Kyle Larson has entered as the first driver to pull the Bristol Bash double by running with the Sprint Cars and Late Models

In less than a month, the two premier divisions in dirt racing will team up for the biggest Bash of the year at Bristol Motor Speedway.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series return to the dirt-covered Last Great Colosseum on April 28-30 for three nights of warp-speed action with a more than $400,000 overall purse.

Thursday will be a practice night for both Series while Friday and Saturday’s shows will be highlighted by $25,000-to-win Features for the Late Models and Sprint Cars. And before the cars hit the track, fans and drivers can celebrate the return of the event together Wednesday night at the Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. for the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash kickoff party.

Defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson is entered to attempt something that’s never been done before – outduel the Outlaws in a Sprint Car and Late Model on the same weekend, and potentially the same day. The Elk Grove, CA driver has entered to race the #57 Sprint Car for Silva Motorsports and the #6 Late Model for K&L Rumley Enterprises.

However, a field of the best Sprint Car and Late Model drivers in the world will stand in his way to make their own history and hoist the iconic Bristol Motor Speedway Gladiator Sword trophy.

Three-time and defending Sprint Car champion Brad Sweet – Larson’s brother-in-law – will be on the hunt to park his Kasey Kahne Racing #49 car in Victory Lane for the first time at the track. While on his quest for a fourth consecutive title, the Grass Valley, CA driver has stated he’s holding nothing back to pick up as many wins as he can this year.

Joining him with the same mentality are 2019 Knoxville Nationals champion David Gravel – who swept the World of Outlaws Sprint Car events at Bristol last year – Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing driver Sheldon Haudenschild, rising-star Carson Macedo, 10-time Series champion and Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing driver Donny Schatz – who won at Bristol in 2001 – and many more.

“This is just such an iconic place everyone always talks about,” Gravel said after winning the Series’ return to the track in 20 years last season.

For the CASE Late Models, another all-star field of contenders are planning to bring their 800-plus horsepower machines to the half-mile speedway. Four-time Series champion Josh Richards, of Shinnston, WV, returns to defend his inaugural win, along with fellow four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard, who is chasing Richards for a seat atop the mountain. They’re both on the hunt for their fifth title and Richards is currently only a win ahead of Sheppard for the most Series victories all-time.

They’ll be joined by Newport, TN’s Jimmy Owens, current Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr., of Carpentersville, IL, Pennsylvania’s Max Blair – one of the top Rookie of the Year contenders with a win already this season – Bristol winners Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport and Chris Madden, and more.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE TOYOTA OWNERS 400 RICHMOND RACEWAY RICHMOND, VIRGINIA APRIL 3, 2022 RACE #7 – RICHMOND RACEWAYWith six races in the books for the 2022 season, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will head to Richmond Raceway this weekend for the first of three-consecutive short-track races. The NCS Chevrolet drivers and teams will take on the .75-mile D-shaped oval on Sunday, April 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET in the Toyota Owners 400, the first of two appearances for the series at the Virginia venue this season. Chevrolet leads all manufacturers in NCS wins at Richmond Raceway with 39 to lead all manufacturers. The spring 2021 race at the Virginia short track saw Alex Bowman power his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet to his first-career short-track victory in NASCAR’s premier series.  Coming off the third win of the season for the Camaro SS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the series will make its only appearance at Richmond Raceway this season in the ToyotaCare 250 on Saturday, April 2, at 1:30 p.m. ET. Momentum is on the side for Chevrolet, with the Camaro SS taking nine of the top-10 finishing positions in last weekend’s race at COTA. Noah Gragson and his No. 9 JR Motorsports team visited victory lane in the fall 2021 event at Richmond Raceway, a win that was part of an eight-race winning streak for the Camaro SS in the series.   FOURTH VICTORY OF 2022 FOR CAMARO ZL1 The dream of smashing a watermelon in NASCAR Cup Series victory lane came to life for Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet team in the 2nd Annual EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas. After leading a race-high 31 laps, the 29-year-old Florida native navigated through an overtime finish that produced four lead changes, powering his Chevrolet machine through final lap chaos to capture his first-career victory in NASCAR’s premier series.  “Over the years I tried to be better, and Chevy gives us a ton of support,” said Chastain. “Once I became a backed Chevy driver in 2018, the resources I had at my disposal were incredible. I’ve tried to never go to sleep without using one of their resources. Chevrolet gave me the tools to try to go execute and we did it.” The win came after a streak of podium finishes, with the COTA triumph marking Chastain’s fourth-consecutive top-three finish. That notable feat has only been accomplished by five NASCAR Cup Series drivers since 2019. Chastain’s victory also adds him to a distinguished list of drivers as the 40th driver in NASCAR history to have won at least one race in all three of NASCAR’s national series. Chastain is now the 12th consecutive NCS winner under the age of 30; and the third first-time winner thus far this season.  Chastain’s trip to victory lane also marked the first NASCAR Cup Series win for Trackhouse Racing in the organization’s second full-time season in the series. Expanding to a two-car team in 2022, Trackhouse Racing has put their name on the map among competitors with both Camaro ZL1’s recording top-10 finishes in the last two races.  “We have two incredible race car drivers,” said Justin Marks, Founder and Owner of Trackhouse Racing. “I’ve said this about Daniel (Suarez) all along, and I’ve said it about Ross (Chastain) for the ten years that I’ve known him. These are championship-caliber talents. We just need to get them in a spot where they can shine. And Chevrolet is strong right now. Our preparation is on point. Everybody is super motivated, so workflow is super effective during the week.”  Chastain’s win marks the fourth NASCAR Cup Series win for the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, the most of all manufacturers. Joining fellow Chevrolet drivers Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman and William Byron on the win list, Chastain is now the fourth different Chevrolet driver to claim a playoff berth and the first chance in his career at running for the coveted championship title. The race also marks the third time in just six points-paying races this season that Chevrolet has placed four drivers in the top-five and six in the top-10 in a single race. The final running order at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course saw four different Chevrolet teams represented in the top-10: 
Trackhouse Racing (Chastain – race winner)Hendrick Motorsports (Bowman – 2nd; Elliott – 4th)Richard Childress Racing (Reddick – 5th; Dillon – 10th). Petty GMS Motorsports (Jones – 9th) CHEVROLET LEADS IN NCS AND NXS STANDINGSHeading into the Richmond race weekend, Chevrolet remains atop both the NASCAR Cup Series Driver Standings and Manufacturer Standings. Chevrolet, who recorded its 33rd NCS Driver Championship in 2021, currently occupies four of the top-six and five of the top-10 in the driver points standings. The bowtie brigade is led by Chase Elliott, who’s fourth-place finish at COTA kept the Hendrick Motorsports driver at the top of the standings with a 13-point advantage over second-place.  Looking to defend the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championship title, Chevrolet continues to lead in the manufacturer points standings with an 18-point lead. The bowtie brand tops all manufacturers in race wins (4), laps led (664), top-five’s (18), top-10’s (28), and stage wins (7) heading into the Richmond race weekend.  The NASCAR Xfinity Series also sees Chevrolet at the top of the driver and manufacturer points standings with six races in the books. Five of the top-six and seven of the top-10 of the driver points standings are occupied by Camaro SS drivers. JR Motorsports driver, Noah Gragson, remains in the lead of the standings, just one point ahead of fellow Chevrolet driver AJ Allmendinger. In the series’ manufacturer standings, Chevrolet continues to lead all manufacturers by 25 points. Chevrolet drivers have won three of the six NXS events so far this season, including last weekend at Circuit of The Americas when road course master AJ Allmendinger took the checkered flag for his 11th-career NXS victory and his first of the 2022 season.  BOWTIE BULLETS·      Active NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet drivers who have won at Richmond Raceway: Alex Bowman(2021)Kyle Larson (2017) ·       In addition to its 39 wins, Chevrolet has recorded 46 pole wins, 238 top-five’s and 493 top-10’s at Richmond Raceway. ·       Chevrolet holds the record for the longest consecutive win streak in the NASCAR Cup Series at Richmond Raceway with six, spanning from 2006-2008.   ·       Heading into the Richmond race weekend, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers in NASCAR Cup Series wins (4), top-five’s (18), top-10’s (28), laps led (664) and stage wins (7).  ·       Five Team Chevy drivers have combined seven NASCAR Cup Series stage wins:Tyler Reddick 2 – (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman 1 – (Las Vegas)Ross Chastain 1 – (Las Vegas)William Byron 2 – (Phoenix)(Atlanta)Daniel Suarez 1 – (COTA) ·      In the sixth points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race of the season at COTA, Chevrolet took four of the top-five and six of the top-10 finishing positions, the third time this season the bowtie brand has accomplished this feat.  ·      With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships; 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships; and 818 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet holds the title of winningest brand in NASCAR. ·       Chevrolet leads in the driver points standing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chase Elliott leads in the NCS standings by 13 points and Noah Gragson leads in the NXS standings by 1 point. The bowtie brand also sits atop both the NCS and NXS manufacturer points standings. 
TUNE INFOX will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at 3:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, April 3. The NASCAR Xfinity Series ToyotaCare 250 will air on FS1 on Saturday, April 2, at 1:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage of both events can also be on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  QUOTABLE QUOTESROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ONX HOMES / IFLY CAMARO ZL1HAS YOUR FIRST CUP SERIES WIN SUNK IN YET? “The best way all of this is starting to sink is that I’m hearing all of the different stories of where each person was at. My grandparents told me their story. My dad was out at a restaurant watching with friends. They’re sending me videos and if someone in the family was really excited, someone turned their camera on and videoed them and then they all go crazy, and the camera starts flying around. Seeing them watching the end of the race and realizing that we are going to win is really neat.” HOW DOES THE WIN CHANGE YOUR MINDSET MOVING FORWARD IN THE SEASON?     “I don’t think it does. There’s a lot of handshakes, smiles, high-fives, and we’re confident that we can go compete and we’ve been that way all year. We’ve been that way really since we tested in the off season. We knew we had speed and it was a matter of executing. In the first two races we didn’t, I didn’t do a good job, but the last month we have. It doesn’t change our thoughts and philosophy on approaching races, it’s just go race and compete and everything else will work out.” WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH RICHMOND? “This Gen 7 car has changed how I drive at a lot of the tracks. So really, the fastest learner of this car is probably going to win and we have some tried and true things that work at Richmond, but that doesn’t mean that’s going to be the case this year. I think things like managing tire wear, getting good forward drive off of the corner, wrapping the yellow line at the apron, are still going to be important.” WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THIS WEEKEND’S RACE AT RICHMOND? “The tire wear that always happens at Richmond. We run pretty soft tires so they’re pretty fast right out of the gate and whatever compound Goodyear brings, will probably fall off quite a bit. Choosing when to pit, setting your car up to turn better, to have more forward drive – ideally you want both but we’re probably not going to get that. That’s what we’ll try and balance during practice.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1LARSON ON HIS UPCOMING RACING SCHEDULE: “I’m racing (on dirt) at Bristol this weekend as well as Richmond, and my schedule is about to get real busy in the coming weeks and months. I wouldn’t have it any other way. At Richmond, I have a win there and we’ve run well there in the past, but this is a new car and we’re still learning it. Hopefully, we can figure it out pretty quickly and be there at the end.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1DANIELS ON RACING THE NEXT GEN CAR AT RICHMOND: “It’s hard to pinpoint what we think Richmond is going to be like with past experiences with the previous generation car. You could have a globally similar approach between Phoenix and Richmond, but there is a lot of nuances of what you need for Richmond that is really hard to figure out. You can’t take a Phoenix setup and run well at Richmond and vice versa. Richmond seems to change a lot with temperature and the surface seems to get more worn out year after year. It’s hard to find the right buttons to push.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 GUARANTEED RATE CAMARO ZL1 WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS WEEKEND’S RACE AT RICHMOND RACEWAY? “I just think with this newer car with the wider tire, with a little less power than the old car, I think it’s going to be even more momentum-based. We’re just working on some things set-up wise. I feel pretty good about where we’re at and the direction we’re going. But again, I think we’re only going to get one set of tires in the warmup that we’ll have Saturday morning to really understand where our car is at. Honestly, with the warmup and the few adjustments you can make, you’re kind of boxed in. You can make some balance changes, but you’ve really got to do your homework going into it and that’s what we’re focused on right now.” COMING OFF OF A STRONG FINISH LAST WEEKEND AT COTA AND NOW THAT WE’RE SIX RACES INTO THE SEASON WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR, HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT YOUR SEASON SO FAR? “This new car is everything that NASCAR told us it would be and everything we thought it would be. It’s a really hard car to drive but it’s also really fun to drive. You have to work for every spot and it’s so competitive. Every track is different now and there’s so much to learn and that’s always exciting. To be the best and to win, you have to know what you’re doing and work for it. Last week’s finish was strong considering but it was a tough one to swallow because we were so close to that first win. I know my team and I are going to find Victory Lane soon because we’ve been strong every single week. Sometimes luck hasn’t been on our side and sometimes we just couldn’t quite get up there but our Chevys have been so fast and so good on all of the track. We will continue to learn from the COTA race and keep working on the simulator and be even more ready for the next road course race. This week, though, we’re focused on Richmond. We have the Kansas Speedway tire test that we’re participating in but also focused on doing our homework for Richmond. Everyone at RCR and ECR have been working incredibly hard and it’s showing on the track. We’re running up front, everyone knows we’re there and I’m confident it will be the same this weekend at Richmond.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL1ELLIOTT ON RACING AT RICHMOND: “Historically, Richmond hasn’t really been the best track for us, but I felt like we were a little more solid there the last couple of years and were able to lead some laps. Going back there with this new car, it will be interesting to see how things go. Teams are going to have to make the most of the little bit of practice time we get because getting your car driving the way you need it to for this track is so important.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL1 GUSTAFSON ON THE 2022 SEASON THUS FAR:“Each week I feel like we’re getting a better feel for this (Next Gen) car and what it can do. It’s definitely been a bit of a learning curve for all of us, but Chase has done a great job of adapting, and the performance of the car has been there, and we’ve been competitive. Every race we’ve been in, I think we’ve really had a shot, and a lot of that credit goes to him and his ability to drive the car and understand and pick up on it quickly. As this season goes on, I think we’re only going to get stronger.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1 “I’m pumped to run for $100,000 in the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash once again this year. Richmond was a really good racetrack for us last year at Kaulig Racing, and I felt like we had a really good shot to win. I’m looking forward to getting back there and continue the momentum of this past weekend in both the Xfinity Series and in the Cup Series. The Next Gen car has been so fun to race each week, so I’m excited to have another shot at it in our No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1BYRON ON HIS THOUGHTS HEADING INTO RICHMOND: “I feel like going into Richmond we have a pretty clear idea of what we need in the car. It’s going to be about qualifying well, having a good pit selection and staying up front all day. I think Richmond is a tough place to pass and a tough place to come from the back. You’ve got to be on it from the beginning.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1FUGLE ON UTILIZING NOTES FROM PHOENIX FOR THIS WEEKEND AT RICHMOND: “While Phoenix isn’t a true short track, I think we can use a lot of the notes we have from there from a few weeks ago. We’ll be using the same tire we ran there so that helps as well. We learned a lot throughout that race weekend especially towards the end of the race that we can apply this weekend. We had speed, but we just needed to fine tune some setup things, which we have been working on during this week.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“We’ve been competitive at every race this year, and I see no reason why we can’t go for another solid finish in Richmond. It was always a great track for me in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing. We have always been so strong there and had runner-up finishes several times. I’m looking forward to seeing what our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection team can accomplish on a short track after our strong performance in LA earlier this year.” TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1 YOU HAVE FIVE TOP-20 FINISHES IN THE FIRST SIX RACES. HOW CLOSE ARE YOU TO BREAKING INTO THE TOP-10? “We were a headlight away from being 10th at the Daytona 500 and finished 15th at Phoenix a couple weeks ago. Just over three months ago when we announced that we were going to be Petty GMS, if you would have told me that we started the first five of six races finishing every lap and not finishing outside the top-20, I would be satisfied. But like any competitor, you are always looking for the next best thing. My teammate, Erik Jones, has had really good speed. He’s been able to cash in a lot of stage points and have solid finishes, but we want that speed in our cars too. We need to get up inside the top-10 to grab stage points, which will help us as the year goes on. That is something that we can achieve and working towards. That’s the unsettledness in our stomachs that will keep us grinding to get better.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 SIX RACES, SIX DIFFERENT WINNERS WITH SMALLER TEAMS COMPETING UP FRONT. DOES THAT GIVE YOU ENCOURAGEMENT AT PETTY GMS? “It does for sure. I think we’ve seen the parity right from the start of the season. There are different cars, different drivers, different teams running up front. We’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of that and having some strong runs. Our expectations are high at this point. We all feel like we can win races and we’ve had cars that can win races this year already. If we continue to bring that speed to the track, it will happen. But putting these races together isn’t easy. It’s not easy to win a Cup race at all. We have to keep pushing and working hard to put it all together. Winning and playoffs are definitely in our sights and definitely where our goals are for the rest of this season.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SUNNYD CAMARO ZL1 “We had a lot of speed at Richmond the last few years and I really enjoy going there. Shifting is going to be different if people are shifting. We learned a lot at Phoenix Raceway when we missed it and the positive from that is it will help us going forward with carrying more speed.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1BOWMAN ON HIS EXPECTATIONS HEADING TO RICHMOND: “Going back as the defending race winner always gives you a little boost of confidence. With it being the track where Ally got their first Cup Series win, it makes that place even more special. Obviously, this year the car is different, but I think it will still be a good race. The car is getting better, and my team has given me everything I need to go out there and race hard, so I am excited to go back to Richmond and try to take home another win.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1IVES ON THE MOMENTUM HE FEELS HIS TEAM HAS HEADING INTO RICHMOND: “We have a lot of momentum coming off of a great race weekend for Alex and the No. 48 team (a second-place finish at Circuit of The Americas). Anytime you go to a place you want to improve and run well, it gives you a lot of confidence heading to your next race. Running up front in the truck race and then coming second in the Cup race is huge for us, and then having won at Richmond (last year) gives us even more confidence to build on. I am excited to get back to there and try to take home another trophy.” IVES ON GOING BACK TO RICHMOND WHERE ALLY CAPTURED ITS FIRST POINTS WIN IN THE CUP SERIES: “It was a super special win for us and for Ally given that it was their first in the Cup Series and our first with the No. 48 team. That is definitely in the back of our mind going into the weekend, so we will go out there and race hard and try to repeat our success and get Ally another win.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON TRACKHOUSE RACING’S SUCCESS IN 2022? “You saw Sunday how good of Chevrolets Trackhouse Racing is building for Ross and I. I think we led 46 of the 69 laps. I knew going into the race we were so close to a victory. I was so disappointed the way it turned out for us, but so happy for Ross and all of Trackhouse Racing. Now it is our turn. I want to win at Richmond and keep the celebration going. I hope it is the first of many this season and in the future.” WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE START TO YOUR 2022 SEASON?                   “So far, it’s been a really good start. Everybody has been working very hard at Trackhouse Racing and at Chevrolet. We have great equipment and great people. As we all know, great people is key in this sport. You have to have good people around you; not just at the racetrack, but at the shop as well building these cars. I think we have an amazing package right now. We have to keep working because we’re only a couple months into the season and everyone is working hard to either catch-up, get better or stay on top. I feel like we’ve been doing a good job, but there’s always room for improvement. I believe that we can be better than what we’ve been running. We just have to keep pushing.”  HOW DO YOU BALANCE SUCCESS FOR YOU AND ROSS? “Justin Marks said it best at the beginning of the season. He wanted to approach this team as having one gun and two bullets. Go out there as a team working together and try to improve each other. I think that is one of the reasons why we have been consistent and getting better and better.”  Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series StatisticsManufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 40First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2022 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 4Poles: 1Laps Led: 664Top-five finishes: 18Top-10 finishes: 28Stage wins: 7

