| Batavia, OH (January 25, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series kicks off the 2022 season with the Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing Presented by eBay Motors. Three single day shows will be contested at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, GA on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday January 27th, 28th, and 29th with an open practice on Wednesday, January 26th. The series looks forward to a return visit to Golden Isles Speedway after a lapse in 2021, and under the new ownership of Kyle Bronson and Amber Lloyd. Several of the nation’s top teams will venture to Golden Isles Speedway on Wednesday, January 26th for an open practice from 6-9PM ET. Thursday-Saturday, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series teams will have Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Main(s), and A-Main event. Thursday’s Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 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 finale will also be 50 laps. Additionally, the 602 and 604 Late Models will have a complete program each night. There will be a 5:00PM ET driver’s meeting with hot laps beginning at 5:30PM ET on Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s start time will be one hour earlier with a 4:00PM ET driver’s meeting and 5:30PM ET hot laps. The recently announced Ag Protect 1 Speedweeks bonus will also start on Thursday January 27th at Golden Isles Speedway. Any driver competing in all 14 scheduled Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series GA/FL Speedweeks events will be eligible for the Ag Protect 1 bonus. Any one driver winning a minimum of eight (8) races during the January 27th – February 12th events will receive a $20,000 cash bonus. If a driver wins ten (10) of the 14 events, that driver will receive a $100,000 bonus, and if a driver wins all fourteen (14) speedweeks events, they will receive a $200,000 bonus. Wrisco Industries will also offer additional cash awards to the top eight (8) drivers based on points earned at the fourteen (14) GA/FL Speedweeks events. Drivers must attempt to compete in all fourteen (14) events to be eligible for the Wrisco Winternationals points fund awards. On Thursday and Friday, pit gates will close at 1:30PM and re-open at 2:00PM with the general admission gate closing and reopening at 3:00PM. On Saturday pit gates will close at 12:30PM and re-open at 1:00PM with the general admission gate closing and reopening at 2:00PM. Saturday’s program kicks off with a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 2:30 PM ET in the main grandstands towards turn one. Thursday’s January 27th season opener at GIS will be broadcasted LIVE on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. With over 220 providers across cable, satellite, telco and digital broadcast platforms, the MAVTV Network is now available to more viewers than ever before. To find a full list of providers, visit: mavtv.com/get-mavtv/providers. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series can also be viewed on the web through our streaming service at www.mavtvplus.com. MAVTV Plus will Live Stream all 65 events this year beginning with the January 27th event. To register and watch every event live in 2022 visit www.mavtvplus.com. Track Information:Golden Isles SpeedwayPhone Number: (912) 386-0061Location: 101 Speedway Drive, Waynesville, GA 31566GPS Coordinates: 31.236022 -81.756976Directions: I-95 to exit 29, then 13.5 miles west on US 82, then north on CR 229Website: www.gisdirt.com 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. Super Clean Super Bowl of Racing Presented by eBay Motors Purses:Thursday 1/27 – 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 1/28 – 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 1/29 – 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 Super Clean: Because Super Clean works super easy and super-fast, you can get more done in less time. That’s why automotive and cleaning professionals insist on Super Clean, the most efficient grease remover. www.superclean.com About eBay Motors: eBay Motors is where you will find new and used vehicles as well as parts for fixing, updating, or maintaining your existing vehicle. eBay Motors is easy to navigate by vehicle type, category of items, sales and events, or brand and type of car, motorcycle, pickup, or SUV.www.ebay.com/motors |
CLAY BY THE BAY: Adams, Troutman Share Similarities, Success at East Bay Winternationals
Chase for UMP Modified Speedweeks championship begins Wednesday in Tampa
TAMPA, FL – Jan. 25, 2022 – Nineteen days. Fourteen races. Three tracks. One champion. DIRTcar UMP Modified Winternationals is here.
Starting this week, the best Dirt Modified drivers in the nation make their annual southbound journey to the Sunshine State to take part in one of the most prestigious championship chases of Florida-Georgia Speedweeks. Similar in style to the Midwest-based DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals trail through the summer, drivers will compete at three tracks over three weeks in search of a $2,000 grand prize as champion of the miniseries.
The grind begins with five-straight nights at East Bay Raceway Park – Tue-Sat, Jan. 25-29 (Tuesday night has now been canceled due to rainfall). A $1,000 check is on the line Wednesday and $1,500-to-win on Thu-Fri before the 75-lap, $5,000-to-win championship finale on Saturday night.
Four days later, the Modifieds pick it back up at North Florida Speedway in Lake City for Round 6-8. Practice on Feb. 3 precedes racing on Fri-Sun, Feb 4-6.
Then comes the toughest test – the 51st DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 7-12. Over 100 drivers entered to compete for a gator trophy last year, but only one walked away victorious. Three-time DIRTcar national points titlist Nick Hoffman clinched his sixth consecutive DIRTcar Nationals championship in 2021, while Jason Hughes sealed the deal on his first Winternationals championship after a seventh-place run in the final race.
The path to the championship starts with a single race at East Bay. The famed Clay by the Bay has been hosting the UMP Modified extravaganza for the past 22 years. Several preliminary nights of action are held before the big-money championship Feature on Saturday night. Seventeen different drivers have tasted victory in the event finale, but only an elite few have done it more than once.
Kevin “Buzzy” Adams, of Cameron, WI, became the third driver to do so last year after a successful title defense in an epic finish, beating fellow Modified veteran Jason Hughes to the line on the final lap of a green-white-checkered to claim his second-consecutive $5,000 championship check.
It was a race he wouldn’t soon forget, powering around the top side at nearly 9,000 RPM to make the pass for the win in front of a crowd that’s come to know and love he and his black/green #40 every year since his debut in 2006.
“At the end, I feel like we were going to win the race without the last yellow, but the yellow didn’t hurt, either,” Adams said. “All-in-all, we just had to get after it and rely on the cushion because Jason Hughes was so good on the bottom, nobody was ever gonna get around him down there.”
The repeat triumph was the second Feature win that week for Adams, matching what he earned there in 2020. But this string of high-level success at East Bay has been only recent. In a span of seven championship Feature starts from 2012 to 2019, Adams finished second four times. The sense of jubilation, among other feelings he felt in Victory Lane when he finally broke through two years ago, still stands out in his mind today.
“It definitely was a sense of relief,” Adams said. “You kinda have that weighing on you, always thinking you’re going to be the bridesmaid.”
Adams has since become a household name at East Bay in January, now with seven Feature wins to his credit. Last year, he got a good look at one potential future household name in all of dirt track racing – teenage sensation Drake Troutman.
Troutman, the UMP Modified and Super Late Model hot shoe from Hyndman, PA, took the Winternationals trail by storm in 2021, winning in his East Bay debut against drivers with more year of experience at the third-mile oval than his own age.
“It was huge, to say the least,” Troutman said of the win. “We just had intentions to just go down there and at least make the shows. We got there and set quick time the first night, and that was just a huge confidence booster.”
He turned the heads of everyone in the pit area that week, even his own, taking the checkers again on Friday night on a last lap, Turn 4 slide job for the win.
“It seemed like the longer the race went, the better my car came in,” Troutman said. “The last three laps of the fourth night, I just found something on the track, and everyone else started slipping and sliding. I was kind of abusing my stuff more than other people were, so I had more tire heat.”
Back home, Troutman is used to racing on much larger tracks, such as his home track of Bedford Speedway in Bedford, PA – a mostly flat, 5/8-mile fairgrounds raceway. But he took right to the unique shape and dark-clay surface of East Bay in no time, showcasing his ability to get it done on a variety of courses.
“It fits my driving style,” Troutman said. “I like to drive kinda sideways. I like it because you can search around. Every five laps, the track’s changing.
“The first five laps, you might be putting around the bottom and the next five, you’re up there blasting the top.”
One of the most unique aspects of East Bay is the tide rolling in on the landscape and changing the track by the minute. Literally.
Sitting just a short distance from the water of Hillsborough Bay, the tide that moves in at night has been said to shift the water table underneath the land, causing moisture to rise all the way to the surface and bleed out onto the track while cars are going around. Several drivers subscribe to the notion that this moisture changes the track in real-time.
Though they have different levels of experience racing on it, both Adams and Troutman say it does change the track conditions, especially after a yellow on the restart.
“I love the challenge side of it, but I also love the speed you get at East Bay with a short-track atmosphere,” Adams said. “Then you throw in the big curveball, which is the tide effect.
“A lot of the Late Model crew chiefs think it doesn’t have an effect, but it does. If you’ve driven on there, you know exactly what it’s doing. It took us years to learn how to read that tide. Now, with cell phones and weather apps, you can see exactly when it’s coming in.”
“The tide has a lot to do with the track conditions,” Troutman said. “The slicker it gets, and then the tide comes in, it gets to the point where you can’t steer at all. You’ve gotta get the back-end whipped around.”
A WISSOTA Modified regular racing the one and only DIRTcar-sanctioned event he competes in all year, Adams and his car make the 1,500+ mile journey every year to take on this unique track – unlike any other he sees around his native Wisconsin.
“The way you have to drive the place is so different than back home,” Adams said. “Then, to deal with huge horsepower motors on soft tires and no spoiler – it’s crazy, compared to everything we do at home.”
Since starting up a family back home and the takeoff of his business, Buzz Signs, Adams hasn’t been able to chase the UMP Modified Speedweeks championship like he did several years ago. But he knows with the competition in Florida, even a single Feature win in January-February is one to cherish.
“Any time you can win a race in Florida – doesn’t matter what track you’re at – if it happens during Speedweeks, you feel like no matter what else happens that winter, it was still a success,” Adams said.
Not many teenage racers get the opportunity to travel the country and go dirt track racing in the middle of January and February. Troutman’s a rare breed, and he’s seizing the opportunity, reveling in the experience and knowledge he gains by tackling one of the most prestigious miniseries in Dirt Modified racing.
“The biggest thing that stands out to me is being able to travel,” Troutman said. “I like to be able to travel to new tracks, and to be able to go down there and do that for almost a month is just awesome.”
Don’t miss Adams, Troutman and the rest of what promises to be a stacked lineup of DIRTcar UMP Modifieds competing this week at East Bay Raceway Park. Stay tuned to DIRTcar Racing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates a
FOX Sports Announces 2022 Progressive American Flat Track TV Schedule
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 25, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track and FOX Sports announced today the broadcast schedule for the much-anticipated 2022 season. All 18 races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots, starting with back-to-back coverage from the Volusia Half-Mile Doubleheader on Sunday, March 20 at 11:00 a.m. ET.
The FOX Sports coverage of AFT will premiere on FS1 within two weeks of each event, followed by a re-air on FS2. The schedule also leverages FOX Sports’ outstanding motorsports line-up to maximize viewership for AFT’s debut season on the network. The premiere telecasts on FS1 have been scheduled directly before or after other highly rated motorsports programming.
Progressive AFT ranks among the world’s most historic and thrilling forms of motorsport. Featuring the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycle racers, the season-long battle for the coveted Championship is waged over four distinct disciplines – Mile ovals, Half-Mile ovals, Short Track ovals, and TTs, which incorporate left- and right-hand turns and a jump. Combined, they serve as the ultimate test of rider skill while also consistently delivering unpredictable, adrenaline-fueled racing.
Routinely delivering bar to bar battles at speeds approaching 140 mph, the series continually satisfies the most loyal fanbase in motorcycle racing while promising to be an exciting discovery for legions of new fans who witness the action for the first time on FOX Sports.
Livestreaming coverage of all rounds will also be available for fans that want to catch every second of the racing action. Additional information about livestreaming as well as the on-air commentary team will be announced in the near future.
2022 Television Schedule for Progressive AFT on FS1:
Sunday, March 20 – Mission Foods Volusia Half-Mile I – 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, March 20 – Mission Foods Volusia Half-Mile II – 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, March 27 – Mission Foods Texas Half-Mile – 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, May 1 – I-70 Half-Mile – 10:00 a.m. ET (7:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, June 5 – Mission Foods Red Mile I – 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. PT) on FS1
Saturday, June 11 – Mission Foods Red Mile II – 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Saturday, June 18 – Laconia Short Track – 1:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, July 3 – Lima Half-Mile – 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Saturday, July 9 – Mission Foods New York Short Track – 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) on FS1
Saturday, July 23 – Mission Foods Port Royal Half-Mile – 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, August 7 – Peoria TT – 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, August 14 – Black Hills Half-Mile – 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, August 21 – Castle Rock TT – 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) on FS1
Saturday, August 27 – Sacramento Mile – 2:00 p.m. ET (11:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, September 11 – Springfield Mile I – 11:30 a.m. ET (8:30 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, September 18 – Springfield Mile II – 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, October 2 – Cedar Lake Short Track – 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT) on FS1
Sunday, October 23 – Mission Foods Volusia Half-Mile III – 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) on FS1
Progressive AFT will kick off the 2022 season with a Daytona Bike Week doubleheader on Thursday, March 10 and Friday, March 11 at Volusia Speedway Park. Secure your tickets to this bar-to-bar season opener now at https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3666.
For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.
