NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Nationals – Reading

Pre-Race Report

Another trip to the semi-finals and Countdown to the Championship clinched, Cruz Pedregon and team are ready to take on the track this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway, in the Snap-on^® Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^®.

“We’re getting closer to our goal of getting into the Top Five with a solid car and crew,” Cruz says. “The Snap-on ‘Makers and Fixers’ car is responding to the great tune-up JC (John Collins) and Rip (Reynolds) are doing. It’s taken time to get to where we are now and the team has been there for us every round. We’re looking forward to an exciting playoff season.” 

Cruz took time after Indy and prior to this weekend’s race to attend “grill n’ chill” events with primary sponsor Snap-on franchisees and their clients in the Reading area. Cruz has been heavily involved with these events for a decade, talking tools, cars, and all things NHRA with techs in the shops franchisees call on weekly.

September 6, 2021 Jim Allen

(9/5/21, Alex Nieten) Chico, CA … The combination of Justin Sanders and Paul Silva can’t seem to stop collecting trophies.

In the Louie Vermeil Classic finale at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway, Sanders came out on top after a 30-lap war with some of the west coast’s best. The triumph marked his fourth of the year, third in the last six races since climbing aboard the Works Limited No. 57 and his tenth career with the NARC-King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Cars.

The intense fight for the win left some with ruffled feathers, and while Sanders held no ill-intent, he acknowledged that heated tempers are sometimes the by-product of racing, especially in an event as significant as The Louie.

“We were all fighting hard,” Sanders said. “Me and Kyle (Hirst) rubbing wheels and banging wheels, Kyle and Colby (Copeland) banging wheels. I slid Colby down there in turn three, and we hit and I spun him out. It wasn’t intentional, just hard racing. It’s racing, we’re racing for a big purse and big win.”

The green flag waved, and the battle immediately kicked off on lap one as front row starters Sanders and Colby Copeland leaned on each other in turns one and two. Copeland came out ahead down the backstretch, but before the race could establish a rhythm a yellow came out for Corey Day slowing on the front stretch on lap three. On the restart, another caution for an incident between Sean Watts and Michael Ing again slowed the pace.

After the pair of yellows, racing resumed and Copeland bolted ahead. As the race approached the halfway mark, Kyle Hirst roared to life in lap traffic, moving by Sanders after some contact for the runner-up position on lap 14. Just three laps later, Hirst threw a successful slider on Copeland in turn three to steal the lead.

Unfortunately for Copeland, Hirst brought Sanders with him, but Sanders’ move didn’t quite clear the 16A machine resulting in contact and a caution for a spun Copeland in turn four. Copeland would express his displeasure with Sanders later after the checkered flag flew.

Another quick yellow came out for Willie Croft following the incident between Sanders and Copeland.

The green flag came back out with 14 to go, and Sanders stalked Hirst as the duo approached traffic. The first opportunity he saw, Sanders pounced.  The pilot of the Works Limited No. 57 threw a huge slider at Hirst on lap 22. Again, Sanders couldn’t quite clear the Williams Motorsports No. 0, but after some slight contact Sanders gained control of the top spot.

Hirst managed to keep pace with Sanders and attempted a few sliders as the laps waned, but he couldn’t ever gather enough momentum to clear him, and Sanders held on to win by just under one second. The victory was Sanders first Louie Vermeil Classic triumph.

“I’m happy, but I just feel like crap,” Sanders, who was fighting a cold in addition to four-time series titlist Hirst, said. “This will make the four-hour, miserable drive home a lot better. Happy to get this done.”

While he would’ve preferred to win, Hirst enjoyed every moment of the main event.

“I had an absolute blast,” Hirst said. “I gave it everything I had right there. I was racing with one of the best of California right now, and it was pretty awesome.”

Behind the battle for the win, Dominic Scelzi crept onto the podium for his eighth consecutive appearance in the top three in the Scelzi Enterprises/Red Rose Transportations No. 41. The point leader was especially pleased with the racing surface.

“That was so much fun,” Scelzi said. “I feel like the last couple of races it’s been really hard to have that kind of racing, and that just goes to show you slick tracks make the best kind of racing.”

Shane Golobic finished fourth, making it seven top fives in his last seven series appearances. Tanner Carrick, Tim Kaeding, Carson Short, Corey Day, Bud Kaeding and Colby Copeland completed the top ten.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (30 laps): 1. Justin Sanders 57 2. Kyle Hirst 0 3. Dominic Scelzi 41 4. Shane Golobic 17W 5. Tanner Carrick 83T 6. Tim Kaeding 42X 7. Carson Short 7 8. Corey Day 21 9. Bud Kaeding 69 10. Colby Copeland 16A 11. Jessie Attard 53 12. Ryan Robinson 56 13. Joel Myers Jr. 46JR 14. Sean Becker 83V 15. Billy Aton 26 16. Sean Watts 98 17. Angelo Cornet 55A 18. Austin McCarl 88 19. Blake Carrick 38B 20. Willie Croft 29 21. DJ Netto 88N 22. Mitchell Faccinto 37 23. JJ Ringo 2 24. Michael Ing 21X
HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Copeland 1-16, Hirst 17-21, Sanders 22-30
SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Carson Short 22nd to 7th

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (29 cars): Colby Copeland 11.971

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (10 laps): Scelzi, Sanders, Copeland, Watts, Ing, Cornet, Clark, Ringo
FUJITSU GENERAL USA HEAT TWO (10 laps): Golobic, Attard, Netto, Faccinto, T. Carrick, McCarl, Tabor Jr.
FLORACING.COM HEAT THREE (10 laps): Croft, Becker, B. Kaeding, B. Carrick, Myers Jr., Short, Bloomfield
KAEDING PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (10 laps): Hirst, Robinson, Day, T. Kaeding, Aton, Ingraham, Strole

PYROTECT SEMI (12 laps): McCarl, Short, Cornet, Ringo, Ingraham, Tabor Jr., Clark, Strole, Bloomfield
SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” DASH (6 laps): Sanders, Copeland, Croft, Hirst, Becker, Attard

September 5, 2021 Jim Allen

(9/4/2021 – Alex Nieten) Chico, CA… By leading all 30-laps of the Fujitsu Feature on night one of the Louie Vermeil Classic at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway, Dominic Scelzi earned his fifth series victory of the year, matching his career-high for a single season.

The result also marked his 18th overall feature win during his dream 2021 campaign and his seventh consecutive race standing on the NARC-King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car podium at the end of the night.

Scelzi’s biggest challenge of the night would come right as the green flag dropped and Scelzi led into turn one from the pole position. Third starting Mitchell Faccinto capitalized on a great initial start to swipe the lead from the point leader down the backstretch. Scelzi, though, aimed his Whipple Superchargers/Red Rose Transportations No. 41 to Faccinto’s inside coming out of turn four and beat him to the line to lead the opening lap. Shortly after Scelzi reclaimed the lead, the first of a flurry of race stoppages came out for contact between Justin Sanders and Kalib Henry that sent Henry on a wild flip outside of turn one. Both drivers were okay.

The adage “cautions breed cautions” proved true after the first red flag as just a few laps later Corey Day and front row starter Andy Forsberg tangled sending Forsberg over and heavily damaging Day’s Tarlton Racing machine. Following that issue, Bud Kaeding tumbled in turn three after contact with Ryan Robinson, ending BK’s night. Michael Ing slid to a stop in turn four shortly after BK’s issue, and a spin by the USAC/CRA portion winner, Carson Short, on lap twelve ended the avalanche of yellows. With curfew looming, the call was made to go to single file restarts for the remaining 19 circuits. All drivers involved in the incidents were okay.

A trio of drivers survived the early mayhem to put together strong charges. By the lap twelve restart, Tim Kaeding had gone from 22nd to 7th, Billy Aton from the rear to 11th and Shane Golobic from 10th to third.

Racing resumed with 19 to go, and Scelzi set the pace on a low line favored racing surface. He tiptoed around the bottom and distanced himself from second-running Willie Croft. Meanwhile, Croft had to deal with the NOS Energy Drink/Elk Grove Ford No. 17W of Golobic who was glued to Croft’s tail tank.

Even lap traffic couldn’t slow Scelzi during what continues to be a year for the history books. Scelzi patiently negotiated the slower cars, spotting opportunities to sneak to their inside on the straightaways before completing each pass in the turns, giving himself more of a cushion from Croft every lap. Eventually, Scelzi crossed the finish line with nearly a two second advantage to claim his first NARC-KWS victory at the Butte County bullring. Including lap money for leading all thirty circuits, the win netted Scelzi $5,750.

Croft held on to the runner-up spot to secure his second podium of the year aboard the Holey Smokes BBQ/Amerikote Powder Coating No. 29.

Golobic rounded out the podium with his fifth top-three finish of the year and continued his recent trend of charging toward the front. Over the last five Fujitsu Feature events, Golobic owns a net position change of plus-33.