• Tyler Reddick (Fontanax2)
• Alex Bowman (Las Vegas)
• Ross Chastain (Las Vegas)
• William Byron (Phoenix), (Atlanta) 
• Daniel Suarez (COTA)

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 818 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 724Laps led to date: 242,000Top-five finishes to date: 4,156Top-10 finishes to date: 8,583                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:           General Motors: 1,152           Chevrolet: 818           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 813                                                                    Ford: 713           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 162

Founded in 1967 by legendary event promoter Carl Short, the Hillbilly Hundred – America’s oldest running dirt late model event – is rich in history. Some of the greatest legends of dirt late model racing have battled for the Hillbilly Hundred crown. Since its inception, 34 different drivers from 11 states have gone to Hillbilly Hundred Victory Lane. Ohio and Pennsylvania drivers lead the charge, with both states each having ten Hillbilly Hundred triumphs. West Virginia and Tennessee each have six, Kentucky has four, North Carolina has three, Arkansas and Georgia each have two, with Michigan, Florida, and Indiana checking in with one win each. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series first sanctioned the Hillbilly Hundred in 2006. Since then, thirteen Hillbilly Hundred’s have been contested with ten different drivers gracing Victory Lane. Those include Earl Pearson Jr., Eddie Carrier Jr., Jimmy Owens, Ray Cook, Scott Bloomquist, Mike Marlar, Don O’Neal, Jonathan Davenport, Brandon Overton, and Josh Richards. Pennsboro Speedway will go down in the History books as the place it all began – the original home of the Hillbilly Hundred in 1967. The event was held at Pennsboro Speedway until moving to Tyler County Speedway in 1998. In 2010 the race moved to West Virginia Motor Speedway for a two-year stint before relocating to I-77 Speedway until 2016. Since 2017 the event has called Tyler County Speedway home.

2006 | Pearson Wins First Lucas Oil Late Model Hillbilly HundredEarl Pearson, Jr. of Jacksonville, FL claimed the first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series-sanctioned Hillbilly Hundred at Tyler County Speedway. The 34-year-old took the lead on lap 84 and went on to claim the victory in the Carlton and Kemp Lamm-owned MasterSbilt Chassis.

2007 | Eddie Carrier Jr. Earns Career High Payday in Hillbilly HundredEddie Carrier Jr. earned this biggest win at this point of his career when he brought home the $25,000 top prize in the 39th Annual Hillbilly Hundred. The Salt Rock, W.V. resident led all 100 laps en route to the victory over Scott James, Doug Horton, Earl Pearson Jr. and Freddy Smith.

2008 | Owens Pockets $40,000 in 40th Anniversary Hillbilly HundredMaking his first-ever appearance at Tyler County Speedway, Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN took the lead from Tim Dohm on lap 41 and led the rest of the way in route to the $40,000 payday. Earl Pearson Jr., Dohm, Rick Williams, and Darren Miller rounded out the Top-5 finishers.

2009 | Ray Cook Claims Biggest Win at 41st Hillbilly Hundred Ray Cook of Brasstown, N.C. scored the biggest win of his career in 2009 – claiming the $41,000 top prize in the 41st Hillbilly Hundred. The race was halted by rain on lap 39 and completed the next day. Cook held off a charging Earl Pearson Jr. for the win with Scott Bloomquist, Jimmy Owens, and Dale McDowell completing the Top-5.

