Epping, New Hampshire, will be Caruso’s sixth Pro Stock event, her talent and fierce persona behind the wheel are partly drawn from years of competition experience in junior dragster, Super Comp, Top Dragster, Top Alcohol Dragster and even Pro Outlaw 632.

Augmenting the pursuit of her dream has been Caruso’s family, which has expanded this year with Jim Yates coming on board as her crew chief. “The family support is awesome; I wouldn’t be able to do it without it and I wouldn’t really want to either to be honest. It’s always been a family thing, and Tony (Wilson) and Jim have made themselves part of the family as well. We’re lucky to have them and have the team that we do all around.” Entering the NHRA New England Nationals seventh in the Pro Stock standings, Caruso has short- and long-term goals. “I’m excited to go back; we’ve always had good luck at Epping so we’ll see how it goes,” Caruso said. “We have to make sure we’re on our A game every single run, make sure you’re not making any mistakes.” As for the remainder of the season: “We are going after the championship. That is our main goal. We want to get wins and have more No. 1 qualifiers – we want all of that, but a championship is what we want to accomplish, and I don’t see why we wouldn’t be able to.” The John Force Racing contingent, which has recorded seven victories across Top Fuel (Brittany Force with three) and Funny Car (Robert Hight with three and John Force with one), is looking to continue its consistency of solid runs. Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, and Hight, who drives the Automobile Club of Southern California Camaro SS, both visited the winner’s stage at the last stop on tour. Force paces the Top Fuel standings, while Hight is second in Funny Car points. John Force, who turned the top qualifier honor in the four-wide event at Charlotte into victory in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS, is fourth in the standings. He won at Epping in 2021. Austin Prock, a semifinalist at Virginia two weeks ago in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, is fifth in the Top Fuel standings. Hight’s win May 15 at Virginia was the 150th for Chevrolet in Funny Car competition. CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUELBRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (three-time winner this season; first in points; won the 2017 New England Nationals): “Our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team heads to Epping coming off a win in Virginia. We’re ahead of ourselves this season with three wins under our belt already. We’re hoping for another New England win,” Force said. “We’re all on the same page and really pulling together as a team and it’s showing on the race track. Our momentum is good, our energy is in the right place, and we’re pumped to get to the track this weekend.” AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (runner-up at Pomona opener): “I’m excited to get this weekend kicked off. The two-week break has seemed like an eternity. New England Dragway has a lot of history so I’m amped up to be back in the seat of my Montana Brand / RMT dragster and working with my guys. We’re really starting to hit our strides. I think our package will have a good shot at winning the New England Nationals. Last year I went to the final as a crew guy, so maybe we can better that by one as a driver.” FUNNY CARJOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier and Charlotte four-wide winner; 2021 winner at Epping): “Love being in New Hampshire. It’s a great place to race. Epping has been good to me in the past. Winning there last year in front of those great fans, they really do come from all over to see us, it was a great feeling. I’m excited to be going back to New England Dragway, to be back in the seat of my PEAK Chevy. Two weeks off has been painful, time to go to work and get this BlueDEF Camaro in another winner’s circle.” ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner this season; second in points; holds both ends of the track Funny Car records, set in 2017): “It’s been a long two weeks since winning in Virginia. I’m glad we got to spend the time celebrating but I’m ready to get back into my AAA Chevy. When you’re on a roll, you want to carry that momentum over and just keep going. I’m hoping we can do that heading to Epping. I’ve never won there so I’d like to check that off my list. With two weeks away from a race track, I know this AAA team is ready to get back to it.” PRO STOCKDALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Gainesville): “To say I’m ready to get back on track would be the understatement of the year so far for our Rad Torque Systems / KB Racing Chevrolet Camaro team. That five-week hiatus from the NHRA schedule allowed me to bracket race, which keeps me sharp, but I miss being behind the wheel of my Pro Stocker. After two races with weird bad luck things happening with our car, I’m ready for a big rebound in Epping this weekend.” GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (reigning Pro Stock champion; seeking to become second pro driver with 100 wins): “It’s been a long break; it almost feels like a second offseason, but I think that was good for us. We needed time to work on our stuff, and we feel we’ve used our time wisely. We’ll be a better race team when we show up at Epping.” KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix; runner-up at Gainesville): “I am super excited to get back in the Pro Stocker. It’s been the longest five weeks of my life. We’re ready. The team did a bunch of improvements engine-wise. I’m ready to go race.” TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up at Phoenix): “It was a long break but we put it to good use. We switched to this new RJ Race Cars Chevrolet earlier in the season and it just takes time to get all the parts and pieces to work together. These cars are all handmade one at a time and they each have their own personalities. Obviously, the more runs you can make, the more data you gain. We mostly focused on the clutch system and matching it to the power the guys in the engine shop have been building for us. Pro Stock is so competitive so every thousandth of a second you find is huge.” CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, SAND HAULERS OF AMERICA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; No. 1 qualifier and runner-up at Houston): “Houston was a great weekend for the Sand Haulers of America team and I was really going for that win light in the final. Our whole team has a lot of confidence and our Titan Racing Engines have shown we can race with anyone. My crew chief Jim Yates has been very helpful and the support I get from my family is a big help too.”