MONSTER ENERGY AND FLAV-R-PAC SIGN MULTI-YEAR EXTENSION WITH JOHN FORCE RACING
| YORBA LINDA, Calif. (Jan. 25, 2021) – It was announced today that Monster Energy and Flav-R-Pac Frozen Fruits and Vegetables will continue to share primary sponsorship of Brittany Force’s Top Fuel dragster. Monster Energy was originally with the John Force Racing family from 2015-2018 during which Brittany Force won the 2017 NHRA Top Fuel World Championship and returned in 2020 to split primary sponsorship duties with Flav-R-Pac Fruits and Vegetables, a recognized brand of PNW VEG CO., LLC DBA NORPAC, a subsidiary of Oregon Potato Company (OPC) which is owned by Frank Tiegs. After a successful 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season that featured 12 No. 1 qualifying positions, five final round appearances, a win at Topeka, Kansas and ultimately a runner-up finish in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel championship, Monster Energy and Flav-R-Pac will continue with the Top Fuel stand-out in a multi-year partnership. “Monster Energy and Flav-R-Pac have been great partners to John Force Racing. They navigated through the pandemic and 2020 with us and came out with a successful season in 2021 with Brittany. Being able to have not just one but two major partners who see the value in this sport and in this team enough to sign a multi-year deal really says something,” said John Force, founder and CEO of John Force Racing. “We are excited to grow the partnership we have with these two impressive brands.” “A nitromethane-burning car putting out 10,000 horsepower, going over 330 mph in less than 3.5 seconds, and trying as hard as possible to destroy itself? Sounds like Monster Energy,” said Mitch Covington, VP of Sports Marketing for Monster Energy. “A company that prides itself on Unleashing the Beast, Monster Energy is straight-up stoked to go Top Fuel racing with Brittany Force in the 2022 NHRA racing season and beyond. We believe in our Championship driver and we will always continue to support her and the team. Easily the most violent, overwhelming and straight-up powerful form of racing on Planet Earth, you haven’t lived until you’ve felt your chest cavity shake and your eyes and nose burn after a 3-second Top Fuel pass.” “When we first signed on with John Force Racing as a primary on Brittany’s dragster, we were always looking to the future and how we could grow this relationship. Partnering with this team has been a great decision and we are excited for what the future holds,” said Frank Tiegs, owner of Flav-R-Pac Frozen Fruits and Vegetables. “Heading into 2022 after such a successful 2021 season is really promising. This team is truly dynamic in how they operate making them a perfect fit for Flav-R-Pac and how we want to grow the brand.” |
Brent Larson set for Strong 2022 World of Outlaws Season with Motul Return
Global Motor Oil and Lubricants Manufacturer will Continue to Serve as Primary Sponsor
CYPRUS, CA – January 24, 2022– With a renewed Motul partnership and a career year in 2021, Brent Larson is carrying a wealth of momentum into the new World of Outlaws Late Model season.
He already proved it with a career best start to the season at Sunshine Nationals before continuing his Florida swing at Volusia Speedway Park during DIRTcar Nationals, Feb. 16-19.
The Lake Elmo, MN driver, made improvements with the World of Outlaws in 2021, finishing eighth in points and collecting multiple top-five finishes. He credits his partnership with Motul as a key part to the growth of his program.
“We’re definitely making progress and improving, and it’s thanks to Motul that we are doing so,” Larson said. “I’m very thankful to have a long-term relationship with Motul; they’re great people and have tremendous oil products. We have a great relationship and work closely to grow their business beyond just putting logos on the race car. Their oils are the best we’ve ever seen. Motul has the best oil brand out there right now, and I’m proud to represent a premium high-performance motor oil and lubricant brand with such a rich history in motorsports. I’m excited for the 2022 season to begin.”
The company joined Brent Larson Motorsports in 2021 and with Larson’s success decided to further extend their relationship.
“We’re excited to continue the strong momentum of our partnership with Brent Larson and his team into 2022,” Motul Brand Manager Nolan Browning said. “Having an experienced driver give feedback and put our performance lubricants to the test has been instrumental in the development of our racing products, like the newest 300V engine oil formula.”
Larson has more than 100 career Late Model wins overall, is the 2007 DTRA Late Model National Champion, and has won the Cedar Lake Speedway track championship five times. He’s also won the track championship at Gondik Law Speedway, Red Cedar Speedway and KRA Speedway.
He’s currently seventh on the all-time Late Model wins list at Cedar Lake with 28.
Looking to build off his 13th-place finish at Sunshine Nationals, Larson and the rest of the World of Outlaws stars return to action during the DIRTcar Nationals in February, joined by the Super DIRTcar Series. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
Acura, Wayne Taylor Racing Claim Pole for Rolex 24 at Daytona
Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque pilot their Acura ARX-05 to victory in Sunday’s qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway
Oliver Jarvis, Tom Blomqvist run fourth for Acura and Meyer Shank Racing
Acura seeking second consecutive Rolex 24 win
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (January 23, 2022) – The defending Rolex 24 at Daytona champions – Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing – got their 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season off to a strong start Sunday, winning the qualifying race to set the grid for next weekend’s 60th running of the 24-hour endurance race at Daytona International Speedway.
This weekend’s “Roar Before the 24” three-day test, to prepare for the 2022 season, concluded with a 100-minute sprint race to set the grid for next weekend’s season-opening Rolex 24 enduro. WTR drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor led 24 laps to the checkers, after an intense late-race battle with the JDC-Miller Racing entry of Richard Westbrook and Tristan Vautier.
Completing a strong day for Acura at Daytona, the all-new Meyer Shank Racing pairing of Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis also led 17 laps en route to a fourth-place result. Combined the two Acura ARX-05-equipped teams led 41 of the 61 laps in today’s race.
In GTD, the Gradient Racing NSX GT3 Evo22 started at the rear of the 22-car GTD field following a crash on Saturday. After extensive overnight repairs, drivers Kyffin Simpson and Till Bechtolsheimer gained six positions in today’s short race to finish 16th.
Rolex 24 Qualifying Race Results
1st overall – #10 Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
4th overall – #60 Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
16th GTD – #44 Till Bechtolsheimer and Kyffin Simpson, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
Fast Facts
Acura returns to Daytona International Speedway and the IMSA season-opening Rolex 24 as defending race champion. The Wayne Taylor Racing lineup of Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi claimed the win in last year’s twice-around-the-clock contest, 20 years after Acura’s first Daytona class win in 1991.
This will be Acura’s eighth Rolex 24 as a prototype manufacturer (1991-93, 2018-22). In addition to the overall win last year, and in 2016 under the HPD/Honda banner. Acura won the Camel Lights class at Daytona in 1991 and again in ‘92.
Acura first took part in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 1991, winning Camel Lights with Comptech Racing and drivers Parker Johnstone, Steve Cameron and Bob Lesnett driving a Spice Acura SE90P. Acura repeated as Camel Lights winner in 1992, with Comptech drivers Johnstone, Cameron and Jimmy Vasser [who also won Honda’s first Indy car championship in 1996].
Running an Honda Performance Development prepared, production-based Honda V6 engine, Tequila Patrón ESM won the Rolex 24 overall in 2016 with Pipo Derani, Scott Sharp, Johannes van Overbeek and Ed Brown driving a Ligier JSP2-Honda.
Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) Won today’s qualifying race with co-driver Filipe Albuquerque and will start from the pole in next Saturday’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Will Stevens, Alexander Rossi join the driver lineup for the Rolex 24: “It was only 100 minutes, but that was a very stressful, hard race. The car was great, everyone at HPD has done a fantastic job to keep evolving and improving the ARX-05. The Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing team also keeps continuing to improve. We have to keep working this next week [leading up to the Rolex 24] as I think everyone is going to be coming for us. But we’re starting in the best possible spot [pole], and looking forward to going again – this time for 24 hours.”
Tom Blomqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05): finished 4th in qualifying race for next weekend’s Rolex 24 with co-driver Oliver Jarvis; Rolex 24 co-drivers also include Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud: “It was cool, I enjoyed it. It’s been a while since I raced over here [in the USA], so it was nice. I got a good start, made up a few positions, which was fun. It’s always nice to move forward. We were running third, but got a bit unlucky with traffic. We only need to make a few small tweaks here and there to get us in better shape for the ‘24’ next weekend, but the team did a great job, so fingers crossed for next weekend, that’s when it really counts.”
Kelvin Fu (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s qualifying race victory and pole for the Rolex 24 at Daytona: “What an amazing and exciting race, it was a great start to the new IMSA season for Acura and HPD. Congratulations to Wayne Taylor Racing for getting our Rolex 24 victory defense started in the best possible way, to Meyer Shank Racing for their excellent effort; and to Gradient Racing, for their ‘precision crafted performance’ in repairing the #66 NSX and getting it to the grid following yesterday’s crash, and improving throughout the race.”
Where to Watch the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Television coverage of the 60th Rolex 24 at Daytona starts Saturday, January 29, at 1:30 p.m. EST for the opening hour on NBC. Coverage moves to USA Network from 4-7 p.m.; 10 p.m.-3 a.m.; and 6 a.m.-12 p.m. on Sunday. Coverage concludes with the final hours of the race on NBC from 12-2 p.m. Sunday. Live flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Peacock streaming service.
Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and Sirius XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Rolex 24 Comes into Focus
| Corvette C8.Rs eighth, ninth in new GTD PRO category in qualifying race for IMSA opener DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2022) – Corvette Racing finished up its first three days of official testing and competition in the new GTD (GT Daytona) PRO class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sunday with work to do ahead of the upcoming Rolex 24 At Daytona. The team finished eighth and ninth in class and 14th and 18th among GTD cars following a 100-minute qualifying race to set the grid for the Rolex 24 on Jan. 29-30. Sunday’s race was the first for the evolved Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which ran for all three days in GTD spec for the first time in a full-field setting. The results show the uphill battle facing last year’s GT Le Mans (GTLM) race-winning program. Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor – last year’s GTLM champions and Rolex 24 winners with Nicky Catsburg – in the mid-engine No. 3 Corvette C8.R led the team’s efforts but finished a lap behind the class-winning Lamborghini. The C8.R has undergone a number of changes from its two-year GTLM campaign to bring it in line with the existing GTD cars. Corvette Racing is running with more weight, less power, a higher level of drag, customer Michelin tires and an ABS system for 2022 compared to 2021. Even with a mid-week Balance of Performance adjustment by the sanctioning body in an attempt for more evenly balanced competition, the Corvettes still faced a significant performance deficit in Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race. Sunday’s race ran green for the full 100 minutes. Garcia ran the first half of the race and gained three spots in class in the opening 10 minutes. He remained there before the GTD pit stop cycle began and handed off to Taylor, who rejoined in the same position after Sorensen made the class’ final stop with 45 minutes remaining. Tommy Milner and Marco Sorensen teamed in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette in their first race together. Sorensen turned his first laps in competition as a member of Corvette Racing as the pair will drive with Nick Tandy. Milner opened with the longest stint of any GTD PRO drivers at 55 minutes but the top-speed deficit hurt his progress before the pit cycle began. Corvette Racing returns to the Daytona track Thursday for the opening practices for the 60tth Rolex 24 At Daytona. The race begins at 1:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 29. Television coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC before transitioning between the USA Network and the Peacock streaming service before the final two hours of NBC coverage Sunday afternoon. The full race will stream on Peacock while live IMSA Radio coverage will air on XM 202, SiriusXM Online 992 and IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. |
| MARCO SORENSEN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – NINTH IN GTD PRO: “First off, it’s amazing to drive a whole stint in the Corvette. I got to understand the car in a totally different way. The tires we are on now are new for the team, so it was good to get some data on how much as a driver you can push on these tires. I’m still on a very steep learning curve with this car and I want to keep that curve going up so we are 100 percent ready for next week. I was a little surprised it was green all the way. You drive to the limit of the car and then you just sit on the straights and wait! There were some silly overtakes out there that people probably didn’t have to make in a qualifying race. I’m happy to have done my first race in a Corvette now. We have to now keep it going for the next week.” |  |
| Corvette Racing at Daytona1999No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/John Paul Jr. – 3rd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Scott Sharp/John Heinricy – 12th in GTS 2000No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 10th in GTS 2001No. 2 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Chris Kneifel/Franck Freon – 1st in GTS (overall win)No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Dale Earnhardt/Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 2nd in GTS 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 10th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Robin Liddell – 5th in GTLM 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Simon Pagenaud – 3rd in GTLM (Gavin pole) 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 2nd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 1st in GTLM (Winner by 0.034 second) 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 9th in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 3rd in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM 2020 (Rolex 24 – January)No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 7th in GTLM 2020 (WeatherTech 240 – July)No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 2nd in GTLM |
Front-row start for Cadillac in 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona
| No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R leads the way in 100-minute qualifying race |
| DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2022) – Five Cadillac DPi-V.R entries, led by front-row starter JDC-Miller Motorsports, will take the green flag Jan. 29 in the 60th anniversary Rolex 24 At Daytona. |
