The Centerville, PA driver held off Ross Bailes for his Fourth Career Series VictoryGAFFNEY, SC– March 27, 2022 – While a World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Feature win slipped through Max Blair’s fingers Friday night, he wouldn’t let his inexperience cost him another victory at Cherokee Speedway.  The Centerville, PA driver took what he learned Friday and used it to his advantage, leading the final 43 laps to win the second annual Rock Gault Memorial Saturday at Cherokee.  A few late-race restarts tested Blair again, as Ross Bailes challenged the Rookie of the Year contender for the win. Blair aced the final two restarts, keeping Bailes at bay for the $20,000 prize.   He had mixed emotions about the multiple yellow flags at the end.   “The first [caution] I was actually really happy about because it got you out of lap traffic and into clean air,” Blair said. “I’m very inexperienced in this type of racing, so being in clean air without those lap cars were a big deal. “The next couple that came out at the end I didn’t want to see. I just can’t believe we just won this race.”  While Blair led most of the race, a break fell his way on Lap 18 while running second to reigning Series champion Brandon Sheppard. The New Berlin, IL driver, pulled away from the field but spun after contact while trying to pass Brent Larson in Turn 4.  Blair seized his opportunity from that point forward but stated he didn’t have anything for Sheppard.  “I think [Sheppard] probably had us covered there,” Blair said. “We had some good fortune on our side there. I hate it for them guys.” Sheppard rebounded to finish 12th. The “Rocket Shepp” looked destined for his 78th career win before the contact dashed his hopes for victory. “The stars were aligned before we got to lap traffic,” Sheppard said. “The lap car in front of me got tight and started to push on the bottom, and I was kind of in the middle rolling around lap cars. When he started to push, I seen it, and I started to check up a little bit, and then he hit the little hole in Turns 3 and 4. I guess he jammed on his brakes, parked right in front of me, and I had nowhere to go.” Ross Bailes settled for second, missing out on the $20,000 payday in front of his home fans. However, while the Clover, SC driver, didn’t find Victory Lane, he did enough to win the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series championship—scoring $15,000.  “We came here wanting to win the race, but obviously, the points deal was in the back of our minds,” Bailes said. I felt like [Blair’s] car either went away, or mine came to at the end. I wish it would’ve stayed green, and I could’ve pressured him a little more and see what would happen.” From Fayetteville, NC, Daulton Wilson finished third, his third consecutive World of Outlaws top-five at Cherokee. He continues to knock on the door for his first win on a national tour and is confident it’ll happen soon. “We’re up and coming, but we’ll keep our head down and keep working,” Wilson said. “If we keep running top three with this crowd, the wins will come.” Hudson O’Neal finished fourth, and North Augusta, SC driver Cla Knight rounded out the top five.  Dennis Erb Jr., who finished sixth, leaves Cherokee Speedway with the Series points lead—30 points ahead of Brandon Sheppard.  Max Blair took the lessons he learned from his heartbreak Friday at Cherokee Speedway and turned it into glory to end the weekend. The more experience he gets, the more of a factor he could be in determining this year’s World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series Champion.  UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel to the Land of Lincoln for the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway April 1-2. For Tickets: CLICK HERE. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App. CASE Construction Feature (60 Laps): 1. 111V-Max Blair[3]; 2. 79-Ross Bailes[4]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal[8]; 5. 42-Cla Knight[5]; 6. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 7. 57-Zack Mitchell[7]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin[14]; 9. 11H-Spencer Hughes[12]; 10. 69*-Carder Miller[10]; 11. 42S-Carson Ferguson[24]; 12. 1-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 13. 45-Kyle Hammer[9]; 14. 24D-Michael Brown[19]; 15. 421-Anthony Sanders[17]; 16. 16-Tyler Bruening[23]; 17. 16W-Ben Watkins[20]; 18. B1-Brent Larson[21]; 19. 81E-Tanner English[15]; 20. 11D-David Duke[18]; 21. 99B-Boom Briggs[27]; 22. 1R-Josh Richards[25]; 23. 11-Gordy Gundaker[13]; 24. 118-Matt Henderson[11]; 25. 121-Pearson Williams[22]; 26. 16E-Ethan Wilson[26]; 27. 1D-Brent Dixon[16] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Carson Ferguson [+13]

The World of Outlaws Case Construction Equipment Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: Case Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), Swift Springs, and Wrisco–Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including Dirt Car Lift, Capital Race Cars, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, FIREBULL, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, and Sea Foam.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws.

Braselton, GEORGIA – March 26, 2022 – Round 3 of the 2022 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season was staged at a cool, fresh Road Atlanta circuit. The race went green around lunchtime and saw former Champion Cameron Lawrence maintain focus when many of the drivers in the TA2 Class were losing theirs. Driving the No. 6 Franklin Road Apparel Chevrolet Camaro, Lawrence came through the pack to finish in P4, lifting himself in the process one place up the drivers’ Championship table to P2. It was a good result for Showtime Motorsports as Lawrence delivered an exciting performance, climbing a dozen places over the course of the race from a grid position of P16 to P4 and just off the podium at the checkered flag. The 23 points Lawrence collected put him on 63 Championship points for the season and in a provisional P2 in the Championship table. We spoke to Cameron after the race and he was understandably pleased that his smooth drive had paid off, “It was a really good race. We just hung in there all weekend. This team just never quits. Same thing in the car: you just can’t ever give up!” He went on to praise the hard work and consistency of the car and team, “Consistency is paying off for us for sure. We’re happy being just one step off the podium. It just shows what this team’s got.” Of his climb up the standings to an impressive P2 of over 45 cars in the Championship, he added, “If we don’t have the fastest car then we just want to score the most points we can and that’s what we’re doing.” Cars were leaving the track at regular intervals at Atlanta but none of that phased Cameron. “We thought there’d be fewer yellow flags than at Charlotte. I didn’t know what to expect. Some of it helped out with cars going off and making some passes.” Next up for Showtime is the TA Class race where the team principal will bid to follow up his 2020 win at the track in the XGT Class. Fans can catch all the action live on the SVRA and Trans Am YouTube Channels. CBS Sports Network Air Times This weekend’s races from Road Atlanta will air on CBS Sports Network the week following the event. TA/XGT/SGT/GT will air on Saturday, April 2 at 6:00 p.m. ET, while TA2 will air on Sunday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. ET. Fans can find the Franklin Road Apparel Trans Am clothing here: https://www.franklinroad.com/search/trans+am/ Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Road Apparel, at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook page: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram. About Showtime Motorsports:The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits’ racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.

Sheldon Creed Earns Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish in No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet at COTA

10th

6th

11th

“Considering everything this No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet team went through today, we finished well. We started fifth and planned to run up front all day, but it took a while to get going at the beginning of the race. We were having some brake issues, but the Whelen team did a great job addressing that during the race. It felt like once we got the brake issues figured out, we got our Chevy driving a little bit better and passed a lot of cars. Another car turned us in the final stage, and that didn’t do us any favors. We had a fast car at the end, but we needed a little bit more track position. We probably had top-five speed. It is what it is. On to next weekend.” -Sheldon Creed

Austin Hill Thrills with Second-Place Finish in the No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet

2nd

8th

6th

“Everyone at RCR did a heck of job building this No. 21 Global Industrial Chevrolet, and it means a lot to be able to show that with a second-place finish at COTA. I guess AJ Allmendinger was just a little bit better than I was, but today showed that we can run with him. We started the race eighth and we kept it clean all day. Andy Street did a really good job with the calls on pit road to gain the track position that we needed. It was a solid effort, but we’ll go back and debrief just to see where I can improve. There were certain spots that I thought AJ was better than us, but we’re still learning and we’ll get the job done next time. Thanks to everyone at Global Industrial for coming on board. I love road course racing.” -Austin Hill

March 26, 2022

Harrison Burton, aboard the No. 21 Freightliner Mustang, posted the fourth-best time in practice on Saturday at Circuit of the Americas, then qualified 19^th for Sunday’s EchoPark Texas Grand Prix.

Burton turned his best lap of practice, at 132.806 miles per hour, on the fifth of his six laps run. He followed that up with a lap at 133.263 mph in qualifying on the road course in Austin, Texas.

“I felt like we had a great practice going p4 but made some changes the car didn’t like for qualifying,” Burton said. “We just didn’t get back out in time to get another shot, but I feel like that was overall a good day and we showed some speed.”

Sunday’s 68-lap, 232-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks are set for Laps 15 and 30.
 

Wood Brothers Racing

Wood Brothers Racing was formedin 1950 in Stuart, Va., by Hall of Famer Glenn Wood. Wood Brothers Racing is the oldest active team and one of the winningest teams in NASCAR history. Since its founding, the team won 99 races (including at least one race in every decade for the last seven decades) and 120 poles in NASCAR’s top-tier series. Fielding only Ford products for its entire history, the WoodBrothers own the longest association of any motorsports team with a single manufacturer. Glenn’s brother, Leonard, is known for inventing the modern pit stop. The team currently runs the Ford Mustang driven by Harrison Burton in the famous No. 21 racer.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING NOTES MARCH 26, 2022

FOUR CAMARO ZL1’S QUALIFY IN THE TOP-10 AT COTA

TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL14th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL15th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL19th      JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1
TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Ryan Blaney (Ford)2nd     Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)3rd      Cole Custer (Ford)                                                                4th      Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)5th      Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
FOX will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas live at 3:30 p.m. ET tomorrow, Sunday, March 27. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 26, 2022

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Circuit of The Americas. Press Conference Transcript:  DANIEL, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK YOUR CHANCES ARE THIS WEEKEND HERE AT COTA? “I think our chances are pretty high. I personally love road course racing. I think everyone knows that. I think that this new car is going to level the field a lot, when it comes to road course racing as well, just like we’ve seen on the ovals. It’s going to be fun. I’m really looking forward to that.
On top of the everything, as we know, Trackhouse Racing has a lot of momentum right now on our side. So, we have to take advantage of that and have fun. I think the last time we were here, in practice and qualifying, we were pretty strong; and then we broke in the race. But I feel like we’ll have good speed, so hopefully we can show that today and tomorrow.”
THIS RACE RAN LAST YEAR IN THE RAIN AND THIS YEAR, IT’S GOING TO BE EXPECTED TO BE SUNNY. WHAT TROUBLE AREAS OF THE TRACK DO YOU EXPECT WITH THE BETTER WEATHER CONDITIONS? IS IT THE SAME WITH THE HAIRPEN ON THE BACKSTRAIGHTAWAY OR DO YOU EXPECTED SOMETHING DIFFERENT?“I don’t think we can really compare the two because it’s completely different. In the rain, it was just too unpredictable. You don’t really know what to expect, you’re just trying to go as fast as you can and stay out of the trouble. But at one point, we had too much rain. 
Tomorrow is going to be more like a regular race. I see a good race happening in the Cup Series; even better than the previous races in Cup road course races. Exactly where the action is going to be, I don’t really know. We’re going to find out in practice. But I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a great race.”
NASCAR HAS SOLD QUITE A FEW TICKETS FOR THIS WEEKEND TO FANS FROM MEXICO. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS EVENT HERE AT COTA FOR THE FUTURE OF NASCAR’S GROWTH?“It’s amazing. This is one of the few races that my friends and family can actually come from home and drive here. So, it’s amazing to have a lot of Mexican fans in the stands and in the pits. Yesterday, we went to do an event with one of my sponsors, CommScope, to a couple of schools. I got the opportunity to spend some time with them and I was impressed with the amount of kids that were speaking to me in Spanish in the schools. That’s really amazing for me. That made me feel like home. I’m looking forward to seeing some Mexican flags in the grandstands on Sunday.”
WE’VE TALKED ABOUT YOUR ROAD COURSE RACING. BEING BROUGHT UP IN ROAD COURSE RACING IN MEXICO, WHAT IS IT ABOUT ROAD COURSES THAT MAKES YOU STRONG? “Honestly, I just love road course racing. I find it fascinating. I find it fun. I find it different. I grew up racing go-karts. I never actually raced big cars on road course tracks. A little in NASCAR in Mexico, but not much. But I just enjoy it a lot. I feel that I’ve always been strong at it, but I’ve never been super strong. I have a lot of faith that this car is going to make that difference. I’m excited for that. I’m excited to find that out and see where we can do it. 
Right now, I don’t think anyone is the favorite because everything is new. Here in a couple of hours, we’re going to find out a lot about who has the speed and who doesn’t.”
WHERE DO YOU FIND THE BETTER TACOS, CALIFORNIA OR TEXAS?“I personally found a great place not too far from here. It’s very, very good. I was impressed. I went to this place the last time I was here racing something else and I was impressed with the tacos. Probably one of the best tacos I’ve had in the United States. I came back a couple of days ago and they didn’t disappoint. I remember talking to Julia that there was a lady making the tortillas right there. You know you’re in a good taco place when they have somebody just specifically making tortillas there. It was a good time. Maybe we can go tonight again.”
IT’S NOT IF TRACKHOUSE RACING WILL WIN A CUP RACE, BUT WHEN. WHEN THAT MOMENT FINALLY COMES, WHETHER IT’S FOR YOU OR ROSS (CHASTAIN), WHAT’S THAT MOMENT GOING TO BE LIKE FOR JUSTIN (MARKS)?“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. I think the wins are going to come. I personally feel like we have an amazing shot tomorrow, so hopefully we can have a good, clean race. No mistakes, no mechanical issues, and go out there and make a run for it.”
FIVE RACES INTO THIS YEAR, YOU ALREADY HAVE TWO TOP-FIVE’S AND THREE TOP-10’S. DO YOU THINK HAVING A TEAMMATE IN A SECOND CAR AT TRACKHOUSE RACING HAS HELPED OUT YOUR PERFORMANCE THIS YEAR?“I think it’s a combination of things. Definitely having a direct teammate helps. That’s part of the success. Having that information and sharing that information; knowing exactly what they’re going to do and what we’re going to do. But I think that probably the biggest improvement from last year was the people. Having our own people working towards the speed and having a lot of support from Chevrolet. I think that’s the combination. I feel very, very fortunate to be in this position. We have everything that is required to go out there and be successful. Now, it’s up to us to do the job.”

16-year-old Corey Day is Youngest Runner-Up in World of Outlaws History

BAKERSFIELD, CA – March 25, 2022 – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars returned to Bakersfield Speedway for the first time since 2018 on Friday night and offered an unpredictable share of chaos at the front and dramatic storylines at the end.

From a race-altering crash to a record-breaking run, The Greatest Show on Dirt quickly made up for four years of absent action from the California 1/3-mile.

Ultimately, Fresno’s Giovanni Scelzi topped the 35-lapper for his second victory over a span of two weeks in his home state. The KCP Racing #18 pilot used the “I’d rather be lucky than good” method to score his fifth career World of Outlaws win at 20 years old.

The kid they call Hot Sauce was running fourth early on when mayhem struck as top-three runners Spencer Bayston, David Gravel, and Rico Abreu were all collected in a turn-three crash with Sheldon Haudenschild on Lap 8. Scelzi narrowly missed joining the carnage and escaped to assume the lead, knowing he had to finish the job at that point.

“It’s one thing to be in the Dash and put yourself in the hunt, but when something that lucky happens with all three of those guys crashing you have to take advantage of it,” Scelzi said on the rare incident. “These races are hard enough to win as they are, so when you get the opportunity essentially thrown in your lap you have to seal the deal. I’m still baffled at how that happened. I’ve never had something go that far my way that quickly.”