2010 | Scott Bloomquist First Career Hillbilly Hundred at WVMSIn 2010, the Hillbilly Hundred moved to West Virginia Motor Speedway. The defending Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN won his first-career Hillbilly Hundred and claimed the $42,000 paycheck. Jonathan Davenport finished second, followed by Steve Shaver, Don O’Neal, and Eddie Carrier Jr.

2011 | 43rd Annual Hillbilly Hundred Canceled Due to Rain The 2011 edition of “America’s Oldest Running Dirt Late Model Event” was scheduled to be contested at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, OH. Unfortunately, persistent rain forced officials to cancel the event entirely.

2012 | Mike Marlar From Last to Win Hillbilly Hundred at I-77Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN stormed from his 24th starting position to win the 44th Annual Hillbilly Hundred at I-77 Raceway Park. Marlar took a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series provisional starting spot before charging through the field to take the lead from Don O’Neal on lap 77. He went on to claim the $25,000 top prize.

2013 | Jimmy Owens Wins Second-Career Hillbilly Hundred Jimmy Owens won his second-career Hillbilly Hundred in 2013 at I-77 Raceway Park. Owens took the lead on lap 61 and led the rest of the way to earn $25,000 for the triumph. Steve Francis finished second, followed by Earl Pearson Jr., 19th-starting Billy Moyer, and Steve Shaver.

2014 | Don O’Neal Earns First Hillbilly Hundred Victory in Thrilling FashionOutside front-row starter Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., regained the lead from Clint Bowyer Racing teammate Steve Francis on the 19th lap and led the rest of I-77 Raceway Park’s Hillbilly 100. O’Neal beat Jimmy Owens to the line by less than a half-second for a $25,000 payday.

2015 | Bloomquist Returns to Hillbilly Hundred Victory Lane Regaining the lead when Don O’Neal tagged the wall on the 79th lap, polesitter Scott Bloomquist, led the final 21 laps for $25,000 in the 47th running of the Hillbilly Hundred at I-77 Raceway Park. O’Neal came home in second, followed by Jonathan Davenport, Steve Francis, and Devin Moran.

2016 | Hillbilly Hundred Returns to Tyler County SpeedwayIn 2016, Carl Short’s Hillbilly Hundred returned to Tyler County Speedway. For the first time in over a decade, a driver scored back-to-back Hillbilly Hundred victories. Fighting back challenges from Jonathan Davenport, Scott Bloomquist captured his second-consecutive victory in the event, earning a $25,000 payday.

2017 | Davenport Edges McCreadie for First Hillbilly Triumph Overtaking race-long leader Jimmy Owens of on the 83rd lap, Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, GA, led the remaining distance for a $25,000 victory in 49th Hillbilly 100. Davenport edged Tim McCreadie by just 0.178 seconds at the finish line for his first-career Hillbilly Hundred triumph.

2018 | Brandon Overton Claims Record-Setting $50,000Edging ahead of polesitter and race-long leader Jared Hawkins, on lap 70 of 100, eighth-starting Brandon Overton of Evans, GA led the remaining distance to score a career-richest $50,000 victory in the 50th Anniversary Hillbilly Hundred at Tyler County Speedway.

2019 | Josh Richards Claims Home-State Hillbilly JackpotLeading flag-to-flag, polesitter Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.V., fought back early challenges from Jimmy Owens, outrunning hard-charging Brandon Overton, to score his first-career Hillbilly Hundred victory. He earned $30,000, crossing the finish line ahead of Overton, Tim McCreadie, Shanon Buckingham, and Owens.

2020 | COVID-19 Pandemic Forces Hillbilly Hundred CancellationDue to the ongoing global pandemic, Carl Short and Tyler County Speedway officials made the difficult decision to cancel the 52nd running of the Hillbilly Hundred.

2021 | 53rd Hillbilly Hundred Postponed to Spring of 2022Heavy overnight rain left the Tyler County Fairgrounds heavily saturated, making the pit area and other parts of the facility impassable – postponing the event to April 8, 2022.

The Hillbilly Hundred comes to you twice in 2022 at “America’s Baddest Bullring,” Tyler County Speedway. Heavy rain forced the 2021 running of the Hillbilly Hundred to be postponed until Friday, April 8th, 2022. The 54th Hillbilly Hundred is scheduled for its traditional Labor Day weekend, on Sunday, September 4th, 2022. Tyler County Speedway is a 1/4-mile-high bank dirt track located 3 1/2 miles South of Middlebourne, WV at the Tyler County Fairgrounds. For more information on the 53rd and 54th running of the Hillbilly Hundred, please visit www.TylerCountySpeedwayOnline.com.  Hillbilly Hundred Past Winners:2021 – Postponed2020 – Covid-192019 – Josh Richards2018 – Brandon Overton2017 – Jonathan Davenport2016 – Scott Bloomquist2015 – Scott Bloomquist2014 – Don O’Neal2013 – Jimmy Owens2012 – Mike Marlar2011 – Rained Out2010 – Scott Bloomquist2009 – Ray Cook2008 – Jimmy Owens2007 – Eddie Carrier Jr.2006 – Earl Pearson Jr.2005 – Clint Smith2004 – Mike Marlar2003 – Chub Frank2002 – Billy Moyer2001 – Donnie Moran2000 – Davey Johnson1999 – Davey Johnson1998 – Steve Shaver1997 – Rod Conley1996 – Todd Andrews1995 – Bart Hartman1994 – Bill Frye1993 – Davey Johnson1992 – Rodney Combs1991 – Rodney Combs1990 – Buck Simmons1989 – Donnie Moran1988 – Donnie Moran1987 – Jack Boggs1986 – Jack Boggs1985 – Jack Boggs1984 – Larry Moore1983 – Freddy Smith1982 – Charlie Swartz1981 – Freddy Smith1980 – Rodney Combs1979 – Danny Dean1978 – Gene McNeely1977 – Rained Out1976 – Bob Wearing, Sr.1975 – Bob Wearing, Sr.1974 – Bob Wearing, Sr.1973 – Bob Wearing, Sr.1972 – Dorus Wisecarver1971 – Danny Dean1970 – Clate Husted1969 – Rained Out1968 – Ray Neece1967 – Don Gregory

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.

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals the first of two events this season at The Strip

DETROIT (March 31, 2022) – Brittany Force holds both ends of the Top Fuel track records – the latter a monster 338.17 mph run in 2019 that also stands as the national event record – and multiple No. 1 qualifier honors at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster will aim to add a victory this weekend in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals to her impressive list of accomplishments at the racetrack. The four-wide race is the first of two NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events this year at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Force was the No. 1 qualifier in the four-wide event in 2021 (3.732 seconds/320.66 mph) and advanced to the second round. In the penultimate race of the season, she again was the top qualifier (3.668 seconds/331.94 mph) and reached the semifinals. She did not compete in the lone 2020 race at the track, which was rescheduled to be the finale in the shortened season, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was runner-up in the 2019 four-wide event at The Strip and came back to win the fall race. “It’s a place we have had some success at,” said Force, who sits fourth in the Top Fuel standings through three of the scheduled 22 rounds. “We’re looking for our first win of the season, and we would like to do it there. “Little bit of a change of pace with four-wide racing but the entire Monster Energy team and I are excited to get right into the groove during Friday qualifying. Glad to be back to four qualifying runs at the four-wide. It gives us the best opportunity for race day.” Listen: An informative and insightful interview with Top Fuel champion Brittany Force Four-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders also own the national elapsed time and speed records for the class. Most recently, the driver of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS registered a 6.450-second pass at Gainesville Raceway on March 14 to reset the record. Enders has posted a Vegas victory in each of the past three years, with the April 2021 victory her first four-wide win at the track. She already has one win in 2022 and will look to keep rolling against a loaded field that includes teammate and points leader Aaron Stanfield, Gainesville winner Dallas Glenn and five-time world champion Greg Anderson, who is aiming for his 100th career win. Glenn’s fourth career victory earlier this month at Gainesville was the 350th for Chevrolet since the introduction of the Pro Stock class in 1970. Robert Hight, a three-time winner of the four-wide event, has won two of the three Funny Car races this season in the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS and holds the lead in the standings. Teammate and 16-time Funny Car champion John Force, driving the PEAK BlueDEF Platinum Camaro SS, is fifth in points. “I try to keep things simple, and it’s really just watching two other cars stage and hit the gas on time,” said Hight, who has recorded at least one victory and one No. 1 qualifier the past 17 seasons. “If you have a good-running car and you’re driving good, the first two rounds should be pretty easy. Then, the final, you just have to get there first. You win that race and you get four rounds of points, so this is a good one to win.”  The event weekend includes Sportsman competition, with drivers of the Chevrolet COPO Camaro winning all three national event races in the Stock Eliminator class this season. FS1 will telecast eliminations at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, April 3. CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUELBRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier and semifinalist at opener; holds both ends of the Top Fuel track records set in 2019): “We’re back on the West Coast and excited to head to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. David Grubnic and Mac Savage and this team have had success together at this track. We’ll be looking to build on that with a strong weekend for this team starting with qualifying Friday and going out on race day and winning this four-wide.” AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (runner-up at opener): “We’re going to try some different things this weekend so It would be great to get a good result to prove this Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team is heading in the right direction. The Strip has always been one of my favorite tracks so to win there would be unbelievable. It being four-wide would even make it more special.” FUNNY CARJOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK BLUEDEF PLATINUM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (six-time winner at the track): “It’s been a bit of a wild start to the season. But this BlueDEF team with Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they’ve got a handle on this Chevrolet. We’ll fix it. That’s what it’s all about. We’ve got to get these cars making some noise and winning some rounds, and we will. Couldn’t get a better place to go four-wide racing.” ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (two-time winner this season; five-time winner at the track; No. 1 qualifier at Gainesville; points leader): “It’s been a great start to the season. We’ve been really consistent. Gainesville was tough for everyone and having two weeks off is just brutal. This Auto Club team, we’re feeling good. We took things back to how we were running in 2019 and it’s paying off. Hopefully that continues and we get some win lights in Vegas.” PRO STOCKDALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (winner at Gainesville): “Winning in Gainesville after such a weird weekend with only one qualifying run and straight into eliminations was a relief. But, in a way, it reminds me of my bracket racing I do on the off weekends; you have one run and you’ve gotta make it count. Vegas will always be a special race for me because I won my first national event here in Super Gas in 2011. Coming off our Gainesville win, I think that’s the perfect momentum to go ahead and win again this weekend.” GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (three-time winner of event; seeking to become second pro driver with 100 wins): “It is without a doubt tougher on the driver; it’s difficult to go through the whole process at the starting line. So many things can happen up there and nobody’s prepared, so you could get caught with your pants down or be that guy that doesn’t get in on time and messes up everybody else. You have to guard against that. I look forward to the challenge. I feel good about the weekend. I’ve been working on my engine the last few weeks I’ve been home, and I think I’ve rectified a couple of things with it. I expect it to run better this week.”  KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier at Phoenix; runner-up at Gainesville): “Definitely have a fast car and definitely four-wide racing is challenging. I’ve done it twice and it takes a lot more from you to stay focused but we’re ready. I’m coming off a good outing at Gainesville, I’ve been practicing the Tree every day and I’m ready to go after the win.” TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (runner-up at Phoenix): “This is one awesome machine. This is actually the first Pro Stock car I’ve driven that was built specifically for me so it’s just about as perfect as you can imagine. Everything feels so natural, and the fit is exact. We took the new car to Tulsa a few days ago to shake it down and make sure there would be no surprises this weekend. It’s definitely ready for battle. It appears we’ll be running even better than before so there is a lot of optimism on the team.” CAMRIE CARUSO, CARUSO FAMILY RACING, PROCAR CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (earned first round win at Phoenix): “I can’t say enough about the team of guys I have behind me from Titan Racing Engines. I have a lot of confidence in this Chevrolet Camaro every time we pull it up to the starting line. As a young driver I am working on my performance every time we make a run. I want to get better as a driver because I know I have a race car that can win rounds if I do my job. That is a testament to Titan Racing Engines and my crew chief Jim Yates.”