| Cadillac has won the season-opening race four of the five years of the current iteration of the top Prototype category. The No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R, driven by seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and Kamui Kobayashi, will start third. The entry was runner-up in the 2021 twice-around-the-clock race. The Nos. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R and No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R, both campaigned by Chip Ganassi Racing, will share Row 3. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R – the 2021 class team champion — will start seventh. Cadillac Racing results with 24-hour race starting position and best lap time: No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval, Ben KeatingStarting: 2nd … Best lap time: 1:34.934Tristan Vautier: “It was a good way to get into our 24 and happy to be starting on the front row. My stint was good. I had a good start from the front and then it was just about managing the cars in traffic and manage the tires as well. It was very tricky with all those cars on track. Richard (Westbrook) gave it a good go there at the end. It didn’t work out but went for it. We’re very happy to be starting the 24 on the front row.”Richard Westbrook: “I’m on a steep learning curve. I’ve come from GTs for the last four years, though I’ve done DPs before, and I’m on a fast track to where I need to be. Today was all about learning what I can get away with and what I can’t in traffic, learning about the tires on my stint. I think I got a lot of info from that. I don’t think it could have gone better. Battling with Ricky (Taylor for the lead), my former teammate, I enjoyed every minute. We had good pace and the setup of the car was really good. There’s more to come.” No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria LopezStarting: 3rd … Best lap time: 1:34.831Jimmie Johnson: “We have a little work to do with the balance of the car, but more laps for me, more laps together as a group, great strategy to finish third, so good day. Looking forward to getting more laps later in the week, taking the data from this race to learn more and then go racing.”Kamui Kobayashi: “I think starting P3 for the 24-hour is good. It really doesn’t mean anything in a 24-hour race. But obviously, it’s where we will start. I think this was a good moment to study for the 24-hour. I think we need to work on it (the car) a little bit more and we’ll see where we are at the end. But I think, so far, we’re in good shape.” No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Alex PalouStarting: 5th … Best lap time: 1:38.734Sebastien Bourdais: “Not the start of the season we wanted. Seemed like we had a pretty fast car compared to the opposition. We made up quite a bit of ground on the leaders through the last two stints and Renger had a very strong first stint, especially at the start. We are going to analyze what happened during that pit speed violation and try to refine the car and make it even better for the 24 and go from there.” No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin MagnussenStarting: 6th … Best lap time: 1:34.628Earl Bamber: “The car was good. We had two clean stints and did some fuel saving but just couldn’t recover from the pit road penalty.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike ConwayStarting: 7th … Best lap time: 1:34.949Tristan Nunez: “It was definitely scrappy, to say the least. It was good to get this first race out of the way. It was a good dress rehearsal, to do some live race pit stops, and to get some laps under my belt at race pace. I feel comfortable going into the 24 and that’s what really counts. A lot can happen in 24 hours. I’m looking forward to next week and the win.”Pipo Derani: “We had a good race But, unfortunately, a call made early on prevented us from making it to the end on fuel. We gambled. We tried to go for the win. Unfortunately, a yellow [flag] never came and we had to pit one last time. It was good prep for the 24. It’s good to get the season going and, in a few days, we’ll be back here for the big one.”NBC will kick off coverage of the Rolex 24 At Daytona at 1:30 p.m. ET Jan. 29. |
Cadillac Racing races to pole in qualifying session for qualifying race
| Tristan Vautier leads DPi field with quickest lap in No. 5 Mustang Sampling entry |
| DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 22, 2022) – In a qualifying session for Rolex 24 At Daytona qualifying, drivers of the five Cadillac DPi-V.Rs stood out. Tristan Vautier drove the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R to the pole position in the 15-minute prelude to the 100-minute qualifying race Jan. 23 that will determine the pole winner and set the field for the 60th anniversary of the twice-around-the-clock race. |
 The fourth-year JDC-Miller MotorSports driver recorded the quickest lap on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course at 1 minute, 34.034 seconds. “It was still really cold. It was still damp on the curbs and stuff, so it was important to work the tires to get them up to temp quick,” Vautier said. “There was quite a lot of traffic with 15 cars, so you knew you had to put a lap in because there was a chance of a red flag, which actually happened. When I got to the Bus Stop, I knew the lap was good and I was thinking, ‘Don’t mess this up! You just have one corner to go.’ The car felt great. “The team has been working really hard. We made a step last year at Petit Le Mans, and it seems to be helping here.” |
| A Cadillac DPi-V.R claimed three of the four spots on the grid. Alex Lynn drove the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R to a best lap of 1:34.259 and will start third in the car campaigned by Chip Ganassi Racing. Tristan Nunez, who registered a best lap of 1:34.440 in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R for reigning DPi team champion Action Express Racing, will start fourth. Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson drove the No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R for Action Express Racing to fifth place at 1:34.941. Renger van der Zande was sitting second with 5 minutes left in the session, but hard braking entering Turn 5 caused the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R to nose into the tire barrier. Van der Zande was uninjured, but by bringing out a red flag he lost his quickest lap. The 100-minute qualifying race airs live at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock and IMSA Radio. A Cadillac DPi-V.R has won the Rolex 24 pole three times since the latest iteration of the Prototype class was established in 2017. Cadillac Racing results with starting position and best lap time:No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval, Ben KeatingStarting: 1st … Best lap time: 1:34.034Tristan Vautier: “The lap I did felt good so I knew it would be tough to improve. It’s good and important for us to validate our speed, but it’s early. This is qualifying for a qualifying race. There is a lot of work ahead. Although we are happy, we don’t have much time to celebrate with another practice very soon. The celebration is for the win and not the qualifying for the qualifying race. We are really focused. IMSA has a good handle on the BoP in DPi; the teams know it and it’s the last year of these cars so everyone is pushing really hard from the get-go. I’m pushing hard and having fun. It’s the last year for DPi so as a driver I’m always giving it all, but I know I have to do well and I’m really trying to give my best and earn my spot in LMDh. I want to shine. We have a good team and good teammates.” No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin MagnussenStarting: 3rd … Best lap time: 1:34.259Alex Lynn: “I’m satisfied, I wouldn’t say happy. I think the car was really tight and the field was super tight, so a couple of improvements from my side probably would have made the difference. But I’m sure every driver could say that. Overall, a good start.” No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez, Mike ConwayStarting: 4th … Best lap time: 1:34.440Tristan Nunez: “I think the toughest part was all of the traffic. Having the first pit box is good if you have an issue during the race you can right to the garage. During qualifying it means you have to start behind every DPi and P2 car. It was tough to get some temperature in the tires while trying to maintain a gap to the cars in front. I am pretty happy with that being my first qualifying run in the Whelen Cadillac. Now I have the confidence knowing what the car can do in flat out qualifying.” No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria LopezStarting: 5th … Best lap time: 1:34.941Jimmie Johnson: “The damp, cold conditions are kind of tough with these light cars. As much as I was nervous about it, I was happy to get some experience doing it. I ended up running my fastest lap I’ve ever run around here. I am happy to see my progression. Happy that the team keeps giving me these opportunities to learn. Starting fifth for the qualifying race. We will go for more tomorrow.” No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Alex PalouStarting: 10th … Best lap time: 1:38.593 ** – quickest lap disallowed for creating a red flag by going off courseRenger van der Zande: “I got stuck in a wall basically in Turn 5. Turn 1, 2 and 3 was really good, but I braked too late for Turn 5. Overall, the car felt really nice. I do |
Cadillac Racing DPi-V.Rs connect to powerful Blackwing sedans
| No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac highlights owner-driver finishing school DETROIT (Jan. 25, 2022) – The twin Cadillac DPi-V.R race cars that will take the green flag for the Rolex 24 At Daytona this weekend have deep ties to the innovation, performance and design of the 2022 Cadillac CT5-V and CT4-V Blackwings. The livery of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Performance Academy DPi-V.R is also connected to an exciting exclusive program from Cadillac. |
| Cadillac is offering complimentary enrollment in the V-Performance Academy with the purchase of every 2022 and newer CT5-V and CT4-V Blackwing, which were developed to be track-capable straight from the factory. Featuring a hand-built 6.2-liter supercharged V8 delivering 668 horsepower paired with a 6-speed manual transmission, the CT5-V Blackwing is refinement rooted in performance. “The two-day Cadillac V-Performance Academy at Spring Mountain Motor Resort in Nevada is designed to help V-Series owners master their vehicle’s power and capabilities, expand their driving skillset and enjoy an exciting time on a demanding race course under the tutelage of experienced instructors,” said Rory Harvey, Cadillac Global Vice President. “When developing the V-Series Blackwings, we looked to our championship-winning racing heritage to find the right mix of performance and driver engagement complemented by sophisticated luxury.” |
| The V-Performance Academy program is part of the next-level Cadillac ownership experience and includes accommodations at Spring Mountain Motor Resort in addition to classroom and on-track training. The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories DPi-V.R’s livery draws attention to the luxury brand’s complete portfolio of genuine Cadillac Accessories – from premium all-weather floor liners to brake system upgrade kits to unique wheel options. Each piece is designed, developed and manufactured to enhance the appearance, performance and capability of Cadillac vehicles. Learn more about the V-Series, the Cadillac V-Performance Academy and Cadillac Accessories at www.cadillac.com. Both Cadillac DPi-V.R race cars will be campaigned by Chip Ganassi Racing during the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season on a variety of challenging road courses and street circuits. Cadillac will be seeking its fifth overall victory in the 60th edition of the Rolex 24 At Daytona since the DPi class was formed in 2017. Cadillac is the reigning IMSA DPi Manufacturer Champion, while Action Express Racing claimed the 2021 IMS DPi Team and Driver Championship (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr in the No. 31 Whelden Engineering Racing) in a Cadillac DPi-V.R. |
RING THE BELL: Dale McDowell wins emotional season-opener at Sunshine Nationals
McDowell out dueled Dennis Erb, Jr. and Kyle Larson to win his 13th World of Outlaws race BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 21, 2022 – After four months of being out of a race car, Dale McDowell got to ring a victorious bell Friday evening at Volusia Speedway Park – its significance twofold. It was a bell rung with a straw hat and a checkered flag, signifying his victory during the World of Outlaws Late Model season-opener at the Sunshine Nationals. But also, to further signify his victorious battle with cancer. McDowell, 55, of Chickamauga, GA, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and unsure if he’d ever race again. However, after surgery, support and four months of recovery, McDowell won. And in his first return behind the wheel of a Super Late Model, he proved to everyone – and himself – no speed was lost. “I want to be tough,” McDowell said. “I realized you need to be tough. But it’s very emotional. I have to thank the good Lord above for letting me come back and do what I love because four months ago I didn’t know what was going to happen. I haven’t been in a car in four months. “Hats off to my brother. Everyone who took care of me while I was sick and stuck by us.” He kicked off the weekend qualifying third fastest in Group A, behind rookie contender Kyle Hammer who was fastest overall. Then, he went on to win his Heat Race and draw the pole for the 30-lap Feature. When the green flag flew to commence the 2022 season for the World of Outlaws Late Models Friday evening – after being postponed from Thursday night – McDowell darted ahead of the stout field with outside polesitter Devin Moran hanging to his outside. The two dueled side by side for the opening lap before McDowell’s precision around the bottom lane prevailed. Once the black #17m found clean air out front, McDowell never looked back. Four cautions plagued his journey around the half-mile track and put the hungry field of drivers to his bumper each time. However, none of the contenders who stepped up to the plate could match McDowell’s speed. Moran’s attempt faded early as Chris Madden and Dennis Erb, Jr. got by him to move into the runner-up and final podium spot, respectively, before the end of Lap 3. Madden held the runner-up spot for 10 laps with no advances on McDowell. After a caution with 18 laps to go, Erb bested “Smokey” on the restart and powered his way through the corner to move his blue #28 machine into second. But, like those before him, couldn’t catch McDowell and had to settle for a strong points run to open the season. “To get a good start down here, we’ve got about seven races or so (between Sunshine Nationals and DIRTcar Nationals). We have to make the best out of it and come out of Florida with a good run in the points. To have a good start here is real good. Hopefully, we can keep it up here for the rest of the week.” Behind Erb, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was on the move, making his way from 11th to the podium with 10 laps to go. He tried to challenge the Series veteran in the closing laps for the runner-up spot but remained third at the line. Also on the move throughout the race was Fox Factory Hard Charger Hudson O’Neil, having raced his way from 18th to fifth. “All in all, I think we had a good race car,” O’Neil said. “To be able to drive all the way up there was really good. We picked up most of our time on restarts. I don’t know if our race car was amazing, we didn’t really pass a whole lot of people while racing, just on restarts off of mistakes and stuff. All in all, we’re happy with how everything turned out, and we’ll keep digging.” For McDowell, the $10,000 victory was his 13th career World of Outlaws win and his first with the Series since 2016. However, its significance will triumph all other milestones. “I just can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to be here,” McDowell said. UP NEXT The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns tonight for the second round of the Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision. Tickets for the Sunshine Nationals are available at the track or by clicking HERE. RESULTS 1. 17M-Dale McDowell[1]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 3. 6-Kyle Larson[11]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[3]; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal[18]; 6. 25-Shane Clanton[10]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 8. 111V-Max Blair[12]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening[14]; 10. 18-Chase Junghans[13]; 11. 29-Darrell Lanigan[20]; 12. 97-Cade Dillard[17]; 13. B1-Brent Larson[23]; 14. 8-Kyle Strickler[6]; 15. 14M-Morgan Bagley[21]; 16. 