Lake City, FL (February 5, 2022) – Putting aside a frustrating start to the 2022 season, four-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion, Jimmy Owens rebounded on Saturday Night. Celebrating a birthday just two days ago, the 50-year-old Tennessee native earned a hard fought $15,000 victory in the General Tire Winter Nationals Presented by Line-X Saturday night event at All-Tech Raceway. Owens becomes the fifth different winner in the first seven races of the season. Owens grabbed the lead on lap 43 and pulled away for his 78th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series triumph. Tim McCreadie, the reigning series champion, finished second followed by Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, and Brandon Sheppard. The 50-lap event started off with Tyler Erb grabbing the early lead until Moran took over the lead on lap eight. However, the race could not build momentum as there were five cautions in the first 11 laps of the race; but from then on, the race stayed green until the end. In the first 15 laps there were three different leaders with Erb, Moran, and McCreadie. McCreadie and Moran would battle through heavy traffic as the last 39 laps of the race went caution-free. It looked as though McCreadie and Moran were going to settle it amongst themselves until Owens made the high-side work in traffic. The veteran racer would first get by Moran for second and then McCreadie for the lead on lap 43 to pull away for a 2.841 second advantage at the finish. McCreadie held off Davenport at the end of the race to finish second to Owens. Owens, who was the fourth different leader of the race, dedicated his win to his car owner Leon Ramirez. “It was just a tricky track tonight, there were a lot of grooves in different areas. You just had to slide in the right spot. The car was working good, I was able to keep up with the guys especially when we got to lapped traffic. With a track like this you are just a sitting duck out there, all the guys can move around. It was fun racing up front for a change. The work’s been hard. This win is for Leon Ramirez and his family. They are doing good, and we hope to see them soon. It’s always awesome to come down here and get a win. This is one of our better tracks in Florida.” McCreadie, who finished 11th on Thursday Night at All-Tech, was able to bring his car home in second two nights later. “The other night we were really bad. We ran a different set-up today and found one thing that seemed to help. After hot laps I didn’t know what to tell the crew. I don’t get around here like I want to. They put their heads together and every decision they made is why I ran up front.” Davenport, who ran third on Thursday Night despite a battery issue towards the end of the race, ended up on the podium for the second straight race. “We were just lucky to be there at the end. We had that scare when Bruening and Erb got together. I think I hit Bruening and that tire at the same time when I slid by there. Our car was pretty good, we fell back early. I just got in the wrong line. I picked up a huge push on one of those restarts and I almost got into the wall. We battled back and ran down Jimmy and Timmy there at one time, but they got through lapped traffic a little better than we did.” The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Tim Short Auto Group, Boomtest Well Service, Georgia Arms, Red Line Oil, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Ricky Thornton Jr., Ashton Winger, Joseph Joiner, Tyler Erb, and Shane Clanton.   Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary General Tire Winter Nationals Presented by LINE-XSaturday, February 5, 2022All-Tech Raceway – Lake City, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Devin Moran / 16.645 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard / 17.281 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 93-Carson Ferguson[4]; 3. 44M-Chris Madden[2]; 4. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 5. 16D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 6. 157-Mike Marlar[8]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[9]; 8. 48-Colton Flinner[5]; 9. C02-Ryan Markham[6]; 10. 1Z-Logan Zarin[10]; 11. 3-Brennon Willard[11] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[7]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 5. 89-Ashton Winger[1]; 6. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 7. 1ST-Johnny Scott[9]; 8. 2S-Stormy Scott[10]; 9. 30-Todd Cooney[8]; 10. 11-Spencer Hughes[5]; 11. 10-Garrett Smith[11] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 3. 58W-Mark Whitener[4]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 5. 0J-Jake O’Neil[8]; 6. 25-Shane Clanton[6]; 7. 76-Brandon Overton[7]; 8. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[10]; 9. 14JR-Trey Mills[11]; 10. 66C-Matt Cosner[9]; 11. 111V-Max Blair[5] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 5. 2D-Dan Stone[3]; 6. 7T-Drake Troutman[5]; 7. 10J-Joseph Joiner[9]; 8. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[8]; 9. 19R-Ryan Gustin[7]; 10. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[10]; 11. 503-Jason Miles[11] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 16D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 89-Ashton Winger[2]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 4. 1ST-Johnny Scott[6]; 5. 2S-Stormy Scott[8]; 6. 48-Colton Flinner[7]; 7. 11-Spencer Hughes[12]; 8. 10-Garrett Smith[14]; 9. 30-Todd Cooney[10]; 10. C02-Ryan Markham[9]; 11. 3-Brennon Willard[13]; 12. 7-Ross Robinson[5]; 13. 58-Garrett Alberson[4]; 14. (DNS) 1Z-Logan Zarin UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 0J-Jake O’Neil[1]; 2. 10J-Joseph Joiner[6]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton[5]; 4. 7T-Drake Troutman[4]; 5. 25-Shane Clanton[3]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[10]; 7. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[7]; 8. 2D-Dan Stone[2]; 9. 66C-Matt Cosner[11]; 10. 0G-Deshawn Gingerich[8]; 11. 503-Jason Miles[14]; 12. 14JR-Trey Mills[9]; 13. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[12]; 14. (DNS) 111V-Max Blair Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 44Lap Leaders: Tyler Erb (Laps 1 – 7); Devin Moran (Laps 8 – 14); Tim McCreadie (Laps 9 – 28); Devin Moran (Lap 29); Tim McCreadie (Laps 30 – 42); Jimmy Owens (Laps 43 – 50)Wrisco Feature Winner: Jimmy OwensArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jimmy OwensMargin of Victory: 2.841 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Jake O’Neil (Lap 3); Chris Madden (Lap 7); Jake O’Neil (Lap 9); Mark Whitener (Lap 9 restart); Tyler Bruening (Lap 11)Series Provisionals: Shane Clanton, Stormy ScottFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Spencer Hughes, Ross Robinson, Garrett AlbersonTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jimmy Owens, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan DavenportPenske Shocks Top 5: Jimmy Owens, Tim McCreadie, Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Brandon SheppardOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Shane Clanton (Advanced 13 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin MoranHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Tim McCreadie (27 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Tim McCreadie (Lap 13 – 19.663 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Mark WhitenerOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jimmy Owens)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton Jr (16.772 seconds)Time of Race: 33 minutes 38 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

Wrisco Industries Winternationals Points:

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING RESULTSFEBRUARY 5, 2022

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER 2nd     Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Guaranteed Rate Camaro ZL1 3rd     Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL15th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL17th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 8th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL19th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Food 4 Less/Slim Jim Camaro ZL111th    William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL114th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL116th    Landon Cassill, No. 77 Voyager: Crypto for All Camaro ZL119th    AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 ChevyLiners.com Camaro ZL122nd   Austin Dillon, No. 3 True Velocity Camaro ZL1 24th    Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL131st    Corey LaJoie, No. 7 NationsGuard Camaro ZL133rd   Ross Chastain, No. 1 Howler Head Camaro ZL136th    Ty Dillon, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Camaro ZL1 TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1. Kyle Busch (Toyota)2. Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)3. Justin Haley (Chevrolet)4. Joey Logano (Ford)5. Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet) FOX will telecast the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 6. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT HIGHLIGHTS FEBRUARY 5, 2022

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1, AND AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TRUE VELOCITY CAMARO ZL1: PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT HIGHLIGHTS:   IT’S OBVIOUSLY A HUGE DAY. EARLY IN THE SESSION, YOU WERE ONE OF THE MORE QUICKEST ONES. HOW ACCLIMATED HAS THIS TRACK BEEN, BECAUSE SOME SAY IT HAS TURNED A LOT BETTER COMPARED TO THE OLD CAR, WHERE IT MIGHT NOT HAVE MADE IT THROUGH?DANIEL SUAREZ: “Well, that was a good time now that I got (inaudible). Listen, I can really tell how the old car was going to drive here. I honestly don’t think we all care because we are in the next chapter and that is the past. Now we have to think about the new car. I think the new car is performing amazing. Very, very happy with it and everything we have done so far. Everyone at Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet, everyone has done a great job. We have a good piece and now we have to go out there and have fun and make the most out of it.” AS YOU’VE PROGRESSED IN THE NEW TEAM AND WITH YOUR BOSS, WITH HAVING PITBULL, HOW IS YOUR SPONSORSHIPS IN THE WAY YOU RELATE TO THEM AND HOW YOU TALK TO THEM AND HOW YOU ATTRACT THEM? HOWS THAT CHANGED AND HAVE YOU LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS THAT ARE GOING TO HELP MOVING FORWARD AND HELPING IN YOUR SPONSORSHIP SEARCH? IS IT BECOMING EASIER?DANIEL SUAREZ: “Yeah, it is a process. I think today, thanks to a lot of people, we are in a pretty good spot. Last year, we started the season with a close partnership with RCR and without them we wouldn’t be here. It was a huge help to be able to start strong. Without that support, it is almost impossible to be competitive. There is so much information, so much data out there that require years and people and manufacturers to be able get. It’s a process. Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks, Ty Norris, this great group of people, Pitbull they have done a great job you know. We had to start the right way, like I said with help from Chevrolet and RCR. Now we are kind of like doing our own thing, but we are still under the umbrella of Chevrolet. It’s been great and I feel like when it comes to sponsors we have to do a good job, not just in the racetrack but also outside the racetrack. I feel like so far we have done a pretty decent job, but really we could push it and there is always room for improvement.” (INAUDIBLE)DANIEL SUAREZ: “Yeah it is good. He (Pitbull) is an amazing person. He is a role model for me and I’m sure for many others. I think it would be amazing to be able to have a good race, hopefully win it and have him here. Because if that happens, we are going to have to throw a big party and I know you guys are invited. Hopefully we can get it done.”
WHAT’S IT LIKE COMING OUT TO LOS ANGELES AND COMING TO A TEMPORARY TRACK LIKE THIS AND DRIVING ON IT IN FRONT OF ALL THESE FANS THAT KIND OF HAVE A RELATONSHIP TO YOU?Daniel Suarez: “Well, for me, you know I kind of answered that question in Spanish. I feel very, very lucky and fortunate to be here in Los Angeles. As you guys know, I don’t get to race at home in Mexico. So, this is as close as it gets. I have been here since Wednesday, doing a lot of media tours. Doing a lot of activations and honestly it feels like home. Everywhere I go, people are speaking in Spanish to me. The tacos here are amazing, so it is very, very cool to be here. I am loving it. This is the first time that we’re racing here, but I truly hope that it’s not the last one because this is an amazing place and a place that everyone makes it feel like home. As you all know, 70 percent of tickets sold are for new fans. I’m pretty sure that a lot of those are Hispanics, so that truly puts a huge smile on my face.” WHAT’S IT LIKE DRIVING ON A TRACK THAT’S GOT TEMPORARY ASPHALT?Austin Dillon: “It’s been interesting. I think last night I got some information from Dale Jr. leading into the race and he was like man it’s really slick out there, but I don’t think they were on the same tires. When we got out there, I was kind of anticipating just no grip, sliding around. As the track kind of got better and cleaned off, I started having some good forward drive and the ability to turn and use that paint. I love that there is that painted area where the rumble strips are and then you can either choose to cut across it or not. Everyone is kind of doing their own thing out there and finding speed different ways. When it gets down to those heat races, I mean I think the track is going to shorten up a lot and we are going to be routing and gauging a little bit more.” I’M DRIVING DOWN TELEGRAPH ROAD IN ARIZONA YESTERDAY AND AT THE INTERSECTION, I’M LOOKING UP AND THERE IS A BIG DANIEL SUAREZ BILLBOARD AND I AM LIKE DANG I KNOW THAT GUY. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, THE EMBRACING AND THE MESSAGE THAT NASCAR HAS GOTTEN OUT ABOUT HEY WE ARE HAVING A RACE HERE THIS WEEKEND, WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN FROM THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE KNOWING AND BEING AWARE THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY HAVING A RACE HERE THIS WEEKEND?Daniel Suarez: “Yeah, I mean this is a team effort right. NASCAR has done a tremendous job putting all this together. It requires years of work to be able today to be here. I don’t take that for granted. I think NASCAR has done an incredible job. They have gone the extra mile. They have put a lot of work, for us to be able to be here and hit a new market. Like I said, I just feel very, very lucky and fortunate to be part of this lineup in the Cup Series and being able to be the driver that can connect with the Hispanic community. I feel very, very fortunate for that and feel very blessed. I hope that we can all enjoy the weekend. I know there is going to be a lot of Hispanics out there in the grandstands and hopefully we have a great time.”  OBVIOUSLY, WE KNOW THAT KYLE’S SON AND KEVIN’S SON IS RACING. I SAW ACE WAS DRIVING SOMETHING THE OTHER DAY. ARE YOU PREPARING HIM TO BE NEXT IN LINE IN THE DILLON RACING LEGION?Austin Dillon: “I think he is so young right now, but it is fun to see him get behind the steering wheel. One of the only sounds he makes is (racecar noise). I mean he knows cars, he likes watching cars. If he is having a bad day, I can throw cars on and he is like ready to go. It’s cool I get to do an obstacle course out there with the Disney group and Pixar. They did cars theme stuff and I was like man I wish I had Ace out here with me. I don’t know what he would have done. He probably would have knocked over the obstacle course because he is just kind of wide open right now. Man, I don’t know, I think it would be awesome if he races one day and if he doesn’t, he is going to be good at something though. We are going to put all of our effort into him. He’s a stud. I love hanging out with my little guy.” DANIEL, WE SAW YOU AT THE DIRT RACE LAST YEAR. SURPRISED EVERYONE RUNNING UP FRONT AND HERE YOU ARE TODAY AND OF THE PRACTICE SESSIONS YOU WERE THERE UP TOWARDS THE TOP OF THE CHARTS. WHAT IS IT WITH YOU TAKING A CAR ON NEW TRACKS THAT NO ONE HAS EVER DONE IN THE CUP SERIES EITHER IN A LONG TIME OR EVER AND JUST PUTTING IT UP FRONT?Daniel Suarez: “I don’t know. I don’t really know. I think a lot has to do with the mentality of getting to that new place that we are talking about. I think that is very important to be positive. It is important to enjoy it and have fun and to be open minded. Heading into this race, I tried to do my homework and tried to be open minded about a few things and be aware of unknowns. There are a lot of unknowns here. We can do as much work as we want, but the reality is no one really knew. With that being said, I have an amazing team behind me. Everyone at Trackhouse Racing is building an amazing racecar. I got a good hot rod here and hopefully we can make some tweaks and pull that thing up front.” DANIEL, YOU TALKED ABOUT BEING HERE IN LA, IT’S AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN GET TO RACING AT HOME WITHOUT ACTUALLY BEING HOME. DOES BEING ABLE TO RACE HERE OPEN IT UP FOR EXTENDED FAMILY TO COME WATCH YOU HERE IN PERSON WHERE OTHERWISE WOULDN’T GET TO? Daniel Suarez: “Well, my family is actually on the other side of the country, so it’s actually closer to Texas. They, unfortunately, won’t be able to come here. Sometimes it’s amazing to have family, but when you are that busy and have so much going on, you don’t want to have too many distractions. This place being so new, having a lot of unknowns, I just didn’t invite them. Maybe next time. They just party to hard and distract me. Maybe soon, they love to come but I am super happy to be here. Great people and great food. It’s just everyone makes me feel like home and I have this feeling it’s special when I am here in LA, California, this part of the country. It’s quite special for me, so just very happy to be here and hopefully we can show that tonight and tomorrow.” AUSTIN, RCR WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THIS CAR AND I’M WONDERING SINCE YOU HAVE KIND OF BEEN A PART OF IT, CAN YOU TALK ABOUT NOW COMING FROM THE INFANTCY TO WEHRE WE ARE NOW? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE PROJECT THAT WE FINALLY HAVE IT ON THE TRACK? Austin Dillon: “Yeah, you know it is pretty cool to you know from the start this whole project and getting to the point of coming here racing. First test was at Richmond and I remember doing the test. We built the car in house and kind of with the direction what (inaudible) wanted to do. They came to Richmond, and it felt like 100 people when I backed out the car at Richmond. Manufacturers of parts, people that were bidding on parts and then we had a successful day. We didn’t wreck. We didn’t tear anything up and everything stayed together. Afterwards Jim France handed us all a cigar. This was the inception of this car and we took a picture with it. Which was really cool. Now you come to LA and get to be a part of the first race at another kind of grand opening for us as a sport. I think we have done a good job getting here and we are still learning a lot about the different parts and pieces on this car. It’s done very good and performed so far. We will just keep working with it at all these tracks we go to this year. We will be trying to get every piece a little bit better.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 5, 2022