The remainder of the top-10 was Kyle Hirst, Mitchell Faccinto, Tim Kaeding (from 22nd, earned Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger), DJ Netto, Tanner Carrick, Colby Copeland and Billy Aton.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (30 laps): 1. Dominic Scelzi 41 2. Willie Croft 29 3. Shane Golobic 17W 4. Kyle Hirst 0 5. Mitchell Faccinto 37 6. Tim Kaeding 42X 7. DJ Netto 88N 8. Blake Carrick 38B 9. Colby Copeland 16A 10. Billy Aton 26 11. Austin McCarl 88 12. Justin Sanders 57 13. Sean Watts 98 14. Sean Becker 83V 15. Michael Ing 21X 16. JJ Ringo 2 17. Carson Short 7 18. Joel Myers Jr. 46JR 19. Mark Tabor Jr. 38N 20. Ryan Robinson 56 21. Bud Kaeding 69 22. Andy Forsberg 92 23. Corey Day 21 24. Kalib Henry 5J

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Scelzi 1-30

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Tim Kaeding 22nd to 6th

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (31 cars): Willie Croft 11.384

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (10 laps): Forsberg, Croft, Robinson, Bloomfield, Ing, Day, Clark, Cornet

FUJITSU GENERAL USA HEAT TWO (10 laps): Sanders, Faccinto, Becker, Short, Ringo, Strole, Aton

FLORACING.COM HEAT THREE (10 laps): Attard, Golobic, B. Kaeding, Hirst, Copeland, McCarl, T. Carrick

KAEDING PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (10 laps): Scelzi, B. Carrick, Netto, Watts, Myers Jr., Tabor Jr.

PYROTECT SEMI (12 laps): Henry, Day, T. Kaeding, McCarl, Tabor Jr., Aton, Cornet, Strole, Clark

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” DASH (6 laps): Scelzi, Forsberg, Faccinto, Croft, Attard, Bloomfield

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY PORTLAND, OREGON TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE SEPT. 11-12 RACE 14 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON Chevrolet seeks to maximize opportunities on West Coast swingPoints leader O’Ward, two-time champion Newgarden in thick of title raceDETROIT (Sept. 8, 2021) – Chevrolet teams, drivers and trackside engineers are primed for the September Swing. Three consecutive weekends of intense racing that will lead to the crowning of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion starts with the 110-lap/216-mile Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Sept. 12, on the 12-turn, 1.964-mile Portland International Raceway that opened in 1961. “It will be an interesting three races, as tight as the championship is. It always is this way,” said Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet who won the last race at Portland in 2019. “I’ve never seen someone wrap it up in all my 15 years in INDYCAR, no one’s wrapped it up the race before the last race. It never happened. Looks like the same here.” A maximum 54 points are available in each of the races on the Portland and Laguna Seca road courses and Long Beach temporary street circuit. None of the three venues hosted the Series in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five drivers powered by the 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 Chevrolet engine are in title contention and two are in the thick of the chase. Pato O’Ward, who won both races in 2018 at Portland on the way to the Indy Lights championship, is the points leader and Josef Newgarden is 22 points arrears.  “You try not to think about it too much because there’s so much racing (left),” said O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet. “Whenever it’s so competitive like this series is in INDYCAR, just a lot can shift in one race. We’re just going to push until the checkered flag waves in Long Beach and see where we stand.” O’Ward has been standing tall in his second full-time season with two wins, six other top-five finishes and three NTT P1 Awards in 13 races. He was runner-up to Newgarden in the most recent race on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval. “Now the championship is more into the mindset of just really be aware of who we’re racing and when,” he said. Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, has matched O’Ward with two wins and three pole starts. He advanced eight positions to place fifth in the 2019 event at Portland. Felix Rosenqvist, teammate to O’Ward this season, was runner-up. External and internal pressures associated with maximizing points in the stretch run are familiar to Newgarden, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion in 2017 and ’19 and runner-up in 2020. “When you go into a weekend, I think you’re just trying to maximize whatever your result is,” he said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing. “We certainly have to be strong. We’re not in some cushiony position where we can just sit back and (let) anything happen to us. Hopefully we have a good, solid end here. If we do, that could add up to a championship.  “Chevy has been doing a great job for us. Real proud to represent them as always.” Joining the Chevrolet lineup this weekend will be Callum Ilott, who will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut in the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet. Ilott, 22, of the United Kingdom, was the 2020 Formula 2 championship runner-up and current Ferrari Formula One test driver. NBC will telecast the 110-lap Grand Prix of Portland at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 12. Two practice sessions and qualifications Saturday, Sept. 11, will stream on Peacock Premium. The race, qualifications and practice will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA.
Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt RacingSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing
Arrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP
CarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Carlin
Ed Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek
Juncos Hollinger RacingCallum Ilott, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing
Team PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team PenskeChevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 20122021 ­– 6 wins, 7 poles in 13 racesWins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1); Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio, St. Louis); Will Power (Indy RC2). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit1, Indy RC2); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America, Mid-Ohio); Will Power (St. Louis).2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 racesWins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesDriver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesIndianapolis 500 win (Will Power)2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 20122014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)Total – 95 wins, 106 earned poles in 162 races

DELAWARE, Ohio (Sept. 8) — Continuing a partnership started by his six-time world champion uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr., sophomore Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. will be promoting Universal Parks and Resorts during a key stretch of NHRA national events taking place in Reading, Pa., Charlotte and St. Louis. “It’s so cool to have the Universal Parks and Resorts livery on our JEGS.comElite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro for the first three races of the Countdown to the Championship,” Troy Jr. said. “With so much excitement about the playoffs this year, we’re expecting the largest TV audiences of the season, including quite possibly the largest drag racing audience ever for the Charlotte event because that race immediately follows an NFL game on FOX.

“I personally am very pumped up about this because we’ve been going to Universal Parks and Resorts for years as a family and now that Brenna (wife) and I are parents, we’re already looking forward to taking our little girl there.” Added JEGS Director of Motorsports Scott Woodruff, “We have a unique partnership through the ‘Fast & Furious Supercharged’ attractions at both the Orlando, Florida, and Hollywood, California, locations because our involvement is very authentic to the experience. It’s been a great success and a lot of fun.”