99B-Boom Briggs[24]; 17. 11-Gordy Gundaker[26]; 18. 81E-Tanner English[19]; 19. 1R-Josh Richards[7]; 20. 32-Chris Simpson[25]; 21. 28M-Jimmy Mars[15]; 22. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 23. 20-Jimmy Owens[16]; 24. 89-Ashton Winger[22]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[9]; 26. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[8]; 27. 45-Kyle Hammer[27] 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. McDowell out dueled Dennis Erb, Jr. and Kyle Larson to win his 13th World of Outlaws race BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 21, 2022 – After four months of being out of a race car, Dale McDowell got to ring a victorious bell Friday evening at Volusia Speedway Park – its significance twofold.It was a bell rung with a straw hat and a checkered flag, signifying his victory during the World of Outlaws Late Model season-opener at the Sunshine Nationals. But also, to further signify his victorious battle with cancer.McDowell, 55, of Chickamauga, GA, was diagnosed with prostate cancer and unsure if he’d ever race again. However, after surgery, support and four months of recovery, McDowell won. And in his first return behind the wheel of a Super Late Model, he proved to everyone – and himself – no speed was lost.“I want to be tough,” McDowell said. “I realized you need to be tough. But it’s very emotional. I have to thank the good Lord above for letting me come back and do what I love because four months ago I didn’t know what was going to happen. I haven’t been in a car in four months.“Hats off to my brother. Everyone who took care of me while I was sick and stuck by us.”He kicked off the weekend qualifying third fastest in Group A, behind rookie contender Kyle Hammer who was fastest overall. Then, he went on to win his Heat Race and draw the pole for the 30-lap Feature.When the green flag flew to commence the 2022 season for the World of Outlaws Late Models Friday evening – after being postponed from Thursday night – McDowell darted ahead of the stout field with outside polesitter Devin Moran hanging to his outside. The two dueled side by side for the opening lap before McDowell’s precision around the bottom lane prevailed.Once the black #17m found clean air out front, McDowell never looked back.Four cautions plagued his journey around the half-mile track and put the hungry field of drivers to his bumper each time. However, none of the contenders who stepped up to the plate could match McDowell’s speed.Moran’s attempt faded early as Chris Madden and Dennis Erb, Jr. got by him to move into the runner-up and final podium spot, respectively, before the end of Lap 3. Madden held the runner-up spot for 10 laps with no advances on McDowell. After a caution with 18 laps to go, Erb bested “Smokey” on the restart and powered his way through the corner to move his blue #28 machine into second.But, like those before him, couldn’t catch McDowell and had to settle for a strong points run to open the season.“To get a good start down here, we’ve got about seven races or so (between Sunshine Nationals and DIRTcar Nationals). We have to make the best out of it and come out of Florida with a good run in the points. To have a good start here is real good. Hopefully, we can keep it up here for the rest of the week.”Behind Erb, 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson was on the move, making his way from 11th to the podium with 10 laps to go. He tried to challenge the Series veteran in the closing laps for the runner-up spot but remained third at the line.Also on the move throughout the race was Fox Factory Hard Charger Hudson O’Neil, having raced his way from 18th to fifth.“All in all, I think we had a good race car,” O’Neil said. “To be able to drive all the way up there was really good. We picked up most of our time on restarts. I don’t know if our race car was amazing, we didn’t really pass a whole lot of people while racing, just on restarts off of mistakes and stuff. All in all, we’re happy with how everything turned out, and we’ll keep digging.”For McDowell, the $10,000 victory was his 13th career World of Outlaws win and his first with the Series since 2016. However, its significance will triumph all other milestones.“I just can’t tell you how ecstatic I am to be here,” McDowell said.UP NEXT The World of Outlaws Late Model Series returns tonight for the second round of the Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.Tickets for the Sunshine Nationals are available at the track or by clicking HERE.RESULTS 1. 17M-Dale McDowell[1]; 2. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[5]; 3. 6-Kyle Larson[11]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[3]; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal[18]; 6. 25-Shane Clanton[10]; 7. 1-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 8. 111V-Max Blair[12]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening[14]; 10. 18-Chase Junghans[13]; 11. 29-Darrell Lanigan[20]; 12. 97-Cade Dillard[17]; 13. B1-Brent Larson[23]; 14. 8-Kyle Strickler[6]; 15. 14M-Morgan Bagley[21]; 16. 99B-Boom Briggs[24]; 17. 11-Gordy Gundaker[26]; 18. 81E-Tanner English[19]; 19. 1R-Josh Richards[7]; 20. 32-Chris Simpson[25]; 21. 28M-Jimmy Mars[15]; 22. 9-Devin Moran[2]; 23. 20-Jimmy Owens[16]; 24. 89-Ashton Winger[22]; 25. 19R-Ryan Gustin[9]; 26. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[8]; 27. 45-Kyle Hammer[27] |
| 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. |
SUNSHINE MAGIC: Florida’s Mark Whitener powers to DIRTcar Pro Late Model victory
“The Magic Man” won the opening race for the DIRTcar Pro Late Models at Sunshine Nationals BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 21, 2022 – Less than 24 hours after sitting upside down in his Super Late Model, Mark Whitener climbed out of his DIRTcar Pro Late Model with a straw hat on his head and a smile on his face.The Middleburg, FL driver found strength in his consistency and pure will to claim the first DIRTcar Pro Late Model Sunshine Nationals victory of the week Friday evening at Volusia Speedway Park – after the race was postponed from Thursday night.Whitener “The Magic Man” said he was sore and battled brake issues in the final half of the 25-lap Feature, but knew he had a strong new Savage chassis underneath him.“I knew I had a pretty good hot rod,” Whitener said. “This is a new car for us. Thanks to Jason Welshan at Savage (Chassis). That was scary in the Super last night. My hands are sore. I’m sore all over… but to be in Victory Lane for this Sunshine deal, it’s pretty much at home for us. Just appreciate everyone that puts this show on. Everybody is doing the best job they can.”Shan Smith led the field to the initial green flag with Whitener in tow. The two paced ahead of the field in the early stage of the race, while Nevin Gainey made his way from fifth to third in the first two laps.Smith held a strong command of the lead around the half-mile track until lap traffic became a hindrance. During an attempt to pass a group of slower cars around the outside, Smith was pushed out of the groove into a dirty lane, losing grip and allowing Whitener to sneak underneath him. The two raced side by side for a straightaway before Whitener launched ahead with the lead and never looked back.“When I was leading and got to lap traffic, I should’ve just rode in behind those guys but I was afraid that Mark (Whitener) was going to dive out there to the outside and just drive around me and I’d get caught with my pants down. I just dive-bombed those guys around the outside and they kind of hung me out to dry when I was lapping them. That was the race.“Basically, if you got off the bottom you were done. So, I want to thank all my guys for helping me and supporting me. We’ve been busting our butts like everyone else here.”Whitener lost his rear brakes with 10 laps to go and had to readjust his approach to each corner but stayed committed to the bottom. Smith began to pull in Whitener, getting close enough to grab his bumper with eight laps to go. However, he hit a rut in Turn 2 and faded back into the clutches of Cory Hedgecock in third.Three laps later disaster almost struck Whitener as a car slowed to a near stop in front of him to turn into the pit area, forcing him to lock his brakes and wrangle his car straight to avoid a collision. That allowed Smith and Hedgecock one last attempt at Whitener.The “Magic Man” was in another dimension, however, needing only a corner to distance himself from his hunters again.He drove away to claim a needed victory in a doubleheader day of racing around The World’s Fastest Half-Mile in which he’ll be pulling double duty with the DIRTcar Pro Late Models and World of Outlaws Late Models.“I’d just like to thank everybody that is out here,” Whitener said. “All these fans and everybody that helps me on this car. Especially Jason Welshan at Savage Chassis. First night out and this thing was badass.”UP NEXT The DIRTcar Pro Late Models return tonight for the second night of the Sunshine Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park. If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.Tickets for the Sunshine Nationals are available at the track or by clicking HERE.RESULTS 1. 5-Mark Whitener[2]; 2. 32-Shan Smith[1]; 3. 23-Cory Hedgecock[6]; 4. 17-Nevin Gainey[5]; 5. 05-David Whitener[9]; 6. 6-Clay Harris[8]; 7. 66K-Dylan Knowles[7]; 8. 4-Rye Faulk[10]; 9. 66-Jody Knowles[3]; 10. 22-Jeremy Steele[13]; 11. 10-CChad Olsen[15]; 12. 2-Trynt Lloyd[16]; 13. 01G-Jason Garver[18]; 14. 71-Bo Allen[20]; 15. 28M-Sam Mars[12]; 16. 66-JJake Knowles[26]; 17. 2W-Justin Williams[21]; 18. 17SSJR-Brenden Smith[24]; 19. 127-Austin Yarbrough[23]; 20. 45T-Tom Fiebelkorn[19]; 21. 51-Mikey Kopka[22]; 22. 01-Jason Welshan[25]; 23. 38-Garrett Mosley[11]; 24. 25-Donnie Chappell[17]; 25. 00S-Richie Stephens[14]; 26. 14-Wil Herrington[4] |
| 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. |
2022 SCHEDULE: 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week, big events highlight 2022 for Northeast divisions
DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, Pro Stocks and Sportsman set to thrill across New York and beyond WEEDSPORT, NY – Jan. 21, 2022 – Northeast racing is set for an action-packed adventure in 2022 with the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, Pro Stocks and Sportsman competing in an assortment of high-profile events, including the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week.Between the three divisions, DIRTcar Northeast racing will compete at 13 of the best tracks across New York, and a few beyond.The 358 Modifieds will venture to Brockville Ontario Speedway, in Brockville, ON, along with the Sportsman, which will also make two trips to Bear Ridge Speedway in Vermont. A couple weeks after NAPA Super DIRT Week, the Pro Stocks and Sportsman will head south again to compete in the Drydene World Short Track Championship in North Carolina.“All of us at DIRTcar are excited to present schedules that will bring the best 358 Modified, Pro Stock and Sportsman racing across the Northeast to fans and competitors alike,” said DIRTcar Northeast Series Director Dean Reynolds. “This is a special year with the 50th NAPA Super DIRT Week, making for a historic season across all three divisions.“Due to the situation with the pandemic, we’re in constant communication with our Canadian partners and hope for the best outcome all around to return to racing in Canada.”RELATED: Super DIRT Week’s 50 Greatest Driver RevealsMake sure to check DIRTVision’s schedule of broadcasts as several events will be broadcast live on the premier dirt racing streaming service – including every race during NAPA Super DIRT Week and the World Short Track Championship.DIRTcar 358 Modifieds The DIRTcar 358 Modified 2022 season will feature nine events across eight different tracks, starting with the High Bank Holdup Weekend at Fulton Speedway, April 30, and concluding at Brockville Ontario Speedway, Oct. 15.In between those events again includes the Super DIRT Week Kick Off Party at Weedsport Speedway and the Hurricane 75 at Brewerton Speedway. However, this year, both are a day earlier. The Kick Off Party will be Tuesday, Oct. 4 and the Hurricane 75 will be Wednesday, Oct. 5. They lead to the $20,000-to-win Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego Speedway, Saturday, Oct. 8.2022 Schedule Saturday, April 30 – Fulton Speedway – High Bank Holdup Weekend Thursday, June 23 – Mohawk International Raceway Wednesday, Aug. 10 – Thunder Mountain Speedway Friday, Sept. 9 – Can-Am Speedway Friday, Sept. 16 – Mohawk International Raceway Tuesday, Oct. 4 – Weedsport Speedway – Super DIRT Week Kick Off Party Wednesday, Oct. 5 – Brewerton Speedway – Hurricane 75 Saturday, Oct. 8 – Oswego Speedway – Salute to the Troops 150 (50th NAPA Super DIRT Week) Saturday, Oct. 15 – Brockville Ontario Speedway – Northeast Fall NationalsDIRTcar Pro Stocks Several big events await the DIRTcar Pro Stocks for their 10-race 2022 schedule.It starts with the season opener at Can-Am Speedway where they’ll join the Super DIRTcar Series for the Thunder on the 1000 Islands. Then, they’ll make their way through New York, again joining the Super DIRTcar Series at Weedsport Speedway, Sept. 10, during the Cavalcade Weekend and Sept. 24 during the Malta Massive Weekend at Albany-Saratoga Speedway.The DIRTcar Pro Stocks will conclude their season with three big events in a row. First will be during the Super DIRT Week Kick Off Party at Weedsport Speedway, Tuesday, Oct. 4, before entering the big stage on Sunday, Oct. 9, for the DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 at Oswego Speedway. Then, the Series will venture to Concord, NC for the Drydene World Short Track Champion at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, Oct. 27-29 – a nonpoints event.2022 Schedule Saturday, April 9 – Can-Am Speedway – Thunder on the 1000 Islands Sunday, July 10 – Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Saturday, Aug. 27 – Lebanon Valley Speedway Saturday, Sept. 10 – Weedsport Speedway – Cavalcade Weekend Saturday, Sept. 17 – Mohawk International Raceway Saturday, Sept. 24 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Malta Massive Weekend Friday, Sept. 30 – Fulton Speedway Tuesday, Oct. 4 – Weedsport Speedway – Super DIRT Week Kick Off Party Sunday, Oct. 9 – Oswego Speedway – DIRTcar Pro Stock 50 (50th NAPA Super DIRT Week) Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 27-29 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Drydene World Short Track ChampionshipDIRTcar Sportsman Four regions of DIRTcar Sportsman will bring the popular division to fans across New York and beyond throughout 2022.The division will visit 13 New York tracks in total throughout the year, in addition to visits to Bear Ridge Speedway in Vermont, Brockville Ontario Speedway with the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds in October and a return to The Dirt Track at Charlotte with the DIRTcar Pro Stocks for the Drydene World Short Track Championship – a non-points event for both.The two latter events are also a part of the seven-race Fall Championship Challenge, featuring the Malta Massive Weekend, Outlaws 200 Weekend and NAPA Super DIRT Week.The West Region schedule will be announced at a later date, along with an update on the Canadian regions.2022 Schedule Central Region Friday, April 29 – Fulton Speedway Wednesday, June 29 – Can-Am Speedway Thursday, June 30 – Land of Legends Raceway Wednesday, Aug. 10 – Thunder Mountain Speedway Wednesday, Aug. 24 – Ransomville Speedway – Mike Bonesky Memorial Saturday, Sept. 10 – Can-Am Speedway Sunday, Sept. 11 – Weedsport Speedway – Sportsman ClassicNorth Region Saturday, April 30 – Airborne Speedway Thursday, June 23 – Mohawk International Speedway Saturday, Sept. 10 – Can-Am Speedway Saturday, Sept. 17 – Mohawk International RacewayEast Region Saturday, April 30 – Airborne Speedway Saturday, May 14 – Bear Ridge Speedway Sunday, June 19 – Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Sunday, August 21 – Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Saturday, Sept. 10 – Bear Ridge Speedway Fall Championship Challenge Friday, Sept. 23 – Albany-Saratoga Speedway – Massive Malta Weekend Fri.-Sat., Sept. 30-Oct. 1 – Fulton Speedway – Outlaw 200 Weekend Wednesday, Oct. 5 – Brewerton Speedway – Hurricane 50 Sunday, Oct. 9 – Oswego Speedway – Chevrolet Performance 75 (50th NAPA Super DIRT Week) Saturday, Oct. 15 – Brockville Ontario Speedway – Northeast Fall Nationals Thurs.-Sat., Oct. 27-29 – The Dirt Track at Charlotte – Drydene World Short Track Championship |
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.