Scelzi’s score didn’t come without an ironic challenge, though, as he was forced to battle Corey Day of Clovis, CA, who would’ve broken Giovanni’s own record for being the youngest winner in World of Outlaws history had he won. In his fourth-ever appearance and second-career start with the Series, Day timed in fourth, ran second in his Heat, made the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, and capitalized when it mattered most.

The teenage prodigy of two-time World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers officially led Lap 10 and hounded Scelzi for much of the race while battling off other champions like Brad Sweet & Donny Schatz. He ultimately finished second and joined his father Ronnie Day as a podium finisher with the Series.

At 16 years, 3 months, 27 drivers, Day became the youngest runner-up and podium finisher in the storied 45-year history of the World of Outlaws.

“It’s a dream to be here racing with the Outlaws,” Day said following a standing ovation. “My goal for the past five years or so has to one day beat Gio’s record for the youngest winner in history and this is a step in the right direction. Things definitely fell our way, but nonetheless, I think we proved we can compete with these guys tonight.”

Brad Sweet, 36, was the veteran mainstay keeping one extra young gun off the podium at Bakersfield. He charged from eight-to-third for a third-straight podium finish aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49. Albeit winless, The Big Cat has used unrivaled consistency to take over the points lead for the first time this year as he vies for a fourth consecutive World of Outlaws championship in 2022.

“These kids are getting younger and younger, yet still doing better and better,” the Grass Valley, CA native spoke on the youth movement. “It’s cool to watch this next generation develop, you know I used to be these kids up here. As far as myself, a bit disappointed.  We need to figure a few things out be it car or driver and get back to our winning ways. We avoided a lot of carnage, though, so there’s always a positive.”

Rounding out the top-five on Friday night was Lemoore, CA’s Carson Macedo in fourth-place aboard the Jason Johnson Racing, Albaugh #41, and Australia’s James McFadden with his second KSE Hard Charger Award thanks to a huge 22nd-to-fifth run in the Roth Motorsports #83.

Closing out the top-10 at Bakersfield was Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15), Cory Eliason(Rudeen Racing #26), Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S), Kerry Madsen (Roth Motorsports #83JR), and Jacob Allen (Shark Racing #1A).

Beyond the top-10, Spencer Bayston (16th), Rico Abreu (17th), and David Gravel (23rd) went from battling for the win to battling to make it out of the work area following their early-race crash. It was a heartbreak for all involved.

“I didn’t see how it started, but I was already committed and it was just too late,” Bayston, who was leading, said afterward. “You always think you could’ve done something different, but I don’t know if we could have avoided that. It’s just a bummer. One of these front-row starting spots is gonna pay off. We’re doing our part, that win is coming soon.”

“That’s the harsh reality of the World of Outlaws, really racing in general,” Gravel noted. “We just had nowhere to go. We’re really fast. I truly believe we’re the fastest car on tour right now. We’re doing our job, we’ve just been stuck with these two unfortunate events in a row. We’ll come back tomorrow just as prepared and keep fighting. It’s a long year.”

NOS NOTEBOOK (Bakersfield Speedway, 3/25/22)

Giovanni Scelzi’s fifth-career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory brings him to 61st on the All-Time Win List alongside Danny Wood, Johnny Anderson, Brian Paulus, Brad Furr, Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, and Christopher Bell.

Scelzi (20) and Day (16) made up the youngest 1-2 finish in World of Outlaws history. Any victory for Corey prior to September 18 would break Giovanni’s record (16 years, 10 months, 0 days) as the youngest winner in Series history.

Although not full-time members, Scelzi & KCP Racing are now tied for the most wins (2), have led the most laps (55), and currently sit sixth in the points (-74). Without platinum status, they forgo perks such as incentives, tow money, and points fund, while skipping a handful of races throughout the year.

California natives Chase Johnson (Penngrove) and D.J. Netto (Hanford) qualified for their first NOS Energy Drink Features of the 2022 season at Bakersfield.

David Gravel earned his 91st career Slick Woody’s QuickTime Award and second of the season by circling Bakersfield in 10.754 seconds. Gravel, Scelzi & Abreu also won NOS Energy Drink Heat Races. Bayston topped the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to claim his second pole position of 2022.

UP NEXT (Sat) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will conclude a five-race swing through California tomorrow on Saturday, March 26 with the SoCal Showdown at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, CA. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps) – 1. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [3][$10,000]; 2. 14-Corey Day [6][$6,000]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [8][$3,500]; 4. 41-Carson Macedo [9][$2,800]; 5. 83-James McFadden [22][$2,500]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [12][$2,300]; 7. 26-Cory Eliason [11][$2,200]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10][$2,100]; 9. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [13][$2,050]; 10. 1A-Jacob Allen [5][$2,000]; 11. 17W-Shane Golobic [18][$1,600]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7][$1,400]; 13. 41S-Dominic Scelzi [17][$1,200]; 14. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [14][$1,100]; 15. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [20][$1,050]; 16. 5-Spencer Bayston [1][$1,000]; 17. 24-Rico Abreu [4][$1,000]; 18. 20G-Noah Gass [21][$1,000]; 19. 88-Austin McCarl [15][$1,000]; 20. 19AZ-Tanner Thorson [16][$1,000]; 21. 21-Mitchell Faccinto [19][$1,000]; 22. 24X-Chase Johnson [24][$1,000]; 23. 2-David Gravel [2][$1,000]; 24. 88N-DJ Netto [23][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Spencer Bayston 1-8; Giovanni Scelzi 9, 11-35; Corey Day 10. KSE Hard Charger Award: 83-James McFadden[+17]

NEW Championship Standings (After 9/85 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (1,258); 2. Carson Macedo (-22); 3. David Gravel (-30); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-44); 5. James McFadden (-62); 6. Giovanni Scelzi (-74); 7. Donny Schatz (-88); 8. Logan Schuchart (-88); 9. Cory Eliason (-96); 10. Spencer Bayston (-140).

Dennis Erb Jr. Takes Over Series Points Lead after Seven Races

GAFFNEY, SC – March 25, 2022 – March is known for magical upsets, especially in College Basketball. Michael Brown decided to bring that magic to the racetrack Friday night at Cherokee Speedway. 

The Lancaster, SC driver seized an opportunity in traffic, muscling under Ryan Gustin and holding on for his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Late Model Series win.

Brown’s triumph was a moment he dreamed of that finally became a reality, bringing his home state fans to their feet. 

“I’ve always dreamed of doing this,” Brown said. “It’s a surreal moment. I got to thank everybody that’s behind me to get me here. It’s awesome and I’m damn sure going to enjoy it.” 

“Downtown” celebrated as though a weight came off his shoulders in Victory Lane. He quickly climbed to the roof of his car, checkered flag in hand, fist-pumping the air with authority as confetti blew through the Carolina sky. 

Brown’s knowledge of Cherokee’s red clay surface played a role in earning that celebration. After Gustin moved past Max Blair in traffic, Brown saw an opening on the inside where he dove under “The Reaper” to take the lead in Turn 2. 

The South Carolinian wasn’t challenged again, adding $10,000 to his bank account.

While the victory is Brown’s first World of Outlaws triumph, it’s his second career Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series win, his first coming in December 2020 at Lavonia Speedway. 

Brown’s win continues a year of celebration in 2022. It’s his first trip to Victory Lane since adding a new chapter to his life. 

“The first race as a dad to get a win, it’s pretty badass,” Brown said. 

While Brown celebrated the thrill of victory for the first time, he snatched it away from “The Reaper.”

Ryan Gustin crossed the line second, his first top-five of 2022. Once again, a World of Outlaws Victory Lane trip eluded the Marshalltown, IA driver who led a few laps before Brown snuck underneath him.

Despite letting the win slip away, Gustin is confident in his chances to find Victory Lane before the weekend is over. 

“I slipped up a little bit and let him get under me,” Gustin said. “Anytime you can run good on the first night always boosts the confidence up heading into the final night.” 

Pole-sitter Max Blair, the rookie of the race, finished third.  It’s the Centerville, PA driver’s second consecutive top-five. 

Blair also extended his lead in the battle for Rookie of the Year—20 points ahead of Tanner English, who finished eighth. He felt his lack of experience on a red clay surface hurt his chances of finding World of Outlaws Victory Lane for the fourth time. 

“This isn’t something I’ve raced on much,” Blair said. “I just didn’t really know what to do with those lap cars and obviously made the wrong choice.”

Dennis Erb Jr. finished fourth, his third top-five of the season. The Carpentersville, IL driver leads the World of Outlaws points standings after seven races—18 points ahead of defending champion Brandon Sheppard, who finished sixth. 

Erb stated he was happy to keep his consistency rolling in the early part of the season.

“To move up a couple of spots and finish fourth is a good night for us,” Erb said. “I was hoping we could get a few more spots, but we just fell in line, and that was about all we had.”

Daulton Wilson, from Fayetteville, NC, rounded out the top five.  

In one of the oddest Feature finishes of the season for the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series regulars, the chase for the 2021-22 Series crown tightened by a single point.

Points leader Ben Watkins took a 16-point advantage into the Feature, lining up 12th on the starting grid – directly behind the man chasing him down for the title, Ross Bailes. The two held their general positions in the pack through the first half of the race; Bailes riding 8th and Watkins in 9th just after halfway. That’s when things got interesting.

Under caution with 28 laps complete, Bailes suddenly ducked down pit road for what eventually became an extended stop. The crew found a loose axle cap with the rear axle coming out and were forced to repair it, forcing them down a lap to the field once Bailes returned to the track.

Back inside the top-10, Watkins had moved up to seventh and looked promising to bag the solid finish and vital championship points. But with three laps remaining, the rear-end gave out on his Sandwood Racing #16W as he slowed down the backstretch and pulled off the track in Turn 4.

Watkins was scored as a DNF in 22nd position, Bailes one lap down in 21st. That one spot in the finishing order equates to a single-point difference in the standings, putting Bailes only 15 points back of Watkins with one race left to decide the champion.

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models and Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series return to Cherokee Speedway on Saturday, March 26, for night two of the Rock Gault Memorial. For Tickets: CLICK HERE.

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

(3/25/22 – Alex Nieten) Sacramento, CA … Less than two weeks remain before the historic NARC Fujitsu General USA Sprint Cars embark on their 63rd season, and an interesting silly season coupled with the largest schedule in many years have created many storylines to follow throughout 2022.

The Schedule

With 25 races on the calendar, NARC is set for its most events since 2007. The series will travel to 13 tracks across the three West Coast states, California, Oregon, and Washington.

The farthest southern point on the schedule is Bakersfield’s Kern County Raceway Park, and the most northern point nearly reaches the Canadian border at Alger, Washington’sSkagit Speedway. Between those two facilities are nearly 1100 miles, and NARC will travel all around that space from the April 2nd season opener at Stockton Dirt Track to the finale on November 5th also hosted by Stockton.

The trips to the Pacific Northwest will be the first for the series in a decade, the most recent visit being a 2012 race at Southern Oregon Speedway won by Tim Kaeding.

Championship Hangover?

Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi is coming off what he’s commonly referred to as a “dream season” in 2021 that he punctuated with his first NARC title. The 24-year-old delivered one of the most dominant seasons in series history and had the championship wrapped up before the final event of the year. Scelzi will look to defend his crown in 2022.

A key element to his title campaign will also return as Jimmy Carr enters his third year with Scelzi Motorsports. Scelzi credits Carr for elevating his performance to new heights as the reigning champ nearly doubled his career sprint car win tally last year, adding 22 triumphs to his pre-2021 count of 27.

In NARC competition, Scelzi has won at seven of the 13 tracks featured on the 2022 schedule, but he hasn’t had an opportunity to make a series start at a handful of the tracks due to the recent absence of the Pacific Northwest dates that have returned. Scelzi owns some 360 starts at the Oregon and Washington facilities including two wins in three nights at last year’s Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway.

Back to the Top?

The 2019 champion, D.J. Netto, slipped slightly in performance in 2021, coming home second in points with a victory, nine top-fives and 16 top-10s.

Though the Hanford native is scaling back his racing calendar as his responsibility at the family business increases, Netto still intends to take on the full NARC tour in search of title number two.

Netto has become one of the most consistent forces of the NARC roster over the past several years, earning top-10s in more than 85% of his series starts since the beginning of 2016. After the runner-up finish last year, the 26-year-old is motivated to get back to the top of the standings and claim a second championship.

Brotherly Battles

Last year brothers Tim Kaeding and Bud Kaeding finished up third and fourth in the final standings, and the duo hope to occupy the top two slots in 2022.

Two-time series champion Tim returns to the seat of the Bates-Hamilton Racing No. 42X. TK picked up a pair of victories, the 70th and 71st of his career, last season aboard the machine and narrowly missed the runner-up spot in the standings. The West Coast legend put together the longest streak of top-10s in 2021, stacking 11 straight from July to October.

Between NARC and World of Outlaws starts, Tim may have the advantage over the field on the two northern swings with many more laps in a 410 around the Pacific Northwest ovals. He already owns series victories at both Southern Oregon Speedway and Cottage Grove Speedway. Bud Kaeding and Tim Kaeding with both be championship contenders in 2022![/caption]

Early on in 2021, younger brother Bud looked like he might match Tim’s title count of two. After finishing seventh in the season opener, BK collected five consecutive top-fives highlighted by a pair of runner-ups at Petaluma and Watsonville. The hot streak gave him the points lead, but a crash at the Howard Kaeding Classic began to derail the season. Bud consistently finished in the top-10 through the second half of the year, but he and the BK Racing team couldn’t find the speed they had early on.

Bud will be back aboard his family’s iconic No. 69 BK Racing machine for 2022. With plenty of experience and victories on the West Coast, Bud is always a favorite for the championship.

The Faccinto brother’s, Mitchell and Michael, are both set to tackle the full season for the first time. The duo shook up silly season with announcements revealing that Mitchell would head to Tarlton Motorsports to wheel the No. 21 with Michael handling driving duties on the Mike Phulps owned No. 56.

Though they’re brothers and a similar age, their racing histories with NARC are quite different. Mitchell owns 90 career series starts since debuting in 2013 and has earned top-10s in over half of them along with three victories. Michael, a micro and midget ace, only has two series starts to his credit, though he has spent considerable time behind the wheel of a 360-sprint car over the past few years.

Oddly enough, Michael has made one more NARC start than Mitchell in their current rides. Mitchell is set to debut with Tarlton while Michael’s lone 2021 appearance came aboard Phulps’ machine.

Same Faces, New Places

At Petaluma Speedway in May of last year, 15-year-old Joel Myers Jr. made his presence felt with his first series podium. The top-three came in just his second career NARC start and aboard his family-owned ride. He went on to compete in 16 of the 21 features and picked up four more top-10s along the way.

This season, the rising talent has been hired to wheel the Vertullo Motorsports No. 83V, and they have prioritized the NARC campaign.Joel Myers Jr. will be looking to score his first ever NARC feature victory aboard David Vertullo’s #83V sprint car. Photo by Joe Shivak[/caption]

The Vertullo ride has helped produced some of the sport’s best with names like Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet and Chuck Gurney getting behind the wheel early in their careers, and Myers Jr. is looking to add his name to the list.