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, AND CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1: PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:  YOU’VE FINALLY HAD A CHANCE TO GET OUT ON THE TRACK. WHAT ARE YOUR OVERALL IMPRESSIONS?KYLE LARSON: “I think it’s awesome; everything about it. Staging outside, driving through the tunnel, getting out there – it all kind of has that grassroots feel to it a little bit. I feel like NASCAR did an amazing job with the race track and, so far, I don’t really have any comments of concern. I think that’s something good because I feel like, a lot of the time, us drivers think we’re way smarter than NASCAR (laughs) and we could have done a better job than them with whatever they were doing. Hats off to NASCAR and what they’ve done to build a race track here. I look forward to the rest of the weekend. I know it’s going to be a great event.”
CHASE ELLIOTT: “I completely agree. I don’t have anything else to add. They’ve done a nice job. Great scene. Obviously, we’re sitting up here and this is a great view. I’m not sure that we could ask for much more. Really nice work in the job of putting the race track together. Everything is super nice and well done. Props to everybody involved.”
DRIVERS SEEM TO BE APPROACHING THE RUMBLE STRIPS DIFFERENTLY. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT? CAN YOU CROSS THOSE DURING THE RACE, OR PART OF THEM? HOW’S THAT GOING TO WORK?KYLE LARSON: “Yeah, Chase (Elliott) and I were talking in the elevator – I think NASCAR accidently probably stumbled across something pretty good because I feel like you can use it to get position on people or us it to get in their mirror a little bit to upset them in front of you to be able to get inside of them for the next corner. When you think of Martinsville (Speedway), they have the curb there and you can only get as low as the curb. But here, I feel like it’s a little bit faster to be just above it or just touching the rumble strips. But if you need to get down there, you can. I think it’s good and yes; I think we were all probably playing around with it a little bit as each practice session went on.”
KYLE, YOU MENTIONED A GRASSROOTS FEEL. AS MUCH AS EVERYTHING IS NEW HERE AND THIS IS A WHOLE NEW EVENT AND WERE IN THE NEXT GEN ERA NOW, DO YOU FEEL KIND OF AN OLD SCHOOL FEEL HERE TOO? WE’VE GOT THE GARAGE IN THE PARKING LOT. YOU GUYS ARE GOING ON THE STREET TO GET ONTO THE RACE TRACK FOR PRACTICE. WHAT’S THAT FEELING LIKE BETWEEN OLD SCHOOL AND NEW SCHOOL TODAY? KYLE LARSON: “I don’t know. I can’t speak of old school, but like I’ve ran the Gateway Dirt Nationals in St. Louis; similar to this. Or when I ran the Indy midget race, when they had that at the basketball arena. It was similar in the logistics of you have to drive outside the building to get fuel and then come back in and get in line; stuff like that. It’s a long hike to the grandstands if you wanted to go watch. I don’t know about old school, but maybe a little bit of the throwback I guess to our K&N days, when we were pitting out from behind our trailer and stuff like that.”
ESPECIALLY FOR YOU KYLE BECAUSE YOU’RE RUNNING A LOT OF SHORT TRACKS, ARE THERE ANY SURPRISES TODAY? KYLE LARSON: “I would say the only really surprise to me was just the amount of grip it has. I thought it was going to take until the end of practice until we got some grip. But I feel like it only took a few minutes of each session to feel like you have some grip. Especially the grip on exit, I thought was really good. You could mat the throttle fine and get good grip down the straightway. That was honestly probably the only thing that surprised me.”
“The flow of practice was really fast, too. It was kind of hectic.”
IT’S BEEN A LONG OFF SEASON AND A LOT OF STUFF WITH TESTING THE CARS. ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY TO BE BACK IN THE CARS AND WHAT ARE YOU ALL ANTICIPATING GOING FORWARD? THIS WEEKEND, YOU’RE RACING FOR THE CLASH. BUT NEXT WEEKEND, WE GO TO DAYTONA AND THINGS REALLY KICK OFF. CHASE ELLIOTT: “For me, it’s just good to be back going. I think we all were probably kind of getting to the point with the Clash in Daytona like we need to do something. That race was kind of just going on, I feel like, to go on. It added a week of being in Daytona and I feel like it was kind of becoming all for what. Let’s make it exciting and wherever this idea originated, obviously when this was first drawn up, I’m sure there were a lot of people that probably didn’t think it was possible. But I feel like it’s added a lot of excitement. It’s given our television partners something to promote differently than just us being at Daytona for another week. Also, it gives us an opportunity to not only have more eyes on this event, which is good; but also be able to promote the Daytona 500 through this event, which in my opinion, are two probably fairly major wins for everybody sitting here and that travel across the country doing this deal.”
CHASE, YOU WERE FASTEST IN PRACTICE. HOW MUCH ROOM DO YOU THINK THERE IS FOR MORE SPEED IN THE CAR FROM WHAT YOU HAVE ALREADY?CHASE ELLIOTT: “I felt like we could be better, for sure. And I think to Kyle’s (Larson) point, the track does kind of change a little bit as you run. You gain some grip and it seems like everybody goes a little faster the longer you run in a session. That was interesting. We were able to go through the things we wanted to change session to session and now we just need to decide where we want to land; maybe in between some of those changes that we did. But just try to make the right decisions and get yourself in a good position and try to go qualify well. I think qualifying is going to be fairly important for whether or not this is fun for you the rest of the weekend. So, we’ll see.”
GUYS WERE USING THEIR BUMPERS TO MOVE GUYS OUT OF THE WAY. WITH THIS NEW CAR, HOW FORGIVING IS IT TO MAKE THAT KIND OF CONTACT? IF YOU’RE ON THE RECEIVING END, HOW EASY WAS IT TO GET BACK GOING? CHASE ELLIOTT: “I don’t remember getting hit or hitting anyone yet (laughs).”
KYLE LARSON: “Yeah, same with me. I haven’t yet. But it looks like on TV, it seems the same as before.”
CHASE ELLIOTT: “Like a Martinsville-type impact. It looked a lot like that. But again, I’m not one hundred percent sure.”
INAUDIBLEKYLE LARSON: “I do feel like though, if you’re fast enough, you don’t really have to because you have room to pass people now. With the rumble strips, you don’t have to use it like you would at Martinsville. Which you don’t have to at Martinsville either, but I think you could honestly use it less here.”
WHAT SPEEDS DID YOU REACH DURING YOUR PRACTICE SESSIONS AND WHAT SPEEDS DO YOU EXPECT TO REACH TOMORROW DURING THE RACE? CHASE ELLIOTT: “I think about 70 – 75 mph; somewhere in there. Probably top speed averaging probably 65 or something like that. Probably as slow as 40 or 35. I don’t know; pretty slow. But you don’t have to go fast to put on good racing either.”
DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU’RE GOING TO PASS SOMEBODY YET? CAN YOU GO INSIDE? DO YOU GO OUTSIDE?CHASE ELLIOTT: “I don’t think you’re going outside (laughs), in my opinion. But maybe.”
CHASE, YOUR CAR AND SEVERAL OTHER CARS HAD SCRAPS ON THE WHEEL WELLS. DID THE CAR REACT ANY DIFFERENTLY WHEN YOU SCRAP THE WALL? CHASE ELLIOTT: “Yeah, I got the wall a little bit there off of (turn) two I think and it was a super minor touch of the wall. If we did any damage with that, then we’re going to have a long year ahead. But I’m not sure. It was a super light scrap so I don’t know.”
INAUDIBLEKYLE LARSON: “I think we all want to be part of an event. I don’t think any race is a race without it being an event. I think this is going to be an awesome event or show; whatever you want to call it with the concerts and stuff. And just the atmosphere of the crowd here and the close racing. We want to see our sport grow, so I think we’re all excited to be here and excited to be a part of the event.”
YOU GUYS HAVE OBVIOUSLY COMPETED IN A LOT OF BIG EVENTS IN THE LAST COUPLE YEARS OF YOUR CAREERS. TOMORROW IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE THERE’S GOING TO BE TONS OF FANS HERE AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT THE LEAD UP SO FAR AND WHEN YOU GOT ON THE TRACK FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY – HOW HAS THE LEAD UP FELT COMPARED TO SOME OF THE OTHER BIGGER EVENTS YOU GUYS HAVE COMPETED IN? KYLE LARSON: “For me, I think just the anticipation to get here and just get to look at everything in person is more than probably any other NASCAR race I can think of in my past. Maybe aside from my first few Cup races I got to run – just being excited to get to the track. You’re always excited, but this is something new, different and temporary. Yes, like Chase (Elliott) mentioned, moving the Clash from Daytona to here I think just added a whole bunch of excitement for everybody involved; me especially.”
YOU WERE JUST ASKED ABOUT THE LEAD UP. HOW ABOUT THE OUTCOME? I KNOW YOU’LL PROBABLY SAY ‘IT’S A RACE, I WANT TO WIN ANY RACE’. WHAT ARE THE STAKES OF THIS RACE PERSONALLY AND IS IT IMPORTANT TO WIN IT? WHAT LENGTHS MIGHT YOU GO TO BE THE CLASH WINNER AT THE COLISEUM?CHASE ELLIOTT: “I think it would be super cool to be the first person to win this race. I don’t think anybody would tell you anything different. Yeah, I think it would be a huge deal. Not only that, but a great way to start your year off. This is something new and exciting. I think we’re all very fortunate and lucky to even be here and be a part of it. If you’re standing on top of the mountain at the end of the day for something like this, this type of location and this type of an event – I think it is special and it should be for whoever wins.”
EVERYONE’S TIMES ARE WITHIN .9 TO 1 MPH. HOW ROUGH AND TUMBLE DO YOU THINK IT MAY GET TOMORROW?CHASE ELLIOTT: “I think that’s skewed because the track is so small. So, if you’re faster than someone by a tenth of a second, that’s a pretty large chunk and you can really see and feel that inside the car. If a guy has a tenth on you or a half of a tenth on you, he’s going to have a fairly significant advantage over you as he catches and likely passes you.”
THOUGHTS ON A FEW ON THE FINAL PRACTICE RESULTS: JUSTIN HALEY WAS FOURTH FASTEST. LANDON CASSILL WAS EIGHTH. CODY WARE WAS THIRTEENTH. DOES THAT KIND OF SURPRISE YOU AT ALL SEEING SOME OF THE NAMES THAT AREN’T USUALLY UP FRONT TO SEE THEM UP FRONT LIKE THAT? DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT’S THE TRACK, THE CAR – WHAT’S YOUR THOUGHTS ON SEEING THE MIX OF NEW NAMES KIND OF SHUFFLING AROUND? KYLE LARSON: “No – I wasn’t surprised. I think it’s just a combination of probably mostly the track just being as small as it is and it just allows other people to be closer and stuff in speed. I think the car being new, too, and the first weekend in it – I think there’s still a lot of good teams with a lot of resources still trying to figure things out. Everybody is.”
“I wasn’t too surprised. I think more surprised at guys who you would expect to be really fast that weren’t. I think those are the ones that stand out more than the teams that are maybe under funded that are up to speed.”
CHASE, YOU’RE A BIG SPORTS FAN. ANY OTHER STADIUMS THAT YOU’D REALLY LIKE TO RACE INSIDE IF YOU HAD YOUR WAY? CHASE ELLIOTT: “That’s a good one. I haven’t really ever thought about that. Like a stadium in particular, I haven’t really thought about that. But I’ve always really admired Supercross and what they do. I feel like those guys being able to race indoors and in stadiums, their product is a little more logistical to make that happen regularly. Obviously, they have a season of doing it. But I’ve always admired that and I’ve always felt like that attracted a different fan base because of it. Because it’s in a big city and it’s easy to get to. Just a little different vibe and I’ve always thought that was a really nice feel for a motorsport event to go towards for the future. I wish four-wheel racing could do more of that. Yeah, there’s great stadiums across the country that would be great to race in. But this is just not a logistically practical thing to do every week for us. We have a great product elsewhere, too, that we can massage, make really good and make successful for a long time. It’s just different. Maybe we can do this again; I don’t know. But it’s a tough thing to do each week, I feel like.”
CHASE, YOU’VE BEEN TO SOME SPORTING EVENTS AND MAJOR EVENTS. OBVIOUSLY, THERE’S A FAN EXPERIENCE AT A NASCAR EVENT, BUT ALSO A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN SOME OF THESE OTHER EVENTS. YOU SEE THIS WEEKEND, WITH THE CONCERTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, HOW MUCH MORE OF THAT CAN BE INCORPORATED THAT THIS SPORT NEEDS TO LOOK AT? CHASE ELLIOTT: “I guess it depends on what you’re into. Like I never go to an event for the half-time show. That’s just me. I don’t go to a major sporting event for what they have scheduled on the side. So, if I was coming to this event, it would be to watch a NASCAR race and to watch a really good short track race on asphalt. That’s why I would be here. But obviously there’s going to be different opinions on that as time goes.”