Texas Motorplex to Host Funny Car Chaos Season Opener and Finals in 2022
ENNIS, TX (January 19, 2022) — After hosting the largest Funny Car event in over 50 years in March of 2021 at the Texas Motorplex, the excitement and anticipation for the beginning of the 2022 Funny Car Chaos season has been building for almost a year. The season opener, Funny Car Chaos Classic, will happen March 24-26 at the famed track south of Dallas and early indications are this event will be even bigger. The season will conclude with the Funny Car Chaos Championship Finals at Texas Motorplex, October 7-8, to begin the 2nd annual Stampede of Speed. Over $45,000 will be awarded at this event and the 2022 Series Champions for both Funny Car Chaos and the Outlaw Fuel Altered Association will be crowned.
“We are very excited to be working with the team at the Texas Motorplex to start and finish our 2022 Funny Car Chaos season at the Texas Motorplex,” said Chris Graves, Funny Car Chaos promoter and race director. “I grew up a Motorplex kid, this is where my addiction to the sport was born, so it means a lot to me personally, aside from the luxuries and professionalism the Motorplex venue and staff bring to our racers and fans. This facility is rich with history and that’s a tradition we aim to continue in working with the Meyer family and Andy Carter. The Stampede of Speed is a prime example of what hard work and passion can produce. The Motorplex continues to rise to the top and Funny Car Chaos is proud to be a part of that. We’re ready to put on a show, so you know what to do, be there!”
Additional information about both Funny Car Chaos events will be announced in the coming weeks. Each of these events will be recognized as major events for the Texas Motorplex, especially the season finale to begin the Stampede of Speed. Fan enhancements will be a major focus as well as highlighting the historic impact of these events. Plans are also in the works for a special screening of the recently produced Billy Meyer career documentary produced by CompetitionPlus.com as part of its Legends Series.
“We are thrilled to not just host another Funny Car Chaos event, but the Championship Finals is a huge plus for the Texas Motorplex and Funny Car fans across the country,” said Andy Carter, Texas Motorplex General Manager. “Chris is an amazing promoter and what he has built with Funny Car Chaos is so impressive. Last year we had over 60 Funny Cars and we think we can attract just as many competitors for both races.”
Tickets are on sale now for the Funny Car Chaos Classic and tickets for the Funny Car Championship Finals, Texas NHRA Fall Nationals and the full week of the Stamped of Speed events will be available for purchase on March 14. For more information and tickets visit www.texasmotorplex.com.
Sunoco Race Fuels Bonus Money to Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Regulars
| Batavia, OH (January 19, 2022) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is pleased to announce bonus money awards from Sunoco Race Fuels to racers that follow the series in 2022. Sunoco, an industry powerhouse manufacturer of high-performance racing fuels, will continue their exclusive partnership as the “Official Fuel” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series again in 2022. As the “Official Fuel” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Sunoco will offer several programs and incentives for racers that follow the series. Sunoco Race Fuels will continue as the title sponsor of the Road to Wheatland loyalty program. The Sunoco Race Fuels Road to Wheatland program will award a cash bonus to the top-fifteen (15) drivers in the championship point standings with perfect attendance headed into the Show-Me 100 weekend at Lucas Oil Speedway in May. Sunoco will once again reward drivers that use Sunoco Race Fuel exclusively under the “Race for Gas” program. Any driver utilizing Sunoco Race Fuels exclusively will earn points at each series event. The driver that earns the most points throughout the season will be crowned the Sunoco Race for Gas Champion and receive a $3,000 cash bonus at the year-end awards banquet. Second-place in the Sunoco Race for Gas standings will earn a $2,000 cash bonus, while third-place receives a $1,000 cash bonus. Sunoco Race Fuels will also return as the title sponsor of the North/South 100 weekend, held annually in August at Florence (KY) Speedway. The Sunoco Race Fuels North/South 100 has been a pillar on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series slate for over a decade now and will pay a monumental $75,000 to win in 2022. This event has grown into one of the “must attend” crown-jewel events of the year for drivers and fans alike. “Sunoco couldn’t be more excited with our partnership with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. We feel it is the most competitive late model series out there and that is why we chose to continue to support this group. Sunoco Race Fuels has been involved with the series since its inception and even though some of the names and faces change from time to time, the quality of the program has never changed. This is in perfect alignment with Sunoco Race Fuels and our commitment to quality when it comes to our product offering. Everyone at Lucas Oil has been a pleasure to work with, from the staff to the drivers and the tracks we support. We look forward to the start of the season,” stated Russ Bradford, National Sales Manager for Sunoco Race Fuels. For decades, Sunoco’s fuels have been associated with racing excellence. Today, Sunoco has expanded the reach of its racing fuels line around the world to include all types of professional motor sports and other activities where premium race fuels make a difference. With its unsurpassed innovations and years of experience, it’s easy to understand why more and more engine builders, racers, tracks and sanctioning bodies choose Sunoco over all other racing gasoline combined. It takes high-performance racing fuels that are willing to go the distance – fuels like those produced by Sunoco. As the largest manufacturer of racing gasolines in the world, Sunoco has a 40-year track record of winning performances. To learn more about Sunoco Race Fuels, visit: www.sunocoracefuels.com. “The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series’ continued growth and popularity as the premier national touring series for dirt late models would not be possible without great partners like Sunoco Race Fuels that support us. Sunoco’s partnership includes several incentives and programs to benefit the racers directly. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Sunoco for years to come,” stated Wayne Castleberry, Corporate Sales and Marketing for Lucas Oil Motorsports. |
FAN FAVORITE TERRY MCMILLEN ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR 2022 RETURN
– 2018 US Nationals winner will race part-time schedule with Dan Mercier Racing –
Elkhart, IN (January 19, 2022) — The 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing season will see another familiar face in the Top Fuel ranks as fan favorite and 2018 US Nationals Top Fuel winner Terry McMillen today announced he will compete on a limited schedule, competing in six to eight national events in 2022, so he can continue to support his son Cameron’s junior dragster career. McMillen will race under the Dan Mercier Racing banner.
“We met Dan in 2017 when he purchased a Top Fuel dragster from us and we have stayed friends,” said McMillen, who has two career Top Fuel wins and finished in the Top Ten in 2020. “He runs a family operation just like us, so it is a perfect partnership. After spending last year with Cameron at the track I knew the only way I would come back right now was if I could race around Cameron’s schedule.”
Dan Mercier Racing purchased the Terry McMillen Racing operation so the veteran driver will be returning to the same livery that he earned his first No. 1 qualifier at the Dodge Nationals in 2020 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
“2022 will certainly be the long-awaited dream year for Mercier Racing,” said Mercier. “There’s no better time to make a serious commitment to the big leagues. Having the opportunity to have Terry as a driver will give the Mercier Racing team a tremendous chance to improve and compete against the best. Our focus now is on winning rounds and national events.”
During the 2021 season McMillen spent time with his son attending junior dragster races and pursuing other business interests. As McMillen and Mercier began talking about competing in 2022 McMillen was adamant that he would only race if it didn’t distract or conflict with Cameron’s racing schedule. Mercier, a serious Top Alcohol dragster racer who has raced a handful of Top Fuel events, also had a request of his own regarding Cameron which included the youngster coaching Mia Mercier, Dan’s two-year old daughter, in a few years to drive a junior dragster. In return Mercier has offered coaching tips to Cameron if he decides to make the jump to a Top Alcohol Dragster.
“This season will hopefully be just the beginning of a beautiful partnership of passion and performance between our two teams and families,” added Mercier.
The team will be making further announcements in the coming weeks. The current plan includes possible races at the NHRA New England Nationals in Epping, New Hampshire, the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, and the fall NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte with additional events to be determined.
Cadillac Racing begins season prep with the Roar
Drivers of five Cadillac DPi-V.R entries will challenge for Rolex 24 pole
· Reigning DPi Manufacturer Champion ready to hit the track· Pipo Derani seeks to successfully defend Driver Championship· No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R is “Champions Cadillac”
DETROIT (Jan. 18, 2022) – Cadillac Racing’s initial steps to successfully defending its Daytona Prototype international (DPi) Manufacturer, Team and Driver titles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will be taken this week at the Roar Before the Rolex 24.
Drivers for five Cadillac DPi-V.R entries will get a handle on the powerful and nimble race cars during two days of practice on the 3.56-mile Daytona International Speedway road course before a 100-minute race for the Motul Pole Award sets the grid for the 60th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 29.
“The 2022 season is going to be awesome and we’re looking forward to getting on track,” said GM Sports Car Racing Program Manager Laura Wontrop Klauser, who recently was named “Person of the Year” by l’Automoibile magazine. “Cadillac Racing has a strong team and driver lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona, and the Roar is an important part of the process of getting race ready.”
A Cadillac DPi-V.R has won the overall Rolex 24 At Daytona title four times since the latest iteration of the prototype class was instituted in 2017. The fifth victory will tie Ferrari for third place on the all-time list.
Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R Roar Before the Rolex 24 At Daytona lineup with team affiliation:No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Alex PalouNo. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Chip Ganassi Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, Marcus Ericsson, Kevin MagnussenNo. 5 JDC-Miller Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook, Loic Duval, Ben KeatingNo. 31 Whelen Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Tristan Nunez, Pipo Derani, Mike ConwayNo. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing with Hendrick Motorsports)Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez
Pipo Derani, who returns to co-drive the No. 31 Wheldon Engineering Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, will be joined for the full season by Tristan Nunez as Action Express Racing seeks to claim its second consecutive Driver and Team Championships. The No. 31 Cadillac started from the pole in the 2021 race.
“We are excited to get back racing,” team manager Gary Nelson said. “I am very proud of our team; everyone showed up at the shop for work before dawn on the Monday after the weekend that we secured the championship back in November. Since that Monday, the team has worked very hard to prepare everything for the Whelen Engineering No. 31 Cadillac and the Ally No. 48 Cadillac.”
Action Express Racing will field the No. 48 Ally Cadillac DPi-V.R in association with reigning NASCAR Cup Series championship Hendrick Motorsports in the four endurance races. With seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson co-driving, the No. 48 Cadillac DPi-V.R finished second overall in the 2021 Rolex 24.
“Last season we finished second just a few seconds back. We have such a strong lineup. This is a huge opportunity for me,” said Johnson, who will make his ninth Rolex 24 At Daytona start.
The Cadillac Racing lineup fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing expands to two cars for the 2022 season. Renger van der Zande, the 2016 IMSA Prototype Challenge driver champion and two-time Rolex 24 winner, returns behind the wheel of the No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R. He will be joined for the full complement of events by four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais. Six-time INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon and 2021 INDYCAR title-winner Alex Palou join for the first endurance race to form a “Champions Cadillac” entry.