Plus, Past Champions race added as activities ramp up for 50th running of ‘Racing’s Biggest Party’

OSWEGO, NY – March 31, 2022 – The historic 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week is set to provide a chance for milestone accomplishments throughout the week, Oct. 3-9, and this year will see several drivers leave with more money in the process.

Combined, more than $30,000 will be added to the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stock feature events. In addition to the Feature purse increases, each DIRTcar Sportsman and DIRTcar Pro Stock Heat Race will pay throughout the field with $500 going to each winner. The 358 Heats will pay $1,000-to-win and the Big Block Heats will pay $4,000-to-win with both paying throughout the field, as well.

While all these updates are being debuted at the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week, the increases will remain for years to follow, too.

Also, unique to the 50th running of NAPA Super DIRT Week, will be a one-time special event — a Big Block Past Champions race — which will feature a more than $9,500 overall purse with invitations being extended to the drivers who have conquered the main event throughout the decades.

“This is an important year for the Northeast and its most iconic dirt racing event, so we want to make sure we reflect that in as many ways possible,” said DIRTcar CEO Brian Carter. “The drivers and teams have been a key part to the success of NAPA Super DIRT Week. We’re excited to be able to give back to them with these purse increases.”

The DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 will pay $20,000-to-win and now $500-to-start. Every position from 11th down saw at least a 10% increase with some as high as a 66% increase.

For the DIRTcar Sportsman Chevrolet Performance 75, it will continue to pay $4,000-to-win, but Second increases to $2,500 and Third jumps to $1,500. The bumps continue down through the field with at least a 50% increase throughout and the race now paying $300-to-start.

That theme continues with the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 where it continues to pay $2,000-to-win, but now Second will jump to $1,300 and Third increases to $1,000. The increases, again, continue down through the field – at least a 33% increase for each – with the Feature paying $200-to-start.

The Past Champions race, scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, and set to feature several Super DIRT Week Super DIRTcar Series champions, is an extra chance for some to leave with more money in their pockets in addition to the marquee $50,000-to-win Billy Whittaker Cars 200, which runs on Sunday, Oct. 9. More details on the event will soon follow.

Money isn’t the only addition to the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week. A new Kickoff Party on Sunday, Oct. 2, at Lighthouse Lanes next to Oswego Speedway launches the event, with everyone who moves in that day to residents of Oswego welcome to join the festivities. That’s only one of many new activities that will take place during the week, from games to live entertainment, truly making it Racing’s Biggest Party.

RELATED: Massive week of fan activities, racing planned for historic 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week

For tickets and camping to the historic week at Oswego Speedway, CLICK HERE.

Big Block Past Champions Race / (Thursday, Oct. 6)
1.	$2,500
2.	$1,500
3.	$1,000
4.	$750
5.	$600
6.	$500
7.	$400
8.	$300
9.	$250
10.	$200
11.	$200
12.	$200
13.	$200
14.	$200
15.	$200
16.	$200
17.	$200
18.	$200
19.	$200
20.	$200

DIRTcar Sportsman / Chevrolet Performance 75 / (Saturday, Oct. 8)
1.	$4,000
2.	$2,500
3.	$1,500
4.	$1,000
5.	$750
6.	$600
7.	$550
8.	$500
9.	$475
10.	$450
11.	$400
12.	$375
13.	$350
14.	$325
15.	$300
16.	$300
17.	$300
18.	$300
19.	$300
20.	$300
21.	$300
22.	$300
23.	$300
24.	$300
25.	$300
26.	$300
27.	$300
28.	$300
29.	$300
30.	$300
31.	$300
32.	$300
33.	$300
34.	$300
35.	$300
36.	$300

DIRTcar 358 Modifieds / Salute to the Troops 150 / (Saturday, Oct. 8)
1.	$20,000
2.	$10,000
3.	$5,000
4.	$3,000
5.	$2,000
6.	$1,500
7.	$1,200
8.	$1,100
9.	$1,050
10.	$1,000
11.	$900
12.	$800
13.	$700
14.	$600
15.	$550
16.	$525
17.	$500
18.	$500
19.	$500
20.	$500
21.	$500
22.	$500
23.	$500
24.	$500
25.	$500
26.	$500
27.	$500
28.	$500
29.	$500
30.	$500
31.	$500
32.	$500
33.	$500
34.	$500
35.	$500
36.	$500
37.	$500
38.	$500
39.	$500
40.	$500

DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 / (Sunday, Oct. 9)
1.	$2,000
2.	$1,300
3.	$1,000
4.	$750
5.	$500
6.	$400
7.	$350
8.	$325
9.	$300
10.	$275
11.	$250
12.	$225
13.	$200
14.	$200
15.	$200
16.	$200
17.	$200
18.	$200
19.	$200
20.	$200
21.	$200
22.	$200
23.	$200
24.	$200
25.	$200
26.	$200
27.	$200
28.	$200
29.	$200
30.	$200

Super DIRTcar Series / Billy Whittaker Cars 200 / (Sunday, Oct. 9)
1.	$50,000
2.	$25,000
3.	$15,000
4.	$10,000
5.	$6,000
6.	$4,000
7.	$3,600
8.	$3,400
9.	$3,200
10.	$3,000
11.	$2,800
12.	$2,600
13.	$2,400
14.	$2,200
15.	$2,000
16.	$1,900
17.	$1,800
18.	$1,700
19.	$1,700
20.	$1,700
21.	$1,600
22.	$1,600
23.	$1,600
24.	$1,600
25.	$1,600
26.	$1,600
27.	$1,600
28.	$1,600
29.	$1,600
30.	$1,600
31.	$1,500
32.	$1,500
33.	$1,500
34.	$1,500
35.	$1,500
36.	$1,500
37.	$1,500
38.	$1,500
39.	$1,500
40.	$1,500
41.	$1,500

March 31, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to Richmond Raceway with the confidence that comes from a strong run in the pre-season Clash at the Coliseum and a good run last Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

In the Clash, held on a temporary track inside the Los Angeles Coliseum, Burton raced his way into the main event with some strong moves in the 50-lap Last Chance race then drove from 22^nd to 12^th in the 150-lap main event. At COTA, he scored points in both Stages, then moved up to 17^that the finish due to some aggressive driving in the Overtime run to the checkered flag.

“For Richmond we’ll try to build off the competitive run we had at the Clash and our teammates strong notes from Phoenix,” crew chief Brian Wilson said. “I loved the fight and aggressiveness we saw from Harrison in COTA. I think that’s exactly the mindset we’ll need for the next two weeks at Richmond and Martinsville.”
 
Wilson said he believes the three-quarter-mile oval at Richmond, and the paper-clip-shaped half-mile at Martinsville, where Burton won an Xfinity Series race in the fall of 2020, will give the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team a chance to move up in the points standings. 
 
“We had our best points day of the year this past weekend, and we need to have several solid points days in the following months,” Wilson said. “But it definitely feels like things are headed in the right direction after last week.”
 
Wilson added that he and Burton are accumulating data that will help them as the season rolls along.
 
“As we continue to build our notebook it’s great that we’ve now been to all the main track styles now,” he said. “We should be able to build off our notes to continue giving Harrison the car that he needs to continue improving.”
 
Cup Series practice is set for Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time followed by qualifying at 11:15. Sunday’s 400-lap 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. 
 

LAS VEGAS (March 30, 2022) – Brittany Force and her Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team, currently fourth in the points standings, will be looking to make up some ground at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Just the fourth race in the 2022 Camping World Drag Racing Series season, Force is only 78 points out of the lead heading to a track where she’s made history. Force and the Monster Energy team have started 2022 off strong. At the season-opening Winternationals they secured the No. 1 qualifying position, the 33rd of Force’s career and 23rd in her last 47 starts. At the Arizona Nationals, Force and the Monster Energy team showed some consistency when they were quickest during the warmest run of qualifying. At a rain riddled Gatornationals, Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led team won the first-round of the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout that also landed them the No. 2 qualifying position and marked the third fastest run in Top Fuel history. At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Force set the track records, a 3.652-second pass on November 3, 2019 and a 338.17 mph run, which is also the official NHRA national record, on November 1, 2019. In 2021, Force was the No. 1 qualifier at both the Four-Wide spring race and fall event. To this point, she is the only John Force Racing driver to have raced in a final quad at The Strip when she was runner-up to Mike Salinas in 2019. Her lone victory at Vegas came in the fall race in 2019 when she qualified No. 2 and then beat Steve Torrence in the final round. “We’re back on the West Coast and excited to head to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Little bit of a change of pace with four-wide racing but the entire Monster Energy team and I are excited to get right into the groove during Friday qualifying. Glad to be back to four qualifying runs at the four-wide, it gives us the best opportunity for race day,” Force said. “David Grubnic and Mac Savage and this team have had success together at this track. We’ll be looking to build on that with a strong weekend for this team starting with qualifying Friday and going out on race day and winning this four-wide.” Qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide NHRA Nationals takes place Friday and Saturday with two sessions at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (PT) on each day. 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.

LAS VEGAS (March 30, 2022) – Robert Hight and his Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team have waited a long two weeks to get back to the track at this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Just the fourth event out of 22 on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, the Four-Wide Nationals is the first of two events where competitors will line-up four across instead of two. Hight is off to the best start of his career after winning the season opening Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, Calif. and the Arizona Nationals at Phoenix. Hight went onto secure the No. 1 qualifying position at the most recent Gatornationals in Gainesville. He enters the Vegas Four-Wide as the Funny Car points leader. With his back-to-back wins, Hight extended to 17 the number of seasons in which he has won at least one tour event for Auto Club. That is every season in which he has contested the championship. Hight also has recorded at least one No. 1 start in those 17 seasons. “It’s been a great start to the season. We’ve been really consistent. Gainesville was tough for everyone and having two weeks off is just brutal,” Hight said. “This Auto Club team, we’re feeling good. We took things back to how we were running in 2019 and it’s paying off. Hopefully that continues and we get some win lights in Vegas.” Hight has won five times previously at The Strip (2007, 2011 and 2012 in the spring; 2009 and 2015 in the fall), but has not yet raced in a final quad since the spring race went to four-wide in 2018. That said, he has won twice in four-wide competition, hoisting the trophy at Charlotte in 2012 and 2014. At Vega, he has started No. 1 eight times overall, five times in the spring race including last year when he and Brittany both were No. 1. His other No. 1s in this race came in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2013. He was No. 1 at the fall race in 2006, 2007 and 2008. “Four-Wide is really entertaining for the fans. Four cars lined up, the power, the speed. There’s a lot going on but as the driver, I just choose to worry about what I can control. Focus on my tree and run the race,” Hight said. “Sunday, eliminations, you get some help, just have to be top two of the first two rounds and there’s only three rounds. It’s a great weekend to gain some points, build our lead.” Qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide NHRA Nationals takes place Friday and Saturday with two sessions at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (PT) on each day. 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.

Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor, who drives the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R with Antonio Garcia, met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Tuesday with other GT Daytona (GTD) PRO drivers to discuss next week’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, the team’s recent victory at Sebring and other topics. FULL TAYLOR TRANSCRIPT:
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR AND EXPECT THIS YEAR AT LONG BEACH? “It’s always a fun weekend. Our schedule is a unique one. We usually practice early in the morning on Friday and qualify at the end of the day Friday so the track always has a big evolution. Then we’re only racing Saturday afternoon. The big thing is to lean on the experience from the team to develop the setup throughout the weekend to stay on top of things. Corvette Racing has won there eight times so they know how to keep on top of the ball. It’ll be my first time racing there in a car with ABS, so that will be new in trying to understand how to maximize that in some of the bumpy brake zones and trusting it will be a big part. The GTD PRO class has been fun. GTLM was pretty small last year so it wasn’t huge fights. This year between Sebring and Daytona, it’s been fun to be back in a class full of cars. On starts and restarts, you’re in the middle of packs of guys racing and it’s really competitive. It’s nice to be back to old-school racing, and that’s what we usually get at Long Beach.”
ON THE CHALLENGES OF A STREET COURSE AND LONG BEACH. “When you get to the Fountain section and the Hairpin at the end of a lap, it’s definitely narrow and most of the time just one line. It only really becomes tricky when the prototypes are coming around and putting their noses in funny places. The other thing that is unique about that weekend is that the Drift cars are there and they always race around there Friday. That kind of narrows up the line in certain parts of the track, which makes things tricky. It’s definitely a unique event and circuit. As far as street courses go, it’s definitely one of the more enjoyable ones. It has good passing zones and is very raceable. When you go to other street courses, you can get stuck in line a lot of times. But when you mix in the traffic with the prototypes around a place like Long Beach, you can use them as picks in lot of places and it offers some really good racing. It’s definitely one of my favorite street courses that I’ve run in my career.”
HOW BENEFICIAL WILL THE ABS EXPERIENCE FROM DETROIT LAST YEAR BE FOR LONG BEACH? “The biggest difference also is that the tire is so different than what we ran in Detroit last year. The way the ABS interacts to the S9M tire compared to the confidential tire is much different in how you can attack the brakes. It was good to get a couple of miles under our belts at Detroit last year. We saw at Daytona and Sebring that we still have a lot to learn with that system. Sebring was probably good for us to get some experience on a bumpy track with that tire and ABS. I think we’ll still be figuring things out throughout the weekend at Long Beach. We made some good developments through the Sebring weekend to help the interaction but it will be an interesting weekend to stay on top of it.”
THE INTERACTION WITH GTD CARS SO FAR THIS YEAR AND HOW IT MIGHT PLAY A BIGGER ROLE AT LONG BEACH. “We’ve seen in years past that if one of the Am guys get out early by pitting at the beginning of their window before a yellow comes out and the Pro cycles to the front… especially with ABS now it’s so hard to pass that I think a GTD with an Am could win the race outright in the GTD category. Our focus is on the GTD PRO guys. If we see guys diving in early then maybe we’ll react to that. But if we see the Ams doing it, we’ll focus on our own program. If the yellow falls into their hand with an Am driver, then so be it. Thankfully the points are split in that aspect so we can focus on our own program.”
AT SEBRING, THERE WAS THE ANNOUNCMENT OF THE NEXT-GEN CAMARO BEING IN GARAGE 56 AT LE MANS NEXT YEAR. YOU’VE WORKED IN THE STOCK CAR ARENA A LITTLE BIT, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? “It looks interesting and sounds interesting. They have a lot of smart guys on it. From a European perspective, you look at NASCAR and see stock car racing and it looks pretty basic from the outside – these big metal machines racing around an oval. Being on the inside and seeing the engineering behind what they do and how much research and development they have, you know they are going to have a lot of smart guys working on it and developing it. It’s going to be an interesting project. I don’t know what the plans are to change the Next-Gen Camaro into (for Le Mans) but as soon as I saw the announcement I texted Chad Knaus (Hendrick Motorsports VP of Competition) saying, ‘If you ever need some help or input, I’ll come test it if you want’ or something like that. I think it’s exciting. It will be cool to bring a lot of NASCAR eyes to Le Mans who haven’t seen it before. It might be confusing for the to see a one-off Cup car racing against Hypercars and things like that but it will be good to get some new eyes on the sport.”
ANY OVERTURES ON THE DRIVING FRONT? “No, I reached out to Chad just to say, ‘If you need anything, let me know.’ But I haven’t been contacted by anyone. I’m sure they’ll want some big NASCAR names, which makes sense to take them over there. Racing around Daytona for the Rolex 24 against guys like Kyle Larson, those guys know what they’re doing on road courses these days. I don’t think they’ll need a lot of help… maybe some tips on what to know about Le Mans to help prep the car and understanding what curbs you want to abuse and things like that. From a car durability standpoint, that would be interesting for them to understand. As far as drivers, I’m sure they have a humongous list to go through. My commitments right now are to Corvette and Corvette Racing. I wouldn’t want to take anything away from that.”
DID YOU THINK YOU’D BE ABLE TO MAKE THE JUMP FROM DAYTONA TO WINNING AT SEBRING? “Daytona was definitely a struggle. At Sebring, we did a two-day test between Daytona and the Sebring race. We made some big gains from a setup point of view – understanding the tire and what makes it work. This car was designed around using the confidential tire so we did huge setup swings at that test and found a ton of laptime just in that, plus compliance and durability of the tire and understanding how to make the tire work over a stint and not just a lap. Just little details like that brought us closer to the window.“The race at Sebring was pretty much perfect. No one in the car made any mistakes on track, all the pit stops were perfect and the strategy the last four hours kept us out front. I think our last stop gapped the Lamborghini by a couple of seconds even though they were coming back to us the last couple of laps. It was one of those days were everything went our way.”
IF YOU FEEL YOU’RE ON THE BACK FOOT IN THE RACE AND YOU DON’T HAVE A PODIUM CAR ON PACE, DOES THAT ALLOW YOU TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE ON STRATEGY? “We’ve seen it in Long Beach in years past – guys taking risks early on and it paying off in the end. Historically it has worked, so the risk-reward is decent at a track like Long Beach, especially if you don’t have the fastest car. Like we said before, it’s so difficult to pass sometimes that it’s a good place to take that risk. I’m kind of new to the GT3 world; at Sebring I destroyed my tires in my first stint and felt like I was two seconds off the pace but was able to hold off the Lamborghini. I think ABS helps make that possible. Even if you are a little bit off the pace or struggling with tires, that tool kind of helps you in that situation as well. Maybe that risk is a little better in this class.”
IT’S A SMALLER FIELD BUT A TIGHTER COURSE. ARE THE DYNAMICS OF TRAFFIC AS HECTIC FOR THIS RACE AS THE FIRST TWO? “I think it will be quite a bit better without the LMP3 cars and some of the amateurs in LMP2. They were probably the biggest issue at the first two races. Restarting behind those guys at Daytona and Sebring was always interesting. If you were able to get by an amateur in an LMP3 and keep them between you and someone else, you could create a pretty big gap. Without that, I think the racing in our class will be a bit tighter now since you don’t have that kind of option to split the class up. With only six DPis coming through, it shouldn’t be too big of a deal. I think it will feel like a VIR or Lime Rock race where it’s mostly GTs. I doubt we will be lapping anyone with how close the Am field is with us as well. It’s going to feel like you’re flat-out for pretty much all 100 minutes.”
PREPARATION FOR LONG BEACH VS. NORMAL RACES: “There’s a lot of emphasis on that one pit stop that we’re going to have. I’m sure our guys will be practicing pit stops a lot more to nail that down and limiting mistakes. As far as car prep, the guys will prep the car in the same fashion but a lot more emphasis will be on the execution of the race and the pitstops and strategies. A lot of stuff will be going on behind the scenes with strategy, calculations and stuff that thankfully we don’t have to worry about.”
IF A DPi CAR IS GOING TO DIVE-BOMB YOU IN A CORNER, IS THERE A PREFERRED PLACE? “I think it depends on the guy that’s doing it. Some of them don’t leave a lot of space. Turn One has a little bit of room on the outside to get away with it. You can at least see them coming. There are a few spots where guys will stick their nose in that you’re not going to have time to react – the Three, Four, Five section. Once you get to the end of the lap where the Drift cars go, that’s a bad spot to get stuck off-line. You can be put in a bad position around the track. Understanding where you want to place the car and telling a prototype where not to go and put yourself in a bad situation is a big part of it. You try to control your fate most of the time.”

INDIANAPOLIS (March 30, 2022) – Chevrolet completed a successful three-day test at the Indianapolis Road Course with its new 2.4-liter engine for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Wednesday. Despite weather too cold to get a full day of testing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course on Monday, March 28, the Team Penske Chevrolet with driver Josef Newgarden was able to get successful laps in during the afternoon. Then, Tuesday morning, after a late start because of cold ambient and track temperatures, teammate Will Power laid down lap after lap to add to the data collected the previous day.

Because of the weather issues, the test was extended to Wednesday, and Team Chevy engineers were able to work with Power to gain a tremendous amount of data to continue the development of the 2.4-liter engine in preparation for the addition of the required INDYCAR component.

ATTENTION EDITORS:High-resolution video from testing of Chevrolet’s 2.4L IndyCar engine is available for broadcast and video use: · Trackside Footage· Pit Lane Footage

The three-day test, during which Chevrolet logged more than 600 miles, was valuable for Chevrolet despite missing the energy recovery system, delayed due to supply chain issues, because the time allowed testing of components of the 2.4-liter engine that are different from those being successfully run in the current 2.2-liter V6 engine. While a lot of work lies ahead for all Chevy INDYCAR teams as the development of the 2.4-liter engine continues, the success of the first test is an important step in building the 2024 package to begin a new era. Since Chevrolet returned to NTT INDYCAR Series competition in 2012, the Bowtie brand has won 97 of 167 races, four Indianapolis 500 races, six driver championships and six coveted manufacturer championships. Chevrolet-powered drivers Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden, both from Team Penske, have won the first two races of the 2022 season. QUOTES FOLLOWING THREE-DAY TESTROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR INDYCAR: “We’ve had a very successful and productive three days with the new Chevrolet 2.4L IndyCar engine. This was a big milestone as we have progressed from initial concept of the 2.4L design a few years ago and running extensively on the dyno to installing the engine into a car and now the landmark event of turning our first laps at the Indianapolis Road Course.  “We are incredibly appreciative of the all the men and women at Chevrolet Performance and our partners at Ilmor for their commitment to a highly successful on-track debut for the 2.4L engine platform. We could race this engine tomorrow, which is the highest praise possible for a new engine. Special thanks to Team Penske for quickly building a reliable and safe test car along with Josef Newgarden and Will Power for looking after our prototype engine with first-rate feedback. “We now turn our focus back to the Chevrolet 2.2L and a high workload of team testing ahead of the Long Beach Grand Prix next weekend. It is the most challenging time of the year for everyone involved in IndyCar and I’m looking forward to watching the Chevrolet Competition group and our race teams execute. All our goals for 2022 are right in front of us and we are ready.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:  “It was a thrill to get to work with the Team Chevy engineering group and get to drive the new 2024 engine package. It was a great collaborative effort to get the new engine on track to start testing for all the components needed in our Chevy — power, durability and logging miles on the track. I always enjoy getting to work with everyone at Team Chevy and the cohesive unit we develop as partners with the same goals. For us, getting started early really emphasizes the importance of everything we are going to need in the future — durability, power, fuel mileage. These are the things we are always working on and I’m excited to see what the future is going to hold for Chevy in INDYCAR.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: “Today was a great step in getting the 2.4-liter engine package ready to go for the 2024 season. It was clear immediately that Chevy has put a lot of work into this already. It will obviously continue to get better and better. The Verizon 5G Chevy team did 150 laps, and I was impressed with the power of the engine throughout the day. I’m very excited about this addition to the series and can’t wait to continue to help develop it.”

The Clinton, IL driver returns to his home track as a full-time Outlaw

FARMER CITY, IL – March 30, 2022 – Kyle Hammer’s journey into the unknown on his World of Outlaws rookie tour ventures to a land of familiarity this weekend. 

