Runner-up Finish for Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Puts Hagan in Championship Lead

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

Tony Stewart Racing’s Matt Hagan drove his Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to a runner-up finish at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series’ Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from a No. 4 qualifying effort to the team’s third consecutive final round appearance in just their fourth national event and take over the lead in the Funny Car championship points standings
Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett had her strongest performance of the season to date after running in the top-five in each qualifying session, earning the No. 3 qualifier position, and turning on the win light in the first quad
No. 7 seed Cruz Pedregon and his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat were quickest in the third of four qualifying sessions, and while not being able to advance out of the first elimination quad, they remain fourth in Funny Car standings

April 3, 2022, Las Vegas, Nevada — Just four races into the 2022 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series’ season, Matt Hagan has put the Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) team into the Funny Car championship points lead by driving his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a runner-up finish at the Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After earning the team’s first nitro win and his first career Gatornationals victory last month, Hagan followed-up that performance this weekend by advancing to TSR’s third consecutive final round appearance in its first season of competition.

This weekend’s uniquely formatted competition, the first of two four-wide events this season, saw racers battle one another in four lanes instead of the usual two, and as such, they also had four qualifying sessions to make a pass in each lane. Hagan put his Dodge Power Brokers Direct Connection Funny Car in the No. 4 qualifying position for eliminations with the second quickest lap of the second session by posting a 3.920-second elapsed time run at 332.92 mph.

In eliminations, Hagan turned on the win light in the first of three rounds to beat No. 5 Bob Tasca III, No. 12 Chad Green, and No. 13 Jeff Diehl and advanced to the next round, along with Tasca, to face No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps and No. 9 seed J.R. Todd. In the second stanza, Hagan finished second to fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat driver and defending Funny Car champ Capps, with both moving on to the final quad to join No. 6 Robert Hight and No. 10 Alexis DeJoria and battle for the Four-Wide Nationals Wally trophy at Las Vegas.

The final round saw Hagan come off the start line with the Capps and Hight and in a close race from start to finish. The Dodge Power Broker Funny Car charged to the runner-up finish just behind the HEMI-powered machine of Capps, who earned his first national event win as an owner and driver. Hagan takes over the points lead by nine points over Hight, with Capps and Cruz Pedregon also among the top contenders in the class.

TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett swapped her dragster’s usual Dodge Power Brokers paint scheme for a Code 3 Associates wrap for Las Vegas to bring attention to the non-profit organization that goes into disaster areas to rescue animals and help reunite them with their owners. She kicked off the weekend with two solid pulls on Friday to earn the provisional No. 1 qualifier position with a best run of 3.741 seconds at 326.79 mph.

She consistently posted qualifying lap times that kept her and her Dodge//SRT performance machine among the top-five in each of the four sessions, collected a total of five bonus points for her efforts, and earned the No. 3 spot on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s four-wide battles.

Pruett powered her dragster straight down the lane to turn on her first win light of the season with quick 0.042-second reaction time and solid 3.740-second elapsed time run at 327.27 mph ahead of No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.069/3.853/316.01), No. 10 Doug Kalitta (0.065/4.100/227.80) and No. 14 Rob Passey (0.098/13.101/63.28).

Pruett and Langdon both advanced to the second quad to face No. 2 qualifier Brittany Force and No. 7 Steve Torrence. Pruett launched and battled hard against her competition to cross the finish with a 3.745 sec./325.69 mph run, just a hair behind Torrence’s 3.744 sec./328.46 mph lap and Force’s round winning effort of 3.725 sec./329.58 mph, and ahead of Langdon’s 3.884 sec./294.32 mph.

Funny Car driver and team owner Cruz Pedregon took his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for a 3.926-second elapsed time run at 321.9 mph to record the quickest run of the third qualifying session, earn three bonus points, and put himself in the No. 7 position on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s main event. Pedregon staged his HEMI-powered ride alongside No. 2 qualifier John Force, No. 10 Alexis DeJoria, and No. 15 Jim Campbell for the opening stanza and powered off the start to battle Force to the halfway mark until a loss of traction dropped him out of contention for advancement to the next round.

The Dodge//SRT Mopar-powered contingent will be back on track on April 2-24 at Houston Raceway Park in Texas for the 35^th edition of the NHRA SpringNationals, the fifth of 22 NHRA national events this season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES:

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster

(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.741 seconds at 326.79 mph)

Round 1: (0.042-second reaction time, 3.740 seconds at 327.27 mph) defeated No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.069/3.853/316.01), No. 10 Doug Kalitta (0.065/4.100/227.80) and No. 14 Rob Passey (0.098/13.101/63.28)

Round 2: (0.068/3.745/325.69) loss to No. 2 Brittany Force (0.056/3.725/329.58) and No. 7 Steve Torrence (0.057/3.744/328.46), defeated No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.052/3.884/294.32)

“What a monumental weekend for the Code 3 Associates [Dodge//SRT Mopar-powered] Top Fuel dragster. The points at the end of the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals may not represent that, but anybody that was here, or watched the FS1 broadcast or looked at the times, and saw that we made six full clean healthy passes that where fast and qualified us No. 3, knows that we are coming. We just needed a little bit of momentum and we have found it. We are extremely happy with the way that our car is running. The attitude of these team members is great. They know that we knew in the off-season that we had the potential. We were the only ones that really knew and believed in our performance. This past weekend, our competition now knows that we’re coming and that’s exciting.

“I have really worked hard on finding my love and passion again for drag racing, being eager to be at the line to cut down the Christmas tree, and actually race and enjoy racing. It’s been a long time since really enjoyed that. I attribute it to the positive-minded people that I have around me. I am more excited at this moment than I had been all season because our potential is showing itself. We’ve got one foot out that opening door right now and we’re going to take that other step and people will know that we’re coming.

“It was tough competition today. Four-wides are always interesting and require maximum focus on all parts. NHRA did a fantastic job of keeping all four lanes equal and prepped and primed for us to lay it down. We were within just a couple, one to two hundredths off the top competitors in our field and for the pace of our progress, which has been very fast, is inspiring. It’s encouraging. It’s what makes me more excited than I’ve ever been to get back in the race car and race at Houston coming up.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.920 seconds at 332.92 mph)

Round 1: (0.068-second reaction time, 3.929 seconds at 323.35 mph) defeated No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.087/3.929/326.32), No. 12 Chad Green (0.081/3.937/312.35), and No. 13 Jeff Diehl (0.078/4.136/291.07)

Round 2: (0.060/3.919/320.43) finished second to No. 1 Ron Capps (0.073/3.902/329.91) and defeated No. 9 J.R. Todd (0.047/3.936/326.08) and No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.073/3.949/323.12)

Round 3: (0.056/3.924/324.44) finished runner-up to No. 1 Ron Capps (0.053/3.914/331.20) and defeated No. 6 Robert Hight (0.052/3.943/328.94) and No. 10 Alexis DeJoria (0.088/3.954/321.35)

“What a crazy race. Anytime we go four-wide it’s always crazy, but we had a really solid weekend, finished number two, and took over to points lead. The [Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car] is running really good. It was a little tough as we’re up here on a hill a little bit with the altitude and trying to make power, but [Crew Chief] Dickie Venables is the man at we had a great race car this weekend and had three good rounds on Sunday after qualifying number four. I’m really proud of my guys.

“We’re going to test tomorrow here and try to make some more power up here on the hill because we’ll be back here in Vegas [for the Dodge//SRT Nationals] in October around Halloween time. I can’t wait to get back here. We’ve got a lot more racing to go.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.926 seconds at 321.96 mph)

Round 1: (0.112-second reaction time, 4.343 seconds at 206.16 mph) loss to quad winner No. 2 John Force (0.092/3.978/328.14), No. 10 Alexis DeJoria (0.177/3.932/327.43), and No. 15 Jim Campbell (0.112/4.066/313.00)

“Las Vegas Four-Wide started off being a really good event for us. Our Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat had the quickest run of Q3 at a 3.92 seconds at over 322 mph which was a solid run. It was very smooth and it was actually done during the hottest part of the weekend when the track temperature was 120 degrees. We felt good going into the race day with our quad consisting of John Force, Alexis DeJoria and Jim Campbell. We felt good and felt we had a good shot to win. We were actually leading the other three cars until we smoked the tires about half track and that was the end of our weekend, unfortunately.