“It’s going to be an exciting season,” said Bourdais, who co-drove to an overall Rolex 24 victory in 2014 and a class win with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017. “I have great teammates with Renger, Scott and Alex for this race that everyone wants to win. I can’t wait to get going.”
Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Earl Bamber and versatile driver Alex Lynn are the full-season drivers in the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories DPi-V.R. Kevin Magnussen, van der Zande’s teammate in the No. 01 last season, and IndyCar Series driver Marcus Ericsson will co-drive the No. 02 for the Rolex 24.JDC-Miller MotorSports, which won the 2021 Twelve Hours of Sebring, will seek to add to its victory total with Tristan Vautier continuing his fulltime driver in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R.
Sixteen-time IMSA race winner Richard Westbrook will join Vautier for every event, while Loic Duval shifts from a full-season role to co-driving in endurance races. Ben Keating, the 2021 Le Mans Prototype 2 champion, will be the team’s fourth driver for the Rolex 24.
“It feels great to be going into our fourth year together in the Cadillac DPi-V.R,” Vautier said. “I really look forward to partnering with Loic again, and a very warm welcome to Richard and Ben.”
On-track activity is Jan. 21-23, which includes test sessions and the 100-minute qualifying race that sets the Rolex 24 starting grid. Peacock will stream the qualifying session live at 2 p.m. ET. Rolex 24 race week runs Jan. 27-30, with the twice-around-the-clock event starting at 1:40 p.m. ET Jan. 29.
Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R notables:2021 – Five victories. Manufacturer Championship. Drivers’ Championship (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr – Whelen Engineering). Team Championship (Action Express Racing)2020 – Three victories. Manufacturer Endurance Cup Championship. Endurance Cup Drivers’ Championship (Konica Minolta Cadillac). Endurance Cup Team Championship (Konica Minolta Cadillac)2019 – Four victories. Manufacturer Endurance Cup Championship. Endurance Cup Drivers’ Championship (Konica Minolta Cadillac).2018 – Four victories. Manufacturer Championship. Drivers’ Championship (Eric Curran, Felipe Nasr – Whelen Engineering). Team Championship (Whelen Engineering). Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC) Manufacturer Championship. TPNAEC Drivers’ Championship (Eric Curran, Felipe Nasr – Whelen Engineering). TPNAEC Team Championship (Whelen Engineering).2017 – Seven victories. Manufacturer Championship. Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup (TPNAEC) Manufacturer Championship. Drivers’ Championship (Jordan and Ricky Taylor – Konica Minolta Cadillac). Team Championship (Konica Minolta Cadillac). TPNAEC DPi Driver Championship (Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi and Filipe Albuquerque – Mustang Sampling Cadillac). TPNAEC DPi Team Championship (Mustang Sampling).
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING NORTH AMERICA EXPANDS MOTORSPORTS FOOTPRINT TO NHRA
TGRNA Set to Support NHRA, Formula DRIFT and GT4 in 2022
PLANO, Texas (January 19, 2022) – Toyota NHRA, Formula DRIFT and GT4 series drivers will compete under the Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA) banner beginning with the 2022 racing season. TGRNA will serve as the North American arm for Toyota’s global motorsports division, Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR).
“The opportunity to introduce TGR North America to the NHRA community in 2022 and continue the support in Formula DRIFT and GT4 competition is a big moment for everyone involved in Toyota’s overall motorsports program,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports and Assets for Toyota Motor North America. “The ability to showcase the GR family of vehicles on the race track and ultimately be a part of applying racing performance to production vehicles is something that we all strive for through motorsports. Showcasing the capability of our race enthusiast engineers to our new and existing fan base of enthusiasts is the overarching goal of the program.”
TGR’s focus in motorsports allows Toyota’s engineering teams the ability to push vehicles to their limits on the track, ultimately creating better engineers and ever better vehicles. TGRNA will focus on providing U.S. customers with performance sports cars, built by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts, and look to deliver excitement to fans of both cars and motorsports.
For NHRA drivers competing in the Funny Car class, they will debut the new GR Supra body at the season kickoff event in Pomona, California. Those drivers competing in the Top Fuel category will also carry TGRNA colors for all 22 NHRA national events.
Toyota’s Formula DRIFT drivers will compete in the GR Supra along with the GR86 for the 2022 season while the GT4 drivers in IMSA and SRO will also field the GR Supra GT4. The GR badge on all these vehicles represents Toyota’s dedication to producing exciting, race inspired vehicles. Only the vehicles that survive the grueling paces of development and track performance have earned the GR badge.
These racing series are the most ideal locations for TGRNA to enter North American motorsports as they are home to some of the most grueling forms of motorsports coupled with the most passionate fans and participants.
The NHRA season begins on February 20 at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona (California). Formula DRIFT will kick off their season in Long Beach, California on April 2 and the GT4 will take to the track for the IMSA schedule at Daytona International Speedway on January 29 and in SRO competition on February 25 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
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About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
$200K Bonus Added to Georgia-Florida Speedweeks from Ag Protect 1
| Batavia, OH (January 18, 2022) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials are excited to announce additional bonus money up for grabs compliments of Ag Protect 1. Drivers with perfect attendance during the 14 speedweeks events beginning with the January 27th season opening event at Golden Isles Speedway, have the opportunity to win a $20,000 bonus, a $100,000 bonus or possibly a $200,000 bonus based on a driver’s performance during speedweeks. Teams will compete in three nights of competition at Golden Isles Speedway, two nights at Bubba Raceway Park, three nights at All-Tech Raceway, and conclude at East Bay Raceway Park with six nights of racing. If a driver wins all fourteen (14) events during the Wrisco Industries Inc. Winternationals, that driver will earn $145,000 in winnings, in addition to the Ag Protect 1 bonus of $200,000, for a massive total of $345,000. The Ag Protect 1 bonus is available to any driver competing in all 14 scheduled Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Wrisco Industries Inc. Winternationals events. Any one driver winning a minimum of eight (8) races during the January 27th – February 12th events will receive a $20,000 cash bonus. If a driver wins ten (10) of the 14 events, that driver will receive a $100,000 bonus, and if a driver wins all fourteen (14) speedweeks events, they will receive a $200,000 bonus. ** Ag Protect 1 offers Commercial Inland Marine, Business Auto Liability, and General Liability for Specialty Vehicles, Teams, Trailers, Motor/Toter homes, and spare parts. Ag Protect 1 and Premier Crop Insurance can provide you with a plan that fits your needs. For more information visit about Ag Protect 1 visit their website at www.agprotect1.com. “We, here at Ag Protect 1, are proud to extend our partnership with Lucas Oil Motorsports with the addition of the Late Model Dirt Series. We look forward to meeting the Late Model Dirt Series competitors and watch them compete all season long. Our Motorsports Insurance has seen tremendous growth with the Pro Pulling League thanks to the directors, John and Kristi. This insurance is a great benefit and protection for all motorsports owners to cover their race cars, spare equipment (tires, chassis, engines, tools), trailers, and auto for truck/toters. AgProtect1.com has an online form that will take less than 5 minutes to complete for a Free Quote. We want to thank our clients that trust us with their business, and we look forward to working with new clients. We also want to thank Team Lucas and Wayne for his first-class work on this deal. We are very excited for 2022 and what the future holds,” Darrick Barga, Director of Specialty Insurance with Ag Protect 1. Ag Protect 1 Bonus Program – 2022 Speedweeks Events: |
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| **A minimum of 11 of the scheduled 14 Wrisco Industries, Inc. Winternationals speedweeks events must be completed, with a minimum of 30 cars entered at each of those events. To be eligible, the driver must have perfect attendance in all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Wrisco Industries Inc. Winternationals speedweeks races in 2022. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Speedweeks 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 (and Strawberry Dash at East Bay).*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. About Ag Protect 1: We offer Commercial Inland Marine, Business Auto Liability, and General Liability for Specialty Vehicles, Teams, Trailers, Motor/Toter homes, and spare parts. Policy length is 12 months, renewable each year. Also offer Event Insurance and Prize Indemnity. Ag Protect 1 and Premier Crop Insurance can provide you with a plan that fits your needs. Specialty Vehicle, Crops, Animals, Loans, and Marketing. We have 12 Agents throughout the Midwest so we can help no matter where you live. Call 877-452-3012 or visit their website at www.AgProtect1.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. |
| 2022 Official Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Marketing Partners |
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| 2022 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Partners Include:Advanced Powder Coating, Ag Protect 1, Allstar Performance, Arizona Sport Shirts, Armslist.com, Automotive Racing Products, Big River Steel, Bilstein, Black Diamond Chassis, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brandon Ford, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Cornett Racing Engines, CP Carrillo Pistons, DirtonDirt.com, DirtCarLift.com, Dirt Draft, Dirty Girl Racewear, Dixie Chopper, E3 Spark Plugs, Earnhardt Technologies Group, eBay Motors, Etchberger Trucking, Fast Shafts, General Tire, Heath Lawson Photography, Holmatro, Hoosier Tire, Hot Rod Processing, Keyser Manufacturing, K&N Engineering, LINE-X, Longhorn Chassis, Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welders, MSD Performance, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Öhlins Shocks, OPTIMA Batteries, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Outerwears, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies, Pit Stop USA, Pro Power Racing Engines, ProtectTheHarvest.com, Rocket Chassis, Rugged Radios, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Stop Tech Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, Super Clean, Swift Springs, Summit Racing Equipment, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, UNOH – University of Northwestern Ohio, Vahlco Wheels, Vic Hill Race Engines, Whelen Engineering Company Inc, Wrisco Aluminum, 5150 Race Trailers |
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES 2022 MEDIA CONTENT DAYS INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA
JANUARY 18, 2022 TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND WILL POWER met with members of the media during 2022 NTT INDYCAR Series Media Content Days. Full transcripts: SCOTT MSLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:THE MODERATOR: First up today is Scott McLaughlin. Welcome back for year two. I saw the other day you were shoveling snow.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah.
THE MODERATOR: Pretty excited about that it looked like.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I was busy as a one-legged cat in the sandbox doing all that sort of stuff, shoveling on the driveway. It was unbelievable.No, it was a lot of fun. I can see why people get over the snow, that’s for sure. We just had another dumping in North Carolina, which is pretty cool. Always cool waking up to it. Never really done that before in my life.
THE MODERATOR: What else in the first year of ‘Scott Sees America’ stuck out besides the racing?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Oh, I think the biggest thing is everywhere you go in America, it almost feels like a different country. The west coast is different than the east coast. You have Wisconsin, they talk a little different. You go down in the south, they talk a little different compared to people in the north. It’s cool. I really enjoy the cultures, stuff like that.Had a lot of fun, especially in Wisconsin. I had a lot of fun with the cheese factory we went to. Cheese curds, really good.
THE MODERATOR: If I looked at your first season in INDYCAR, I would have been surprised most of your success would have been on ovals. Really took to it quickly. Was there something leading into the preparation that suggested to you ovals were going to be a strong suit for you?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I was pretty bamboozled with that myself. The ovals are completely new to me. It’s something that I didn’t have any bad habits where the road courses I thought potentially I had some bad habits from my time in the Supercar, how I wanted the car to feel versus how it needed to be to be fast was different than what I initially wanted.It wasn’t till the last few races, probably last six or seven, where I felt a lot stronger on the road courses and street courses, felt like I had a direction on where I wanted to go with the car.But the biggest thing for me is overcoming qualifying, getting that right off. I’ve said that a number of times. I feel like my race pace is decent, especially on the road course. Just a matter of making it all happen when it counts in qualifying to get me a good spot for Sunday.Look, I was surprised, but I love the ovals. I wish there were more. I think it’s a cool form of racing. I think that’s why INDYCAR is so special. It’s so diverse, so different. You get a lot of disciplines you got to get ready. I enjoy that.
THE MODERATOR: The team goes from four cars to three cars. Puts a little extra spotlight on you to be concerned about. Have you noticed much change yet in how the operation works?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s interesting. I haven’t been here with three cars. I’ve seen it, come and watched it occasionally over the years. Certainly feeling like it’s a little bit more under control I guess you could say. A lot more people and more projects than it was, whereas it was a bit more spread out last year.Certainly everyone has done a good job. Wishing Simon all the best at his new venture. We are excited to challenge ourselves again. Obviously we wanted to be better than we were last year as a team. We’re working very hard to do that. Us three drivers are getting along very well. Hopefully we can make that happen.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.Q.(No microphone.)SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, braking for me, I wasn’t too bad. More worried or more focused on trying to feel comfortable with the aero package, knowing exactly how much aero I want in the car.I haven’t driven a huge amount of aerodynamics in any race car before. For me I’ve been just trying to get used to that, find the balance right. The last six or seven races I felt like I actually had a pretty good balance there for myself.Yeah, there’s so much time in that little area you got to get right. If you don’t quite get it, you just lose time like that. That’s two or three rows. So competitive. It’s just going to get more competitive. I have to make sure I’m onto it.I worked hard with my engineers over the off-season just to understand the different packages that I tried throughout the season, what stuck out to be good, what stuck out to be bad. Trying to build a little toolbox when we go to the races again, go to tracks that I know now this year.