The Clinton, IL driver gets his chance at a “home game” against the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models as the Series returns to Farmer City Raceway for the Illini 100 on April 1-2. 

Hammer is eight races into his Rookie of the Year campaign and has shown promise this season with a top-five at DIRTcar Nationals.

While the two races at Cherokee Speedway didn’t go as hoped, he may have the upper hand at Farmer City. The Prairie State competitor grew up at the track, a facility his dad, Don, operated in the 2000s.  

“Dad actually promoted the racetrack from [2005] to [2010], I think it was,” Hammer said. “That’s when I started racing, so he sold out of it, but yeah, we’ve always since I’ve been alive had a connection with Farmer City.

“Whether we were there every Friday or when we were there seven nights a week when Dad was doing the trackwork, we’ve always been around it.”

Those years that Don Hammer ran the day-to-day operations gave his son experiences he’ll never forget. Now he can show off his knowledge of the 1/4-mile bullring in front of friends and family, which excites the World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year contender.

“The cool part is getting all of the friends there,” Hammer said. “None of them have been able to come to watch me run a Late Model since we really started in Florida and haven’t really been anywhere near home with it.

“For them to come, hang out, and just kind of make it like a family deal, everybody’s going to show up, and I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Hammer stated he likes the bigger, sweeping tracks, but added Farmer City still fits into his wheelhouse due to the way it races.

“It’s a bullring, but it’s not,” Hammer said. “It’s got such big sweeping corners, and it kind of fits my driving style. I don’t know if it’s just the amount of laps I’ve made there that makes me like it so much or just the driving style. 

“Like I said, it’s a bullring, but you drive straight and smooth like you would a big 1/2-mile track, and that’s why it fits me so well.”

While Hammer has run several laps at Farmer City, he’ll be up against drivers who’ve been racing there since his dad’s promotional efforts and in-state rivals like Dennis Erb Jr. and four-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard. Also, the local heroes that race at the Illinois track on a weekly basis.

“You got all of the guys from Illinois,” Hammer said. “[Jason] Feger, [Kevin] Weaver, [Ryan] Unzicker, [Bobby] Pierce, all those guys. Then you also got [Shannon] Babb, who ran at a national level for a while, but still, he’s the local guy of the area, so you got a lot of them.

“I definitely feel like it’ll be the hardest area for us to go to.”

Hammer and the World of Outlaws make their first stop in the Midwest April 1-2 at Farmer City Raceway for the Illini 100, as he tries to defend home turf for the first time in his career. 

LAS VEGAS (March 30,2022) – Back in the seat after two years away, Austin Prock and his Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Top Fuel team are looking to gain some momentum at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The fourth event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series schedule and the first of two races in the four-wide format, is only the third four-wide event of the young standout’s career. Despite his two years away, Prock took the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster to the final round of the season-opening Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif., and comes into this week’s race ninth in points but just 18 points out of fifth place. With two weeks since the NHRA Gatornationals and its heavy rain and cold conditions, Prock and his team have taken advantage of their time in the shop. I’m looking forward to Vegas. It seems like it’s been months since I’ve been in the seat, so I’ve got a lot of excitement built up to get bolted back into this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster,” Prock said. “Although, the two-week break was nice to get caught back up. We’ve got all the parts and pieces to succeed.” The last time Prock raced at Vegas was 2019 when he was ousted in the first round of four-wide racing after qualifying 12th in the spring and when he started 10th at the fall race before losing to teammate and eventual event winner Brittany Force in the second round. “We’re going to try some different things this weekend so It would be great to get a good result to prove this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team is heading in the right direction,” Prock said. “The Strip has always been one of my favorite tracks so to win there would be unbelievable. It being four-wide would even make it more special.” Qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide NHRA Nationals takes place Friday and Saturday with two sessions at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (PT) on each day. 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.

FT. WORTH, TX (March 30,2022) — Over the weekend NHRA Pro Stock rookie Camrie Caruso joined associate sponsor VP Racing at the Keystone BIG Show in Ft. Worth, Texas. The national event featured premier educational events, product training sessions as well as booths from nearly all of Keystone’s suppliers and brands. Caruso had her new look Chevrolet Camaro featuring the branding of Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT that she will be racing at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals, April 1-3, on display in the VP Racing’s booth. Throughout the day on Saturday Caruso talked with show attendees, signed autographs and talked up the many benefits of VP Racing Lubricants.

“This was a great show and it was cool to be able to represent our sponsor VP Racing,” said Caruso, who has qualified in the top half at every NHRA national event this season. “Doing shows like this really gives you the chance to meet a lot of people and talk about what we do. Tons of people stopped and took pictures of our Chevrolet Camaro that features our Las Vegas primary sponsors Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT. It was also great to see Joe Amato. He is an NHRA legend.”

Marc Caruso, NHRA legend Joe Amato and Camrie Caruso at Keystone BIG Show

The chance to represent VP Racing on an off weekend was an opportunity that Caruso, who is building her racing program throughout her rookie season, could not pass up. The relationship between Caruso Family Racing and Titan Racing Engines with VP Racing Lubricants is instrumental since they are working on the development of the O weight oil that the team runs in their Titan Racing Engine program.  The team is also running VP Racing Lubricants’ gear oil and they are working to develop a transmission fluid for Pro Stock cars. 

“We were proud to have Camrie in our booth this weekend at the Keystone BIG Show,” said Amanda Alexander, Business Development. “Having her Pro Stock race car drew a lot of attention and having her available to talk with the show attendees added another great element to our display. We have enjoyed growing our relationship with Camrie and Caruso Family Racing through our VP Racing relationship and we are looking forward to seeing more great things from Camrie.”

The 24-year-old driver who is living in Denver, North Carolina, has been one of the most active marketers on the NHRA tour this season representing multiple companies. The young driver knows that the off-track relationships are just as important as win lights.

“I want to thank VP Racing for the opportunity to come to the Keystone Big Show because this is what makes our program successful and meaningful for all our business partners,” added Caruso. “I am loving racing and the competition, but I know how important the business-to-business element is. We are excited to be heading to Las Vegas this weekend for my first four-wide nationals.”

The 2022 NHRA rookie of the year standout will get her first of four qualifying runs on Friday afternoon from The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Caruso has back-to-back quarterfinal finishes in the last two races and is currently sitting in 10th place in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series standings.

LAS VEGAS (March 30) — Few things excite car lovers more than getting a brand-new ride, which is exactly why Pro Stock frontrunner Troy Coughlin Jr. is jazzed up for this weekend’s Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Coughlin recently took possession of a 2022 RJ Race Cars Chevrolet Camaro clad in the legendary yellow-and-black colors of JEGS.com. Rick and Rickie Jones, the owners of RJ Race Cars, relied on a lot of input from Coughlin to build the car to his needs. They have been involved with Elite Motorsports as either crew chiefs or consultants through all of their championship-winning seasons. “This is one awesome machine,” Coughlin said. “This is actually the first Pro Stock car I’ve driven that was built specifically for me so it’s just about as perfect as you can imagine. Everything feels so natural and the fit is exact. I’ve got all the space I need in the cockpit. I’ve never felt so comfortable behind the wheel.

“RJ Race Cars are known for their incredible fitment and finish work. They truly build masterpieces. Most importantly, they produce super-fast racecars that win races and championships. I couldn’t be more excited. Huge thanks to (longtime Elite Motorsports sponsor) Mark Stockseth for getting us this car.” Already a finalist this year having raced to a runner-up result at the national event in Phoenix, Coughlin arrives in town with fond memories of The Strip. In 2009, Coughlin captured his first national event trophy during the fall event at this facility, winning the Super Comp class in grand style. He’s hoping the good karma from 13 years ago, along with the team’s steady start to 2022, will produce another memorable weekend in Sin City.

“We took the new car to Tulsa a few days ago to shake it down and make sure there would be no surprises this weekend,” he said. “It’s definitely ready for battle. Mark Ingersoll, Kyle Bates, Ricky Calloway and Kelly Murphy have been working around the clock to get this car from a bare chassis to race-ready and, of course, they took it all in stride. That’s no small feat, believe me. “It appears we’ll be running even better than before so there is a lot of optimism on the team. Of course, we’ll stay with our game plan of taking things one round at a time. We’ll do our best to have four solid qualifying runs and then try to turn on three win lights on Sunday.” The schedule calls for Pro Stock qualifying sessions at 12:30 and 3 p.m., Friday and Saturday. The first round of four-wide eliminations is slated for 12:45 p.m.

LAS VEGAS (March 30, 2022) – Heading into the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the fourth event of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, having broken into the top 10 in the points standings, John Force and his PEAK / BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS team are ready to make-up more ground at the first of two four-wide events on the 2022 tour.  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. At a rain-soaked and abnormally cold NHRA Gatornationals, Force and the BlueDEF team would have a quarterfinal finish that, along with some surprising early exits, would jump them into fifth in the points standings. “It’s been a bit of a wild start to the season. But you, know, this BlueDEF team with Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they’ve got a handle on this Chevrolet. We’ll fix it. That’s what it’s all about,” said Force. “We’ve got to get these cars making some noise and winning some rounds, and we will.” Since the debut of four-wide racing at Charlotte in 2010, no one has won more quads than Force; he has been first to the finish in 12, more than any other Funny Car driver. He also has two overall four-wide race wins. Only Steve Torrence in Top Fuel and Andrew Hines in Pro Stock Motorcycle have more. No one has won more Funny Car races at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, four times in the fall race (2002, 2010, 2013 and 2016) and twice in the spring before it transitioned to four-wide (2010, 2015). Force was also the No. 1 qualifier at the spring race in 2002 and 2011 and at the fall race when he won in 2013.  “Couldn’t get a better place to go four-wide racing. Bruton Smith and his son Marcus, they’ve really created a great show, first at Charlotte and then now at The Strip at Las Vegas,” Force said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the stands packed and getting back into my PEAK Chevy hot rod after these two weeks off. Ready to have some fun and win some rounds for all my sponsors.” Qualifying at the NHRA Four-Wide NHRA Nationals takes place Friday and Saturday with two sessions at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. (PT) on each day. 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.

LAS VEGAS (March 29, 2022) — Every driver’s rookie year is full of ups and downs. Every track presents challenges and opportunities. This weekend at the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals Pro Stock rookie standout driver Camrie Caruso will have her hands full navigating a new racetrack and four-wide racing for the first time. So far in the early stages of her rookie campaign the 24-year-old driver from Denver, North Carolina, has risen to every challenge. She will be driving with new primary sponsors this weekend as her Titan Racing Engine powered Chevrolet Camaro will be adorned with colorful branding representing Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT.

“We have been talking with the team at Air Flow Research, SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT about getting involved with our program for a while,” said Caruso, who has qualified at all three NHRA national events in 2022 and advance to the quarterfinals the past two races. “They are the aftermarket go-to seat for Chevrolet Camaros so this relationship was literally a perfect fit. When you add in the backing of Air Flow Research and SCAT Crankshafts with their long history in Pro Stock, I could not be more excited to represent these companies.” 

After three national events Caruso has established herself and her Caruso Family Racing team as quality competitors with strong horsepower under the hood. The performance of her Titan Racing Engine power has qualified the rookie driver in the top half of the field every race. Her elapsed times have dropped at every race and with two weeks off to regroup the team is eager to get to the high-performance racing surface The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway offers.

“I can’t say enough about the team of guys I have behind me from Titan Racing Engines,” said Caruso. “I have a lot of confidence in this Chevrolet Camaro every time we pull it up to the starting line. As a young driver I am working on my performance every time we make a run. I want to get better as a driver because I know I have a race car that can win rounds if I do my job. That is a testament to Titan Racing Engines and my crew chief Jim Yates.”