Lake City, FL (February 4, 2022) – Tonight’s General Tire Winter Nationals Presented by Line-X at All-Tech Raceway has been cancelled due to the forecasted weather at race time. All events for tomorrow are still on as scheduled with a 5:00PM ET Driver’s Meeting, 5:30PM ET Hot Laps. Those that have a three-day arm band, leave those bands on but visit the pit gate tso receive a refund for the Friday portion of the event. You must have the band on to receive a Saturday arm band and to receive a refund. Saturday’s program kicks off with a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 3:30 PM ET. The grandstands open at 3:00PM ET. MAVTV Plus will have live streaming of every race night, all year long. Sign up or find more information at: mavtvplus.com. Fans unable to attend the event in person can watch Saturday, February 5th live on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. To find a full list of providers, visit: mavtv.com/get-mavtv/providers. Track Information:All-Tech RacewayPhone Number: 386-754-7223Location: 1024 SW Howell Rd, Lake City, FL 32024Website: www.alltechraceway.comDirections: Take Exit 414 (Lake City/High Springs), turn left on SR41 towards High Springs, go approximately 1/4 mile to SW Howell Rd. (next to Marathon Station), turn right, then go approximately 3/4 mile to the track on the left. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 1 new right rear tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. General Tire Winter Nationals – Presented by LINE-X Purses:Saturday 2/5 – 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. 2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = 57,050 About General Tire:General Tire for over 100 years has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. To learn more about General Tire, visit: www.generaltire.com. About LINE-X:LINE-X® is a global leader in protective coatings development and availability. They are the only franchised network in North America specializing in the automotive aftermarket and wide-ranging protective coatings services. Their passion for protection and innovation has expanded LINE-X applications beyond bedliners into other areas of the automotive aftermarket – like specialty automotive coatings and accessories – as well as the commercial, industrial, and manufacturing realms. For more information visit: www.linex.com.

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

The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will be the first NASCAR race held at the historic sports venue since it opened in 1923. The event will be held inside the stadium on a paved quarter-mile asphalt track. The Clash at the Coliseum will be a signature event as a part of the venue’s centennial celebration and mark the first time NASCAR’s prelude to the DAYTONA 500 will take place somewhere other than Daytona International Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series will also visit Southern California on February 27 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.  The Clash … Richard Childress Racing has earned eight wins in the Clash led by Dale Earnhardt’s five victories (1986, ’88, ’91, ’93, and ’95) and three by Kevin Harvick (2009, 2010 and 2013). This year’s exhibition race will consist of 150 laps with an exclusive starting field of 23 drivers determined through heat races (25 laps consisting of 10 cars each) and two last chance qualifying races (50 laps). The final starting position will be awarded to the driver who finished the highest in the 2021 points standings who does not transfer.  How to Qualify … Single car qualifying on Saturday will determine the starting lineup for each of the four heat races. Below is a breakdown on how the heat races will be filled out:The top four fastest qualifiers from Saturday’s single vehicle qualifying session will be on the pole for each heat race, while cars that qualified fifth through eighth will make up the other half of the front row in each heat. The remainder of each field will be filled out using this methodology (Ex. – heat one will be made up cars with qualifying positions of one, five, nine, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, 33, 37). The top four finishers (16 total cars) from each heat race automatically advance through to the Busch Light Clash, with the winner of heat one winning the pole and the heat two winner earning the outside pole. The winners of heats three and four will fill out the second row, with the remaining order of these 16 cars being determined in the same manner. One Last Chance … The remaining six finishing positions from each heat (24 total cars) that did not advance will continue through to one of two 50-lap last chance qualifying races. Below is a breakdown on how the last chance qualifiers will be filled out: The starting order for these two events will be determined based on finishing positions in the heat races. Those who did not advance from heats one and three will make up the first last chance qualifying race while the second race will be made of up those from heats two and four.The fifth-place finishers from heats one and two will be on the pole in their respective last chance qualifying races. The fifth-place finishers from heats three and four will be on the outside pole. This pattern will continue to fill out 12 cars in each event. The top three finishers (six total cars) from both last chance qualifying races will advance to the Busch Light Clash, filling out positions 17 – 22 of the 23 available positions. A New Era of Racing … This season, drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in NASCAR’s Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, which officially debuts this weekend at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Next Gen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 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.  Catch the Action … The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum will be televised live Sunday, Feb. 6 beginning at 5 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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This Week’s True Velocity Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum … Dillon, the 2018 Daytona 500 Champion, is among the NASCAR Cup Series drivers vying for a spot in this year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, a 150-lap non-points-paying exhibition race limited to 23 cars. Although this marks the first year that the Busch Clash will be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Dillon has participated in the race on eight previous occasions at it’s former location of Daytona International Speedway. Welcome, True Velocity … True Velocity is an advanced technology company focused on critical defense infrastructure and the modernization of small arms and ammunition. Founded in 2010, Texas-based True Velocity has more than 350 patents pending or issued on its products, technology, and manufacturing processes. Initially, the company is focused on revolutionizing the ammunition industry. True Velocity’s proprietary composite-cased cartridge provides significant logistical advantages over traditional brass-cased ammunition and gives end users unmatched accuracy, repeatability, and reliability, all in a lightweight cartridge. True Velocity products are manufactured in the U.S. in a state-of-the-art facility and are currently available to public agencies, at select retail locations, and direct-to-consumer at tvammo.com. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:What are your thoughts on bringing NASCAR to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Clash?“It’s going to be wild and interesting, that’s for sure. NASCAR really went outside of the box with this one, and from an entertainment standpoint, I think it should be great for fans. It’s a tight track to fit the cars on, so racing-wise, you’ll see quite a bit of beating and banging. NASCAR and Fox are both doing a good job creating excitement and adding to the racing with concerts, DJs and enhanced television coverage. It’s a bold experiment for our sport and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.” What stands out to you about the Next Gen race car?“It’s very futuristic compared to what we’ve been driving. I think it’s going to be a breath of fresh air. We have a lot of kinks and things to work out right now, and there are a lot of unknowns, but I think that change is good for the sport. I think a lot of the fans are going to love to see the different things we do with the car. We’ll figure a lot out as we go. We had so much time and effort put into the old cars. We’re still figuring out things to make the old cars faster, which is crazy to think about when you look at how long we’ve had them. With the Next Gen, I think the engineers in our sport are going to be learning at a very fast pace, and we’re going to have to try to keep up with them as drivers.” Are you concerned about the inventory of cars?“I think it goes back to short-track racing. When you are coming up through the ranks of short-track racing, you do not have the inventory of cars that we’ve always had in the NASCAR Cup Series. If you wrecked your car, you could be out the next weekend. I don’t know that the inventory situation with the Next Gen car is that serious, but a wreck early in the season definitely could put you behind and put your team in a bind early in the season. Until we get more inventory of these cars, you want to take care of your equipment but you also want to win and put it all out on the line.” There’s a lot of changes within the sport, and within the car. However, you are coming into a situation with the same crew chief in Justin Alexander and the same teammate in Tyler Reddick heading into the season. How important is it to have some degree of familiarity surrounding you heading into the season?“I think it’s really important. Any time you can build with the same team over a year’s time you start to feel each other out more and know where everybody stands. We were very close to getting both of our cars into the NASCAR Playoffs last year. It came down to a points race between the two. Obviously this year, the biggest thing is trying to get locked in with a win. That’s what hurt us. I think we were super consistent throughout the season. We had our most consistent season ever and had some good runs. Unfortunately, there were some guys whowon that put us in a really bad spot. We don’t want to be in that spot again. We want to go to Victory Lane before the NASCAR Playoffs start.”

This Week’s Guaranteed Rate Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum … Tyler Reddick is one of the NASCAR Cup Series drivers competing for a spot in the first-ever Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, Feb. 6. The 150-lap non-points-paying race will be held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The new track was created specifically for the inaugural event and is approximately 1350 feet long and 37.5 feet in width. The banking is 2.5 degrees and there’s a 10-foot apron with recessed rumble strips. The track will have SAFER barriers around the entire outside. The field is limited to only 23 cars, with 36 cars currently entered. Reddick has participated in two previous Clash events; one was held on the Daytona International Speedway Road Course (2021) and the other on the Daytona International Speedway oval (2020). Going Green with Guaranteed Rate … Guaranteed Rate is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, the Guaranteed Rate Companies have more than 11,000 employees in over 850 branches across the U.S., serving all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Guaranteed Rate Companies have helped more than 1 million homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances, with a total loan volume of more than $116 billion in 2021 alone. The company has cemented itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates and delivering unparalleled customer service. TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:What are your thoughts on bringing NASCAR to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Clash?“NASCAR bringing a race to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is really exciting because it’s never been done before and it’s going to be a part of the history books. The fact that I get to be a part of it is even better. I have always wanted to go to the LA Coliseum and now I get to go and actually say that I raced on it. It’s really cool and it’s definitely going to be an exciting and crazy show for the fans.” What have you been able to learn about the Next Gen car during the offseason?“The Next Gen car has proven to have a lot of unknowns and changes that we will have to learn to adjust to. During the Next Gen tests at Charlotte, Daytona, and Phoenix, we were able to really push the limit and see what the new car can do. There is more mechanical grip and less aerodynamic grip, so you have to keep it straight. You can’t just get sideways and be able to correct yourself. The side force doesn’t hold the cars down to the track. It’s definitely going to be a challenge but it’s a fun challenge and I’m excited to keep learning everything I can about the car to bring speed and results to our team.” Heading into your third full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, this is also your third season with crew chief Randall Burnett on the pit box. How important is your relationship with him as we enter a new season?“Randall and I have a really great relationship and it’s really important to have that when you’re trying to build a solid and successful team. We work really well together, and I think we’ve been able to learn a lot about the Next Gen car together during the tests and the offseason. Obviously, this year, we have a lot of goals for our No. 8 team and achieving those goals becomes easier when you have a good relationship with the leader of your team. 2021 was good to us, with a lot of good runs and consistent finishes that helped us punch at ticket to the Playoffs. Although our Playoff run ended early, it was the momentum we need for this season.”

The 2022 season kicks off Saturday, February 6th at the “World’s Greatest Stadium,” the LA Coliseum. The inaugural event marks the first time in over 40 years that the Clash has been raced at a track other than Daytona. The 0.25-mile asphalt oval was constructed over the facility’s existing football field and marks the shortest track that NASCAR has competed on in the modern era. Since opening in 1923, the venue has hosted many marquee sporting events including 3 NFL Championships, 2 Super Bowls, and 2 Summer Olympic games. Although the Clash is a non-points event, it is the competitive debut of the Next Gen car – featuring a fleet of redesigned Ford Mustangs.

In addition to the one-off race at LA Coliseum, both NASCAR Cup and Xfinity series have each added one track to the 2022 schedule, along with several other lineup changes. On June 4th, the Xfinity series ventures to the Pacific Northwest for the first time at Portland International Raceway. The next day, June 5th, the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois makes its first ever NASCAR Cup Series debut. Auto Club Speedway makes its long-awaited return after a 2 year break due to COVID-19. All the previous 2021 track additions will return in 2022 including COTA, Nashville, Road America, Bristol Dirt, and the Indianapolis Road Course. This year’s Bristol Dirt race will take place under the lights as opposed to last year’s daytime race. The season still opens with the famed Daytona 500 and ends in Phoenix.

Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines are powering 15 full time NASCAR Cup series drivers this season: Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher with Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, Austin Cindric, Ryan Blaney, and Joey Logano with Team Penske, Harrison Burton with Wood Brothers Racing, Kevin Harvick, Aric Almriola, Chase Briscoe, and Cole Custer with Stewart-Haas Racing, Michael McDowell and Todd Gilliland with Front Row Motorsports, Garrett Smithley and Cody Ware with Rick Ware Racing, and BJ McLeod with Live Fast Motorsports. The 3 full-time Xfinity drivers being powered are Riley Herbst with Stewart-Haas Racing, Ryan Sieg with Ryan Sieg Racing, and Joe Graf Jr. with SS GreenLight Racing.

The long-awaited Next Gen car that was revealed in 2021 will see competition starting with this year’s Clash. The look and feel of the car has been redesigned to replicate the street version of the world’s best selling sports car, the Ford Mustang. The new design of the car has lowered the greenhouse, shortened the deck lid, and widened the track width to give the car more of a coupe look. Upgraded specs to match modern street car technology include a new independent rear suspension, rack and pinion steering, and larger brakes. A new transaxle combines the transmission and rear gears into one package to allow for electrification in the future. Hood louvers allow for maximization of engine performance independent of aerodynamics. The new composite material of the car is more durable, front and rear bumpers allow for increased safety, and both the front and rear clips bolt on to the center section for easy serviceability and repair.

For the 2022 NASCAR season, NASCAR Cup Series has established a 670 and 510 HP package. The 510 HP package will be utilized at Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta – while the 670 HP package will be utilized at all other tracks.  As NASCAR has opened up engine development in several areas this year, our team has been hard at work during the offseason to maximize power, performance, and reliability.

About Roush Yates Engines   Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class AS9100 Rev D/ISO 13485 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.    Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.   With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.   3 Series – 18 Teams – 74 Races

33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 424 WINS – 384 POLES!

The Buff brothers finished 1-2, continuing the Buff family’s dominance at Lake View Motor Speedway

By Dean Reynolds

NICHOLS, SC – Feb. 3, 2022 – Groundhog’s Day has passed, but the name Buff in Victory Lane at Lake View Motor Speedway during the South of the Border Showdown is starting to become a routine.

A year after winning the inaugural $3,000 check at the DIRTcar Sportsman event in South Carolina, Andrew Buff found himself standing in Victory Lane again Thursday night during the first of three nights for the 2022 edition of the event. And this time, standing next to his younger brother Justin Buff after an epic late-race duel.

Two restarts on Lap 19 pinned the brothers against each other with six laps to go and $1,000 on the line. When the race commenced, the elder Buff took his #92 car to the top side around Justin, stealing the lead and running away with the victory.

“He’s my little brother, I have to try to beat him, or he will have bragging rights. I can’t have that,” Andrew Buff said about his light-hearted brotherly rivalry.  “I really wasn’t sure where I would go on those restarts, he really wasn’t leaving any room on the bottom, so I just went to the top and it worked.”

His path to victory wasn’t without a hint of drama toward the end. On the first Lap 19 restart, the field lined up double-file, allowing Andrew to get an easy run around the outside of his brother for the lead. But, before the lap was complete, a caution. That meant, under DIRTcar rules, the next restart would be single-file with Andrew back in second behind his brother.

“That changed everything, I knew what to do but when it was single file, I was just hoping I can do it again,” Buff said. “I just decided to go in turns one and two up top hard again and it worked out.”

You may think the loss resulted in disappointment for his sibling, but the satisfaction of another podium for Justin was enough for him to still leave with a smile.

“Yeah, you want to win and, man, I would love to beat him (Andrew) just once, but how can you be disappointed with another top three,” Justin Buff said.

“I had a good start, but he just blasted it up top and got the lead. When the yellow came on and they said single file restart I thought, ‘maybe I could get that second chance.’ But he just did it again. Hey, I guess if I have to finish second it’s to my brother.”

Behind the Buff brothers, David Boisclair put on a show, charging from 12th to third in the 25-lap Feature. After drawing the ‘12’ pill in the redraw, the Latham, NY driver’s chance at a good finish seemed bleak. But when the green flag flew, he found grip in every lane and picked off cars lap by lap until he found his way to third by the checkered flag.