With designs by AGI, the hood and rear deck of Troy Jr.’s Camaro will be a high-speed reminder for drag race enthusiasts and their families to visit Universal Parks and Resorts and seek out the “Fast & Furious Supercharged” ride. The attraction allows guests to ride along with the all-star cast from the hit movies on an exhilarating, high-speed chase that exceeds 120 mph and catapults guests into the high-stakes underworld of fast cars and international crime cartels through the use of hyper-realistic special effects and 3D-HD imagery projected onto expansive 360-degree screens. “Aside from all the rides and fun to be had, Universal Parks and Resorts also are a great place to relax, which is necessary at times when you’re chasing championships against the best drivers in the world,” Troy Jr. said. “There truly is something for everyone at Universal.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES FEDERATED AUTO PARTS 400 RICHMOND RACEWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript Highlights: DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE TO DO ANYTHING TO STAY POSITIVE OR KEEP YOUR TEAM POSITIVE?“I don’t know. Definitely a little bit, after a weekend like last weekend. It wasn’t good by any means. From start to finish we had radio issues, trouble with the engine, I drove it into the fence; and we had another flat tire after that. It was just kind of one of those days. I’m definitely trying to keep the team pumped up, but at the same time I think everybody on the team knows how strong we can be each and every place we go. We just had a bad day. Going forward, to a place like Richmond, where we won in the Spring, I think everybody is pretty positive that we can go there and have success and be strong. This Round of 16, with everybody having issues at Darlington, it’s not as bad as it could have been, the hole that we’re in. I think we’re in an okay spot going forward. Not comfortable by any means, but if we just go do our jobs, we’ll be all right.” DO YOU BELIEVE THAT WHAT WORKED AT RICHMOND IN THE SPRING WILL WORK IN THE FALL, OR ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES THAT WILL DISRUPT THAT TYPE OF THOUGHT?“I hope so because I haven’t ever had anything work at Richmond before the Spring. So that’s all I’ve got that works. But I hope so. I feel like I drive that place incorrectly to a point and I ask some different things out of the race car that kind of a lot of the normal guys that grew up racing stock cars on short tracks don’t do. So, going there has always been tough for me. I think Greg (Ives, crew chief) finally hit on something that worked really well for me. So, hopefully we can get it to work again. You never know until you get there, and without practice it’s hard to say. But I’m pretty confident that we’ll have another great race car this weekend.” WITH THREE OUT OF FOUR HENDRICK DRIVERS EITHER NEAR OR BELOW THE CUTOFF LINE AND COMING OUT OF THIS PAST WEEKEND’S RACE, WHAT ARE YOUR TEAM MEETINGS LIKE?“It definitely wasn’t a great mood after Darlington. But I feel like everybody is focused-forward and working hard to be the best we can be at Richmond. It was one race. It’s one week. The Playoffs, the way it goes, you have two bad weeks in one round, and you are kind of done. So, we know we have to be strong the next two weeks. But at the same time, we’ve been strong all year. I think there is a lot of confidence going forward that we can continue to do that. I think I’m probably the most frustrated of anybody and that’s just because it was like blatantly my fault, right? I drove the car into the outside wall. I’m frustrated with myself that I did that and that I made that mistake, but I’m also frustrated that I hurt the No. 24’s (William Byron) day like it did. But the No. 24 and the No. 9 (Chase Elliott) kind of had things going outside of their own control. And then the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) had a good day. I think we all just know we need to be strong at Richmond.” WERE YOU SURPRISED WITH WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PLAYOFF DRIVERS AT DARLINGTON?“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. Darlington is an easy track to have issues at. So, for as many people to have issues as they did, I’m not all that surprised about it. THIS SPORT IS SO FICKLE WITH THE POWER RANKINGS, LIKE S0-AND-SO IS FAVORED FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND THE HENDRICK DRIVERS CANNOT BE BEAT. WITH ONE RACE, EVERYTHING HAS SWITCHED. DOES THAT DRIVE YOU CRAZY A LITTLE BIT?“As far as the media stuff goes, once I realized that I’m always going to get kicked a little bit by the media, I just quit reading it (laughs). Some are not the nicest to me. So, I just quit reading it and don’t pay attention to it. That’s fine. That’s part of my job. I’m sure Kyle (Larson) was the favorite and is still the favorite. Other than that, I don’t know anything about power rankings or anything like that. I just try to drive the race car as fast as I can.” QUESTION REGARDING STARTING POSITIONS AND STAGE POINTS AT RICHMOND“It’s still going to be difficult. In the Spring we had a really difficult day. We had a pit road penalty. I think we started at the tail end of the longest line in Stage 3. That late-race caution got us the win, but we had still driven back to third from last, basically. And for as strong as we were in the Spring, I know we’ll be able to pass cars because with a great long-run race car we were able to make a lot of headway there. But yeah, it’s going to be tough. It is definitely a little more intense in the Playoffs. Everybody is going to race a little harder. But Richmond is a place like, if you’re race car is good and you’re good on a long, run, you can give up that short run a little bit and make a lot of headway as the run kind of rolls on. So, I’m just excited to see how we are when we get there and go to work on making the car better and being there at the end.” THERE ARE POSSIBLE CHANGES TO THE SCHEDULE NEXT YEAR, WHICH INCLUDE A BUSCH CLASH AT THE L.A. COLISEUM OR RACING AT WORLDWIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY. WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE?“I love going to new race tracks. Obviously, I don’t know any more than what you guys (media) know. I haven’t heard anything officially.  But it all sounds cool, right? When I ran the e-NASCAR Series, we ran Bowman Gray Stadium, which sounded like the most ridiculous idea I’d ever heard in my life. But when we got there, it was a lot of fun. So, I would imagine it would be somewhat similar to that at least. It could be pretty neat. If we went to Gateway, that would be neat. And it looks like a really interesting place. I’ve never been there. But anything new is always cool, right? Like any of the new races we’ve had this year have been kind of exciting and cool to be a part of. So, I’m all for new race tracks and new challenges. Shuffling-up the schedule every year I think is really cool.” THE SAME TIRE IS BEING USED THIS WEEKEND AS WAS USED AT PHOENIX. IS THIS THE LAST CHANCE TO FINE-TUNE THINGS FOR PHOENIX? IF YOU WIN AND DOMINATE, DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU WOULD BE THE FAVORITE AT PHOENIX BASED ON WHAT YOU DID AT RICHMOND?“It’s interesting that you say that. Looking back, the NO. 5 (Kyle Larson) was really fast at Phoenix. And they were not very good at Richmond. We were terrible at Phoenix and won Richmond. So, I don’t know how much you can really take from one to the other. I know it’s the same tire and a somewhat similar race track. But at Phoenix you have some tire falloff, but you don’t have what you have at Richmond. Richmond is so much slicker. There is so much less load in the race car. There are so many big differences. Like it’s a quarter-mile shorter, but it feels tiny and extremely slow in comparison to a place like Phoenix. It’s definitely different, but I want to say we can carry it all over because we were good there in the Spring. But ever since 2016 we’ve really struggled at Phoenix. Hopefully we can get our stuff together and be good there at the end of this year.” ARE THE COMMITMENT LINES MORE CHALLENGING AT RICHMOND?“Yeah, it’s just where it is. How early it is. There are a lot of factors that go into it. I feel like people don’t realize how little you can really see out of the Cup cars. You can’t really see that box unless you’re squared-up with it. Late pit calls probably play a role in that. But it’s early. It’s hard to see. And that pit road entrance is super slick. The race track is super slick. So, there are a lot of factors. But it is definitely a tough one and an easy one to miss and cause a big penalty for yourself.” DO YOU LOOK AT POINTS AND STUDY THEM? OR DO YOU JUST GO RACE?“Yeah, I just go race. You can stare at the points sheet and know exactly how many points you have to beat so-and-so by. But it doesn’t help you any. Then you’re just more stressed out about situations you can’t control. I think the best thing you can do for yourself is to go drive the race car as fast as you can and maximize every Stage and go do the best job you can. I did a really poor job on Sunday night, and I’ve got two weeks to make up for it. I’ve just got to go maximize both races. Last year during the Playoffs I wasn’t looking at points. I wasn’t worried about it. We just went and tried to execute to the best of our ability each and every week. And we had a really good Playoff run. This year we started off really poorly, but I’m confident we can turn that around and at least do what we did last year if not better.” DID YOU HAVE A RACE-WINNING CAR BEFORE THE DAMAGE AT DARLINGTON?“I don’t think we were very good before I hit the wall at Darlington because I wasn’t running very hard. I was starting to struggle really early in that run and drove it right into the fence pretty early. So, I feel like we were going to struggle a little bit. I think we’d end up somewhere in the top 10, but now where we wanted to be by any means. I felt down on grip. I think it still would have been a way better day than it was, obviously. I’m still mad at myself that I did that.” DO YOU FEEL LIKE MISTAKES, RATHER THAN SPEED, COULD BE WHAT KEEPS HENDRICK DRIVERS FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR?“I think we’ve had speed every week. It very well could be. But nothing has stopped us from getting there yet. We still have a chance. All four of us are not eliminated yet and still in it. I don’t want to say what’s going to keep us out because we’re not knocked out yet.” DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE LESS CHAOS AND AGGRESSION AT RICHMOND OR DO YOU THINK IT WILL CONTINUE?“It’s hard to say. I feel like you’re going to have a lot of aggression at Richmond because it’s Richmond. It’s a short track. Tempers typically flare there. Stuff happens. And that’s just a part of it. I feel like it’s still going to be exciting. It’s still going to be dramatic. We’ll wait and see. Maybe it’s a smooth and easy day and the No. 48 is out front with no issues, and we get another trophy. I’d be okay with that.”

READING, Pa. (Sept. 8) — Although this is Troy Coughlin Jr.’s second year in the Pro Stock ranks, this is his first time contesting the Countdown to the Championship, a magical time he’s determined to enjoy with hisJEGS.comElite Motorsports teammates. Only the top-10 drivers in each professional category get a chance to chase the title during the six-race Countdown. Last year, due to COVID, the popular playoff system was scrapped, denying drivers and fans alike a chance to ramp up the excitement. This year, the pressure and drama are back, and Coughlin couldn’t be happier.

“Let’s go!” he said. “It’s time to rock ‘n’ roll.  “It’s my first Countdown and I’m extremely proud to be a part of the field and, more importantly, to be headed into the battle with this incredible group. Mark Ingersoll, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley, Eric Luzinski, and Kyle Bates, those are the guys that make it all work and I wouldn’t want to race with anyone else.” With the points reset for the Countdown, Coughlin finds himself just 60 markers out of the lead, a deficit of three rounds. Having raced to two final rounds in the regular season, with an impressive average qualifying position of fifth overall, Coughlin has proven he has the pieces in place to make a concerted run for the sport’s ultimate prize.

“Pro Stock is so tight with so many great drivers, literally the best in the world, and it usually comes down to fractions of a second every race,” Coughlin said. “You truly live and die by your mistakes and the winner each weekend is generally the one who limited those missteps we all make.  “You have to seek joy in the struggles and the challenges along the way, learn from them, and then put it all behind you and stay locked on to what’s directly ahead. That’s what it takes to win consistently and I have a great example of how to achieve ultimate success right across my pit with Erica (Enders, teammate and four-time world champion).”

Coughlin also can rely on great local support and recall vivid memories of some of his most successful events. When racing the JEGS.com Top Alcohol Dragster for McPhillips Racing, Coughlin and crew managed to capture back-to-back national event titles at Maple Grove during their championship years of 2018 and 2019. McPhillips Racing is based in nearby Phoenixville, Pa. “Those few years with McPhillips Racing were awesome and those guys have continued their legacy with Jasmine Salinas,” Coughlin said. “I’ve definitely kept an eye on them and hope to spend time with my old crew this weekend. But my main focus is on rewarding my Elite teammates with a win. It needs to happen.”

READING, Pa. (Sept. 8) — Although this is Troy Coughlin Jr.’s second year in the Pro Stock ranks, this is his first time contesting the Countdown to the Championship, a magical time he’s determined to enjoy with hisJEGS.comElite Motorsports teammates. Only the top-10 drivers in each professional category get a chance to chase the title during the six-race Countdown. Last year, due to COVID, the popular playoff system was scrapped, denying drivers and fans alike a chance to ramp up the excitement. This year, the pressure and drama are back, and Coughlin couldn’t be happier.