After not completing a full NARC season in a handful of years, Vertullo returned in 2021 with veteran Sean Becker as his pilot and earned the fifth position in points. The pairing picked up a popular win last summer in the Howard Kaeding Classic.

With the knowledge of the impressive list of names to precede him in the 83V, Myers Jr. is filled with excitement to take his turn and potentially become the youngest champion in series history.

NARC’s second winningest driver of 2021, Justin Sanders, is heading to Mittry Racing to pilot the No. 2. Last year the Aromas native began the tour aboard Larry Antaya’s car and picked up an early win at Petaluma. Sanders sat out a double-header weekend in July but came back in a new ride for the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports.

Sanders hopped in the Kevin Kozlowski-owned and Paul Silva-prepared Works Limited No. 57 and won in his debut in the car at Merced. The partnership went on to claim four of the final 12 races of the season as Sanders nearly doubled his career NARC win total, jumping to 11 after starting the year with six.

Sanders wrapped up his 2021 by turning some impressive results in the Mittry machine. The team traveled to Arizona for four ASCS regional events and came away with podiums in three of them. Sanders has already won in his new ride this year in Silver Dollar Speedway’s season opening 360 sprint car race, the Silver Cup.

Sophomore Slump or Success?

After having made only nine NARC starts over three years prior to 2021, Billy Aton followed the entire tour last year and came home with rookie of the year honors after finishing sixth in points. He’ll be back this season with hopes of improving a few spots in the standings.

The highlight of Aton’s campaign came in July at Santa Maria Raceway when he started on the pole and led all 30 laps en route to his inaugural NARC victory in his 18th series start.

Last season, Aton continually proved his ability to move forward in the main event, passing more than 100 cars in the feature over the course of the season. However, he struggled in qualifying which often left him starting near the back in the A-main, necessitating a charge through the field.

Aton and the team are prioritizing a better qualifying program this year, hoping for better starting spots on the feature grid leading to more finishes toward the front.

Taking Another Swing

Savvy veteran Willie Croft intends to tackle the entire NARC tour with his sights on his first title. The Colfax native has competed over the full schedule five times before with a best result of third in the standings back in 2007.

Croft has been one of the most consistent forces over his roughly two decades of wheeling sprint cars, having tallied eight victories, more than 50 top-fives, and over 100 top-10s with the West Coast’s premier 410 series.

Mega Watts

The pilot of his family-owned Billet America No. 98, Sean Watts, plans to take on the entire NARC schedule again.

The 26-year-old has collected 15 top-10s with the series in his career, highlighted by a 2019 win at Stockton, a facility with four dates on the 2022 NARC calendar.

Regulars

A handful of talented West Coast drivers plan to attend a majority of the NARC tour and are likely to pick up plenty of strong results when they do.

Fremont’s Shane Golobic tentatively plans to race all but one of the 25 scheduled events, the lone absence being the July Petaluma date. He’s the owner of 13 career series wins and always a threat to park the Matt Wood Racing machine in victory lane. Though he missed a few events last season, Golobic still managed to notch the second most podiums and top-fives.

Northern California will have a frequent visitor from down under this year in the form of Kerry Madsen. The 28-time World of Outlaws feature winner has partnered with Roth Motorsports to run a schedule consisting of a blend of West Coast and Midwest races. Turning the wrenches on the No. 83 will be fellow Australian Paul Baines, and with the Toyota Racing Development engine under the hood they plan to compete in nearly 20 NARC events.  Another Australian, Jessie Attard, is in the process of loading his racing equipment into a shipping container for the journey to the Golden State.  He plans to race a majority of the NARC schedule.

Two-time NARC feature winner, Colby Copeland, will be back aboard the Larry Antaya No. 16A for his appearances this season, the same car he drove to those two victories. Last season, driving mostly for a joint effort between Jim and Annette Vanlare and Antaya, Copeland made seven series starts with top-10s in all of them, the highlight being four straight finishes of 8th or better in the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports resulting in a runner-up in FFDM points.

Keller Motorsports pilot, J.J. Ringo, will contest over half of the schedule. The 32-year-old is shifting his focus toward 410 racing and will double his career start total with NARC this season. Last year, Ringo earned his first series podium after a resilient night at Santa Maria Raceway.

The Carrick brothers hope to frequent NARC events this season. Both Tanner and Blake have made many appearances in the top-10 but are still seeking their first series victories. With more 410 engines in their shop and more 410 races on the schedule, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them both collect their inaugural NARC wins. Last year Tanner picked up his first career NARC podium at the Howard Kaeding Classic, and that same night Blake notched his best series finish to date by running fourth.  Iowa driver Austin McCarl will also race about half the NARC schedule aboard the Keith Offill 88 sprint car.  He will be looking for his first NARC victory.

Iowa driver Austin McCarl plans to drive Keith Offill’s number 88 sprint car around the West Coast before embarking on a swing through the Midwest.  He is still looking for his first NARC victory in California.

Last year’s 11th place finisher in the standings, Geoffrey Strole, plans to compete in a solid amount of NARC races. The highlight of his 2021 season came in July at The Thunderbowl when he drove from 18th to 10th to claim both his first top-10 of the season and Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger award.

Trying Something New
After making a name for himself piling up ASCS regional trophies over the past several years, Logan Forler is diving more into 410 racing by making an attempt at a NARC title this year.
The Idaho driver hasn’t contested a NARC race since 2014, but he’ll change that in a big way in 2022 by tackling all 25 events. In five career series starts Forler has earned two top-fives, one at Southern Oregon Speedway and one at Placerville Speedway.
A more common sight at NARC events in 2022 will be Chase Johnson. After not competing in a single race last year, the two-time NARC feature winner plans to run more than half of this season’s schedule. Johnson has many wingless and midget wins on his resumé, and the versatile driver will look to tally a few more with a wing this year.

Let’s Go Racing

The many storylines entering 2022 have been laid out, and now the only thing left to do is watch how they unfold over the course of seven months and 25 races.