River Cities & Huset’s Host First of Multiple Visits in 2022 GRAND FORKS, ND – June 1, 2022 – A thrilling Memorial Day Weekend is in the books, and now the summer slate begins for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series. The nine-race schedule in June starts this weekend with a doubleheader taking The Greatest Show on Dirt to North Dakota and South Dakota for one night each.10-time Series champion Donny Schatz leads the charge to River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, June 3, where he’ll look to continue his otherworldly dominance with a potential 13th win in 28 tries at his home track. Among the top contenders to stop him is reigning River Cities master and defending Series champion Brad Sweet, who like Schatz, eyes his second win of the season this week.A rest day on Saturday leads into Sunday, June 5 when Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, SD takes center stage for the first time since a severe storm damaged the facility earlier this week. Workers have quickly been cleaning and preparing the facility with David Gravel, a two-time winner at the track last year, looking to deliver another W on home turf for his car owner, Tod Quiring.They’ll all have to deal with Sheldon Haudenschild, who enters as the hottest driver on tour with three wins in the last four races aboard his Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17. Beyond the full-time stars, there’s a heap of local and regional drivers aiming to take down the greatest Sprint Car drivers in the world this weekend.BUY RIVER CITIES TICKETS (Friday) BUY HUSET’S TICKETS (Saturday)Let’s look at what to watch for this weekend on DIRTVision.com:NOT BACKING DOWN: The racing world woke up to some heartbreaking images from Huset’s Speedway on Monday morning when a severe storm wreaked havoc on the state-of-the-art facility in Brandon, SD. Extreme winds ripped apart the suites and scoring tower, but thankfully nobody was injured in the storm. Track owner Tod Quiring insisted in less than 12 hours that Huset’s would be ready to host the World of Outlaws this Sunday night, and a group of 20+ workers immediately went to work on cleaning up and repairing the damage.@BESTDIRTTRACK: It’s @RiverCitiesND on Twitter nowadays, but the diehard fans remember when the Grand Forks, ND oval went by the handle of @BestDirtTrack. It was a name rightfully earned as one of the most thrilling venues in all of Sprint Car racing, in fact, it’s Johnny Gibson’s #1 all-time favorite dirt track. The track has consistently produced sensational shows over the years including Donny Schatz vs. Steve Kinser in 2011, Kyle Larson vs. Logan Schuchart in 2020, and Brad Sweet vs. Sheldon Haudenschild in 2021.HOT-ENSCHILD: There’s no denying that Sheldon Haudenschild and Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing is the hottest team on tour right now. Over the last five races, the NOS Energy Drink #17 has won at Bridgeport, Atomic & Lawrenceburg, averaging a 1.8 finish with their worst result being a fourth-place run at Attica. In that same span, the Wooster, OH native has risen from fourth in points (-92) all the way up to second (-34) as Sweet’s closest championship contender.The 28-year-old son of “The Wild Child” has ample opportunity to keep the streak alive this weekend at River Cities and Huset’s. He rides four-straight top-10 results at the Grand Forks, ND track with a career-best of second coming last year, while he’s also a former winner at the Brandon, SD oval on tap for Sunday night.HUSET’S HOME GAME: Welcoming the World of Outlaws to Huset’s Speedway means welcoming home his own Big Game Motorsports team for track owner Tod Quiring. Last year was proof that David Gravel and crew chief Cody Jacobs thrive with the pressure turned on as Gravel scored each of his three career Huset’s Speedway wins in 2021, two of them coming with The Greatest Show on Dirt.Entering the weekend, the Watertown, CT native sits third in the championship standings (-46 PTS) with two victories and 19 top-10 finishes to his credit. Sunday’s showdown at the Brandon, SD facility is extra special as the track bounces back from a severe storm and hosts the only tune-up for the inaugural $100,000-to-win High Bank Nationals on June 23-25.DEFENDING THE DAKOTAS: When it comes to defending their home turf, nobody does it quite like 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz does in his native North Dakota. On Friday, the Series makes the first of two visits at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, where Schatz has dominated since the Outlaws debuted at the 1/4-mile bullring in 2007.In 27 starts over 15 seasons, the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing superstar has produced some out-of-this-world numbers at his home track. He owns 12 victories (44% winning percentage) and his only finish outside the top-five was a seventh-place run, resulting in an astounding 2.4 average finish. He’ll head to River Cities this Friday night chasing his second