Williamson won his third consecutive event during NAPA Super DIRT Week and fourth consecutive race at Brewerton Speedway CENTRAL SQUARE, NY – Oct. 7, 2021 – Neither demon nor hurricane can stop Mat Williamson. Not even a bad pill draw.His dominance of the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week took another step up the ladder of awe Thursday night during the Hurricane Harvey 75 at Brewerton Speedway with the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds.The luck of the draw may have plagued him to an 11th place starting position, but his drive and his mastery of the D-Shaped Dirt Demon, mixed with a bit of luck, earned him his third consecutive Feature win during NAPA Super DIRT Week – and fourth consecutive Feature win in a matter of six days.“This is awesome,” Williamson said about his current stretch of victories. “My crew worked all day on this (#6M DIRTcar 358 Modified) while I was playing in the dirt at Oswego. I can’t thank them enough.”His success started with the Outlaw 200 at Fulton Speedway on Saturday, where he became the first Canadian driver to win the event. Then, on Tuesday, he won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway. He followed that up with a DIRTcar 358 Modified win at Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party on Wednesday. And before making the trip to Brewerton Speedway Thursday evening, Williamson claimed the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole Award for the DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 at Oswego Speedway.It’s a current wave of momentum and confidence that seems unstopped in its path to NAPA Super DIRT Week glory. Although, the Hurricane tried.Williamson’s deflated body language said everything when he looked at his redraw pill. After setting the fastest time in his Time Trial group and dominating his Heat Race, luck told him he’d start 11th in the 75-lap Feature.Tim Sears, Jr. drew the pole, but his time out front didn’t make a lap. Larry Wight, master the top line to move from fourth to the lead in the opening lap past Sears, Michael Maresca and Ryan Bartlett. From there, Wight made sure it would take catching lightning in a bottle to take the lead away from him.His #99L Small Block could do what everyone couldn’t. While he was best around the top, when lap traffic became a factor, he could move wherever he needed and not lose speed. No matter who moved into the runner-up spot, they couldn’t catch the red Gypsum car.The battles behind Wight helped him maintain his lead, as well. Maresca held second for most of the race, but pressure from 2021 Brewerton Speedway track champion Jimmy Phelps eventually got him and the #98H moved to the runner-up spot in the opening 30 laps. Williamson had made his way up to sixth at this point.Maresca charged back at Phelps for second, but cautions hindered his challenges and subjected him to his rivals behind him. After a restart with less than 25 laps to go, a spark lit for Ronnie Davis III. He found something around the top of the track and began taking no prisoners. He passed Maresca for third on Lap 52 and then got by Phelps for second around the top on Lap 61.Williamson steadily continued his own march, passing Maresca for fourth on Lap 58 and then found his way around Phelps for third on Lap 64. Even with his run and the momentum Davis had built, neither had another for Wight.Until five laps to go.Disaster for Wight. A change of fortune for Williamson. According to Wight, a lap car put him in the wall while he was trying to pass him and caused a part failure, taking him out of the race. That moved Davis into the lead and Williamson second. Luck gave him a bad pill draw, but it also gave him a shot at the win.Williamson tried to take advantage of that on the restart by sneaking underneath Davis down the backstretch. But before the two could argue over who would lead by the flag stand, a caution came out. On the next restart, Davis made sure Williamson couldn’t get the same run and blocked low. A lap later, another caution for a three-car pileup in Turn 2.That set up a four-lap dash to the finish. All Williamson needed. Davis got the jump ahead of the Canadian on the start and kept a car length distance between them the following two laps. Williamson, unwilling to settle, moved to the high line and found what he needed.Off Turn 4 with the white flag in the air, Williamson built a head of steam off the corner and powered to the outside of Davis. He squeezed between the front stretch wall and Davis’s right side, to the point where the two made contact before entering Turn 1. It benefited Williamson as he darted ahead of Davis’s #32R machine and ran away with the win and another $4,000 check.“We probably didn’t earn that one when Larry (Wight) broke there. I was probably a third-place car until that happened, but sometimes it is better to be lucky than good,” Williamson said.“I got under Ronnie (Davis) there in (Turn) three and the caution came out. I just had no other options (but to run high). I knew I wasn’t good around the top in (Turns) one and two but had to be at the top in (Turns) three and four. I got underneath him in (Turn) one and made him think I was running the bottom. I think that’s why he tried to protect (Turns) three and four and fortunately, the cushion was out there to bang on.”While there’s heartbreak in losing the lead on the last lap, Davis was still encouraged by his run.“I really can’t complain finishing second to Mat (Williamson) who has won everything this week,” he said with a chuckle. “We had a great car. I don’t know if I would’ve had anything for Larry (Wight). He was pretty strong on the top there… I don’t know. I feel like when I should’ve went to the top I went to the bottom and when I should’ve gone to the bottom I went to the top. Ughh.”Phelps around out the podium with Sears fourth and Maresca fifth.Williamson wasn’t sure how he’d handle the pressure of being the defending Billy Whittaker Cars 200 champion this year. So far, he’s put himself on a seemingly unstoppable path to his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 win and another 200 title.UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds return to Oswego Speedway on Friday, Oct. 8, for another round of practice and Qualifying Heats to lock more drivers into Saturday’s main event. For NAPA Super DIRT Week tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all of NAPA Super DIRT Week live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.RESULTSFeature (75 Laps)6m-Mat Williamson [11][$4,000]; 2. 32R-Ronnie Davis [5][$2,500]; 3. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [8][$1,500]; 4. 62X-Tim Sears [1][$1,200]; 5. 7MM-Michael Maresca [2][$1,000]; 6. 98W-Rocky Warner [7][$800]; 7. 215p-Adam Pierson [20][$700]; 8. 49-Billy Dunn [12][$600]; 9. 39B-Ryan Bartlett [3][$550]; 10. 42P-Pat Ward [9][$500]; 11. 21C-Taylor Caprara [13][$450]; 12. 3B-Chad Brachmann [17][$400]; 13. 11T-Jeff Taylor [16][$375]; 14. 28M-Jordan McCreadie [6][$350]; 15. 11C-Justin Chrisanti [19][$325]; 16. 36B-Ben Bushaw [23][$300]; 17. 34S-Rusty Smith [21][$275]; 18. 42W-Colton Wilson [22][$250]; 19. 55-Matt Woodruff [26][$250]; 20. 4M-Greg Martin [27][$250]; 21. 23L-Cameron Black [28][$250]; 22. 31W-Lance Willix [14][$250]; 23. 99L-Larry Wight [4][$250]; 24. 2-Roy Breshnahan [15][$250]; 25. 1M-Dave Marcuccilli [10][$250]; 26. 678-John Smith [29][$250]; 27. 66W-Derek Webb [18][$250]; 28. 15R-Todd Root [25][$250]; 29. 27Z-Dylan Zacharias [24][$250]; 30. 1S-Steve Lewis [30][$250]; Hard Charger Award: 215p-Adam Pierson[+13]

NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams,  Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum.  Special thanks to New York State. 

The Super DIRTcar Series 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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

Peter Britten Powers to $1,000 SRI Performance Pole Award in Super DIRTcar Series Qualifying at OswegoTop six set for Billy Whittaker Cars 200: Britten, Phelps, McLaughlin, Wight, Friesen, and WardOSWEGO, NY — The Super DIRTcar Series did not disappoint in its return to NAPA Super DIRT Week on a picture-perfect Thursday by running an exciting Billy Whittaker Cars 200 qualifying session worthy of the stature of this historic event. Australian superstar Peter Britten, who made his way around the 5/8-mile Oswego Speedway in 20.471 seconds, besting 70 other Big Block Modifieds. It was a nail-biter in the final stage of Time Trials as Britten and the team watched the leader board, hoping it would remain frozen in time. The fastest six Super DIRTcar Series drivers locked themselves into the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 with their Time Trial results. Britten led the way and grabbed the SRI Performance Pole Award worth $1,000. Jimmy Phelps took the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole award along with an extra $750 for his effort. Meanwhile, former HBR teammate Max McLaughlin was quick enough for third overall. Larry Wight, Stewart Friesen, and Pat Ward rounded out the top-six. Britten has been having a renaissance year, picking up his first Super DIRTcar Series win since 2017 by taking the checkers at Land of Legends Raceway in the first Twin 60 in August. Britten currently has his #21A second in championship points and is trying to run down points leader Matt Sheppard.Britten is 147 points back from Sheppard, but starting on the pole for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 is an excellent way to start the final push. Although he is pleased being the point man for the start, Britten is focused on the 200. “In reality, it [pole position] doesn’t mean a lot,” Britten said. “A 200-lap race has a lot of strategy. It’s gotta develop a certain way. Don’t get me wrong it’s great to be locked in up here. You gotta stay out of trouble and stay clean. What we know right now is that we have a fast car. It’s potential. Now we have to take that potential and somehow get to that checkered flag first on Sunday.”The track started very fast in the initial practice sessions. During DIRTcar 358 Modified Series Salute to the Troops 150 Time Trials, Tim Fuller ran a sub-20 second lap, which was faster than Britten’s pole time of 20.471.  Britten had to stay on top of the ever-changing racing surface to make sure he had the right line on track.“I think going out earlier was better as there wasn’t a lot of degradation yet,” Britten noted. “The car is just really fast. I feel the car is really comfortable. I run a Big Block all the time so for me it’s easier than the 358. I think we can be just as good in the 358 race too.”“I guess I was the fastest guy after all,” an ecstatic Britten said. Phelps and his HBR team are coming to life at just the right time of the season. With a podium on Tuesday in the Demon 100, Phelps is motivated by the recent results. Unfortunately, Phelps lost a 358 motor and missed Salute to the Troops 150 Time Trials as a result. But his Big Block is singing strong. “I am really happy with the car right now,” said Phelps. “We had a great finish at the Demon 100 and this is just keeping the ball rolling. I am really proud of the team coming together this week and the results have been solid.”An enthusiastic McLaughlin parked third in line in the top-six with a time of 20.783. Setup was everything going into the Time Trial session. His team made wholesale changes on the #32X Carl Meyers Big Block after practice. He’s amped up to go racing again Friday night.Qualifying speed is lightyears away from what you need to win a 25-lap or a 200-lap race.“There was bite on the bottom for sure and I didn’t go to the top at all,” McLaughlin said. “When you qualify you run the bottom. In the race tomorrow, the line starts moving up and people start dusting off the top. I won a Triple 30 a few years ago passing through the middle. I think it’ll go that way tomorrow if it cleans off enough. The sun goes down and it may bring up some moisture tomorrow night.”Wight came across the Oswego Speedway finish line with a 20.802-second lap. Wight won the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 in 2018 over Stewart Friesen and Britten. The #99L Gypsum Express Big Block will roll off from the fourth starting position in Sunday’s 200. Five-time NAPA Super DIRT Week champion and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series star Friesen is locked into a fifth-place starting position for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200. Friesen said after missing last year because of the pandemic it felt like getting right back on the horse, but not without its challenges. “This place is definitely unique,” Friesen said. “Max mentioned it earlier to (announcer) Mike Warren. The line is very similar to the asphalt line. I ran the Race of Champions 200 here for Ricky Kluth a few years ago and the track just has a flow. It’s unique and it’s a once-a-year deal which makes it special. When it’s right it races really good.“Solid qualifying day for us.”A second Gypsum Racing machine found its way into the top-six. Ward timed sixth quick for the final lock-in spot.“We only took one quick Hot Lap session and the car felt good so we parked it after that,” Ward said. “We were going down low where the bite was. The car turned in good and had a lot of drive off. Pretty happy with it. We’re going to be right there. You never know.”LOCKED-IN TOP-SIX:Peter Britten – 20.471Jimmy Phelps – 20.656Max McLaughlin – 20.783Larry Wight – 20.802Stewart Friesen – 20.863Pat Ward – 20.912FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. 21A-Peter Britten, 00:20.471[22]; 2. 98H-Jimmy Phelps, 00:20.656[8]; 3. 32CM-Max McLaughlin, 00:20.783[19]; 4. 99L-Larry Wight, 00:20.802[5]; 5. 44-Stewart Friesen, 00:20.863[15]; 6. 42P-Pat Ward, 00:20.912[1]; 7. 88W-Mat Williamson, 00:20.920[24]; 8. 83X-Tim Sears Jr, 00:20.928[44]; 9. 98JS-Rocky Warner, 00:20.938[48]; 10. 91-Billy Decker, 00:20.950[57]; 11. 35-Mike Mahaney, 00:20.950[33]; 12. 9S-Matt Sheppard, 00:20.996[14]; 13. 1-Tyler Dippel, 00:21.030[42]; 14. 49-Billy Dunn, 00:21.043[21]; 15. 84-Gary Tomkins, 00:21.046[7]; 16. 66X-Carey Terrance, 00:21.071[23]; 17. 9-Marc Johnson, 00:21.090[39]; 18. 5H-Chris Hile, 00:21.093[25]; 19. M1-David Marcuccilli, 00:21.129[12]; 20. 2-Jack Lehner, 00:21.150[49]; 21. 215-Adam Pierson, 00:21.184[6]; 22. 28ZT-Gary Lindberg, 00:21.210[13]; 23. 62S-Tom Sears Jr, 00:21.231[9]; 24. 34-Kevin Root, 00:21.232[18]; 25. 115-Kenny Tremont Jr, 00:21.241[45]; 26. 28-Michael Trautschold, 00:21.243[68]; 27. 43H-Jimmy Horton, 00:21.252[16]; 28. 20-Brett Hearn, 00:21.271[28]; 29. 3-Justin Haers, 00:21.283[35]; 30. 7MM-Michael Maresca, 00:21.292[52]; 31. 44P-Anthony Perrego, 00:21.302[29]; 32. 19-Tim Fuller, 00:21.303[41]; 33. 4-Billy VanInwegen Jr, 00:21.339[10]; 34. 26-Ryan Godown, 00:21.415[47]; 35. 43-Keith Flach, 00:21.424[37]; 36. 111-Demetrios Drellos, 00:21.429[71]; 37. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 00:21.430[11]; 38. 6H-Josh Hohenforst, 00:21.455[36]; 39. 23C-Kyle Coffey, 00:21.501[30]; 40. 12-Darren Smith, 00:21.568[58]; 41. Z4-JJ Courcy, 00:21.568[46]; 42. 32C-James Meehan, 00:21.613[4]; 43. 2A-Mike Gular, 00:21.617[27]; 44. 27W-Nick Webb, 00:21.644[59]; 45. 234-Adam McAuliffe, 00:21.653[26]; 46. 11T-Jeff Taylor, 00:21.695[54]; 47. 22-Brandon Walters, 00:21.718[70]; 48. 27J-Daniel Johnson, 00:21.721[51]; 49. 01C-Bob Henry Jr, 00:21.796[61]; 50. 1NY-Gregory Atkins, 00:21.826[60]; 51. 24K-Nick Krause, 00:21.844[3]; 52. 14M-CG Morey, 00:21.883[62]; 53. 48TOO-Dave Rauscher, 00:21.914[2]; 54. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 00:22.002[17]; 55. 33J-Robbie Johnston, 00:22.006[31]; 56. 63-Adam Roberts, 00:22.137[64]; 57. 22JZ-Jeffery Daugherty, 00:22.156[66]; 58. 0-Dan Humes, 00:22.306[43]; 59. 17-Marcus Dinkins, 00:22.460[20]; 60. 34F-Andrew Ferguson, 00:22.468[63]; 61. 14-Brian Swarthout, 00:22.562[53]; 62. 88-Olden Dwyer, 00:22.754[67]; 63. 36-Brian Whittemore, 00:22.819[50]; 64. 16-Aaron Jacobs, 00:23.139[32]; 65. 3B-Scott Boudinot, 00:23.177[56]; 66. 11-Alissa Cody, 00:23.309[69]; 67. (DQ) 160-Jackson Gill, 00:21.331[40]; 68. (DQ) 29C-Matt Caprara, 00:21.979[55]; 69. (DNS) 25-Erick Rudolph; 70. (DNS) 83-Chris StevensPHOTO: Alex and Helen Bruce

NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams,  Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum.  Special thanks to New York State. The Super DIRTcar Series 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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

DALLAS (October 7, 2021) — The upcoming Stampede of Speed event, in advance of the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, October 7-10, at the Texas Motorplex is on pace to be one of the biggest races of recent memory, but for Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Tequila ROKiT Toyota Camry team it is simply another opportunity to show their capabilities on the biggest stage in drag racing. All season the team has been on the cusp of breaking through but with four races remaining in the 2021 Countdown DeJoria knows getting a win at the track where her career starting in 2011 would hold a special meaning.

“I made my professional debut in Dallas at the Texas Motorplex over ten years ago,” said DeJoria. “We have won a few races since then but this season we want to add to that total. We have been so close I would be lying if I said we all weren’t frustrated, but we have to put that away and just focus on qualifying well and then getting win lights on Sunday.”

The veteran driver built an incredibly competitive and strong team led by crew chiefs Del Worsham and Nicky Bonifante. They consistently qualify in the top half of the field and this year alone have over half a dozen top three qualifiers under their belts. They have also experienced race day success reaching the final round at the Mile-High Nationals as well as five semifinals. They qualified for the Countdown as a Top Ten team and the Fall Nationals could prove to be a pivotal race for their championship aspirations.

Alexis DeJoria, Bandero Premium Tequila ROKiT Toyota Camry Funny Car

“I know we have a team and Toyota Camry Funny Car capable of winning races,” said DeJoria. “I know once we get that first win of the season there will be more right behind it. There are four races left in the Countdown”

The Texas NHRA Fall Nationals would be a great place for the Bandero Tequila ROKiT Camry Funny Car team to get hot. Since 2014 they have advanced out of the first round every time they have pulled to the starting line. Over that span they have started as No. 2 and No. 5 qualifiers and have three wins in the first round out of the No. 9 spot. Ironically, two of DeJoria’s quarterfinals losses during that stretch came at the hands of her current crew chief Del Worsham.

“Del is a huge asset to this team both as the crew chief but also someone who I can get support and knowledge from on the driving side,” said DeJoria. 

For the last several years DeJoria has called Texas home, living in Austin, but the driver will never give up Southern California roots. 

“I love living in Texas,” said DeJoria. “I know Billy Meyer and his family have been doing some great things to make this race a huge event. I am looking forward to getting to the Texas Motorplex, making four qualifying runs and hopefully getting four win lights on Sunday.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA OCT. 10, 2021
RACE #32 – CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSEFour Chevrolet drivers will seek to advance to the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Playoffs Round of Eight in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course this Sunday, October 10. The Playoff field will be trimmed from 12 drivers to eight following the 109-lap/252.88-mile race as NASCAR’s premier series takes on the 17-turn, 2.28-mile road course that incorporates the high-banked turns of the oval.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active drivers in road course wins with seven, including the past two races on the Charlotte ROVAL. In the 2020 event, Elliott led 27 laps, including the final 18, to grab the victory on the way to securing the NCS Driver Championship. In 2019, Elliott led a field-high 35 laps after starting 19th and held off Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman by 3 seconds. 
Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and AJ Allmendinger have combined to win four of the five NCS races on road courses this season. Allmendinger, the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Regular Season Champion in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS, will compete in both races this weekend. He has won the past two NXS races on the Charlotte ROVAL. 
Here is capsule look at Team Chevy in the title hunt heading into the Round of 12 elimination race: 
Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE – 2nd in Playoff Standings (+22 points above cutline)Victories: 6 (field-high)Top-Fives: 16; Top-10’s: 22; Poles: 1; Laps Led: 2,003Average Finish: 10.0Stage Wins: 15At Charlotte ROVAL (2 career NCS starts): Average Finish: 19.000; Average Running Position; 9.775Of Note: Larson has competed in two of the three NCS races on the Charlotte ROVAL, leading a total of 52 laps. He has won twice and finished in the top-five in four of the five road course races this season. Larson has led in four road course races for a field-high 116 laps, as well as scored the most points (247) of any competitor. He has two wins and eight top-10 finishes in 20 career NCS starts on road courses. 
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – 7th in Playoff Standings (+9 points above cutline)Victories: 2Top-Fives: 13; Top-10’s: 18; Laps Led: 525; Average Finish: 11.8Stage Wins: 3At Charlotte ROVAL (3 career NCS starts): Wins: 2; Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 3; Average Finish: 2.667; Average Running Position: 8.028 (series-best) Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Elliott’s sixth consecutive year of being part of the Playoff field. Six of his 13 career NCS wins have come in the Playoffs. Elliott has wins at five of the next seven venues on the NCS schedule. He has won two of the three races on the Charlotte ROVAL and led a field-high 62 of 327 total laps. Elliott has won twice and finished in the top-five in all five road course races this season. In 18 career NCS starts on road courses, Elliott has scored seven wins and 13 top-10 finishes. 
William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE – 11th in Playoff Standings (-44 points below cutline)Victories: 1 Top-Fives: 10; Top-10’s: 17; Pole Wins: 2; Laps Led: 283; Average Finish: 14.5Stage Wins: 3At Charlotte ROVAL (3 career NCS starts): Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 15.333Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Byron’s third-career Playoffs appearance. Byron has finished sixth in the past two races on the Charlotte ROVAL, including leading a total of 50 laps. He has earned two poles and one top-10 finish (sixth) in the five road course races this season. In 14 career NCS starts on road courses, Byron has scored five top-10 finishes. 
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally/Charlotte FC Camaro ZL1 1LE – 12th in Playoff Standings ( -52 points below cutline)Victories: 3Top-Fives: 7; Top-10’s 14; Pole Wins: 1; Laps Led: 152; Average Finish: 15.2At Charlotte ROVAL (3 career NCS starts): Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 3; Average Finish: 4.667Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Bowman’s fourth-career Playoffs appearance. Bowman has top-10 finishes in all three NCS races on the Charlotte ROVAL, including a runner-up finish to teammate Chase Elliott in 2019. He has three top-10 finishes in the five road course races this season. In 18 career NCS starts on road courses, Bowman has scored seven top-10 finishes. 
CHEVROLET CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR “MAKING STRIDES AGAINST BREAST CANCER” WITH PINK CAMARO ZL1 PACE CARSince 2011, Chevrolet has partnered with the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” initiative through dealership walks, national test drive promotions and national service rebate promotions. Again this year, Chevrolet is supporting the cause by pledging to contribute $350 for every lap run under caution, with a maximum of $50,000, during three NASCAR Cup Series races during the month of October. 
The first of three NASCAR Cup Series events that are part of the initiative took place at Talladega Superspeedway this past weekend, where a specially-themed pink “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE served as the pace car for the premier event at the 2.66-mile Alabama venue. With 27 laps made under caution during the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500, Chevrolet will contribute $9,450 towards the campaign.
The pink “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will return as the pace car at Texas Motor Speedway on October 17 and Martinsville Speedway on October 31 as part of the contribution.
CHEVROLET MAKES IT TWO IN A ROW IN NXS PLAYOFFSBrandon Brown earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) victory, driving the No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Camaro SS to victory at Talladega Superspeedway. 
Championship contender Justin Allgaier finished third and is second in the standings heading into the Round of 12 elimination race: the 67-lap/155.44-mile Drive For The Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course on Saturday, October 9. He will start on the outside of Row 1. NXS Regular Season Champion AJ Allmendinger, who has won the past two races on the Charlotte ROVAL, is fourth; Justin Haley is fifth; and Noah Gragson is seventh in the Playoff standings. Chevrolet, now with 14 wins, remains atop of the Manufacturer Standings. A Chevrolet driver has won both races in the first round of the series’ Playoffs.
DOWN TO TWO RACES FOR NCWTSTate Fogelman earned his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) victory when he drove his No. 12 Chevrolet Silverado to the winner’s circle at Talladega Superspeedway. The Round of Eight elimination race of the NCWTS Playoffs will be contested Saturday, October 30, at Martinsville Speedway, where the Final Four drivers will be determined and secure their chance at competing for the coveted championship title. Reigning NCWTS Champion Sheldon Creed, driver of the No. 2 GMS Racing Silverado, is fourth in the standings. Carson Hocevar is seventh and Zane Smith is eighth.
CHEVROLET CONTINUES ATOP STANDINGSChevrolet remains the leader in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Standings in pursuit of its 40th title. Team Chevy has recorded manufacturer highs of 14 victories, 134 top-10 finishes, 3,448 laps led and 27 stage wins through 31 races. The Bowtie Brand has already surpassed its totals for wins (9), top-10 finishes (120), laps led (2,399) and stage wins (21) from the 36-race 2020 season.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the 109-lap race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. Team Chevy’s Top-20 starters:8th     Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE 10th   Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE 11th   William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE12th   Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally/Charlotte FC Camaro ZL1 1LE 13th   Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE14th   Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 1LE17th   Erik Jones, No. 43 Power to the Patients Camaro ZL1 1LE18th   Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 14 wins, 134 top-10 finishes and 3,448 laps led of 7,677 total this season.·       In addition to its two wins in three races on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chevrolet has amassed six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Team Chevy has led 182 of the 327 laps.·       Team Chevy has led 277 of the 463 total laps on road courses this season to pace all manufacturers.·       William Byron’s 2019 pole win made him the youngest pole winner at the Charlotte ROVAL. ·       Kyle Larson led 47 laps in the 2018 race on the Charlotte road course, most of any driver in the brief history of the event.·       Larson paces all drivers with 2,003 laps led this season.·       Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 27 stage wins: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan, Daytona2); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2, Road America); Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indianapolis Road Course x2); Kurt Busch (Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono1, Atlanta2); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville, Darlington2, Bristol2, Las Vegas2).
FOR THE FANS:

• Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Charlotte Motor Speedway. 
• Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: Corvette Stingray Convertible 3LT, Camaro ZL1, Silverado 2500 LTZ Crew, Blazer RS, Tahoe Z71, Silverado Crew LT. 
• At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view a Richard Childress Racing show car. 

TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:Saturday, October 9·       Brandon Brown: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.·       Richard Childress Racing 2022 Partnership Announcement: 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Richard Childress and additional RCR personalities·       Jade Buford: 1:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.  Sunday, October 10·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. ·       Corey LaJoie: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m. ·       Daniel Suarez: 11:15 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: 

• Saturday, October 9: 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 
• Sunday, October 10: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

TUNE INNBC will telecast the 109-lap NASCAR Cup Series Bank of American ROVAL 400 at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 10. Live coverage is also on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NBC will also telecast the 67-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series Drive For The Cure 250 Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina at 3 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 9.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSLARSON ON BATTLING CHASE ELLIOTT ON ROAD COURSES THIS YEAR: “We’ve run first and second a lot this year on road courses. That team and Chase set the bar – you pay attention to how he’s doing and where he’s running. It’s been fun to compete with him on the road courses and we both have a couple wins. Hopefully, we’re battling with all our teammates for stage wins and the victory this weekend.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON ACCESS TO TEAMMATES NOTES: “We’ve got the (No.) 9 team’s notes and they’ve won the last two years on the ROVAL. We’re going to study our notes from all the road courses this year and anything we can apply from the high banks of Daytona (road course) and put the best race package together that we can.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 7th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON RETURNING TO THE ROVAL AS A TWO-TIME WINNER: “I feel like we have just have had a good road course package. Like I’ve said for years now, I don’t feel like what I do is anything special. I just think we have a good package and Alan (Gustafson) has done a really good job of honing in on the things that matter at a road course and we’ve just kind of hit on things that work. When you are a young guy and you come in to new situations and the foundation is built there for you, it makes it a lot easier for a guy to learn. I think I came in to a great foundation and I was able to really work on myself because we have a solid package and as we improve, the cars and I improve, I think we just landed in a solid place. Does that mean we will be good there forever? No, but I certainly feel that we can improve upon where we’ve been and I can do a better job. We will see where we shake out.”
ELLIOTT ON WINNING THREE CUTOFF RACES LAST YEAR (ROVAL, MARTINSVILLE, PHOENIX): “We just really tried to enjoy those moments. I just remember last year just going through the rounds and recognizing you really have to start treating some of those weekends like they are cutoff weekends because Phoenix really is a cutoff weekend, if you think about it like that. It’s not necessarily a Round of 3. It’s either you win the race or you go home. There is no in between. I just felt like you have to enjoy those moments and embrace that, and I kept saying if you ever make it to Phoenix, that’s the situation you’re going to be faced with, so you better like it and have fun with it.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT RACING AT THE ROVAL: “The ROVAL has always been tough ever since we started racing there. I feel like every year it becomes a little bit more normal for us and we’re able understand the race track a bit more and what to expect. The good thing is that I have the same amount of experience there as most of the field since it is a fairly new track. It’s difficult, though, because I feel like this is a race where there is always a lot more contact throughout the field and you can’t prepare for that other than to be ready for anything at any moment. We always have fast cars there, though, so we just need to go there and focus on getting the win. It’s going to be really difficult to worry about points, so a win is really all we’re worried about.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON HIS OUTLOOK FOR ADVANCING ONTO THE ROUND OF 8: “I know I’ve said it before, but this weekend’s race at the ROVAL is no different for us than how we have prepared for earlier races. We’re just going to go there and execute the best race we can. While it’s technically doable to get into the next round on points, it’s going to be a bit harder than it was in Bristol. We’re really focused on converting the speed we have shown all year into a win and, hopefully, additional playoff points that we can use in the next round. Obviously though, things change once the race gets going, so if the situation changes we will adapt our strategy to match. On paper, our results at road courses aren’t where we want them, but I don’t think it accurately represents the speed we have had in those races, either. William has really become a great road course racer and we have a great road course package not only with the No. 24 team but with Hendrick Motorsports as a whole. Sunday’s race is a high-stress situation, but this team has overcome a lot this season, so I know we’re capable of advancing on if we execute.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY/CHARLOTTE FC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON EXPECTATIONS AT THE ROVAL THIS WEEKEND: “We are going into this weekend’s race at the ROVAL knowing that we most likely need to find victory lane in order to advance. We have finished well here before, so we really need to focus on what we can control. The Ally team has been working hard on this road course Chevrolet and I know we will have a shot at it on Sunday.”
BOWMAN ON RUNNING THE ALLY/CHARLOTTE FC SCHEME AT THE ROVAL: “Getting Ally into the playoffs was one of our goals this season, and I really want to get them as far as we can in the playoffs. Having the Charlotte FC program on the car this weekend will be really special for everyone involved and I am pumped to show Christian (Fuchs) what race day looks like for this 48 team. This Chevrolet has a lot of meaning to the city of Charlotte, so ending up in victory lane Sunday would be huge.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY/CHARLOTTE FC CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON HOW THEIR SUCCESS AT THE ROVAL GIVES THEM CONFIDENCE: “When you look at the finishing position, it doesn’t really tell you the tale of the race, either. I think one time we did some alternate strategies to try and get there. Another time we had to go to a backup car and Alex wrecked on the first lap and we were able to come back strong and finish well. There’s a lot of adversity in those place finishes that I feel like will bide us well for what we have to do on Sunday. Going out there and winning is key, that’s the number one goal no matter what situation you are in, and here it is definitely dire to make that happen to transfer on to the next round. I feel like we are up to the challenge and I feel like Alex has a tendency to find that little bit more or that extra percentage that we need to get it done. I am excited for the team; I am excited for us to get that opportunity and see what we have to show for it.” 
IVES ON HAVING CHARLOTTE FC ON THE CAR: “That’s really cool. To have another premier sport in Charlotte is not only great for the city but also for the competitive spirit that everybody has around here. Maybe that is the help and the support that we need to pull this one off and to come in a little bit of an underdog. Since Charlotte FC is a new team to MLS, somebody probably thinks they are an underdog now, too. Hopefully, we can go out there and combine to have a great race and come out of there with a win as well as have a good season for them.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 LENOVO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSIS THERE ANY COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROVAL AND THE DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE YOU COMPETED ON EARLIER THIS YEAR? “I really thought the two were going to be pretty similar, but they are really nothing alike. The Daytona Road Course is a really challenging track. The chicane we added to the frontstretch has some similarities to what the nature of the Charlotte ROVAL can be like, but to me, the Charlotte track feels a lot more like a street course. I really enjoy both tracks even though they are nothing alike other than being two ovals we’ve turned into road courses.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROVAL? “The ROVAL has never been the greatest track for us, but I have high confidence leading into the race this year because we have performed so well on road courses this year. I’ve improved as a driver, and we have improved as a team, so we’ll see what we can do. We’re going to try our hardest.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 POWER TO THE PATIENTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGSHOW DOES THE ROVAL COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSE CIRCUITS ON THE NASCAR CUP SERIES SCHEDULE? “I feel like the (Charlotte) ROVAL is kind of its own animal. Obviously, we’ve only raced on it since 2018. I think, overall, everybody has kind of figured it out now for the most part and gotten their cars a lot better through the last few years. It’s unique to itself. The infield section is so tight and so narrow. It almost feels like a go-cart track and we’ve got big, heavy stockcars on it. And then, obviously the oval sections are really high-speed. It’s kind of hard to get your car balanced in all of the sections of the course. A lot of it is really slow and you’re really trying to get your car to handle well through that infield section.”
“It’s tough. It’s low grip and narrow. It’s just tough to get your stuff good. I ran good there myself last year and hopefully we can just carry that over into this year.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSYOU HAVE A BUSY WEEK AHEAD? “Yes we do and that’s the way we like it. Charlotte is a home race for everyone and there are always a lot of activities. This is going to be fun. Obviously the race is the most important, but the Pitbull concert is going to be fun, plus we have lots of sponsor events during the week. Then we get to test the new car and I can’t wait for that.”
HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS AND THE REMAINING NEXT GEN TESTS? “These are extremely important. A lot of people are working very hard to learn as much as we can about the new car. What you learn at these tests will show up in how well you run at the first part of the 2022 season.”
WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO TRACKHOUSE RACING WINNING THE TEAM AWARD AT THURSDAY’S DIVERSITY AWARDS CEREMONY?“That’s really cool and I couldn’t be prouder for Justin and everyone at Trackhouse Racing. This is what his vision was for us when we started and he is making it happen. I’m thrilled to be his driver and part of this team. We are just getting started, there’s going to be more to come.”
 