Two weeks ago at the historic Gatornationals Caruso had to battle the elements like the rest of her professional competitors. With only one qualifying session the pressure was on everyone to make the most of their lone shot at the track. The team came right out of the trailer with a career best run of 6.516 seconds at 210.70 mph. In the opening round of eliminations on Sunday they stepped up even more with both ends of career best marks getting another win light on a run of 6.491 seconds at 213.10 mph. It took the lowest elapsed time of the second round to end Caruso’s day and have her turn her focus to the unique four-wide nationals.

“I am looking forward to the challenges of four-wide racing,” said Caruso, a third generation NHRA driver. “I know there will be a lot going on, but I am just going to stay calm and do my own thing. I like the fact you have a chance to advance even if you are not the first to the finish line. I plan on getting their first, but this style of racing is a little forgiving which makes it unique for us”

Since Caruso came onto the scene this season, she has been one of the busiest drivers and marketers on the NHRA circuit. To bring more awareness to her partners she has rotated several companies as primary sponsor on her Camaro Pro Stock race car. Last weekend she was in Ft. Worth, Texas, at the Keystone “Big” Show displaying the Air Flow Research (AFR) SCAT Crankshafts and Procar by SCAT Camaro and representing her sponsor VP Racing Lubricants.

“It’s so important to promote off track as well as at the track,” said Caruso. “We have so many amazing sponsors any chance I get to talk about their products or their initiatives I want to make sure I am available. The Big Show was a great experience and I was really glad we were able to show off this weekend’s race car as well.”

Qualifying for the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals will begin on Friday and Saturday with two sessions each day at 12:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday, April 3, at 12:00 p.m. with three quads of racing action.

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.

Mar 30, 2022 | Featured, Pre-Race Releases

Hunter Green, the son of NHRA Funny Car and Pro Mod driver Chad Green, will make his NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster debut this weekend at the 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It’s the first of two planned races driving one of Randy Meyer Racing’s nitro-injected A/Fuel dragsters to get seat time for an eventual move up to Top Fuel. 

Green earned his Top Alcohol Dragster license with Randy Meyer Racing during a preseason test session at Phoenix before upgrading his license in a Tim Wilkerson-tuned Top Fuel dragster. 

“Getting in that A/Fuel car really helped me out a lot and boosted my confidence to get back in the Top Fuel car,” said Green, 27, who made his first Top Fuel runs last fall. “I haven’t had a lot of track time. I went to Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School and I jumped from Frank Hawley’s Top Dragster into the Top Fuel car. That was quite a difference. Making those runs in the A/Fuel car really helped me out a lot.”

Green started working with Meyer at the Phoenix test session after Wilkerson suggested he get some seat time in Meyer’s A/Fuel car. Green was all for it, as he’d previously considered the Top Alcohol Dragster path with Meyer. 

“There’s no one better to work with,” Green said. “He’s easy to work with, they have the fastest cars, and he’s a good teacher too. He taught me a lot about how to be relaxed in the car and how to get it down the track. That all transferred over when I made my runs in the Top Fuel car. He’s been a good coach and teacher, along with Tim. Both those guys have really helped me a lot on this journey.”

While Green doesn’t have any grade points from regional event competition, his Top Fuel license will allow him to make his debut at a national event. 

Green believes his experience in Phoenix has prepared him for his competition debut in Las Vegas. He’ll also have the added challenge of racing four-wide for the first time, but it’s a challenge that intrigues him. 

“My goal is to look like I know what I’m doing out there and to look like I’ve done it before, even though I haven’t,” said Green, who will race with support from the family business, Bond-Coat Inc. “I’m pretty confident. It should be no different from making runs in testing, but we’re not just going to have one car in the other lane, we’re going to have three cars in the other lanes. I know that can throw a lot of people off, but I’ve been around it a lot now with my dad in the Pro Mod and in the Funny Car. I don’t think it will be a problem. It’s going to be fun and exciting.”

Beyond this weekend, Green’s goal is to get enough seat time to be fully prepared when the time comes to move up to Top Fuel competition. After the 4-Wide Nationals, Green plans to run the NHRA SpringNationals, April 22-24 at Houston Raceway Park with RMR.

“Top Fuel is the ultimate goal,” said Green, who works on his father’s Funny Car team full-time, handling anything from marketing and social media to packing the ‘chutes. “I’d eventually like to do some races in Top Fuel, possibly as soon as later this year. But I definitely think it’s smarter to get some seat time in the A/Fuel car with Randy first. We have these two races planned, but I could end up doing more races.”

The Big Cat Earns Milestone 75th Career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Victory

VADO, NM – March 29, 2022 – They say that patience is a virtue, but Brad Sweet was tired of waiting.

While the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series made its long-awaited debut at New Mexico’s Vado Speedway Park on Tuesday night, The Big Cat went ahead and made his long-awaited return to victory lane with the Series.

Sweet led all 30 laps at the Vado 3/8-mile but had to fend off a fury of challenges from Sheldon Haudenschildthroughout lap traffic to win the inaugural race at the state-of-the-art facility.

Amazingly enough, it had been 26 races and seven months since the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 last won a World of Outlaws race at Skagit (WA) Speedway on September 4, 2021. That streak is now snapped and the Grass Valley, CA native hopes this is the momentum his team needs to really begin the run for a fourth consecutive Series championship.

“Yeah, it has felt like forever,” Sweet said on the length of his victory lane absence. “We just got stuck points racing last year and didn’t take those risks you need to win against these guys. As far as this year though, we’ve been fast all season and knocking on the door of getting this win. I’m happy for my guys. Eric [Prutzman], Joe [Mooney], and Andrew [Bowman] have been working hard, now we’re gonna get them the wins they deserve. This is the time to be getting better.”

The added significance in Tuesday’s triumph is that Sweet reached a milestone 75th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win. He’s now only nine wins away from tying Stevie Smith (84) for a spot inside the coveted top-10 on the All-Time Win List.

After qualifying sixth and finishing second in his Heat, Sweet used a perfect DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to put the #49 in prime position to capitalize come showtime. From there, he survived some brief hiccups in lap traffic to make Vado Speedway Park the 42nd track he’s won at, while New Mexico became the 21st state he’s won in.

“These are honestly some of the hardest ones to win,” Sweet added. “Track position is just so key and lap traffic is tough when the track gets like this. It was hard to time the runs, and there was one time when Sheldon came across but luckily enough I was ready. I really didn’t want to catch any lappers, I just wanted clean air to control my own mistakes. You have to use your mind as much as you possibly can out there.”

Sheldon Haudenschild briefly led for a split second on Lap 7, but never could control the top spot enough to wrangle it away from Sweet. The Wooster, OH native finished only 0.768-seconds behind with a second-place effort for the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17.

“I definitely felt like we were a little quicker in open track,” Sheldon commented on the battle with Sweet. “I just didn’t have enough speed to clear the slider I needed with how the track was. California was a struggle for us, but [Kyle] Ripper, Stephen [Hamm-Reilly], and Jakob [Weaver] have been working hard to get us back on track. It’s amazing how much something as simple as qualifying good and getting in the Dash can help with that extra track time to figure out the car.”

For the first time since his season-opening win on February 10, Donny Schatz returned to the podium on Tuesday night. The 10-time Series champion finished up third in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest Auto Parts #15 after taking a few shots at Sheldon for the second spot.

“These short tracks have not been our strong suit, but we’ve changed so many things that we’re getting it figured out,” Schatz mentioned. “I felt better as the race went on and thought we were catching those guys but didn’t get there quick enough to be able to capitalize on their mistakes. It’s a positive result, though, we’ll keep working hard.”

Closing out the top-five at Vado Speedway Park was new track record holder James McFadden in fourth-place aboard the Roth Motorsports #83, and David Gravel with a fifth-place run that brings the Big Game Motorsports #2 back to second in the standings.

Rounding out the top-10 on Tuesday night was Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, Cory Eliason in the Rudeen Racing #26, Logan Schuchart in the Shark Racing #1S, and Giovanni Scelzi in the KCP Racing #18.

NOS NOTEBOOK (Vado Speedway Park, 3/29/22)

Tuesday’s Feature at Vado Speedway Park was only the second of 11 races this season that featured no lead changes.

Brad Sweet’s 75th career World of Outlaws win leaves him only nine away from tying Stevie Smith (84) for 10th on the All-Time Win List. Tuesday’s win snapped a 26-race dry spell for Sweet, his longest over the last four years.

James McFadden established a new track record by circling Vado’s 3/8-mile in 12.215 seconds aboard the Roth Motorsports #83. It’s the fourth career Slick Woodys QuickTime Award for the Alice Springs, NT, AUS native.

NOS Energy Drink Heat Race wins went to James McFadden (24th career), Donny Schatz (492nd career), and Cory Eliason (15th career). Brad Sweet topped the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to earn his second pole position of the season.

Logan Calderwood (Goodyear, AZ), Lorne Wofford (Alamogordo, NM), Nick Parker (Tucson, AZ), and Brett Becker (Odessa, TX) all qualified for their first World of Outlaws Feature of the season on Tuesday night.

UP NEXT (Fri) – Another 10-hour haul will lead the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series to its only stop in Oklahoma this Friday, April 1 at Lawton Speedway. On Saturday, April 2, Devil’s Bowl Speedway offers a $20,000 payday in the DuraMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$10,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [2][$6,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$3,500]; 4. 83-James McFadden [5][$2,800]; 5. 2-David Gravel [7][$2,500]; 6. 5-Spencer Bayston [8][$2,300]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo [9][$2,200]; 8. 26-Cory Eliason [6][$2,100]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [14][$2,050]; 10. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [11][$2,000]; 11. 1A-Jacob Allen [4][$1,600]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [10][$1,400]; 13. 19AZ-Tanner Thorson [19][$1,200]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [20][$1,100]; 15. 7S-Jason Sides [13][$1,050]; 16. 6C-Logan Calderwood [17][$1,000]; 17. 20G-Noah Gass [12][$1,000]; 18. 6-Bill Rose [16][$1,000]; 19. 7-Lorne Wofford [18][$1,000]; 20. 115-Nick Parker [15][$1,000]; 21. 2B-Brett Becker [21][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 19AZ-Tanner Thorson[+6]

NEW Championship Standings (After 11/85 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (1,550); 2. David Gravek (-32); 3. Carson Macedo (-34); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-50); 5. Donny Schatz (-106); 6. James McFadden (-106); 7. Giovanni Scelzi (-108); 8. Logan Schuchart (-122); 9. Cory Eliason (-122); 10. Spencer Bayston (-160).

NARC NEWSLINE – March 30, 2022 – By Jim Allen … In today’s racing world, the offseason seems to get shorter and shorter.  It goes something like this:  You wave the checkered at the final event, you stage an awards banquet, you wolf down some Turkey, negotiate a schedule, exchange some Christmas presents, set some New Year’s resolutions, buy some flowers for Valentines Day … and BAMM … it’s racing season again.  The turnaround barely allows enough time to dial in the details.  And that applies whether you are a sprint car team, a track promoter, a sponsor, or a racing organization like us.  But like almost every reality show, everybody seems to step up their game when there is a pressing deadline, like aNARC Fujitsu General USA Sprint Car season opener.  With that in mind, here is a hit list of topics you may want to know about as you dial in your travel details:

2022 NARC SCHEDULE:  For those of you perpetually stuck watching TikTok videos, there was a recent announcement regarding the 2022 Louie Vermeil Classic.  There was bad news and good news.  The bad news was that HMC Promotions announced that the awesome two-day event will not be run in 2022.  A Chico-sequel didn’t make financial sense andCalistoga Speedway hasn’t reopened yet.  The good news is that Tommy Hunt & Company are actively working to drive the process to get Calistoga Speedway open again with a full slate of events in 2023.  There is a SAVE CALISTOGA SPEEDWAY campaign that could use your help.  At this point, you race fans only have two choices:  Condos … or … the best half-mile race track in California.  I’ll take Calistoga Speedway for $500 Alex.  Log in to help HERE!

If you do the math the same way as I do, that means the official NARC campaign will consist of 25 racing events in 2022.  We will not be replacing the Labor Day dates with another venue.  When you add it all up, the NARC Sprint Cars will be racing for more than $800,000 in purse money, cash awards and product contingencies.  That’s a huge WIN!

BANG FOR THE BUCK:  The Fastest Four Days in Motorsports just got more interesting.  How interesting?  How about $40,000 interesting in the form of a potential bonus to any driver who can sweep all four of the events.  The Lloyd’s of London insurance policy is betting against the house on this one, figuring a lot that can happen at three different tracks in four consecutive days.  Let’s hope the stars line up for one of our drivers to do the “happy dance” in Grays Harbor Raceway’s victory lane on May 29^th.  There is also a possible step-down bonus.  If a driver picks off three of the four shows, they can pocket an extra $5000 from Mr. Lloyds of London.  (NOTE:  It’s one, or the other, not both.)  For those needing a refresher, the four races are at Southern Oregon Speedway on Thursday, May 26th, followed by a Friday show at Willamette Speedway, and the May 28th and 29th shows at Grays Harbor.   For win-list comparison purposes, the 2019 version of the FFDM produced four different winners.  The 2021 edition produced three.  As of right now, we have 15 California teams committed to this adventure, plus several locals.

Bob Montoya of Swift Metal Finishing has also kicked in an additional $500 to the team that can pass the most cars during those four races.  That is on top of the regularHardcharger Award that he sponsors to the tune of $150 per night.  Throw in travel money for California teams and some healthy purses and it should be a great Memorial Day weekend.

By the way, there will be a race car hauler “Salute to the Red, White & Blue Parade” down main street in Elma, WA between the two-day newly-labeled FFDM Timber Cup shows Grays Harbor.  For those of you who haven’t been there, Elma’s sort of a “one stop light” kind of town (pop, 3300 or so) where the population triples on race day.  The parade is Sunday.  All NARC teams will be herded out of the pits to a high noon staging area at the Elma High School parking lot.  It will dish up a nice dose of small-town Americana.

WHAT IF?: California continues to be the hotbed for great young open wheel talent.  Unfortunately for us, that talent gets recognized on a national level and with a blink of an eye, they are gone.  Just think what California 410 sprint car racing would be today if the likes of Buddy Kofoid, Gio Scelzi, Mitchell Moles, Cole Macedo were weekly warriors.  Can’t fault any of them, because they are “living the dream.”  Congrats to Giovanni on his two CA Outlaw wins.  Keep your eyes on 16-year-old’s Joel Myers Jr. and Max Mittry!

NARC STUFF:  Here is an unusual moment in California sprint car history:  Two of the biggest powerhouses in NARC motorsports … Roth Motorsports & Tarlton Motorsports are entering the 2022 campaign with drivers who have only three career NARC victories between them.  How is that even possible?  Don’t expect that to last very long though, because their drivers and equipment are really good.  To date, Mitchell Faccinto has parked it three times in NARC victory lane and Australian Kerry Madsen is basically making his first foray on the NARC campaign.  That is the same 50-year-old Kerry Madsen who has 28 World of Outlaw wins on his impressive resume’. The Roth cars are powered by Toyota-powerplants. If you are a betting man, take the ”over” at six wins this season for the Roth’s and Tarltons. … It’s going to be nice to see Justyn “Indiana” Cox a few more times this year with NARC.  His team is getting their two 410 motors back in May.  For those of you who might not remember, Indiana finished third in final King of the West standings in 2016 behind Kyle Hirst and Bud Kaeding. … Australian Jessie Attard will be rolling into California in May with his race car team.  He plans to race with us throughout the summer.  Nobody will dispute that he was extremely fast last season.  Just needs a break or two. …  The Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash Pit Crew Competition has been moved to June 10th atOcean Speedway.  $1000 is on the line for three teams; $500 to the winner!  The first entry is the Mike Phulps Motorsports team.

… Hoosier Racing Tires is working their tails off to manufacture tires, but don’t be surprised if there is a bump or two in the road (like everything these days.)  The Hoosier team is very proactive in the process because nobody wants tire availability to become an issue.  … Motors are another issue.  If you wanted to buy a 410 motor right now – or for that matter, a 360 block – it’s slim pickings right now. … Let’s hope that gas prices drop soon for everybody’s sake. … The NARC410.com website has undergone a nice facelift during the off season.  It’s also ADA compliant.  Use it as a resource for news on everything we do!  To day, the site has been accessed by 409,000+ unique users.  Now, if we can just get all of you to the race track! … Stockton Dirt Track promoter Tony Noceti is hard at work repositioning and realigning his track lighting.  He also added 10 new LED lights and has plans to add 10 more in the weeks to come!  On the PR side of things, Noceti also got his racing highlight show going on local Sacramento-Stockton station FOX40.  Its called “Racing with Lovotti,” and features highlights from the Dirt Track and Stockton 99 Speedway.  You can expect to see NARC highlights from our April 2nd show on Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m.  Make sure you tune in! …

NARC NOTES:  Dan Belton will be our Director of Competition this season.  Mike Andreetta, who suffered a health scare in September, has been moved into a new Race Coordinator position.  He will be driving safety compliance with competitors, conducting technical inspections and providing driver coaching. … We welcome Darryck Fairbanks to our team as our Pit Manager. … Brian and Alicia Garges will also be on the NARC staff when their schedule doesn’t conflict with other racing events. … Make sure you play in NARC’s fantasy league on MyRacePass.com this season. Log-in and pick your drivers before qualifying. We will be announcing prize packages shortly. … We’ve got a new look and a new logo this season.  Make sure you invest in some NARC apparel from Jim Gardner of Bullet Impressions at the season opener.  You can also shop online at onefasttee.com ... Thank you to all of the 28 sponsors who partnered with the NARC series this season.

BRADWAY MEMORIAL:  The ever-popular Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial race at Placerville Speedway is about seven weekends away – June 12^th to be exact.  As you are aware, the event-promotion torch was passed from Dave and Dianne Durica to Julie Bradway Tuccelli last season.  That transition was seamless so let’s make sure your support of this event is seamless as well.  If you would like to sponsor a lap in the 40-lap feature or B-Main ($100), please contact Julie at kaytee17@comcast.net or by phone: 916-749-0556.  You can also kick in money to the Hardcharger award, heat race winners, the semi-main, or whatever floats your boat, or opens your wallet. … By the way, this will be NARC’s only visit to Knoxville on the Hill this season and it’s a combo event with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360’s.  It promises to be a great show.

SEASON PREDICTIONS & STUFF TO GET YOU THINKING: Chase Johnson will win his first NARC race this season at a place not named Petaluma Speedway.  Both of his wins have come at the 3/8 mile oval. … Potential first-time winners on the NARC tour this season?  Definitely Kerry Madsen.  Let’s also add Michael Faccinto, Joel Myers Jr., Logan Forler, Tanner Holmes, and Tanner Carrick to the list. … With three victories, defending champion Dominic Scelzi would pass Tyler Walker for seventh place on the all-time list. …Tim Kaeding needs only 13 victories to tie Brent Kaeding on the same all-time NARC-King of the West win list.  How many years of racing do you think it will take? … Willie Croft is overdue for a NARC victory. The last time he scored a “W” was at the May 5, 2019 Dave Bradway Jr. race in Chico.  Croft plans to run the entire NARC schedule. … Brandon “Bud” Kaeding is also looking to end a NARC victory drought that dates back to August 2019.  When you have a last name of Kaeding, that is an eternity.  Let’s go Brandon! … Idaho’sLogan Forler is also planning to tackle the entire 2022 NARC campaign.  He last competed with the King of the West series in 2014.  He’s got over 30 feature wins to his credit, many with the ASCS. … Defending champ series champ Dominic Scelzi will have his hands full with multiple contenders this season.  Can he make it two championships in a row?  Crew chief Jimmy Carr thinks so! … Who will win their second NARC feature event first?  Sean Watts or Billy Aton? Place your bets! … Do you think that Corey Day can double his win total of last season? Based on his recent runner-up finish with the WoO, it’s an automatic. … Justin Sanders will win four NARC races in at least two different cars. …

So now it’s officially time to get geared up for NARC’s 2022 championship campaign.  We’ve got the Stockton Dirt Track NARC season opener on Saturday, April 2^nd.  There will be a $6000 winners payday on the line for the winner of the Third Annual Asparagus Cup.  We will back that up with a lucrative and always entertaining show in Hanford — the Anthony Simone Classic.  We cap off the month at Silver Dollar Speedway with the Tenth Annual David Tarter Memorial.  Don’t miss a single of them.  Make sure you bring a friend.

Coming to you live from Auburn, CA, see ya!

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 29, 2022) — For Top Fuel racer Josh Hart his second season on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series still has several first-time experiences. Racing on a part-time schedule last year Hart, whose homebase is in Ocala, Florida, won twice and raced to four additional semifinal finishes in just thirteen national events. The rookie driver established himself as one of the best drivers off the starting line and owner of a team that was a high-performance player. One of his semifinals was his first four-wide experience at the Charlotte national event so the return to the unique format will be familiar.

“Last year at our first four-wide race we made it to the final round of four dragsters,” said Hart. “I don’t mind the four-wide format and you just have to pay attention to what you are doing and not worry about anyone else. In that respect it is the same as a traditional drag race. I am looking forward to getting four runs on the track and then seeing what we can do on Sunday.”

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

At the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals Hart qualified No. 4 and then advanced by outrunning Billy Torrence and Kyle Wurtzel in the first quad and then moving to the final quad along with Brittany Force ahead of Doug Kalitta and Clay MIlican. In the final quad Hart was a semifinalist along with Antron Brown as Steve Torrence and Force were the first two to the finish line stripe.

“The final in Charlotte last year was a close race with all four Top Fuel dragsters making strong runs. Everyone was in the 3.7s and hit the finish line at over 325 mph. That kind of racing action is what the fans love about four-wide racing, I think. We will be looking to have more success in Las Vegas this weekend,” added Hart.

After three national events this season Hart and his R+L Carriers Top Fuel team are beginning to hit their stride with a brand new 11,000 horsepower dragster. A quarterfinal finish at the Winternationals coupled with a semifinal finish at the Arizona Nationals has Hart and his team solidly in the Top Ten in the standings. The learning curve of racing full-time has been something Hart is eager to get adjusted to.

“We have all the parts and equipment to make a strong run for the NHRA championship and things are starting to come together with every run,” said Hart. “I have a lot of confidence in my crew chief and team partner Ron Douglas. The four-wide races coming up will be a good test for us.”

Hart’s R+L Carriers marketing relationship is more than just branding on his 330 mph Top Fuel dragster. The young driver is an active recruiter for the company and takes their tagline of Pride in Our People. Pride in Our Performance, to heart. The company has been owned and operated by the same family for over 55 years, they strive to treat their customers and employees as an extension of the R+L family. You can see that welcoming spirit when fans engage Hart at the races or any appearances. 

“The goal of this program is to show people the awesome opportunities that are available with R+L Carriers. We are utilizing recruiters at trackside meet and greets at nearly all the NHRA events to speak to interested candidates about the career opportunities. How cool would it be for a fan to come enjoy a day at the races and also hear firsthand from employees about the R+L Carriers career advantages,” added Hart.

Qualifying for the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals will begin on Friday and Saturday with two sessions each day at 1:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations will begin on Sunday, April 3, at 12:00 p.m. with three quads of racing action.