THE MODERATOR: Did you find anything relative to your training that needed to be different for year two that you were lacking in year one?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. I mean, my shoulders and stuff, trying to get them more stronger this off-season. Actually really gone hard on the weights, more harder than I’ve ever gone just beef up and be stronger to manhandle these cars. You really got to do it, especially on those hot laps in qualifying where you have sticky tires, the track is gripped up. You have to make sure you can hustle the car, especially at a place like Barber or even Detroit was quite difficult. Yeah, I’ve been working really hard at that. Then obviously the general fitness sort of side.The heat of the car obviously got higher because of the windscreen. Everyone is battling with that. I think INDYCAR are doing a great job with apparatus to help us with cool suits, drink systems that can get better and better which hopefully can help us.
Q.Do you feel experience with the cars or familiarity with the tracks are more important for second year?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: To be honest, I think the tracks. I felt like I got a pretty good handle with the car halfway through the season. It’s just going to tracks I didn’t know. You basically waste a first session just getting used to them.It’s not an excuse, but that’s just how it is. You come back at the end of the race, you’re like I found out something in the race that if I did that in qualifying or practice, that’s 1 or 2/10ths. 1 or 2/10ths in this field is huge.I’m feeling excited. I don’t know if it’s going to change the world. It’s certainly going to make me feel more comfortable heading to each track, each race knowing the lefts and the rights, what curbs to hit, what not to hit. It’s going to be a lot of fun doing that.
Q.Did you feel as a rookie that you met your expectations or did you feel a little disappointed?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I think in some ways, I’d lie if I wasn’t disappointed a little bit. I think we showed some really good promise on the ovals and stuff. I felt really strong there, which surprised me a little bit. I probably exceeded my expectations on the ovals.But the road courses, I would have loved to have qualified better. I was really content with my races. I felt really strong in the races. I did a few mistakes I probably shouldn’t have made. On the qualifying side, especially that has been my strong suit in other categories for many years. Working very hard to get better.Certainly I feel like I’m in a good spot right now head space-wise, where I am in my development to continue moving forward.
Q.You talked about some of the differences of this team moving from four cars. Even late in the season we heard Josef make a point to talk about how your contributions were really big. You were playing a pretty big role in some of those engineering meetings already. How much bigger of a role, you, Will and Josef will need to lean on you going into year two with the team scaled back?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: That’s a good question. I guess I’ve got to step up, absolutely, to make sure that I’m at the point where I know what I’m feeling in the car, what changes and developments we’re making.We’ve built a solid base there, but we’re all in the same direction where we want to go. I feel like the best thing is we’re on the same page, like I said.I think it’s going to be interesting. I feel like I’m a lot more confident in my feedback and how I’m giving the feedback back to the engineers, giving the feedback back to Josef and Will, which will certainly help us move forward.I think around that Gateway time is when I felt I was really feeling comfortable with the race car, knew exactly what I was talking about a little bit there.Yeah, I don’t think I’ve lost any of that. Certainly feel like I’m going to, like I said, step up. I know I’m ready for that, ready to move the team forward along with Josef and Will.
Q.Tim Cindric said he hoped you would be somewhere right around the top 10 in points at the end of your rookie season. You were fairly close. He would love to see you somewhere around the top fives with podiums and maybe a win in year two to judge your progress. Do you feel that’s a reasonable expectation?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, for sure. I certainly believe I can do that. I feel like I’ve got a great team behind me. I feel like I’m in a good spot to really move my way forward.I’m not really going to forecast wins and stuff like that. I certainly feel like I can be right there and challenge for them. I feel like I got the pace to do as well. Like I said, I have to sort my qualifying out. That’s half my job done if I can qualify in that top eight. It’s going to be a lot easier to move forward through that than starting 15th, 16th.I’m in a good spot, like I said before, feeling-wise. Looking back at 2021, I think if I had finished some of the races where I probably should have, Indy was one that stuck out with the big points, the pit lane penalty really cost me a ton there. Everyone says everything, but I certainly felt we were going to be right inside the top 10 which would have completely changed my points structure, I probably would have made the top 10 by end of year. Ifs and maybes. I have to make sure I finish the races as I should and that will certainly help out positions as well.
Q.Based on some of the questions you’ve been asked already about your rookie season, do you feel you are judged a bit too harshly by media or fans?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, no. I’m fully content with how it was all judged and whatever. I think everyone was very nice to me. It’s a big deal joining Penske, a big organization. Always a lot of pressure. I knew that was going to be the case.Like I said, I feel like I’m on the right trajectory. As long as I’m happy and the team’s happy, that’s the main thing.You can’t really focus on that too much from my side. I feel like I’m in a good spot. We’ll continue working forward. Yeah, there’s no one that really puts more pressure on me than myself. I think I’ve always been like that throughout my career. That will certainly be the case moving forward as well.
Q.What about the fundamental driving aspects? Anything particular that you’ve worked on with the data you have access to, the off-season, to work on some specific things you need to improve on?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, understanding the way that the track transitions. We’ve always been very quick in practice and right there or there about, the top eight, top six. You sort of hit qualifying and it sort of just goes down a hole a little bit. Wondering why that was.We feel like we got a few ideas why that was. Potentially going the wrong way with some setup. What was very interesting, I went through the whole year with some engineers. I felt like we worked out — there was a common trend going on. I felt like we were being a bit too aggressive on a few things that made the car really hard to drive when I needed to hit it at peak speed in qualifying.It was nice to go through all that and certainly have a focus area. I feel like we’re in a good understanding of where we need to be come practice to qualifying, especially St. Pete this year.
Q.What is crazier, Supercars or first race in INDYCAR?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: What was my favorite you said?
Q.Which was much crazy for you?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Oh, much crazier (smiling).No, not crazy, but just probably like starting my first oval was pretty crazy. Like I never really have driven in a huge pack before. Heading into turn one with 16 or 17 cars ahead of me in Texas was a pretty eye-opening experience, rocks and stuff hitting my windshield. I was hearing noises I never heard before.Supercars, it was a good time. I felt like I was very comfortable with my surroundings there. Here it was a little bit different. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. It was a thrill. That’s what is so cool.
Q.What is your opinion about your countryman Liam Lawson? Do you think he should try to join INDYCAR in the future?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Liam Lawson?
Q.Yes.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I don’t know. He’s on a pretty good trajectory to Formula 1. He’s probably New Zealand’s next hopeful to be in the Formula 1 seat. I certainly hope he tries very hard to get all the way there.Yeah, there’s always — regardless of where he wants to go, obviously his goals are Formula 1 at this point. I certainly wish him all the best. He’s a great little driver, someone that New Zealand is very proud of.Me and Scottie will look after things over here. If he wants to come to Indy one day and have a challenge, we’ll welcome him with open arms I’m sure.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:THE MODERATOR: In the room now, right on schedule, in fact ahead of schedule, Josef Newgarden.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Hi, everybody. A little Zoom going there? I didn’t know what type of kerfuffle I was walking into.THE MODERATOR: Bamboozled and kerfuffled. Both from Team Penske.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, you know, we’re very broad with our words.
THE MODERATOR: Conor just said you gave the stamp of approval on his haircut.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I did. I think it looks a lot better this year. I wasn’t fully truthful with him last year. It didn’t look fantastic. It was pretty high, right? Now he has it set down. It looks good. He can pull off the mullet, which is hard to do. Not many people can do that. It actually genuinely looks good on him, which is amazing. Right on. I wouldn’t look good with a mullet, I don’t think so. But he looks good with it. I’m happy for him.
THE MODERATOR: Last year we saw the great example that every lap matters. The season starts and you have the problem on lap one, you have the Road America thing. Either one of those things goes differently you’re right there in the championship hunt. Talk about how important maximizing every moment is.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, it’s a collection of every race. For me, I knew immediately last year that we’d already given a Mulligan away, which you will. That was one for the year that you’re not going to get back. Now you have to be more on your game every weekend going forward.Ideally when you start the year, you want to sort of build your bank account, build up some credit, build a little bit of a nest egg in there. If you can deplete that at certain times throughout the year, have something to fall back on. When you start the year like we did in Barber, you’re taking out credit and you have no money to pay for it.Yeah, for me it was not a championship blow. It was just not the way you wanted to come out of the gates. It was disappointing. But I think we clawed back. Got in position in plenty good time. Unfortunately we just were short to end the season. The performance we needed at the end of the year wasn’t enough.Some other things could have gone our way, without a doubt. Anyone can say that any year. Everyone’s going to have their story. Yeah, we were just short at the end of the day.
THE MODERATOR: I was on a call with you a couple weeks ago. You’re 30 years old now, you might be at the real prime of your career. Do you feel you’re maybe in as good a place as you’ve ever been?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think so. When I show up, I’m not there to lollygag. I’m happy to get going, give my best effort every day.I am motivated. I’m very, very motivated to do a better job every year. I think we can elevate. Every year that we finish, I feel like we can elevate the next year and improve at our craft all around.Yeah, I feel like I’m at my prime as a person, within my profession. I think I’ve got the best people around me. I’ve always got tremendous confidence when I show up.
THE MODERATOR: Engineering changes. How will that impact the year?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s going to be a new dynamic this year. We do have, yeah, quite a bit of shifting around from everybody. But I think the core nucleus of our team is solid. It doesn’t matter who you put where, there’s so much strength within the team that it can always pull through and be what you need.I’m excited in one way because it’s a new group in some respects, brings heightened, I think, energy and alertness. You can’t get lazy. At times when you’ve been with a group a little while, you can start to get lazy. I’m talking about myself. Everyone kind of knows the routine, we don’t have to really check in as much, we don’t have to be as critical.When you have new people onboard, you’ve got to make sure you’re really educating everyone, constantly affirming how you feel about things. I feel like you might not miss as much. In that way it could be invigorating for us to have a little change-up.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.Q.Between the inaugural event and now with the Detroit announcement going back downtown, you’ve been key factors in promotion of those. Seems like you’ve more than ever become the face of the sport, the main promoter. Are you okay with that role? Something you like?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I absolutely love INDYCAR. It is my mission to help INDYCAR grow as much as possible, especially with Roger’s leadership. I think we’re all pretty happy and fortunate to have Roger leading the charge and feel like we can take the series to new heights.I’ve always struggled with the media aspect of the sport just because it doesn’t come natural to me. The natural thing for me is to drive the race car, give feedback, try and put together a really solid race weekend. That’s what I’m here to do.The other components to it, trying to promote the sport, make it interesting, understand our strategies of how we’re marketing our sport, how we’re getting across to people, that’s all really, really important, right? We’re not going to go anywhere or have a sustainable future if we don’t do that stuff.I’m happy to do my part. Nashville was a great lift for us, great market. I’ll continue to do as much as I can. From that standpoint, yeah, I’m totally fine with it.
Q.This may be a bit of an unfair question. For this year, which would you prefer if you had the choice, a hometown win in Nashville, Indy 500 win, or a third championship?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, look, if I win a race in Nashville, you can butter my backside and call me a biscuit. That’s going to be a good day.I’m pumped to go back. We didn’t have a good first year. We got to look at it. I think that’s probably the track we can improve the most sadly enough. I really thought that was going to be a place we could shine and we just didn’t.Yeah, I’m excited to go back there. Hopefully we can get it better than we did this last season in 2021.
Q.Can you share who your new engineer is?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t think we’re allocating everybody at the moment last time I spoke with the team. I think we’re still deciding some things. It’s going to be a great group, I can tell you that. I’m real, real excited.I’ve always been proud of the groups I’ve been able to work with. I would have been just as happy to keep the group as last year, but I’m equally excited what we’re going to have for this season.
Q.Series just announced a new prize, a new sponsor for a million dollar prize for winning on road course, street course, oval. You’ve been good at different tracks. Is that something as a driver that will motivate you even more?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely. I think in INDYCAR you have the opportunity to be good at all disciplines, which is what makes INDYCAR what it is. We always preach that.I think to be the best at the championship you have to be good at all disciplines. The series just adding an extra incentive, the great initiative of what the sponsor is doing also to give half of that to a charity I think is just wonderful.Absolutely. Puts a little bit more motivation in you to not only do that, but you want to do it first, right? You have to do it first in order to win. There’s a little bit of pressure there, too, to get on it quickly at the beginning of the season.
Q.You’ve had teammates, teammates go. You have actually changed teams in your career. Is it going to be strange seeing Simon and Helio on a different team together?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Very. It was strange seeing Simon this morning. You’re so used to seeing him in Team Penske gear, talking to him, communicating on text. We’re getting a lot of the same information from the same people. It was odd seeing him on the other side this morning.I think to your point, him and Helio together is going to be very strange not seeing them on Penske. They’re going to be a really strong force. You can’t deny they’re going to be incredibly tough competition.For us it really elevates the series as far as the difficulty in trying to be the best. They’re going to be people we have to watch out for. We know that. We know their strengths and they’re going to be there.