Along with Dunn, Mat Williamson, Tim Sears, Jr., Stewart Friesen, Billy Decker and Rob Bellinger lock themselves into the prestigious DIRTcar 358 Modified NAPA Super DIRT Week event OSWEGO, NY – Oct. 7, 2021 – Less than 24 hours after a heated battle that nearly saw Billy Dunn and Mat Williamson met wheel and bumper, the two found themselves on the front row of the Salute to the Troops 150.The six fastest drivers locked themselves into Saturday’s prestigious DIRTcar 358 Modified NAPA Super DIRT Week event during Thursday’s Time Trial session. Dunn earned the SRI Performance Pole Award (worth an extra $1,000), while Williamson earned the Low-E Insulation Outside Pole (worth an extra $750). Rounding out the top-six were Tim Sears, Jr. (third), Stewart Friesen (fourth), Billy Decker (fifth) and Rob Bellinger (sixth).Along with claiming the pole for the 150-lap race, Dunn also broke the track record for the division at Oswego Speedway with a 20.688 sec. lap.“It’s awesome,” Dunn said. “We haven’t time trialed very good here with the Small Blocks since the very first year at Oswego. We thought we were off a little bit in Hot Laps but the track kind of came to us. We didn’t dial ourselves out and just got a good lap in.”His pole-winning lap came in the early stage of Time Trials, besting Williamson for the top spot after the Canadian was the first driver to break the previous track record – of 20.899 sec. set by Tim Fuller in 2018 – with his 20.821 sec. lap.“I didn’t know what the track was going to do there at the end if it would take rubber or not, but it was pretty good,” Williamson said. “Billy [Dunn] laid down a really good lap. We’re just happy to be up here.”Williamson has been on a hot streak this week for the 49th NAPA Super DIRT Week. He won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 on Tuesday and then followed that up with a DIRTcar 358 Modified win Wednesday night at Weedsport Speedway. During the latter event, Williamson made a furious pass underneath Dunn with, as Williamson stated, “little care if it put him in the wall” due to the way Dunn raced him as a lap car while Williamson was racing for the lead.The two drivers were all smiles, though, on the front stretch while celebrating their front row starting positions. However, their competitive natures have been on display all season with the two drivers, arguably, being the top-two in the DIRTcar 358 Modified division. The points don’t lie. Williamson claimed the Hoosier Tire Weekly Champion for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds, while Dunn finished second.For Dunn, he’ll take any edge he can get on his competition.“Clean air at the front of the race, you can’t ask for anything better,” Dunn said. “A lot of stuff happens at the beginning. It’s easy to get caught up in an early wreck. We’ll try to win that Qualifier tomorrow night, settle into the race and get it done.”Of the top-six drivers that locked in, four have won the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 (Dunn, Williamson, Friesen and Decker), and only one has claimed the Salute to the Troops 150 champion (Decker).Decker is the defending champion of the event and made history last year by becoming the winningest driver of it with his seventh Salute to the Troops 150 title.“The Gypsum Wholesaler car was really good, drivable,” said Decker, who bumped Danny Johnson out of the top-six with his late qualifying run. “That makes it easier on me. Pretty happy with those two laps. We’ll take it.“It’s going to be exciting. It usually is. I look forward to getting it on Saturday night.”LOCKED IN TOP-SIX: 1–Billy Dunn – 20.688 2–Mat Williamson – 20.821 3–Tim Sears, Jr. – 20.873 4–Stewart Friesen – 20.879 5–Billy Decker – 20.894 6–Rob Bellinger – 20.916FULL QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. 49-Billy Dunn, 00:20.688[21]; 2. 6-Mat Williamson, 00:20.821[13]; 3. 62X-Tim Sears Jr, 00:20.873[46]; 4. 44-Stewart Friesen, 00:20.879[42]; 5. 91D-Billy Decker, 00:20.894[68]; 6. 8R-Rob Bellinger, 00:20.916[11]; 7. 83-Danny Johnson, 00:20.921[3]; 8. 32R-Ronnie Davis, 00:20.942[51]; 9. M1-David Marcuccilli, 00:20.949[25]; 10. 42P-Pat Ward, 00:20.958[52]; 11. 60-Jackson Gill, 00:20.961[5]; 12. 3-Justin Haers, 00:20.964[38]; 13. 66X-Carey Terrance, 00:20.965[35]; 14. 12-Darren Smith, 00:20.965[74]; 15. 34S-Rusty Smith, 00:20.981[9]; 16. 19-Tim Fuller, 00:20.993[1]; 17. 98JS-Rocky Warner, 00:20.993[23]; 18. 21A-Peter Britten, 00:20.995[61]; 19. 99L-Larry Wight, 00:21.003[73]; 20. 15-Todd Root, 00:21.050[65]; 21. 20K-Kyle Inman, 00:21.070[8]; 22. 111-Demetrios Drellos, 00:21.071[45]; 23. 7MM-Michael Maresca, 00:21.114[54]; 24. 66W-Derek Webb, 00:21.155[10]; 25. 31B-Corey Barker, 00:21.186[31]; 26. 44P-Anthony Perrego, 00:21.190[26]; 27. 58M-Marshall Hurd, 00:21.213[43]; 28. 29-Matt Caprara, 00:21.221[34]; 29. 31W-Lance Willix, 00:21.241[47]; 30. 38-Jason Parkhurst, 00:21.265[59]; 31. 27W-Nick Webb, 00:21.270[60]; 32. 39-Ryan Bartlett, 00:21.274[19]; 33. 3J-Marc Johnson, 00:21.293[33]; 34. 215-Adam Pierson, 00:21.331[53]; 35. 63R-Billy VanInwegen Jr, 00:21.381[49]; 36. 713-Tommy Collins, 00:21.440[40]; 37. 3M-Michael Stanton, 00:21.445[28]; 38. 1NY-Gregory Atkins, 00:21.457[29]; 39. 9-Tyler Meeks, 00:21.459[14]; 40. 28-Michael Trautschold, 00:21.460[20]; 41. 2A-Mike Gular, 00:21.461[62]; 42. 36-Ben Bushaw, 00:21.505[63]; 43. 28M-Jordan McCreadie, 00:21.525[64]; 44. 14M-CG Morey, 00:21.529[48]; 45. 91-Bobby Flood, 00:21.568[27]; 46. 22-Michael Bruce, 00:21.582[4]; 47. 69-Randy Green, 00:21.612[32]; 48. 24K-Nick Krause, 00:21.642[6]; 49. 79-Jeffrey Prentice, 00:21.660[36]; 50. 34-George Foley, 00:21.700[67]; 51. 34F-Andrew Ferguson, 00:21.715[12]; 52. 21H-Bob Henry Jr, 00:21.752[30]; 53. 88-Olden Dwyer, 00:21.803[17]; 54. 02-Roy Bresnahan, 00:21.816[57]; 55. 55-Matt Woodruff, 00:21.831[69]; 56. 0-Dan Humes, 00:21.872[24]; 57. 37-Alex Tonkin, 00:21.905[56]; 58. 21-Ryan Darcy, 00:21.929[55]; 59. 26R-Corey Cormier, 00:21.978[41]; 60. 7-Michael Sabia, 00:21.992[22]; 61. 8-Rich Scagliotta, 00:22.035[66]; 62. 21R-RJ Tresidder, 00:22.093[58]; 63. 11T-Jeff Taylor, 00:22.250[50]; 64. 18-Ryan Macartney, 00:22.251[72]; 65. 879-Darryl Mitchell, 00:22.553[39]; 66. 16-Aaron Jacobs, 00:22.614[15]; 67. 11-Alissa Cody, 00:23.185[37]; 68. (DQ) 115-Montgomery Tremont, 00:23.545[16]; 69. (DNS) 7Z-Zachary Payne; 70. (DNS) 11S-Steve Lewis Jr; 71. (DNS) 14-Brian Swarthout; 72. (DNS) 25-Erick Rudolph; 73. (DNS) 98H-Jimmy PhelpsUP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will run Brewerton Speedway Thursday night for the Hurricane Harvey 75.Then, on Friday, the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds return to Oswego Speedway for NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifying Heat Races. For NAPA Super DIRT Week tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.

NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams,  Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum.  Special thanks to New York State. 

The Super DIRTcar Series 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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

Oct 7, 2021 | Featured, Pre-Race Releases, Rachel Meyer

Hot off a runner-up finish in St. Louis last weekend at the regional event, Rachel Meyer is ready to get back behind the wheel of her NTK Sensor Specialist dragster for one last race before she hangs up her helmet and firesuit for the 2021 season. She will be competing alongside Julie Nataas in the OTG dragster at this weekend’s NHRA Texas FallNationals located outside of Dallas.

“Dallas, my last chance to finish the season off strong… a lot of things come to mind while going into this race such as what I need to do to solidify the championship, what my competitors need to do to pass me, or to not pass me. It my last shot of the year, we have worked so hard and stayed on top all season that I’m hoping we can continue the success into this last race.” Rachel said.

“For now, all of my focus is on racing, but as soon as the race is over, I know I will be filled with emotions, good and bad, but I will be ready to focus on my wedding coming up November 6th. I just want to give my crew guys a big thank you: Rich, Ted, Kevin, JJ, Howard, Craig, Caleb, Rick, the TA interns, Megan, mom, and most importantly, my dad, for all their hard work and dedication this year. I could not have even won a single round without them. I also want to thank my sponsors; NGK Spark Plugs and NTK sensors for sticking with Randy Meyer Racing another year and for choosing me to sport the NTK Sensors on the side of the car this year, as well as Lucas Oil, Technician.Academy, Gunk, ARP, Jiffy-Tite, Aeroquip, Waterman, and the rest of the Randy Meyer Racing Team partners.”

The team will kick off qualifying on Friday and will begin eliminations on Saturday. Watch the event live on NHRA.tv and check our social media pages for round updates.

NASCAR CUP SERIES BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSETEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTOCTOBER 7, 2021
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript Highlights: CAN YOU TALK ABOUT 2019 WHEN YOU HIT THE BARRIER IN TURN 1 AND CAME BACK TO WIN AT THE ROVAL?“Yeah, it was a wild day, for sure. Looking back on that, it’s like things are going really good, and then I thought our day was over, and just barely had enough time to get back up front. I got super fortunate. Obviously, the car wasn’t hurt too bad. I think that was probably the biggest thing of the day was just the angle that I hit and the amount of barrier that was soft at that particular spot. I mean it wasn’t like I planned all that, you know. I just got super fortunate on how it worked out. The car wasn’t hurt, and we had enough time to fight back up through there and have a shot. Obviously, a mistake, a very large mistake; and fortunately, it was not bad enough to end the run. Yeah, a wild one, no doubt.”
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT THE ROVAL, EVEN AT THE BEGINNING WHEN EVERYBODY THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY CRAZY?“We’ve had a good road course package I feel like for the last few years and yeah, for whatever reason, we just kind of hit on a good package there at Charlotte. They’re all similar. But we tweak things here and there and kind of landed in a really good spot for the last couple of races. Who knows how it’s going to go this weekend? I’m sure everybody is going to be better again. But, looking forward to it. Obviously, it’s a very unique track. Very different. It’s a road course in an area that wasn’t necessarily meant for a road course, really, for kind of what we do. But it’s turned out to be an entertaining event. And I think the reason it’s entertaining is because the track is in a very confined area. And when you have something in a confined area, you don’t have a lot of runoff room for mistakes or there’s just nowhere to go. And at a lot of road courses, there are. You have, for instance, think about Turn 1 at Charlotte versus Turn 1 at Watkins Glen, right. You overshoot Turn 1 at Watkins Glen, and you have a football field there to figure out your problem and correct it and go on down the road. Whereas at Charlotte, you’re going to hit something that’s really just the bottom line. And that’s really the case for the entire track. There’s really nowhere to go. And the grassy areas typically are in turns and they lead to walls and it’s just a very unforgiving place and has created a lot of entertainment. Hopefully we’re solid and we can move forward there at the start, try to get some Stage points, and fight for the win.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NINE POINTS GOING IN? IT’S GOOD TO BE ABOVE THE CUTLINE, BUT THAT’S NOT A LOT OF BREATHING SPACE“Well, it could always be worse, right? So, you kind of take it for what it is. A situation is a situation. You can’t change it at this point, so try to make the most of it. Again, I think for us, Stage points are going to be super valuable. They are valuable for everyone. And we all know that. We’ve known that for years now. We have to be aware of that. You also have to be aware of the guys who are kind of out of reach on making it in on points. They’re going to call a different race than the guys that need Stage points. Road courses typically lend to drivers and teams jumping Stages to allow them a better track position location for the following Stage or the final Stage or for the second Stage. And that’s going to be hard to do, frankly, for guys who need the points. So, you’re going to have different races being called, all kind of within one event. When you have different strategies, it’s going to make it fun to watch. It’s going to make it fun to be a part of. A lot of stuff is going to be going on. So, I’m looking forward to it. For me, it’s one of those situations where, much like, like I always say, if you ever get to that last race, the cutoff race anyway, so you better enjoy the moment. You better like having your back against the wall, and have to perform, because if you ever want to win, that’s how it’s going to be. I’m looking forward to it and excited for the opportunity.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT WINNING THREE IN A ROW? JUST HOW HARD IS THAT TO DO, AND WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT GETTING THAT DONE?“Well, it’s definitely really hard to do. It’s hard to win in general. So yeah, I think we can go and have a shot at doing that. I think we can go and get Stage points and I think we can vie for the win, as well. I don’t see why all that stuff is not achievable. I think it’s very much within reach. We have to go perform at a high level, execute a solid race, and I think if we do our part and do all the things I know we are capable of, I think we can check all the boxes. So, that’s what I’m going for.”
FROM WHAT YOU ARE SAYING, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’RE GOING TO BE MIRED IN TRAFFIC AT THE START OF THE SECOND AND FINAL STAGES. WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO AVOID CALAMITY WHEN YOU’RE TRYING TO GET THROUGH TRAFFIC AT THE ROVAL?“Yeah, you know, there are going to be different strategies and you’re definitely going to be in traffic. For us, I’m not exactly sure where we’re going to start. Somewhere around 10th, I would assume. But somewhere in that region. But yeah. There’s going to be different strategies all day long. You have guys who are out of the Playoffs, who, I don’t want to say they don’t care about the points, but they’re looking to try to win the race. You have guys that are that are not too far back on points to worry about Stage points. There are going to be a ton of different strategies going on. The best thing you can do is be fast, and have pace, and if you have pace, your options typically are much more abundant than when you don’t. So, hopefully we have pace and if that’s the case, then I think we’ll be fine.”
YOU START 8TH. DOES THE FACT THAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHERE YOU START, IS THAT YOUR NORMAL APPROACH? IS IT MORE ABOUT JUST TAKING WHAT COMES?“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, right? Typically, I find out, the (Dawsonville) Pool Room has a sign, here in town, and they are kind enough to put the starting position of where we start each week, so typically when I drive through town going to the office or going to the airport, I get to see where we start. It’s kind of an exciting thing for me. I get to roll through town and see where we start and kind of check in on what’s going on, and that’s a good little bit of information on the drive in.  It’s not that I don’t care or that I don’t want to have a good starting spot. Of course, I do. I want to go and have a good run. But it’s one of those things where I can’t do anything about it after the previous race, so it kind of is what it is. This weekend, much like any other week, especially through the Playoffs, I think you have to enjoy each shot. Getting to that Final Four and having a shot to race for the championship, you’re in a must win and a must perform situation there, so the more you enjoy these moments of not having a lot of breathing room, not having a lot of buffers points-wise, not having a win to carry you through; all those things are better preparing you for an opportunity at a championship if you get in that Final Four. So, I personally like it. It has me excited to go to the race track and looking forward to the opportunity.”
YOU CAME FROM WAY BACK IN THE TWO WINS YOU’VE HAD AT THE ROVAL. HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THOSE DIFFICULT OR PANIC-INDUCED MOMENTS AND NOT GET IN TROUBLE TRYING TO COME BACK THROUGH THE PACK? HOW HAVE YOU LEARNED TO DO THAT?“It’s a challenging place, like I said. There’s just not a lot of forgiveness at that particular course. There’s nowhere to go if you make a mistake or run off course or whatever. It’s definitely a really fine balance. Again, coming back to having pace. Fortunately, the last couple of years we’ve had good pace. And when you have that, I think you’re able to make smarter decisions and be able to have confidence in moving forward. I think it comes back to that. If we can have good pace and the car does what I want it to do, then I can extract everything out of it, I think our options are definitely more abundant and we can have a solid day.”
ALSO, YOU REFERENCED THE DIFFERENT RACES THAT WILL POTENTIALLY TAKE PLACE SUNDAY. HOW MUCH BIG PICTURE AND HOW MUCH SMALL PICTURE ARE YOU LOOKING AT IN THOSE TYPES OF SITUATIONS?“You don’t want to sit there and count points, right? But at the same time, you certainly want to be aware of what’s going on, at least leading it. And that’s kind of my approach. I’m like look, you know, we don’t have ton of butter. But the best way to get points is to go and win the Stages. They offer 10 points to win each Stage and that’s a lot. So, I would like to have both of those and would certainly like to have another sticker. So, my goal is to retrieve all three.”

BATAVIA, OH (October 7, 2021) – The traditional double-header weekend for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is now a triple-header with the addition of the previously postponed Smoky Mountain Speedway, to the familiar weekend of trips to The Red Clay at Woodstock – Historic Dixie Speedway and Rome International Speedway. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series returns to Smoky Mountain Speedway on Friday, October 8th for the $20,000-to-win Mountain Moonshine Classic that was postponed after heavy rains continued throughout the evening on Saturday, July 10th. A complete show of Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains will be topped off by a 60 lap A-Main paying $20,000 to win. The Red Clay 602 Late Models and 604 Late Models will also have full racing programs. General admission tickets and pit passes purchased for the July 10th event will be honored at Smoky Mountain Speedway. New racing entries will be accepted on the day of the event. General admission, pit admission, and tier parking ticket sales will be available online for advance purchase or on site the day of the event. Pit and General Admission gates open at 12:00 PM (noon) with on track action beginning at 7:30 PM. For more information visit: www.smokymountainspeedway.com Dixie Speedway is a 3/8-mile semi-banked, clay oval, located in Woodstock, Ga. The Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout on Saturday, October 9th will feature a complete program of: Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win main event for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Pit gates open at 2:00 PM with General Admission gates opening at 5:00 PM. Hot laps are set to begin at 6:45 PM.  Recognized as the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile Oval,” Rome International Speedway is in Northwest Georgia at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains – just a short drive from Dixie Speedway. On Sunday night, October 10th the Lucas Oil Rome Showdown will include Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $10,000-to-win main event. Pit gates open at 1:00 PM with General Admission gates opening at 5:00 PM. There will be a Dirt Racing Outreach service at 5:15 in the grandstands closest to the pit area. Hot laps are set to begin at 6:45 PM. In addition to the pulse-pounding action of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the competition at both venues each night will include: Econo Bombers, 602 Sportsman, 604 Crates, Steel Head/525, and Stinger cars. For tickets and more information on both events, visit: www.dixiespeedway.com or call (770) 926-5315. Track and Event Information:Smoky Mountain SpeedwayPhone Number: 865-856-8989Location: 809 Brickmill Road, Maryville, TN 37801Directions: 4.5 miles southwest of US 129 on US411, then 1.6 miles south on Brick Mill Road.Website: www.smokymountainspeedway.com Dixie SpeedwayPhone Number: 770-926-5315Location: 150 Dixie Drive, Woodstock, GA 30189GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 34.08914 – Longitude: -84.56119Directions: I-75 to exit 277, then 6 miles east on SR 92, then north (3/4 mile east of SR 205)Website: www.dixiespeedway.com Rome International SpeedwayPhone Number: 706-235-2541Location: 1900 Chulio Rd. SE, Rome, GA 30161GPS Coordinates: Latitude: 34.20123 – Longitude: -85.11039Directions: 4 miles east of Rome on US 411, then 1.5 miles south on Wilbanks Road, then 0.3 miles east on Chulio RoadWebsite: www.dixiespeedway.com Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:Mountain Moonshine Classic – Friday, October 8th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRM, (29.0) 1600 NRMW*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout – Saturday, October 9th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (28.5) DRS 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRM, (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRMW, (29.0) DRS 1600*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Lucas Oil Rome Showdown – Sunday, October 10th:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (28.5) DRS 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRM, (29.0) White Dot 1600 NRMW, (29.0) DRS 1600*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Event Purse:Mountain Moonshine Classic (60 Laps) – 1. $20,000, 2. $9,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,500, 6. $2,700, 7. $2,500, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,900, 13. $1,800, 14. $1,700, 15. $1,600, 16. $1,400, 17. $1,300, 18. $1,200, 19. $1,200, 20. $1,200, 21. $1,200, 22. $1,200, 23. $1,200, 24. $1,200. = $73,400 Lucas Oil Dixie Shootout Event Purse (50 Laps): 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050 Lucas Oil Rome Showdown Event Purse (50 Laps): 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

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 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 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 broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network.

Sprint Cars, Late Models & Big Blocks Conclude 2021 Seasons Together

CONCORD, NC – October 7, 2021 – After a one-year hiatus, the NGK/NTK World Finals will return to the hearts of race fans next month on November 4-6.

Established in 2007, this season-ending tripleheader at The Dirt Track at Charlotte has become one of dirt racing’s ultimate destination events. Tickets are available for PURCHASE HERE, or you can watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

It’s the only time all year long you’ll find the three premier series – World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, and Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds – competing at the same track on the same night.

The event was impacted by COVID-19 protocols last year, and thus replaced by “Last Call”. David Gravel and Logan Schuchart split victories at the 4/10-mile, but it was Brad Sweet and Kasey Kahne Racing celebrating as champions for the second straight year.

Next month, World Finals is back, the three-division, four-wide salute is back, the championship crowning is back, and the sold-out grandstands are back. Don’t miss out on the most epic season-ending event in dirt racing.

When it comes to The Greatest Show on Dirt, the Series has contested 56 events since the state-of-the-art Concord, NC facility was built in 2000.

No driver has ruled the Queen City quite like Donny Schatz, who owns a whopping 13 wins at The Dirt Track. Eight of those victories have come on a World Finals weekend where the Fargo, ND native clinched one of his ten World of Outlaws championships. With another seven races remaining, Schatz and the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 currently sit fourth in the standings.

All eyes will be pointed towards the new ruler of the top spot in points, though, Brad Sweet.

The Big Cat currently leads David Gravel by 128 points in pursuit of his third consecutive World of Outlaws championship, something only Steve Kinser and Schatz have ever accomplished.

However, the California native has yet to win in 27 starts at The Dirt Track. Before worrying about the points, his focus is on winning every single race available. In fact, he’s still one win away from 75 on his career, which would give him 17 this year and make it his winningest season yet.

“For us specifically, World Finals is always a great time being close to the shop and sponsors,” Sweet said on racing 30 minutes from KKR’s Mooresville, NC garage. “It’s getting close, but we try not to think about any of the points stuff until everything is settled after that last race. We want wins and the rest will take care of itself.”

Outside of Schatz, David Gravel and Logan Schuchart are the only other full-timers with a victory at the 4/10-mile surface. The dominant duo has traded off wins over the last two years, controlling five straight races at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Gravel, a four-time winner at the track, scored the season finale in 2017 with CJB Motorsports, swept the 2019 World Finals with Jason Johnson Racing, and won again with JJR at Last Call in 2020. The Watertown, CT native is currently a career-best second in the championship standings with 10 wins in his first campaign with Tod Quiring’s Big Game Motorsports #2 team.

For Schuchart, the Hanover, PA native has quickly figured out the Charlotte oval with an incredible average finish of 3.75 in his last 16 starts. The Shark Racing superstar has topped two May appearances and last year earned a season finale victory at Last Call. He’ll go for his first official World Finals win next month aboard the Drydene Performance Products #1S.

The two hottest rising stars on tour, Carson Macedo and Sheldon Haudenschild have yet to win in Charlotte but did record their career-best finishes at the track during Last Call last year. Macedo’s Jason Johnson Racing #41 has reached 10 wins and still fights for second in the standings, meanwhile, Haudenschild has hit eight victories and battles for fifth in points aboard the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17.

World Finals also marks the final weekend with yellow stripes for Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contenders James McFadden and Brock Zearfoss. The Australian and Pennsylvanian are both looking for their first breakthrough at The Dirt Track. They’ll be joined by Spencer Bayston in the CJB Motorsports #5, who is the first candidate to announce his full-time run at the Award in 2022.

Defeat at Fulton sets up thrilling first career Sportsman Series victory

WEEDSPORT, NY – Oct. 6, 2021 – Chris Mackey was staring down a single chance at redemption on a restart with seven laps to go. He knew he had to take it.

After leading 47 laps and ending up second last Saturday night at Fulton Speedway, Mackey sung a song of redemption atop Weedsport Speedway’s Victory Hill Wednesday night. The Rome, NY-driver made the final pass for the lead on Alan Fink with just five laps left to capture his first career DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Feature win as part of NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week XLIX.

“I knew the restart was an opportunity I didn’t have up to that point in the race,” Mackey said. “Luckily, it worked out for us. Sometimes it doesn’t. Last week, it didn’t seem to work for us with everyone else on our tail at Fulton. But we’re standing up here tonight.”

Nothing worth having ever comes easy, and this one certainly wasn’t for Mackey. He moved past polesitter Will Shields for the lead on Lap 6, but Fink was cracking the whip right behind him.

Fink, of Central Square, NY, began his charge to the front from outside Row 5 and worked his way to sixth before the first caution on Lap 6. On the restart, Fink made a stellar move to go from sixth to third in one lap, and then got by Shields for second one lap later.

Now with only one car in front of him, Fink closed in quickly and began hounding Mackey’s rear bumper. He looked to Mackey’s outside several times before getting enough top-side momentum to make the pass at the halfway mark.

Fink ran into lapped traffic ahead with Mackey trailing not far behind and was maneuvering through well when the caution flag flew with seven laps remaining. This restacked the field and put Mackey right on his bumper for the restart.

“Going on the restart, I thought we gained a little on [Fink], but I didn’t know,” Mackey said. “We’d go in lapped traffic, and I’d close a little bit, then he’d pull back out.”

However, Mackey had paid attention when Fink passed him on the top earlier. So, he decided to go where Fink wasn’t to attempt the pass back.

“Alan showed me where the top was, and I knew I had to get him on the restart,” Mackey said. “Both racing hard, and we race week-in and week-out with Alan. We always race each other hard.”

One lap after the green dropped, Mackey got a big bite down low and pulled even with Fink going down the backstretch. As they drag raced into Turn 3, Mackey pulled ahead slightly and made the pass with a quick slide job out of Turn 4 to reclaim the lead.

“I felt like we were pulling away a little bit, and on that restart… I don’t know, maybe I should have chose the bottom on the start and then went back to the outside,” Fink said.

Mackey had found the faster lane on the bottom and zipped around the 3/8-mile to the checkers in front of Brian Calabrese, who came to life in the final circuits after running fourth the entire race. He moved to third on Lap 25 and got around Fink for second just two laps later, sealing his runner up finish at the stripe.

“[Mackey and Fink] were battling hard and I put my left-rear in the brown on the bottom, and just kept front-braking it, and I knew I might have something,” Calabrese said. “I missed the brown coming to the white, and that was my opportunity to win the race, but this has always been a dream to get up here on this hill. This is awesome.”

Fink was able to hold on for third while Zach Sobotka and AJay Potrezebowski Jr. crossed behind him to complete the top-five. Sportsman Central Region champion Matt Janczuk made a nice recovery after starting 20th, advancing 13 positions in 30 laps to finish seventh.

The Canadian driver won his second consecutive NAPA Super DIRT Week event with two different cars in two days WEEDSPORT, NY – Oct. 6, 2021 – Twice a dangerous path to glory opened for Mat Williamson, and twice he didn’t hesitate to take it.The first time was out of determination. The second was mixed with anger. There was no denying the Canadian of Wednesday night’s DIRTcar 358 Modified win at Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party.However, some uncertainty hovered over his confidence before the start of the 75-lap Feature. He drew the pole in the redraw with a sunken face. To him, it would’ve looked better to start fourth and finish fourth, than to start from the pole and potentially finish anything less.Even though he won at Weedsport with the Super DIRTcar Series earlier in the season, the 3/8-mile D-shaped track has not always meshed well with Williamson. You wouldn’t have known it after 75 laps around the facility, though.“It’s one of the nicest facilities and I never ran good at it,” Williamson said. “Al and Jimmy have one of the best facilities in North America and I think I finally got it down pat where I can run decently when we come here.”Williamson launched ahead of the field on the initial start with Tim Sears, Jr. in tow, moving from third to second in the opening lap. And behind them, Larry Wight went from eighth to fourth.An early caution on Lap 1 gave little to tease of what was to come. Because what ensued after was a drama built for the silver screen.While Williamson held command out front with ease for the first 15 laps, Sears, Wight and Jordan McCreadie argued over who would be the first to try and chase down the #6M Small Block machine. Sears made a strong case early on but lost the argument when McCreadie snuck by him on a restart.As McCreadie pulled away in his attempt to hunt Williamson, Wight was an annoyance in Sears’s right ear. Lap after lap, he edged closer and closer along the right side of Sears’s car. Eventually, Sears decided to give the top lane a try himself. When he did, he passed McCreadie for second and closed to Williamson’s bumper while traffic blocked his lanes.Sears passed Williamson for the lead on Lap 34 but couldn’t run away quick enough. The 2021 DIRTcar 358 Modified Hoosier Tire Weekly Racing champion kept Sears within reach for the next five laps before seeing the first dangerous path open.With a lap car high and Sears low, Williamson used his run off Turn 2 to dive between them down the backstretch. The three cars drag raced into the third turn with only the slower giving way into the corner. That allowed Williamson enough breathing room to accelerate where he needed and rocket past Sears down the front stretch on Lap 40.He wasn’t done with lap cars, though, and Sears wasn’t done with him. Neither was Wight done with Sears. For the next 20 laps, Williamson played the obstacle course of slower cars, while Sears and Wight waged a war for second not far behind him. Switching lanes almost every lap, Sears and Wight were throwing every attack and defense they could at each other, while never making contact.On Lap 61, the lap cars continued to plague Williamson’s drive and benefit Sears. His #62X found its way around Williamson’s machine once again with the steam to potentially carry him to a victory. However, the calm Canadian had his fill of the way the slower cars were racing him and was not going to let them be the cause of a lost win.Enter dangerous path number two. Not so dissimilar from the first one.The slower car of Billy Dunn was high, and Sears was low. With another strong run off Turn 2, Williamson didn’t hesitate to fill the gap between them again. This time, when they got to Turn 3, he didn’t care if Dunn lifted or not, he was driving in with all the might and aggression he wanted and needed to make the pass.“The way the lap cars were got under my skin,” Williamson said. “There was a time I was going into Turn 3 where there was a lap car outside of me and I didn’t really care if they ended up in the wall or not because I got put in the front straightaway wall by multiple lap cars. I grew up in a different era and respected the cars that were having a good night. I have bad nights and have been in those situations many times. Obviously, I’m not perfect and done things like that but when I have an off night, I think I show the leader a little more respect.”Williamson officially reclaimed the lead for the final time on Lap 64 and held off Sears for the final 11 laps to claim his second NAPA Super DIRT Week win in two days in two different cars – he won the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway Tuesday night.“We had a hell of a race with Timmer (Sears, Jr.). Fans probably enjoyed it. We’ll take them when we can get them,” Williamson said.While Sears had to settle for second, the thrill of the battle wasn’t lost on him.“That was probably one of the most fun races we’ve had here all year,” Sears said. “Hats off to the track crew. It was really racy and put on a good show for the fans.“We were all kind of the same through lap traffic. It depended on who got the breaks and who didn’t. Matty ended up getting the better end of that stick. Second, we’ll take it. We put on a hell of a race. That was fun.”Wight, the defending winner of the race, rounded out the podium – his fourth straight top-five in the event.“Every time we seemed to get a run on those guys, we hit lap cars and the lap cars were never in my favor,” Wight said.Ronnie Davis III got by McCreadie for fourth in the final three laps, forcing McCreadie to settle for fifth.Momentum is now firmly on Williamson’s side as he looks to defend his 2019 Billy Whittaker Cars 200 championship and go after his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute to the Troops 150 victory. If he can win it, he’d accomplish a rare feat of winning in three different cars during NAPA Super DIRT Week as he runs for another 358 Modified team at Oswego.“The Small Block race is one of those that I haven’t won. It’s a prestigious event,” Williamson said. “It would be awesome to win. But we’ll also need some luck on our side at [Oswego Speedway] for the 150 race. You need a little bit more luck and skill. Hopefully, luck keeps riding with us.”UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modifieds will get their first laps around Oswego Speedway this year on Thursday, Oct. 7 with a morning Hot Lap session. Then, there will be Salute to the Troops Time Trials at 1:20 p.m. (ET) with the Top 6 fastest cars locking into the Feature.Following the events at Oswego Speedway is the Hurricane Harvey at Brewerton Speedway, featuring Round Two of the Fall Championship for the DIRTcar 358 Modifieds.For tickets to NAPA Super DIRT Week, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch the weeks’ worth of NAPA Super DIRT Week action live on DIRTVision – either online or with the DIRTVision App.RESULTS 1. 6M-Mat Williamson; 2. 62X-Tim Sears JR; 3. 99L-Larry Wight; 4. 32R-Ronnie Davis III; 5. 28M-Jordan McCreadie; 6. 15R-Todd Root; 7. 83J-Danny Johnson; 8. 98W-Rocky Warner; 9. 98H-Jimmy Phelps; 10. 21C-Taylor Caprara; 11. 49D-Billy Dunn; 12. 3B-Chad Brachmann; 13. 2A-Mike Gular; 14. 55W-Matt Woodruff; 15. 21H-Bob Henry; 16. 25R-Erick Rudolph; 17. 42W-Colton Wilson; 18. 02B-Roy Bresnahan; 19. 34S-Rusty Smith; 20. 12M-Ryan Macartney; 21. 42P-Pat Ward; 22. 31W-Lance Willix II; 23. 9R-Jonathan Reid; 24. 1M-Dave Marcuccilli; 25. 11S-Steve Lewis Jr.; 26. 66W-Derek Webb; 27. 11C-Justin Chrisanti; 28. 1S-Andrew Smith; 29. 14s-Brian Swarthout; 30. 9M-Tyler Meeks.

NAPA Super DIRT Week is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: NAPA Auto Parts, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Billy Whittaker Cars and Trux, Chevrolet Performance and SIS Insurance. Other Super DIRT Week sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), A-Verdi, Area Auto Racing News, ASI Race Wear, Bart Contracting Inc, Best Western Plus-Oswego, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, City of Oswego, C&S Companies, Clarion Hotel – Oswego, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams,  Drydene, Fast Line Performance, Fast Shafts, FireAde, Fox Factory, Gypsum Express, Hoosier Racing Tire, Integra Racing Shocks, Intercomp, iRacing, K1 Race Gear, Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Shocks, PJC Spray Foam, Racing Electronics, SRI Performance, Tracey Road Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco Aluminum.  Special thanks to New York State. 

The Super DIRTcar Series 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), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

CHEVROLET AT DALLAS  What: Texas NHRA FallNationalsWhen: Friday, Oct. 8-Sunday, Oct. 10Where: Texas Motorplex in Ennis, TexasTV: FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 10
Chevrolet looking for Texas-size results in FallNationals
Title contenders in all three pro classes enter Round 4 of Countdown

DETROIT (Oct. 6, 2021) – Round 4 of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship at the Texas Motorplex starts off the second half of the playoff series for Chevrolet Pro Stock drivers.
The Texas NHRA FallNationals is also the fourth of seven nitro playoff events for Chevrolet title contenders Brittany Force in Top Fuel and John Force Racing teammates John Force and Robert Hight in Funny Car competition. 
Greg Anderson and Erica Enders – both four-time Pro Stock world champions – are separated by only 17 points following Enders’ fourth victory of the season at World Wide Technology Raceway two weeks ago. Anderson’s KB Racing teammate Kyle Koretsky is 97 points off the pace in third.
Anderson, a three-time winner and four-time runner-up in the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS through 14 races, has been the points leader from the outset of the season. His next victory will break a tie at 97 with Warren Johnson for the most in Pro Stock history.
“(Texas Motorplex) has been a good track for us all along and everything you want for Pro Stockers,” said Anderson, who has five career wins at the facility in Ennis, Texas. “We’ve been able to parlay that into a lot of wins in the past. I need to get the win and extend the points out.”
Matt Hartford, driver of the Total Seal Camaro SS, won the 2020 event, defeating Anderson in the final. Enders, a Texas native, has advanced to the final round in three of the past four races, winning twice.
“We put ourselves back within striking distance of Greg and we’ve just got to go to work,” said Enders, driver of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Camaro SS.
On Oct. 5, Anderson was inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame. 
“To have my name alongside so many legends in the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame is something I never could have dreamed of,” he said.
Brittany Force, driving the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster, enters the event second in the Top Fuel standings. 
“We’re in a great place sitting No. 2 in points,” said Force, who set an NHRA Top Fuel single-season record with eight consecutive No. 1 qualifier honors. “I’ve struggled a little on my end but I’m looking to bounce back this weekend with a win at Dallas.”
John Force, driver of the PEAK Antifreeze & Coolant Camaro SS, is third and Hight, driver of the AAA Texas Camaro SS, is tied for seventh in the Funny Car standings. Hight has won twice (2018, 2017) in his last three appearances at Texas Motorplex.
Nitro categories and Pro Stock were allowed a test day Wednesday, Oct. 6, at the track, and a second round of night qualifying was added to the schedule for Friday, Oct. 8, for four total qualifying attempts. 
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 10. 
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (Second in points; holds track elapsed time record, set in October 2019): “This Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team is looking forward to this weekend’s FallNationals in Dallas. This event is going to be a big one. I’ve won here before and I’m looking forward to doing it again. We’re in a great place sitting No. 2 in points. I’ve struggled a little on my end but I’m looking to bounce back this weekend with a win at Dallas.”
FUNNY CAR:
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Third points; six-time winner at track): “We’ve had a great season. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, they’ve worked hard on this PEAK Chevy and it’s paying off. We’re in the hunt, that’s all that I want, to be in the hunt, to have a chance at the championship. That’s all any of us want. It’s what we live for. I’ve just got to keep up, keep taking that PEAK Camaro from A to B and just do my job.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AAA TEXAS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Tie for seventh in points; four-time winner at track; holds track elapsed time and speed records, set in October 2017): “We’ve had some inconsistency. This AAA team has either been on or off. There’s been no in between. We need to be on this weekend. We have a lot of work to do. Is it still possible? Yes, and if any team can do it, it’s this one with Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham leading the way.”
PRO STOCK:
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Points leader; five-time winner at track; holds track elapsed time and speed records, set in 2015): “Everything that we’ve been doing is right and has been good. We just had a little hiccup Sunday (at St. Louis) and I came up with a bad reaction (time) and that was it. Up till then, we were getting all the points in qualifying, and the car was running great again. I can’t make a mistake like that again and I feel confident I won’t. I gave a few points away there. (Texas Motorplex) has been a good track for us all along and everything you want for Pro Stockers. We’ve been able to parlay that into a lot of wins in the past. I need to get the win and extend the points out.” (About being inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame) “When you race as much as we do, you don’t very often stop and think about what you’ve accomplished. I don’t know if I’m in the prime of my career, but I’m still digging as hard as ever, and somehow, we’re still winning races. All of these incredible things that have been happening — including tying Warren Johnson in wins and being inducted into the North Carolina Auto Racing Hall of Fame — these are things I never planned on or even set as a goal. This is beyond anything I ever thought would happen.”
ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Second in points): “We’re halfway through the Countdown now. We put ourselves back within striking distance of Greg (Anderson) and we’ve just got to go to work. We still have a lot of work to compete for fifth championship, but I have the utmost confidence in my guys.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (Fourth in points): “Having a weekend off the recharge after our St. Louis runner-up was needed but the racer in me wanted to go racing again the next day in my RAD Torque, KB Racing and Summit Equipment Chevrolet Camaro. We lost by .002 in the finals and I wanted that win bad. I’m motivated to come out swinging this weekend in Dallas. This championship isn’t over yet.”
AARON STANFIELD, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JANAC BROTHERS RACING CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Fifth in points): “I want to show up and I want to win. I’m not sure what the championship scenarios are. I’ve got to get up on it behind the wheel and we have to start making some nice runs again and see if we can get that momentum rolling. (Regarding 2022) I would say the plan is for me to continue to drive a COPO Camaro and try to go after that third championship as well as compete in Pro Stock. I would like to put ourselves in the position to have the opportunity to win two championships at the same time. That would be over the top.”
TROY COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (Sixth in points): “It would be a big honor to go there and win the race, get one of those cowboy hats, and ride outta there on top of the world. My teammate Erica (Enders) is in a very tight battle for the championship and we are looking for any way possible to put her over the top. Of course, with this incredible team, all technology is shared so we all benefit. It’s just awesome to see the work put in every day by this group. I expect us to have a big weekend. We continue to show, both individually and as a group, tremendous horsepower and we feel we can beat anyone in the world. It’s just super-close in Pro Stock, pretty much like it is every year.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES BANK OF AMERICA ROVAL 400 CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 6, 2021 WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: THIS IS YOUR HOMETOWN TRACK THIS WEEKEND. DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL GUESTS OR FRIENDS THAT WILL BE JOINING YOU AT CHARLOTTE ON SUNDAY?“Yeah, my family always goes to this race. It’s always a good race to bring everyone out to. So yeah, they’ll be watching and I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun to have them there. I’m looking forward to it. I always look forward to the Charlotte races and they are really important to me; not only because it’s my home track, but I grew up watching races there and racing myself at the summer shootout and stuff. It’s always fun.” WALK US THROUGH THE ROVAL AND TALK ABOUT THE PLACES WHERE YOU PUT THE POWER DOWN AND IT’S EASY TO SPIN THE TIRES AND THINGS. WHEN YOU THINK OF THE ROVAL, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE NUANCES OF IT THAT YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO BASICALLY HIT PERFECTLY?“Really the whole track. I think the front chicane is tough because you’ve got some bumps on your braking there, or one bump that kind of off-sets the car. So, you’ve got to be careful there. And then, just throughout the infield, it’s a challenge. You’ve got to get through the infield good to make passes and then get up onto the oval with speed. The whole track is really important. I don’t think there’s one place that I really focus on more than others. It’s a unique road course because there’s not really a lot of straight sections. It’s not like you’ve got a bunch of straight, heavy braking zones, you’ve got a lot of turning and braking and things like that. It makes it tough.” WHEN NASCAR ANNOUNCED THIS ROVAL ON THE SCHEDULE A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION THEN? CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS IS THE FOURTH YEAR OF THIS?“Yeah, I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, the first year I kind of felt like it was a little bit of a crazy idea and felt like we were kind of out there just for entertainment. But as I’ve gotten accustomed to it, I think we’ve worked on the track a little bit and gotten a little bit more realistic, I think it’s gotten better and better. We’re all used to it by now. I think it’s a great concept. I don’t know if it would work at other tracks. I think it’s good at Charlotte because of the layout there and the way the banking is and things like that. They do a really good job of designing and setting up the track so it’s a good race track for us.” CONSIDERING WHERE YOU ARE IN POINTS, IS IT A LITTLE LESS NERVE-RACKING PER SE, GOING INTO THIS RACE THAN BRISTOL, BECAUSE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO WIN TO GET IN AND THERE IS NOT MUCH TALK ABOUT POINTS AND VARIOUS SITUATIONS?“Yeah, I think you said it best. I feel like there is really nothing to lose for us. We’re 44 points out. We’re not going to make it on points. We’ve got to go win. We know what we have to do to do that. Yeah, the last round I think, would have been really disappointing if we didn’t make it through to the next round. There was a lot kind of on the line for that. And we’d still be really disappointed if we didn’t make it through this round. But it hasn’t been a good round for us as far as luck goes, I guess. We’ve had a flat tire and gotten wrecked and so, it’s not been good. But I think we can make up for all of that on Sunday and we’re very capable of that. So yeah, we just go into it with nothing to lose. We either win or get out of the Playoffs.” DO YOU TAKE A RISK WITH SET-UP AND STRATEGY JUST BECAUSE OF THAT FACT?“Not setup. I don’t think there’s anything set-up wise that we could do differently besides maybe a couple of small decisions. But yeah, I think for us, strategy is definitely pretty simple for us. Just try to keep our track position and try to have an opportunity to win at the end. Whatever that strategy is, to get there at the end, is really all we’re worried about. We don’t have to think about points like we do every single week. And we can just really go out there and….how do we put ourselves in the top 4 to 5 with 30 laps to go in the race is all we’re really worried about.” HOW MUCH OF THIS IS MENTAL WHEN YOU SAY HEY, WE’RE GOING TO THE ROVAL AND I CAN DO THIS?“Yeah, it’s really just kind of proof in what you’ve learned and how you’ve gotten to this point. And I do feel like, there’s some tracks where if we were going into an elimination race, if it was Richmond, I’d say we have no opportunity to win. But with this track, we’ve continued to work on it. We’ve continued to get better and better. I’ve had a pole there in the past. I’ve led a bunch of laps there over the last two years. So, it’s not a track that I feel like we can’t win. We just have to continue to make those gains that we’ve been making on the road courses. So, I think we’re really capable this weekend of doing it. It’s a lot better than the alternative. It could be a track that we don’t feel like we could win.” WHAT PARTS OF THE ROVAL ARE YOU VERY CONFIDENT IN, AND WHAT PARTS ARE YOU STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT?“I think it’s just a really narrow track. So, getting through traffic is tough. I feel like Chase (Elliott) obviously does a great job through traffic and just does a really great job of getting through guys and not burning up his tires. That’s my biggest goal. Hopefully we don’t have to go through a lot of traffic in this race and maybe the start of the race might be the furthest back, hopefully, that we are. I think that we just have to see how it goes and see who is fast. But I feel like we’ll have the speed. We’ve just got to execute a good race.” WHAT SPOTS OR TURNS ON THE TRACK GIVE YOU THE MOST DIFFICULTY OR ANXIETY?“Like I said, I think all of them are tough. It’s a track that’s not really like other road courses. You’re always turning and braking, and that’s tough because you’re always setting yourself up for another braking zone and stuff like that. It’s difficult. I don’t know. I think that the corner maybe that’s giving me the most trouble is probably the back chicane and just trying to get through that to set-up a pass. So, that’s probably where I’m focused on for this time, and trying to get better. I mean, they’re all really important.” HOW DOES THE ROVAL COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSES THIS SEASON IN TERMS OF WHERE IT SITS IN THE PLAYOFFS VERSUS ACTUAL DIFFICULTY?“I think it’s similar to the Indy Road Course and the fact that anything can happen. It’s unpredictable but I think it’s the least similar to Road America or Watkins Glen; some of those places that are really made for road course racing. Yeah, it’s kind of its own beast.”

October 6, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Duracell team enter this weekend’s Bank of America ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a road-course roll.

Sunday’s 253-mile race on the 2.28-mile, 17-turn track is the seventh and final road-course race of the 2021 Cup Series season. In the previous six, DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team got off to a slow start but have come on strong in the last three. 

That surge began with a 10^th-place finish at Road America, which was followed by an 11^th at Watkins Glen then a fifth on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

DiBenedetto said the turn-around over the course of the season have him optimistic heading into Charlotte, where races on the unique ROVAL, which is part road course and part oval track, have been unpredictable affairs.

“We have made big improvements at the road courses, but the ROVAL is its own animal that provides good excitement,” he said. “There’s no room for error there, and you’ve got to keep the car clean.”

He said he’s also encouraged by the team’s overall improvement since that 10^th-place finish at Road America back in July. That run was the first of five top-10 and eight top-12 finishes in the past 12 races.

“Our Menards/Duracell team has been really good everywhere the last few months, so if we keep it up we can have a shot to win before the season is over,” he said.
 
There will be no practice or qualifying prior to the start of Sunday’s race, which will consist of 109 laps, with Stage breaks at Laps 25 and 50. 

DiBenedetto will start 30^th, the line-up having been set based on results from Talladega. 

The green flag is set to fly just after 2 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on NBC.
 

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 06, 2021) – Sixteen-time NHRA Funny Car World Champion John Force and his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS are looking for their 17th title. Sitting just 72 points out of the lead in third, the 2021 Camping World Championship is within reach and a win at the upcoming Texas NHRA FallNationals would keep Force as a favorite. With five final round appearances that included three wins first at the Charlotte Four-Wide, then New England Nationals and sharing the winners circle with daughter Brittany in Topeka at Heartland Motorsports Park and three No. 1 qualifying positions (Charlotte Four-Wide, U.S. Nationals and Carolina Nationals), Force will be trying to win four races in a season for the 14th time in his career while chasing that unprecedented 17th championship. “We’ve had a great season. Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, they’ve worked hard on this PEAK Chevy and it’s paying off. We’re in the hunt, that’s all that I want, to be in the hunt, to have a chance at the championship. That’s all any of us want. It’s what we live for,” Force said. “I’ve just got to keep up, keep taking that PEAK Camaro from A to B and just do my job.” Force suffered the most serious accident of his career at Dallas in 2007 when, after beating Kenny Bernstein in the second round, his car suffered a tire failure at speed and crashed heavily. Force was transported by air ambulance to Baylor hospital in Dallas for extensive surgery and then spent a month in rehab at the same facility before returning to California to continue his recovery. Doctors told him he wouldn’t race again but he was back in a race car for the start of the 2008 season.  Force has raced to victory at the FallNationals six times, most recently in 2005. One of his goals after recovery was to win again at the Texas Motorplex. Since the crash, he twice has been runner-up – in 2010 and in 2013, the last two years he won the championship.  “I love coming to race in Texas,” said Force who has won in the state 14 times, more than any state outside of California (24). “Billy Meyer, he’s a racer, so he gets it. The show they are putting on this year, well it’s exciting. Not only getting back that second qualifying run on Friday but the whole week, testing Wednesday, getting to interact with the fans on Thursday evening, they’ve had music and entertainment all week long. Then you get NHRA Camping World Drag Racing to cap it all off. Should be a good time.” The Texas Motorplex is playing host to the “Stampede of Speed” ahead of the Texas NHRA FallNationals. While festivities have been ongoing since Oct. 2nd, Force and his teammates will get the week started Wednesday with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Open Test Session and then the Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie on Thursday evening. Texas NHRA FallNationals racing activities at Texas Motorplex will kick off with two qualifying sessions Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Qualifying continues Saturday with two more tries at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage begins with Friday qualifying at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET followed by eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 06, 2021) – Stakes are high for Robert Hight and his AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS team as they head to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, the fourth of seven events in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Tied for seventh in what’s been one of the toughest Funny Car fields of Hight’s career, a good showing this weekend will keep a fourth championship in sight. With two victories in 2021 at the SpringNationals in Houston and Sonoma Raceway’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals, two runner-up finishes at the season opening Gatornationals and the New England Nationals, and a No. 1 qualifier at the Las Vegas Four-Wide event, Hight and the AAA team need a late season surgency to pull off another championship run. Hight left the first two events in the Countdown, the first at Maple Grove Raceway and the second the NHRA Carolina Nationals, with No. 2 qualifying positions at each and a semifinal and first round exit, respectively. Most recently, Hight was the No. 7 qualifier and had a first round exit in St. Louis. “We’ve had some inconsistency. This AAA team has either been on or off. There’s been no in between,” Hight said. “We need to be on this weekend. We have a lot of work to do. Is it still possible? Yes, and if any team can do it, it’s this one with Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham leading the way.” Hight has won in two of his last three appearances at the Texas Motorplex, 2017 and 2018, and was a semifinalist in both 2016 and 2019. The AAA team are the track record holder for time and speed at 3.826-seconds and 338.60 mph, marks he set on Oct. 15, 2017. Overall, Hight has started from No. 1 six times at the Motorplex and has won the race four times. “I enjoy racing in Texas. This AAA team has had success there and with the show they’re putting on this season, all the events they have happening leading up to our race, the finale, it’s going to be exciting,” Hight said. “We’ll take advantage of the testing they’re allowing on Wednesday and getting that second qualifying session back on Friday. It should set up for a good show and allow us to get some momentum going.” The Texas Motorplex is playing host to the “Stampede of Speed” ahead of the Texas NHRA FallNationals. While festivities have been ongoing since Oct. 2nd, Hight and his teammates will get the week started Wednesday with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Open Test Session and then the Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie on Thursday evening. Hight will also be participating in a special media event put on by AAA Texas in their efforts to stop illegal street racing on Thursday morning in downtown Dallas.  Texas NHRA FallNationals racing activities at Texas Motorplex will kick off with two qualifying sessions Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Qualifying continues Saturday with two more tries at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage begins with Friday qualifying at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET followed by eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

The Headingley, MB driver is raising money for cancer research

CONCORD, NC – October 6, 2021 – “There are 86,400 seconds in a day. It’s up to you to decide what you do with them.” That’s a quote from former North Carolina State Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Valvano during his infamous speech at the 1993 ESPY awards. 

 Valvano, who died of cancer, started the V Foundation for Cancer Research in 1993, and now World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models driver Ricky Weiss is doing his part to support the foundation. 

For the second consecutive season, Weiss is teaming up with the V Foundation to try and raise money to help find a cure for cancer. The Headingly, MB driver’s family has a history of ovarian and breast cancer, which motivated him to join the fight.  

“It just brings our spirits up and my grandma and everyone back at home when we can do something like this,” Weiss said. “There’s a lot of people that come through the pit area that thank us for doing what we do, and it’s pretty cool to know that we can give back to people that’s been through such hard times.” 

Weiss debuted a new paint scheme at Cherokee Speedway for the Mike Duvall Memorial. He traded his usual black and red colors for black with teal and pink—the two colors representing Breast and Ovarian cancer. October and November are the two awareness months for those forms of the disease. 

“We’re trying to raise money for the V Foundation, which focuses on those two cancers and raises a lot of money,” Weiss said. “Hopefully, we can raise a little bit to where we can help them and give them something that maybe they wouldn’t be able to if they didn’t raise that money.”

Weiss is raising money through the help of fans by selling bracelets and stickers. Fans can write their name on the stickers and put them on the deck of his race car. All that money is going directly to the V Foundation.

Once the season is over, fans will have other ways to donate.

“At the end of the year, we’re going to auction off these [door panels] like we did last year,” Weiss said. “Big thanks to Drydene for getting us a new fire suit; we’re probably going to auction that off at the end of the year. Bell and Drydene worked together on getting us a new helmet for the deal, so everything matches.”

Weiss uses his 86,400 seconds each day to give back to a cause that’s important to him and his family.  Sometimes, the checkered flag isn’t the only thing drivers race for. 

“We’re obviously open to donations and anything someone can help with,” Weiss said. “I think it’ll go a long way and mean a lot to some special people.”

Fans can see Weiss’s new paint scheme on Nov. 4-6 when the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models return to action at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for the NGK NTK World Finals.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 06, 2021) – Just 36 points back from the Top Fuel points lead with four races left in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team head to the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex determined to make a jump to the top of the Top Fuel standings, hopefully for good. The Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team has a total of 10 No. 1s with one win at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan., where Brittany went onto share a historic winners circle with legendary father John Force. It was the first time in NHRA history that a parent-child duo had won together in the pro categories. The Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team has set track records with both their stellar elapsed times and speeds, staying consistent through qualifying but falling on bad luck on race day. The David Grubnic and Mac Savage led team has been to the finals five times in the 2021 Camping World Drag Racing Series season, most recently finishing runner-up at the Carolina Nationals. “We’re in a great place sitting No. 2 in points. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is looking forward to putting the last couple weekends behind us and getting right into the race this weekend,” said Force referring to her dragster putting cylinders out and recent hole shot losses. “I’ve struggled a little on my end but I’m looking to bounce back this weekend with a win at Dallas.” Force has had success at Texas Motorplex. In the seven years she’s competed at the venue, Force has qualified within the top five for five consecutive years, most recently going No. 1 in 2019. In 2017, her championship season, Force raced to victory sharing the winners circle with teammate Robert Hight. The Texas Motorplex is one of the 13 tracks in the current Camping World Series at which Brittany is the track record holder for either time or speed. She lowered the ET record to 3.651 seconds in her last appearance in the FallNationals in 2019. “This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is looking forward to this weekend’s FallNationals in Dallas. This event is going to be a big one,” Force said. “We have the opportunity to test beforehand, hang out with fans at the fan fest on Thursday and we get four qualifying runs before going into race day. I’ve won here before and I’m looking forward to doing it again.” The Texas Motorplex is playing host to the “Stampede of Speed” ahead of the Texas NHRA FallNationals. While festivities have been ongoing since Oct. 2nd, Force and her teammates will get the week started Wednesday with the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Open Test Session and then the Fan Fest in downtown Waxahachie, Texas on Thursday evening. Texas NHRA FallNationals racing activities at Texas Motorplex will kick off with two qualifying sessions Friday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Qualifying continues Saturday with two more tries at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Eliminations are set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage begins with Friday qualifying at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). A second qualifying show airs Sunday at 2 p.m. ET followed by eliminations coverage at 3 p.m. ET on FS1.

Honda engineers ready for adventure of a lifetime in all-women 2021 Rebelle Rally off-road navigation event
2021 Honda HPD Ridgeline will cover 1,500 miles of off-road terrain in Nevada and California

Santa Clarita, Calif. / Raymond, Ohio (October 6, 2021) – A team of Honda engineers will take the company’s product development efforts to the next level later this month as they tackle the 2021 Rebelle Rally, an all-women off-road navigation event through the unforgiving deserts of the American southwest. 
Driving a rugged 2021 Honda HPD Ridgeline, two engineers from Honda’s Ohio-based North American Auto Development Center, Liz Long and Tasha Krug, will compete in the in the grueling eight-day competition from October 7-16.
This is the third year Honda is participating in the longest off-road rally in the United States, which begins in the Nevada desert and finishes 1,500 miles later at the Imperial Sand Dunes in Southern California. It’s not a race for speed, but a unique and demanding event where the teams strategically navigate the rugged terrain without the assistance of GPS or cellular navigation. Instead, drivers will rely on traditional elements of headings, hidden checkpoints, time, and distance using maps, compasses, and roadbooks to reach the finish line.
Competing as Team Sand Mode #208 in the X-Cross class, Long and Krug will test the handling, capability, and durability of the Honda HPD Ridgeline over 10-12 hours of off-road driving per day. In the 2019 Rebelle Rally, the teammates placed 3rd in the X-Cross class driving a 2019 Honda Passport, taking home the Rookie of the Year award.
Long, a Honda chassis reliability test engineer, helps guarantee the reliability of Honda and Acura vehicles through subframe and suspension testing, which includes in-lab and on-car strength, durability, and marketability analyses. Krug, a Honda engine systems and drivability test engineer, calibrates engines and confirms drivability and marketability, ensuring the vehicle operates smoothly in real-world environments.
Honda engineers use the Rebelle Rally to further test the HPD Ridgeline in extreme environments. Like the Honda Passport TrailSport Rugged Roads Project, the team’s HPD Ridgeline features additional light modifications to further increase its off-road capability, including custom oil pan and fuel tank skid plates, custom front recovery points, a suspension lift kit, and all-terrain tires. Unique to the team’s Ridgeline is a sportier-sounding custom exhaust and an in-bed dual full-size spare tire carrier.
The Ridgeline also features parts from Honda Genuine Accessories including roof rails, crossbars, and basket; door visors; cargo net; in-bed trunk cargo dividers; and all-season floor mats. The Ridgeline’s HPD Package adds an even more rugged appearance with unique grille treatment, black fender flares, aggressive bronze-colored wheels, and special HPD graphics.
“We are excited for this year’s Rebelle Rally and look forward to competing in such a unique event,” said Krug. “Rebelle Rally is an excellent proving ground for the capabilities of the 2021 HPD Ridgeline, and we’re ready to do our best and see what new adventures this year’s rally brings.”
The special Rebelle Rally wrap applied to the 2021 HPD Ridgeline was designed by Honda exterior designer Lili Melikian and celebrates the ruggedness of the HPD Ridgeline. The wrap is an expression of performance and power, with orange, red, gold and black lines stretching across the body inspired by the shifting colors of the event’s desert landscape, while the orange lines also take inspiration directly from TrailSport, Honda’s new rugged halo for its light trucks that made its debut on the 2022 Honda Passport.

About Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993.  From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA Sports Cars to commercial racing programs, HPD powers the dreams of professional and amateur racers from age 4 to 40+. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America. HPD specializes in the design and development of powertrain, chassis, electronics, and performance parts, as well as technical and race support. HPD offers parts and race support to Honda and Acura amateur and professional motorsports racers and is continually expanding its palette of racing programs that make Honda racing products available to all racing styles, from karting and Quarter Midgets to the highest levels of pro racing.

Williamson out duels Jimmy Phelps and Peter Britten for the win, and the final NAPA Super DIRT Week guaranteed starting spot

BREWERTON, NY – Mat Williamson has had a demon on his back throughout the 2021 Super DIRTcar Series season, but on Tuesday night at Brewerton Speedway he crushed it.

Giving a needed boost to his season, Williamson outdueled race-long leader Larry Wight for the lead in the closing laps and held off 2021 Brewerton track champion Jimmy Phelps and Australian Peter Britten to claim the $10,000 top prize and the final guaranteed Billy Whittaker Cars 200 starting spot.

Coming off the huge win at Fulton Speedway – becoming the first Canadian to win the Outlaw 200 – Williamson has the mindset of a winner going into the biggest week in Northeast dirt racing: NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 6-10). 

“Racing is mental,” said Williamson, who lives in St. Catharines, ON. “Anyone that says it isn’t is lying. You get to these races and if you start sixth and finish 12th it’s not a good feeling and it sticks with you. When you line up to go racing and you look around thinking you can’t beat these guys, you have a problem. I’ve got my head right and I feel like we are getting closer to the top. We just need to ride the wave as long as we can.”

The Buzz Chew Chevrolet #88 started fourth and never fell out of the top-five. Williamson raced hard with Phelps, Britten, Chris Hile, and Matt Sheppard throughout the race until Williamson moved into the second position and began to run down leader Larry Wight. 

The track conditions were ideal for putting the power down, however it still had some character.

“There were some pretty big holes and if you didn’t drive around them you were in for a treat,” Williamson said. “You just had to hit them right.

“It was fun to race. This is always a fun place to race at. With all the weather they had, this is a pretty damn good race track.”

Once Williamson made it up to second, the battle was on for the win with Larry Wight. Lighting Larry started on the outside pole and led the first lap, passing pole-sitter Roy Bresnahan for the lead. Late race restarts saw Wight and Williamson timing their drag race launches down the frontstretch.

“On some of the restarts Larry [Wight] would try to crowd me to the top and I would try to drive around them but then diamond the corner off too,” Williamson said. “We had a great race going and it’s unfortunate that he broke because we would have had a good battle to the end. But we’ll take it.”

Williamson knew how he had to make the pass happen and was pushing the envelope to stay side-by-side with the #99L. 

“I was just trying to stick with him at the flag stand,” he said. “The two restarts before that he got a car length on me. I thought that’s what it would take to get to the top side of Turns Three and Four because that’s where I needed to be. We had some fun head games going on the restart there but we race together a lot. He got the better of me.”

Not only did the big Brewerton win come at the right time in the season but it also came with some insurance for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 on Sunday, Oct. 10: a guaranteed starting spot. But that was the last thing on Williamson’s mind when it came to the 200. 

“I feel like if we have to rely on a guaranteed start then we are in some trouble,” Williamson noted. “Our goal is to start that race upfront but it is nice to have the guarantee just in case.”

Phelps, from Baldwinsville, NY, took Brewerton Speedway’s 2021 track championship so the Demon 100 has been circled on the Baldwinsville Bandit’s calendar since the announcement. Phelps stayed in the hunt for the lead all race long, never letting the top two gap the field. 

“It seemed whenever anyone would start pulling away they’d hit a rut and you’d catch right up,” Phelps noted. “I thought I was a little too conservative really.”

Phelps won one Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship race at Brewerton this year and collected 12 top-fives. He’s used to a dry, slick surface at the D-Shaped Dirt Demon. But on Tuesday night, the Demon was hungry and wanted to eat. 

“The traction we got here tonight I think evened the playing field,” Phelps said. “Normally, on a Friday night we are inching around this place looking for grip every night. That’s what makes this place great. Tonight was a different animal. We actually ran the same setup we normally do. I just had to drive it different.”

The podium finish is a huge boost to the HBR team going into the rest of the busy NAPA Super DIRT Week. 

“Honestly we’ve been pretty drab on the tour so to start out Super DIRT Week with a nice finish is a good thing,” Phelps noted. 

For most of the 100-lap clash, Peter Britten, from Brisbane, AU, was side-by-side with another car in Top Five including seven-time Series champion Matt Sheppard. 

“You know what’s great, is that they drive you hard and if they can get a position on you they’ll take your line and you’ll have to yield,” Britten said. “But they won’t put you in the wall. That’s the thing I love the most about racing with the Series. If you are fast enough you can be at the front, have a dogfight, and not even touch.” 

And what a fight it was. Britten managed to come away with the podium finish after losing power steering on lap 20. He was visibly worn down after getting out of his #21A Big Block. 

“The track was kind of heavy,” Britten said. “There’s a lot of load on the car here. I think my brakes were even struggling too. You gotta get on them heavy in Turn One so you are really using them. I probably used the brakes more here than I have all year, apart from Lebanon Valley. I was kind of losing the pedal a little bit.”

Tim McCreadie made his first Super DIRTcar Series since 2019. He drove himself into the redraw in his Heat Race, drew the 12th starting position and managed to hang on for a 10th place finish. 

Erick Rudolph, from Ransomville, NY picked up 12 spots for the Hard Charger award. Rudolph started 17th and picked his way through the high-quality field to finish seventh. 

NEXT LAP: NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIX continues tomorrow when the Parade of Power takes to the streets of Oswego, NY at noon, followed by a special NAPA Super DIRT Week announcement at City Hall at 12:30 p.m. After that, attention shifts to Weedsport Speedway for the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff party featuring the DIRTcar 358 and Sportsman Modified Series.