win of the 2022 World of Outlaws season and an improvement on his sixth-place mark in the championship standings.CHANGE OF PACE: It’s been eight long races back to late April since Brad Sweet last finished on the podium at a World of Outlaws race, his longest such streak since missing the top three over nine-straight races to end the 2021 season. The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 hasn’t been bad by any means, rather consistently good, but not the great we’re used to seeing from the blue beast.The three-time and defending Series champion still holds the current championship lead in pursuit of a fourth title, but The Big Cat has only managed one trip to victory lane through 23 starts this year, whereas last year he recorded nine wins at this point. The Grass Valley, CA native is a former winner at both River Cities and Huset’s, where he can break the streak and return to the podium, let alone victory lane, this weekend.WAITING TO BITE: Since building a new Triple-X Chassis prior to the Bristol Bash at the end of April, Logan Schuchart and Shark Racing have completely turned their season around. With nine top-five results and a 4.4 average finish over the last 11 races, the Hanover, PA native has returned to the championship-contending status fans remember from the #1S from 2020.As great as the podium visits and strong runs are, nothing quite compares to the jubilation of victory lane. The DuraMAX Oil, Team Drydene entry has contended for three straight wins at Attica, Atomic & Lawrenceburg, but fallen short each time and leaving Bobby Allen’s boys hungry for that checkered flag. That return could finally come this Friday night at River Cities, a place Schuchart has shined at in recent years.TO THE HALL: With a rare Saturday night off, several World of Outlaws affiliated members will be heading to Knoxville, Iowa for a special occasion as the 2022 class of inductees will be enshrined into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.Series announcer John Gibson, who has called more than 2,000 consecutive World of Outlaws races since grabbing the mic in the mid ’90s, will be joined by legendary car owners Tony Stewart & Dennis Roth, along with noteworthy drivers including 12-time winner Tim Green and five-time winner Gary Wright.THIS WEEK AT A GLANCEFriday, June 3 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND Sunday, June 5 at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, SDOn the Internet World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (23/77 Nights): 1. 49-Brad Sweet (3,148 PTS); 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-34 PTS); 3. 2-David Gravel (-46 PTS); 4. 41-Carson Macedo (-66 PTS); 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-80 PTS); 6. 15-Donny Schatz (-146 PTS); 7. 5-Spencer Bayston (-166 PTS); 8. 83-James McFadden (-168 PTS); 9. 1A-Jacob Allen (-222 PTS); 10. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss (-374 PTS).NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (11 Drivers): 5 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 4 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 2 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 2 wins – Jacob Allen, Shark Racing #1A 2 wins – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski/Paul Silva #57 2 wins – Brent Marks, Murray-Marks Motorsports #19 2 wins – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18 1 win – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing #49 1 win – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 1 win – Spencer Bayston, CJB Motorsports #5 1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15FEATURE LAPS LED (22 Drivers): 82 laps – Carson Macedo 81 laps – Brad Sweet 79 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 71 laps – David Gravel 64 laps – Jacob Allen 61 laps – Kyle Larson 55 laps – Giovanni Scelzi 49 laps – Spencer Bayston 31 laps – Logan Schuchart 29 laps – Brent Marks 26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 25 laps – Donny Schatz 15 laps – Justin Peck 13 laps – Cory Eliason 9 laps – Dominic Scelzi, Brady Bacon 8 laps – James McFadden, Anthony Macri 3 laps – Brock Zearfoss, Brian Brown 1 lap – Corey Day, Aaron ReutzelSLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (15 Drivers): 4 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo 3 QuickTimes – David Gravel 2 QuickTimes – Jacob Allen, Rico Abreu, Giovanni Scelzi* 1 QuickTime – Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart, Spencer Bayston, James McFadden, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Justin Peck, Buddy Kofoid * Denotes New Track RecordHEAT RACE WINNERS (25 Drivers): 10 Heat Wins – David Gravel 8 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Brad Sweet 7 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo 6 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 5 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, James McFadden, Rico Abreu 4 Heat Wins – Giovanni Scelzi 3 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz, Aaron Reutzel 2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Brock Zearfoss, Kraig Kinser, Tyler Courtney, Cory Eliason, Kerry Madsen 1 Heat Win – Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Justin Peck, Anthony Macri, Justin Whittall, Ian Madsen, Parker Price-MillerDIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (35 Drivers): 16 Dashes – David Gravel 14 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen 13 Dashes – Carson Macedo 10 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart 8 Dashes – James McFadden 7 Dashes – Donny Schatz, Rico Abreu 5 Dashes – Kraig Kinser, Kyle Larson, Cory Eliason, Giovanni Scelzi 4 Dashes – Aaron Reutzel 3 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss, Brent Marks, Tyler Courtney, Kerry Madsen 2 Dashes – Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Anthony Macri 1 Dash – Kasey Kahne, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Brady Bacon, Justin Peck, Matt Campbell, Justin Whittall, Ian Madsen, Cole Duncan, Parker Price-MillerMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (14 Drivers): 3 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden 2 LCS Wins – Logan Schuchart, Ayrton Gennetten 1 LCS Win – Spencer Bayston, Donny Schatz, Brock Zearfoss, Anthony Macri, Mitchell Faccinto, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Kerry Madsen, Brent Marks, DJ Foos, Christopher BellKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (10 Drivers): 4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart 3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild 2 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, James McFadden, 1 Hard Chargers – David Gravel, Donny Schatz, Brock Zearfoss, Jason Sides, Rico Abreu, Tanner Thorson, Alan Krimes, Devon Borden, Anthony Macri, Greg Wilson, Travis Philo, Kyle LarsonPODIUM FINISHES (20 Drivers): 8 Podiums – Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild 7 Podiums – Carson Macedo, Kyle Larson 6 Podiums – David Gravel 5 Podiums – Logan Schuchart 4 Podiums – Donny Schatz 3 Podiums – James McFadden, Jacob Allen, Giovanni Scelzi, Brent Marks 2 Podiums – Spencer Bayston, Aaron Reutzel, Corey Day 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brian Brown, Justin Peck, Rico AbreuTOP 10 FINISHES (37 Drivers): 20 Top 10s – Brad Sweet 19 Top 10s – David Gravel 18 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild 17 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart 16 Top 10s – Carson Macedo 15 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Spencer Bayston 13 Top 10s – James McFadden, Jacob Allen 12 Top 10s – Giovanni Scelzi 10 Top 10s – Rico Abreu 8 Top 10s – Kyle Larson 7 Top 10s – Cory Eliason 5 Top 10s – Brent Marks 4 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney, Anthony Macri 3 Top 10s – Kerry Madsen 2 Top 10s – Kraig Kinser, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 Top 10 – Kasey Kahne, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Hunter Schuerenberg, Carson Short, Tanner Thorson, Danny Dietrich, Lance Dewease, Greg Wilson, Cole Duncan, Cale Thomas, Cole Macedo2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS: No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thur, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1) 2. Fri, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 3. Sat, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1) 4. Fri, March 4 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 5. Sat, March 5 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Carson Macedo (1) 6. Fri, March 11 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (1) 7. Sat, March 12 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Kyle Larson (1) 8. Fri, March 18 / Merced Speedway / Merced, CA / Carson Macedo (2) 9. Fri, March 25 / Bakersfield Speedway / Bakersfield, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (2) 10. Sat, March 26 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, CA / David Gravel (2) 11. Tues, March 29 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM / Brad Sweet (1) 12. Sat, April 2 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brent Marks (1) 13. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Jacob Allen (1) 14. Fri, April 15 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Carson Macedo (3) 15. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (4) 16. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / Logan Schuchart (1) 17. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / Spencer Bayston (1) 18. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Jacob Allen (2) 19. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brent Marks (2) 20. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Motorsports Park / Swedesboro, NJ / Sheldon Haudenschild (3) 21. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (2) 22. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (4) 23. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / Sheldon Haudenschild (5)