“Man, I just had such a good car, I could go anywhere on the track,” Boisclair said. “I took my time, found my spots, and got up through. I had one restart where I actually got up to second, but Justin got me back. But that’s a part of racing.

“I’m happy with finishing second to Andrew and Justin, they run so good here and I think I might have something for them. Hey, to come some 13 hours away from home to run your type of car here in South Carolina is pretty darn cool.  I hope we can keep it going the next two nights.”

Sophomore Sportsman driver Chris Jackubiak drew the pole and lead the first seven laps before relinquishing the lead to Justin Buff who held the top spot until the Lap 19 restart.

Rounding out the top five were Richard Murtaugh and Brian Calabrese.  A total of 34 DIRTcar Sportsman filled the pits for the first night. Two more nights of racing remain with $2,000-to-win on the line Friday and the $3,000-to-win finale on Saturday.

For Buff, there’s no better place to be this weekend as he looks to continue his own Groundhog’s Day of winning at Lake View.

“There’s just something about this place that’s not only good for me but good for my family,” Buff. “They just have such a great track down here; Scott and Tim do a great job and we just are so thankful to have the opportunity to have this race.”

RESULTS
Second Annual South of the Border Showdown Night #1 Feature Finish (25 Laps):
1. Andrew Buff ($1,000), 2. Justin Buff ($700), 3. David Boisclair ($450), 4. Richard Murtaugh ($350), 5. Brian Calabrese ($250), 6. Jeff Watson ($200), 7. Zach Sobotka ($150), 8. Robert Delormier ($125), 9. Seth Zacharias ($100), 10. Chris Jakubiak ($100), 11. Joe Toth ($100), 12. Cedric Gauvreau ($100), 13. Mike Ballestero ($100), 14. Brock Pinkerous ($100), 15. Tanner Siemons ($100), 16. Jake Mason ($100), 17. Jim Nagle ($100), 18. Dylan Madsen ($100), 19. Jamy Begor ($100), 20. Rick Thompson ($0), 21. Dane Hedlund ($100), 22. Mike Bruno ($100), 23. Brandon Gibbons ($100), 24. Zach Buff ($100), 25. Chris Johnson ($100).

Did Not Qualify – Marty Kelly, Steve Davis, Gordon Smith, Blayden Arquette, Kelly Smith, David VanBuren, Eric Loyer, Bentley Gray, Jeff Brown.

Lake City, FL (February 3, 2022) – Brandon Sheppard raced his way to victory on Thursday Night at All-Tech Raceway, leading all but one lap in winning the 40-lap Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event. It was Sheppard’s first-ever win at All-Tech in the General Tire Winter Nationals Presented by Line-X. Devin Moran continued his solid start to the 2022 season as he moved from his 15th starting spot to finish second. Jonathan Davenport was running second on the white flag when apparent electrical issues dropped him to third in the final rundown. Shane Clanton took home fourth and Ricky Thornton Jr, who led one lap during the race, finished in fifth place. Thornton and Sheppard started on the front row in the sixth race of the season. Sheppard grabbed the lead on the opening lap taking the top spot with Thornton Jr running in second. Sheppard held the point through a couple of early cautions as Thornton Jr continued to pressure him for the lead. Thornton was able to get by Sheppard on lap seven, but a lap later Sheppard would fight back and regain the point. Sheppard then kept Thornton at bay. Mark Whitener was making time on the top side, trying to make his way to the front. Just as Whitener cracked the top five his car slowed dramatically off of turn number two and pulled to the infield as his night was over. A long green flag stretch of racing took place from laps 14-37 but a caution with three laps remaining would bunch the field and clear out traffic for Sheppard. The restart had Sheppard in control, but Davenport was making strides on the outside of the track, passing Thornton for second after the restart. As Sheppard came out of turn four for the checkers, Davenport would slow allowing Moran to slip by at the finish. Sheppard, the 29-year-old Illinois native went to Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory lane for the 22nd time in his career as the four-time Dirt Track World Championship Winner became the fourth different winner in the first six races of the year. “I was just honestly hoping everyone was having as hard of a time steering as I was out there. This track is so tricky, it’s super slippery, the brown spots have a lot of grip to them. It was a fun race, but definitely stressful for me. I thought for sure on that last restart that one of those guys was going to come cruising by me on the outside. But I guess they were having the same issues as I was.” Moran charged from the inside of row number six and came home in second for the fourth time this year to go along with his two victories. “You just had to be patient out there tonight. It was wild out there. We ran the bottom for what felt like the first 100 laps. It was such a slow pace. After the first 15 or 20 laps we started to get the crumbs out there and we could finally run out farther on the track. It was so sketchy; it was like East Bay where you can’t steer. It’s like racing a four-wheeler on a pond of ice. I just tried not to make too many mistakes.” Davenport, a three-time series champion, was looking for his first win of the year; instead, he limped across the line in the third. “I don’t know if it was an electrical issue or what happened. We will have to go through the car to see what it was. It actually happened before that last caution. The lights went out and I was flipping switches. I would have liked to have run those last three laps on full power. I found something through there, I passed Ricky and was gaining on Brandon a little bit. I just needed a bit more power and I might have had something for him there. The winner’s Mark Richards Racing Rocket House Car is powered by a Durham Racing Engine and sponsored by Valvoline, Seubert Calf Ranches, Ace Metal Works, Gunter’s Honey, Petroff Towing, Integra Racing Shocks and Rocket 1 Pre-Owned Motors. Completing the top ten were Ashton Winger, Dennis Erb Jr., Tyler Erb, Brandon Overton, and Spencer Hughes.   Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary General Tire Winter Nationals Presented by Line-XThursday, February 3rd, 2022All-Tech Raceway – Lake City, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Ricky Thornton Jr / 17.170 seconds Fast Time Group B: Brandon Sheppard / 17.087 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 58W-Mark Whitener[4]; 3. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[2]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 5. 89-Ashton Winger[8]; 6. 7T-Drake Troutman[7]; 7. 14JR-Trey Mills[11]; 8. 157-Mike Marlar[10]; 9. 2D-Dan Stone[9]; 10. 18D-Daulton Wilson[5]; 11. C02-Ryan Markham[6] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 3. 111V-Max Blair[5]; 4. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton[8]; 6. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 7. 1ST-Johnny Scott[6]; 8. 0J-Jake O’Neil[7]; 9. 503-Jason Miles[9]; 10. 1Z-Logan Zarin[11]; 11. 44D-Dalton Cook[10] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[4]; 3. 10J-Joseph Joiner[8]; 4. 93-Carson Ferguson[2]; 5. 10-Garrett Smith[10]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[5]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[7]; 8. 2S-Stormy Scott[9]; 9. 48-Colton Flinner[3]; 10. 58-Garrett Alberson[6]; 11. (DNS) 0G-Deshawn Gingerich Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[5]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[8]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 7. 44M-Chris Madden[9]; 8. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[6]; 9. 30-Todd Cooney[10]; 10. 7-Ross Robinson[7] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 89-Ashton Winger[1]; 4. 7T-Drake Troutman[3]; 5. 1ST-Johnny Scott[6]; 6. 2D-Dan Stone[9]; 7. 18D-Daulton Wilson[11]; 8. 0J-Jake O’Neil[8]; 9. C02-Ryan Markham[13]; 10. 14JR-Trey Mills[5]; 11. 1Z-Logan Zarin[12]; 12. 157-Mike Marlar[7]; 13. 503-Jason Miles[10]; 14. (DNS) 44D-Dalton Cook UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 3. 44M-Chris Madden[6]; 4. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[3]; 5. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[8]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[12]; 7. 66C-Matt Cosner[5]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[11]; 9. 10-Garrett Smith[1]; 10. 2S-Stormy Scott[7]; 11. 30-Todd Cooney[10]; 12. (DNS) 48-Colton Flinner; 13. (DNS) 0G-Deshawn Gingerich Lucas Oil Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 43Lap Leaders: Brandon Sheppard (Laps 1 – 6); Ricky Thornton Jr (Lap 7); Brandon Sheppard (Laps 8 – 40)Wrisco Feature Winner: Brandon SheppardArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 1.802 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Joseph Joiner (Lap 4); Mark Whitener (Lap 9); Joseph Joiner (Lap 37)Series Provisionals: Mike Marlar, Stormy ScottFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: Garrett Alberson, Daulton WilsonTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Jonathan DavenportPenske Shocks Top 5: Brandon Sheppard, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Shane Clanton, Ricky Thornton Jr.Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ashton Winger (Advanced 15 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin MoranHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Brandon Sheppard (39 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr (Lap 2 – 19.960 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Mark WhitenerOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Danny White (Brandon Sheppard)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Durham Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Brandon Sheppard (18.103 seconds)Time of Race: 24 minutes 18 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

Wrisco Industries Winternationals Points:

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA FEBRUARY 6, 2022

NASCAR CUP SERIES HEADS WEST TO KICK-OFF 2022The highly anticipated 2022 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) season gets underway this weekend as the series heads to Los Angeles, California, for the 44th running of the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum on Sunday, February 6. For the first time in NCS history, teams will take on the .25-mile track built within the renowned Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Since the inception of the exhibition-style, non-points paying show in 1979, this year marks the first time that the traditional event has been hosted outside of Daytona Beach, Florida. 
With a new venue comes a new format for the 150-lap exhibition race, featuring Heat Races and Last Chance Qualifier Races for the first time in the event’s history. Of the 36 drivers to enter the event, only 23 will secure a starting spot in the Main Event. 22 of those Main Event spots will be earned by drivers racing their way through either their Heat Races or the Last Chance Qualifier Races. The 23rd starting spot will be occupied by the driver finishing highest in the 2021 NCS Driver Standings that did not transfer through their respective qualifying races.  
NEXT GEN CAMARO ZL1 SET FOR COMPETITIONThe upcoming NASCAR Cup Series season will be one for the history books, where the series’ major automotive brands will make the on-track competition debut of their Next Gen models, including Chevrolet’s Next Gen Camaro ZL1. Chevrolet engineers and designers, alongside the Chevrolet race teams, worked closely together to develop the Next Gen Camaro ZL1, creating a race car that looks and performs more like the production Camaro. 
Bringing the track and the street closer together, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1’s new lower greenhouse, shortened deck lid and widened track width contribute to a coupe-like appearance. Like the production Camaro ZL1, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 features hood air extractors to enhance track performance. With its fully symmetrical body design, the Next Gen Camaro ZL1 race car looks even more like the production Camaro. 
Other changes to the 2022 Next Gen race car include: 
• Upgraded specs to match modern passenger vehicle technology, including independent rear suspension – like production Camaros – and rack and pinion steering.
• An increase in wheel size from 15 to 18 inches. The larger diameter wheels allow for larger brakes for improved track performance. Wheels will be made from forged aluminum, like the wheels on the production Camaro ZL1. 
• A new transaxle that combines the transmission and rear gears into one package.
• The bottom of the car will be sealed with an underwing and rear diffuser for enhanced aerodynamics. 
• A redesigned chassis features new front and rear bumpers with an energy-management system. 
• Both the front and rear clips bolt on to the center section for easier serviceability and damage repair.
Chevrolet debuted the Camaro ZL1 race car into the NASCAR Cup Series in 2018, later replaced by the Camaro ZL1 1LE in 2020. In its two years of NCS competition, the Camaro ZL1 1LE won both the 2020 and 2021 NCS Driver’s Championships (Chase Elliott, 2020) (Kyle Larson, 2021), as well giving Chevrolet its 40th NCS Manufacturer’s Championship in 2021. Along with its 814 all-time NCS wins, Chevrolet holds the title of winningest brand in NCS history.  15 CAMARO ZL1 DRIVERS ENTERED FOR THE 2022 BUSCH LIGHT CLASH:Of the 36 entrants in this year’s Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum, 15 Chevrolet drivers will be in competition:  Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Corey LaJoie, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Justin Haley, No. 31 Kaulig Racing Camaro ZL1Ty Dillon, No. 42 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1Erik Jones, No. 43 Petty GMS Camaro ZL1Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1Landon Cassill, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Camaro ZL1Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Camaro ZL1
TEAM CHEVY IN CLASH COMPETITION (1979-2021):·       Of the seven different manufacturers that have won a Busch Light Clash race, Chevrolet leads the way with 21 victories. 
·       Career Chevrolet driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, tops the list of the most consecutive Busch Light Clash appearances, totaling 22 consecutive events from 1994 – 2015.  FIRST 2023 CORVETTE Z06 RAISES $3.6 MILLION FOR OPERATION HOMEFRONTIt was a record sale at last week’s Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale Auction when the first retail 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 70th Anniversary Edition was sold for $3.6 million, with 100 percent of the winning bid going to Operation Homefront. The winning bid made by Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series team owner, Rick Hendrick, now holds the record sale for a charity vehicle donated by a manufacturer at Barrett-Jackson, topping the previous record by $600,000, which was previously held by the first retail 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. 
“It’s truly a privilege to support our military members and their families through Operation Homefront,” said Steve Hill, Chevrolet vice president. “Proceeds from the first retail 2023 Corvette Z06 will benefit many U.S. military families across the country who have done so much to serve our country.” FOR THE FANS

• Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the NASCAR Fan Fest area of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 
• Fans can check out Chevrolet vehicles on display at NASCAR Fan Fest, including a Tahoe High Country and a Corvette Stingray.  

Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: 

• Saturday, February 5: 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.  
• Sunday, February 6: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. 