“Let’s go!” he said. “It’s time to rock ‘n’ roll.  “It’s my first Countdown and I’m extremely proud to be a part of the field and, more importantly, to be headed into the battle with this incredible group. Mark Ingersoll, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley, Eric Luzinski, and Kyle Bates, those are the guys that make it all work and I wouldn’t want to race with anyone else.” With the points reset for the Countdown, Coughlin finds himself just 60 markers out of the lead, a deficit of three rounds. Having raced to two final rounds in the regular season, with an impressive average qualifying position of fifth overall, Coughlin has proven he has the pieces in place to make a concerted run for the sport’s ultimate prize.

“Pro Stock is so tight with so many great drivers, literally the best in the world, and it usually comes down to fractions of a second every race,” Coughlin said. “You truly live and die by your mistakes and the winner each weekend is generally the one who limited those missteps we all make.  “You have to seek joy in the struggles and the challenges along the way, learn from them, and then put it all behind you and stay locked on to what’s directly ahead. That’s what it takes to win consistently and I have a great example of how to achieve ultimate success right across my pit with Erica (Enders, teammate and four-time world champion).”

Coughlin also can rely on great local support and recall vivid memories of some of his most successful events. When racing the JEGS.com Top Alcohol Dragster for McPhillips Racing, Coughlin and crew managed to capture back-to-back national event titles at Maple Grove during their championship years of 2018 and 2019. McPhillips Racing is based in nearby Phoenixville, Pa. “Those few years with McPhillips Racing were awesome and those guys have continued their legacy with Jasmine Salinas,” Coughlin said. “I’ve definitely kept an eye on them and hope to spend time with my old crew this weekend. But my main focus is on rewarding my Elite teammates with a win. It needs to happen.”

September 8, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team are hoping to rebound from a disappointing run in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway by posting a good finish in Saturday night’s Salute to American Heroes 400 at Richmond Raceway.

The event, which will be run on the 20^th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, will honor the first responders and other heroes of that fateful day.

While the day – and the race – likely will have a somber feel, DiBenedetto and the Menards/Dutch Boy team will be working hard to turn in a performance that will live up to the name of the race.

Throughout his Cup career, DiBenedetto has had some of his best runs on the shorter tracks such as the three-quarter-mile oval at Richmond.

It was there back in April that he got the first of his seven top-10 finishes this season.

“Short tracks are ones we look forward to most,” DiBenedetto said. “You’ve got to be easy on the throttle and on the tires.”

He’s also hoping to regain the momentum he’s had in recent weeks. In the past eight races, he’s had six finishes of 11^th or better followed by a strong run at Daytona that ended with a crash while battling for the lead in the closing laps. The only disappointment was a 23^rd-place finish at Darlington Sunday night.
 
“We have been on a good roll as a team and just have to shake off Darlington,” he said.

DiBenedetto will line up 28th for Saturday night’s 400-lapper as the starting positions are based on results from the most recent race, with the 16 Playoff drivers starting up front.

The green flag is set to fly just after 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with Stage breaks at Laps 80 and 235. 

NBCSN will carry the live TV broadcast.
 

Can anyone match Ryan Phelps’ 2009 record of back-to-back Weedsport wins during the Cavalcade Cup on Sept. 11-12?

WEEDSPORT, NY – The long-awaited Cavalcade Cup weekend (Saturday to Sunday, Sept. 11-12) is set to thrill fans at the historic 3/8-mile premier dirt track – Weedsport Speedway. With two Super DIRTcar Series Features (60 and 100 laps), four divisions, and a track designed for exciting racing, the inaugural Cavalcade Cup is primed to be a can’t-miss event. 

While the Super DIRTcar Series season is winding down, the big shows are winding up. The doubleheader weekend at Weedsport presents the chance for one driver to walk away with more than $17,000 in winnings between the two days and one chance at a guaranteed NAPA Super DIRT Week starting spot.

It’s also a chance for drivers to catapult up the points standings with full points being awarded both nights. Drivers and teams have to come in knowing the competition will be at an all-time high in the Super DIRTcar Series. A few tenths in Time Trials can put top and mid-level teams into catch-up mode as they have to work hard to make the show. 

Tickets and camping are available here. 

BEST OF THE NORTHEAST IN ONE PLACE

The last four Super DIRTcar Series events at Weedsport Speedway have delivered four different winners. NASCAR Truck Series-star Stewart Friesen claimed his third career Weedsport Speedway victory with the Series in July at the Hall of Fame 100. Earlier in the year, 2019 Series champion Mat Williamson claimed his sole win of the year at the track.

Rising star Max McLaughlin picked up an emotional first career win at Weedsport Speedway last year during the DIRTcar OktoberFAST event. And seven-time Series champion Matt Sheppard snagged back-to-back victories at the track in 2019. In total, the current Series points lead has seven Series wins at Weedsport.

While they’ll be favorites to win again, other former winners like Erick Rudolph, Weedsport Speedway promoter Jimmy Phelps and Billy Decker will be in attendance to not only try and make it five different winners in a row but to claim their first win of the season.

Last Five Series Winners at Weedsport Speedway:

July 25, 2021 – Stewart Friesen

May 30, 2021 – Mat Williamson

October 11, 2020 – Max McLaughlin

September 2, 2019 – Matt Sheppard

July 28, 2019 – Matt Sheppard

DOUBLEHEADER

With the event originally announced in 2019 for the 2020 season, the anticipation for the Cavalcade Cup has been building. Back-to-back full-point Super DIRTcar Series races are a rarity on the calendar. Notably, the last time it happened was at Weedsport Speedway in July of 2009.

Both races were won by Ryan Phelps from Fulton, NY in the #99 Big Block Modified – his only two Super DIRTcar Series Feature wins. After coming up short in the 2009 Weedsport Speedway track championship, Phelps said he refocused his efforts on setting up for the Super DIRTcar Series doubleheader and it paid off for a career night. 

Can anyone match Ryan Phelps’ feat?

On Saturday (Sept. 11), the elite drivers of the Northeast will tackle Weedsport in a 60-lap Feature and a grand prize of $7,500. The next day (Sunday, Sept. 12), it’s 100 laps around Weedsport and $10,000 for the first Big Block across the line. The big check also comes with a guaranteed start in the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at Oswego Speedway during the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week (Sunday, Oct. 10).

POINTS PICTURE

With the conclusion of the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship, full-time Series drivers’ bonus points have been awarded. Those drivers received 100 points for each DIRTcar Racing event they competed in outside of Super DIRTcar Series races with a maximum of 1,200 points. 

Seven-time Super DIRTcar Series champion Matt Sheppard is the current points leader with the pride of Brisbane, Australia, Peter Britten, on his heels – 89 points back. 

Heavy-weights Billy Decker and Mat Williamson are tied for third, 104 points back from Sheppard. Mike Mahaney and Max McLaughlin aren’t far behind either in fifth (-127) and sixth place (-137), respectively. 

NAPA SUPER DIRT WEEK QUALIFIER

Stewart Friesen, Demetrios Drellos, Tim Fuller, Matt Sheppard, Max McLaughlin, Chris Hile, and Andy Bachetti have all secured their guaranteed start for the Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at NAPA Super DIRT Week (Oct. 6-10). Sunday’s Feature at Weedsport pays $10,000 to the winner and also awards a guaranteed starting position at Oswego Speedway. It’s one of only four chances remaining for drivers to secure the prestigious starting spot in the historic $50,000-to-win, 200-lap race.

STRONG SUPPORT

Joining the Super DIRTcar Series for the Saturday portion of the Cavalcade Cup is the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series, which will be contesting their third race of the season for $1,000-to-win. Josh Coonradt took the first DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Feature of the year at Glen Ridge Motorsports Park on August 29. The night before the Cavalcade Cup (Friday, Sept 10), the Pro Stock Series will be at Can-Am Speedway.

Saturday’s bill also includes a $1,000-to-win DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Feature. The Sportsman will join the Super DIRTcar Series on Sunday, as well, along with the Empire Super Sprints.

HOW TO WATCH

If you can’t make it to the track, don’t forget to watch live on DIRTvision with either the Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month. Download the app today. 

 On The Internet

Twitter – @SuperDIRTcar

Instagram – @SuperDIRTcar

Facebook – Facebook.com/SuperDIRTcarSeries

YouTube – Youtube.com/DIRTCarRacing

DIRTVision – DIRTVision.tv – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around The Turn: The Super DIRTcar Series will return to Land of Legends Raceway for the third annual Gerald Haers Memorial on Saturday, Sept. 18. It’s a $10,000-to-win, 100-lap Feature with a NAPA Super DIRT Week guaranteed start, plus thousands of dollars in bonus award

Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Sept. 7, 2021) – Momentum is clearly on Dominic Scelzi’s side as he closes in on his first career King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series championship.

Scelzi earned another win and two more podiums last weekend during the Louie Vermeil Classic doubleheader at Silver Dollar Speedway to increase his lead in the championship standings thanks to eight podiums in a row with the series.

“We’re running really well and focusing on winning races the rest of this season,” he said. “I think that’s paying off. We were really good in Chico last weekend.”

Scelzi qualified 12^th quickest last Saturday before he won a heat race after lining up on the outside of the front row. He continued to take advantage of track position the remainder of the night, winning the dash from second and the main event from the pole.

“The first night we didn’t qualify great, but we won the heat race and that lined us up on the outside of the front row of the dash,” he said. “We were able to win the dash to start on the pole for the feature. The track was right around the bottom. We were able to get the lead on the start and ride off into the sunset.”