For the full schedule, visit Schedule – King of the West NARC Sprints (narc410.com). If you can’t make it to the track, all NARC Fujitsu General USA Sprint Car Series races can be viewed live on floracing.com.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS AUSTIN, TEXAS MARCH 27, 2022 RACE #6 – CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICASAll three of NASCAR’s national series will head to Austin, Texas, this weekend, where Circuit of The Americas (COTA) will be the host of the first road course event of the 2022 season. NASCAR made its historic debut at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn Texas road course in 2021, where Chevrolet picked up its milestone 800th all-time NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win. NASCAR’s return to COTA features the 68-lap NCS EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 27. For the second consecutive weekend, Saturday’s on-track action will include a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) doubleheader.  Saturday’s doubleheader kicks off with the Chevrolet Silverado drivers taking on the NCWTS XPEL 225 at 1 p.m. ET on FS1. The 42-lap/143.22 mile races marks the fourth race on the series’ 23-race schedule. The Silverado made its mark in the series debut at the Texas road course last season, capturing seven of the top-eight finishing positions. Joining the NCWTS field this weekend is Team Chevy NCS driver, Alex Bowman, who will make just his third-career start in the series behind the wheel of the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado. Bowman’s last appearance in the NCWTS was back in 2017 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Rounding out Saturday’s doubleheader will be NXS Pit Boss 250 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. Last year’s inaugural NXS race at COTA saw the Camaro SS take two of the top-five, and five of the top-10, with road course standout AJ Allmendinger leading the bowtie brigade with a runner-up finish. Heading into the series’ sixth race on the season, Chevrolet continues to sit on top of the NXS driver and manufacturer points standings, scoring 2 wins, 16 top-five’s and 34 top-10’s thus far this season. After making his 2022 debut in the NCWTS last weekend, Team Chevy NCS regular Ross Chastain looks to make his 2022 NXS debut this weekend at COTA, piloting the No. 92 DGM Racing Camaro SS. In his 192 career starts in the series, Chastain has recorded 2 wins, 21 top-five’s and 47 top-10’s.  The NASCAR Cup Series will conclude the highly-anticipated race weekend with the 68-lap/231.88 mile EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. The 2021 race saw Chevrolet go 1-2 in the rain-shortened event, with Chase Elliott and his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team prevailing to capture their first victory of the 2021 season. Chevrolet’s unprecedented NCS 800th victory was also celebrated by an impressive four of the top-five of the final running order.  HISTORY MADE IN TEXASCircuit of The Americas holds a special place in Chevrolet’s history in NASCAR, as the bowtie brand captured its monumental 800th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory after Chase Elliott made his way to victory lane in the inaugural EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix in 2021. The special win also gave Hendrick Motorsports its 268th NCS victory, which tied Petty Enterprises’ all-time win record. The organization went on to break the all-time win record the following weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, making Hendrick Motorsports the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history, a title that still stands today with now 283 all-time NCS wins.  Chevrolet’s rich heritage in NASCAR competition began when Fonty Flock claimed the victory on March 26, 1955, at Columbia Raceway in Columbia, South Carolina in his ’55 Chevy. Chevrolet continues to pace the field with 40 NCS Manufacturer Championships; 33 NCS Driver Championships; and 817 all-time race wins in the series making the brand the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR.  MAKE IT THREE FOR THE CAMARO ZL1William Byron and the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team claimed their first victory of the 2022 season last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The 24-year-old Chevrolet driver claimed the Stage One win – his second stage win of the year – and went on to lead a race-high 111 laps at the 1.54-mile reprofiled Georgia oval. The feat marks the third win in just five points-paying races for the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, the most of any manufacturer. Heading into the sixth race of the season, Chevrolet remains atop the driver and manufacturer points standings, with Chase Elliott taking over the top spot, seven points ahead of second-place.   The 325-lap race also marked the third time this year that Chevrolet has come home with four of the top-five and six of the top-10 finishing positions. Ross Chastain and the No. 1 Trackhouse Racing team posted their second-consecutive runner-up finish. The Florida native led 42 laps, battling back from a blown tire while leading, to claim his third top-five finish on the season. Chastain’s teammate, Daniel Suarez, took the checkered flags in the fourth position, making it the first time that Trackhouse Racing has placed both cars in the top-five. Corey LaJoie drove the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1 to a career-best fifth place finish to round out the Team Chevy top-five.  Byron’s victory made him the fifth different driver to win in the NASCAR Cup Series thus far this season. Joining Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman on the 2022 win list, three different Chevrolet drivers have now secured their spots into the 16-driver NCS Playoff field. The victory propelled Byron up through the standings to the fourth-spot, just 21-points behind the leader, Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott.  KING OF THE ROAD COURSESThe 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season saw a record-high seven road course races on the series 36-race schedule. The bowtie brand showed its strength on road course circuits, powering its way to victory lane in six of those seven races among three Chevrolet drivers: Chase Elliott (COTA and Road America); Kyle Larson (Sonoma, Watkins Glen and Charlotte ROVAL); and AJ Allmendinger (Indianapolis Road Course).  BOWTIE BULLETS·       Heading into the COTA race weekend, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers in NASCAR Cup Series wins (3), top-five’s (14), top-10’s (22), stage wins (6) and laps led (614). 
·       In the seven road course events on the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series schedule, Chevrolet captured the victory in six of those races. 
·       Chevrolet driver, Chase Elliott, is no stranger to success on road course circuits. Elliott has recorded seven road course victories in his NASCAR Cup Series career, ranking him third on the NCS all-time road course wins list behind NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon (nine wins) and Tony Stewart (eight wins). 
·       Notable road course master, AJ Allmendinger, scored a fifth-place finish in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series race at COTA in just his fifth-career start in the series. Allmendinger later went on to win the NCS debut on the Indianapolis Road Course in August 2021, his second-career NCS victory and the first in the series for Kaulig Racing. 
·       Reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson, scored his first-career road course victory in 2021 (Sonoma Raceway). The 29-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver went on to add two more road course victories to his resume, including Watkins Glen International and the Charlotte ROVAL, making him the first driver in the series history to win at three different road courses in a single season. 
·       Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1, captured his first-career NASCAR Cup Series pole at the 2021 COTA race, setting the qualifying record at 91.363 mph (132.911 seconds).  
·       Four Team Chevy drivers have combined for six NASCAR Cup Series stage wins: Tyler Reddick 2 – (Fontanax2)Alex Bowman 1 – (Las Vegas)Ross Chastain 1 – (Las Vegas)William Byron 2 – (Phoenix)(Atlanta) 
·       Chevrolet leads in the driver point standing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chase Elliott leads in the NCS standings by seven points and Noah Gragson leads in the NXS standings by 19 points. The bowtie brand also sits atop both the NCS and NXS manufacturer points standings. 
·       Trackhouse Racing placed both of their Camaro ZL1 entries in the top-five at Atlanta Motor Speedway, making it the first time in the organization’s history to do so. Ross Chastain recorded his second-consecutive runner-up finish, while teammate Daniel Suarez posted a fourth-place finish.  
·       A.J. Allmendinger is the only NASCAR Xfinity Series driver to have top-10 finishes in all five events this season thus far. The Chevrolet driver also has the best average finish of all full-time NXS drivers (5.6). 
·       With its 40 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships; 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships; and 817 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet holds the title of winningest brand in NASCAR.
TUNE INFOX will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 27. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250 at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 26. Live coverage of both events can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series XPEL 225 at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 26. Live coverage of the 42-lap/143.22 mile event can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  QUOTABLE QUOTESAUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BENNETT CAMARO ZL1LAST YEAR, YOU JUMPED INTO THE UNKNOWN AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS DOWN IN AUSTIN, TEXAS. WHAT DID YOU LEARN LAST YEAR THAT YOU CAN CARRY OVER TO THIS YEAR? “I would love to have a race at Circuit of the Americas in better conditions because last year was a monsoon. We want to see the track in regular racing conditions because if it does rain, it definitely changes the line a bit. There’s a wet line and a dry line. It was good to experience that, but I wouldn’t want to do it all the time. I think the new NextGen car is built for much better racing in the rain, but I don’t think there’s supposed to be any kind of race in that kind of condition. That was a bit aggressive, as we learned. I’m just excited to get back to the track. Tyler Reddick and I put in some time there in the offseason, which has us pumped for this weekend. We won an endurance race there this year, which was awesome.” YOU DID SOME ROAD COURSE RACING AT COTA DURING THE OFF SEASON WITH TYLER REDDICK AND KAZ GRALA. WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?  “It was pretty awesome. We won both days. There were 98 cars there, and 40 were in our class. I felt like we went down there and needed to win. We had the best driver lineup, and we were able to get the job done. It was a great experience for when we go to COTA, and just learning more about road course racing. We did a lot of passing during the race, so it was good. I think we all started to gain some different knowledge about the track, and different areas you can run to try and find speed. Laps are laps. You can’t beat getting that experience.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1LARSON ON THE DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND AT COTA: “It will be like a new track for us. Last year, I felt like it was dry for only a couple laps during the entire weekend. We’re definitely looking forward to it because the Hendrick Motorsports road course program has been strong.” LARSON ON THE FIRST ROAD COURSE RACE FOR THE NEXT GEN CAR: “I drove it in a test the day after the (Charlotte) ROVAL (race). It was good to have an immediate comparison between the two generations of cars, but a lot of changes and updates (to the car) have occurred since then.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1DANIELS ON RETURNING TO COTA: “The entire field had only two laps in dry conditions last year, and that was during qualifying. We don’t have many data points to draw from. We will be able to pull a little from the ROVAL, but so much has changed since then. The general characteristics of the car haven’t really changed, but physical parts, pieces, components and rules are way different.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 COTA IS THE PLACE WHERE YOU WON YOUR FIRST CUP SERIES CAREER POLE AWARD AND IT WAS THE FIRST-EVER RACE AT THE AUSTIN, TEXAS, TRACK. CAN YOU IMPLEMENT ANYTHING FROM LAST SEASON’S RACE TO THIS WEEKEND AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE MOMENTUM ON YOUR SIDE? “COTA is a huge weekend for all of us on the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro team. With a road course as diverse as COTA, you really have to bring your a-game. It’s exciting to come back to the place where I won my first pole, you don’t forget that and it’s definitely special. Especially with not having practice and qualifying most weekends last season, it was cool to be one of the guys that went out there and won the pole. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race and adding another one for our team. Last year’s race was rough with the rain and it’s looking like we’re going to have good weather this weekend so that’s a gamechanger. I think with the new car and no rain, you’re going to see different racing. I’m pumped for it; we’ve spent a lot of time working on our road course program and this is our chance to put it all to the test with the Next Gen car. With only having 20 minutes to acclimate to the new Next Gen car on the racetrack, every minute on track will be crucial. I feel very good about where we are as a team and how well the performance of our cars have been. This will certainly be a race that will test every aspect of the team and the driver. With that, we have a lot of excitement, and we are ready to take on the challenge head-on. I’m excited for it, we could use a good result after last weekend at Atlanta.” DURING THE OFF SEASON, YOU VISITED COTA WITH AUSTIN DILLON AND KAZ GRALA FOR A RACE. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE AND WILL IT HELP YOU AT ALL THIS WEEKEND?“Racing at COTA during the offseason was really cool. We were running an endurance race and there were almost 100 cars there and 40 were in our class. We ended up winning both days. That’s exactly what we went down there to do; to win. With the lineup that we had of myself, my teammate Austin and Kaz, we knew we could compete and go for the win. It was awesome to be a part of and a great way of having extra experience at COTA. It was a way to learn more about the track and road-course racing in general. It was a completely different experience than when we were there for the race because of weather, and I was able to take some good notes home with me.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1ELLIOTT ON RACING AT COTA WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR: “COTA is our first road course race with this car. I don’t think anybody has really driven it a lot on road courses. We had the test at Charlotte there early on, but it seemed like every team was kind of rotating drivers through. So I don’t think any of us got a ton of time with it, but you know these cars, really a lot of the design pieces come from a road race background – some of the things they (NASCAR) see on the IMSA side of things. I really think they’re probably going to suit road racing well. I think they’ll be fine, and I don’t know that the race will look a ton different, honestly. I think the cars will drive fine. Certainly, getting used to those small things that are going to be a little bit different and the shifting and the brakes (will be important). Just how they act at some of those different style of corners. I think it will be fine.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1GUSTAFSON ON THE FIRST ROAD COURSE RACE WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR: “I’m excited to do it. I personally didn’t go over to Charlotte (to the test). We were in the middle of a championship battle, so we were focused on that. This will be my first time to work with the car at a road course and start that process. There are certainly a lot of unknowns and a lot of things that we’ve got to understand and adapt. And even from the ROVAL test, the cars and configurations have changed from then, so, yeah, a lot to learn. It’s exciting. This car, on paper, is really well suited to perform at a road course, so I think it will be a lot of fun. The car should be really good and it should be very competitive. We’ll do our best to get as much of an advantage as possible. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve always loved road racing, and it’s a fun challenge. COTA is a great track. It’s got everything. It has fast corners and slow corners and long, sweeping corners, and quick transition corners, and braking zones and elevation changes. The track has every component you could imagine, so it makes it a lot of fun to go out there and race.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1“We had a really good weekend as a team last year at COTA, so I’m looking forward to keeping the momentum going that we have in the Xfinity Series and then going out and doing it again on Sunday in the Cup Series. With the Next Gen car, I think the braking will be the biggest difference compared to last year. I think we will be able to be more aggressive and reach peak-brake distance getting into the corners. The physicality of the race car will be increased as well – that’s something that makes racing more enjoyable for me, especially at a place like COTA where there’s so many different types of corners, whether you are at high speeds, or more aggressive with the brakes. I always have a little more confidence at these types of tracks, and if we are at our best, I believe we can go contend with the best teams out there. As a team, our goal is to go out and make the best of the day.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1BYRON ON WHAT HIS ATLANTA WIN MEANS TO HIM: “This one was a tough win to get. It was really a hybrid between Daytona and a mile-and-a-half. We had to make a lot of adjustments going into Sunday, and I’m really proud of my team to improve on what we had in practice by a significant amount to allow us to be competitive. It’s great to get a win so early, in just the fifth race of the season. With this new car you don’t what can happen, and it’s nice to have that win already. Now we can really be aggressive.” BYRON ON HIS THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEKEND AT THE CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS:  “I think it’s going to be crazy. You talk about last year and we were really good in practice in the rain. Unfortunately, we got damage in the race and had a hard time coming back from it. I think this year is going to be a totally different beast. In terms of the No. 24 team, I think we’ve had really good speed on the road courses, but we haven’t’ gotten the win yet at that kind of track. We need to work hard this weekend and hopefully by Sunday we have a good idea of what we have and we can compete for that win. I’m excited for it. I don’t think it will be as unpredictable as last year, but at the same time it’s the first time on a road course with the Next Gen car in competition. It will be a good challenge.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1FUGLE ON WHAT THE ATLANTA WIN MEANS FOR THE TEAM: “The win at Atlanta was huge. To be able to get a win so early in the season, it not only is an extra boost of confidence, but it opens up the door for what we can do in races moving forward. Last year we won early and were consistent, but we didn’t capitalize on wins or playoff points. This year, we’re looking to change that. With one win already, we can now be aggressive and chase those playoff points to put us in a better position in the playoffs.” FUGLE ON HIS APPROACH FOR THIS WEEKEND AT COTA:“This weekend should be interesting to say the least, and a bit of a question mark to be honest. There’s not many notes from last year that can correlate to this weekend with the way the weather is looking right now. Last year we had nothing but rain. This weekend looks warm and sunny. It’s definitely going to take a few laps to get adjusted. With such limited time in practice, too, this year, the hope is to get a couple clean laps in the session to give us an idea of what adjustments to make for not only qualifying but for the race on Sunday. It’s going to be a learning curve for sure though.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“I’m very excited to get the Next Gen car to our first road course of the year. We had a successful test over the off season at the ROVAL, so I’m looking forward to our first actual road-course race of the season. COTA was one of our better tracks last year at Kaulig Racing, and I’ve had some really good runs there in all the series I’ve raced in. We have a little bit of momentum on this No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection team and some good finishes so far. Hopefully we can capitalize on our strengths this weekend.” TY DILLON, NO. 42 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF TRACK TO RACE ON? “Categorically, I would say road courses are my favorite. The unique challenge of turning left and right, going up and down hills. There are so many things that you have to think through during a road course race from an approach standpoint. I’m looking forward to getting the first road course under our belt with this brand-new car. Every race has had a massive learning curve and it’s about building a notebook for the next race and the next thing you get to do. To break through at COTA is going to be a lot of fun for all of us.” THE WEATHER LAST SEASON WAS CHALLENGING. EVEN DESPITE THOSE CONDITIONS, YOU WERE ABLE TO MOVE YOURSELF FORWARD. WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR THIS SEASON GOING BACK FOR A SECOND TIME? “I learned a lot last season and probably learned the most in the last 15 or 20 laps there in the rain. We were able to get up through the field better at that point, but we had some mechanical issues on the No. 96 car where I think we could have finished inside the top-15 if not better in that race. I’m looking forward to going back – rain or shine. We are all on a pretty equal playing field going into this weekend. I’ve been putting in the hours preparing for this race for weeks now, so I’m really focused on having a great race in COTA to start the road course side of our sport with the Next Gen car in a really positive direction and creating an advantage there.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 WE ARE GOING ROAD COURSE RACING FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON WITH THE NEXT GEN CAR. YOU FINISHED 16TH AT COTA LAST YEAR. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON GOING BACK THERE AND THE FIRST ROAD COURSE RACE WITH THIS CAR? “Well, I think our weather is going to be substantially better than what we had last year. I’m looking forward to that part. I don’t really feel like I got a good read on the racetrack last year. I was racing in the rain and didn’t have a sense of what the track was like. I’m looking forward to getting back in the dry and really getting a feel for it. The Next Gen car is really suited well for road courses. I was at the Charlotte Roval test at the end of last year and it went really well. It’s going to be a way different style of racing with this car than what we had with the previous car, so you are going to push a lot harder and run quicker through the whole run. Excited to see how it really handles. Hopefully, we have a strong car again.” CHEVROLET TEAMS SEEM TO BE WORKING TOGETHER BETTER THAN OTHER MANUFACTURERS. ARE YOU SEEING THIS COLLABORATION AND IS YOUR TEAM GETTING SOME OF THAT INFORMATION? “Chevrolets have definitely been fast here to start the season and we’ve been getting some good help from them as we look to make our cars better. There is just so much to learn with this car. There are so many things that we just don’t know about it, and we are all trying to learn as fast as we can. We are trying to figure out what this car likes, what it wants from a setup and adjustments, what makes it tick. Chevrolet has been doing a good job of milling through that and figuring out what does make this car happy. We have been able to lean on some of that information to help our car and hopefully help the other teams as well. I’ve been looking forward to working with them. This is my second year with Chevrolet, and it’s been a good partnership to this point. I’ve enjoyed getting to learn them, getting to know their race cars, and hopefully getting to Victory Lane with them this year.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1BOWMAN ON DRIVING IN THE TRUCK SERIES AHEAD OF THE CUP SERIES RACE: “I am excited to have an opportunity to drive the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Silverado for Spire Motorsports ahead of Sunday’s race. I think any time you can get behind the wheel of a different race car and make laps, it only makes you a better driver. I like putting myself in uncomfortable situations so when I get into my Cup car, I am more relaxed and see things a little bit slower. The ability to slow the race down helps me make better decisions in the moment and ultimately be more competitive and race for more wins.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1IVES ON HIS EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY’S RACE AT COTA: “I’m excited to get to Austin and take another swing at COTA. Obviously, with last year’s race ending short because of the rain, we didn’t get a good base of what the track is like. We finished eighth last year, so hopefully we can improve on that and take home another win this season.” IVES ON BOWMAN DRIVING A TRUCK ON SATURDAY: “To have Alex get in the truck race will help him get some experience in dry conditions and see how the track evolves as the race progresses. He’s a racer at heart, so I know he is excited for another opportunity to get strapped into a new race car and compete with the best in the series.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ATLANTA A FEW DAYS LATER?  “I am very happy for everyone at Trackhouse Racing. It’s not just everyone you see at the track, it’s the people back at the shop. We are building very fast race cars and that starts back at the race shop.
We are just in a good place. We have amazing partners and amazing people. We have to enjoy this, keep the momentum going and keep moving forward.
I truly believe there are even better days coming ahead for us. The trophies are going to start showing up.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON COTA ON SUNDAY? “We are going to win the race and then have a heck of a party. I love road courses. It’s what I grew up doing in carting. I can’t wait for Sunday.”
 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: 3Poles: 1Laps Led: 614Top-five finishes: 14Top-10 finishes: 22Stage wins: 6

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

CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 817 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 724Laps led to date: 241,950Top-five finishes to date: 4,152Top-10 finishes to date: 8,577                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:           General Motors: 1,151           Chevrolet: 817           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

CONCORD, NC – March 24, 2022 – Two World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series events will be taken to the max this year with the DuraMAX Drydene joining as the title sponsor.The April 2 event at Devil’s Bowl Speedway will be the DuraMAX Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals and the May 11 event at Lincoln Speedway will be the DuraMAX Drydene Gettysburg Clash.“RelaDyne is pleased to continue its involvement with the World of Outlaws as entitlement partner at these signature events and associate both our DuraMAX and Drydene brands with them,” said Dan Oehler, EVP of Marketing and Ecommerce. “The DuraMAX Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals and DuraMAX Drydene Gettysburg Clash are ideal platforms to showcase brands of oil built upon pillars of technology and performance for personal cars, trucks, or SUVs in the DuraMAX line, as well as oils for off-road, on-road, industrial or commercial fleet using Drydene. We are excited to have a major presence at iconic dirt tracks like Devil’s Bowl Speedway and Lincoln Speedway and being part of The Greatest Show on Dirt.”Both events play a significant role in the 90-plus 2022 Sprint Car schedule.Devil’s Bowl, in Mesquite, TX, is the birthplace of the World of Outlaws, dating back to 1978. The event will be the first big payday of the year with the DuraMAX Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals set to pay $20,000 to the winner. Logan Schuchart, driver of the DuraMAX Drydene #1s car, won the last three visits to the half-mile track.Then, the DuraMAX Drydene Gettysburg Clash will kick off the illustrious World of Outlaws versus PA Posse battle for 2022. The historic feud between the stars of the Series and Pennsylvania local drivers has been dominated by the Outlaws for the last few years, including the last two years at Lincoln Speedway, in Abbottstown, PA. Three-time and defending Series champion Brad Sweet won last year and Sheldon Haudenschild won in 2021. It’s a home state race for Schuchart, as well.For tickets to the two DuraMAX Drydene events, visit WorldofOutlaws.com/tix.If you can’t make it to either track, you can watch both events live on DIRTVision – either online or by downloading the DIRTVision App.

Richard Childress Racing at Circuit of the Americas … RCR has one previous start at the 3.41-mile, 20-turn road course in Austin, Texas. Tyler Reddick won the pole for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas, his first-ever Cup Series pole award. The pole award came in his 52nd career start and he backed up his strong qualifying run with a ninth-place finish in the race. Austin Dillon qualified 16th and finished the race in 12th place. Introducing the Next Gen … NASCAR’s Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which officially debuted in 2022, is a collaboration of the brightest engineering minds in racing. With technology at the forefront, Richard Childress Racing has played a unique and critical role in helping to bring this new on-track identity to life, working closely with OEMs, other teams and NASCAR to build and test the initial prototype.  RCR in the NASCAR Xfinity Series … RCR has one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Circuit of the Americas. Myatt Snider was credited with a 21st-place finish in 2021, completing all 46 laps of the event.  Catch Saturday’s Action … The Pit Boss 250 at Circuit of the Americas will be televised live on Saturday, March 26 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Follow Sunday’s Action in Austin … The Echopark Automotive Grand Prix will be televised live on Sunday, March 27 beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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This Week’s Bennett Transportation & Logistics Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Circuit of the Americas … Dillon has one previous NASCAR Cup Series start at Circuit of the Americas, finishing 12th in last year’s rain-shortened event. He also has experience at the track competing in World Racing League endurance races in December 2020 and most recently, in December 2021, winning both days of the two-day event. He has enjoyed COTA as a fan at a Moto GP race. About Bennett Family of Companies … McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 12 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. The company will use race experiences to recruit and retain hundreds of truck drivers for their organization in 2022. For more information, visit www.Drive4Bennett.com. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:Last year, you jumped into the unknown at Circuit of the Americas down in Austin, Texas. What did you learn last year that you can carry over to this year?“I would love to have a race at Circuit of the Americas in better conditions because last year was a monsoon. We want to see the track in regular racing conditions because if it does rain, it definitely changes the line a bit. There’s a wet line and a dry line. It was good to experience that, but I wouldn’t want to do it all the time. I think the new Next Gen car is built for much better racing in the rain, but I don’t think there’s supposed to be any kind of race in that kind of condition. That was a bit aggressive, as we learned. I’m just excited to get back to the track. Tyler Reddick and I put in some time there in the offseason, which has us pumped for this weekend. We won an endurance race there this year, which was awesome.” You did some road course racing at COTA during the off season with Tyler Reddick and Kaz Grala. What was that experience like?“It was pretty awesome. We won both days. There were 98 cars there, and 40 were in our class. I felt like we went down there and needed to win. We had the best driver lineup, and we were able to get the job done. It was a great experience for when we go to COTA, and just learning more about road course racing. We did a lot of passing during the race, so it was good. I think we all started to gain some different knowledge about the track, and different areas you can run to try and find speed. Laps are laps. You can’t beat getting that experience.”