TUNE-INFOX will telecast the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, February 6. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 HOWLER HEAD CAMARO ZL1 2022 KICKS OFF AT THE CLASH. WHAT IS THAT RACE GOING TO BE LIKE?“It’s going to be a party and I think a race is going to break out. I mean, that’s the whole point, right? That’s why we moved from the Daytona oval to the Daytona road course, and now to Los Angeles to change it up. We want to show people what we are all about. I’ve never been to the Coliseum but people know about that facility. It’s something totally new which I think is great.”  AS THE TRACK HAS BEEN BUILT AND YOU SEE PICTURES, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS GOING TO BE LIKE? “I have no idea. I grew up racing on a 3/8th mile, pretty flat asphalt track called 417 Speedway (Punta Gorda, Fla.) and that’s probably the closest thing I can relate it to, maybe Auburndale Speedway (Fla). We’ll all learn when we get there, that’s for sure. It’s more than a race. We are there to put on a show and with the acts that are performing we are there for racing and entertainment.” SO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF THE CLASH?“Yes, it’s different and I’m excited for a new track. It’s great to be part of the Next Gen too. The learning curve at the Clash will be incredible.” WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WORKING WITH DANIEL (SUAREZ)?“I’ve watched him race and he’s been through different teams, and I heard him say early on when he signed with Justin Marks and Trackhouse that this might be his best opportunity of his career. A lot of people chuckled, but I didn’t. I knew Justin and I had talked to him about what he was trying to build. Now, nobody saw the acquisition coming with CGR and how all of that would come together, but Daniel bought in on Justin and I’ve bought in on Justin for a long time, I just didn’t have the opportunity to drive for him. Me and Daniel are pretty similar. Although, in the cockpit of the car, we couldn’t be more opposite. Just how we like to sit, what angle, the steering. He actually wants it looser than me. He’s the first teammate I’ve ever had that actually asked for it to be looser than me. That’s been refreshing because now I know there is more out there to get.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 TRUE VELOCITY CAMARO ZL1WHAT ARE YOUR THROUGHTS ON BRINGING NASCAR TO THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM FOR THE CLASH? “It’s going to be wild and interesting, that’s for sure. NASCAR really went outside of the box with this one, and from an entertainment standpoint, I think it should be great for fans. It’s a tight track to fit the cars on, so racing-wise, you’ll see quite a bit of beating and banging. NASCAR and Fox are both doing a good job creating excitement and adding to the racing with concerts and DJ’s enhanced television coverage. It’s a bold experiment for our sport and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.” WHAT STANDS OUT TO YOU ABOUT THE NEXT GEN RACE CAR?“It’s very futuristic compared to what we’ve been driving. I think it’s going to be a breath of fresh air. We have a lot of kinks and things to work out right now. There are a lot of unknowns, but I think that change is good for the sport. I think a lot of the fans are going to love to see the different things we do with the car. We’ll figure a lot out as we go. We had so much time and effort put into the old cars. We’re still figuring out things to make the old cars faster, which is crazy to think about when you look at how long we’ve had them. With the NextGen, I think the engineers in our sport are going to be learning at a very fast pace, and we’re going to have to try to keep up with them as drivers.” ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE INVENTORY OF CARS?“I think it goes back to short track racing. When you are coming up through the ranks short track racing you do not have the inventory of cars that we’ve always had in the NASCAR Cup Series. If you wrecked your car, you could be out the next weekend. I don’t know that the inventory situation with the NextGen car is that serious, but a wreck early in the season definitely could put you behind and put your team in a bind early in the season. Until we get more inventory of these cars, you want to take care of your equipment but you also want to win and put it all out on the line.” THERE’S A LOT OF CHANGES WITHIN THE SPORT AND WITHIN THE CAR. HOWEVER, YOU ARE COMING INTO A SITUATION WITH THE SAME CREW CHIEF IN JUSTIN ALEXANDER AND THE SAME TEAMMATE IN TYLER REDDICK HEADING INTO THE SEASON. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO HAVE SOME DEGREE OF FAMILIARITY SURROUNDING YOU HEADING INTO THE SEASON? “I think it’s really important. Any time you can build with the same team over a year’s time you start to feel each other out more and know where everybody stands. We were very close to getting both of our cars into the NASCAR Playoffs last year. It came down to a points race between the two. Obviously this year, the biggest thing is trying to get locked in with a win. That’s what hurt us. I think we were super consistent throughout the season. We had our most consistent season ever and had some good runs. Unfortunately, there were some guys that won that put us in a really bad spot. We don’t want to be in that spot again. We want to go to Victory Lane before the NASCAR Playoffs start.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1LARSON ON TESTING THE NEW NEXT GEN CAMARO: “I participated in several tests with the new Camaro, but last week’s test at Phoenix Raceway was my first with the car with all the changes and updates for the 2022 season. The test went well, and I’m looking forward to actually racing it.” LARSON ON THE BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM COMPARISON TO THE LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM: “Bowman Gray was so long ago and with such a different car that I don’t think it gives me, or anyone who competed in those races, an advantage. There is a lot of hype around the event, so I’m really looking forward to the weekend.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 DANIELS ON THE RECENT NEXT GEN TEST AT PHOENIX RACEWAY: “We learned a lot during the test last week. We went through a progression, and it allowed us to gather more data points for this car. No matter the track configuration or layout, we are going to be continuously learning with this car, so any on-track time is valuable.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1“The Clash is set to be one of the biggest events in NASCAR’s history. There are so many unknowns going into this race being the first race of the Next Gen car, which gives me a lot of confidence. I’m a short track guy at heart, with a win in the K&N series at Bowman Gray Stadium, so I can’t wait to get my elbows up at one of the country’s most iconic venues. Having NationsGuard come back for the 2022 season is also something I’m excited about. I look forward to giving them a great run to start the season.” RYAN SPARKS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1“I got my start at Bowman Gray Stadium, racing modifieds. Having the first Next Gen race at a track very similar to my roots is an awesome opportunity to capitalize on the 2022 season, right out of the gate. Short tracks are definitely Corey’s specialty, so I’m looking forward to turning some heads in our 3rd season together.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1ELLIOTT ON KICKING OFF THE 2022 SEASON WITH THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM: “I’m excited to get the season going. The Coliseum is a great venue, and I think it’s going to be a fun event. That’s what it was intended to be, a fun and exciting event to kick off our season, and I think it’s going to do exactly that. If you’re going to try something, the Clash is a good race to go and try it because there’s no points involved. This event has a lot of potential to be a home run for our sport. Hopefully it’s entertaining and people have fun watching at home on TV or from the stands.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 “The L.A. Coliseum is certainly an iconic place, and I’m really looking forward to going there. I can remember a lot of different events, from the Olympics to Supercross racing there, and I’ve got a lot of memories of that, so it’s going to be cool for us to race there. As far as the race goes, nobody really knows what to expect from the track and how the cars are going to drive. We certainly expect it to be chaotic with a lot going on in a short period of time. We’re going to make our best guess with the car and go try to learn as much as we can. Being adaptable is going to be important. It’s going to be exciting for sure.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 CHEVYLINERS.COM CAMARO ZL1“This will be a unique and challenging event with the new car and new track. I’m happy to be able to participate in the very first clash in Los Angeles and to be a part of this opportunity with Kaulig Racing. This is a fun way to kick off the start of the season, so hopefully we can race our way into the big show on Sunday.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 BYRON ON PREPARING FOR RACING AT THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM: “I’m excited to get to L.A. and see what the track is like in person. When the idea came out to potentially race there, I was one of the drivers who was able to experience it on iRacing early on and give some feedback on how it raced. Other than that, there’s not much other preparation we can do before we get in our race cars and on track for practice Saturday. I’m interested to see how different the track races from that first time on iRacing. I think we can expect it to be tight racing with maintaining track position as the key. It should be interesting for sure as there’s no room for error.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 FUGLE ON RACING AT THE LOS ANGELES COLISEUM FOR THE FIRST TIME: “I’m not sure many of us know what to expect this weekend in Los Angeles. The nice thing is that everyone is in that same situation. We’ve had a lot of time testing the new car in the off-season, which is nice, but also none of those tests were on tracks similar to L.A. Thankfully we have some practice time prior to qualifying and the race, but with three short-timed sessions, it’s not a ton of time. Most of that time will be used to get drivers adjusted to the track, learning braking points, things like that. It should be exciting though as a lot of us on the team grew up racing at short tracks like this and it brings us back to where we started.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 “The start to my first full-time Cup season will look a little bit different this year, as we are headed to LA for the Clash! I think this is going to be a challenging but super fun week for us with this new car. It will be the first time we actually race in the new car, so hopefully we can get through it unscathed and learn a lot in the process.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 FOOD 4 LESS/SLIM JIM CAMARO ZL1 “It’s a new venue, a temporary track, a brand-new car, and we will have a lot of new fans there. I don’t know what to think about the race or track, but it’s the same for everybody since it’s all new to us. We will all figure it out quickly when we get there. We are ready to get going.” “Then we’ll take L..A and look at it to figure out what we can change on our race cars for when we go to a track like Phoenix or other short tracks. We’ll hit different styles of race tracks in those five or six races at the start of the NASCAR Cup Series season. For us, it’s making sure we are consistent and fast at all of them. Everybody has the same chassis and a lot of the same parts and pieces. So, there is no reason why we can’t go and compete for wins against everybody else. Once we’re done with the West Coast swing, we’ll definitely know where we need to go to work and know what our priorities are for different race tracks going forward.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 BOWMAN ON RACING AT THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM: “I’m pumped to go to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum. It’s such a cool venue, and I’m excited to see all the fans in the stands, to get the new car on the track and get the season started.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1IVES ON RACING AT THE CLASH AT THE COLISEUM: “I am pretty excited to get out to the L.A. Coliseum. For one, being from the Midwest, I know the Coliseum is a big thing for college football. The history of the venue not related to racing and not having ever raced there before makes it pretty neat to go to. From the racing standpoint, there are a lot of unknowns. Just looking at similar tracks like Bowman Gray seem to have a lot of excitement. Obviously, any time you go to race, you always want to run well, but it is also a chance for us to go there and get a look at the competition and work out any bugs before we head to Daytona.” 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)                CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 814 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 723Laps led to date: 241,336Top-five finishes to date: 4,138Top-10 finishes to date: 8,555                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:           General Motors: 1,148           Chevrolet: 814           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 811                                                                    Ford: 711           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 162
 

BARBERVILLE, FL – February 3, 2022 – Sunshine and palm trees await the World of Outlaws Late Models as they gear up for their second appearance at Volusia Speedway Park in 2022.   

Gator hunting for The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet goes from Feb. 16-19, but not before handling unfinished business.  

The week kicks off with the 30-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature, postponed from Sunshine Nationals, on Wednesday afternoon. After that is complete, Qualifying begins for the first (of four) 40-lap, $10,000-to-win DIRTcar Nationals Features, in the quest for a “Big Gator” trophy.

Drivers will accumulate points through the four World of Outlaws Features and the two DIRTcar Late Model Features on Feb. 14-15 to determine a weeklong points champion. The Sunshine Nationals make up Feature during Wednesday’s program will not count toward the weekly total.

Last month, Dale McDowell, of Chickamauga, GA, opened the 2022 season with a heartwarming victory during Sunshine Nationals in his first race after beating cancer for four months. The “Mac Daddy” dominated the event, leading all 30-laps and holds the points lead entering DIRTcar Nationals. He also has a chance to go back-to-back, as he’ll start second in the held over Feature from Sunshine.

Atop the list of drivers McDowell will have to fend off is defending DIRTcar Nationals champion Devin Moran, who also picked up a DIRTcar Nationals Feature win last year. The Dresden, OH driver held off challenges from Bobby Pierce, putting together a consistent week to win his first “Big Gator” trophy.

While those drivers are hungry to find Victory Lane again, the World of Outlaws regulars will likely have something to say about it. 

Four-time Series champions Brandon Sheppard and Josh Richards lead the World of Outlaws’ charge, hoping to escape the Florida sun with the points lead. They’re also on the cusp of history, as Richards leads Sheppard 78-77 in the race for most World of Outlaws wins.

Even though all eyes are on Sheppard and Richards in the epic battle for Series supremacy, a mix of veterans and rookies will try to keep them at bay. 

Dennis Erb Jr. and Chris Madden are coming off top-five finishes in the season opener and hope to keep that momentum rolling into February. Max Blair, who leads the race for Rookie of the Year, is also off to a hot start with an eighth-place finish. 

Another driver to keep an eye on is 2021 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year Tyler Bruening, who scored his fourth straight top-10 at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” in January.  