Scelzi led the distance to score his fifth series victory of the season and 18^th overall win in 2021.

Sunday’s weekend finale began with Scelzi timing in ninth quickest overall. He again won a heat race, but this time narrowly missed out on making the dash. That started him on the inside of the fourth row for the main event.

“To be honest I felt really good,” he said. “The track was slick and wide. We got to fourth pretty quick and then got into third. We had passed both (Justin) Sanders and (Kyle) Hirst for second, but a yellow negated a pass on Sanders. We got racing with Kyle and he got back by us. I felt we were every bit as good as first and second, but we ended up settling for third.”

Scelzi’s third-place result was his 39^th top five of the season.

The team plans to race four times at Silver Dollar Speedway this week. It begins on Wednesday with 360ci sprint car competition prior to World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series action on Friday and Saturday during the Gold Cup Race of Champions. Scelzi will also be in action in his 360 sprint car on Saturday.

QUICK RESULTS –

Sept. 4 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 1 (1).

Sept. 5 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 1 (2); Feature: 3 (7).

SEASON STATS –

50 races, 18 wins, 39 top fives, 44 top 10s, 47 top 15s, 47 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., for the Gold Cup Race of Champions with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

The Gray Court, SC driver finished second to Brandon Overton at the 26th Dirt Late Model Dream in JuneROSSBURG, OH – September 7, 2021 – From the wisdom of experience, it’s been said, “the best view comes after the hardest climb.”For Chris Madden, that view is standing on the iconic Eldora Speedway stage, raising a globe into the air after winning the World 100. “Smokey” has never won a Crown Jewel at the Rossburg, OH oval, but he’s been close on a few occasions.  One of those was in June when he finished second to Brandon Overton in the 26th Dirt Late Model Dream. The Gray Court, SC driver was close enough to taste victory, leading with 16 laps to go before Overton snuck by for the win.  Madden is confident he’ll have another shot to win when he takes on the best in Dirt Late Model drivers in DIRTcar competition this weekend. “I feel like I left [The Dream] on a good note,” Madden said. “Hopefully, I can go back and get a little bit better than I was, and maybe we can pick us up a couple of wins.”  Another reason for Madden’s confidence is Eldora is his favorite track. Even though Victory Lane has eluded him, he’s confident all he needs is for the cards to fall his way.  “It just hasn’t happened yet, I feel like I’ve had a car multiple times to get it done, and it just hasn’t happened yet,” Madden said. “Hopefully it comes; I don’t know how many years that I’ll continue to do this, so hopefully I’ll get one before I decide to retire.  “If we don’t, I’ve had a lot of success there; had a lot of good times there. It’s my favorite place, and I guess it would be a disappointment to me if I did not get one.” Drivers will compete in four nights of racing at Eldora for the second time in 2021. While teams will be thrashing to get their cars ready for the first green flag, Madden believes there’s a silver lining if things don’t go well the first night.  “The good thing about it is you’ve got another chance if something happens the first set of nights,” Madden said. “Obviously, you’ve got another opportunity before the week’s out.” While winning one of the Worlds would satisfy Madden, there’s always the chance he could achieve both. “Smokey” was amazed by Overton’s sweep of the Dirt Late Model Dreams and knows it’s possible to sweep the Worlds. “I never would’ve thought I’d seen what I seen last time I was there. I never thought I’d see anyone do what Overton done,” Madden said. “It’s pretty amazing for someone to be able to do that in one week. We’ve had people that have won them back-to-back, but that Overton really done something that was amazing. “I’d love to be the next guy to do it but it’s hard to do. But obviously it can be done because [Overton] done it.” Madden hopes to add a “Globe” to his accolades, and at least $50,000 to his bank account if he can complete his most significant challenge at “The House that Earl Built.”  If he can climb the mountain that’s eluded him, it’s a view he’ll never forget, watching fire burst from the stage with the World in his hands at Eldora. For exclusive coverage throughout the week of the World 100 (Sept. 8-11) at Eldora Speedway, make sure to follow DIRTcar’s Twitter and Facebook pages.

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

Corvette Racing drivers Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor, teammates in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R and points leaders in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Tuesday ahead of this weekend’s race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna. TRANSCRIPT:
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.RYOU’VE WON THREE TIMES IN YOUR CAREER AT LAGUNA SECA. IS THERE SOMETHING ABOUT THE TRACK THAT SPEAK TO YOU? IS IT LUCK OR IS THERE SOMETHING ELSE?“I wouldn’t say it was luck. You never know at Laguna. There are always a lot of different strategies in play. It’s usually a two- or three-stop race. Lately it has been more of a three-stop one. With those, you always need to fight those gambling with two stops. We’ve won a few races there but we also lost a few with cars and people who we didn’t expect to get to the end and they ended up managing to make the strategy work. There is a fine line. Tire degradation is the main thing. As soon as there is a yellow, everything starts again and you better have a good tire. Otherwise you are going to be end up being very vulnerable. Let’s see what this weekend goes. Hopefully we are on the good strategy.”
WHAT HAVE BEEN THINGS LIKE FOR YOU SINCE THE LAST IMSA RACE AT ROAD AMERICA?“It’s been very busy. Right after Road America, we had two or three days off and then we were off again to Le Mans. Being European, I was a little luckier than the American guys so I could stay here (in Spain) until the Friday morning before the Test Day. So that saved me a couple of days. Le Mans was very tiring as always. Last week I was at the simulator with Jordan, so the work is still on. You need to keep focusing. There was a ton of data to analyze and some correlation to be done after Le Mans. You better have all the information you can after a big race like that. I spent a few days there and then came back here for some family time. Time flies by when you are with your kids, for sure.”
HOW RELIABLE HAS THE CHEVROLET SIMULATOR BEEN FOR YOU ON THE CORVETTE SIDE WHEN THE CAR GETS ON THE TRACK?“A lot. The C8.R is the answer for that. We’ve been working on the simulator with the C8.R for two to three years in advance before it was on the track for the first time. That helped a lot. It’s true that you need to trust all the data you are getting from the wind tunnel and all your simulations. Our simulator seems to be very good on correlation. We also have Michelin helping us develop a very, very good tire model which is one of the most important things we need to have. So it has worked very well for us on the C8.R. Every time we had a bad race – even though there was no time to go on track – we had time to recover and fix things that didn’t work. Most of the time, the car is really good out of the box at the track. You end up doing a few tweaks and very small setup changes. It’s been very, very good.” 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.RWHAT ABOUT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA MAKES IT SPECIAL TO A LOT OF PEOPLE?“To us, it’s a classic sports car track in North America. It’s known around the world for the Corkscrew but anyone who goes there – for our weekend in particular – who is a hard-core sports car fan knows it because of the history of the sport. There’s a lot of history there. A lot of famous guys raced really cool cars back in the day in sports cars. I was able to go there a couple of years for one of the Reunions and drive an old Corvette around the track. You definitely feel a lot of history when you go there. It’s a cool part of the country… lots of great restaurants in the area, you’ve got the town of Monterey. The track itself is built into the hillside there. We enjoy it. The track is challenging. It’s more slippery than you’d expect. It degrades the tire pretty quickly, so it makes the whole weekend pretty tricky to understand what the car needs to be competitive. You can have one car for qualifying that will be fast but you need a completely different animal for the race itself. There always seems to be some sort of compromise, but that’s what makes it enjoyable is to have that challenge.”
WHEN YOU EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE THE SUBJECT OF ADHENSION AND GRIP AND THEN HAVING NONE AT LAGUNA, HOW DO YOU GET THAT TO RELATE TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T DRIVE?“That’s a tricky question to explain. When you go to a place like Watkins Glen or Road Atlanta, the grip level is high so to find the threshold and limit of the car and the tire, you need to push the car a lot and trust that the grip will be there. When you go Laguna Seca, I wouldn’t say it’s like driving on ice – it’s not that slippery – but the limit comes so fast. You find the limit of the tire, the grip and the car extremely quickly. You’re driving almost like a knife-edge. You try to stay under the grip of the tire and not trying to slide it. The grip level is so low that it’s easy to go past it. I’d say a way to explain it is that you’re very on edge the whole time to stay below that limit and hurt the tire and laptime. If you can save that from the beginning of a stint, it will be pay huge dividends at the end of it.”
HOW DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR AGGRESSION LEVEL, EITHER WHEN YOU’RE PUSHING ANOTHER DRIVER OR PUSHING AGAINST YOURSELF?“It’s really tricky. It takes some experience and maturity not to get caught up in things, especially in GTLM. Our stint length is really long. I came from being in prototypes where our stints were getting shorter and shorter to like 35- or 40-minute stints. At that point with tire degradation, you can still push pretty hard and maybe you’ll suffer for the last 10 minutes. In GTLM, our stints can be close to an hour in length so you can suffer for 30 minutes. The amount of patience you have to have with the way you are driving, attacking and fighting people and to get through traffic… you have to be a lot more careful and mindful of what you’re doing. Every time you slip the tire a little bit, you kind of remind yourself that maybe you went a little too hard there. You have to reset and think more about the bigger picture.”
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE C8.R AT LAGUNA LAST YEAR THAT CAN BE HELPFUL THIS YEAR?“The biggest thing when we go there is understanding how the tire works and tire compound. I think last year we split strategies between the 3 and 4 car because we have such limited track time. You don’t have much time to test and understand what you need to do in the race itself. Splitting the strategies last year should help us this year to understand where the strengths and weaknesses were between those two strategies and tire options. It’s another thing we were working on last week in the simulator to understand where we want to be and understand the different temperature ranges on the track this week. We learned a lot Last year was the first time the car was on a very low-grip surface. It’s unique in that fashion and we learned some important lessons last year.”
YOU WERE ON THE DALE JR. DOWNLOAD LAST WEEK. TALK ABOUT THAT EXPERIENCE.“It was a lot of fun. Doing the Dale Sr. helmet was special and taking that to Le Mans this year was a big deal. Dale and I have spoken a bit over the years and texted every now and then, and with him coming to cover the Rolex 24 the last couple of years we formed a small relationship to bounce things off each other. I’d tried to get on the podcast for the last couple of years but timing-wise things never lined up. Now with the Dale Sr. helmet and I was up there last week with Antonio for the simulator, schedules lined up pretty well and it was an awesome experience. I never spent a lot of time with Dale Jr., but it was really cool to talk to him even if it was just sharing stories and hear some of his stories with his dad… reminiscing of their experience at the Rolex 24 and some unique stories from that event were pretty funny. To see the personal side of him and getting to know him as a person… I think we realized we are pretty similar guys – we’re pretty shy and reserved but in certain situations and with certain people, we are pretty comfortable and can open up a lot. I definitely had a good time. It was really cool to see the fan response and the support from everyone. I think it opened a lot of eyes from the NASCAR world to the IMSA world, so I think it’s good to have that cross-over. It would be good to have those types of events.”