This Week’s 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Circuit of the Americas … Tyler Reddick will return to Circuit of the Americas on Sunday, the home of his first ever NASCAR Cup Series pole award. Reddick’s first ever pole award came at the 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit’s inaugural Cup Series race last season. In the end, Reddick finished ninth. Reddick has shown a lot of improvement on road courses throughout his career. Last season, he tied a career-best finish of second at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course (ROVAL). Eyes on the Prize … Tyler Reddick grabbed the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet team’s first top-five finish of the season at Phoenix Raceway two weeks ago. He finished third and battled for the win at the end of the race and came up just short of his first career NASCAR Cup Series win. In five races so far this season, Reddick has one top five and two top 10s and has led 95 laps. Reddick also jumped to the No. 1 spot in the NASCAR Power Rankings after his performance at Phoenix and has managed to hold onto the spot heading into this weekend’s race at COTA. Unfortunately, last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway didn’t go the way the team had hoped. Reddick was victim of a tire issue while running up front and after the damage sustained, the car was not able to keep up with the rest of the field. After a second tire issue, the No. 8 team’s day was done. COTA was good to Reddick last season so there is some momentum on his side this weekend. Visit the 3CHI Display at COTA … 3CHI invites everyone to come visit their display this weekend at COTA for samples, swag and the opportunity to win prizes. Tyler Reddick is also scheduled to visit the 3CHI display on Sunday before the start of the race at 11:35 a.m. CT. Come join the fun! 3CHI Blazes the Trail for Another Industry First… 3CHI and Richard Childress Racing created another first with their partnership for the 2022 NASCAR season. 3CHI began with roots as a CBD producer and quickly became a pioneer in science-based hemp and cannabis innovation. The company was the first to commercially develop and market Delta 8 THC, and today, 3CHI is an industry leader with unsurpassed product quality and purity as verified by top independent labs and benchmark organizations. 3CHI products are sold in a majority of the United States, and the company produces and markets a variety of gummies, tinctures, lotions, edibles and vape products. All 3CHI products meet federal requirements for full legal compliance, with a commitment to promoting responsible adult use. See 3CHI.com for more information.  TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:COTA is the place where you won your first Cup Series career pole award and it was the first-ever race at the Austin, Texas track. Can you implement anything from last season’s race to this weekend and do you feel like you have momentum on your side?“COTA is a huge weekend for all of us on the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet Camaro team. With a road course as diverse as COTA, you really have to bring your a-game. It’s exciting to come back to the place where I won my first pole, you don’t forget that and it’s definitely special. Especially with not having practice and qualifying most weekends last season, it was cool to be one of the guys that went out there and won the pole. I’m looking forward to this weekend’s race and adding another one for our team. Last year’s race was rough with the rain and it’s looking like we’re going to have good weather this weekend so that’s a gamechanger. I think with the new car and no rain, you’re going to see different racing. I’m pumped for it. We’ve spent a lot of time working on our road course program and this is our chance to put it all to the test with the Next Gen car. With only having 20 minutes to acclimate to the new Next Gen car on the racetrack, every minute on track will be crucial. I feel very good about where we are as a team and how well the performance of our cars have been. This will certainly be a race that will test every aspect of the team and the driver. With that, we have a lot of excitement, and we are ready to take on the challenge head on. I’m excited for it, we could use a good result after last weekend at Atlanta.” During the offseason, you visited COTA with Austin Dillon and Kaz Grala for a race. What was that like and will it help you at all this weekend?“Racing at COTA during the offseason was really cool. We were running an endurance race and there were almost 100 cars there and 40 were in our class. We ended up winning both days. That’s exactly what we went down there to do; to win. With the lineup that we had of myself, my teammate Austin and Kaz, we knew we could compete and go for the win. It was awesome to be a part of and a great way of having extra experience at COTA. It was a way to learn more about the track and road-course racing in general. It was a completely different experience than when we were there for the race because of weather, and I was able to take some good notes home with me.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Circuit of the Americas … Creed will be making his first Circuit of the Americas start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. He has five top-five finishes in five NASCAR Truck Series road course starts, including a fifth-place in 2021 at Austin. The Alpine, Calif., native has one Truck Series victory in road course competition, a win on the Daytona Road Course in 2020 where he led 19 of 46 laps (his average running position in that event was 3.78). Creed has three top-10 finishes in five Xfinity Series starts this season. He gained two positions in the series driver standings after his ninth-place finish this past weekend in Atlanta, moving up to 12th place.  About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce. SHELDON CREED QUOTES:What’s your mindset heading into this weekend’s race at COTA?“I love road course racing but I really didn’t do a whole lot of it growing up other than Stadium Trucks and some TA-2 racing in Trans Am. I liked it right away and I think I was pretty good at it right away. I think my worst finish in the Trucks on a road course is fifth. I enjoy the fact that you don’t have to be overly aggressive on road courses to go fast. You don’t have to worry about the aero part of racing like on the ovals. I enjoy it a lot and I look forward to going to road courses and I feel like I put a lot of effort into it.”  How difficult is Circuit of the Americas in Austin compared to other road courses that you’ve been on?“All road courses have their difficulties for sure. COTA is big and has really big braking zones which makes it a little more difficult than Watkins Glen, where the harder you drive the faster you go. The braking is really hard to manage at COTA and I feel like whoever can do that the best and not burn up their stuff early in runs is who is going to be fast at the end of the race.”

This Week’s Global Industrial Chevrolet Camaro SS at Circuit of the Americas … Hill will be making his first Circuit of the Americas NASCAR Xfinity Series start on Saturday afternoon. He has three previous starts on road courses in the series; two starts at the Charlotte ROVAL (2020 and 2021) and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (2021). Hill led 27 laps on his way to a second-place finish this past weekend in Atlanta. He enters the COTA event eighth in the series driver standings, a gain of three positions. He has now led 63 laps this season (118.580 miles). Hill has six NASCAR Truck Series road course starts, highlighted by his victory at Watkins Glen International in 2021. He led 35 of 61 laps (his average running position was 3.23) in a race shortened by lightning. With his victory in the season-opening event at Daytona, Hill has clinched a spot in the 2022 NASCAR Playoffs.   A First for Global Industrial… For the first time this season, Global Industrial will be the primary sponsor on the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS driven by Austin Hill. Global Industrial is a Fortune 1000 company based in Port Washington, New York. The company sells industrial products and office supplies through direct to business channels. Established in 1949 by Michael and Paul Leeds, the company now sells over 1 million products via their online sales and call center. About Global Industrial Company:Global Industrial Company (NYSE:GIC), through its operating subsidiaries, is a value-added industrial distributor. For more than 70 years, Global Industrial has gone the extra mile for its customers, and offers more than a million industrial and MRO products, including its own Global Industrial exclusive brands. With extensive product knowledge and a solutions-based approach, Global Industrial helps customers solve problems and be more successful. At Global Industrial, “We can supply that®.” AUSTIN HILL QUOTES: You have two first-year partners with Global Industrial and Bennett Transportation and Logistics. How cool is that to introduce those people to the sport? “It’s been a great season to have Global Industrial and all these different partners come on board. Everyone at Global has been great to work with and I’m very excited for the remainder of the 2022 season. Hopefully we can have a good showing this weekend and keep the ball rolling.” How different is Circuit of the Americas compared to other road courses?“COTA is definitely a different animal as far as the way the road course drives. When you go to a place like COTA there’s a lot of first gear corners so it’s more technical, but I have confidence that at any road course we go to, we can get the job done. I think that road-course racing suits my driving style. You’re up on the wheel and you’re hopping curbs and you’re driving the heck out of it each and every lap. With this being Global Industrial’s first race with us, hopefully we can do just like we did with Bennett Transportation and Logistics and United Rentals back at Daytona and go get the job done.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY TELECONFERENCE TRANSRIPT MARCH 23, 2022 A.J. ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Circuit of The Americas. Teleconference Transcript:  WITH THE NEW CAR IT’S WITH THE COMPOSITE BODY FOR THE CUP SERIES AND THAT’S EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE IN THE XFINITY SERIES AND I’M CURIOUS, HOW MIGHT THAT CHANGE THE RACING THAT WE’LL SEE IN CUP IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY WILL DO ON A ROAD COURSE AND PARTICUARLY WITH THE SHORT-TRACKS COMING UP?“I think it’s not so much about the body on the road courses. It’s the brakes. Much bigger brakes. That’s a thing that really stood out to me at the ROVAL test was just how much later we could be on the brakes and with the sequential box you don’t wheel hop that easy, so that’s another reason you can brake later. That is the biggest difference. The cars are a little more nimble as well, so you can kind of throw them around and lap times were a ton quicker at the ROVAL it seemed like. Speeds will be up, I think physicality of the racecar will be up even more and I think that in a way could make passing a little easier could make it a little harder because you know we’re all that much deeper on the brakes. It’ll be interesting to see. You know COTA’s going to be one of those races that if the weather looks like it the way it is it’s going to be so hard to judge off of last year just because of how wet the race is. Yeah, I think that’s going to be the biggest difference on that. You know the short-tracks remain to be seen. It’s looked like at these races if you do kind of get into the wall the car takes it in one way on the body side of it but with the suspension, I think it’s a little more sensitive. You can’t just beat and bang off of each other and know it’s going to be ok because it seems like it’s a lot easier to have contact and do some suspension damage. I think we’ll kind of see how that plays out, but definitely with COTA braking is going to be the biggest difference to me than what it was last year.” CERTAINLY, GOING TO BE A LOT WARMER, MID-80S. SO THIS WILL BE THE FIRST HOT RACE OF THE SEASON FOR YOU GUYS. I KNOW THAT OFTEN CAN BE A CHALLENGE, JUST THAT FIRST RACE. WHAT MIGHT THAT BE LIKE AND HOW MUCH OF A TEST WILL THAT BE OF THIS CAR? OBVIOUSLY, THERE WERE THE HEATING ISSUES IN THE COCKPIT EARLIER THAT CERTAINLY CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE, BUT WHAT KIND OF A CHALLENGE WILL THIS WEEKEND BE FOR YOU GUYS JUST TO STAY COOL?“Yeah, I mean I’ve only been able to really do one full Cup race so far at Phoenix. It wasn’t overly warm. It wasn’t really cool at that race, so I felt like the cooling was a lot better than the test at the ROVAL. I just remember running three or four laps and thinking wow this is really hot. On that day at the ROVAL it was real overcast. It was kind of cool, so I thought to myself this is going to be tough during the summer. You know that first race that’s warm is always a challenge to the drivers. It being on a road course with all the brake heat and motor heat and things like that makes it a little more extreme. I think everybody’s probably noticing that and seeing the weather and probably trying to hydrate as much as possible to get ready for the race.” THE LAST 11 RACES HAVE BEEN WON BY DRIVERS UNDER 30. A LOT OF THOSE GUYS YOU’VE RACED IN THE XFINITY SERIES AS WELL, SO I AM KIND OF CURIOUS DO YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT YOUNG DRIVERS ARE DOING OR DO THAT MAY LEND THEMSELVES TO HAVE MORE SUCCESS IN THIS NEW CAR?“I mean that’s a tough question Bob. I’m not really sure. I think it more shows the talent that is coming into NASCAR. From a young age the opportunities, I think these drivers a lot of them getting it right away whether it’s talent, sponsorship, both. It allows them to develop a lot faster and then you get in the Cup Series and they’re able to stick with those organizations that they come through Xfinity or more importantly get into a really good Cup ride, and it just shows that they got talent. That’s great for the sport to have such a pool of talent coming in, whether it’s through trucks and Xfinity and into Cup. You see guys like Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson that come from the dirt side of it. They’re just so good at anything that they get in. That’s what makes it fun, especially in the Cup side of it, but even on the Xfinity side of it now. When you show up and strap in, you know on the Xfinity side of it just to be at your best, run top-10 let alone go out and win the race. On the Cup side of it looks like it’s 20 to 25 deep at least, so it’s a lot of fun as a driver to show up and know that you have to be at your best just to run inside or even be somewhat competitive.” DOES HAVING WON THE BRICKYARD LAST YEAR MAKE THE THOUGHT OF WINNING ON SUNDAY ANYMORE BELIEVEABLE? DO YOU GUYS GO INTO THIS RACE NOW SUNDAY WITH MORE CONFIDENCE BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU WERE ABLE TO DO AT THE BRICKYARD LAST YEAR?“I wouldn’t say it gives us more confidence. I mean it’s a completely different year, different racecar, right? I feel like with what Kaulig Racing has done so far in the Cup side of it, we’ve had decent amount of speed at these racetracks. I felt like the ROVAL test, although a long time ago it seems like back in October and these cars have developed a lot from that, but we had a good amount of speed the first day there. I think that’s where the confidence comes from. It’s trying to have the same mentality. I mean, on the Cup side of it you know to go out there and try to run inside the top 10 all day and if that gives us an opportunity to win the race then that’s great. Try to make the best of it and you really kind of change your expectations I think based off of practice and qualifying. If you feel like you got speed to go out and win the race, then you go try to do it and if not that’s something that you just try to make the best of the day. I think with the win at Indy, in a strange way kind of takes a little pressure off because we’ve won in the Cup Series, we’ve won one of the best places in the world that you could win at, so for me at least mentally takes a little pressure off because we have done that and it’s just a bonus from here on out. I always have confidence at these racetracks and feel if we’re at our best we can go contend with the best teams out there.” WHAT SORT OF OPPORTUNITY DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS CAR PROVIDES YOU SPECIFICALLY ON THE ROAD COURSES? WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE BETTER IN THE NEXT GEN CAR THAN PREVIOUS GENERATION CARS?“Everybody’s so good on the Cup side of it, so I wouldn’t say that this car lends more of an opportunity for myself. I do like how aggressive you can be with it. Braking you can really push the brakes extremely late compared to the old generation car and that’s something that I really enjoy is to kind of peak brake pressure or peak brake distance getting into a corner and try to maximize that. You can kind of toss the car around a bit more, just a little bit more nimble, the steering is quicker, the car reacts quicker. So that’s something that I always enjoy about a racecar. It makes it enjoyable to go out there and attack a race car, especially at a place like COTA where there’s so many corners, so many different types of corners that whether it’s high speed or late on the brakes. You know with that said, somebody like Kyle Larson or Chase Elliott I mean they are so good. They figure it out as well. I think more than anything it just makes it a little bit more enjoyable to go out there and drive.” BEING A REALLY EXPERIENCED RACECAR DRIVER, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO GO TO A PLACE LIKE AUSTIN AND KIND OF EXPOSE NASCAR TO AN AUDIENCE THAT MAY NOT BE SO MOTORSPORTS SAVY OUTSIDE OF F1?“I felt like last year the point that we showed up to Austin we were kind of just coming out of what we you know over the past couple years of what we all had to deal with with COVID. The crowd for as bad as the weather was, I couldn’t believe on Sunday how packed the racetrack was for just the monsoon that we all sat in and had to deal with. I feel like the first couple of races of a new market or a new racetrack you get a really good crowd, so I think it’s about trying to keep that crowd there or keep growing the crowd. Austin has shown with the IndyCar race and the F1 races there that motorsports side of Austin, Texas is very savvy. It’s very popular. I hope that this weekend you know good weather, we get a huge crowd again and we go put on a great show for three different races there. That’s what I think is unique about NASCAR is you know you have three great series that show up and go put on a show at a place like this and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Hopefully that crowd shows up and we put on a great show and keep growing what is just an amazing city. I think that’s what it’s about is we’ve got great racetracks that we go to, but you go to new cities, and you know you bring out a new crowd and Austin, Texas for sure is a fantastic city to be a part of. Hopefully we show that again.” PARKER KLIGERMAN SAID THAT THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A NASCAR FAN OR F1 FAN, YOU’RE JUST MOTOSPORTS FANS WHETHER YOU KNOW IT OR NOT. HOW HELPFUL WOULD IT BE FOR NASCAR TO HAVE AN F1 TYPE OF DOCUMENTARY LIKE DRIVE TO SURVIVE BUT WITH NASCAR?“That’s a really good question, because you know on the F1 side of it it’s relatively to say NASCAR or other motorsports maybe it’s not quite as popular because I think the biggest reason why is we haven’t had American in there full-time since I think Scott Speed. Formula One being around the world you get drawn to it whether you have a favorite driver or it’s a driver from your country that you love and you follow. So, I think with Netflix has shown just all parts of the sport in a relative short amount of time. Our attention spans aren’t very long, so you watch a 45-minute documentary of that week of whatever they’re covering and then you go to the next one and the next one. That’s really grown to allow people that maybe have never been a part of Formula One or never truly watched it, to all of a sudden say well hell I want to watch this race now because look what’s going on. You know, here in the U.S. would it be as popular for NASCAR I don’t know. Maybe it might be, but I think it’s a little bit different just because NASCAR is more implemented here in the U.S. than say around the world like Formula One. I look at it, anything you can do you know the Bubba Wallace documentary; I think is going to help bring some fans to the sport. Anything you can do to get NASCAR mainstream is only going to help grow the sport. By how much, we don’t know but it’s only going to help all the people, the sponsors, the sport itself.” AS SOMEONE THAT’S BEEN WITH KAULIG RACING FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME NOW, HOW DO YOU FEEL THE TEAM HAS HANDLED THEIR MAJOR EXPANSION TO CUP SO FAR?“It’s been a challenge for sure. All the men and women here at Kaulig Racing, the amount of hours that they’ve had to put in and I’m sure every organization is like that to a certain extent with this new car and the biggest challenge is there’s just not a lot of parts for these cars. It’s hard to get part for the Xfinity cars right now as well. I think as an organization we’ve done it at one of the most difficult times with this new car and with everything that we face right now just to try to get these cars built every week, I know the Cup side of it I think they are going to load the cars at 3 a.m. tomorrow morning to get ready. It’s been tough and all we can do, especially us drivers, is try to show our appreciation for what all the men and women are doing right now, because they’re putting in so many hours that it’s in a way unfair but it’s what has to be done just to get these cars ready to go. With that said, I think we’ve done a great job to put on two new Cup cars, to bring in all the people. I’m sitting in our brand new race shop right now that just got done at the beginning of the season, so moving shops and trying to see how that coordinates between the Xfinity side of it and the Cup side of it, we’re doing the best that we can. I think the results have been pretty decent. Justin (Haley) is definitely moving up through each race. You can see the improvement with him and Trent (Owens). Daniel has been really good at the races that he’s been in it. Phoenix, you know we got a top 20. We managed what we could out of it, so with all that said I think on the Xfinity and the Cup side of it we’re doing a really good job.” WHAT STANDS OUT WITH COTA COMPARED TO OTHER ROAD COURSES THAT NASCAR GOES TO?“I think it’s the length of the lap first of all. It’s very long. It’s unique in the sense of, so you take like a Sonoma that is pretty low speed corners all the way around the racetrack. Even take Road America and the length is probably longer than COTA, the lap times are probably a little bit quicker which means that racetrack is more high speed. A lot of the corners are mid-speed corners to high-speed corners. COTA is probably unique in the sense that the flow of the racetrack. Very high speed in certain sections. Long straightaways, but into very tight brake zones. The esses you kind of flow a lot of speed through them, so that is what is probably different than every other racetrack that we go to. Those road courses are kind of just one type of racetrack. They’re either pretty high speed, low speed. COTA’s got a little bit of everything there and you know I felt like on the Xfinity race because that was the dry race that I ran in, passing was more difficult than I expected. Track position is even more critical there than I would say at the other racetracks, but that’s probably what is most different out of that racetrack compared to the other ones that we go to.” EACH WEEK THIS YEAR YOU’VE HAD A TOP-10 FINISH. HOW MUCH HAS THAT HELPED YOUR CONFIDENCE THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON?“I feel like on the Xfinity side of it, this was a race that we learned a lot. We finished second, which was a great run, but we got our butts kicked by Kyle Busch that day and it really made us go back to the drawing board with our road course set ups and say ok we need to do something different, because you know Kyle got in and it wasn’t close really. We could match him on lap times early in a run but by the end of the run he was gone. Felt like this race last year really propelled our road course program on the Xfinity side, made us make a lot of changes. So, I’m really excited to go back to it just to see if it works there. On the Cup side of it, I just love road course racing. I’m looking forward to the challenge of this new car at a road course for all the reasons that I’ve talked about. Even though we finished fifth there in the wet, that does nothing to translate to the new car, but I just love road course racing. I think this car, especially, is going to be a lot of fun on the road courses. Can’t wait to go attack it.”