“Overall a good a good weekend. We had been consistently qualifying in the top five and we got moved down to seventh, but if you look at the times, there was a lot of 3.92s. We were right there and everybody was really close. Obviously we didn’t accomplish our goals of winning the race, but it was still a good solid weekend for us and we’re going to set our sights on Houston now.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)-394 (1)

2. Robert Hight-385 (1)

3. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)-354 (1)

4. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat)-224

5. John Force-217

6. Alexis DeJoria-207

7. Bob Tasca III-193

8. Tim Wilkerson-183

9. J.R. Todd-170

10. Chad Green-163

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Steve Torrence-304

2. Brittany Force-300

3. Mike Salinas- 297

4. Justin Ashley-270 (1)

5. Clay Millican-229

6. Austin Prock-198

7. Tony Schumacher-192

8. Josh Hart-189

9. Doug Kalitta-168

10. Antron Brown-164

14. Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers)-137

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) — making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

Mopar

This year marks the 85th anniversary of Mopar.

A simple combination of the words MOtor and PARts, Mopar offers exceptional service, parts and customer-care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, Mopar has evolved over nearly 85 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, Moparexpanded to include technical service and customer support, and today integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

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HART PUTTING VEGAS FOUR-WIDE IN REARVIEW MIRROR

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) — The NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals was a new experience for Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team. As the event concluded Hart will take a few positives from a short race day to the next event. There were four qualifying runs this weekend to give every team the chance to make a pass in each lane of competition. In an unfortunate twist Hart bypassed the second session to track down an issue in his 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster that carried over from the NHRA Gatornationals. The team moved to a structured qualifying schedule to ensure peak performance beyond this weekend.

“We had an issue with a tool that is very crucial. That is what caused our demise in Gainesville and it carried over to our first qualifying round on Friday,” said Hart, the 2021 Gatornationals winner. “That is why for the first time in my career I skipped a qualifying session just to regroup and check everything. We found the issue, thank goodness, so we played it safe on the first run on Saturday and only made a planned half-track pass. Everything was fine and we played it safe in the final qualifier to make sure everything was all set for race day.”

R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster, photo by Auto Imagery

At the end of the day on Saturday Hart was sitting No. 10 in the qualifying order. The strategy set the team up to get aggressive in the first round on Sunday. In his quad Hart was squaring off in what was recognized in the opening ceremonies as the “Marquee Match-Up” between Hart, reigning Top Fuel champion Steve Torrence, Brittany Force and Cameron Ferre. In an epic race Torrence posted low elapsed time of the event to reach the finish line first and Hart was just a shade behind Force to get the second slot to advance to the next round. Hart’s scoreboard flashed with a weekends’ quickest elapsed time of 3.798 seconds at 326 mph.

Hart, who spends considerable time between rounds talking with fans about the employment opportunities with primary sponsor R+L Carriers, knew this round loss was tough but not devastating to his championship aspirations. The second-year driver who is competing on a full schedule for the first time is eager to keep the focus on improvement and building a strong foundation.

Josh Hart with new fan, photo by Josh Hart Racing

“At this point we look at it as if we lost the battle, but we are focused on winning the war,” said Hart. “We want to make sure all our t’s are crossed and our i’s are dotted. Complacency is not something that is going to be tolerated on this team. We have a strong group and I have a lot of confidence. We have 18 more races this season and I will be ready in Houston.”

Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will leave The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway No. 8 in the NHRA Camping World Top Fuel standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.806 sec, 306.60 mph; Qual. 6

Q2: No Run

Q3: 4.542 sec, 170.45 mph; Qual. 9

Q4: 3.907 sec, 315.64 mph; Qual. 10

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

E1:

W – No. 7; Steve Torrence, Kilgore, Tex., Capco dragster, 3.720, 327.27 mph

W – No. 2; Brittany Force, Yorba Linda, Calif., Monster Energy dragster, 3.747, 334.32 mph

No. 10 Josh Hart, Ocala, Florida, R+L Carriers dragster, 3.798, 326.00 mph

No. 15 Cameron Ferre, Huntington Beach, Calif., 5.899, 118.62 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Steve Torrence 304

2. Brittany Force 300

3. Mike Salinas 297

4. Justin Ashley 270

5. Clay Millican 229

6. Austin Prock 198

7. Tony Schumacher 192

8. Josh Hart 189

9. Doug Kalitta 168

10. Antron Brown 164

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CAMRIE CARUSO MAKES MOST OF FIRST VEGAS FOUR-WIDE

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) —- For rookie Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso her first four-wide racing experience was two days of qualifying runs and continued race day improvement behind the wheel of her Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT Chevrolet Camaro. Caruso entered race day at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals, as the No. 9 qualifier on the heels of four qualifying runs that placed her in a quad with No. 1 qualifier Aaron Stanfield, No. 8 qualifier Matt Hartford and No. 16 qualifier Cristian Cuadra.

As all four Pro Stock race cars pulled to the ready line Caruso knew she would have to be at the top of her game with her Titan Racing Engine powered Chevrolet Camaro. Over the previous three races the favorite for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award has qualified for every race. All four race cars launched hard and Caruso was right in the mix as she charged down track from lane three. Through the windshield she could see Stanfield and Cuadra, who she had defeated in the previous two races, just out in front of her bumper. Her second quickest run of the weekend, 6.693 seconds, was not enough to advance to the second round. At the end of the day the young driver reflected on her first four-wide experience.

Camrie Caruso, photo by Auto Imagery

“I think it was neat,” said Caruso. “I don’t think it is as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be. I know my crew chief Jim Yates liked getting the four qualifying runs and it meant more seat time for me which is great.”

The four qualifying runs Caruso and her Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT Chevrolet Camaro made along with her first round pass have continued to show the strength of her Titan Racing Engines program as well as the support she has garnered from Right Trailers, Global Emissions Systems Inc. (GESi®), NGK Spark Plugs, VP Racing Lubricants and Powerbuilt Tools. Representing so many brands has given Caruso the confidence to focus on her racing program.

Camrie Caruso, photo by Auto Imagery

“I love racing this Chevrolet Camaro and I have to thank my Caruso Family Racing team for all their support,” said Caruso. “This was a learning experience and I am glad I got the first four-wide out of the way. We will get ready for Houston.”

The early favorite for NHRA Rookie of the Year will leave the fourth race of the season No. 11 in the Pro Stock point standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1:10.503 sec, 85.32 mph; Qual. 13

Q2: 6.715 sec, 205.76 mph; Qual. 12

Q3: 6.742 sec, 203.77 mph; Qual 13

Q4: 6.691 sec, 203. 89 mph; Qual 9

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

E1:

No. 1; Aaron Stanfield, Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, 6.667, 206.07 mph (W)

No. 16; Cristian Cuadra, Corral Boots Ford Mustang, 6.694, 204.60 mph (W)

No. 8; Matt Hartford, Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro, 6.685, 205.26 mph

No. 9; Camrie Caruso, AFR/SCAT Crankshafts/Procar by SCAT Chevrolet Camaro, 6.693, 203.65 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1. Aaron Stanfield 369

2. Erica Enders 346

3. Dallas Glenn 272

4. Kyle Koretsky 271

5. Mason McGaha 226

6. Greg Anderson 213

7. Troy Coughlin Jr 213

8. Bo Butner 195

9. Cristian Cuadra 186

10. Deric Kramer 176

11. Camrie Caruso 171

About Camrie Caruso/Caruso Family Racing
Camrie Caruso is a third-generation driver with Caruso Family Racing. The 23-year-old Pro Stock rookie is following the career path of her father, former Pro Mod racer Marc Caruso and her grandfather, “Papa Joe” Caruso, who competed in Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Pro Mod. Racing a Chevrolet Camaro with power provided by Titan Racing Engines Caruso will race the full NHRA Camping World Series schedule as she chases Rookie of the Year honors and her first world championship. She first got behind the wheel of a race car when she was eight years old competing in the NHRA Junior Dragster League. She has continued to move up through the NHRA competition classes for over a decade rising to Top Alcohol Dragster as well as Elite Top Dragster and Pro Outlaw 632 in the PDRA. Caruso has a Finance degree as well as a Marketing degree from SUNY Empire State College. In 2018 she was recognized by Drag Illustrated magazine as a 30 Under 30, drag racing personality. When she is not at the track, she is handling the marketing for Titan Racing Engines.

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No Luck for Ashley at Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) — Through two days of qualifying at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals Justin Ashley and his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot made three solid runs in four rounds of qualifying. They rolled into race day as the No. 4 qualifier in a tough quad with 2019 Rookie of the Year Austin Prock, veteran Clay Millican and Jim Maroney. Ashley was looking for his first round win in the unique four-wide format.