September 7, 2021

• Awareness initiative set to inform and promote resources in support of mental health
• September is National Suicide Prevention Month; September 10 is World Suicide Prevention Day
• Diecast model will contribute to fundraising efforts

The No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang is collaborating with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for a unique paint scheme at the Las Vegas race on Sept. 26. The awareness initiative is intended to facilitate conversations among friends and loved ones regarding mental health. This includes sharing that free and confidential resources are available at any time by calling the Lifeline number, 1-800-273-8255, which will be printed on the car’s hood for the race.

The importance of mental health in the United States, including the motorsports community, has become increasingly apparent in recent years, especially in the last 18 months amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing organization has felt the impact of individuals faced with mental crises, which in some instances has resulted in suicide.

“Mental health is equally as important as physical health, which is why the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team and Wood Brothers Racing have decided to raise awareness for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and its services,” said Jon Orth, Marketing Manager for Ford Customer Service Division (FCSD). “Personally, I lost a close friend to suicide earlier this year, and the more I think and talk about it, the more I wish I could have identified warning signs. Motorcraft and Wood Brothers Racing are working together to use our platform in NASCAR to educate the public with existing resources available to respond to family and friends who may be confronted with mental health concerns.”

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline seeks to reach and serve all people in the United States who could be at risk of suicide, and one of the ways the organization does this is by spreading the word about actions we can all take to prevent suicide. The Lifeline and its network of over 180 crisis centers across the country are working to change the conversation from suicide to suicide prevention, and to promote healing, help and hope. 

“Our family is proud to support the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline because we feel strongly about the importance of addressing mental health,” said Eddie Wood, co-owner of Wood Brothers Racing. “We have a duty to our family, friends and colleagues to ask, ‘how are you doing today?’ Then we have to really listen and respond to the answer.”

The campaign #BeThe1To empowers individuals to use five steps, if and when they are concerned about a loved one. The five steps are: 

• Ask: Studies show that asking at-risk individuals if they are suicidal does not increase suicides or suicidal thoughts. In fact, studies suggest the opposite: findings suggest acknowledging and talking about suicide may in fact reduce rather than increase suicidal ideation.
• Be There: This could mean being physically present for someone, speaking with them on the phone when you can, or any other way that shows support for the person at risk.
• Keep Them Safe: After the “Ask” step, and you’ve determined suicide is indeed being talked about, it’s important to find out a few things to establish immediate safety.
• Help Them Connect: Helping someone with thoughts of suicide connect with ongoing supports (like the Lifeline, 1-800-273-8255) can help them establish a safety net for those moments they find themselves in a crisis. Additional components of a safety net might be connecting them with supports and resources in their communities.
• Follow Up: After your initial contact with a person experiencing thoughts of suicide, and after you’ve connected them with the immediate support systems they need, make sure to follow-up with them to see how they’re doing. Leave a message, send a text, or give them a call.

“It’s an honor not only to be driving this racecar and paint scheme, but also to be a part of something so much bigger than just the race,” said Matt DiBenedetto, driver of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang. “I have people very close to me who have struggled with mental health and loved ones who have contemplated taking their own lives. My faith has shown me the beauty of life and I am so excited to partner with Motorcraft/Quick Lane and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for an incredible cause that’s close to our hearts.”
 
Wood Brothers Racing will be offering a signed diecast of this paint scheme. For each diecast purchased from woodbrothersracing.com, 20% of the net proceeds will be donated to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 

“For every person who dies by suicide annually, there are another 316 people who have thought seriously about suicide who don’t kill themselves. These stories remind us that help, hope, and healing are happening every day,” said Dr. John Draper, Executive Director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. “We’re grateful to be working with Ford, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Racing and Wood Brothers Racing to highlight the resources that are available if you or a loved one are struggling.”

· Twenty-third consecutive appearance in Monterey for Corvette Racing· Team’s first race in IMSA since runner-up finish at 24 Hours of Le Mans· Track saw program clinch GT Le Mans Drivers, Team titles in 2020· GTLM points leaders Garcia, Taylor part of 12:30p ET Zoom today

DETROIT (Sept. 7, 2021) – After a strong showing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Corvette Racing is back in the U.S. and returns to its quest of a second straight GT Le Mans (GTLM) title as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship starts its West Coast swing this weekend. Picturesque WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., is the site of the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship and the second race at the circuit for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Sunday’s race is the seventh of 10 points-paying events for Corvette Racing, which is coming off second- and sixth-place finishes in the GTE Pro class at Le Mans. Laguna Seca has been a fixture on Corvette Racing’s calendar since the program’s first year of competition. It’s one of two tracks at which the team will have competed in each of its 23 years to date. The other is Sebring, and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will be the third with the season-ending Petit Le Mans.

The Corvette C8.R raced at Laguna Seca during its 2020 debut season with Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finishing second. The result was enough to clinch the GTLM Drivers championship and the Team title for the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. Chevrolet went on to claim the Manufacturers title. Garcia and Taylor return to Monterey again leading the GTLM points standings on the back of four wins including the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona.

No. 3 Corvette Media Zoom No. 3 Corvette C8.R teammates Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will participate in a Zoom Q&A for media at 12:30 p.m. ET today (Sept. 7).  Join the Zoom MeetingMeeting ID: 858 7173 5383Passcode: 422202

They also were second at Le Mans in the first race there for the C8.R. Garcia has three wins at Laguna Seca and Taylor two. Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy, teaming in the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette, look to close the gap on their teammates in the GTLM standings. They teamed for a victory at Detroit and the Rolex 24 qualifying race, and added runner-up finishes at Daytona, the Watkins Glen sprint round and Lime Rock Park. Milner, a past Laguna Seca winner, has set the fastest GTLM race lap the last two years in Monterey while Tandy was third in GTLM a year ago. Corvette Racing will contest the Hyundai Monterey SportsCar Championship on Sept. 10-12 from WeatherTech Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif. Live television coverage will air at 4 p.m. ET on Sept. 10 with live streaming coverage on TrackPass and NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio will be available on IMSA.com, Sirius 219, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “As we have seen everywhere we’ve gone, the C8.R has been an upgrade in every single aspect compared to C7. I could feel that also at Laguna Seca last year. I felt like we were more competitive there than over past years. This year will be different again because we have a year’s worth of development. I’m looking forward to getting back there. I like the area, I like the track and everything about the event. Maybe we can give the C8.R its first victory there.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Laguna Seca is such a unique track and is always a tricky one to get right. The surface is very slippery which usually leads to pretty high tire degradation throughout the race. Last year was obviously great. Going there and clinching the championship. This year we have the same goal, going there to execute as well as we can all weekend. We’re in a good spot in the championship, but we’re going there to win the race.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Laguna Seca is definitely one of the most challenging tracks we go to. It’s not just about its layout but also the track surface and weather conditions. It’s a place that seems like all the tire data that we learn all throughout the year doesn’t apply for whatever reason. It’s a tricky one for sure for that reason with very low grip and traffic. I feel like we are always used to high-grip surfaces and then going there, it’s quite a bit different with high degradation. Having been there already once with the C8.R, we’ll have some knowledge and data to go off of.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m very keen for a victory at Laguna Seca. For one, Tommy and I have been so close to winning races. We just need one or two things to go our way on the No. 4 Corvette side. Second, Laguna Seca is one of the few tracks in IMSA where I haven’t won a race. It would be nice to check off both those boxes and end the season strong. It’s never easy at this track and will require a lot of work and study to get us in optimum shape going into the race. If we can keep controlling the things we can at Laguna Seca then I think we will have an excellent weekend.”