Racing now begins Friday at Cherokee, Champion to be crowned Saturday night

Nichols, SC – March 23, 2022 –  An unfavorable forecast for Wednesday and Thursday has forced DIRTcar and track officials to cancel Thursday’s Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series event at Lake View Motor Speedway.

The Xtreme Series will pick the action back up Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, in the season finale against the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series at Cherokee Speedway. The second annual Rock Gault Memorial features a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature Friday night and a 60-lap, $20,000-to-win finale Saturday night before the ceremonial presentation to crown the 2021-22 Xtreme Series champion.

Ben Watkins leads the points battle coming into the final two races by 16 over Ross Bailes. Super Late Model rookie Carson Ferguson trails by 40. A $15,000 championship check and king-size Drydene oil barrel trophy await the winner

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY TELECONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT MARCH 23, 2022

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series weekend at Circuit of The Americas. Teleconference Transcript: 
CONGRATS ON A GREAT RUN ON SUNDAY AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT AND KIND OF HOW FUN THAT WAS FOR YOUR TEAM. “Yeah, I thought it was a great day for us. We talked about it in depth this week obviously on the podcast Stacking Pennies. I think I realized that the fans and everybody who has supported me to get me as far in this thing as I’ve gotten were more excited about it than I am. It was cool to deliver a good result for fans, for our partners Built Bar, Schluter, FOE that was on the car, Drydene, everybody that has been a part of my career who have believed in the abilities to deliver a result like that was cool to finally get the first top five for those guys and hopefully its not the last. For me, it’s not the end of the road. We’re just getting started. Starting the year with three top-15s here at Spire I think should be celebrated as well. We are doing a lunch here with the guys here shortly, so definitely means a lot to those guys. We’ve asked those guys to work more than they probably ever signed up to work. Couple of our guys actually worked all-nighters through the west coast swing to get cars turned around. To congratulate those guys and get those guys a solid run like that makes those guys feel like their work is not, just not lost. When you can deliver on the racetrack with the work they are doing off the racetrack certainly means a lot.”
SPIRE MOTORSPORTS HAS ONE TOP-FIVE FINISH THIS YEAR. JOE GIBBS RACING HAS ONE TOP-FIVE FINISH THIS YEAR. HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN? “I mean that is a softball for me to insert my foot right into my mouth. Obviously saw Kyle Busch in contention late in Vegas, caution comes out and I think that might have been the only top-five they had. It is a little bit weird looking at the points. I don’t think it is going to stay like that for long because you can’t keep a guy like Denny (Hamlin) or Christopher Bell out of victory lane too long. Seeing the 11 car and the 20 car behind you in points five races into the year is a little bit unique, but we’re not racing those guys. Those guys will ultimately figure out (inaudible) to race and punch their ticket to the playoffs. We’re trying to race the other guys who we’re around to the couple we’re ahead of, to the couple that are right in front of us I think we can get in points. I think the next month or so through these couple road course and a couple short-tracks and then the dirt race, we’re going to try to gap ourselves and put a cushion between the guys who we feel like we can beat in points and hopefully we can finish in the top 25. There is not a Spire Motorsports comparison to the Joe Gibbs, but it is funny enough and they also have double the amount of cars we’ve got. We’ve got two cars; they’ve got four and considerably better funded. We’re going to continue to control what we can control and let everything else work out how it’s supposed to.”
THE LAST 11 RACES HAVE BEEN WON BY DRIVERS UNDER 30. DO YOU FEEL THERE IS A REASON FOR THAT OR IS THAT JUST YOU KNOW KYLE LARSON HAS WON SEVERAL OF THOSE RACES AND HE’S JUST REALLY GOOD OR IS THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE SEEN FROM THE YOUNGER DRIVERS VERSUS THE OLDER DRIVERS?“You know there are a lot of good guys, young guys driving for good teams. I think that however many of those races were won by Kyle Larson or just a Hendrick driver all together whether that be William (Byron), Chase (Elliott) and Alex (Bowman). Hendrick is probably carrying the flag in terms of young guys. Their driver line up is going to be set for the next decade probably because all of those guys can execute and deliver w’s. Then you lump in guys like Chase Briscoe. I think there’s something a little bit to younger guys or even guys new to the Cup Series that maybe are adapting to this next gen car slightly quicker. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of stock to be put into that, but you know there is obviously just studies done and it’s harder to adapt the older you get. It’s kind of hard to teach and old dog new tricks, but you know the experience and maturity level and speed of those older guys will definitely show up at points throughout the year. It’s definitely an interesting stat. Now, I’d like to figure out how to get to victory lane so they have to change it to 30 and under; not under 30.”
WITH TEMPERATUERES FORCASTED THIS WEEKEND IN THE 80S THIS WEEKEND, WHAT KIND OF CHALLENGES IS THE HEAT GOING TO PROVIDE? I KNOW IT IS LIKELY TO BE THE FIRST HOT WEEKEND OF THE SEASON.“I’ll be honest I think the heat inside the car is less with the changes they made to the windshield NACA duct with the slots in the rearview around the rear window, the cockpit temperature five races in seems to be slightly cooler than the previous car. It’ll be the first true test to your point of this weekend being in the upper 80s and you’re working hard at a road course. You don’t really get a break aside from the straightaways and then you’re making you know 800-900 pounds of breaking force and you’re turning right, turning left working muscles that you generally don’t work at on an oval. You’re going to be winded, you’re heart rate is going to be up so this will definitely be the first test on heat, but I think my guys have done a good job keeping air circulating in the car well. The cool shirt systems are working well and helmet blowers as well. This will definitely be a good test to see how hot is real hot.”
AFTER LAST YEAR’S ROAD COURSE RACES, WHERE DO YOU EVALUATE YOURESELF ON THOSE TYPES OF TRACKS AND WHAT ARE YOU CONSIDERING A GOOD DAY ON A ROAD COURSE FOR YOURSELF?“Every single road course in my entire life has been in a Cup car. I haven’t raced K&N, Late Model, like nothing. Every single time I’ve been on a road course has been not a test session, not anywhere else, it’s been on live television in a Cup car. When you’re racing against guys like A.J. Allmendinger and guys that have been doing this their whole life, it’s a pretty big gap to close and you’ve got to close it quickly and adapt because you will get passed over for the next guy that can get the job done. I’ve had to really put in a lot of work with the shifter cart and a little bit of iRacing and we don’t get the OEM simulator to jump on there to knock the rust off, so you really just have to figure out what your weaknesses are and address them really quick. I think generally speaking Chase dumped me at the Daytona Road Course last year when we were looking at, we could have been in the top 20 at all of the road courses last year. That was my goal last year and I’m going to try to carry that over to this year to try to get a top-20 in all the road courses, which would be a tough feat just for my lack of experience on it. I wish I had the opportunity to race in trucks or Xfinity cars like a lot of these guys are plugging their drivers in to get some laps on Saturday before Sunday with limited amount of practice, but I don’t have those resources or tools to be able to do that, so I have to figure out how to bear down and get after it and have a good day on Sunday.”
WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF THE TRACK, PARTICULAR CHALLENGES OF THE TRACK AND THINGS THAT YOU LIKED AND MAYBE DISLIKED ABOUT IT?“Yeah, I think what’s not taken into consideration over this winter they repaved the majority of the track so the abrasiveness there was an element of tire conservation in the dry that you had to keep in mind, but I think that’s going to be gone because most of the slow speed sections and the esses they repaved. It’s going to be hammer down, super aggressive the entire time and also all the marks and brake markers and visual cues that you were trying to figure out in the rain. For example, you couldn’t see a car length in front of you so my brake marker into 11 or 12 at the end of the long back straightaway, there is a walkway over it, so I knew once I passed the walkway it was a three Mississippi before I had to brake as hard as I possibly could and by then the mist would kind of die down and you could make the corner. I believe I should have a little bit more finer marks than a three Mississippi after a walkway bridge this year but I will have to figure those out in practice and figure it out pretty quick.”
WITH THIS NEW CAR DO YOU EXPECT THE TIRE WEAR TO BE ANY MORE, ANY LESS OR ABOUT THE SAME? “I think you’ll see the delta from new tires to old tires be more, just because you rely so much on the extra, I believe it’s an inch and a half wider tire patch to make speed early in the run and then if you’re relying that much more on the tires for short run speed then you’re going to give up more on the backend of the run and you’re going to be pedaling. Richmond is a place where you can’t even get wide open on the front straightaway later in the run. I think that’s what the drivers enjoy. I think the Goodyears have been taken to all of these tracks, especially Phoenix and Vegas we’re starting to actually see some marbles like we haven’t seen in a couple years. We’ve seen more rubber dust as opposed to marbles. Hopefully that will kind of lay some rubber down on the racetrack and it makes it wide as opposed to just a one lane racetrack. I generally like going to Richmond, but I think tire conservation and durability will be more of a factor with this Next Gen car and I think you’ll see a lot more commers and goers, guys better on the short runs and versus guys that had your bet to be soft and compliant and be there at the end of the run.”
EVEN WITH THE OLD CAR, THE GAP BETWEEN THE BIGGER TEAMS AND SMALLER TEAMS WAS OBVIOUSLY SMALLER AT SHORT-TRACKS WITH LESS AERO INVOLVED. WITH THIS NEW CAR IS THAT GAP AT SHORT-TRACKS SHRINK ANYMORE?“I think so, but even though the gap shrinks the amount of time from the first place car to the 30^th place car will be less. Whether that is a couple tenths, whatever than number is that gap is less but the percentage of you’re off to the leader is still equally as hard to overcome. If you’re off now two percent in a couple areas, downforce or mechanical grip or dampers or whatever the case may be that you’re a little bit off, it’s going to be that much harder to overcome because there’s guys that are closer to you. If you’re a 20^th place car you’re going to have the guys that are 24^th or 25^th nipping at your heels just the same. Hopefully we can have another good day there. I’m always, I cut my teeth on short-tracks. Had some good runs there in the K&N car at Richmond, so I think I got a decent feel for it. I haven’t run great there in a Cup car so hopefully this current Cup car should change that.”
WHICH WAS COOLER, GOING BACKWARDS THROUGH THE AIR OR GETTING THE TOP FIVE FINISH?“I could assure you finishing fifth is a hell of a lot cooler than flying backwards not knowing where you’re going to end up. I think the whole event was cool, I’m sure my owners did not appreciate a $300,000 racecar sliding backwards through the grass at 180. Luckily these Next Gen cars are durable, they are able to take some cosmetic damage and not knock a whole lot of speed out of it. You know we saw some guys like Kurt Busch finish fourth with a busted up nose, Kyle Larson was fighting for the lead with a busted up nose. We got lucky man. It’s not often you get to take a ride like that and then turn around and finish top five. We had a fast car. I mean that makes my job easier and when you can be on the offensive, when you can put your car in holes it’s able to maintain and go pass some guys.”
ONE OF THINGS THAT I THINK YOU SAID AFTER YOU GOT OUT OF THE CAR WAS THAT IT WAS ONE OF THE HARDEST HITS YOU’VE HAD. BUBBA WALLACE ALSO SAID THAT HIS WRECK WAS THE HARD HIT. WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CAUSE OF THAT IS AND IS THAT ANY CONCERN GOING FORWARD?“I mean I didn’t say it was the hardest hit I’ve ever had. I wrecked last week at Phoenix when the wheel fell off and I actually asked NASCAR and John Patalak to pull the crash data. I wrecked there my first Cup year, I got wrecked in the tri-oval and relatively the same angle, same spot and pretty much the data laid over top of each other and actually the old car had a higher peak g load and acceleration than this Next Gen did. Now I don’t think that these things are a little bit stiffer, but with the big front bumpers and rear bumpers and the crash foam in the front, it does absorb a little bit more than the previous car. We’re sitting in 30 600 pounds of steel going 180 miles an hour, like when you hit something it’s going to hurt. you could make the car as safe as you want to but you’re body’s not made to go from 180 to 100 miles an hour in a split second and that’s what we are asking to do. It’s almost an impossible task, but it’s also you know hey, we know what we signed up for. That’s why we get paid a lot of money for a short period of time to do something a lot of other people won’t.”
YOU PARTICIPATED IN LAST FALL TEST IN CHARLOTTE, WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME YOU GET TO TEST THE NEW CARS ON THE ROAD COURSE. DO YOU THINK YOU WILL HAVE AN ADVANTAGE THIS WEEKEND OR WAS IT TOO LONG AGO AND THE TWO TRACKS ARE TOO DIFFERENT?“It’s definitely not a disadvantage. You know getting an understanding of how aggressive you can be on the down shifts, how much better braking potential with bigger brake rotors and overall package, has I think the Next Gen car was designed for many different reasons, but I feel like it’s best suited for road courses with wider tires with narrower side walls and that sequential box and bigger brakes. It is going to handle and be a more fun car to drive as opposed to the taxi cabs that we had that wouldn’t turn, wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t go and they had really narrow tires. I think 15-20 minutes of practice, everybody will be up to speed generally by the end of it once you figure out what your markers are. It’s definitely not going to hurt to have some laps of a couple days here at the ROVAL to transfer but the ROVAL across the street from Spire is really not a road course. It’s a bunch of access roads inside of an oval. COTA is a road course designed to F1 specs where there’s some fast, flowy corners, there’s some real slow, technical corners and some heavy braking zones when you’re going almost 190 miles an hour down to probably 35 or 40. So, that’s a road course and that will be the first true test of these cars here this weekend.”