“I loved having four qualifying sessions,” said Ashley, who opened the season with a win at the NHRA Winternationals. “That is one of the benefits of the Stampede of Speed at Texas Motorplex. It’s good for the team because it gives us more data and information to analyze going into Sunday. Having Q1 early in the afternoon gave us an opportunity to set a baseline and run more aggressively during the second run on Friday. It’s also is one more time down the track and one more time to look at the tree. It all adds up. I am all for four qualifiers whenever it is possible.”

Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot, photo by Ron Lewis Photography

Ashley and his three competitors were the first four dragsters to hit the track. The consensus was all four lanes were even and Ashley’s mindset was focused on his lane, his tree and getting to the finish line in front of at least two of his opponents. The tree flashed and Ashley hit the throttle on his Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot launched hard and went into immediate tire smoke. The 2020 Rookie of the Year was forced to watch as all three dragsters took off down track. There was no need to try and pedal his 11,000-horsepower race car and the three-time Top Fuel winner immediately turned his focus to the next race in three weeks in Houston.

“We went up to the starting line with a plan and got a different result,” said Ashley. “That’s racing. The important thing is to learn from this race and move on to the next one. As always, our Phillips Connect/Toyota team powered by Vita C Shot did great and put us in a nice qualifying position going to Sunday. But race day is a different day, especially during the four-wides when anything can happen. We are going to take the rest of the day and root on Antron. We are just going to focus on the next race.”

The Springnationals will be the final NHRA national event at Houston Raceway Park and Ashley is focused on making the most of his final run for returning sponsors Auto Shocker, KATO Fastening Systems and GuardLab.

“We want to win every race but when you know it is going to be the final race it makes it very special,” said Ashley. “Winning the final race gives your team a historic moment that no one can take away from you. You will be the last winner forever.”

Ashley will leave Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals sitting in the No. 4 in the Camping World Drag Racing Series point standings.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.855 sec, 265.22 mph; Qual. 7

Q2: 3.924 sec, 285.98 mph; Qual. 9

Q3: 3.748 sec, 330.55 mph: Qual. 3

Q4: 4.015 sec, 224.96 mph; Qual. 4

Bonus Points: +2 (2nd quickest in Q2)

Race Results

E1:

W – No. 5; Clay Millican, Drummonds, Tenn., Parts Plus dragster,3.768, 321.65 mph

W – No. 12; Austin Prock,Pittsboro, Ind., Montana Brand/RMT dragster, 3.803, 324.83 mph

No. 13; Jim Maroney, Mesa, Ariz., American Flowtech dragster, 3.973, 300.73 mph

No. 4; Justin Ashley, Plainview, NY, Phillips Connect Vita C Shot dragster, 9.845, 75.15 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Steve Torrence 304

2. Brittany Force 300

3. Mike Salinas 297

4. Justin Ashley 270

5. Clay Millican 229

6. Austin Prock 198

7. Tony Schumacher 192

8. Josh Hart 189

9. Doug Kalitta 168

10. Antron Brown 164About Justin Ashley Racing
Justin Ashley Racing in partnership with Davis Motorsports fields the Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. In 2021 Ashley raced to three final rounds with a win at the Texas Fall Nationals in Dallas and ultimately finished No. 4 in the Top Fuel standings. During his Top Fuel rookie season in 2020 Justin won the NHRA Summernationals, finished in the Top Ten and was recognized as the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year. Prior to his professional debut Ashley has three wins in Top Alcohol Dragster on the Lucas Oil Series. He is the son of multi-time NHRA national event winner Mike Ashley. In 2017, he was named to the Drag Illustrated magazine’s 30 under 30 list, highlighting some of racing’s most promising young individuals on and off the racetrack. To learn more about Justin Ashley Racing, visit JustinAshley.com.

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chevy racing–nhra–las vegas post race

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY APRIL 3, 2022 Chevrolet drivers hold winning hand at Las Vegas • Brittany Force scores 12th career Top Fuel victory• Erica Enders repeats as Pro Stock four-wide winner• Ryan McClanahan wins Stock Eliminator in COPO Camaro

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) — Chevrolet drivers had the winning hand at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Brittany Force won the Top Fuel final quad race with a pass of 3.718 seconds at a blistering 338 mph in the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster for her initial win of the season and 12th of her career – all with Chevrolet.
Force, who earned her second NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series victory in the Charlotte four-wide event in 2016, topped the finalists who represent 15 NHRA Top Fuel season titles. She moved to second in the Top Fuel standings through four of the scheduled 22 events.

Robert Hight, who set low elapsed time of the event (3.864 seconds) in the second Funny Car quad in the Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, wound up third in the final as he had a cylinder out early in the run.
John Force won his first-round Funny Car match in the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Chevrolet Camaro SS with a 3.978-second pass. Force, the No. 2 qualifier, finished third in the second round and did not advance.
Austin Prock, the No. 12 qualifier in the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster, advanced to the second round. His 3.783-second run, which was quicker than his first-round pass, was good for third but not good enough to advance to the final quad.
Ryan McClanahan of San Bernardino, California, drove his Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory in Stock Eliminator for his 11th national event win. Drivers of a COPO Camaro have won all four Stock Eliminator national events this season.
The NHRA SpringNationals on April 24-26 is next up for Chevrolet teams and drivers. Hight (Funny Car) and Matt Hartford (Pro Stock) were winners for Team chevy. FS1 will telecast eliminations at 7:30 p.m. ET April 26 from Houston Raceway Park. An interview with Top Fuel winner BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 2 qualifier):
YOU RACED AGAINST STEVE TORRENCE ALL THREE ROUNDS. TALK ABOUT THAT.“I pointed out how tough our quads were every single time. It’s tough trying to keep up with him and make sure we get around him in that final, and we got it done. He had lane choice over us on one of the runs, we got it back on him and we figured it out in the final round.”
DOES IT MAKE THIS WIN SWEETER WHEN IT COMES AGAINST A GROUP LIKE THAT?“Absolutely. To be able to look at that final quad and see the guys that we were good enough to pull up next to and then beat them all, it’s something that we’re very proud of. I’m proud just to share the lanes with those guys to be able to race against them. I watched Tony Schumacher when I was out here watching my dad as a kid, so to be able to line up next to him is just something very exciting, and then to turn the win light on is even better.”
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR MOMENTUM GOING INTO THE REST OF THE SEASON?“It just builds and builds. This just lights a fire under us and motivates us, puts that extra energy that maybe we lost over the last few races because we have struggled. Getting in the winner’s circle with your team, there’s no better feeling than that.”
WHAT WAS PREPARATION LIKE GOING INTO THE FINAL? ANY HEAD GAMES?“There’s so much going on. There’s not just one car next to you, now there’s three other cars. There’s too much thinking going on. For me, when I pull up there and try to cut a good light and keep my focus, I can’t be thinking about all that. And now you’re adding more into the mix and that makes it far more complicated. I don’t need to go up there worrying about that. For me, I pull up there and I know who I’m going to run but I’m not even thinking about that. It doesn’t matter who we’re up against. It’s about me getting this car down there first and stepping up and getting a win light.”
An interview with Pro Stock winner ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier):
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL AND YOU’VE DONE SO WELL?“I’m not really sure what it is about Las Vegas. I feel like my guys have a really great tuneup. Everything changes out here. It’s obviously dry, crazy air so you have to have your tuneup right. So I have to give my crew chiefs a lot of credit; they have a ton of data here and they do a great job. I’m not much of a gambler. I’d rather go shopping than gambling, but I love coming to Las Vegas. I’m thankful for the success we’ve had here.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS WIN FOR YOU?“I took Gainesville really hard. I also lost on a holeshot second round at Phoenix as well, so coming off that awesome 900th Pro Stock win in Pomona I kind of fell into a couple race slump. I’m my worst critic; I take a lot of pride in my driving. I’ve been racing Pro Stock for 18 years where we didn’t have any success the first nine, so it’s been quite the ride with Elite Motorsports and I’m really thankful for that. It definitely makes it easier going back to normal work easier when you get to take a Wally on the plane home.”
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR MIND RIGHT FOR THIS RACE?“I don’t really think I showed up here with my mind right, to be honest with you. I did my very best. It’s just the six inches between my ears – getting in a positive mindset and believing in myself. My goal this year is to make every round count. I didn’t do that in Phoenix and I didn’t do that in Gainesville, but you can only do the best you can and I’m the biggest variable of our entire program being human. So it’s up to me to be positive, crack the Tree, hit my shifts and we’re going to give it our all this year.”