2021 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM (After Six of 10 Events)Driver Standings1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,2072. Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1,9933. Cooper MacNeil – 1,9844. Matt Campbell – 1,3725. Augusto Farfus/Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 1001 Team Standings1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,2072. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 1,9933. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 1,9844. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 1,0015. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 966 Manufacturer Standings1. Chevrolet – 2,2302. Porsche – 2,1083. BMW – 1,0524. Ferrari – 330 CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 23 years at Laguna Seca: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 22 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2020).• 7: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004.• 10: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing for the current driving lineup – Oliver Gavin (four), Antonio Garcia (three) and Tommy Milner (two) and Jordan Taylor (one).• 11: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition.• 12: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, seven went on to win at Monterey.• 13: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 26: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.• 117: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 109 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 246: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 12,795.65: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 5,800 laps… or more than 750 trips around Carmel’s famous 17-Mile Drive.• 330,467.26: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles. Simply put, the program has raced to the moon and back… and then some. Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (wins in bold)1999No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS 2000No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Justin Bell/Kelly Collins – 4th in GTS 2001No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS 2002No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS 2003No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS 2004No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS (O’Connell fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Beretta pole) 2005No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2006No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap) 2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 10th in GT2 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 6th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM (Gavin pole) 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2020No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap)

Overton, Sheppard, Bloomquist + Hoffman, Larson and more saddle up for Late Model racing’s biggest stage ROSSBURG, OH – Sept. 6, 2021 – For the first time in its 51-year history, the biggest Dirt Late Model race in the world will be run twice in the same week. The 51st and 50th editions of the World 100 are finally here. It’s been since September of 2019 the last time the DIRTcar Late Models graced the hallowed grounds of Eldora Speedway for the most prestigious race on the calendar. The global pandemic postponed the 50th World 100 last September to this Fri-Sat night, Sept. 10-11, where a $53,000 check will be awarded to Saturday’s 100-lap Feature winner. The 51st World 100 will precede the 50th on Wed-Thu night, Sept. 8-9; $54,000 goes to the Feature winner on Thursday night. Thursday and Saturday’s starting lineups will once again be decided via Eldora’s unique Every Lap Matters format, which awards drivers points for their finishes in each event from Qualifying to the Feature during Wednesday and Friday’s preliminary nights. WORLD 100 TICKETS If you can’t be at the track, be sure to follow DIRTcar Racing on social media for live updates throughout the week. FACEBOOKTWITTERINSTAGRAM Here are the drivers to watch and the storylines to follow this week… DREAM TEAM – Brandon Overton and the Wells Motorsports crew did the unthinkable this past June, winning all four Dirt Late Model Dream Features they started for a collective total of $273,000 in prize money. This time, they’re back – not just for the money, but for an equally large amount of prestige and a tall globe trophy. Or two. This will be the 30-year-old Georgian’s best chance to capture his first career World 100 title, after only three previous starts in the event. He’s won 22 times in 62 starts this year, or slightly better than one out of every three races. Overton’s still riding a high wave, having beat the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Seriesregulars for $40,000 this past Thursday night at Cherokee Speedway, and will look to make that $13-14,000 more this week. DEFENDER OF WORLDS – Jonathan Davenport has won the previous two fall marquee events at The Big E, capturing the 2019 World 100 and last year’s replacement event, the Intercontinental Classic. The 2019 globe matches the other two he previously collected in 2015 and 2017. Davenport’s been just as dangerous in marquee events this season, capturing the Wild West Shootout finale in January, a $50,000 check for first place at the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway in March, and most recently another $50,000 for his second career USA Nationals title at Cedar Lake Speedway last month. ALIENS HAVE LANDED – Four-time World 100 winner Scott Bloomquist and two-time DIRTcar UMP Modified national champion Nick Hoffman have joined forces to go for the globes. Bloomquist, Eldora’s winningest driver in crown jewel races from Mooresburg, TN, has recovered from injury complications he suffered in July and will climb back behind the wheel of his Hotrod Septic Treatment #0SB alongside Hoffman – the driver Bloomquist’s team tapped to fill-in for him during recovery. Hoffman, of Mooresville, NC, has shown plenty of strength during his time behind the wheel of the Drydene #0NH, posting four top-five finishes against national-touring fields in 11 starts since late July. He last drove a Team Zero Race Car for the Hatchers Auto Sales team to all four Features he entered at the Dream in June and will look to repeat that success this week. ONE SHOT – With his NASCAR obligations on Saturday, Kyle Larson is projected to compete in just the 51st World 100 this Wednesday and Thursday. Larson, of Elk Grove, CA, posted finishes of 13th and sixth in both Dream Features in June and has since gone on to one memorable summer at the controls of the K&L Rumley Enterprises #6. He first won the 31st Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway and again with the World of Outlaws at Ohio’s Sharon Speedway just a few weeks later. Now armed with some Late Model experience at the half-mile, Larson returns among the favorites to win at least once over the week. BALTES CLASSIC WINNER – Spencer Hughes, of Meridian, MS, won Eldora’s Earl Baltes Classic Sunday night, giving the PCC Motorsports team some much-needed momentum heading into the biggest race week of the year. He qualified for the 26th Dream in June, showing his ability to wheel against the national-touring stars in the big moments. Now with some experience and a win at The Big E, Hughes looks to make his first career World 100 start this week. LEADING THE FLOCK – Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, comes into the biggest race week of his long schedule as the current World of Outlaws points leader and with a heap of momentum, stringing from four victories in his last 10 starts. While Sheppard scored car owner Mark Richards’ first-ever Eldora crown jewel win in the 2019 Dream, he’s yet to win a World 100. After a top-five in the 27th Dream and a DNF in the 26th, Sheppard and the Rocket Chassis house car team will be back with vengeance this week. TERBO RETURNS – Tyler Erb, of New Waverly, TX, has been cleared of his suspension from World of Outlaws & DIRTcar Racing events and is set to return to crown jewel action at Eldora for the first time since the 2019 World 100. Terbo placed 10th in his first DIRTcar race back in Sunday’s Baltes Classic. He’ll go for his third career World 100 start this week, trying to top the stellar third-place showing he had in 2018.

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

September 6, 2021

A seven-race stretch of strong runs came to an end Sunday night for Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team as they struggled to a 23^rd-place finish in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

DiBenedetto started the 500-miler at NASCAR’s original superspeedway from 30^th place, the line-up having been set based on results from Daytona the week before. At Daytona, DiBenedetto was involved in a crash while racing for the lead in the closing laps.

On Sunday night, driving a throwback paint scheme honoring the 20^th anniversary of the Wood Brothers pairing with sponsor Motorcraft, DiBenedetto worked his way halfway to the front by the 42^nd of 367 laps.

But he was unable to sustain the forward progress, in large part due to a loose-handling condition. He fell off the lead lap just past the 100-lap mark and ended the first Stage in 26^th place, one lap behind the leaders.

He finished the second Stage in 24^th place, as crew chief Jonathan Hassler used each pit stop to address the handling issues on the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang.
 
The team was able to correct the loose-handling condition, but was soon dealing with a tight-handling car.
 
At times, DiBenedetto was able to get in position to claim the free pass and rejoin the lead lap, but for the most part, the caution flags didn’t fly in his favor and he wound up 23^rd at the finish, two laps in arrears.
 
“We struggled all night,” Eddie Wood said.
 
“We were hoping for a better run to celebrate 20 years with Motorcraft/Quick Lane, but it wasn’t to be. Motorcraft and Ford Motor Company have been really great to us for  many years, and we thank them for that.”
 
The Wood Brothers and DiBenedetto now turn their attention to Richmond Raceway and next Saturday night’s Salute to American Heroes 400.
 

Clean Sweep for JJR #41 – QuickTime, Heat Win, Dash Win, Feature Win

ALGER, WA – September 5, 2021 – Carson Macedo considered himself a “mediocre” contender through the first two nights of the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals; then the big money rolled around on Sunday night and he became a “brand new man” as he said.

He led 36 of 40 laps and completely swept the night by earning Slick Woody’s QuickTime, a Team Drydene Heat win, the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash win, and his eighth NOS Energy Drink Feature win of the season.

Cashing in for $25,000, Sunday’s score is the richest of Macedo’s 14 career World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series wins. The Jason Johnson Racing #41 visited victory lane in Steve Beitler’s final night as the promoter at Skagit Speedway, a fitting end for a man who employed Jason in his younger years.

In a non-stop, 40-lapper that took just over ten minutes to complete, fans were treated to an intense cat-and-mouse chase through thick lap traffic. Officially, two lead changes will go in the record books, but there was drama was waiting around every single corner at the 3/10-mile bullring.

At one point, four cars were under a blanket in contention for the lead. Most notably, Logan Schuchart slid by to lead Lap 19, and James McFadden challenged in the late going, but neither could keep Macedo down for long.

“I think I just knew what I needed to do tonight,” Macedo mentioned. “That was the most aggressive, yet smartest I think I’ve ever driven and that’s what I needed. I’ve lost some races lately because of lap traffic and making the wrong decisions while leading. When Logan got by, I knew I needed to kick it up a notch and drive harder. I was passing multiple lappers at a time, so I knew I was getting good. I’m getting better at reading the traffic and letting them show where to go.”