Final Appearances of 2022 in New Mexico, Oklahoma & Texas

VADO, NM – March 22, 2022 – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars have a long way to go, and a short time to get there.

Following the conclusion of the California swing this weekend, The Greatest Show on Dirt has a 10-hour haul to find the first-midweek show of the year, and then another 10-hour drive from there to hit the weekend destination as April begins.

It’s a three-race trip through three states over five days with some historical significance along the way.

Included in next week’s schedule is the debut of New Mexico’s Vado Speedway Park on Tuesday, March 29, the Series’ only visit to Oklahoma at Lawton Speedway on Friday, April 1, and a $20,000 payday in the DuraMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on Saturday, April 2.

VADO TICKETS (Tues, March 29)
LAWTON TICKETS (Fri, April 1)
DEVIL’S BOWL TICKETS (Sat, April 2)

Leading the charge into the week is current championship leader David Gravel aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2. The Watertown, CT native is enjoying the spoils of controlling the points for the first time in his career thanks to a stellar start to 2022 with one win and six top-fives through the opening eight races. The 29-year-old star will be going for his first win at both Lawton and Devil’s Bowl, and particularly loves visiting new venues like Vado.

“I think it’s great for our Series and our sport to venture out and give these new places a chance,” Gravel said. “Especially when it comes to a place like Vado, I think everything we’ve seen has shown this is a state-of-the-art facility we’re heading into. I’m excited to meet a bunch of new fans and keep the momentum rolling with our team.”

The beauty of a brand new track means the best Sprint Car drivers and teams in the world will be unloading at Vado with a clean sheet and no notes to reference. However, it’s not entirely new to 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz. The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing driver has competed at the Vado 3/8-mile in his dirt late model but has yet to rip around the joint in his Ford Performance, Carquest #15.

Schatz, along with Gravel, will be eyeing his first win at Lawton Speedway when the Series visits the Sooner State for the first and only time in 2022 on Friday, April 1. Lemoore, CA native Carson Macedo, who has already recorded two wins this year with Jason Johnson Racing, enters as the defending winner at the Oklahoma oval.

That Friday night April Fools showdown will mark the only home state race for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender, Noah Gass. The Mounds, OK 18-year-old has continued to commit to the Series’ steep learning curve and could potentially use his run back home as a momentum booster to his first-career top-10 finish.

“You know Lawton is still kind of unfamiliar territory being three hours from my house, but it will still be nice to be back in Oklahoma and around friends and family again,” Gass said. “It’s been a tough, but rewarding season so far. There’s nothing easy about racing at new tracks every night all while going against the best Sprint Car drivers in the world.”

On Saturday, April 2, the World of Outlaws awaits a $20,000-to-win showdown at the DurMAX/Drydene Texas Outlaw Nationals. It’s a homecoming of sorts at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, the site of the first-ever race in Series history on March 18, 1978. Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet are both former winners in Mesquite, TX, but one man in specific has ruled the 1/2-mile of late.

Logan Schuchart of Hanover, PA enters with three consecutive wins at Devil’s Bowl aboard the Shark Racing, DuraMAX, Drydene #1S. The 30-time World of Outlaws winner will pass his grandfather Bobby Allen on the All-Time Win List with his next victory and still has Sammy Swindell’s Devil’s Bowl record of five-straight wins within sight.

“There’s just something magical about that place,” Schuchart spoke on Devil’s Bowl. “I really appreciate the history of our sport and Devil’s Bowl is kind of like hallowed grounds to me when you think of the first-ever World of Outlaws race. We’ve really hit our stride there and hopefully can keep that streak going next week. Every race is important, but you always feel a little extra motivation when you see more money on the line.”

Other full-time Outlaws to watch next week include Sheldon Haudenschild in the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17, James McFadden in the Roth Motorsports #83, and Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, among others.

That’s only a small preview of the many contenders in action next week. For fans unable to attend, you can watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

DEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY WINNERS (91 races):
19 wins – Sammy Swindell
16 wins – Steve Kinser
6 wins – Mark Kinser
5 wins – Gary Wright
4 wins – Danny Lasoski
3 wins – Andy Hillenburg, Bobby Davis Jr, Daryn Pittman, Donny Schatz, Doug Wolfgang, Joey Saldana, Logan Schuchart
2 wins – Dave Blaney, Jeff Swindell, Ron Shuman, Shane Stewart, Stevie Smith
1 win – Bobby Allen, Brad Doty, Brad Furr, Brad Sweet, Craig Dollansky, Danny Smith, Jason Johnson, Jimmy Boyd, Tim Green, Tyler Walker

LAWTON SPEEDWAY WINNERS (10 races):
3 wins – Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell
1 win – Carson Macedo, Daryn Pittman, Jeff Swindell, Rick Ferkel

Watkins, Bailes, Ferguson separated by 40 points with three races left NICHOLS, SC – March 22, 2022 – A storm of Southeastern Super Late Model talent is brewing in South Carolina this weekend. For the first time in its history, the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series faces three races in three days to close the season and crown a champion. It all begins this Thursday, March 24, with a return to Lake View Motor Speedway before the first-ever matchup against the national touring superstars of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series on Friday-Saturday, March 25-26, at Cherokee Speedway in the second-annual Rock Gault Memorial. After five races, the points battle has reached a fever pitch. Ben Watkins, Ross Bailes and Carson Ferguson are all in the thick of a winter-long quest for their first Xtreme Series title; none willing to give an inch before the final checkered flag falls Saturday night. To the victor go the spoils – $15,000 worth of which will be awarded alongside the iconic Drydene oil barrel championship trophy to the one driver who can top the rest. Don’t miss a moment of this exciting season finale – buy a ticket at the gate on race day, purchase in advance at worldofoutlaws.com, or stream every lap live on DIRTVision. Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this weekend… SWEET SIXTEEN – Back-to-back podium finishes in the doubleheader weekend at Lavonia Speedway last month earned Ben Watkins a 16-point lead over Ross Bailes in the standings as he shoots for his second career regional Super Late Model championship. This past Saturday, Watkins and Bailes engaged in an epic pre-championship weekend throwdown in the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series event at Lancaster Motor Speedway, trading the lead back-and-forth several times before lapped traffic stalled the battle and brought out caution. Watkins had the lead for the restart and drove away with the win, giving fans a taste at what’s to come this weekend with championship gold on the line. STREET SMARTS – If there’s anyone in the Xtreme Series field that knows how to get around Lake View and Cherokee, it’s Ross Bailes. He’s got three races to make up a 16-point gap on the man who bested him last Saturday, heading into two of his best tracks in Xtreme competition. The veteran racer from Clover, SC, won the inaugural Series visit to Lake View last year, defeating Matthew Nance in a race through lapped traffic. He’s got several wins at Cherokee, including the Xtreme Series’ second-ever visit in January 2020, and defeated the Outlaws there in May 2019 for his second win in two months against national-level racers. Bailes has at least one Feature win at Cherokee in each of his last three seasons against drivers from the local, regional and national level. DOWN, BUT NOT OUT – In what’s been a head-turning start to his Super Late Model career on the Xtreme circuit, Carson Ferguson has since lost the points lead he was tied for during the Lavonia weekend, getting caught in a wreck Saturday night and going off on the hook. The 21-year-old rookie now faces a 40-point deficit to make up in the final three races. He’s never raced with the Series at Lake View but did have an impressive run from eighth-to-fourth over 100 laps of the Blue Gray 100 at Cherokee in November. Even better – he did it on one set of tires. Ferguson’s championship rivals have the experience in points racing, but he has the drive. Piloting a high-profile ride for national championship-winning car owners Donald & Gena Bradsher of Paylor Motorsports, Ferguson would love nothing more than to win them their first Xtreme Series championship and bolster his own presence in the Late Model ranks. FRIENDLY COMPETITION – For the first time in tour history, the Xtreme stars will go head-to-head with the World of Outlaws in a double-headed duel for big money. The local and regional drivers will play defense on their home turf, racing to keep the Outlaws out of Victory Lane. Historically, the Southeastern heroes have been successful when the Outlaws make their annual invasions, winning six of the nine World of Outlaws Features contested at the 3/8-mile oval. Watkins, Bailes and Ferguson will match up with the likes of Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr. and Josh Richards and battle it out in the ultimate challenge for Southeastern supremacy. BIG MONEY – Among the many other firsts this week is the potential for one driver to walk away with the biggest winner’s share in Xtreme Series history. A $20,000 check is up for grabs in the 60-lap Saturday night finale of the Rock Gault, succeeding a $10,000 grand prize on Friday night and $5,000 at Lake View. Additionally, Lake View has posted an extra $2,000 bonus if any driver can win the Lake View race and one at Cherokee, plus a $5,000 bonus if someone can sweep all three.

Watkins, Bailes, Ferguson separated by 40 points with three races left

NICHOLS, SC – March 22, 2022 – A storm of Southeastern Super Late Model talent is brewing in South Carolina this weekend.

For the first time in its history, the Drydene Xtreme DIRTcar Series faces three races in three days to close the season and crown a champion. It all begins this Thursday, March 24, with a return to Lake View Motor Speedway before the first-ever matchup against the national touring superstars of the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series on Friday-Saturday, March 25-26, at Cherokee Speedway in the second-annual Rock Gault Memorial.

After five races, the points battle has reached a fever pitch. Ben Watkins, Ross Bailes and Carson Ferguson are all in the thick of a winter-long quest for their first Xtreme Series title; none willing to give an inch before the final checkered flag falls Saturday night. To the victor go the spoils – $15,000 worth of which will be awarded alongside the iconic Drydene oil barrel championship trophy to the one driver who can top the rest.

Don’t miss a moment of this exciting season finale – buy a ticket at the gate on race day, purchase in advance at worldofoutlaws.com, or stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this weekend…

SWEET SIXTEEN – Back-to-back podium finishes in the doubleheader weekend at Lavonia Speedway last month earned Ben Watkins a 16-point lead over Ross Bailes in the standings as he shoots for his second career regional Super Late Model championship.

This past Saturday, Watkins and Bailes engaged in an epic pre-championship weekend throwdown in the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series event at Lancaster Motor Speedway, trading the lead back-and-forth several times before lapped traffic stalled the battle and brought out caution. Watkins had the lead for the restart and drove away with the win, giving fans a taste at what’s to come this weekend with championship gold on the line.

STREET SMARTS – If there’s anyone in the Xtreme Series field that knows how to get around Lake View and Cherokee, it’s Ross Bailes. He’s got three races to make up a 16-point gap on the man who bested him last Saturday, heading into two of his best tracks in Xtreme competition.

The veteran racer from Clover, SC, won the inaugural Series visit to Lake View last year, defeating Matthew Nance in a race through lapped traffic. He’s got several wins at Cherokee, including the Xtreme Series’ second-ever visit in January 2020, and defeated the Outlaws there in May 2019 for his second win in two months against national-level racers.

Bailes has at least one Feature win at Cherokee in each of his last three seasons against drivers from the local, regional and national level.

DOWN, BUT NOT OUT – In what’s been a head-turning start to his Super Late Model career on the Xtreme circuit, Carson Ferguson has since lost the points lead he was tied for during the Lavonia weekend, getting caught in a wreck Saturday night and going off on the hook.

The 21-year-old rookie now faces a 40-point deficit to make up in the final three races. He’s never raced with the Series at Lake View but did have an impressive run from eighth-to-fourth over 100 laps of the Blue Gray 100 at Cherokee in November. Even better – he did it on one set of tires.

Ferguson’s championship rivals have the experience in points racing, but he has the drive. Piloting a high-profile ride for national championship-winning car owners Donald & Gena Bradsher of Paylor Motorsports, Ferguson would love nothing more than to win them their first Xtreme Series championship and bolster his own presence in the Late Model ranks.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION – For the first time in tour history, the Xtreme stars will go head-to-head with the World of Outlaws in a double-headed duel for big money.

The local and regional drivers will play defense on their home turf, racing to keep the Outlaws out of Victory Lane. Historically, the Southeastern heroes have been successful when the Outlaws make their annual invasions, winning six of the nine World of Outlaws Features contested at the 3/8-mile oval.

Watkins, Bailes and Ferguson will match up with the likes of Brandon Sheppard, Dennis Erb Jr. and Josh Richards and battle it out in the ultimate challenge for Southeastern supremacy.

BIG MONEY – Among the many other firsts this week is the potential for one driver to walk away with the biggest winner’s share in Xtreme Series history. A $20,000 check is up for grabs in the 60-lap Saturday night finale of the Rock Gault, succeeding a $10,000 grand prize on Friday night and $5,000 at Lake View.

Additionally, Lake View has posted an extra $2,000 bonus if any driver can win the Lake View race and one at Cherokee, plus a $5,000 bonus if someone can sweep all three.

March 22, 2022

This weekend, in the Echopark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, NASCAR’s Next Gen car gets its first real test on a road course. 

Brian Wilson, crew chief of the No. 21 Freightliner Mustang driven by Harrison Burton, expects the new car to ace that test.

“The Next Gen car should be really well suited to road-course racing,” Wilson said. “A lot of the new technology -or at least new to NASCAR – has been on sports cars for a long time.”

“The independent rear suspension gives us new ways to tune the setup that we didn’t previously have. I believe the Next Gen car will take our road course races, which already were highly entertaining, and make for a great weekend of racing.”

Wilson said COTA, which has hosted many forms of racing including Formula One, is a great and challenging facility.

“Like every world-class road course it has some hard braking zones, long straights, elevation changes and switchback rhythm sections,” he said.

Wilson said that while his rookie driver hasn’t raced COTA in a Cup car, young Burton does have the benefit of lots of laps run there last year, when he finished sixth in an Xfinity Series race.

“I think any experience at a track helps, and Harrison has a lot of laps around COTA since we had a practice session and race there in the Xfinity series last year,” said Wilson, who was crew chief on the Mustang that Austin Cindric drove to a fifth-place finish in that race. 

The Freightliner team also will take advantage of the resources provided by Ford Motor Co. as they prepare for the first road-course race of the Cup Series season. 

 “Through Ford we will also utilize their simulator to make even more laps with the setups that we’re preparing for this weekend,” Wilson said. “I’m sure that Harrison and the team will be ready when practice starts on Saturday.”

Practice for the Echopark Texas Grand Prix is set for Saturday morning at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. Eastern Time) followed by qualifying an hour later. FOX Sports 1 will carry the live coverage.

The 68-lap, 232-mile race is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks are set for Laps 15 and 30.

California Natives Eyeing Clean Sweep of Home State

BAKERSFIELD, CA – March 22, 2022 – A three-week stay on the west coast wraps up this weekend for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series with one more doubleheader.

The Greatest Show on Dirt is returning to a pair of race tracks for the first time in more than three years, one located in the San Joaquin Valley and one in the heart of Southern California. The 1/3-mile oval at Bakersfield Speedway has first dibs with a Friday night under the lights, while Perris Auto Speedway takes center stage in Saturday’s SoCal Showdown.

Through three races, California’s homegrown talent has shined bright with Fresno’s Giovanni Scelzi, Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, and Lemoore’s Carson Macedo combining to claim all three World of Outlaws races to this point for their home state. Golden State fans have seen exciting action around every corner between Gio’s survival of a Thunderbowl thriller, Larson’s drive through the field at Tulare, and Macedo’s denial of Sweet in a bullring battle.

More of the same intense racing will be seen on DIRTVision this weekend for fans unable to attend in person.

BUY BAKERSFIELD TICKETS (Fri)
BUY PERRIS TICKETS (Sat)

Here’s what to watch for:

GOLDEN STATE GANG: The state of California has hosted 403 World of Outlaws Features dating back to the Series’ inaugural season in 1978, and is currently amid their greatest streak ever. Natives of the Golden State have won four consecutive World of Outlaws races in their home state, an all-time record spanning 45 seasons, 19 tracks, and 66 total winners.

The aforementioned Scelzi, Larson & Macedo (2) are responsible for the current streak, but a host of other Californians hope to add their name to the list this weekend.

A quick look at the many contenders that could extend the streak is Grass Valley’s Brad Sweet, Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, St. Helena’s Rico Abreu, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Roseville’s Colby Copeland, Clovis’ Corey Day, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Hanford’s Mitchell Faccinto, and Lincon’s Tanner Carrick, among others.

READY TO POUNCE: For only the third time in nine full-time seasons, Brad Sweet didn’t score a World of Outlaws win within the opening five races; and depending on this weekend, he could go winless within the first 10 races for the first time ever. In total, it’s been 24 races since The Big Cat last won on September 4, 2021 at Skagit (WA), his longest victory lane drought in more than four years prior to his three championship seasons.

Albeit absent in the W column, the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 has still been as consistent as ever. They boast an average finish of 3.8 over the last seven races and currently ride back-to-back runner-up finishes into the weekend. The defending Series champion is a proven frontrunner at both venues on deck, winning previously at Bakersfield and finishing as high as second at Perris.

BACK TO REALITY: After an extraordinary start to the 2022 campaign with seven-straight top-seven finishes, David Gravel and Big Game Motorsports finally saw their first misfortune with a work area trip while running sixth and a subsequent 15th-place finish at Merced. As a result, the Watertown, CT native saw his championship advantage slim down to +10 points over Brad Sweet ahead of the final weekend in California.

On the bright side, Gravel has enjoyed success at both tracks on the schedule this weekend. He’s a former podium finisher at Bakersfield and owns a 2017 SoCal Showdown victory at Perris.

TROUBLE IN PERRIS: Throughout Donny Schatz’s 26 seasons as a full-time World of Outlaws star, the Fargo, ND native has seen hundreds of race tracks and won at nearly 100 of them – 88 to be exact. However, the 10-time Series champion still remains winless at two facilities with 20+ starts, and he returns to one of those this Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway for the SoCal Showdown.

Schatz has raced at PAS on 21 occasions with an average finish of 11.50 to his credit but has turned it around lately with six-straight top-seven finishes including a career-best finish of third at the Perris, CA 1/2-mile. Having never won at either Bakersfield or Perris, Schatz has a fresh shot at redemption this week following three-straight finishes outside of the top-10 in his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest #15.

HARD CHARGIN’ HAUD: Sheldon Haudenschild’s fourth-place position in the standings can evenly be attributed to his early success with two victories, but also his never-day-die attitude proven by his Series-best +45 positions gained. When not celebrating with a NOS Energy Drink in victory lane, the Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 driver is most likely rebounding in the MicroLite Last Chance Showdown and driving through the field to collect a Series-best three KSE Hard Charger Awards.

Based on past success, it’s likely you see the Wooster, OH native return to the front of the field this weekend. He’s the defending winner at Bakersfield (an impressive 9th-to-1st drive) and owns results of third and sixth in two trips to the Perris 1/2-mile.

ROTH RIDE(S): In less than three months, Dennis Roth will be enshrined into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. After three decades of fielding winning machines, the Central California car owner is still yet to slow down. As the Series concludes the spring swing in his home state, a pair of Roth racers have a chance to add more records to Dennis & Teresa’s banners.

A win from either full-timer James McFadden (#83) or ringer Kerry Madsen (#83JR) would make them the 15th driver to win a World of Outlaws race (most all-time) with Roth Motorsports. It would also be the 99th career win for Dennis Roth as he patiently awaits becoming the sixth car owner in Series history to reach 100 wins.

THIS WEEK AT A GLANCE

Friday, March 25 at Bakersfield Speedway in Bakersfield, CA
Saturday, March 26 at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, CA

On the Internet
World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series
Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws
Instagram – @WoOSprint
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (8/85 Nights):
1. 2-David Gravel (1,124 PTS); 2. 49-Brad Sweet (-10 PTS); 3. 41-Carson Macedo (-30 PTS); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-32 PTS); 5. 83-James McFadden (-64 PTS); 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart (-68 PTS); 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi (-90 PTS); 8. 15-Donny Schatz (-92 PTS); 9. 26-Cory Eliason (-98 PTS); 10. 5-Spencer Bayston (-124 PTS).

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers):
2 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17
2 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41
1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15
1 win – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2
1 win – Giovanni Scelzi, KCP Racing #18
1 win – Kyle Larson, Kevin Kozlowski #57

FEATURE LAPS LED (12 Drivers):
52 laps – David Gravel
29 laps – Giovanni Scelzi
28 laps – Brad Sweet
26 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr.
25 laps – Donny Schatz
18 laps – Carson Macedo
17 laps – Kyle Larson
15 laps – Spencer Bayston
13 laps – Cory Eliason
10 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild
9 laps – Dominic Scelzi
8 laps – James McFadden

SLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):
1 QuickTime – David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel, Cory Eliason, Jacob Allen, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Carson Macedo, Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi*
* Denotes New Track Record

HEAT RACE WINNERS (15 Drivers):
4 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen
3 Heat Wins – David Gravel, Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi
2 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, James McFadden, Kraig Kinser, Aaron Reutzel, Tyler Courtney
1 Heat Win – Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Dominic Scelzi, Kerry Madsen

DIRTVISION FAST PASS DASH APPEARANCES (24 Drivers):
6 Dashes – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
5 Dashes – Jacob Allen
4 Dashes – Carson Macedo, Kraig Kinser, Cory Eliason
3 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Giovanni Scelzi, Tyler Courtney, Aaron Reutzel
2 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Donny Schatz, Kyle Larson, Kerry Madsen
1 Dash – Brock Zearfoss, Logan Schuchart, Anthony Macri, Kerry Madsen, Brent Marks, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Rico Abreu, Dominic Scelzi, Colby Copeland, Tanner Carrick

MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (5 Drivers):
3 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 LCS Wins – Ayrton Gennetten
1 LCS Win – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Anthony Macri

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (5 Drivers):
3 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild
2 Hard Chargers – Logan Schuchart
1 Hard Chargers – Carson Macedo, Donny Schatz, James McFadden

PODIUM FINISHES (12 Drivers):
4 Podiums – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
3 Podiums – Kyle Larson
2 Podiums – Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Giovanni Scelzi
1 Podium – Donny Schatz, Cory Eliason, Aaron Reutzel, Brent Marks, Sam Hafertepe Jr.

TOP 10 FINISHES (23 Drivers):
7 Top 10s – David Gravel, Brad Sweet, Sheldon Haudenschild
6 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Giovanni Scelzi
5 Top 10s – James McFadden, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz
4 Top 10s – Cory Eliason, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu
3 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston, Kyle Larson
2 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss, Jacob Allen, Aaron Reutzel, Dominic Scelzi
1 Top 10 – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Brent Marks, Sam Hafertepe Jr, Shane Golobic, Kerry Madsen

2022 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thur, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Donny Schatz (1)
2. Fri, Feb. 11 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)
3. Sat, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)
4. Fri, March 4 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)
5. Sat, March 5 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Carson Macedo (1)
6. Fri, March 11 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Giovanni Scelzi (1)
7. Sat, March 12 / Thunderbowl Raceway / Tulare, CA / Kyle Larson (1)
8. Fri, March 18 / Merced Speedway / Merced, CA / Carson Macedo (2)
9. Fri, March 25 / Bakersfield Speedway / Bakersfield, CA
10. Sat, March 26 / Perris Auto Speedway / Perris, CA
11. Tues, March 29 / Vado Speedway Park / Vado, NM
12. Fri, April 1 / Lawton Speedway / Lawton, OK
13. Sat, April 2 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX
14. Fri, April 8 / US-36 Raceway / Osborn, MO
15. Sat, April 9 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO
16. Fri, April 15 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
17. Sat, April 16 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
18. Fri, April 22 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL
19. Sat, April 23 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN
20. Fri, April 29 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN
21. Sat, April 30 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN
22. Fri, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
23. Sat, May 7 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
24. Wed, May 11 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA
25. Fri, May 13 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
26. Sat, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
27. Tues, May 17 / Bridgeport Speedway / Swedesboro, NJ
28. Fri, May 20 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
29. Sat, May 21 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
30. Sat, May 28 / Atomic Speedway / Waverly, OH
31. Mon, May 30 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN
32. Fri, June 3 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
33. Sun, June 5 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
34. Fri, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
35. Sat, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
36. Fri, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA
37. Sat, June 18 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, IA
38. Thur, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
39. Fri, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
40. Sat, June 25 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD
41. Fri, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
42. Sat, July 2 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI
43. Fri, July 8 / 34 Raceway / West Burlington, IA
44. Sat, July 9 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI
45. Tues, July 12 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH
46. Wed, July 13 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
47. Thur, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
48. Fri, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
49. Sat, July 16 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
50. Wed, July 20 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
51. Fri, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
52. Sat, July 23 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
53. Sat, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
54. Sun, July 31 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY
55. Fri, Aug. 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
56. Sat, Aug. 6 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO
57. Wed, Aug. 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
58. Thur, Aug. 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
69. Fri, Aug, 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
60. Sat, Aug. 13 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA
61. Thur, Aug. 18 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
62. Fri, Aug. 19 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
63. Sat, Aug. 20 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN
64. Fri, Aug. 26 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND
65. Sat, Aug. 27 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND
66. Thur, Sept. 1 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
67. Fri, Sept. 2 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
68. Sat, Sept. 3 / Skagit Speedway / Alger, WA
69. Mon, Sept. 5 / Gray’s Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA
70. Fri, Sept. 9 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA
71. Sat, Sept. 10 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA
72. Fri, Sept. 16 / Keller Auto Speedway / Hanford, CA
73. Sat, Sept. 17 / Placerville Speedway / Placerville, CA
74. Fri, Sept. 23 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH
75. Sat, Sept. 24 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH
76. Fri, Sept. 30 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
77. Sat, Oct. 1 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA
78. Fri, Oct. 7 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
79. Sat, Oct. 8 / Port Royal Speedway / Port Royal, PA
80. Fri, Oct. 14 / I-80 Speedway / Greenwood, NE
81. Sat, Oct. 15 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS
82. Thur, Nov. 3 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
83. Fri, Nov. 4 / The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC
84. Sat, Nov. 5 The Dirt Track at Charlotte / Concord, NC