Q.How are you feeling about the total lineup of the team? You have Scott who obviously has a lot of promise, a very different point in his career. How do you feel you’re going to work together? Is it going to affect your chances at a championship this year?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, there was a lot of ruckus last year about how we were performing at the beginning of the season. Are we not gelling together? What’s happening with Team Penske?I felt like we had great form right from the beginning of the year. Things just weren’t working out. When you have a young whippersnapper like Scott McLaughlin, he fits into the team so easily. He started to develop and contribute at the end of the year.Because we’re going down to three cars to me is not a negative. I think we’re just going to be more focused. With Scott now being in year two, it’s really going to tighten up the way we work together, what he does to contribute.With Will, myself and Scott, I see a really good unit there to push forward. I’m really excited about what we have to work with. I think it’s a really good situation for all of us.
Q.How are you feeling about the work you’ve done in the off-season on the 500? You had the best average finishing position of anyone in the championship last year. The 500 being double points is a big issue for that. Have you found anything to move forward?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I hope so. I would be lying if I told you I didn’t feel confident after the off-season last year. I felt like we had put as much energy and effort into the 500. It just didn’t bear fruit unfortunately.It wasn’t from a lack of effort. Everyone did a tremendous job of trying to find solutions that we needed at the Speedway. Unfortunately they just didn’t pan out.There’s really only one thing to do, and that’s just to keep going. I mean, us at Team Penske, there’s no other choice than to just keep going, keep finding answers, keep working hard. That’s what we’ve done again this off-season.I think we’ve done everything in our power to try to put our best foot forward. There’s no doubt when we show up to the Speedway, there’s nothing acceptable except excellence. That’s just how it is when you’re at Team Penske. That’s what we expect of ourselves.We’re working towards that. I think we have found good things to put forward. We’ll just have to wait and see if it’s enough. We’re going to keep working till we get to race day.
Q.You called Scott a young whippersnapper. He turns 29 in June. What does that make you?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Well, a couple years, it makes you a lot older, right? You age a lot in a couple years.He is so young to me. He has this childlike exuberance which is rare to see in a 28, 29-year-old. He’s been so fun to have on the team because INDYCAR is so different to him from anything he’s ever done in his young career.It was really to me exciting to have him part of the team. It’s starting to wear off a little bit, right? He’s not as much of a puppy. He’s almost getting to his twos and threes, to compare it to a dog. He’s kind of mellowed out. He’s still got a very big fire burning to do well.He’s here for one reason, too, and that’s to succeed. I can tell you he’s going to be pushing very hard which is good for all of us. If he’s fast and pushing, it’s going to be good for all of us at our team.
Q.You’re 30. You talked about getting older. You’re expecting your first child. How are you feeling about that? How might that change your life?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m so excited. I think it’s funny to see the dynamic shift. I was the one that wasn’t as excited to start the family. Not as much as Ashley. Now that we’re doing it, now that we’re close, I’m the one that’s like more excited. Ashley is the one that gets a little bit more nervous.It’s so funny to see the dynamic shift. I’m elated. I can’t wait. I’m really proud of her. She’s going to be a great mom in my opinion. It’s one of the reasons I love her, because I think she’s going to be such a great mom. It’s going to be cool, I’m excited for that.As far as the year and how I manage that, I don’t know how that’s going to completely change. It seems like the years I’ve had in INDYCAR, the ones that have had more chaos in my life are the ones that tend to go better. I hope that leads to good things for us this season.
Q.When is the baby due?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: April.
Q.A race weekend or…JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s off right now. Hopefully we can hit the gap right (smiling).
Q.You competed in Europe long time ago. You were close to Formula 1 when you went back to the U.S., sometime after your INDYCAR championship there were rumors of Formula 1. What are your F1 ambitions and do you still have them?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: For me the allure of F1 I think is the gravity of the cars. When I think about F1, I think about a manufacturers championship, trying to build the quickest cars that you can within — I should say within an unreasonable budget. That’s what was exciting about it.The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve been in racing and watched Formula 1, I don’t know it’s somewhere I really want to race. It doesn’t look as much of a driver’s championship to me. It’s a very impressive championship, it always has been. It’s something I would certainly like to do. I’d like to drive everything that I could to have the experience. Then I’d have more firsthand knowledge to really speak on it.I think INDYCAR is really where you’re going to get the most competitive product as a racing driver. When you’re a driver at the top level, you want to have an opportunity to compete, to win the championship, to win big races regardless of your situation.I think unfortunately that’s not present in Formula 1. So from that standpoint, it’s not as appealing. But I’d never say never on anything. You just never know how this stuff shifts.For me INDYCAR is my life. It’s a championship I care about more than any in the world. I want to see it flourish because it really deserves a lot of recognition I think for the incredible championship it is.
Q.Have you nailed down what the issue was in the 500?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know if you can. For me it’s going to be a dollop of this, a dollop of that. It’s a million areas, right?I don’t think we can pin our hat on one thing. There was no smoking gun. There usually isn’t. With Indianapolis, we just have to double down. We had to look at everything and hopefully it turns out to be 10 to 20 little things we found. We put all those together and it makes the difference for us.We certainly aren’t looking at one thing from last year that we felt like was deficient and we think that’s 80% or 90% of the problem. I don’t know that we can do that.That wasn’t the case. We looked at every area. We certainly saw some deficiencies in certain parts of the car. There were things found, but I don’t think it’s one thing or another. It’s going to be multiple things.
Q.Oval performance in general, the fact that we’re going to have a doubleheader at Iowa means that you can put a hundred points in the bank already.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think is hard to say that. Past performance doesn’t necessarily transfer to future performance. I want to be very careful that we don’t ever feel that way going to Iowa.Obviously we had tremendous success there and we normally have good cars. It’s a couple years up the road. We haven’t been there. We weren’t there last year. We need to go testing I think and potentially see where we’re at, make sure we stay ahead there. It’s an important weekend because it’s a hundred points.I’m hoping we can repeat our past performance, but I’m not resting on it.
Q.Obviously Detroit is only going to be one race this year. Is that a disappointment to you because you generally perform pretty well there?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I guess I’m indifferent to it. I didn’t even realize it was one race until very recent.I’m just as excited to go there. I think we’ll still have a great show. If anything, I think it helps the burden of the team a little bit more. I feel really positive for our crew members because they’re going to be feeling it as they always do after May. I think that will be nice for everybody.Yeah, one show, two shows, I don’t know that I feel too different about it. We’re still going to have a great race. Love that track and hope we can still perform there like you said we have.
Q.You talked about media in the series, growing the sport. From your perspective as the series is trying to build off of the momentum of last year, from a driver’s standpoint, how do you weigh the job or the task of building your brand, being as personable as possible to fans on and off the track while also juggling the sponsors, everyone that you have to promote whenever you’re in front of a camera?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I try to keep it simple. For me you have to be authentic. I try to be exactly who I am and let people see that.You know what, that’s not always going to be the most popular thing. There are always going to be drivers that are more interesting, naturally more popular. I think that’s okay.The growth of this series is going to take the collection of all of us. It’s not going to be one person, one group. All of us have to be doing our job. There’s enough interesting personalities for everybody in this series. There’s going to be someone that you like to follow. That’s what sports is all about. You want people to root for, you want people to root against.I guess the burden of trying to grow the sport, it’s simplified for me. I’m just myself. I’m a competitor first and foremost. I love to compete. I want to be the best of the field. That’s kind of my shtick. You have everyone else that’s filtered in there. They have their storylines, too.I think there’s a lot going on. There’s a lot of opportunity here in our sport, which people recognize. There’s an incredible amount of parity. There’s a tremendous platform to show up, if you’re a good competitor, put in the work, you can succeed. We’ve got to push that with everybody, keep trying to find new ways to reach people and tell our story. That’s as simply as I can say it.
Q.You were somewhat outspoken earlier this off-season about the weight of the car, the development of it moving forward. Is that something you feel like has been addressed in talks with Jay Frye, other folks, as far as the development of new car coming in 2023?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, definitely. I mean, Jay and his team are extremely receptive to the feedback. There’s no animosity that I want to go or the other drivers want something from the series, we want something different. I think we’re all pushing in a common direction. It’s just a matter of how we get there, what the timeline is.That’s more the details of the new engine coming onboard, what are the components that come with that, when is there a new car that comes online with it, as well.I was vocal about the weight. I think it’s important that we keep the weight relatively low, low for an INDYCAR. In this series I think it’s good for multiple reasons. It’s good for performance. It’s good for safety.We don’t have to make the cars (indiscernible), but I think we have to keep them relatively light, that they’re not too heavy that it starts to impact safety or features like we have no power steering.There’s a balance like everything. I think INDYCAR is very receptive to that. They’re working on it. I think they will continue to try to find solutions to keep us in a good window, which is what I’ve been really asking for, just keep us in a good window.
Q.I know right now Team Penske is probably focusing on what they do more so than looking at the competition. In addition to the rookie class, you have two guys that have experience in other forms of racing that are going to be full-timers, Romain Grosjean with Andretti Autosport, that looks like it has potential to be a pretty good combination, and Jimmie Johnson running the full season. What do you expect to see out of those two running full-time deals?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think with Grosjean, for sure he’s going to have a good step forward. He already started his journey on a pretty solid footing, right? He was already very good at Coyne. I think he’ll be the same at Andretti, potentially even better. They’re going to be strong competition for us.Jimmie is going to have some continuity there, which is great. He’s going to have the full schedule like you said. I’m really interested to see how he does on the ovals. That’s going to be more akin to what he’s used to. I would expect him to be a little elevated there. We’ll continue to see how he does in year two. Great brand for our series, good to have those guys there.I’ll leave you with one thing. If you’re not supposed to eat food at night, why do they have a light bulb in the fridge? I can’t put my finger on that. I don’t know about you guys, but it’s strange to me.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
WILL POWER, NO.12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:THE MODERATOR: We have Will Power joining us here. Will, what do you think? Down to three cars, ready to roll?WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s going to make a big difference. No…
Q.What is the difference?WILL POWER: Really not much. I don’t think it’ll be a big difference. A little bit quieter in the engineering office.
Q.How’s home life with the little one around?WILL POWER: It’s good. It’s very enjoyable. Very, very enjoyable.
Q.What do you think you’ll need to do this season to kind of improve on what happened last year?WILL POWER: I mean, a good example of that was the second race at the Indy Road Course. The first race we struggled. Obviously reviewed that very closely and then came back and were once again very strong.We had quite a few tracks we struggled at last year, so we’ve got plenty of stuff to look at. We’ll do our homework and try and understand why we struggled and then move — yeah, do what we do best.
Q.Do you think in that regard then, kind of condensing the team down to three cars, will that improve things in terms of the way you kind of pick up data amongst yourselves?WILL POWER: I didn’t get the exact question.
Q.Just in terms of when you guys are exchanging data between the three of you, is that better than doing it with four?WILL POWER: No, it’s better to have more data, but it’s still three cars, still plenty of data.
Q.Apologies for the sidestep from INDYCAR, but given your past involvement, I was wondering if you have any thoughts about the recent changes at Force Indy regarding Myles Rowe with the team now choosing to leave USF2000 and focus on Indy Lights and Ernie Francis Jr instead?WILL POWER: Yeah, Myles is start working with him to get something, actually. He’s going to — pretty sure he’ll be starting the season in F2000. I’m pretty confident in saying that.Yeah, I think with Ernie Francis Jr., I think Roger wants to get an African-American in the INDYCAR Series as soon as possible. I think with his experience and talent, there’s a good chance that he’ll be the guy.We’ll see, but certainly keeping Myles on the Road to Indy.
Q.Are you still in contact with him, with Myles? Are you trying to help him further his career?WILL POWER: Yes. Yep. Still speaking to him, still texting with him and still working to get him in a seat for this year.
Q.You spoke about this in written format, but could you talk through how instrumental Kevin Kalkhoven was in getting you where you are today?WILL POWER: Yeah. I mean, from a series perspective, he kept Champ Car alive, between him and Jerry Forsythe, and from a team perspective he gave me that opportunity in 2008 where I was probably going to — I wasn’t sure where I was going to be. I was fortunate to end up with that team. It was a great team to drive for. I got the last Champ Car win at Long Beach there with Kevin, so I was very sad to hear of his passing. I think he contributed a lot to open wheel racing in the U.S.He will be remembered for what he did for open wheel racing.
Q.What will be the focus for this year to be a better year than last year?WILL POWER: I think, yeah, we’ve done some good development for this year. Obviously going to — whenever you struggle it always seems to — you always seem to come back stronger because you have a closer look at exactly what’s going on and why.Yep, I hope we’re more competitive.
Q.It seems there’s some reshuffling in the engineering department at Team Penske, but they always leave you and David Faustino alone. How important is that, that they let the two of you remain one item?WILL POWER: Yeah, I think that was — yep, very grateful. You get to know your engineer so well, and he knows you so well. You certainly mix well to get the car going in the right direction quickly.Yeah, it feels very at home you could say.
Q.Also, Graham Rahal was in here today and stressed the point that the weight of the INDYCAR with all the changes and the aeroscreen and now hybrid has gotten significantly heavier. You used to be INDYCAR’s king of the road winning all the road course races and street course races back about 2010, 2011. How big of an impact is that going to have on the drivable of the car?WILL POWER: I think the car is too heavy. I think once they add that hybrid thing, it’s too much. Too much. It already was with the wind screen. It’s become less and less nimble.They’ve got to find a way to lose some weight out of the car.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports