Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia, who drives the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Jordan Taylor, met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Thursday to discuss next week’s Monterey Sports Car Championship, the team’s performance heading into WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and other topics. FULL GARCIA TRANSCRIPT: YOU HAVE THREE WINS AT LAGUNA SECA? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST GOING BACK THERE NEXT WEEK? “It has been good for me and always good for Corvette Racing. I’ve had a few wins there but also when we had two cars there, we won together there many times. I’m looking forward to it. This year as always, it’s a new challenge because we don’t know how this version of the car will behave. So far it’s been going really, really good. I don’t see anything going against us or that we won’t be able to fight for the win or a good result.” WHAT WAS YOUR SIDE AND REACTION TO THE WHEEL-NUT ISSUE AT LONG BEACH (WHICH EVENTUALLY LANDED IN THE FRONT OF THE PFAFF MOTORSPORTS AND PUCNTURED THE RADIATOR)? “After that, I felt like were on the lucky side of that because we weren’t the car that went out of the race. That’s something I said to the Pfaff mechanics after the race. I went over and apologized for this weird thing. I didn’t understand after the restart. We thought they had some issues with the refueling. I didn’t know. I was getting in normal rhythm of a stint and trying to keep control over the Aston Martin, which was really fast at the beginning. The team tried to explain why we had to serve a penalty but I couldn’t really figure out what happened. Until I saw the video, I couldn’t believe what actually happened. For sure, that’s the unluckiest thing… you can try that a million times more and never do that again. It was very unfortunate for what happened to the 9 car.” WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING THAT HAS TAKEN YOU OUT OF A RACE? “I’ve had a few at Long Beach. I lost a race there at the Hairpin when the track was completely blocked. I was the only one not being able to move around the accident. Losing the race there… I don’t know. That one two weeks ago was probably the weirdest one. For sure we’ve had failures on some things but I can’t think of anything stranger than that.” THIS IS THE LAST GTD PRO RACE FOR TWO MONTHS. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE A GOOD PERFORMANCE IN THIS ONE COMING UP BEFORE COMING BACK AT WATKINS GLEN? “For us, it will be a little different because we will head to Le Mans. All the mechanics need to change their minds back to WEC rules; however we have one car over there now so it won’t be much of a difference. Half of the team or most of the team is set to the WEC rhythm. It will be for more Jordan and I to get used again to the GTE/GTLM full spec car, back to confidential tires and no ABS. There will be a little bit of changing our driving style but having driven this car for so many years in GTLM spec, I hope it doesn’t take much to get back to that style. For us, maybe it will be more difficult for us to get back to The Glen and change again for GTD PRO.” SPEAKING ABOUT LAGUNA SECA, YOU AND JORDAN HAVE SAID THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IN THE CURRENT IMSA CAR IS THE ABS AND TIRES THAT EVERYONE IS USING. HOW WILL THAT PLAY A ROLE IN THIS RACE? “For us, we’re always learning. We should have a little bit more time in free practice so we know how to make the tire to work over there. That’s the biggest thing for us. We’ve never run this tire at these racetracks. We need to know how to make it work. We struggled a little bit on that at Long Beach but figured it out. Laguna Seca will be a different temperature so we’ll have to figure that out and adapt to that. It’s not only the stint performance but we also need to find some peak performance for qualifying. We saw at Long Beach that there are some cars potentially a little bit faster than us. That’s something we need to learn during the weekend. Prior to that, we need to anticipate what’s going to happen but we don’t know how this car will react to the track and temperatures.” WITH THE NUMBER OF MANUFACTURERS IN GTD PRO, HOW TOUGH HAS THE SEASON BEEN SO FAR? “It’s definitely difficult. I’ve raced against many of these guys already, but it’s different in dealing with the GTD PRO field and then you have the regular GTD field in the mix. At Long Beach after serving the penalty, I was behind some GTDs. In a way you are mixed in but they are on the same level as you car-wise and performance-wise. That’s the most difficult thing to deal with. Finishing the race behind the leading GTD car and knowing you couldn’t really make up anything to move forward because you might do something wrong that will impact the other car. I found that way a little more difficult. Bryan (Sellers) was racing with us and we were fighting for third or fourth in overall GTD positions. But being mixed is a bit different. We will get a little deeper into the season and how to better interact between the classes. That’s what I’ve found most challenging so far.” ON THE AGING TRACK SURFACE AT LAGUNA SECA, IT BEING SLIPPERY AND HOW YOU ATTACK THE TRACK. IS PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AN ADVANTAGE? “It’s an advantage if you know how to deal with it. The downside for us is that we’re going to be learning about the degradation is on this new tire for us. Over the years with the C8.R in GTLM, we saw that degradation wasn’t that bad. It’s more about different strategies maybe. Last year in fighting the 4 car, we were on a slightly different strategy on tire compound so that changes a lot. In a way, having just one compound makes it a little easier so you don’t have that fear of choosing the wrong compound. Laguna Seca is great for that. There are track limits everywhere; if you go wide, you’re off or in the dirt. There is reward if you keep your car on track and do things well. I hope there is an advantage for us in that matter. You never know. Strategy is a good point there and traffic is usually pretty bad. You face a lot of things around the race but we are looking forward to it.” IS BEING ABLE TO MANAGE THE SURFACE THE BIGGEST KEY TO SUCCESS? “This track has always had long stints. It’s almost always a very long last stint so you need to deal with very old tires at the end. If there is some kind of late yellow, the tension goes up after those restarts. It’s a track where strategy plays a part of it. I’m sure we will see a lot of people going off-sequence. Let’s see… we hope to be on the right one and we’ll see where we are at the end of the race.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY GEICO 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT APRIL 21, 2022 
  TY DILLON, NO. 42 PETTY GMS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media via teleconference in advance of this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Press Conference Transcript:  THIS PAST WEEKEND AT THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE, YOU CAME HOME WITH A 10TH-PLACE FINISH. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT RACE, BUT ALSO JUST WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOUR TEAM. A NEW TEAM THAT IS BUILDING TOGETHER – WHAT IT MEANS TO TAKE HOME A TOP-10.“Yeah, that was a really big day for us – for Petty GMS and myself. First of all, winning the heat race was really cool. Anytime you cross the checkered flag first in any kind of Cup Series race, that’s a big deal and I don’t take that for granted. Especially doing it with the No. 42 – a number that Lee Petty brought to the series, made so famous and has passed down through so many drivers. And to do that on dirt in a heat race is kind of a cool throwback moment for me, personally. It was also a good boost of confidence. My goal was to go out there and win that heat race beforehand and I was able to do so against Kyle Larson, who is undoubtedly probably one of the best dirt racers out there, and racers in general; along with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Chase Elliott is no slouch either on dirt. I think he spent most of the winter almost living with Larson and running midgets and different dirt cars. I figured when I saw that heat race – it was the most loaded heat race with a large amount of dirt background. So, that was a huge vote of confidence for me. 
And then starting the race in seventh after all the passing points and everything; driving straight up to second and getting our first stage points of the year with nine stage points, is huge for sure. That was a great start. We were just kind of checking things off our list. In the second stage, we were unfortunately hung on the bottom quite a bit and fell back. It was really tough in that race to restart on the bottom and go forward at all. I think if you go back and look at it, anybody who restarted on the bottom just fell back into the field. We were able to have a strong enough Gain Camaro that I was able to drive back up through the field, get a top-10 finish, which is another one of our goals. It’s always good when you set high goals and you are able to accomplish them in a weekend. So, we have a lot of confidence going into Talladega (Superspeedway), which is statistically probably my best track. Hopefully we’ll keep that rolling and just keep moving forward with momentum this year.”
YOU’RE 21ST IN POINTS. HOW WOULD YOU EVALUATE THAT, AS FAR AS THE SEASON GOES? WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE POINTS, IS TOP-20 A GOAL? OR FOR A NEW TEAM, IS STAYING IN THE TOP-25 THE GOAL? “Obviously we want to stay in the top-25. I think there are good financial benefits for the team and everyone involved. I think that’s an expectation. And then we have goals, right. So, being inside the top-20 would be a goal, along with trying to get into the Playoffs and winning a race. We just want to show progression. We want our team to get better week in and week out. We started pretty good. We fell back to 26th in points and now we’re kind of moving forward again. I think for a new team and a whole new situation – where we’re at and with the guys that are around us being a strong group of drivers – I think the full points layout is a little bit different for everyone this year. I think the field is very solid all the way back to 28th in points. If we can crack that top-20, I think that would be a great thing. We want to keep looking for more and we expect more out of it. I think especially with the speed that Erik (Jones) has shown this year at some of the tracks. I know myself and our No. 42 team expects to have that kind of speed week in and week out. And if we can do that, we can go even higher in points and be a Playoff-contending team and a winning-contending team. 
There are a lot of goals out there that we believe are achievable. But the expectation is to be inside the top-25 and show progression throughout the year and see where we end up at the end.”
AT TALLADEGA, WITH THE CHALLENGE OF GETTING CARS READY, IS IT THE SAME MENTALITY AS DAYTONA? IS IT 50/50 WHETHER YOU’RE GOING TO FINISH OR END UP WRECKED?“These weeks are always weird for me because I’m thinking the same things you guys are. What’s it going to be like – Is it going to be aggressive? Is it going to be calm? Speedweek (at Daytona) seemed calm up until the Daytona 500. And then we started the race and people were bump drafting on lap one. I’m a big proponent of feeling the energy of the race. I just got off a meeting with my guys and I said this is the hardest race for me to prepare for. I just go off of what I feel. It may change within a lap, but I feel like if we can get up there and put ourselves in a good spot to get stage points and run up front, that’s obviously where you’d like to be. Or do I feel bad energy in the pack and people are doing things they shouldn’t at a certain time. For me, I won’t know until I’m in the situation. I don’t think anyone showed much patience in the Daytona 500. But also, in my opinion, nobody showed any patience in the last three years of superspeedway races. If you look back, there’s maybe 15 cars that were on the lead lap due to crashes and issues every race. 
My strategy sometimes seems conservative, but I also have one of the best average finishes of the last four or five years at some of these speedways. So, until they prove me otherwise, I’m going to play a smart game – feel the energy of the pack; get stage points if it feels right and we have the speed to do it and in the right situation. But if not, I have to make sure our Black Rifle Camaro crosses the line on the lead lap and I can pretty much always guarantee us a top-15 or top-10 in that way.”
LOOKING AT THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE SEASON, EVEN WITH THE NEW CAR, IN ESSENCE YOU’RE SEEING THE SAME TOP TEAMS WIN. THE TOP-10’S FOR TEAMS ARE VERY SIMILAR FROM YEAR-TO-YEAR. IS THE NEW CAR AN EQUALIZER IN SOME WAYS THAT YOU CAN’T SEE MAYBE THROUGH WINS AND TOP-10’S? OR IS IT A CASE THAT MAYBE THESE BIGGER TEAMS HAVE THE BIGGER RESOURCES AND THE EXPECTATION WAS THAT THEY WERE GOING TO FIND THINGS BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE? “Yeah, I think that’s a good question. I think it’s a little bit of both. The top teams have always had the most money and resources, and that’s always helpful. But they also have some of the best people – best drivers and crew chiefs because they have the same amount of money to go out and pay for them. Not taking away from any other teams – they’re going to put a good effort forward. I think that’s why you see the top teams winning. Winning teams win races and no matter what you put them in; winning drivers will do the same. I think it’s a little bit of a balance there, but I think you’re seeing within teams – week to week – you don’t know which driver within that team might win or might be two laps down. It’s been quite fascinating. You see two Hendrick (Motorsports) cars run really well and two run bad. You’ll see one RCR car run well and one RCR run bad. Same thing with us at Petty GMS – it seems like we haven’t had really one weekend where we’ve both been really, really strong. But we’ve both had our strong weeks. This car has a really fine line and seemingly when the driver, crew chief, team combo hits the right setup at the right time, you take off and you can have a chance. I haven’t had a weekend where I’ve gone into it where I don’t believe that if we hit it right, we can win the race. I didn’t feel that way in the past and I think this car provides that for everyone. 
I feel very confident that at Petty GMS, when we hit right, we’re going to have a chance to win a race. I think this past weekend was a real showing of that. We could have won that race if we were in the right spot at the right time at the end of the race; and if different things would have worked out in our favor in strategy and rain-wise. I think you’re never out of it with this car, which is a welcoming sign. Obviously money always wins in everything and we need to continue to get more sponsorship for our team and provide more resources for everybody. We’re working hard at that. We’re a young, growing team. We’re doing really well. Maury Gallagher is putting so much into our program. It’s very exciting to be a part of this team because our goal is to win. And then you throw Richard Petty in there – he has that winning mindset. He’s the winningest driver in our sport. So, we have so much excitement and promise around our team. We’re very new and in a youthful stage as a team, and figuring a lot of things out. Both teams – my team and Erik’s – have had ups and downs throughout the season. We’re starting to leap back up in the points. 
To circle back and answer your question – the good teams are going to be good. But I think if you look within these teams and why we’ve had so many different winners is because you never know when the right person is going to hit the setup. I think Erik could have possibly won Fontana if things would have gone the right way. It’s an exciting time in our sport and I look forward to every weekend because I feel like I have a legit shot to win. I can see it as a driver. You can see speed differences. You can feel things of like – Ok, we’re just getting outdone by money or we’re just getting outdone by putting the right pieces together. I think every weekend we’ve hit this year – it’s just a matter of putting the pieces together. It’s all there for us. Certainly, Mike Beam, Maury and Petty GMS is giving us every opportunity to do that. And I feel like we’re right there. In the past – I feel like with the old car or the old system – even if we did everything perfect, maybe it was a top-15. But I feel like if everything is done perfect now, we can win races. So, that’s always exciting for a driver and I think you’re going to continue to see more new winners; and I think you’re going to have to win a race to be in the Playoffs this year.” THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE TO WORK ON EASTER. OBVIOUSLY, THIS WAS A NEW THING FOR THE SPORT THIS YEAR WITH THE EASTER RACE. THE NUMBERS SEEM TO INDICATE THAT EASTER IS SOMETHING THAT WILL PROBABLY BE BACK ON THE SCHEDULE. WHAT KIND OF AN ADJUSTMENT IS THAT FOR THIS SPORT? “It’s a tough spot for our sport. I know our sport respects family, faith, and holidays of all of communities and cultures. It’s a tough balance. For me, I don’t know if I get to speak from a very fair vantage point, but I’m lucky enough to travel with my family. My brother and his family was there; my mom, dad and grandfather. So, I got to have Easter with my whole family. But I have a very unique situation. And then I look at my friends and the employees at Petty GMS and across the garage that didn’t get to have that for the first time in a long time – that’s tough. You hear from our sport and we’re in such a great point in our sport and everything is trending up; and we have our best viewership of a race at Bristol since 2016. It puts everyone in a tough spot. 
But I think there is a way to go about it. I think there’s a way to maybe schedule the Saturday events early enough – maybe do the heat races early in the morning on Saturday to give people time to go home. Most team members are within a two hour drive from home; or the owners of the sport should pay for the guys to fly home and fly back on Sunday. If we’re going to do a Sunday night race, plan everything to give the guys a 12 to 18 hour stretch where they can choose to go home and be with their families and be able to come back for the race that night. At Petty GMS, we flew, which was nice for the families to at least to get home Sunday night. But we still didn’t get to bed until 1:30 a.m. and there were teams that had to drive home. That’s a tough weekend and it definitely doesn’t help the families back at home. 
There’s a balance. I think we can work the schedule. I think the owners and NASCAR, in general, have to work together to do as much for their employees as possible in that situation. That’s the way I see it. But it’s a very positive thing that we had great viewership. I know next year, it’s going to be going up against the Masters, which will be interesting to see how that works out. So, we just have to work together to figure it out because these people that work so hard deserve time with their families, especially when you look at our schedule this year. We have one off weekend throughout this whole year and that is brutal. That’s really tough, especially with a new car and early in the season with a massive shortage in parts. There are still teams that are scrambling and working from 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 to midnight every night and then turning around and racing. It’s all good because we want the sport to succeed. But eventually you burn people out and we’ve got to take care of our people. That’s what makes this sport so important and we just have to look at some of these things to get some breaks for people, whether it’s the way that we travel or plan out weekends. I think there is plenty of time, especially this past weekend, to do a lot more for the people.”
BRISTOL, WHEN THEY SENT OUT TICKETS FOR POTENTIAL FOR SALES FOR NEXT YEAR, IT’S THE WEEK AFTER. MY QUESTION FOR YOU – I KNOW YOU AND YOUR BROTHER RACED A LOT OF DIRT BEFORE GETTING TO NASCAR – OVERALL, HOW DO YOU CHARACTERIZE THE RACE? THERE WERE A LOT OF OPPONENTS THAT WERE COMPLAINING ABOUT THE DIRT TRACK RACING ELEMENT OF IT. DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE INCLUDED ON THE SCHEDULE AS A POINTS-PAYING RACE? “I do. I think a lot of our drivers just like to complain because they’re bored and sometimes just want something to talk about; just try to show emotion in that way. I think you just have to look at it a lot less selfishly. So what if you get a little dirty…inaudible. We’re all on the same track and we’re all doing it together. The only thing that’s going to make this sport continue to grow and be good for everyone is to have a positive outlook; see what worked and how we can make the things that didn’t work as good better and move forward positively. I’m never bashing anything unless it’s dangerous and there’s nothing about that race that’s dangerous. I thought it was fun. I think if you look at the first year to the second year, it massively improved. Sometimes people aren’t patient enough to let something kind of mature and grow into what it really can be. Sometimes we’re quick to snap judgement and say ‘this isn’t going to work’. That’s just not a healthy way to look at things in our sport. I enjoy the fact that NASCAR is choosing a different way to go about racing at different tracks and trying to do things for fans. 
I think if you take your driver selfishness hat off and look at it globally, that was an awesome event. You think of all the things that we fixed from the previous event, that was great. And there’s another list of things that we can continue to do to grow. To say this race isn’t worth it and hope we don’t go back – I think that’s kind of ridiculous. I was surprised by some of the comments from some of the drivers. I think if you look at the attitude of the drivers – the guys that liked the race ran well and the guys who didn’t like the race ran bad. Mindset of your approach of what you want to be a part of definitely helps in having a better weekend. 
I grew up dirt racing. I haven’t raced dirt in five years, so that was my first dirt race other than the Eldora truck races that I’ve ran, and I enjoyed it. Part of that element – when you go to a Saturday night dirt track or a weekend dirt track – is that things are moving. Things aren’t always the same. You don’t show up to the same track with the same bump and the same groove every single weekend. And in fact, it’s not the same from when you unload your car to the time that the checkered flag waves. Every lap you’re moving, changing and adjusting your car. It makes it tough, but that’s why we choose to go dirt racing – to throw something different at it. I think the big win was that the dust was down and the track had multiple grooves. There was passing. Was it hard? Yes. It’s also hard to pass at Bristol when it’s concrete. I think I had the most passes with 58 or 59. That’s a lot of passes, so it’s possible. You just have to be into it and embrace the fact that it’s good for our sport; and what’s good for our sport is good for us.”
MOTHER NATURE CERTAINLY HAD HER SAY THE FIRST YEAR WE WENT THERE AND IT WAS REALLY HARD TO GET THE TRACK CONDITIONED. BUT FROM THE DRIVER SEAT, YOU FOUND THE DIRT THIS TIME A LOT MORE COMPETITIVE TO RACE ON. DID THE BANKING HELP, AS WELL?“Yeah, I don’t know a whole lot about dirt, other than my background. Inaudible.. from what I noticed was different was they added some calcium into the dirt to hold moisture in it a little bit better. Whether that was the cure or not, I’m not sure. But our daytime practice got pretty dusty at one point. I think the biggest win was moving it to a night race. It holds more moisture.. inaudible.. 
I don’t know what metrics led into that, but they were right in taking banking out of the bottom and adding it to the top. I think it was a really good race. I thought everything went great and I think we can improve it even further.”
YOU’VE BEEN ON A SINGLE-CAR TEAM FOR MOST OF YOUR CUP CAREER. WHAT IS IT LIKE HAVING A TEAMMATE THIS YEAR? “It’s been great. It’s an adjustment for me. Like you said, I’ve been a single-car driver for my whole career. Just adjusting to that dynamic is not always easy. You’re learning personalities and the whole team isn’t centered around you. It’s around two cars. It’s helped me a lot to learn from Erik (Jones), Dave (Elenz) and the No. 43 team, who has had such good speed. They set a good expectation, which I really appreciate. The opportunity to know where your team can be is always so good. If they’re having a strong weekend, we can look at them and say ‘OK, this is where we need to get to’. I’m a very competitive person, but I also enjoy being a team player. I believe that together we can push each other to move Petty GMS forward. I’m enjoying having a teammate and having that dynamic. I can’t wait to see how we kind of grow in that together.”

Batavia, OH (April 21, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will make heads turn, heading to the “Land of Lincoln” this weekend. There is never a shortage of thrills for teams and fans alike when the series visits Tri-City Speedway and Macon Speedway.The weekend doubleheader will wrap up the month of April, kicking off on Friday, April 29th at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL, followed by Macon Speedway in Macon, IL on Saturday, April 30th. Both venues will host the nation’s top dirt late model drivers along with one of the strongest fields of local and regional standouts anywhere.Located just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, MO, Tri-City Speedway has gone through several changes in size since being built in 1961 but has settled in as a 3/8-mile oval. The Bullet Racing Engines 50 will include a complete program of: Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event. The pit gate will open at 12:00PM CT (noon) with the General Admission gate opening at 5:30 PM CT. A 6:00 PM CT driver’s meeting will be conducted with on track action beginning at 6:30 PM CT. The Modifieds and B-Mods will also be in competition, each racing for a $1,000 pay day.The thrills won’t stop as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series teams make their way to Macon Speedway on Saturday night. Also rich in history, the 1/5-mile bullring that opened in 1946 is historically known to produce non-stop, door-to-door racing action. The event features Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains, highlighted by a 100-lap, $15,000-to-win main event. The pit gate will close at 2:30 PM CT and reopen at 3:00 PM CT. The general admission gate will open at 4:00 PM CT. A 5:30 PM CT driver’s meeting will take place before hot laps which begin at 6:00 PM CT. Pro Modifieds will be racing for $300-to-win while the Modified division will compete for $1,000-to-win.Track Information: Tri-City Speedway Phone Number: 618-931-7836 Track Promoters: Kevin and Tammy Gundaker Location: 5100 Nameoki Road, Granite City, IL 62040 Website: www.tricityspeedway.netMacon Speedway Phone Number 217-764-3000 Track Promoter: Bob Sargent Location: 205 North Wiles, Macon, IL 62544 Website: www.maconracing.comLucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series April 29th – 30th Purses: Tri-City Speedway Purse: 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000,18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $52,800Macon Speedway Purse: 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series April 29th – 30th Tire Rule: Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) LM20 Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains and A-Main *Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.

BAYTOWN, Texas (April 21, 2022) – Reaching yet another milestone in his illustrious career, John Force will feature a special paint scheme on his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his 100th win at this weekend’s NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park, the final NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series event to be run at the beloved facility. John Force has won an event best six times in the SpringNationals (1990, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1999 and 2002) and seven times overall at Houston Raceway Park (the other win came in 1999 in the track’s short-lived fall race). He earned his historic 100th tour victory on April 14, 2002 when he beat Dale Creasy Jr., Del Worsham, Whit Bazemore and, in the final, Tommy Johnson Jr. Force would go on to win his 10th straight NHRA championship that season.Force has qualified No. 1 a total of 11 times at Houston Raceway Park, 10 times in the SpringNationals. Only at Indianapolis and the Texas Motorplex has he started more races from the front (12 at each venue). He set the SpringNationals qualifying pace 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2019 and was No.1 at the fall race in 1999. In 2019 he shared the top spot for the first time with daughter Brittany Force who secured No. 1 in Top Fuel. “Houston Raceway Park has been good to me over the years. I’m looking forward to getting back there. The Angel Family put on a great show and NHRA is working hard to make this one special,” Force said. “John Force Racing, not just me, has a lot of history here, a lot of wins here, a lot of success. PEAK, they wanted to do something special for the 20th anniversary of my 100th win and I’m excited to get out and show this Chevy hot rod off. Maybe it will bring me some good luck and get us a win We’re right there, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi all these young kids, they’re working hard and it’ll pay off. We just have to keep at it and I’ve got to keep doing my job.” Force had pre-season success at testing at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Arizona but stumbled at the season opening Winternationals. The PEAK / BlueDEF team turned things around back at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the NHRA Arizona Nationals. They would qualify No. 3 and have a semifinals appearance. Quarterfinal finishes at both the Gatornationals in Gainesville and the most recent Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals would keep Force fifth in the points standings, just seven away from fourth.   The NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park kickoff Friday night with the first round of qualifying at 7 p.m. CT. Qualifying continues with sessions at 2 and 5:15 p.m. CT. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning Friday night at 7 p.m. ET. A second qualifying show will air Sunday at 10:30 a.m. before eliminations at 7:30 p.m. ET.

CHEVROLET AT HOUSTON What: 35th NHRA SpringNationalsWhen: Friday, April 22-Sunday, April 24Where: Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations at 7:30 p.m. ET April 24                                                                       Team Chevy seeks to close out Houston Raceway Park in styleVenue has been the site of notable accomplishments for Chevrolet drivers over the years

DETROIT (April 21, 2022) – Erica Enders literally and figurately grew up at Houston Raceway Park, so the National Hot Rod Association’s swan song at the facility this weekend will be full of emotions for the four-time Pro Stock champion. After 35 years in operation, the track will close after its 2022 season.

“HRP has meant so much to me my entire life,” the Houston native said. “I literally fell in love with the sport watching my dad (Gregg Enders) race here before I was old enough to drive. When they first announced the junior dragster program, I couldn’t get down here fast enough to start racing myself.” That was at age 8. Enders won her first NHRA national event at Houston Raceway Park in Super Gas in 2004, and 10 years later claimed the Wally in Pro Stock against Allen Johnson. She also won in 2015 on the way to completing her second successive championship season. “It’s always been my home track and a place where I want to win more than any other. Winning the last race here would be huge,” she said. “All the steps I had to take to get to Pro Stock came at this track, so all those memories always come flooding back. The track has been good to me in the past and it’s my home turf, so we’re excited to get things underway and see what happens.” Enders, the most recent winner on the Pro Stock tour in the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, is just three points shy of championship leader Aaron Stanfield in the Janac Brothers Camaro SS after four or the scheduled 18 events.

The track has been the site of many special moments in NHRA history, including Texan Lucinda McFarland driving a Chevrolet Lumina to the 14th qualifier spot in Pro Stock in the 1992 event to join Kim LaHaie (Top Fuel) and Paula Martin (Funny Car) as the first time three females qualified in all three pro classes. Notable accomplishments at Houston by current Chevrolet drivers: * Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car champion John Force earned his 100th victory at Houston in 2002. He is a seven-time winner and 10-time No. 1 qualifier at the track, most recently in 2019.* Brittany Force is a two-time winner at the track (2018, 2019) and holds the Top Fuel track records for elapsed time (3.661 seconds) and speed (332.18 mph) set in April 2019 on the way to the No. 1 qualifier. Road trip: John and Brittany Force pack up their Chevrolet Suburban and head to Las Vegas * Three-time NHRA Funny Car champion Robert Hight is a four-time Funny Car winner at the track, including the past two races (2021 and 2019) he has competed. Hight earned his initial NHRA Funny Car win in the 2005 race at Houston. He was runner-up in 2018 and ’17 and is a two-time No. 1 qualifier at the track.* Five-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson is a three-time winner (2004, 2008, 2016) at the track and three-time No. 1 qualifier.* Four-time NHRA Pro Stock champion Erica Enders is a two-time winner the track (2014, ’15) and runner-up in 2018. She holds the Pro Stock track speed record (213.37 mph) set in April 2013. She earned her first national event win at the track in Super Gas in 2004.* Pro Stock points leader Aaron Stanfield, who has a win, runner-up finish and a pair of No. 1 qualifiers through four races, earned his inaugural Pro Stock victory at the track in the penultimate race of the shortened 2020 season. Also, Bo Butner picked up his first Pro Stock win in 2017 and Matt Hartford got on the Wally tally sheet in 2018 at Houston.

Brittany Force, the 2017 Top Fuel champion, closed to four points of the championship lead with her victory in last race on the schedule in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster. She defeated past champions Steve Torrence, Tony Schumacher and Antron Brown in the final of the four-wide event in Las Vegas with a 3.718-second pass at a blistering 338.00 mph. “It’s all about consistency,” crew chief David Grubic said. “We need the performance, but we also need the consistency and we need reliability as well. We’ve had our share of No. 1s. We want race day results now; that’s what it’s all about.” Hight, driving the Auto Club of Southern California Camaro SS, is aiming to retake the Funny Car championship lead with his third victory of the season. Reigning Pro Stock champion Greg Anderson will seek to join John Force as the only pro class drivers with 100 wins. Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, is sixth in points. CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUELBRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (winner at Las Vegas; two-time winner at the track; holds both ends of the Top Fuel track records set in 2019; second in points): “We’re coming off a win in Las Vegas and our Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team heads to Houston this weekend still on such a high. There’s this momentum after a win that excites and motivates the entire team to get to the next race and chase down another win. Houston Raceway Park has carried my team to a winner’s circle two times in my career and we’re looking for back-to-back wins at Houston’s final NHRA nationals event. Looking forward to seeing what this team can pull off.” AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (runner-up at Pomona opener): “I’m really looking forward to Houston, John Force Racing has had a lot of success and made history at this facility. I’d love to add my name to that list, especially with it being the final one. I’ve got two wins as a crew guy at Houston Raceway Park, including my first ever in 2018 when I worked on Brittany Force’s dragster and the second, in 2021, was my first win with my dad on Robert Hight’s team, so it’s got a special place in my heart. I’m excited to get back in the seat, I feel like we’re on the right track to perform with the best. I can’t wait to see how our cards fall.” FUNNY CARJOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (seven-time winner at the track; will have special throwback look to his Camaro): “Houston Raceway Park has been good to me over the years. I’m looking forward to getting back there. The Angel family put on a great show and NHRA is working hard to make this one special. John Force Racing, not just me, has a lot of history here, a lot of wins here, a lot of success. PEAK, they wanted to do something special for the 20th anniversary of my 100th win and I’m excited to get out and show this Chevy hot rod off. Maybe it will bring me some good luck and get us a win We’re right there, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi all these young kids, they’re working hard and it’ll pay off. We just have to keep at it and I’ve got to keep doing my job.” ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; four-time winner at the track, including 2021, 2019 and his first-ever Funny car win in 2005; No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville): “Houston Raceway Park is a special place for me. It’s where I got my first win, it was really unbelievable, going from a crew guy and then, in my rookie season getting a win just four races in. Jimmy Prock, he has some magic at Houston, he has this AAA Texas Chevy dialed in here. We have some momentum already this year, those two wins to start the season, it’s a great start. Hopefully, with our past success, and what we have building already this season, we get this AAA Chevy in the winner’s circle.” PRO STOCKGREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner of event; seeking to become second pro driver with 100 wins): “Yes, we’ve done well there before, but it’s been a few years since I’ve seen the winner’s circle in Houston. But that distance between wins just makes you that much more hungry for it. Right now, we’re hungry. But we’ll try to be patient, we’ll continue to work on what we have, and hopefully we’ll get to Houston with everything we need to get the job done. Hopefully, we’ll put our name in the record book as the last winner there. We showed flashes of being back to on our game in Vegas and come race day I made a mistake as a driver. I made a couple of mistakes on the starting line and it definitely cost the car some ET. Definitely had a good car; we were the quickest car on both runs on Saturday. We’ve been home working for a couple of weeks here trying to make our engines run better yet, so hopefully we’ll not only run strong in qualifying we’ll race good on Sunday.” DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Gainesville; No. 1 qualifier at Houston in 2021): “We’ve had a few weeks off since Vegas and I’m rested and ready for Houston. I had my first No. 1 qualifier in Pro Stock in Houston last year so it’s kind of a special place for my RAD Torque Systems team. Looking forward to this weekend.” KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix; runner-up at Gainesville): “I would love to win any race in general, but definitely the last one in Houston. The guys in the engine shop have gotten ready after Vegas and I’m ready to go racing. I don’t like these long breaks. Our car works well on the hot, greasy tracks so I expect us to compete for the win.” TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up at Phoenix): “It’s the last race ever at Houston Raceway Park and I’d love to get my first-ever win in Pro Stock to mark this really special occasion. My uncle Jeg won his first Pro Stock race here back in 1997 and went on to win 64 more in the class, including a total of five at this track, so this place has definitely been kind to Team JEGS through the years. Plus, my dad (Troy) made his Pro Stock debut there in 1994 and my uncle John won Super Gas here in 1995. There’s lots of history for the sport and for our family at HRP.” CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, SAND HAULERS OF AMERICA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (first season in Pro Stock; quarterfinalist at Arizona and Gainesville): “I have never raced at Houston, so I don’t have any good or bad memories. We have had winning Houston as a goal. We are trying to win every race but getting that first win in Houston would be special for sure. Every race I feel like I am making progress as a driver. The support I am getting from my family and team has been so important.” BO BUTNER, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JOHNSON’S HORSEPOWERED GARAGE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (2017 champion; earned first Pro Stock win at track same year): “A good friend of mine that’s a retired driver told me that it takes a minute to learn how to win, and once you get it, everything just clicks. That’s true, but you also need the right equipment and to be in the right place at the right time. I’m not 100% sure what it is about Houston Raceway Park, but I can tell you this: The fans there love this class, and it’s a fast racetrack. I’m happy to go back this year.”  MASON MCGAHA, HARLOW SAMMONS RACING, HARLOW SAMMONS OF ODESSA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time semifinalist in four races; making 30th Pro Stock start; fifth in points): “I’ve gotten more and more runs. I feel comfortable. Last year was like my rookie year with 2020 being a short year with COVID. It allowed us to go into the offseason like a normal year and go into Pomona and not Gainesville like we did the year before. If we keep making good runs and I keep making good lights, at some point we’ve got to get that extra push.”

April 21, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping that the speed they showed at Daytona International Speedway in February can be duplicated this weekend at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega Superspeedway.

Burton was leading the season-opening Daytona 500 when a wreck knocked him out of the race. Although races at Talladega, which is similar in size and layout to Daytona, often produces a different kind of race, crew chief Brian Wilson said he and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are aiming to execute the same strategy at Talladega on Sunday as they did at Daytona.

“Talladega is always chaotic and highly entertaining, but we also look at it as an opportunity to score Stage points and get a great finish,” Wilson said. “At Daytona things didn’t end how we wanted them to, but we qualified well, finished strong in the Duel and were at the front when we ultimately were involved in the wreck that took us out.”

Although Burton is a rookie, Wilson said he shows good instincts in the pack racing that occurs at Daytona and Talladega. And he does have a previous Cup Series start at Talladega, where last fall he made his debut in NASCAR’s elite series.
 
“Harrison’s thought process in the draft and decision making put us in good positions at Daytona,” Wilson said. “The wreck was certainly not due to our approach. We’ll go into this weekend with the same mindset of trying to run up front but also keep ourselves in good positions as the draft plays out.”
 
There will be no practice prior to Saturday’s qualifying session for the GEICO 500, which means teams won’t have to worry about wrecking primary cars before the start of the race.
 
Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Eastern Time), and Sunday’s 188-lap race is set to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX.
 
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 60 and 120.

 

Series Returns to Illinois’ Tri-City Speedway for First Time Since 2008GRANITE CITY, IL – April 20, 2022 – The Illini State and the Hoosier State await The Greatest Show on Dirt this weekend.The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will conclude a three-week swing through the Midwest with a long-awaited return to Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL on Friday night, followed by an exciting night at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, IN on Saturday.TRI-CITY TICKETS (Friday) TRI-STATE TICKETS (At-Track Saturday)Here’s what to watch for this weekend:LONG TIME, NO SEE: For the first time since 2008, the World of Outlaws return to Tri-City Speedway this Friday night. Albeit absent from the schedule for the last 14 years, the Granite City, IL oval is still the 13th most visited track in Seris history with 55 appearances dating back to the first in 1979.When the Series last ran at the 3/8-mile in 2008, it was 10-time champion, Donny Schatz, earning the fifth of 221 victories driving the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15. The Fargo, ND native returns to Tri-City as one of the most experienced racers at the track with 16 starts between 1997 and 2008. He’ll look to use that to his advantage with his second win of 2022 on the line this Friday night.Along with Schatz, only Kraig Kinser and Jason Sides have previously raced at Tri-City with the World of Outlaws. Both drivers finished in the top-five in 2005, and both enter this weekend vying for their first top-10 effort of the new season.ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE: Following a trip to Tri-City, Tri-State takes center stage on Saturday night. The Haubstadt, IN bullring will become the 20th most visited track in Series history with their 42nd World of Outlaws race since 1979. It’s a high-banked 1/4-mile known for producing off-the-wall action, first-time winners, and pure mayhem at times.Carson Macedo of Lemoore, CA has topped the last two races, joining Doug Wolfgang, Andy Hillenburg, and Paul McMahan as the only back-to-back winners at Tri-State. The Jason Johnson Racing #41 pilot is the Series’ most recent winner at I-55 and already leads the league with three wins with the potential to add a fourth this week. Along with Macedo, David Gravel is the only other full-time driver to win in Haubstadt, claiming two victories as well.The track has seen five first-time winners with Lee James & Larry Gates in 1979, The Texan Gary Wright in 1991, and recent occurrences with Parker Price-Miller in 2017 and Carson Short in 2020.SEVEN-HUNDRED: David Gravel of Watertown, CT will reach the first of several upcoming milestones this weekend with his 700th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Feature on Saturday night. The Big Game Motorsports #2 is only four wins away from a 75th career victory, six finishes away from a 300th career top-five, and four runs away from a 500th career top-10.The Big Game Motorsports #2 has collected a pair of wins, six podium finishes, and 11 top-10 runs as Gravel continues to fight for his first World of Outlaws championship.HOME SWEET HOME: A pair of Indiana natives in Spencer Bayston (Lebanon, IN) and Kraig Kinser (Bloomington, IN) will race in their home state for the first time in 2022 this weekend as the Series travels to Haubstadt’s Tri-State Speedway. Neither driver has yet to win at the 1/4-mile with Kinser’s best run coming in fourth and Bayston’s best result in 11th.For Bayston, he’s been on the verge of victory lane all season in the CJB Motorsports #5. The leading Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender enters this weekend on a streak of five straight top-10 finishes. For Kinser, the #11K has been quick throughout 2022 with little luck to show for it. He hopes to turn that around this weekend in the Hoosier State.SINK OR SWIM: The Shark Racing team was maybe only one lap away from scoring back-to-back World of Outlaws wins with both Jacob Allen and Logan Schuchart. After a rocky start to the season, both the #1A and #1S have rebounded with impressive runs including Jacob’s Jason Johnson Classic victory and Logan’s near-win at I-55.The duo will look to keep building momentum this weekend and next at Bristol as the Series heads east towards familiar territory in Ohio and their native Pennsylvania in the month of May.MOWA MASTERS: Although the World of Outlaws hasn’t been to Tri-City since 2008, the Midwest Open Wheel Association has raced regularly at the 3/8-mile oval over that span. Ayrton Gennetten of Versailles, MO is unbeaten in his Tri-City career, winning each of the last two MOWA races. He’s looking to top his World of Outlaws career-best of fourth, which came at Devil’s Bowl when he led 20+ laps last fall.Rico Abreu of St. Helena, CA is a former MOWA winner at Tri-City as well, and he owns a USAC National Midget victory at the venue as does Tanner Thorson of Minden, NV. Both will be in action this weekend following a pair of strong finishes at I-55 last weekend.ON THE VERGE: Sheldon Haudenschild and James McFadden both returned to the top-five last week at I-55 as their strong runs continue in 2022.Haudenschild is a two-time winner already this year, but it has been 10 races since the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17 last visited victory lane. The Wooster, OH native mounted a magnificent charge from the tail to finish fourth last week and hopes that momentum carries him to a third win of 2022 and 25th of his career.McFadden nabbed his fourth top-five in the last six races aboard the Roth Motorsports #83, but the Australian is still searching for his first win of the season. The reigning Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year has been a contender throughout the first 14 races and is on the verge of breaking through soon.THIS WEEK AT A GLANCEFriday, April 22 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL Saturday, April 23 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, INOn 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 (14/81 Nights): 1. 49-Brad Sweet (1,970 PTS); 2. 41-Carson Macedo (-40 PTS); 3. 2-David Gravel (-48 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-72 PTS); 5. 83-James McFadden (-120 PTS); 6. 15-Donny Schatz (-122 PTS); 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi (-136 PTS); 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-136 PTS); 9. 5-Spencer Bayston (-166 PTS); 10. 1A-Jacob Allen (-204 PTS).NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (9 Drivers): 3 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 2 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 2 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 2 wins – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18 1 win – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing #49 1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 1 win – Jacob Allen, Shark Racing #1A 1 win – Brent Marks, Murray-Marks Motorsports #19 1 win – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski #57FEATURE LAPS LED (17 Drivers): 71 laps – David Gravel 65 laps – Carson Macedo 58 laps – Brad Sweet 55 laps – Giovanni Scelzi 27 laps – Brent Marks 26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 25 laps – Donny Schatz 23 laps – Spencer Bayston 21 laps – Brady Bacon 17 laps – Kyle Larson 13 laps – Cory Eliason 10 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 9 laps – Dominic Scelzi, Brady Bacon 8 laps – James McFadden 3 laps – Brian Brown 1 lap – Corey DaySLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (10 Drivers): 3 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo 2 QuickTimes – David Gravel, Jacob Allen 1 QuickTime – Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi*, James McFadden, Rico Abreu * Denotes New Track RecordHEAT RACE WINNERS (20 Drivers): 6 Heat Wins – David Gravel, Jacob Allen 5 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, James McFadden 4 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi 2 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Brock Zearfoss, Kraig Kinser, Rico Abreu, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney, Cory Eliason 1 Heat Win – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Spencer Bayston, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Kerry Madsen, Corey DayDIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (28 Drivers): 10 Dashes – Brad Sweet, Jacob Allen 9 Dashes – David Gravel 7 Dashes – Carson Macedo, Spencer Bayston 5 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Donny Schatz, Cory Eliason 4 Dashes – Kraig Kinser, Giovanni Scelzi 3 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Rico Abreu, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel 2 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss, Kyle Larson, Kerry Madsen, Dominic Scelzi, Corey Day, Brent Marks 1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Brady BaconMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (9 Drivers): 3 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild 2 LCS Wins – Logan Schuchart, Ayrton Gennetten 1 LCS Win – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Anthony Macri, Mitchell Faccinto, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Kerry MadsenKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers): 4 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart 3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild 2 Hard Chargers – James McFadden 1 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz, Tanner Thorson, Rico Abreu, David GravelPODIUM FINISHES (17 Drivers): 7 Podiums – Brad Sweet 6 Podiums – David Gravel 4 Podiums – Carson Macedo 3 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi, Kyle Larson 2 Podiums – James McFadden, Corey Day, Brent Marks 1 Podium – Logan Schuchart, Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen, Cory Eliason, Aaron Reutzel, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Brian BrownTOP 10 FINISHES (27 Drivers): 13 Top 10s – Brad Sweet 11 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, David Gravel, Sheldon Haudencshild 10 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Giovanni Scelzi 9 Top 10s – James McFadden, Logan Schuchart 8 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston 7 Top 10s – Jacob Allen, Cory Eliason 6 Top 10s – Rico Abreu 4 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney 3 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Kyle Larson, Brent Marks 2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Dominic Scelzi, Kerry Madsen, Corey Day 1 Top 10 – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Brian Brown, Hunter Schuerenberg2022 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. Fri, April 22 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL 16. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN 17. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN 18. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN 19. Fri, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 20. Sat, May 7 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 21. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA 22. Fri, May 13 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA 23. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA 24. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Speedway / Swedesboro, NJ 25. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH 26. Sat, May 21 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH 27. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH 28. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN 29. Fri, June 3 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND 30. Sun, June 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD 31. Fri, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA 32. Sat, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA 33. Fri, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA 34. Sat, June 18 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA 35. Thur, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD 36. Fri, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD 37. Sat, June 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD 38. Fri, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI 39. Sat, July 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI 40. Fri, July 8 / 34 Raceway / West Burlington, IA 41. Sat, July 9 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI 42. Tues, July 12 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH 43. Wed, July 13 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 44. Thur, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 45. Fri, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 46. Sat, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 47. Wed, July 20 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA 48. Fri, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA 49. Sat, July 23 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA 50. Sat, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY 51. Sun, July 31 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY 52. Fri, Aug. 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO 53. Sat, Aug. 6 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO 54. Wed, Aug. 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA 55. Thur, Aug. 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA 56. Fri, Aug, 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA 57. Sat, Aug. 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA 58. Thur, Aug. 18 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN 59. Fri, Aug. 19 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN 60. Sat, Aug. 20 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN 61. Fri, Aug. 26 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND 62. Sat, Aug. 27 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND 63. Thur, Sept. 1 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA 64. Fri, Sept. 2 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA 65. Sat, Sept. 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA 66. Mon, Sept. 5 / Gray’s Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA 67. Fri, Sept. 9 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA 68. Sat, Sept. 10 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA 69. Fri, Sept. 16 / Keller Auto Speedway / Hanford, CA 70. Sat, Sept. 17 / Placerville Speedway / Placerville, CA 71. Fri, Sept. 23 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH 72. Sat, Sept. 24 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH 73. Fri, Sept. 30 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA 74. Sat, Oct. 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA 75. Fri, Oct. 7 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA 76. Sat, Oct. 8 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA 77. Fri, Oct. 14 / I-80 Speedway / Greenwood, NE 78. Sat, Oct. 15 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS 79. Wed, Nov. 2 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC 80. Thur, Nov. 3 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC 81. Sat, Nov. 5 The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC

HOUSTON (April 19) — This weekend’s 35th running of the NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park is the grand finale at the famous Southeast Texas quarter mile strip, placing a lot of significance on the event. Team JEGS championship-winning drag racers Troy Coughlin Jr. and Mike Coughlin are certainly anxious to add their names to HRP’s history book with last-chance wins in their respective categories, Pro Stock and Top Alcohol Dragster. “It’s the last race ever at Houston Raceway Park and I’d love to get my first-ever win in Pro Stock to mark this really special occasion,” said Troy Jr., driver of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock entry. “My uncle Jeg won his first Pro Stock race here back in 1997 and went on to win 64 more in the class, including a total of five at this track, so this place has definitely been kind to Team JEGS through the years. “Plus, my dad (Troy Sr.) made his Pro Stock debut here in 1994 and my uncle John won Super Gas here in 1995. There’s lots of history for the sport and for our family at HRP.”

A two-time regional champ in Top Alcohol Dragster, Troy Jr. is bringing an almost-new RJ Race Cars-built Pro Stocker to Houston. In its initial race in Las Vegas three weeks ago, the beautiful hot rod qualified fifth overall and carried Troy Jr. to the semifinals of the four-wide affair. “Mark Ingersoll, Kyle Bates, Ricky Calloway and Kelly Murphy were really pleased with how the car worked in Vegas and now that they’ve had three more weeks to wrench on it, we’re all expecting bigger and better things this weekend. The guys from the engine shop tell me the new powerplants are making good smoke so maybe everything actually will be bigger in Texas. “I’m so ready to break through and get our first Pro Stock win. There’s a ton of people behind this effort, from the entire Elite Motorsports group, to the hundreds of JEGS associates, to my dad, uncles and grandfather, it’s truly an army of support. The best way to express my gratitude is to collect wins, so we’ll continue to push hard.”

Troy Jr. will be joined by his wife Brenna, their daughter Aubrey, his mother Michelle, and his aforementioned uncle Mike, who will be vying for his second Top Alcohol Dragster win in just his third start of the year. After accumulating three North Central Divisional championships through the years — two in Top Sportsman (2007 and 2009) and one in Top Dragster (2019) — Mike stepped up to Top Alcohol Dragster this year with McPhillips Racing, winning the season-opener in Pomona, Calif. “We haven’t changed a thing,” Mike said of his JEGS.com rail. “We got the same people, the same car, the same everything we had in Pomona and Gainesville (Fla., where he reached the semifinals.) Rich and Rich McPhillips Jr., Duke Roney, Don Nolan, Darrell McComas and Tony Collier are the best in the sport and I know the car will be perfect.

“The McPhillips team actually has two victories this year because Matt Cummings won in Belle Rose (La.) the weekend after I won in Pomona with the exact same dragster. Matt and I are splitting the season between us. It’s pretty incredible to see how seamlessly the crew adjusts to so many variables, right down to who’s in the cockpit.” Both Troy Jr. and Mike expressed their thanks and best wishes to the Angel family, the longtime track owners of Houston Raceway Park.

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (April 20, 2022) – Following a trio of races in the southeast that opened the 2022 Trans Am by Pirelli season, Chris Dyson is looking forward to the pair of California races scheduled for this week and next at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Sonoma Raceway. After winning two of those first three races this season, the defending series titlist aims to widen his current narrow lead in the season-championship point standings. “Over the years both of these Bay Area tracks have been good for me and for the family,” Dyson said. “And last season we had a great weekend at Laguna Seca right until a few laps from the finish of the race. And then it all went bad. We aim to have a better race result there this weekend.” Dyson swept last season’s Sonoma race, which was part of the Trans Am West Coast Championship last year and so paid no national championship points. He looked to be on the way to another sweep at Laguna Seca the following weekend, starting on the pole with a track record-breaking qualifying effort and setting fastest race lap. But a late-race full-course with a few laps remaining, while Dyson maintained a comfortable lead, erased his advantage and bunched up the field behind him. Contact on the restart from the pursuing Boris Said knocked Dyson’s #20 ALTWELL Ford Mustang back to a sixth-place finish, his worst result in his championship-winning season. “It feels like we have some unfinished business on the Monterey Peninsula,” Dyson said. “I hope at the end of the race Saturday afternoon I will have taken care of that business. But one thing for sure, Tomy Drissi and the rest of my competitors aren’t going to hand this to us; I’m going to have to work as hard as I can and earn it. Tomy has had some bad luck so far this year, but he was really strong at our last race, Road Atlanta. We were having a great race until the cockpit of his car filled up with smoke. And he still finished second.” Dyson also noted that entertainer and rabid automobile enthusiast Adam Corolla will be joining top competitor Ken Thwaits on the Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports team. “I was on Adam’s show last month, which was a lot of fun. Now it’s going to be great to have Adam on the track with us. He’s such a brilliant entertainer that I think a lot of people don’t appreciate that he’s a serious driver as well.” Sonoma Next Weekend With A Longtime Friend Dyson’s dominant win last year at Sonoma Raceway was just the most recent chapter in the Dyson family racing history in Northern California wine country. Winning at Sonoma is a long Dyson tradition. Chris’s father Rob drove his Porsche 962 into Sonoma’s winner’s circle in 1986, during the heyday of IMSA’s storied GTP era. The Dyson Racing Team scored two overall Sonoma IMSA WSC wins during the 1990s and in 2003 the team won again en route to Chris Dyson’s first American Le Mans Series championship. “What makes me extra happy about racing at Sonoma next weekend is that my great friend and partner Greg Pickett will be racing iagain in another ALTWELL Ford Mustang,” Dyson said. “The Dyson and Pickett families have been friends – and frequently on-track competitors – for literally as long as I can remember. Sonoma is the home race for Greg’s company ALTWELL, and I scored my first win in ALTWELL colors there with the ALTWELL folks looking on. It was great having Greg there in the winner’s circle as the first person to great me. “I expect to see Greg there in the winner’s circle again this year,” Dyson continued. “The difference is that I’m going to have to race Greg on the track to get there!” Dyson noted that Pickett is one of the legendary drivers in the nearly six decades of America’s longest-running road-racing series. In addition to most recently winning the West Coast Series title four years ago, the ageless veteran is the only driver to win Trans Am races in five different decades! Masaood Looks For Another Successful Pair of West Coast Results For Dyson’s UK-based teammate Humaid Masaood, second-place finishes in both of last year’s West Coast races marked the highlight of a season that was unfortunately curtailed by pandemic-related travel issues. Laguna Seca and Sonoma will mark Masaood’s second and third starts of the 2022 season. “I’m definitely looking forward to these races,” Masaood said. “I was sorry to have missed two of the three races so far this season, but I’m excited to be racing at these two tracks. I know them well, and I know my CD Racing team will have my car in great shape. The competition will be very challenging, but my goal is to make that on step higher on the podium in one of these races. Or both.” Masaood’s #21 Ford Mustang sports the livery of allgram, a decentralized, peer-to-peer (P2P) secure communication platform. Laguna Seca & Sonoma Race Schedules Laguna Seca qualifying is Friday, April 22, 5:15 to 5:30 p.m. PT. The 45-lap (100-mile) race runs Saturday, April 23, with the green flag scheduled for 1:05 p.m. PT (4:05 p.m. ET) Sonoma qualifying is Friday, April 29, 3:55 to 4:10 p.m. PT. The 40-lap (100-mile) race runs Saturday, April 30, with the green flag scheduled for 1:15 p.m. PT (4:15 p.m. ET)

CONCORD, NC – April 20, 2022 – A strong presence of weekly and sanctioned-series racing makes up the DIRTcar Racing calendar this year, including the addition of a ninth division and multiple new UMP Modified series.

The 39th consecutive year of operation for DIRTcar includes changes to regional competition for six of the nine divisions, where drivers race for points in weekly competition against others in the same region. Points fund checks for the top-10 finishers are awarded at season’s end.

Multiple new series have also gone DIRTcar-sanctioned for 2022. Check out the full list of updates below.

Regional Racing

UMP Modifieds continue the precedent set last year with a record 11 regions, comprised of 104 different tracks – 53 of which host competition on a weekly basis. At least one DIRTcar-sanctioned event at six new tracks has been added to the mix for 2022, including the following:

• Natural Bridge Speedway (Natural Bridge, VA) – Appalachia Region
• Lake View Motor Speedway (Nichols, SC) – Deep South Region
• Screven Motorsports Complex (Sylvania, GA) – Deep South Region
• Adams County Speedway (Quincy, IL) – Missouri/Illinois Region
• Benton Speedway (Benton, MO) – Missouri/Illinois Region
• Paducah International Raceway (Paducah, KY) – South Region

Kankakee County Speedway in Illinois has moved out of the Northern Illinois region into the Indiana/Ohio region, as the track draws several weekly competitors from within that region.

The Late Model division stays at five regions with 68 total tracks, two more than last season, 21 of which are weekly venues.

Pro Late Models will keep their two-region division in-tact; a total of 14 tracks constructs the East and West regions. Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, FL is the one new addition to the Chevy Performance Crate engine division, competing weekly in the West region.

The UMP Sportsman division has also increased to 14 tracks between the East and West regions. Volusia has joined in the West region, as well as Lincoln Speedway in Illinois.

A few changes come to the two-region Stock Car division – Charleston Speedway has been moved from the South region to the North, while Volusia joins the South region for a grand total of 10 tracks.

Sport Compacts maintain a four-region program across 23 tracks. Adams County Speedway joins the list of tracks hosting weekly, while the newly reopened Paducah International Raceway is a new addition that will host specials only.

The Pro Modified and Factory Stock divisions will keep their traditional national points-only championship chase this year; 10 tracks for Factory Stocks and seven for Pro Modifieds.

For the first time since 2018 – a ninth division of weekly racing has joined the DIRTcar family. The motorcycle engine-powered Mod Lites of the United CC Modified Series became a DIRTcar-sanctioned entity in 2021 but have since expanded to include a weekly racing program at several different tracks across the nation, including the Series stops.

• Blanket Hill Speedway (Kittanning, PA)

• Clarksville Speedway (Clarksville, TN)

• Duck River Raceway Park (Wheel, TN)

• Halifax County Motor Speedway (Littleton, NC)

• Hilltop Speedway (Jackson, OH)

• North Florida Speedway (Lake City, FL)

• Thunderhill Raceway (Summertown, TN)

• 35 Raceway Park (Frankfurt, OH)

• Camden Speedway (Camden, TN)

• Good’s Raceway (Deerfield, OH)

• Middleford Speedway (Seaford, DE)

• Muskingum County Speedway (Dresden, OH)

• Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, FL)

Late Model Series

• American Late Model Series – A regional Super Late Model tour primarily racing in Michigan and Ohio.
• Allstar Performance Challenge Series – This Michigan-only Super Late Model tour was founded in 2020, racing between promoter Mike Blackmer’s two facilities Tri-City Motor Speedway and Merritt Speedway. The Series has since expanded to include UMP Modifieds and eight other divisions found in the area, as well as the Blackmer-promoted Thunderbird Raceway, I-96 Speedway and Hartford Speedway.
• DIRTcar Summer Nationals – The Midwest’s premiere Super Late Model racing series returns for its 37th consecutive season with the kickoff to the 32-race slate on June 14 at Kankakee County Speedway.
• MARS Racing Series – This Midwestern Super Late Model tour embarks on its 23rd consecutive season this spring with one of the richest schedules in Series history, highlighted by eight races of $10,000-to-win or more and a potential $20,000 champion’s check for the 20-race slate.
• Quicksilver Super Late Model Series – The William Scogin-promoted series remains a Clarksville Speedway-only operation for 2022, now in its second year of competition with a $5,000 points fund check in store for the champion.
• World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series (select events)
• Late Model Night in America (select events)

UMP Modified Series

• Renegades of Dirt – Founded in 2012, this east-coast UMP Modified tour has 24 races scheduled this year with payouts going as high as $10,000-to-win.
• DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals – The companion series to the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, this 32-race tour embarks on its 12th consecutive season in June.
• I-95 Modified Challenge – Like the Summit Modified Nationals, this brand-new new series races alongside the I-95 Late Model Challenge, primarily at County Line Speedway in Elm City, NC.
• Mid-Atlantic Modifieds – A lower-Northeast tour with races primarily in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Maryland.
• Allstar Performance Challenge Series – The sister tour to the Michigan-only Late Model Challenge Series races for winner’s shares as large as $2,500 this year with eight races scheduled.
• Tuckessee Modified Series – This brand-new Modified tour races only in Tennessee and Kentucky with a $3,000 points fund check on the line for the champion of the 20-race slate.

Other Series

• Midwest Big 10 Series (UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models, Stock Cars) – The Track Enterprises-owned operation has a 10-race schedule for all three DIRTcar divisions in Illinois, racing at Lincoln Speedway, Macon Speedway, Jacksonville Speedway and Fairbury Speedway.

• United CC Modified Series (Mod Lites)

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (April 19, 2022) – Dominic Scelzi is venturing to Pennsylvania this weekend for a trio of races with the Premier Racing Team.

A pair of Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions races on Thursday at Bloomsburg Fairgrounds in Bloomsburg, Pa., and Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., kick off the action prior to an unsanctioned race on Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.

The tripleheader weekend marks the first time Scelzi will climb behind the wheel of the famed No. 21 sprint car.

“I’m just excited to get out there,” he said. “It’s going to be a new challenge with new race tracks for me. I have about 20 laps at Lincoln in 2019. We rolled in there for a World of Outlaws show and hadn’t see the place before. We didn’t know what to expect and weren’t very good. I’m excited to go there this weekend with a team that’s been there to see what we can do.”

The weekend will mark Scelzi’s first-ever visit to Bloomsburg Speedway and to Williams Grove Speedway.

“A huge goal is to make the show at Williams Grove and I really don’t know what to expect with Bloomsburg,” he said. “I think it’s a pretty new track for everybody.

“This is a bucket-list deal. Brian Monteith is one of my absolute all-time favorite drivers. He was on the edge all the time and I always admired that. He’s one of the best guys that has run in Pennsylvania so it’s special to be able to drive a car he had so much success in.”

SEASON STATS –

10 races, 0 wins, 5 top fives, 7 top 10s, 8 top 15s, 8 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Thursday at Bloomsburg Fairgrounds in Bloomsburg, Pa., and Friday at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa., with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions and Saturday at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa.

In advance of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race May 1 on the 2.238-mile, 11-turn natural terrain road course at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, DPi championship points co-leader Alex Lynn (No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R) and Tristan Vautier (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R), co-driver of the JDC-Miller MotorSports entry that has finished on the podium in all three races, met with the media April 19 via Zoom conference. DPi results: Cadillac Racing at Laguna Seca 2021-20172022 media guide: Historic stats, technical transfer, why we race and more Full transcript (by individual):

ALEX LYNN (No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R): YOUR FIRST TIME AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA. WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU GET THERE?“Obviously, I’ve never been there, which is sort of the situation with most of the tracks this year. It’s a very iconic track. Great scenery, very famous corner and just look forward to driving it.” COMING IN AS THE POINTS LEADER, THERE’S A LOT OF MOMENTUM AROUND BOTH THE 02 AND 01 CADILLACS. CAN YOU PUT YOUR FINGER ON WHY?“I think Chip Ganassi Racing is a great team. It’s been evident for a long time, and now that the program is gaining a lot of momentum and a lot of traction, I think we’re now trying to implement a lot of features going into the future and it’s time to bear fruit for us. It’s still early days so we have to remain very humble and continue working very hard.” IS IT GETTING THINGS JELLED MORE?“I think it’s mainly having two cars working together. I know it’s my first year with Ganassi, but it seems that getting that Ganassi work ethic fully integrated now into this program. Obviously, they came from the Ford, which was a very competitive program for them and one year out and then coming back in with the prototype. I think it took a bit of time to get everything back in sequence with how they would want to run a racing team. They obviously run a very successful INDYCAR team and now it’s really clicking into place with team members really hitting their stride, new personnel coming in and starting to make a difference, new mechanics, engineers that have been promoted with fresh ideas. That’s now starting to bear fruit for us. That’s how I see it coming together at the moment.” ARE YOU LEANING ON THE EXPERIENCE OF EARL OR RENGER (VAN DER ZANDE) OR SEB (BOURDAIS) AND COMING TO GRIPS WITH THESE NEW TRACKS?“Definitely. Having Earl as a teammate is perfect. Not only is he an IMSA champion in GTLM, but also a WEC champion. As a driver having a teammate in your car that has been there and won it, that is helping fast forward my learning procedure at different tracks. Obviously, I won races in ’17 – I was the third driver at that point – and puzzling on Ricky (Taylor) and letting him do all the hard work. Now, when you’re the main driver as well, you have to really fast forward a lot of learning processes to be able to compete straight away. I’m using that as a good launch pad.” LEADING THE POINTS RIGHT OFF AND DOING NEW THINGS, WHAT’S THE VIBE LIKE ON THE TEAM?“I think the vibe is pretty good, but also it’s funny because we came off the back of Sebring that we were fortunate enough to win but the 01 was very competitive and obviously didn’t have the race they wanted. I would say the vibe on the team is very motivated because you have two cars that are really starting to push each other – whether that’s on the pit crew, the drivers, the engineering team. It’s a competitive team. Currently we’re leading but there’s a long way to go. But certainly motivated because you have two cars that want to perform al the time and be right at the front. That’s keeping all the drivers, all the engineers, all the pit crews to really stay on top of their game to be better than one another. That’s how I feel at the moment, very motivated to continue to get better.” WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN GOING INTO LAGUNA SECA?“It’s pretty similar to Long Beach. On our side, we have to maximize everything. It’s about executing the plans, about executing performance and just a lot of focus. High focus and maximizing every single time you’re on track the game plan of each session and being very meticulous in preparation usually pays dividends come the end when we start talking about championship points. My main focus is high preparation and concentrate on executing everything.”

TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R): YOU’RE OFF TO A STRONG START. WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO KEEP THINGS ROLLING?“We had a rocky season with very high highs and very low lows last year, so it’s been good to start on a pretty consistent streak of races. Ending on the podium three races in a row is good and we’re happy because we have started on the right foot and it’s good points. At the same time, we know that to win the championship you do have to be consistent but you have to win races, so we have to win some. We were really disappointed not to win Daytona. We felt like we had a great shot. We were close at Sebring, but have to admit that both Ganassi cars were very strong. In Long Beach, honestly, we were lacking performance. It was that kind of day when you have a fifth-place car and you score a podium, so you leave the track very happy. Kind of like the day before somebody tells you that you’re going to finish third tomorrow, will you take it? OK, where do I sign. We cannot have too many races like that and we are aware of it. Long Beach was a weak race for us performance-wise. We’ve started strong but we know we have to keep stepping up our game and contend for wins. That’s what is going to keep our title chances alive. We need to be consistent, but also be able to be in the hunt for wins.” IT’S EARLY IN THE SEASON, BUT THE CLOSE CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE MAKES FOR DYNAMIC COMPETITION.“I think it’s the nature of the championship. You have six cars, six great operations and great teams, and IMSA has a pretty good handle on the balance of performance right now. Obviously, some tracks favor some cars. The Cadillac is better on certain tracks than the Acura and vice versa. The way the races play out with the yellows, that’s the nature of IMSA racing. Anyone can win every week. Whoever executes perfectly and is on their game has a shot at winning. At the same time, the guy who won the previous weekend if they don’t do everything perfect they can easily be last. It tends to shuffle things very quickly and I think that’s why for the last years every time we’ve see a tight battle until the end because it’s so easy to be last, but you can turn things around very quickly and win.” WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO TO PUT IN THE BEST LAP POSSIBLE AT LAGUNA SECA?“The track is very unforgiving so it’s just finding that right balance because when it’s time to go it’s time to go. You still have to push and be at the limit, but the track grip is so low that it’s very easy to make mistakes. So, it’s just about finding that right balance between trying to make the most of it without overdriving. There are a lot of condition changes with sand being blown on (the racing surface) sometimes and that can be out of your control.” WITH THE THREE-POINT SEPARATION, HOW DO YOU NOT KEEP THE FOCUS ON WHO’S CLOSEST TO YOU?“I think it’s a bit early in the season to be monitoring your closest rival in the championship. We are three races down, there are seven races to go. You just try to maximize every race with obviously keeping in mind that you are in a championship approach, and you have to be points-focused and points-oriented. But if you spend your time worrying about where the competition is at, especially the way those races play out that things can flip just on a pit strategy, three races into the championship it’s not the right approach. It might be something that you’re going to worry more about with one or two races to go. Maybe, depending on your position, you try to copy what the other guys are doing or do the opposite and kind of gamble. Right now, we have a long way to go to be in the hunt. You try to take it one race at a time.”

PLAINVIEW, NY (April 19, 2022) — Four races into the 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season has already shown that Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect/Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot team are squarely in the middle of one of the toughest seasons in the category’s history. Each race has not only featured a different winner but in all four cases the final round was composed completely of first time 2022 finalists. All in all, ten different Top Fuel racers have had a shot victory already this season.

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect/Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot, photo by Ron Lewis

Ashley was the first to hoist a trophy taking home his first Winternationals title at the season-opening national event. The win came at the first race of an early relationship with new primary sponsor Phillips Connect. A semifinal finish at the Gatornationals solidified the deal for the remainder of the season. The sponsorship is more than logos on an 11,000-horsepower race car as Ashley has spent time with Phillips Connect employees and joined the company’s involvement in supporting Ukrainian families and refugees. At the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals Ashley and his team raised over $30,000 for relief funds with donors’ names added to the front wing of his Top Fuel dragster. The initiative is continuing this weekend for the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston.

While this is being billed as the final NHRA national event at historic Houston Raceway Park Ashley is focusing on building on his team’s success and leaving his mark on Texas fans. The third-year pro would also like to keep his round win streak in Texas intact with another four win lights on Sunday.

“The Houston fans are always very passionate about their racing,” said Ashley, who won the last NHRA national event held in Texas, the Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex. “It’s a pleasure getting to interact with them throughout the race weekend. Now that it’s the last NHRA event at Houston Raceway, that interaction and this race as whole becomes that much more significant. Our team has an opportunity to make history.”

It has been two weeks since Ashley strapped into his Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster and the time off was both a positive and a negative. 

“Ideally you would like to race on consecutive weekends all year long,” said Ashley. “As a driver it helps you stay focused and in a routine. But of course, some time off is healthy because of the opportunity to shift your focus, evaluate and separate yourself from the present moment.”

Between races Ashley is involved in real estate development in New York. He is also continuing to add corporate sponsors and maintain his current relationships with KATO Fastening Systems, Auto Shocker, Lucas Oil, and a host of other brands. 

“Racing and real estate easily get intertwined when you’re in the midst of the season,” said Ashley. “That’s why when you step away from racing for a few weeks and focus more on the real estate business you have a different level of appreciation when you get back to the racetrack. I am looking forward to joining our team in Houston.”

Last year at the SpringNationals Ashley qualified No. 13 but managed an upset win in the first round before bowing out in the quarterfinals. That race was marred by persistent rain showers that only afforded each team one qualifying run before going right into eliminations. The same scenario played out earlier this season at the Gatornationals. Ashley raced to the semifinals for the second year in a row at the iconic event.

“I would love to have as many qualifying runs as possible to gather data and get comfortable behind the wheel before heading into raceday,” said Ashley. “But our Davis Motorsports crew chiefs Mike Green and Tommy DeLago are the best in the business. They have a ton of expertise and experience. This team is in a great position moving forward. The Top Fuel field is tough but everyone on our Phillips Connect/Vita C Shot team is up for the challenge.

Qualifying will begin for the final NHRA SpringNationals at 7 p.m. on Friday. There will be two qualifying sessions on Saturday with final eliminations beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday. 

HOUSTON (April 19, 2022) — For almost 35 years Houston Raceway Park has been making NHRA history with record setting performances and some of the most exciting racing action in the southwest. This weekend they will host their final NHRA national event and professional drag racing at the track located in Baytown, Texas, just 20 minutes from Houston, will turn on its final winlight Sunday afternoon. Second year Top Fuel racer Josh Hart will be looking to erase the memory of a tough outing when he returns driving his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster.

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Auto Imagery

Last season persistent rain showers washed away two of the three qualifying sessions, so Hart was only given one shot at the track. He qualified No. 7 and lost a tough first round race to Shawn Langdon, who he had previously defeated to win the 2021 Gatornationals. Hart’s R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster lost a motor in dramatic and frustrating fashion for the then rookie driver.

“My only experience in Houston was not good,” said Hart. “I would love to go out on a positive note. You hate to see a track go away but hopefully it is onward and upwards for the series. Having the last race in Houston is awesome and terrible at the same time.”

Since that tough turn of events last season Hart closed out the year with three more semifinal finishes and a win at Caroline Nationals during the NHRA Countdown. The post-Houston success propelled Hart into a Rookie of the Year contention and one of the strongest back-halves of the season in the Top Fuel category. 

Over the off-season Hart’s operation built a new Top Fuel dragster and added components to make his first full-time run for the Top Fuel championship. The 2022 NHRA season has been a continued learning curve for the business owner form Ocala, Florida. Hart opened the season with quarterfinal and semifinal finishes at the Winternationals and Arizona Nationals, respectively. Some early season and new car gremlins have slowed his progress, but he knows this season will be a marathon not a sprint. The two weeks away from the track have been tough to swallow for the competitive Top Fuel driver. 

“This has been two weeks to sit and stew with a lot of should haves and could haves,” said Hart. “Bottom line they don’t call it winning they call it racing. I will go on to the next one and do the best we can in Houston.”

With four races completed the Top Fuel class could not be anymore up for grabs. There have been four different winners and each final round, including the final quad at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals has been comprised of completely different drivers. At the beginning of the season there was much talk about this category being hyper-competitive and those predictions appear to be playing out. Less than five rounds of racing separate the top eight drivers, which includes Hart.

“Everyone knew the Top Fuel class would be tough this year,” said Hart. “We have had some success but need to build some consistency. We have two races in a row coming up. This weekend in Houston would be a great chance for us to make a positive move with the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster.”

One area where Hart and his team are making positive strides at every race is through his relationship with R+L Carriers and their at-track presence. Throughout every event Hart and his R+L Carriers team engage with guests and NHRA fans about the diverse career opportunities available right now. R+L Carriers recruiters utilize trackside meet and greets at nearly all NHRA events to speak to interested candidates about the career opportunities which allows fans to enjoy the race day experience up close and hear firsthand from employees about the R+L Carriers career advantages.

Hart will get his race weekend started on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. with the first of three weekend qualifying sessions. Saturday’s qualifying sessions will run at 2:00 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. with final eliminations beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 19, 2022) – The 2022 Progressive American Flat Trackseason resumes this weekend with the inaugural I-70 Half-Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Kansas City on Saturday, April 23 in Odessa, Missouri. The stop at the newly revived I-70 Motorsports Park represents Progressive AFT’s long-awaited return to Missouri, some 17 seasons after the championship last visited Sedalia. To celebrate that return, along with Saturday’s championship round, Kansas City-area fans are invited to come out to the venue on Friday, April 22 from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. local time to attend the day’s test session free of admission. The young ‘22 season has already taken on an interesting shape. It was widely expected that the premier Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle class would once again be a battle for supremacy waged by reigning champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) and his great rival, Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750). That has proven true to an extent, as the Indian Wrecking Crew superstars have split the season’s two available wins and are currently separated by a single point atop the championship standings. However, the efforts to level the playing field have yielded early dividends, as five different riders out of a possible six, representing three different manufacturers, have stood upon the podium already in 2022. In fact, it’s Yamaha-mounted JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) who stands as the only rider with a perfect podium record thus far. And his teammate, heralded rookie Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), has proven nearly as successful, and the two threaten to collect race wins in the near future. That sort of parity and unpredictability has added an extra dimension to the season’s title fight, and promises to continue this weekend on a track new to the tour. Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), who put Harley-Davidson back up on the box in the season opener, Mission Roof Systems teammates Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and last year’s finale winner, Davis Fisher(No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), are just a sampling of the riders with the potential to factor up front this weekend.

Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Defending Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines king Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) rebounded like a champion at the Texas Half-Mile following a difficult opener. Despite tricky conditions and a series of stoppages, Texter controlled the Main Event at Texas Motor Speedway to remind everyone exactly why he’s the one brandishing the #1 plate on his machine.  That said, Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07) provided evidence that his virtuoso performance at the opening round was no fluke, logging a fourth-place result as an encore. That result puts him in front of the early-season championship chase heading into Odessa. Meanwhile, a number of the category’s usual suspects – Ben Lowe (No. 25 Helipower Racing/Mission Foods Harley-Davidson XG750R), Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R), and Dan Bromley (No. 62 Vinson Construction, Viper Air Yamaha MT-07) – have already marked up podium finishes this season. Some others have yet to break into the top three, but it’s likely only a matter of time before the likes of multi-race winners Chad Cose (No. 49 DPC Racing/Voodoo Ranger Harley-Davidson XG750R), Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650), and Ryan Varnes (No. 68 Schaeffer’s Motorsports/Rausch Fuel & Oil KTM 890 Duke) make their presences felt in a major way.

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Top honors Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER are seemingly always up for grabs, as the class features a deep pool of both hard-charging youngsters and battle-proven veterans aboard a range of equipment backed with factory support from multiple manufacturers. However, while the list of potential winners extends into the double digits, an early pecking order headlined by the preseason favorites is already starting to take shape. Sophomore ace Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) and his two-time class runner-up teammate, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), currently sit first and third in the championship standings. Meanwhile, American Honda teammates Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) – the riders many would have pegged as the most likely to prevent this year’s title hunt from turning into a factory KTM intrateam affair – are currently ranked second and fourth. While those four expect to continue to jockey for position as the championship campaign develops, a number of others could easily work their way into the mix as well. Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R), Michael Inderbitzin(No. 54 1st Impressions Services of Florida Honda CRF450R), Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R), Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), and Brandon Kitchen (No. 80 Vance & Hines/Husqvarna Motorcycles Husqvarna FC450), among several others, all have the requisite speed and ability to walk away from I-70 Motorsports Park with the winner’s trophy.

There will be plenty to keep fans entertained off the track as well. Along with numerous vendors, food and beverage options, and the Kids Zone, the high-energy three-piece group Pompous Jack, will be performing their blend of ‘80s rock, blues, and country. And the night will conclude in fitting fashion thanks to a post-event fireworks display. Along with the action at the track on Saturday night and the free test day on Friday, fans are invited to attend the I-70 Half-Mile American Flat Track Rider Meet & Greet at RideNow Kansas City in Olathe, Kansas, where fans can meet their favorite riders and enjoy Mission Foods chips and salsa, on Thursday, April 21, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. local time. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3775 to purchase your tickets for the I-70 Half-Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle Kansas City now.  General Admission Grandstand tickets are just $40 and kids 12 and under are free when accompanied by an adult. Fans who would like seating along the front stretch of the racetrack, including seat-backs in all sections, can select seats in the Reserved Grandstandfor just $10 more. The Indoor Suite Reservation ticket provides exclusive viewing above the grandstand in private, climate-controlled accommodations for $150. Paddock Access Upgrades are available for purchase (and come included with Indoor Suite Reservation tickets), which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the racebikes and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Other options include the Party Deck Add-On for fans 21+ and a range of Multi-Day Camping Passes. Gates will open for fans at 3:30 p.m. local time with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT ahead of the evening’s Main Event program. You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities free via Facebook up until Opening Ceremonies. Fans can then purchase access to watch Opening Ceremonies, Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations via Facebook Paid Online Events for $3.99 if purchased 24 hours or more in advance, or $4.99 if purchased on the day of the event. The I-70 Half-Mile will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, May 1, at 10:00 a.m. ET/7:00 a.m. PT., including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com. How to Watch: FOX Sports and Facebook are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all 18 races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed athttps://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. Viewers can watch livestream coverage of every round in the Facebook mobile app, Facebook desktop site or on the Facebook Watch mobile app. To watch the livestream on TV, fans can download the Facebook Watch TV app, or cast to a TV from the Facebook mobile app. Facebook Watch is available through Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Xbox One.

Erb, Sheppard, Moran, Blair, Richards and more prepare for return to Atomic April 22-23

WAVERLY, OH – April 18, 2022 – An invasion is coming to Ohio as the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models prepare for a double-dip at Atomic Speedway. 

The “Outlaw Invasion” is the first trip to the legendary Buckeye State facility for The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet since 2018 and their first trip to Ohio in 2022.

Drivers have the chance to leave Atomic with a potential $25,000 weekend payday, starting with the 40-lap, $10,000-to-win, CASE Feature on Friday, April 22. Then, another $15,000 is on the line Saturday, April 23, in the 50-lap finale. 

Joining the World of Outlaws at the 3/8-mile track are the Legends and Sport Mods on Friday, and 410 Sprint Cars and Modifieds on Saturday. 

TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3ryhZ4n

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

Here are the top storylines to follow at the Outlaw Invasion:

Chasing Erb: World of Outlaws competitors are used to chasing a Blue Rocket Chassis in the standings, just not current points leader Dennis Erb Jr. He enters the weekend with the lead for the first time in Series history—30-points ahead of reigning champion Brandon Sheppard. 

The Carpentersville, IL driver holds the top spot after a consistent start to 2022. He’s scored a win, three top-fives, and seven top-10s in eight races. 

Erb is one of the drivers in the field with experience at Atomic already in 2022, finishing 10th in last month’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series event.  He also has a fourth and sixth-place finish in two races on a 3/8-mile track in 2022—both coming at Cherokee Speedway.

Richards Looks To Rebound: Only two drivers in history have multiple World of Outlaws wins at Atomic Speedway—Tyler Erb and four-time Series champion Josh Richards. 

Richards, aka “Kid Rocket,” won his two races at Atomic in 2015 behind the wheel of the Rocket1 Racing house car. 

The Shinnston, WV, now driving for Series veteran Boom Briggs, hopes to rebound after a tough start with only three top-10s in the first eight races. He enters the weekend seventh in the standings—158 points behind Erb.

Home Delivery: The last time the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models saw Ohio-native Devin Moran, he held a “Big Gator Trophy” at DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. 

This weekend, he returns to Series competition as one of the favorites at a place he’s already found success. One of “The Mailman’s” eight World of Outlaws wins came at Atomic in 2017.

Moran has three top-fives and six top-10’s in Series competition in 2022 and hopes to grab his fourth overall win and win in front of his Ohio fans.

Man on a Mission: Four-time and defending Series Champion Brandon Sheppard has one mission this weekend—grab his first World of Outlaws victory of the season at Atomic Speedway. 

The “Rocket Shepp” has two top-fives and six top-10s in 2022 and hopes to make history at Atomic and claim the potential $25,000 payday. 

Sheppard’s next Series win gives him a piece of World of Outlaws history—tying him for first on the all-time wins list with Josh Richards (78). 

The New Berlin, IL driver, scored a top-five finish at Atomic last month (5th) in a race won by Jimmy Owens.

Heat Seeking Viper: Rookie of the Year contender Max Blair is on a hot streak entering the Outlaw Invasion at Atomic Speedway. 

The Centerville, PA driver has three straight top five finishes, including a victory at last month’s Rock Gault Memorial. That win came at Cherokee Speedway, another 3/8-mile track like Atomic. 

His recent success has catapulted him to third in the standings—38 points behind Erb. Blair also enjoys a 58-point cushion over Tanner English in the battle for Rookie of the Year. 

WHEN AND WHERE

April 22-23, Atomic Speedway in Waverly, OH

ABOUT THE TRACK

Atomic Speedway is a 3/8-mile track
Online – www.atomicspeedway.net 

PREVIOUS WINNERS
2018- Tyler Erb on Sept. 28 and 29
2017- Devin Moran on May 26
2015- Josh Richards on Aug. 21 and 22
2009- Chub Frank on Aug. 22
2008- Rod Conley on May 23
2006- Tim McCreadie on July 22
2005- Jackie Boggs on June 18
1989- Billy Moyer on June 3

TRACK RECORD
12.748 set by Jimmy Owens in 2015. 

On the Internet
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN for the Bristol Bash April 28-30. 

Feature Winners: (7 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA- 2
2. Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1
   Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
   Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (20 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Dale McDowell-Chickamauga, GA-6
2. Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC-5
3. Brandon Sheppard- New Berlin, IL-4
4. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-3
5. Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-2
   Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-2
   Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-2
   Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-2
   Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-2
6. Devin Moran-Dresden, OH-1
   Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE-1
   Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1
   Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL-1
   Frank Heckenast, Jr., Frankfort, IL-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
   Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
   Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1

Last Chance Showdown Winners (16 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

1. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-3
2. Cade Dillard-Robeline, LA-2
   Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
3. Hudson O’Neal- Martinsville, IN-1
   Logan Martin, Plains, MO-1
   Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1
   Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA-1
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1
   Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS-1
   Mike Norris, Sarver, PA-1
   Chase Osterhoff, Kankakee, IL-1
   Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
   Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA-1
   Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-1
   Anthony Sanders, Spartanburg, SC-1
   Banjo Duke, Sumter, SC-1

PODIUM FINISHES (16 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-4
2. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
   Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-2
   Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2
   Chris Madden, Gray Court, NC-2
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-2
3. Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
   Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1
   Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1
   Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
   Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
   Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1
   Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (8 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

1. Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Tanner English, Benton, KY-1
   Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
   Gordy Gundaker, St. Charles, MO-1
   Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1
   Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1
   Carson Ferguson, Concord, NC-1

SLICK WOODY’S QUICK TIME Award (7 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

1. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-2
2. Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1
   Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1
   Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
   Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1
   Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
   Trent Ivey, Union, SC-1

CASE Feature Lap Leaders (11 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps Led

1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-65
2. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-56
3. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-39
   Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-39
4. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-29
5. Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-25
6. Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-25
7. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-18
8. Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-17
9. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-15
10. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-2

2022 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners

No./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thursday, Jan. 20 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Dale McDowell (1)
2. Friday, Jan. 21/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Ashton Winger (1)
3. Wednesday, Feb. 16/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Brandon Overton (1)
4. Thursday, Feb. 17/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dale McDowell (2)
5. Friday, Feb. 18/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dennis Erb Jr. (1)
6. Saturday, Feb. 19/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Chris Madden (1)
7. Friday, March 25/Cherokee Speedway, Gaffney, SC/Michael Brown (1)
8. Saturday, March 26/Cherokee Speeway, Gaffney, SC/Max Blair (1)

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA SpringNationals – Houston, Texas

Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon and the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^® are sitting in fourth place in Funny Car standings as the team headsto Houston Raceway Park for the track’s final race as part of the NHRA circuit. It will be a memorable one for Cruz who had his first nitro Funny Car win in Houston as a rookie in 1992, when he set a national record for the fastest elapsed time in Funny Car history. He claimed another Funny Car victory in Houston in 2013. 

“Houston fans and the track hold lots of great memories for me and we’ll miss the fast runs and great crowds here,” says Cruz. “We’ve got the Snap-on Dodge prepped and ready to deliver some memory-making drag racing and show our appreciation and respect for all the good times racers have had here over the track’s 35 years.”

Cruz says the team has been rebuilding and restocking inventory since the last race and is planning on a “win” as a fitting farewell to Houston. For the race, the Snap-on Dodge will once again sport the car body that highlights primary sponsor Snap-on’s call to the Makers and Fixers to share their stories at makersandfixers.com.

April 18, 2022

Despite his lack of experience racing on clay, rookie Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team came away from Sunday’s Food City Dirt Race with a 20^th-place finish.

Burton who qualified 24th, finished 27^th in the first 75-lap Stage, then ended the second Stage in 24^th.
 
He and the DEX team gained some track position by not pitting after the second Stage, and he was able to run mostly inside the top 20 for the remainder of a race that was stopped twice for rain but would up running the full 250-lap distance.

During one of the rain delays, Burton said in a TV interview that he was “as lost as last year’s Easter egg” trying to figure out dirt racing, but in reality his experiences on this Easter weekend showed that he and the DEX team were learning on the go.
 
He stayed on the lead lap for the entire race and steered his way clear of damage during several close calls on the track. 

“This dirt stuff was really new to me,” Burton said. “I had really nothing to base this weekend off of.
 
“It was a tough one for sure, but I’m proud of the fight and willingness to learn in our group.”
 
Burton moved up one spot in the Cup Series driver points standings to 28^th. He and the No. 21 team now head to Talladega Superspeedway for Sunday’s GEICO 500.

Austin Dillon And The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Show Dirt Track Racing Prowess Before Early Exit From Bristol Motor Speedway

31st

12th

17th

“We had such a fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet, and I love racing on dirt so I just wish we could have been there for the end. Both of our teams were a little worried about our air boxes because we stayed out at the end of Stage 2 instead of pitting. It didn’t work out for the No. 3 team. Too much dirt got into the engine, and we ended up losing the motor. It’s unfortunate because our Chevy was pretty good, and we had a decent restart before it shut down on me. I’m thankful no one ko’d me there. I fell back so fast that I was waiting for somebody to get me big. I tried to hold it straight. I was just completely out of power. I want to congratulate my teammate, Tyler Reddick, on a great race. He drove his butt off, got up there and was good. He didn’t get his win tonight, but if RCR keeps giving us cars like these we both will be in Victory Lane soon.”-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Leads Most Laps of his Career in the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Before Last-Lap Spin at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Race

2nd

3rd

11th

“I’m proud of this Richard Childress Racing team for everything they have done to put me in the position to win this year. I wish we could have got the 3CHI Chevrolet in Victory Lane tonight, but we were able to finish second. The No. 14 car was able to run me back down there, and it didn’t work out for either of us. When you’re racing on dirt, you’re going to go for the move on the final corner. It’s everything that you hope for as a driver in his situation, to be able to battle for the lead on the final corner. I shouldn’t have let him get that close. He ran me back down. It made it really exciting for the fans. I’m disappointed that we couldn’t win, but proud of this team for all of their hard work, and it was great to be able to run up front all race and lead the most laps of my Cup Series career.”-Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOOD CITY DIRT RACE TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES APRIL 17, 2022 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2ND    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL14TH    KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL16TH    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL18TH    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL110TH  TY DILLON, NO. 42 FOOD CITY / GAIN CAMARO ZL112TH  DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL114TH  JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL118TH  WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL119TH  COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1 TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Busch (Toyota)2nd     Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)3rd      Joey Logano (Ford)4th      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)5th      Ryan Blaney (Ford)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway with the GEICO 500 on Sunday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 2ndTYLER, TALK ME THROUGH TURNS THREE AND FOUR. WHAT TOOK PLACE OVER THERE? WHAT ARE THE EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW? “I don’t think I did everything right, to be honest with you. (Chase) Briscoe was able to run me back down there. Just looking at it, I should have done a little bit better job of just — I don’t know. I shouldn’t have let him get that close. He ran me back down. Worked really hard to do that. I mean, you’re racing on dirt; going for the move on the final corner. It’s everything that as a driver you hope to battle for in his situation. Made it really exciting for the fans, so… It does suck, but we were able to finish second still. I’m being honest. I should have done a better job and pulled away so he wasn’t in range to try to make that move. That’s how I look at it.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 4th“We had a good No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy all night. We could have been a lot better, but I still feel like we had a car capable of winning if things played out differently. I think the weather kind of had everyone on the fence on what to do. But either way, it was fun. Getting back up there to the top-five was good. I wasn’t sure if we could get it done restarting 20-something to start the final stage. I had a lot of fun and hopefully next year, we can get our car a little better and run towards the front even more.”  CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 8thELLIOTT’S THOUGHTS ON THE RACE DURING THE FIRST RAIN DELAY: “Towards the end of that first stage, I feel like I started finally halfway figuring it out and was able to go forward some. A lot of it is just whether you get the bottom or the top. We don’t have to choose, but it’s really unfair regardless of which end you’re on. Unfortunately, those last couple restarts, we had the top. And all kind of at the same time, I felt like I was able to finally make some pace whenever I did get some track position too.  Appreciate everybody on our No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevy this weekend for sticking with it and sticking with me. I’ve struggled. I’m excited to have made some improvements throughout the race.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 14th“Not the day we wanted in our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1, but we got a good top 15 out of it. I led the team in the wrong direction for changes and got myself behind a little. Overall, it was a productive weekend. We got a heat race win and ran up front during stage one. I just backed myself into a corner, but I’m proud of this team’s effort.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 16 CHEVY TRUCK MONTH CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 27th“We were trying to keep our No. 16 Chevy Truck Month Camaro ZL1 in one piece – that was my main goal. Unfortunately, I had nowhere to go and got caught up in a wreck. I’m thankful for everyone’s hard work on this Kaulig Racing team. Our first couple of races haven’t gone the way we have wanted them to, but we will keep building. The cars are fast, and I’m starting to learn and get better as we go.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS / TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 – Sidelined due to mechanical failure; Finished 31st“We had such a fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet, and I love racing on dirt so I just wish we could have been there for the end. Both of our teams were a little worried about our air boxes because we stayed out at the end of Stage 2 instead of pitting. It didn’t work out for the No. 3 team. Too much dirt got into the engine, and we ended up losing the motor. It’s unfortunate because our No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet was pretty good, and we had a decent restart before it shut down on me. I’m thankful no one ko’d me there. I fell back so fast that I was waiting for somebody to get me big. I tried to hold it straight. I was just completely out of power. I want to congratulate my teammate, Tyler Reddick, on a great race. He drove his butt off, got up there and was good. He didn’t get his win tonight, but if RCR keeps giving us cars like these we both will be in Victory Lane soon.”