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DEJORIA GIVES GR SUPRA FIRST FOUR-WIDE FINAL APPEARANCE

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

Torrence and Brown Take Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters to Final Round in Vegas

LAS VEGAS (April 3, 2022) – The first four-wide NHRA race of the 2022 season didn’t disappoint for the Toyota race teams. The GR Supra Funny Car of Alexis DeJoria made it’s first final round appearance at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Toyota Top Fuel dragsters of Steve Torrence and Antron Brown also made appearances in the final round of four-wide competition with Torrence claiming the runner-up result and overtaking the Top Fuel point lead.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Race 4 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS — Race Winner: Brittany Force

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finals	W. 3.720 vs. 3.747 (B. Force – advances) vs. 3.798 (Hart) vs. 5.899 (Ferre) W. 3.744 vs. 3.725 (B. Force – advances) vs. 3.745 (Pruett) vs. 3.884 (Langdon) L. 3.756 vs. 3.718 (B. Force – winner) vs. 4.713 (Schumacher) vs. 5.086 (Brown)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.754 vs. 3.880 (Schumacher – advances) vs. 3.779 (Salinas) vs. Farley W. 3.749 vs. 3.733 (Schumacher – advances) vs. 3.783 (Prock) vs. 3.786 (Millican) L. 5.086 vs. 3.718 (B. Force – winner) vs. 3.756 (Torrrence) vs. 4.713 (Schumacher)
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 2	W. 3.853 vs. 3.740 (Pruett – advances) vs. 4.100 (Kalitta) vs. 13.101 (Passey) L. 3.884 vs. 3.744 (Torrence – advances) vs. 3.725 (B. Force – advances) vs. 3.745 (Pruett)
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 9.845 vs. 3.768 (Millican – advances) vs. 3.803 (Prock – advances) vs. 3.973 (Maroney)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 4.100 vs. 3.740 (Pruett – advances) vs. 3.853 (Langdon – advances) vs. 13.101 (Passey)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS — Race Winner: Ron Capps

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Semi-Finals	W. 3.932 vs. 3.978 (Force – advances) vs. 4.066 (Campbell) vs. 4.343 (Pedregon) W. 3.936 vs. 3.864 (Hight – advances) vs. 3.983 (J. Force) vs. 4.182 (Alexander) L. 3.954 vs. 3.914 (Capps – winner) vs. 3.924 (Hagan) vs. 3.943 (Hight)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round 2	W. 4.419 vs. 3.970 (Capps – advances) vs. 8.045 (Wilkerson) vs. Rupert L. 3.936 vs. 3.902 (Capps – advances) vs. 3.919 (Hagan – advances) vs. 3.949 (Tasca)

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Final Result: Finals

How was your run in the final round?

“I ran a .75, but was .039 on the tree and left on everybody and I knew I probably needed to. But this Capco Contractors Toyota dragster has been been pretty bad. So we’ve been making a lot of changes, big changes, especially this weekend and it’s all trending in the right direction so I couldn’t be happier with the car. Everybody’s doing a great job. Not the outcome we wanted, but better than than the other two cars in there with us. So we’ll take the runner up. We will leave here with some momentum and a lot of confidence and head to Houston.”

Heading to Houston with the point lead and a home track for you, how do you feel about your chances there?

“We finally were able to mark that thing off the list for winning a race there last year as it’s been one that has eluded me for quite some time. So we’ll go there with some confidence going into it and try to definitely finish off the Houston Raceway Park with a bang. I mean, that’s the track that I’ve grown up racing out my whole whole career and so a lot of memories there. And so I look forward to it, but let me see what we can do. I’m really excited leaving here with the runner up and we’ll just go from there.”

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

Final Result: Semi-Finals

How do you feel about your race weekend overall and the final round appearance?

“I’m super proud of all of my guys this weekend here at (Las) Vegas for the Four-Wide Nationals. We put those Matco Tools to work and the Lucas Oil was cooking. I thought we had something for them in the finals the way this car has been running this weekend. To that point, we made it down the track six straight times and got quicker each lap, but as soon I hit the gas I felt a hole (cylinder) go out and I knew it dropped a hole cause it felt real lazy to the 60-foot and then it shook (the tires). That being said, we did a great job this weekend. To go down the track and be so consistent and improve the performance on each lap after what happened in Gainesville is just an awesome rebound weekend that we needed. That first win is right around the corner and we can’t wait to get to Houston.”

ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Finals

How do you feel about the progress your team is making with this Final Round appearance?

“There’s nothing to hang our heads about this weekend. We made it to the finals at the four wide and you know, a pretty successful weekend in Vegas for our team. I think we got a handle on this the GR Supra, you know everything’s coming together and need some more time. We’ll be back up there again and I just want to make my guys and everybody that supports us and you know the guys did a hell of a job getting everything turned around quickly.”

How do you feel about your race weekend overall?

“We made it to the finals here in (Las) Vegas this weekend and another pretty successful weekend at this track for us with the Bandero Supra. We didn’t come away with the hardware, but no reason to hang our heads. We did good today. The team hustled. We made three really good, consistent runs on race day and we’re right there. I’m proud of these guys. They’re working hard and we’ll get prepare for Houston and look to grab our first win of the season there.”

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

Final Result: Round Two

How do you feel about your performance this weekend overall?

“We’re still learning and making adjustments with this new GR Supra body, but this weekend we really feel like we’ve made some good progress with the race car overall. We had some good qualifying passes and had to really drive our DHL GR Supra into the second round. Of course we wanted more and wanted to be in the final round, but we’re learning and improving each race weekend.”

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Burton Finishes 18th at Richmond

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

April 3, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came away from Sunday’s 400-lapper at Richmond Raceway with an 18^th-place finish and a confidence boost as they work their way through Burton’s – and crew chief Brian Wilson’s – rookie seasons.

Burton lined up 17^th for the start of Sunday’s race on the three-quarter-mile Richmond oval.

He moved up to 15^th place by the 15^th lap and was able to consistently run competitive lap times, especially early in green-flag runs.

Burton ended the first 70-lap Stage in 20^th place, then worked his way forward in the second Stage and ended that segment in 16^th place.

The race was slowed by just three cautions for incidents on the track, which necessitated several green-flag pit stops. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew had a great day on pit road, highlighted by one sub-10-second stop.

As the laps wound down, Burton continued to post good lap times but was unable to pick up positions he’d hoped to get.

“It’s frustrating because I feel like we were better than 18th, but track position is really hard to get here now,” Burton told reporters after the race. “We struggled with being aero tight behind guys, so it was really hard for me to kind of move forward throughout the run because of that.

“I felt like we had a pretty decent Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. If we keep going in this direction, I feel like we’re getting a little better every time.

“It’s good to start running with guys that we should be running with and building that direction.”

Burton moved up one spot in the Cup Series standings to 29^th place but closed the gap to 25^th place from 22 points to 10.

The Motorcraft/Quick Lane team now head to the Wood Brothers’ home track, Martinsville Speedway, for Saturday night’s Blue-Emu 400.

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RCR NCS Post Race Report: Richmond

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

Austin Dillon Races the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol Camaro ZL1 to a Top-10 Finish at Richmond Raceway

“I’m so proud of this No. 3 team. We fought hard all day long and are leaving Richmond Raceway with a top-10 finish in the BREZTRI AEROSPHERE® (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Inhalation Aerosol Camaro ZL1. We didn’t give up. We started the race plowing tight so I spent a lot of time trying to change my entry into the corners to try and help our handling conditions. We got better as we ran. We stretched Stage 2 into a single pit stop, which helped position us for Stage 3 with an extra set of tires. We battled hard and it feels good to leave here with a top-10 finish.”
-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Team Race Their Way to Top-12 Finish at Richmond Raceway

“What a weekend in Richmond, Virgina. Practice and qualifying were tough on our No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet on Saturday, but I felt like we had some good motivation heading into today’s race. I started out really loose in every corner and had some brake issues throughout the whole race. My team spent a lot of time strategizing and coming up with different solutions to make our car fast – not only on the long run, but on the short run as well. We just didn’t have it today, but it’s another lesson we will take with us and learn from. We were able to salvage a 12th-place finish which speaks volumes about this team. These guys never gave up and we will look toward Martinsville Speedway.”
-Tyler Reddick

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chevy racing–nascar–richmond post race

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES RICHMOND RACEWAY TOYOTA OWNERS 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES APRIL 3, 2022

TEAM CHEVY TOP-20 UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER3rd     WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL15th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL18th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL110th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL112th    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL114th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL116th    DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL119th    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ONX HOMES / IFLY CAMARO ZL1  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2nd     Kevin Harvick (Ford)3rd     William Byron (Chevrolet)4th      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)5th      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Martinsville Speedway with the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 400 on Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 3^rd“Thought we probably did the best job we could. It didn’t quite work out. I thought there at the end they told me I was just racing the 19. I’m like ok I got him, but then the 4 and the 11 were on a totally different planet. That’s just part of it. There wasn’t anything I could do about them, so it was probably four or five to go and Brandon (Lines) was coaching me on keeping the tires underneath it and having good exits and entries. Especially making those guys go around me on the top was definitely better. The times that guys would get underneath me was really, really hard to get back connected and get a good lap put together. The middle of the race we were terrible and we just couldn’t get in the corner at all and if you can’t get into the corner you can’t put consistent laps together. It’s nice to have a run like we had today.”
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 5^th“I assume we netted out good with our strategy or better than we were. I didn’t think those guys the 11 and the 4 were going to get to us, but then all of a sudden, our tires kind of fell off a cliff there and got really slick. We just kind of had to nurse it home. Glad we got a top-five after three bad finishes in a row. We will move on to Martinsville and try to get a good run there.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 16th“It was a tough day. I just feel like we missed it the entire weekend. We didn’t have the speed yesterday. We didn’t have the speed in qualifying. Today was a battle. I feel like we were OK in the long runs at times, but overall, we just didn’t have a lot of speed. We just have to go back home and try to learn what we did right, what we did wrong and come back strong.”
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 27th“That was a tough day. The guys did all they could to try to make our No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1 better. I just fought super loose in and burnt the rear tires off it. I wasn’t ever able to get a good balance. We made the best of what we could, it just wasn’t very pretty. Our pitstops were really good – our guys did a great job all day. I just need to be better, so we will keep trying.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 29th“We couldn’t catch a break today in our LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1. We bounced back early from our drive-through penalty but struggled with an ill-handling car for the majority of the day. We had a pit-road issue on our last green-flag stop, which really sealed our fate for the end. I’m looking forward to getting to Martinsville and putting today behind us.” TEAM CHEVY – RACE QUICK NOTESSTAGE ONE·       William Byron led the field to the green from a front row starting spot, his third top-10 start of 2022. ·       Three Camaro ZL1’s placed in the top-10 at the end of stage one, led by William Byron in second. Ross Chastain was third to conclude the stage; with Chase Elliott rounding out the Team Chevy top-10 in sixth. STAGE TWO·       Stage two saw the 160-lap run go caution-free. ·       Pit strategy played a huge role in track position throughout stage two, with teams making the run either a one or two-stop stage. ·       Three Camaro ZL1’s placed in the top-10 of stage two, with Ross Chastain capturing his second top-five stage finish of the day in third. Chase Elliott finished the stage in sixth; with Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, rounding out the Team Chevy top-10 in ninth.
FINAL STAGE·       After a string of cautions at the beginning of the final stage, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 Crew Chief, Rudy Fugle, made a pit strategy call to not pit following the fifth caution of the day, giving William Byron a front row restart position. ·       Byron took advantage of the track position, piloting his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to the lead on the restart, making it the first time Byon has led in his NASCAR Cup Series career at Richmond Raceway. ·       Byron led Team Chevy to two in the top-five and four of the top-10 in the final running order. In seven points-paying races thus far, the Camaro ZL1 has now posted 20 top-five’s and 32 top-10’s to lead all manufacturers.

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LEFT A MARK: Pennsylvania’s Brent Marks Beats Outlaws in Return Home to Devil’s Bowl

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

The former-Outlaw collected the $20,000 payday in the DuraMAX Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals MESQUITE, TX – April 2, 2022 – There was no comfort for Brent Marks while leading at Devil’s Bowl Speedway Saturday night. Even with more than a second lead. He knew being at the track that birthed the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, with its 10-time champion behind him, there was no room for error. Only his wit and lightning-quick #19 could help him secure the big-money victory in front of a packed house. Marks, of Myerstown, PA, bested the stout field in the annual return to the Texas facility for the DuraMAX Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals, collecting the $20,000 check and his eighth career Series win. “You [Chase Raudman] said I had a big lead, but it sure didn’t feel like it,” Marks said in Victory Lane. “I felt pressure the whole time, just the way the track was. It was so fast and muddy. I was getting tight behind lap cars… Just muscled it there at the end and tried not to make any mistakes.” Track speeds were quick all night, making for an exciting watch as Marks flew through lapped traffic after grabbing the lead from Brian Brown on a Lap 3 restart. Starting outside front row, Marks originally had a different plan to get around Brown. But after a great run into the first corner a lap after the restart, he couldn’t help but seize the opportunity with a slide job in Turns 3-4. “My plan was just to wait until we got to lapped traffic and hope that he’d make a mistake, that way I could try and get by him,” Marks said. “We just had a better car than he did there at the beginning.” Now with the lead and a clear track in front of him, Marks hit the hyper drive, opening an advantage over Brown that grew every lap. At its height, Marks had amassed a near six-second lead in traffic as the rest of the field struggled to get by the cars Marks spent little time on. “I thought I’d just settle down in lapped traffic and see what happens,” Brown said of his plan after Marks got by him. “We got to lapped cars and Brent blew through four or five, and the next thing you know they’re running two-three-wide and I could never clear any.” However, from Marks’ point-of-view inside his M&M Painting & Construction #19, it was a bit more difficult than he made it look. “Lapped traffic was really hard, passing was really hard, and so much mud was built-up on the car and I was just manhandling it there at the end, it was just so tight,” Marks said. “It was a tough race. “Guys in front of me were tight, and they just didn’t know which direction they wanted to go, so picking a line was really hard too.” Just past halfway, Donny Schatz moved to the top and powered by Brown for second at the exit of Turn 4. Then, he turned his attention to trying to run down Marks. “I was super tight, so getting out around somebody was kinda sketchy,” Schatz said. “Brown kept slowing down more and more, so I kinda had no choice but to just go and hope that I didn’t get too balled-up and someone goes by on the bottom.” Though Marks was still over five seconds ahead, Schatz cracked the whip and made some headway, chopping the gap down to just more than three seconds in the final five laps. Ultimately, he came up a bit short, but bagged a runner-up for his best finish since the season-opening win at Volusia Speedway Park in February. “Brent was so far out there, it was hard to get caught back up,” Schatz said. “We obviously didn’t have any yellows, so it might’ve been a different story if we had a yellow. But that’s the way it goes.” Brown crossed the stripe third for his first podium finish against the World of Outlaws this season. Three-time and defending race winner Logan Schuchart looked to be in contention for a shot at a four-peat early on in the program, qualifying inside the top-10, but engine issues in his Heat Race forced him to come through the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown. Starting 21st, he was only able to get to 16th, but picked up the KSE Hard Charger honors. UP NEXT The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series next heads to the Show-Me State of Missouri for a pair of races at US 36 Raceway and Lake Ozark Speedway, Friday-Saturday, April 8-9. For tickets, CLICK HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App. QUICK RESULTS (view full results) NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 19-Brent Marks [2][$20,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$6,000]; 3. 21-Brian Brown [1][$3,750]; 4. 83-James McFadden [4][$3,250]; 5. 1A-Jacob Allen [6][$2,750]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo [5][$2,500]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$2,400]; 8. 5-Spencer Bayston [7][$2,300]; 9. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [9][$2,200]; 10. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [11][$2,100]; 11. 9-Daryn Pittman [13][$1,700]; 12. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [10][$1,400]; 13. 2-David Gravel [12][$1,300]; 14. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [14][$1,200]; 15. 7X-Justin Henderson [15][$1,100]; 16. 1S-Logan Schuchart [21][$1,000]; 17. 8-Aaron Reutzel [20][$1,000]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [16][$1,000]; 19. 11K-Kraig Kinser [23][$1,000]; 20. J2-John Carney [18][$1,000]; 21. 11-Parker Price-Miller [19][$1,000]; 22. 7S-Jason Sides [22][$1,000]; 23. 6-Bill Rose [24][$1,000]; 24. 73-Scotty Thiel [17][$1,000] Lap Leaders: Brian Brown 1-3, Brent Marks 4-30KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+5]

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“HOLD YOUR BREATH, CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND HAMMER IT”: COPELAND ACES TRAFFIC IN DOMINANT NARC OPENER WIN

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

(4/2/2022 – Alex Nieten) Stockton, CA… Colby Copeland may not be pursuing a NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car championship this year, but he made a statement on opening night at Stockton Dirt Track that he’ll be a force anytime he shows up to compete.

The pilot of Larry Antaya’s Fire Protection Management No. 16A led all 25 laps of the third annual Asparagus Cup en route to his third career Fujitsu Feature victory. The triumph marked his first with the series since June of 2019. Copeland’s trio of NARC victories have all come aboard Antaya’s machine, this latest win coming with a $6,000 check.

Dominic Scelzi led the field to green courtesy of his win in the Sunnyvalley Bacon Dash with Copeland to his outside. The reigning series champion led through turns one and two, but in the next set of corners Copeland made what ultimately proved to be the winning move.

Running a lane above Scelzi in turns three and four, Copeland ripped around Scelzi’s outside to take command and lead the opening circuit.

“It’s one of those things you’ve just got to try to go for it,” Copeland said of the pass. “It was pretty fast and hard to pass, so I knew the start was going to be crucial.”

A flurry of yellows for stopped and spun cars slowed the pace early on. During the race’s second restart Scelzi threw a slider at Copeland entering the first turn but came up a little short and had to regroup. As Scelzi pursued Copeland, Shane Golobic, Mitchell Faccinto, Willie Croft, Kerry Madsen, and Justin Sanders all jockeyed for spots behind the lead duo in the top-five.

After the early yellows, the feature event barreled toward its conclusion with a long green flag run that forced the front runners to navigate heavy traffic.

On the hooked up Stockton surface, Copeland sliced his way through slower cars as Scelzi struggled to keep pace, and a new contender climbed onto the podium. Making his first NARC start in the Tarlton Motorsports machine, Mitchell Faccinto drove around Golobic for third as the laps dwindled.

Ultimately, Copeland held on to win by a comfortable margin, but the Roseville, CA native made sure to never take his foot off the gas through the swarm of lapped cars until the checkered flag flew.

“It might not have seemed like a lot of trouble,” Copeland said of negotiating slower cars. “But when you get behind those guys, the air gets off your wing and you’re just bucking and you get tight. And you know Dominic, obviously he was the champion last year so you know he’s breathing down your neck the whole time. You’re just trying to run as hard as you can, hold your breath, close your eyes, and hammer it.”

Scelzi held on to claim second in his Red Rose Transportation No. 41, marking his 32nd career NARC podium and 11th in his last 15 Fujitsu Feature starts dating back to last year.

“Hats off to the 16A guys,” Scelzi said. “They’ve been fast. It’s good to see that there’s so many cars out here.”

Making his first NARC start in the Tarlton machine, Mitchell Faccinto completed the podium with a third place run.

“Going from fifth to third it was a good first points night out for us,” Faccinto said. “I’m excited. Obviously Tom and Tommy (Tarlton) give us great equipment to come out here and compete.”

Rounding out the top-10 was Golobic, Croft, Sanders, Tim Kaeding, Tanner Carrick, Bud Kaeding (from 16th, Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger) and Corey Day.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (25 laps): 1. Colby Copeland 16A 2. Dominic Scelzi 41 3. Mitchell Faccinto 21 4. Shane Golobic 17W 5. Willie Croft 29 6. Justin Sanders 57 7. Tim Kaeding 42X 8. Tanner Carrick 83T 9. Bud Kaeding 69 10. Corey Day 14 11. Michael Faccinto 56 12. Max Mittry 2X 13. Tanner Holmes 18 14. Kerry Madsen 83JR 15. Colby Thornhill 19 16. 88N D.J. Netto 17. Billy Aton 26 18. Logan Forler 2L 19. Blake Carrick 38B 20. Dylan Bloomfield 11 21. Geoffrey Strole 09S 22. Joel Myers Jr. 83V 23. Josh Wiesz 21W 24. Angelique Bell 55I 25. Austin McCarl 88

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Copeland 1-25

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Bud Kaeding 16th to 9th

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (25 cars): Dominic Scelzi 14.432

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (8 laps): Golobic, Scelzi, Faccinto, Day, Netto, Aton, Carrick, Bell, Myers Jr.

KIMO’S TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (8 laps): Copeland, Carrick, Croft, Mittry, Forler, Bloomfield, Strole, Kaeding

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (8 laps): Kaeding, Sanders, Madsen, Faccinto, McCarl, Holmes, Thornhill, Wiesz

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 laps): Scelzi, Copeland, Croft, Golobic, Faccinto, Madsen

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DEUCES ARE WILD FOR FORCES AT LAS VEGAS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

BRITTANY FORCE WITH MONSTER ENERGY ANDJOHN FORCE WITH PEAK / BLUEDEF LAND NO. 2 SPOTS SATURDAY

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TOP FUEL TOYOTAS POISED IN TIGHT FIELD FOR LAS VEGAS FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

GR Supra Funny Cars of DeJoria and Todd Post Top-10 Qualifying Effort

LAS VEGAS (April 2, 2022) – NHRA takes to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for the first four-wide event of the 2022 season. Toyota Top Fuel dragsters all qualified within six one-hundreths of a second to each other while the GR Supra Funny Cars qualified top-10.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Race 4 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Mike Salinas3.722	Top Fuel Dragster*	1	A. BrownT. Schumacher
Justin Ashley3.748	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	4	C. MillicanA. ProckJ. Maroney
Doug Kalitta3.759	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6	L. PruettS. LangdonR. Passey
Steve Torrence3.761	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7	B. ForceJ. HartC. Ferre
Antron Brown3.762	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	8	M. SalinasT. Schumacher
Shawn Langdon3.808	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	11	L. PruettD. KalittaR. Passey

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Ron Capps3.883	NAPA Funny Car*	1	J. CampbellT. WilkersonJ. Todd
J.R. Todd3.943	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	9	R. CappsJ. CampbellT. Wilkerson
Alexis DeJoria3.958	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	10	J. ForceB. BodeC. Pedregon

(*non-Toyota driver)

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RCR NXS Post Race Report: Richmond

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

Sheldon Creed Shows Never-Give-Up Attitude at Richmond Raceway in the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet

“I really thought we were going to have a strong No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet today at Richmond Raceway. We started the race 13th and fired off decent at the beginning of the run. Unfortunately, it didn’t stay that way. We struggled for most of the day with handling issues and a lack of drive, but this Richard Childress Racing team never gave up. I’m so proud of them for all of their hard work. We’ve got some work to do in the shop and I will go back and study my notes for this track. We’ve got a lot of fight left in this team. On to Martinsville.”

-Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Team Battle Hard at Richmond Raceway

“I thought we were pretty decent at the start of the race. Our Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet was free on entry and a little tight in the center. The main thing I needed at the beginning of Stage 1 was forward drive. It fired off better on that next run, but toward the end of Stage 2 I thought something happened to the left front. We were keeping up with the No. 7 car and then we suddenly got really tight. It was like a light switch. We pitted for tires and adjustments and got back inside the top 10 but with about 40 laps to go the same thing happened with the left front. It’s frustrating but we’ll bounce back next week at Martinsville Speedway.”
-Austin Hill

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Burton Qualifies 17th at Richmond

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

April 2, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang are set to start 17^th in Sunday’s 400-lapper at Richmond Raceway.

In Saturday’s qualifying session on the three-quarter-mile oval, Burton turned a lap at 119.506 miles per hour.

It was a pick up from his best lap in practice, where he posted a speed of 118.095 mph on the ninth of the 29 laps he ran.

Burton said he and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are happy with the adjustments they made to their No. 21 Mustang.

“I felt like we made good gains on the car,” Burton said. “I just missed the entry into Turn Three on the second lap.

“I feel like we are going to be OK in the race.”

Sunday’s 300-mile race is scheduled to start just after 3:30 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks are set for Laps 70 and 230.

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chevy racing–nascar–richmond–qualifying notes

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES RICHMOND RACEWAYTOYOTA OWNERS 400 TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES APRIL 2, 2022

THREE CAMARO ZL1’S QUALIFY IN THE TOP-10 AT RICHMOND RACEWAYWilliam Byron will lead the field to the green from the front row
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:POS. DRIVER2nd WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL15th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL18th ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ONX HOMES / IFLY CAMARO ZL1 14th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL115th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL116th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL121st KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL123rd LANDON CASSILL, NO. 77 VOYAGER: CRYPTO FOR ALL CAMARO ZL125th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL126th AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL128th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 30th TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL131st COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL132nd RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SUNNYD CAMARO ZL136th JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL137th GREG BIFFLE, NO. 44 NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1st Ryan Blaney (Ford)2nd William Byron (Chevrolet)3rd Kyle Busch (Toyota) 4th Chase Briscoe (Ford)5th Erik Jones (Chevrolet)
FOX will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway live at 3:30 p.m. ET tomorrow, Sunday, April 3. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Justin Ashley and Phillips Industries Raise over $30,000 for Ukrainian Families

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

Front wing of Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster to recognize names of 75 donors

LAS VEGAS (April 1, 2022) — Over the past two weeks NHRA Top Fuel driver Justin Ashley has been promoting a fundraising effort spearheaded by the parent company of his primary sponsor Phillips Connect. His efforts fundraised over $30,000 from 75 donors and the front wing of his Top Fuel highlights each donor. Through social media posts Ashley offered the chance for donors to add their name to his 11,000 horsepower Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot at this weekend’s NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. A minimum donation of $100 to Ukrainian UN Crisis Relief Fund afforded a donor the opportunity to have their name on his racecar.

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NASCAR CUP SERIES RICHMOND RACEWAY TOYOTA OWNERS 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTAPRIL 2, 2022

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Richmond Raceway. Press Conference Transcript: AS THE MOST RECENT WINNER AT CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE IMPENDING FUTURE OF THAT TRACK? “That’s not what I expected to get asked about first thing here at Richmond (laughs).
I like Chicagoland a lot. It’s a really technical, fun racetrack; super slick and extremely rough. I don’t really know what’s happening with it, but bummed it’s not on the schedule. It’s definitely a special place.”
FOUR OF THE NEXT FIVE RACES ARE AT TRACKS ONE-MILE OR SHORTER. THREE OF THOSE RACES YOU WON LAST YEAR. DOES THAT GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE GOING INTO THIS NEXT LITTLE STRETCH?“Yeah, for sure. They are all racetracks that I really enjoy. I think if we still had last year’s car, I’d be super confident. But a lot has changed this year with this racecar and I don’t really know what to expect at a lot of these places with the Next Gen car. So, at least kind of knowing that I know what to look for and know what I need in the racecar to be successful at these places is good. But trying to find that with a completely new racecar is definitely going to be tough.”
CHEVROLET AS A WHOLE HAS WON FOUR OF THE LAST FIVE RACES. WHY DO YOU THINK THE MANUFACTURER HAS HAD SO MUCH SPEED EARLY ON?“I think we’ve definitely had really fast racecars each and every week, and it’s cool to see Chevrolet have so much success. There were races that things went our way too. We have a lot of really smart people that have worked really hard. I feel like the playing field is pretty even right now.”
WITH SOME OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS CAR, I KNOW AERODYNAMICALLY, IT’S SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, PARTICULARLY ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THE COMPOSITE BODY LENDS ITSELF TO LESS TIRE RUBS. IS THERE A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF INTENSITY IN THE RACE THAT WE MIGHT HAVE SEEN AT A ROAD COURSE THAT WE’RE LIKELY TO SEE AT A SHORT TRACK? “Yeah, for sure. I think you can definitely run into stuff that would have ended your day in the past. We kind of got sandwiched in between a bunch of cars on a restart last week; drove straight into somebody and it would have completely ended our day last year. Probably would have ended up knocking the radiator out of it and just been done. It’s cool to not have any damage after that. I think there’s a fine balance between that, right? You don’t want to be able to just bounce off stuff and I don’t think you are. But the old car was super fragile. I think it’s definitely going to change the racing a little bit. I don’t know that it’ll change the racing here a ton. Going to Homestead, it’s going to make running the fence way easier and way less stressful, I think, just because if you hit it once, you’re not going to instantly get a flat tire. It’s definitely different and I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”
MY HOME TRACK, MOBILE (SPEEWAY), IS KIND OF COMING BACK TO LIFE THIS YEAR. I KNOW YOU MADE A COUPLE OF ARCA STARTS THERE. DO YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES OF RUNNING MOBILE OR RACING THERE?“Yes, I ran there once in an ARCA car. I remember being there to test and it rained, and we sat around and did nothing because we didn’t have a jet dryer or anything. It was a fantastic time (laughs). I think we sat fast time and ran third or something.
It’s a cool place. The Mobile memory for me is the video of Will Kimmel flying off the end of the racetrack. That’s the one that sticks out in my head. It’s a cool racetrack, for sure.”
YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN SOME CHAOTIC, WILD FINISHES THIS YEAR. DENNY (HAMLIN) HAD KIND OF INSINUATED ON TWITTER EARLIER THIS WEEK THAT THE ETHICS OF LATE RACE RACING HAVE CHANGED OVER THE LAST FIVE TO SEVEN YEARS. DO YOU SEE THAT AND WHY ARE THINGS MORE CUT-THROAT OR WIN-AT-ALL-COST NOW? “I think the Playoff format has a lot to do with that. But I think we’ve seen that over the course of the years. You’ve seen people spin people out at the end of races and get pretty physical at the end of the races for a long time. I think there’s some new guys in the series that are extremely aggressive. Like everyone knows how aggressive Ross (Chastain) is at all times. AJ (Allmendinger) is an aggressive driver, too. I don’t necessarily think it has changed as much as Denny (Hamlin) thinks maybe. But I think if there’s a reason and you have to put your finger on it, it would be the Playoff format. How much winning matters and sometimes you can overcome those guys hating you for that trophy.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO BRISTOL, YOU’RE A DIRT GUY. YOU’VE BUILT CARS FOR DIRT RACING. LOOKING AT GOING BACK TO BRISTOL AND TAKING THE NEXT GEN CAR THERE, WHAT CHALLENGES DO YOU ANTICIPATE THAT CAR MIGHT HAVE RUNNING ON DIRT? “Similar challenges to what we had last year. I think the cars last year adapted pretty well to the dirt stuff. Obviously, independent rear suspension is way different. I’ve never driven anything on dirt with independent rear suspension, so it’s going to be interesting to kind of learn about that and see how the steering rack is and all that. I think your main challenges are still going to be visibility and keeping the grill open. The things we fought with last year.
I’m excited it’s a night race. I think that’s going to help everybody. I’m looking forward to it. I love dirt racing. While I couldn’t see an inch from my windshield last year, I still had a blast when I could see. Bristol is a really fun time.”
I’VE HEARD IN THE PAST THAT THERE HAVE BEEN SIMILARITIES BETWEEN PHOENIX (RACEWAY) AND RICHMOND (RACEWAY). WITH THIS NEW CAR, IS THAT A SIMILAR SITUATION WHERE SOME OF THE DATA FROM PHOENIX CAN LEND ITSELF TO HOW YOU GUYS SETUP THE CAR HERE AT RICHMOND. IF NOT, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU GUYS FACE WITH THE NEW CAR COMING HERE FOR THE FIRST TIME? “Yeah, I think they’re definitely similar. They are two places where I’m pretty awful at (laughs), so they kind of lend themselves to each other there. (Turns) one and two at Phoenix (Raceway) is somewhat similar to here. Just trying to take the data from that and know what we fought with our racecar there. Obviously it’s different. It’s not exactly the same, but it’s at least close.
We struggled at Phoenix this year. We were better than where we finished, but still wasn’t great. So, just trying to learn from that and use the parts and pieces that we can. And also, use all the engineering stuff to be better here.”

Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
About ChevroletFounded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is now one of the world’s largest car brands, available in 79 countries with more than 3.2 million cars and trucks sold in 2020. Chevrolet models include electric and fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.Dana Haselhuhn641.218.9322haselhuhn.dana@gmail.comKelsey Schauf863.381.0363kelsey.schauf@gmail.comSee what’s happening on Team Chevy social sites ‌ ‌ ‌

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JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF PLATINUM SITTINGNO.1 FRIDAY AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

LAS VEGAS (April 01, 2022) – John Force and his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS team didn’t waste any time getting back into their groove Friday at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. The 16-time champion landed in the No. 1 spot in their first try at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team are currently No. 4 with Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California team are sitting No. 6 and Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster are 14th.
John Force came out of the box to handle his PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy to a 3.887-second pass at 327.90 mph and land himself at the top of the Funny Car pack. If it holds, it would be the 164th No. 1 qualifying position of Force’s career. During the second qualifying try, Force had to lift and shut off early to only go 5.452 at 134.97.
“We’re searching for consistency. This PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy was fast at testing, we lost it in Pomona and here, well it went down there the first run but then didn’t,” said Force who gained three bonus points for being quickest of the first session. “I had a meeting with my guys this morning. I said if anyone was the problem, it’s been me. I got out here to this racetrack today and I was a different animal. I’m excited and so my guys are excited. I hope it lasts. Getting out there and winning this four-wide would sure help that.”
Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team started the day strong with a 3.765-second pass at 329.50 mph that earned them two-bonus qualifying points for being second quickest of the session. On their second pass, Force would have to shut off early and coast to a 5.349 at 124.20. The Monster Energy team would shift down to the No. 4 spot.
“NHRA is out here in Las Vegas putting on a show of four-wide racing. All our other teams are in, and, the exciting thing is, we get two more runs tomorrow. Having four qualifying sessions, it really helps the team, helps the driver, helps everybody going into race day knowing that you get a solid pass down each lane. We’ll be ready for it tomorrow and should put on a good show on Sunday.”
Robert Hight and the Auto Club team started the weekend off with a 3.937-second pass at 326.96 mph that originally put them fourth. In their second go at The Strip, Hight and his Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham tuned Chevy would keep it consistent improving to a 3.931 at 327.51 that land them in sixth to close out the day.
“It’s encouraging that this Auto Club Chevy went down the track both runs but it’s not anywhere near what we were looking for,” Hight said. “We’re at a high elevation with thinner air, and we’re just not making enough power. We’ve got to make bigger moves tomorrow. There are 3.80-second runs are out there and that’s what we’re going to be shooting for.”
Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster ran into tire smoke on their first qualifying pass to coast to a 6.231-second pass at 198.52 mph. In the second session, the Montana Brand dragster would drop cylinders and have to shut off early and go 4.590 at 172.12 to land in the No. 14 spot.
“We had another rough start to the weekend. This Montana Brand dragster is just having some mechanical issues and we’re trying to get them all sorted out and get all our ducks in a row,” Prock said. “Kind of confused on why we dropped a cylinder, but we’ll get after it tomorrow. We’re looking forward to having a good start with two more runs of qualifying. Having four runs here is definitely going to help our whole situation. Hopefully we can make two quick passes, but nothing really matters until Sunday.”
Qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide NHRA Nationals continues Saturday with two sessions at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (PT). Eliminations are slated to begin at noon on Sunday. Racing action will be televised on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) and begins with qualifying Friday at 7 p.m. ET and continues Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.
-30-

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Next Up: Three Tracks, Three States, Three Races, Three Days

April 5, 2022 ARP Trish

Batavia, OH (April 1, 2022) – Three is the magic number for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series next weekend as the tour visits three tracks in three states for three races over three days, April 8th – 10th. Teams will head to Tyler County Speedway on Friday, Hagerstown Speedway on Saturday, and Port Royal Speedway on Sunday, with a complete show for Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series cars each night.
On April 8th teams will venture to Middleborne, WV to compete in the 53rd Annual Hillbilly Hundred – Presented by Arizona Sport Shirts at Tyler County Speedway. A complete Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series program will take place including a 100-lap, $30,000-to-win main event. The RUSH Late Models and UMP Modifieds will also be in action. Gates open at 2:00PM ET with on track racing action beginning at 6:00PM ET with hot laps. Tickets from the postponed 2021 Hillbilly Hundred can be used on April 8th. Fans can also purchase tickets in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/events/383841/tickets/ or at the ticket booth on race day. The 2022 Hillbilly Hundred will take place on Sunday, September 4th so be sure to set your reminder.
Hagerstown, MD will be host to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and Pure Stocks on Saturday, April 9th. Hagerstown Speedway is a true 1/2-mile track with straightaways over 900 foot long and 70 foot wide, 90 foot wide in the turns. Lucas Oil teams will be in competition for 50 laps during the Conococheague 50 final event paying $15,000-to-win at Hagerstown Speedway.
The pit gate will open at 1:30PM ET with the general admission gate opening at 4:30PM ET. Hot laps will begin at 6:30PM ET to kick off the on-track action. Tickets can be purchased in advanceat https://speedwayshopping.com/tickets or onsite the day of the event.
The Speed Palace, Port Royal Speedway once again welcomes the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series to Port Royal, PA on Sunday, April 10th for the $10,000-to-win River Valley 40. Limited Late Models will also be in contention on Sunday with hot laps, heat races, B-Main(s), and the A-Main event.
Gates will open at 2:00PM ET with 5:15PM ET Hot Laps. Tickets can be purchased at the gates on race day. Don’t forget to set a reminder for August 26th – 27th when the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns to Port Royal Speedway for the two days of Rumble by the River.
Track Information:Tyler County SpeedwayPhone Number: 304-758-2660Location: 1 Boreman School Road, Middlebourne, WV 26149Directions: 3 miles south of Middlebourne, WV on SR 18Website: www.tylercountyspeedwayonline.com
Hagerstown SpeedwayPhone Number: 301-582-0640Location: 15112 National Pike, Hagerstown, MD 21740Directions: I-81 to exit 6-B, then 5.3 miles west on US 40 (NSR)Website: www.hagerstownspeedway.com
Port Royal SpeedwayPhone Number: 717-527-2303Location: 308 W. 8th St., Port Royal, PA 17082Directions: two miles south of US Rt. 322 just off of PA Rt. 75 in Port Royal. Pit entrance on Fourth St., General Admission on Sixth and Eighth St.Website: www.portroyalspeedway.com
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Weekend Tire Rules:Tyler County Speedway Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300, (28.5) 1425 Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) NRM 1300, (29.0) NRMW 1300, (29.0) NRM 1425, (29.0) NRMW 1425 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Hagerstown Speedway and Port Royal Speedway Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300 Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) NRM 1300, (29.0) NRMW 1300, (29.0) NRM 1425, (29.0) NRMW 1425*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use a new right rear tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Weekend Purses:Hillbilly Hundred Purse (100 Laps): 1. $30,000, 2. $12,000, 3. $7,500, 4. $5,000, 5. $4,000, 6. $3,000, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,450, 13. $1,425, 14. $1,400, 15. $1,375, 16. $1,350, 17. $1,325, 18. $1,300, 19. $1,275, 20. $1,250, 21. $1,225, 22. $1,200, 23. $1,200, 24. $1,200, 25. $1,200, 26. $1,200. = $91,125
Conococheague 50 Purse (50 laps): 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. = $57,050
River Valley 40 Purse (40 laps): 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,200, 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. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 = $48,575

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 65 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap. The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will be streamed live on MAVTV Plus, with broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network. The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

ARP Racing News

Runner-up Finish for Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car at NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Puts Hagan in Championship Lead

HART PUTTING VEGAS FOUR-WIDE IN REARVIEW MIRROR

CAMRIE CARUSO MAKES MOST OF FIRST VEGAS FOUR-WIDE

No Luck for Ashley at Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals

chevy racing–nhra–las vegas post race

DEJORIA GIVES GR SUPRA FIRST FOUR-WIDE FINAL APPEARANCE

Burton Finishes 18th at Richmond

April 3, 2022

RCR NCS Post Race Report: Richmond

chevy racing–nascar–richmond post race

LEFT A MARK: Pennsylvania’s Brent Marks Beats Outlaws in Return Home to Devil’s Bowl

“HOLD YOUR BREATH, CLOSE YOUR EYES, AND HAMMER IT”: COPELAND ACES TRAFFIC IN DOMINANT NARC OPENER WIN

DEUCES ARE WILD FOR FORCES AT LAS VEGAS NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

TOP FUEL TOYOTAS POISED IN TIGHT FIELD FOR LAS VEGAS FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

RCR NXS Post Race Report: Richmond

Burton Qualifies 17th at Richmond

April 2, 2022

chevy racing–nascar–richmond–qualifying notes

Justin Ashley and Phillips Industries Raise over $30,000 for Ukrainian Families

NASCAR CUP SERIES RICHMOND RACEWAY TOYOTA OWNERS 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTAPRIL 2, 2022

JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF PLATINUM SITTINGNO.1 FRIDAY AT NHRA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

Next Up: Three Tracks, Three States, Three Races, Three Days

Racer News and Results