Don’t miss out on the World of Outlaws Late Models as they make their 

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 2, 2022  COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NATIONS GUARD CAMARO ZL1, Press Conference Transcript:  I HAVE HEARD A LOT OF TALK, A LOT OF PEOPLE SPECULATING HOW THIS COLISEUM RACE IS GOING TO BE, WHAT IS YOUR TAKE? WHAT IS IT GOING TO LOOK LIKE? “I think the one thing that everybody’s overlooking slightly is that we all are in a way, sometimes we don’t show it, are all professional racecar drivers. I think what you see on a quarter bullring on a Saturday night isn’t quite the product you are going to see here on Sunday or even Saturday nights. With the consideration of everybody’s pretty lean on equipment and cars right now, I don’t think you are going to see really bonehead moves or aggressive moves besides maybe some rutting and gauging for a transfer spot, but you’re not going to see people wiping each other out often I don’t think. I could be wrong, but I have seen races at Bowman Gray go green to checkered with no cautions, I think people are overlooking the potential that we could see very minimal amount of cautions. I think it will be a good durability test for these Next Gen cars for sure.”
SO, AT THE SPEED THE CARS WILL BE AT THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE SAYING WELL THERE CAN’T BE THAT MUCH CHAOS OR DESTRUCTION BECAUSE THEY AREN’T GOING TO BE GOING THAT FAST IN SUCH A SMALL AREA. SO NO MATTER WHAT WE TALK ABOUT, WHAT PICTURE DOES THAT PAINT? “I mean I can assure you that if somebody left rears you and backs you into the fence at 80 miles per hour, you are not going to drive away and not have any damage. The most vulnerable thing on these cars are the rear toe lengths. That is what keeps the rear tires square with the independent rear suspension versus the Ford nine-inch. You can beat and bang with those rear-end housings all you wanted to and they are not really going to bend a whole lot, if at all. Now we are going to be beating those 18-inch wheels, which are obviously three inches bigger than what we had, so it is going to have more torque on the suspension when you do beat and bang and those toe lengths are only about the size of my pinky and about this long. I think those are going to be the first things to go and bend. I can assure you if a rear tire is not pointed in the right direction with this car you are going to have a bad day. I think that what you are going to gain in durability with the composite bodies beating and banging, leaning on guys and not really worrying about a fender rubbing a tire, you are going to give up the durability of the suspension pieces. Particularly the ones that keep them pointed straight. You are going to be going fast enough to wreck. Ask Daniel Suarez how it went at Bowman Gray when he was up on the tires at pit road entry. He was going fast enough to almost have it pointed vertical. You’ll definitely see some wadded-up stuff at the end of the night. Hopefully it’s not the seven Nations Guard Camaro.”
HOW FAST DO YOU THINK THE CARS WILL GO? WHAT DO YOU THINK THE TOP SPEED WILL BE? “I’m guessing 85 maybe top end, you may see that in qualifying with the little big longer straightaways. I think you saw somewhere close to 80 at Bowman Gray and it looks like the straightaways are a bit longer there and tighter corners. In the simulation runs somewhere around 14 flat, I don’t know what that works out to be average speed wise, but you’ll be going fast enough to do some damage if you back the thing into the fence for sure.”
I know you are a short track guy at heart, so how important is it do you feel like to add to the first time since 1971 a true quarter mile bullring to the Cup Series dynamic in addition to like the dirt track last year too? “Yeah, unfortunately it’s not a points paying race right? It is kind of like a pro bowl and I love the fact that NASCAR opened it up for the teams that wouldn’t capable or qualified for the CLASH in its old format. It opens it up to everyone available to qualify for the race, especially for the first one that is such a monumental event that’s going to be this weekend, but my expectations are as high as they have ever been in the Cup Series. Which the bar is set particularly low, because any given week I know that single car speed I haven’t been driving anything faster than a 25^th place car and you know with a couple of Next Gen tests under our belt we have had pretty good speed and I think that this is the most even going into an event in the history of NASCAR you could argue. With the limited amount of notes, the quarter mile racetrack, temporary racetrack that nobody has any notes on it, you know, and everybody is guessing at their simulation. It kind of goes back to old school racing where you try to set the car up based on what you know and align left and get the elbow up and get after it. So, I’m excited to see how much speed we have off the truck and hopefully we can punch our ticket and race on Sunday night.”
WITH THE GRIPPIER TIRE AND THE LARGER BRAKE PACKAGE, DO YOU THINK SHORT TRACK RACING IS GOING TO CHANGE AT ALL OR IS IT STILL BASICALLY SAME OLE MARTINSVILLE AND BULLRING RACING WE HAVE HAD BEFORE? “I think you will see a lot more lock up, like guys come to pit for lock ups. The brakes we had on the Gen 6 car weren’t capable of really, you could lock the tire up a little bit, but the weight of the car far overcame the max potential of the smaller rotors were. Now we are going to have I think more brake than what tire grip we are going to have available when the tires get hot. You are going to see a lot more lock ups into guys when they are racing hard because you are going to be able to go deeper into the corner whether that is Martinsville or Turn 3 at Phoenix or here at LA, you are going to be able to get into the corner deeper but that margin for error for sliding the tires is considerable smaller. So, what you gain in potential and abilities you are going to give up in tire grip once those 18-inch tires get hot they definitely degrade pretty quick. I think it is going to be pretty interesting to watch.”
WHAT WOULD IT MEAN FOR YOU OR ANY COMPETITOR TO WIN THIS FIRST EVENT THIS WEEKEND? FOR YOU PERSONALLY, AT WHAT LEVEL WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GO? “I mean at the end of the day there are no points on the line, not an exuberant amount of money you know like you are not racing for Daytona 500 money, you are racing, I can promise you first probably pays better than second last time I checked. There’s lots of things you have to consider, which you are not going to consider once you put the helmet on. We are all racecar drivers and that goes out the window with any common sense when you put the visor down. When, let’s just say two potential playoff contenders get into it and they want to fight and beat and bang, that is a thing that can last all season long for something that might not truly be worth it. I do think that anything is going to be worth it to be the first guy to win in the Next Gen car as well as the first guy to win, potentially the only guy to win, in the LA Coliseum. I think there’s going to be a lot of guys going to some great lengths, myself included, to get myself into the show as well as hopefully put ourselves in position to win the show.”
I’M GUESSING THAT YOU GO IN EACH WEEKEND TO GET THE BEST PERFORMANCE AND ANY COMPETITOR WANTS TO WIN, DO YOU LOOK AT THIS EVENT AS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY OR THE MOST REALISTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO WIN IN A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME OR JUST SINCE THE LAST SUPERSPEEDWAY RACE? HOW DO YOU VIEW THIS OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU PERSONALLY?  “Yeah, bar none. I’m not going in with just the hopes of making it. I think if we don’t finish in the top seven, I feel like I would be pretty disappointed in myself and our abilities to you know not finish inside the top seven we didn’t do our job as a race team. There is no excuse why we can’t pull the belts tight, make our car have some positive changes and get some good speed out of the thing and contend for a top-10 for sure. It’s different than a speedway. A lot of luck goes into a speedway, and a little bit of luck is going to go into this event just like any race, but you know generally speaking I am riding around waiting for everybody to wreck and then two laps to go jam it in there if we finish sixth then great. Not very fun as a racecar driver riding around hoping everybody wrecks and if they don’t you run 28^th like we did spring Talladega. This is the only the first event where me running to our maximum ambition gives us a chance that we know we might see some fruit on the backend because we are going to have a lot better relative speed than we probably had last year or years previous.”
I REALLY LIKE WHAT I AM HEARING IN YOUR VOICE. YOU KNOW THE CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE. IS IT MORE OF THE UNKOWNS WITH THE CAR OR IS IT THE SHORT TRACK? DO YOU THINK THE SHORT TRACK ITSELF SUITS YOUR TALENT?  “I definitely obviously favor short tracks. It is what I grew up cutting my teeth on, you know had some success there with second and first at Bowman Gray the two times we have been there. That is the closest track that is similar to. I have been to Columbus, Ohio and run well there. It is a quarter mile, more round than the LA Coliseum, so I feel like on paper I’ve got as much stock car experience running quarter mile small tracks that is of anybody in the field as well as our team building solid racecars to have good speed at the last couple Next Gen tests. I think to it’s a little bit of myself like eventually, you know I tweeted this the beginning of the year, I have been paying dues for five years in this thing. It’s like when you play NASCAR 08 career mode and you get in with the crappiest team and then you go to the next team and you keep progressing one team at a time to ultimately where you want to go. Then eight years later you are winning races and championship, that is literally how my career has been and it has been eating a lot of crow and learning a lot of lessons the hard way on LIVE television each and every Sunday that a lot of guys would learn on a Saturday afternoon with a lot less expectations. I think now I have just been telling myself like you belong here. You know I think that now the competition side has to match what I feel like off the racetrack with the podcast and fans understanding my story and the work I have been putting in on the backend. Hopefully with this Next Gen car and the people we have in place at Spire Motorsports we can continue to match the competition graph up to the off-track momentum that I have behind myself. A lot of this is about confidence and if you don’t believe in yourself to get the job done, nobody else will believe in you. So, I know I can get the job done. This the best chance I have had in my Cup Series career and Xfinity Series career probably in the last decade to be competitive and race for not just a win but a top-10 or just be competitive and rub fenders with guys I usually don’t. I know that is a long-winded answer, but I’m confident now until we get really get beat back into submission a couple of weeks into the year. We still have realistic expectations, but you know the longer I get into this and the more I am racing around guys that I respect, I keep telling myself right, wrong or indifferent I’ve paid the dues and I belong in the Cup Series. Hopefully we can start pairing some good runs and good finishes together to enhance that.”
IF THIS IS A SUCCESS, WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE THIS DONE NEXT? LIKE IS THERE A STADIUM OR ANY SORT OF PLACE THAT YOU ARE LIKE MAN THAT WOULD BE COOL TO RACE THERE? “I just keep thinking about the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys. It all depends on the footprint right. I don’t know about footprint of the field and how big it is. That is a state-of-the-art facility down there in Dallas, but if it works here which it will, there’s a couple things that could happen early to derail it but I think everything in NASCAR control has been over and above what has been expected. I think they have done a bang-up job with how the track looks and the pavement of it and everything. The marketing of it has been a homerun as well. I was watching FS1 this morning and there was a little ticker across the bottom talking about it. Talking about Floyd Miller team, so I think that there’s as much momentum behind the sport as ever and I think this event is really going to capture it. Without getting into the details too much about what side of the track would be better or if it could work, AT&T stadium would be pretty slick. If this model works, it could open a lot of doors for the sport for the future.”
YOU TALKED ABOUT IT EARLIER, YOU MENTIONED THE CLASH AND YOU KIND OF WISH IT WAS A POINTS RACE, DOES THAT GIVE US A HINT THAT MAYBE YOU THINK THIS CAR, THE NEW CAR IS A GREAT EQUALIZER THIS YEAR AND YOU ARE REALLY GOING TO HAVE A LOT BETTER SHOT AT BETTER FINISHES AND BEING ON MORE EVEN PAR WITH THOSE UPPER TEAMS? “It is not the great equalizer. It at least makes a Spire Motorsports race apples to apples with a Hendrick Motorsports. Before it was an apples to bananas or oranges or whatever tastes terrible. Asparagus. We weren’t even in the same ballpark. We might have had a car that was a couple of phases old, but we are not getting trinkets that actually makes feet. So, just off raw speed of Charlotte if we had taken our Gen 6 car out to a test like that, we would be wide open and we would be 1.2 to 1.3 seconds off the fastest guy. Nothing I could do behind the wheel to make that thing go any faster. Now when we go back with this Next Gen car, we are trying taller spoiler, shorter spoiler, more horsepower and they land on the package and now we were a fourth to sixth place car out of the 22 or 23 that were there. You are on the edge of sliding around, you are on the edge of busting your ass and you know finding the grip and putting a little bit of that courage back behind the wheel, you can see the gain on the speed chart. Just the bigger teams with the collective minds will probably get to a better baseline quicker than a smaller team with two or three engineers with not a lot of teammates to bounce information off of to compare and then go down a particular path that might work. With that being said, the bigger teams that have four teammates that can try a, b, c package and land on one and continue in that progression will get to a place of their cars are a little bit quicker earlier than a place like ours I believe. We’re still in a place where a Spire Motorsports can hit on a set up and race with any of the guys any given Sunday. Now we don’t expect to do that every Sunday, but our potential races from where we hit on Martinsville or Bristol or Darlington, if a great day previously was 15^th or 18^th, I feel like we can run top-10 on a good day for us. So, I think that gives me a lot of confidence and optimism going into the year.”
DO YOU THINK THAT THIS WILL HELP BRING SOME OF THAT FUN BACK MAYBE THAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT NOT HAVING SO MUCH FUN? DO YOU THINK THAT WILL GET A LITTLE MORE FUN? “Well, fun’s relative. I can assure you Kyle Larson had a lot of fun last year. (inaudible) Granted he got on the wheel and got after it and rightfully so got the job done. Got the big trophy, but I’m having a lot more fun even when I am running 30^th than I would be welding seats back here at Lajoie seats. So fun is a perspective and what kind of perspective you are looking at. Now Kyle Busch running 30^th no matter what day it is and no matter what the particular circumstances are is not having fun running 30^th. Fun I think is a loaded question. At the end of the day, I’m doing what I love and what I dreamed of when I was a little kid that I have been working hard my entire life to get to and I am doing it with a team I love going to battle with each and every weekend.”

1991 NASCAR win on Volusia asphalt commemorated with special black-green wrap

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 2, 2022 – From competing at the highest ranks of NASCAR to racing at dirt tracks across the country all season long, Kenny Wallace amassed a fanbase larger than he could’ve imagined. And this year, while he’s not saying goodbye, he’s giving them a final full-time tour with a hint of nostalgia.

Wallace will be scaling back his racing a bit in 2023, after a 38-year professional career in the sport. To celebrate his career accomplishments, he plans on running special designs on his DIRTcar UMP Modified throughout 2022, starting with the track he holds a special merit at – Volusia Speedway Park.

Wallace, of Arnold, MO, holds what is one of the most unique accolades in Volusia’s 50-plus-year history as the only driver to win on the track in both its dirt and asphalt configurations. Volusia spent eight years (1989-1996) as a paved half-mile oval before being converted back to dirt in 1997.

In its time as an asphalt track, Volusia hosted several NASCAR-sanctioned events – including the Busch Grand National Series (present-day Xfinity Series). That’s when Wallace found his way into NASCAR Victory Lane for the first time in his career on March 24, 1991.

“As a competitor, that win at Volusia was everything to me,” he said.

A simple black and green scheme with white accents and yellow trim wrapped his Pontiac Grand Prix that day. Those colors will come to life again during DIRTcar Nationals (Feb. 7-12) when Wallace returns to the Florida track with the rest of the UMP Modified field for the first of six straights nights of racing to decide who takes home the iconic Big Gator trophy.

Wallace will have his Elite Chassis #36 wrapped in those 1991 colors for the entire week, commemorating a day that first sparked his next-level success on the big stage.

“I’m a kid who comes out of St. Louis, living in a single-wide mobile home, making like $20,000 a year, and we go to Volusia,” Wallace said. “We went there and put it all together. I remember qualifying 13th, and we won the race. We were good, and it was a major accomplishment in my life.”

The next time he came back to Volusia, the track was entering its ninth year back on dirt in 2005. Wallace had only started dipping his feet into dirt racing, but it didn’t take long before Volusia felt his impact, winning the second UMP Modified Feature of the 2007 DIRTcar Nationals.

“It’s crazy, we come back in 2005 and we’re like ‘Holy moly, they put dirt on it. What’s going on here?’” Wallace said. “So, I started learning how to race dirt; I just wanted to try it. We come back in 2007, and there’s like 80 cars there, and I won.”

Last year, fellow NASCAR driver and DIRTcar Nationals regular Justin Allgaier captured his first career Big Gator trophy as winner of the Gator Championship race. He previously won a little gator in 2016, and said to this day, the trophy still means more than any other win. Wallace echoed that same sentiment.

“There’s not that many gator trophies out there – they’re very rare,” he said. “There’s 365 days in a year. The gator – there’s only six possible tries.”

READ ALSO – Winning a Big Gator meant ‘more than you’ll know’ to Justin Allgaier

Since 2007, Wallace has added another three gators to his collection. Despite the unique trophy, however, that’s not what keeps him coming back every February.

“Volusia is a place for us all to gather,” Wallace said. “It’s snowing and the weather’s bad [at home]. It’s about going down there, the comradery, it’s live on DIRTVision, everybody around the United States is watching the races.”

After his run at the 51st DIRTcar Nationals, Wallace will return home to his native Missouri and prepare for one last hammer-down, go-all-out season as a full-time race car driver. The million-dollar question asks – why now? His answer is quite simple.

“It is true that I’m a hardcore racer, but I don’t think that I need to race the entirety of my life ‘til death – that’s not important to me,” Wallace said. “I’ll be 59 in August. It just seemed like it was the right time to slow down.”

Though he’s never been known as a “Sprint Car guy,” Wallace has looked-up to many of the greats with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He took many of their teachings into his own career, including his decision to scale-back.

“I studied the king, Steve Kinser,” Wallace said. “His last year with the World of Outlaws was at 60 years old.”

Like so many other motorsports greats have done before, Wallace is also getting the urge to dive into his post-racing career plans.

“Even Tony Stewart races when he wants to; he doesn’t run a full open-wheel series,” he said. “I felt like I needed to do that. I felt like I needed to give myself an opportunity to… get a motorhome, take my grandbabies around, and do what I wanna do.”

But until he decides to hang up the helmet for good, his legions of fans can still catch him at several dirt tracks around the nation. Wallace said he expects to race around 50 nights in 2022, including a few on the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals trail. After that, he’s taking his daily driver pickup truck, his 28-foot trailer, and going racing when and where he feels like it.

As always, his signature, nonstop social media presence will remain as active as it ever has been – with or without racing. He’s never been shy about sharing advice on racing or life with his followers and took a moment to offer-up something he’d tell that teenage version of himself, now an accomplished superstar, heading south to Volusia before that victorious day in 1991.

“People will tell you that you have time, and you don’t. Start going after what you want right now,” Wallace said. “I’m not saying go running around with your tail on fire, I’m saying do it now and go after it.”

Don’t miss Kenny Wallace and the rest of the DIRTcar UMP Modified field take on six-straight nights in the 51st DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 7-12. Buy a ticket, stream live on DIRTVision, and keep up with all the latest DIRTcar Racing news and content by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Volusia Speedway Park will host the UMP Modifieds, DIRTcar Pro Late Models and World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in the kickoff to the 51st DIRTcar Nationals on Monday, Feb. 7. All 12 nights of the event, which also features the World of Outlaws Late Models, All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars, Xtreme Outlaw Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds, can be streamed live on DIRTVision.

Batavia, OH (February 2, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series speedweeks continues with a stop at All-Tech Raceway for the General Tire Winter Nationals – Presented by LINE-X, on February 3rd – 5th. Teams will compete in three single day events for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Thursday’s main event will be 40 laps paying $10,000-to-win, Friday’s 50-lap A-Main event will pay $12,000-to-win, and Saturday’s $15,000-to-win A-Main event will also be 50 laps. Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Main(s), and an A-Main event will take place each day for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The street stock division will also be in competition with full shows every day. There will be a 5:00PM ET driver’s meeting each day with hot laps beginning at 5:30PM ET.  Saturday’s program kicks off with a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 3:30 PM ET. The grandstands open at 3:00PM ET each day. MAVTV Plus will have live streaming of every race night, all year long. Sign up or find more information at: mavtvplus.com. Fans unable to attend the event in person can watch Saturday, February 5th live on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. To find a full list of providers, visit: mavtv.com/get-mavtv/providers. Track Information:All-Tech RacewayPhone Number: 386-754-7223Location: 1024 SW Howell Rd, Lake City, FL 32024Website: www.alltechraceway.comDirections: Take Exit 414 (Lake City/High Springs), turn left on SR41 towards High Springs, go approximately 1/4 mile to SW Howell Rd. (next to Marathon Station), turn right, then go approximately 3/4 mile to the track on the left. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 1 new right rear tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. General Tire Winter Nationals – Presented by LINE-X Purses:Thursday 2/3 – 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 = $48,575 Friday 2/4 – 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $52,800 Saturday 2/5 – 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. 2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = 57,050          About General Tire:General Tire for over 100 years has offered a complete quality line of ultra-high performance, passenger, light truck, off-road and commercial tires to meet all your needs. To learn more about General Tire, visit: www.generaltire.com. About LINE-X:LINE-X® is a global leader in protective coatings development and availability. They are the only franchised network in North America specializing in the automotive aftermarket and wide-ranging protective coatings services. Their passion for protection and innovation has expanded LINE-X applications beyond bedliners into other areas of the automotive aftermarket – like specialty automotive coatings and accessories – as well as the commercial, industrial, and manufacturing realms. For more information visit: www.linex.com.

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2022, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 65 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will be streamed live on MAVTV Plus, with broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.

The Parish, NY driver hopes to build off a strong 2021 season, starting with the DIRTcar Sportsman South of the Border Showdown at Lake View Motor Speedway NICHOLS, SC – Feb. 2, 2022 – The cliché, “what a difference a year can make,” is more of an understatement for Zach Sobotka as he enters 2022 with the biggest wave of momentum in his career.This time last year, the Parish, NY driver took his small Sportsman operation south to Lake View Motor Speedway with no knowledge of the track and a handful of accomplishments under his belt. This year, Sobotka will enter the DIRTcar Sportsman South of the Border Showdown (Feb. 3-5) as a prime contender, having won the most prestigious Sportsman race in 2021 – the Chevrolet Performance 75 during NAPA Super DIRT Week.“It’s obviously one of the biggest races that you can win in a Sportsman,” Sobotka said. “That boosted my confidence going into this season. Especially for going out of town to new tracks because we only race at Oswego (Speedway) once a year. That definitely boosted my confidence and opened me up to different things to try with the car.”Along with his Super DIRT Week victory last year, Sobotka earned nine DIRTcar Sportsman trophies, the Brewerton Speedway track championship and finished second overall in the DIRTcar Sportsman points. All accomplished with the three-band team of himself, his father and grandfather.With a wealth of confidence in their pockets, they’ll try to spend it for more success in 2022, starting with the three-day South of the Border Showdown at Lake View Motor Speedway. More than $27,000 will be on the line for DIRTcar Sportsman drivers throughout the three days. For the Features, Thursday night will pay $1,000-to-win, Friday night will pay $2,000-to-win and Saturday night will pay $3,000-to-win.“It’s definitely awesome we get to have races like this,” Sobotka said. “Most classes up here (in New York) don’t get the chance to go out of town and go to all these different tracks. Definitely allows the Sportsman and Modified guys to do that. Definitely pretty cool.”Last year, the event was only two days and Sobotka earned a top-10 the first night and then finished outside the top-20 the second. This year, with some notes in his back pocket, he said he has the confidence they can come in and run with the best. And along with going to have fun, the event is a chance for Sobotka to learn, as well.“I personally like going to out-of-town races,” he said. “I like going to new tracks and trying to learn from different style race tracks to bring back to my local tracks. I believe it helps me out more. The more we travel the more it helps out, I think locally.“[Lake View Motor Speedway] is a fun track. Definitely different from what we race on around here. It’s a different racing surface with the red clay. You don’t really know what tires to use. But it’s definitely a fun track.”While there’s a new Bicknell chassis sitting at home, he’s bringing his 2021 car down south, knowing its winning potential. He plans on using the older car throughout the year, mixing it in with his new car as he runs weekly at Brewerton Speedway and Land of Legends Raceway, and on the DIRTcar Sportsman tour.Circled on that list is a return to Oswego Speedway for the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 3-9). While he joked, he’d rather say he won the 50th addition than the 49th, he added “back-to-back” winner sounds even better.“We’re excited to go back and try to make it two in a row,” Sobotka said. “It would mean a lot to our racing program because [our program] is not anything big. We don’t have a lot, so it would definitely mean a lot to be able to do that.”A win, or good showing, at Lake View Motor Speedway would go a long way to helping build momentum to that again. You never know “what a difference a year can make.”For updates on the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, following the division on Twitter and for the full DIRTcar Sportsman regional schedules, CLICK HERE.

DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance Parts, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco-Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum). Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FIREBULL, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

NASCAR CUP SERIES LOS ANGELES MEMORIAL COLISEUM BUSCH LIGHT CLASH AT THE COLISEUM TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 2, 2022 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1, Press Conference Transcript:  THE DRIVERS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE COLISEUM, BUT FROM WHAT WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THIS IS A HEAVIER CAR AND WITH ALL OF THE DIFFERENT FEELS YOU HAVE WITH THIS CAR, WHAT IS THE CLEAREST THING THAT YOU CAN EXPLAIN TO US FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT THE DIFFERENCE IN THE FEEL? “I think just the steering. It is a rack and pinion so kind of like a super late model. The steering box that we used to run is definitely a lot slower, so I feel like going down the straightaway is slower and you have more time to move your hands. Honestly the steering rack I think is an improvement and I really like it so far. It takes a little bit getting used to for the first couple laps on the track every time we go to a new track but overall I think it is definitely an improvement. Something that will kind of make moves a little bit easier, especially on the speedway races to kind of make moves around people. Honestly the brakes are a little bit different. They stop a little bit better than the previous car, but not a whole lot different. Honestly the cars from Phoenix is not that different feeling wise of how it drives versus the old car. I am pretty optimistic for how it drives already” OBVIOUSLY, THIS WEEKEND’S EVENT IS A NEW EVENT. WE ARE SEEING THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS A LOT MORE SHORT TRACKS OR CLOSE COMPETITION TYPE OF SITUATIONS. THE CAR IS SUPPOSED TO BRING YOU GUYS CLOSER TOGETHER, OBVIOUSLY THAT CAN LEAD TO MORE CONTACT, CONFLICT AND DRAMA. HOW DO YOU AS A DRIVER, CERTAINLY YOU HAVE YOUR PERSONAL CODE AND HOW YOU DO THINGS, BUT HOW HAS THAT FORCED YOU TO REACT IN DIFFERENT WAYS OR HOW HAVE YOU HAD TO REASSES THAT IF AT ALL IN THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS THAT YOU GUYS ARE BEING PUT MORE AND MORE INTO AND LIKELY BE PUT MORE AND MORE INTO IN THE FUTURE AND HAVE TO FACE THESE SITUATIONS? “I think it is great for the sport to have more of these tracks. I mean it is definitely, I think you leave these tracks feeling rewarded as a team and as a driver to do well at a place like Martinsville, which feel I like this place is going to be similar to. There is definitely a lot more conflict I’d say, you kind of pick and choose your battles. This race isn’t that long, so you are not going to have a lot of chances to kind of give and take. I think it is going to be a lot more take for most of these guys, but I mean overall I think it is good to pick and choose your battles and what you think it important. If you have the pace in the car and the speed to pass guys, then it is going to be a lot easier than trying to defend. I mean if you are defending you are kind of at the mercy of the guy behind you, but hopefully we are fast enough we can be the one making the moves and be the one making the passes.” It hasn’t been that long since you were doing bullring style racing in your short track days and we have dirt race now. How important is it do you feel, if at all, to have that kind of racing be represented in the Cup Series again? It has been since 1971 that the Cup Series has raced at Bowman Gray. “I think it’s important, I don’t know, you know there are a lot of awesome tracks around the country like the fairgrounds people have talked about and places like Hickory. There are a lot of cool tracks that have a lot of character that I think would be cool to see some of the series go to. But yeah, I think that background for me definitely helps. Kind of gets you back to that mindset you’re not air blocking as much you are doing more so just racing your car against the other guys and you aren’t worried about aero and what that implication is for the guy behind you. I think anytime that is less of a story and we are talking about pure driving and how to use the brakes and the throttle around the track is good. I think it is going to be great. I don’t know how this track is going to race, but I certainly think there are a lot of good tracks out there we could be going to.” ONE TECHNICAL QUESTION. YOU MENTIONED THE BRAKES AND THE TIRES, HOW IS THIS BIG BRAKE PACKAGE AND THE GRIPPIER TIRE GOING TO CHANGE THE DYNAMIC OF REAL SHORT TRACK RACING AT LIKE THE LA COLISEUM AND MARTINSVILLE? IS IT GOING TO BE THE SAME SHORT TRACK RACING THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN? “I think so. From what I saw at Phoenix the car wasn’t that different than the previous car. I think the tire is a little bit gummier than what we had in the past, so I think that is a good thing. It seems to really be receptive to the track and the brakes honestly, I thought were going to be a lot more powerful than they are, but they are just a little bit different. Maybe instead of braking at the three mark at Phoenix, you brake at the two, so it is maybe 50 feet different. It is not massive, so I think you are going to see similar racing to what we have had in the past everything is just going to be a little bit quicker.” GOING TO THIS RACE AT THE COLESIUM SO MUCH IS PUT INTO THIS IS GOING TO BE ENTERTAINING, IT’S DIFFERENT, IT’S GOING TO BE FUN. THERE IS HYPE IN PACKAGES AND DON’T BE THE LEADER GOING INTO TURN 3 ON THE LAST LAP, ARE YOU OK WITH THAT? ARE YOU OK WITH THE FACT THAT WE ARE GOING HERE AND EVERYONE IS EXPECTING IT TO BE WILD AND DIFFERENT AND BASICALLY IF CARNAGE HAPPENS CARNAGE HAPPENS? ARE YOU OK WITH THAT? “Yeah definitely. The fact that it’s an exhibition race opens up a lot of things to try. I definitely commend NASCAR for doing some of the things with the platform and the format and all of that stuff. So, I think it’s great and yeah I would feel a little different about it if it was a points race, but I think it’s great to have events like this when it is really about the fans and trying to put on a good race and hopefully pride for the teams to try to win. We want to put our best foot forward and try to win on Sunday because that sets the tone for the rest of the year so that is important to us, but it is a little different event because it is a non-points race. I’m looking forward to it and kind of don’t know what I have to I get there.” What is it about what you are seeing, and I know you have been on IRACING RUNNING THE COLESIUM WHAT IS IT THAT IS REMINDING YOU OF MARTINSVILLE? “Yeah, I think just the shape of the track. I mean Bowman Gray when I raced there is a little bit rounder and the corners are a little bit maybe bigger than these corners, so I think the corners are tighter here which kind of makes it like Martinsville because Martinsville has pretty long straightaways and tight corners, so I think you are going to see a lot of the same things. That is kind of my idea, but we will have to see when we get there of what it really races like.” I AM DOING A STORY ON JEFF GORDON AND HIS NEW ROLE. HE HAS BEEN THERE QUITE A LOT EVEN WHEN HE WAS WORKING FOR FOX, AS HE HAS BEEN MORE INVOLVED WITH THE TEAM OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM CHANGED PERSONALLY? “Yeah, I think Jeff (Gordon) and I, I’m the closest with him out of all the drivers that used to race. So, I think he has been a big asset for me and all the guys and I feel like he has been close to the team but over the last like year and a half he has gotten really close with all of us and I probably talk to him once a week or once every couple weeks about things. His advice is definitely valuable, so big fan of him being on board with us fulltime and I see him around the shop more than I did probably when he was working for FOX so that’s cool. Yeah, I think it is going to be a good thing.” OBVIOUSLY, I KNOW THAT YOU GREW UP AS AN AVID RACING AND NASCAR FAN, BUT FOR US ON THE WEST COAST THAT NORMALLY ISN’T THE STORY. WHAT WOULD HAVE TO SAY TO PROSPECTIVE FANS ON THIS SIDE OF THE COUNTRY AND WHY SHOULD THEY BUY INTO OR FOLLOW NASCAR? “I think it’s just an ultra-competitive sport. You only have 36 to 40 guys out there and you only have one guy that wins, so I think it is very competitive. Your probability of winning is kind of low, but I think it really kind of something that people can cling to. The fact that it’s somewhat relatable and I don’t know it’s just exciting. When you go to a race for the first time and you hear the cars and understand what it is about, it’s a lot different than TV. I think having a chance to get people out to the track and kind of understand what it is like really shows the sense of speed and danger maybe that we are all doing.” AND TO THAT WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT NASCAR’S MOVE TO DO THE CLASH THIS YEAR AT THE COLESIUM IN ORDER TO DRAW UP SOME MORE FANS ON THE WEST COAST? ‘I think it’s great. It seems to be hard to kind of get people out to Auto Club Speedway sometimes, so I think it’s great to kind of have it closer to the cities. I am all for doing more races around the cities. I think that’s a pretty cool idea. I think we see it with F1 a little bit and some of the different series, so excited for that and I think it is going to put on a great show.” JUST SIMPLE, WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST THIS WEEKEND? “Looking forward to just being out in a different environment. Looking forward to how cool it is going to look at that place, you know fill it up with fans. I have never raced in an atmosphere like that. I think the closest thing is Bristol and that’s an awesome environment when you pull off pit road for the race, so I think it’s going to be a really cool adrenaline rush kind of seeing how that plays out and seeing how it is before the race.” GOING BACK TO THE SIM AND IRACING SIDE OF THINGS, YOU’RE E-NASCAR COKE DRIVER NICK OTTINGER FINISHED FIFTH LAST NIGHT AND HAD A COUPLE OF RACE SESSIONS. HAS HE TOLD YOU ANYTHING ABOUT THE TRACK AND HAVE YOU HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH HIM ON THAT? “Yeah we text quite a bit, so yeah I kind of pick his brain a little bit from what I can learn from him and the iRacing side. I get a chance to go to the Chevrolet SIM after this and run the Coliseum for the first time, so you know excited for that. Hopefully I can learn some things that I can apply when we get there.” I KNOW THE HAULERS ALREADY LEFT FOR LA, SO I KNOW YOU HAVENT LEFT YET SINCE YOU ARE IN YOUR APARTMENT. DOES THE TEAM PLAN TO DO ANYTHING FOR FUN WHILE THEY ARE IN LA BEFORE PRACTICE? “I don’t know about fun. I think they’ve got their hands full, but yeah maybe I will go have some fun before the weekend. I get out there Friday, so I think there will be plenty of fun at the racetrack.”   WITH THE IRACING EVENTS THAT THEY HAD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LA COLISEUM AND BEFORE IT WAS ANNOUNCED, DID YOU PARTICIPATE IN ANY OF THOSE AND DID YOU GIVE ANY FEEDBACK TO NASCAR ABOUT THE TRACK DEVELOPMENT? “Yeah definitely. They came to me back in I think August/September to ask me about the track and what I thought so I got a chance to run a few laps on it and kind of get a feel for it. Definitely a cool track and feel like it’s got a lot of potential. Pretty cool to see it all come together through iRacing, so that’s pretty neat. Hopefully it turns out good for the fans.”

Sheppard, Schatz Form Late Model Bond; Speak on FriendshipThe World of Outlaws Champions Teamed Up to Run the Gateway Dirt Nationals in DecemberBARBERVILLE, FL – February 2, 2022 – Legendary car builder Henry Ford once said,”If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”Donny Schatz and Brandon Sheppard are no strangers to success—reaching the World of Outlaws’ pinnacle multiple times. While the two champions have built success on their own, they’re also making it together… And it all started with a beer. The “Rocket Shepp” teamed up with the 10-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars champion in December, finishing fourth in Schatz’s Late Model at the Gateway Dirt Nationals. It was the second time the two joined forces for the event – the first coming in 2019. Their dynamic partnership formed over drinks at DIRTcar Nationals earlier that season after they both wrapped up a day of Late Model racing. “We were at the races at Volusia (Speedway Park) one night where afterward we were discussing the evening and having a beer, and we got talking about races here and there,” Schatz said. “We got talking about the [Gateway Dirt Nationals], which had happened a couple of months prior.” That conversation led to an idea, and soon after a deal was made for St. Louis. “He was [at Volusia] racing his Late Model, and we were just all hanging out one night, and the next thing you know, we had a deal put together for the dome,” Sheppard said. The Fargo, ND driver stated it was an opportunity he had to take, knowing the chance of having a Late Model champion drive his car wouldn’t come often.   “If Brandon Sheppard says he’ll drive your car, I better jump,” Schatz said. “Obviously, Brandon’s a world class driver, and anytime you can go to a one-off event like that, and you can have the results you have, and the enjoyment and fun in it, that definitely makes it worthwhile.” The tandem had immediate results that December as Sheppard finished second to Tyler Carpenter. That conversation at “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” continued the bond they share on and off the track. It’s allowed Sheppard to keep tabs on Schatz’s Sprint Car program.  “We’ve become pretty good friends over the past five or six years, me racing for Mark [Richards] and just hanging out with him and working on stuff,” Sheppard said. “I’ve really kept up with his Sprint Car deal a lot more since I got to know him.  He’s just a great guy and for him to let me drive his car is cool, and we all have a lot of fun going and doing that.” The friendship between the two drivers also extends to the Rocket1 Racing team, allowing Schatz to get a better feel for his car when he races with the World of Outlaws Late Models.  “The guys at Rocket, Mark [Richards], Brandon, Danny [White], all of them guys, it’s just who they are to help anytime I come and race,” Schatz said. “They seem to enjoy anytime we come around and race with them, and they make sure I get my car as close as I can, and if we need assistance with something, or telling us something we don’t know how to do, they always do that. “They don’t owe me anything; they just do it because it’s who they are. It’s neat to have that relationship with them, and it makes me feel confident that I know I’m going to be halfway close because me going into a Late Model is like a duck being out of the water.” Sheppard was quick to praise the World of Outlaws Sprint Car star and stated Schatz brings a different approach to driving a car with fenders.  “[Schatz] and Mark [Richards] talk more than anything,” Sheppard said. “We try to point him in the right direction to be able to get the job done, and he does a really good job for racing the Late Model as little as he does, so it’s fun to work with him and hang out with him. He brings a different mindset and a different aspect to it, so we probably learn some stuff from him too.” While Sheppard only drives Schatz’s car once a year, Schatz still gets behind the wheel himself from time to time —most recently at the NGK NTK World Finals and the Wild West Shootout. The Fargo, ND driver wouldn’t rule out a full-time run once he’s done with Sprint Cars. “I’ve raced the [World of Outlaws] Sprint Car Series for a lot of years, but it’d be cool to do the [World of Outlaws Late Models] Series one time,” Schatz said. “If not, maybe I’d want to do it all the time. I don’t know, but that’s somewhere down the road. “I still enjoy it; I still have a lot of fun, but I also have the next generation in our family who’s dabbling into bigger cars now, and they might have that opportunity before I do.” Schatz’s nieces are making their way up the racing ladder, trying to follow in Donny’s footsteps. He says there’s a possibility of seeing them behind the wheel of a family-owned car in the future.  “I think in today’s age, just like when I started racing, it’s hard to go drive for someone else because you can’t progress and learn unless you have someone that makes a huge commitment,” Schatz said. “I think obviously those kids are going to have to drive cars that are owned by the family for some time until they progress, and hopefully they progress quicker than I did. But yeah, there’s some opportunity there, and I think it’s the only way you can control what it is they do all the time and control the way they race. That’s probably in line with having some sort of ownership role.” When you hear Schatz and Sheppard’s names, success immediately comes to mind. The two drivers keep moving forward both on their own and together, allowing the sensation of victory to take care of itself. The two drivers hope to continue that success with a push toward another Series championship when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws Late Models return to Volusia Speedway Park for DIRTcar Nationals Feb. 7-19. 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.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: NOS Energy Drink (Official Energy Product), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), Micro-Lite LLC, MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FIREBULL, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

The World of Outlaws Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: 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), and Wrisco–Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FIREBULL, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.

February 2, 2022

NASCAR’s decision to move the car numbers on the Next Gen car from the traditional center of the door to the front of the car has created an opportunity for co-primary sponsors on the No. 21 Ford Mustang that Harrison Burton will drive in the Daytona 500.

The Wood Brothers’ long-time backer, Motorcraft/Quick Lane, will have its logos on the hood and quarter panels of the No. 21 Mustang. DEX Imaging, the nation’s largest independent office equipment dealer and long-time supporter of Burton throughout his climb up the racing ladder, will be represented on the new door space.

Burton, making his official full-time Cup debut at Daytona, said having those two sponsors sharing top billing on his Mustang is “an unbelievably cool experience.”
 
“DEX has been with me since I was 13 and has helped me along the way,” Burton said. “And Motorcraft is one of the most historic and storied sponsors ever.”
 
“I’m excited to represent them both. Motorcraft has a long, successful history at Daytona and has won the 500. And I’m happy to be a part of adding DEX to the fold.”
 
The two sponsors seem to be as enthusiastic as Burton about their racing programs.

“Everyone at Motorcraft/Quick Lane is thrilled to begin our 22nd season as the primary sponsor of Wood Brothers Racing,” said Jon Orth, Marketing Manager for Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD). “We’re looking forward to an exciting 2022 campaign with rookie driver Harrison taking the wheel of the new Next Gen Ford Mustang. We’re also pleased to welcome DEX Imaging as a co-sponsor of the No. 21 car at the Daytona 500 and throughout this year.”

Nancy Lycan, Chief Marketing Officer of DEX Imaging, expressed similar sentiments.

“DEX Imaging is proud and excited to be kicking off the 2022 season at Daytona with Harrison,” Lycan said. “We’ve come a long way together and anticipate more great performances from Harrison as he debuts in the Cup Series.”
  
Burton said that joining the elite Cup Series is a major challenge for a young driver, but he’s up to the task even though he has just one prior Cup start, last year at Talladega. 
  
This year is different, as the entire Cup field will be adjusting to an all-new Next Gen race car. Burton said that offers some advantage for him, but not as much as one might think. 
  
“Being a rookie in Cup is always hard, and no car is going to change that,” he said. “The drivers in the Cup Series are the best in the business. It’s going to be a transition period for them too, so this is the best time for me to make the transition to Cup.”
 
Qualifying for the 64^th running of the Daytona 500 is set for Feb.16 at 8:05 p.m. The Duel qualifying races are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17, and the Daytona 500 rolls off on Sunday, Feb. 20, at 2:30 p.m., with TV coverage on FOX.

Ocala, FL (February 1, 2022) – One night after finishing second to Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran came back with vengeance on Tuesday Night. Leading wire-to-wire with a convincing victory over a stout field of competitors, Moran picked up the win on night two in the K&N Filters Winter Nationals Presented by Optima Batteries at Bubba Raceway Park. Just 24 hours earlier Moran took the lead from McCreadie on the white flag lap but slid up high in turn four, losing to the defending series champion by one car length at the stripe. Tyler Erb tried in vain to catch the 27-year-old Ohio racer but came up nearly 3 seconds behind him at the finish line. Ricky Thornton Jr, a winner last year at Bubba’s earned the Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race by taking third after starting 16th. Brandon Sheppard crossed the line in fourth with pole sitter Shane Clanton rounding out the top five drivers. Moran was in control for the entire race, taking the lead at the start of the race with last year’s finale winner at Bubba’s last February, Clanton running in second. Clanton ran in second until lap 15 when eighth place starter, Erb made his entrance into second getting by Clanton. As Moran entered traffic with nine laps to go, it appeared that Erb would have a shot at him. A caution flag would clear out lapped traffic for Moran to become the second repeat winner of the season. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the second time in 2022 and for the fourth time in his career Moran will maintain the series point lead heading to All-Tech on Thursday. “The biggest thing tonight was that we didn’t make any mistakes. I talked to my dad today, I was pretty down after last night. He said, ‘we are all human and we make mistakes, just don’t make any big enough to cost you the race or affect the outcome.’ It’s so fun to run this good. They did a good job on the track. It was a little narrow, but if he works on it a little more, he is going to have an awesome track here.” It was Erb’s best series finish of the year, coming home in second. “I needed another lane and a horseshoe because he has been really good. We are just happy to run second, we had a rough heat race. We ran fourth the first race at Golden Isles and we have only run five races, so I am not sweating bullets yet. We’re knocking down finishes that’s all you can ask for.” Thornton, the reigning series rookie-of-the-year rounded out the podium in third. “I was really good around the bottom early. Some of the other guys were tight and they would slide up the track. We got up to fifth and I was kind of content with that. I got a couple of lucky restarts there and we were able to get a couple more spots. This is a confidence booster after Golden Isles.” The winner’s Tye Twarog-owned Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by C&W Trucking, CarSourceAuto.com, Bilstein Shocks, Eibach Springs, Tri-Valley Equipment Sales, Accuforce Dynos and Testers, McHugh Chrysler, Doge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat, Igimage.com, J.R. Hall Properties, LLC, Red Oak Rub, Haskell’s Haulin’, and Tommy Pope Construction. Completing the top ten were Earl Pearson Jr., Hudson O’Neal, Chase Junghans, Garrett Alberson, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary K&N Filters Winter Nationals Presented by eBay MotorsTuesday, February 1st, 2022Bubba Raceway Park – Ocala, FL Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Shane Clanton / 14.211 seconds Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran / 13.907 seconds (overall) Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25-Shane Clanton[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 2D-Dan Stone[2]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs[5]; 5. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[4]; 6. C02-Ryan Markham[6]; 7. (DNS) 7T-Drake Troutman Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 18J-Chase Junghans[2]; 2. 1R-Josh Richards[3]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[1]; 5. 97-Cody Overton[5]; 6. 10J-Joseph Joiner[6] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 4. 6S-Blake Spencer[5]; 5. 11-Spencer Hughes[2]; 6. 503-Jason Miles[6] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 58W-Mark Whitener[8]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 4. 10-Garrett Smith[4]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 6. 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[6]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[3]; 8. 2S-Stormy Scott[2] eBay Motors Heat Race #5 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 2. 89-Ashton Winger[1]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[4]; 5. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 6. 30-Todd Cooney[6]; 7. 1A-Tyler Clem[7] Super Clean Heat Race #6 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 3. 3S-Brian Shirley[4]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[5]; 5. 33-Jeff Mathews[6]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[3]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[7] Fast Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 99B-Boom Briggs[1]; 2. 7-Ross Robinson[2]; 3. 11-Spencer Hughes[6]; 4. 6S-Blake Spencer[3]; 5. 97-Cody Overton[5]; 6. 76B-Blair Nothdurft[4]; 7. C02-Ryan Markham[7]; 8. 503-Jason Miles[9]; 9. (DNS) 10J-Joseph Joiner; 10. (DNS) 7T-Drake Troutman UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar[3]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 4. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 5. 33-Jeff Mathews[6]; 6. 30-Todd Cooney[8]; 7. 1A-Tyler Clem[11]; 8. 17SS-Brenden Smith[12]; 9. (DNF) 11K-Austin Kirkpatrick[4]; 10. (DNS) 16-Tyler Bruening; 11. (DNS) 19R-Ryan Gustin; 12. (DNS) 2S-Stormy Scott; 13. (DNS) 58W-Mark Whitener Lucas Oil Feature Finish (40 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 46Lap Leaders: Devin Moran (Laps 1 – 40)Wrisco Feature Winner: Devin MoranArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 2.955 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Ashton Winger (Lap 6); Kyle Bronson (Lap 23); Josh Richards (Lap 30); Garrett Smith (Lap 31); Tim McCreadie (Lap 31)Series Provisionals: Stormy Scott, Spencer HughesFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton JrPenske Shocks Top 5: Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, Ricky Thornton Jr, Brandon SheppardOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr (Advanced 13 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Devin MoranHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Devin Moran (40 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler ErbO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Devin Moran (Lap 31 –14.489 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Wylie Moran (Devin Moran)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Stormy Scott (14.317 seconds)Time of Race: 22 minutes 28 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 1, 2022) – Following the announcement of an all-new television broadcast agreement with FOX Sports, Progressive American Flat Track is excited to announce that fans will be able to watch all 18 rounds of action live on Facebookduring the 2022 season.

Livestreaming coverage on Progressive American Flat Track’s Facebook page will be free of charge up until Opening Ceremonies, allowing fans around the world to watch the drama unfold during Practice and Qualifying at no cost. Fans can then purchase access to watch Opening Ceremonies, Semis, Main Events and podium celebrations via Facebook Paid Online Events for $3.99 if purchased 24 hours or more in advance, or $4.99 if purchased on the day of the event.

Viewers can watch livestream coverage in the Facebook mobile app, Facebook desktop site or on the Facebook Watch mobile app. To watch the livestream on TV, fans can download the Facebook Watch TV app, or cast to a TV from the Facebook mobile app. Facebook Watch is available through Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Xbox One.

Additional information on how to watch Progressive AFT on Facebook will be posted to https://www.americanflattrack.com prior to the start of the season.