“I really didn’t feel comfortable the first two nights here, but Philip [Dietz] made some huge adjustments,” Macedo added. “We made a lot of gains from Friday to Sunday. It’s cool to win here at a track that Jason raced so much with ASCS. I’m pumped to bring this momentum back to California. I’ve missed racing there with the Outlaws.”

Following Monday’s stop at Garys Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA, The Greatest Show on Dirt will return to Macedo’s home state for the first time in two years. The Lemoore native looks to hone that momentum and start a hot streak as the Series returns to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, the site of his first and second career wins.

Friday’s winner James McFadden offered a late charge in the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9, but could never find the right timing to truly challenge Macedo. He crossed the stripe behind the #41 by 1.291-seconds, but the Aussie was just happy to have a good time.

“Dude, it’s so wild out there in traffic,” McFadden offered. “Tracks like tonight are why we drive sprint cars. We came on really well at the end, but Carson just did a terrific job. It seemed like every time I’d catch him, he would catch a lapper and I had to balk and hold my run. Another great night at this place, though.”

After leading Laps 19-22, Schuchart slipped backward and ultimately finished in the third spot aboard the Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S. It’s the 99th podium finish of his World of Outlaws career for the Hanover, PA native.

“You just never know how to push your pace in traffic,” Schuchart said. “I wanted to make certain moves, but I just timed them wrong tonight. You have to make the right decisions in the right places at the right times or else you’re lining yourself up to get passed. There are some things I would’ve changed tonight, but that’s why we have tomorrow to bounce back better.”

Championship contenders Brad Sweet and David Gravel closed out the top-five at the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals.

Sweet bumped his points lead to +124 with a fourth-place finish in the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49. Meanwhile, Gravel trailed him by one spot and collected KSE Hard Charger honors with the Big Game Motorsports #2.

Rounding out the top-10 on Sunday night was Sheldon Haudenschild in sixth, Donny Schatz in seventh, Kasey Kahne in eighth, Trey Starks in ninth, and Wayne Johnson in tenth.

UP NEXT (Monday): A two-hour jaunt down I-5 will lead the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, WA for a Labor Day edition of DIRTVision tomorrow night.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (40 Laps): 1. 41-Carson Macedo [1][$25,000]; 2. 9-James McFadden [3][$8,000]; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart [2][$4,000]; 4. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$3,000]; 5. 2-David Gravel [8][$2,500]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [9][$2,300]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [5][$2,200]; 8. 83-Kasey Kahne [6][$2,100]; 9. 55-Trey Starks [11][$2,050]; 10. 2C-Wayne Johnson [7][$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [10][$1,600]; 12. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [12][$1,400]; 13. 24-Rico Abreu [15][$1,200]; 14. 21P-Robbie Price [14][$1,100]; 15. 1A-Jacob Allen [13][$1,050]; 16. 18-Jason Solwold [17][$1,000]; 17. 44W-Austen Wheatley [18][$1,000]; 18. 7S-Jason Sides [16][$1,000]; 19. 18T-Tanner Holmes [22][$1,000]; 20. 99-Malachi Gemmer [19][$1,000]; 21. 22X-Brock Lemley [21][$1,000]; 22. 7-Tyler Thompson [23][$1,000]; 23. 1J-Jack Eckard [24][$1,000]; 24. 75-Brian Boswell [20][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Carson Macedo 1-18, 23-40; Logan Schuchart 19-22. KSE Hard Charger Award: 2-David Gravel[+3]

NEW Championship Standings (64/81 races): 1. Brad Sweet (8,576); 2. David Gravel (-124); 3. Carson Macedo (-168); 4. Donny Schatz (-230); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-254); 6. Logan Schuchart (-324); 7. James McFadden (-720); 8. Kraig Kinser (-1,010); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-1,248); 10. Jacob Allen (-1,514).

to Kick-off NHRA ‘Countdown to the Championship’

• Ron Capps powered his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car from the No. 6 seeded position to a runner-up finish at the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) 67^th annual Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis
• Capps’ final round appearance at the “Big Go” propelled him from a fifth place position in the Funny Car standings at the beginning weekend to close out the regular season as No. 1
• Cruz Pedregon drove his Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 4 qualifying position to his fourth semifinal finish of the year
• Leah Pruett qualified her Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster fourth for Top Fuel eliminations and drove to a quarterfinal appearance
• Pruett also drove her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to the quarterfinal result in Constant Aviation Factory Stock showdown
• Mark Pawuk debuted his 2021 Mopar Drag Pak in Factory Stock Showdown this weekend by recording his career best speed at 177.32 mph in the opening round

Indianapolis, Indiana, Sept. 4, 2021— The National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) cornerstone event and world’s biggest drag-racing competition, held each year at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis and affectionately referred to as the “Big Go,” owes much of its prestige and earned renown to its history and reputation for offering up memorable racing, cutthroat competition, formidable challenges and drama; the 67th annual Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals did not disappoint.

Don Schumacher Racing Funny Car driver Ron Capps powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 6 qualifier position, to a trio of 3.9-second passes to defeat Justin Schriefer, Robert Hight, and Alexis DeJoria, and advanced to only his second final elimination round appearance at the fabled event for the opportunity to vie for the elusive Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals Wally trophy he has chased for 27 years. 

The final set up a duel between Capps and fellow Funny Car veteran Tim Wilkerson in which the DSR HEMI®-powered machine made the first move on its way to laying down another solid sub-four second pass. His opponent, however, was able to match the effort and pull ahead for the win.

While Capps’ runner-up finish at the “Big Go” wasn’t the ending he had hoped for, as a consolation prize the result propelled him from a fifth place position in the Funny Car points standings at the beginning weekend, to close out the NHRA’s regular season in the top spot. The top ten qualifiers for the upcoming seven-event playoff series now see their points reset, and as the No. 1 seed, Capps is rewarded with a 20-point lead to begin the “Countdown to the Championship” at next weekend’s Mopar Express Lane Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at Maple Grove Raceway.

Another positive performance by the Cruz Pedregon Racing team began with the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat qualifying fourth on the strength of the sole qualifying run of the weekend after two Saturday sessions were rained out. Cruz Pedregon, a three-time winner at Indy, drove straight down the lane with a pair of 3.92-second runs to dispatch Terry Haddock and J.R. Todd, and then advanced to his third consecutive semifinal showdown to face-off against the eventual event winner, Wilkerson. 

The third Dodge and Mopar brand-supported Funny Car of Matt Hagan was sidelined for this weekend’s competition. After the defending NHRA world champion driver withdrew from competition after testing positive for COVID-19 and driving duties were entrusted to Tommy Johnson Jr., efforts to qualify the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye entry were thwarted by a mechanical issue and rain, resulting in a DNS (Did not start). As a result, no points were awarded and Hagan slipped from leading the category to starting the playoffs from sixth place in the Funny Car championship standings.

In Top Fuel competition, last year’s runner-up finisher Leah Pruett was looking to take her Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster for another run for the prestigious Indy title. From the fifth spot on the eliminations ladder she began her drive with an opening round win over No. 13 seed Joe Morrison. 

In the quarterfinals, Pruett knew she was up against tricky track conditions in the right lane and made sure she gave herself every advantage. She launched with a near-perfect reaction time, clocking a 0.002-second light, but the track showed no mercy and slowed Pruett’s progress, enabling rival Josh Hart to catch and pass her to score the win. With the result, Pruett clinched the No. 4 spot to start her fourth “Countdown to the Championship” playoff run.

While her participation in Top Fuel was done for the day, Pruett still had another chance to take home a Wally trophy, this time in the Sportsman category. A competitive field of 23 entries hit the staging lanes for the Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) eliminations at the “Big Go” and among them, as the top HEMI®-powered entry, was Pruett who qualified her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak in the No. 12 spot on the basis of her single Friday evening pass at 7.965 seconds/ 166.70 mph after rain washed out any chance of getting in another run on Saturday. Despite the lack of track time, Pruett went into the opening round with the confidence of having earned two runner-up finishes at the last two events at Denver and Topeka. 

Her first pairing was with DSR stablemate and No. 13 qualifier David Davies who was making his U.S. Nationals debut aboard his 20201 D H Davies Racing Mopar Drag Pak. Pruett took the early lead with a quick 0.060-second reaction time to her teammate’s 0.095, and turned on the win lights with a 7.953 second pass at 176.93 mph to edge Davies’ equally solid 7.959 sec./175.89 mph effort. 

That set up a second round battle for Pruett against No. 1 qualifier Joseph Welsh, who had had the advantage of registering a second qualifying run to earn the top seeding before rain ended everyone else’s opportunity to fine tune their car. While Pruett powered her Mopar Drag Pak to another solid and consistent 7.958 sec./176.07 mph run, her opponent took advantage of a quicker start and a 7.831/177.65 pass to end her hopes of advancing any further. 

The third DSR FSS driver Mark Pawuk debuted his brand-new 2021 Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak by recording a blistering career-best 177.32 mph run in the opening round of eliminations with a quick 7.973-second pass. Unfortunately, Pawuk performance was overshadowed by that of No. 3 seed and eventual event title winner Jesse Alexander, who’s 0.025-second reaction time paired with a 7.924 sec./170.36 mph pass ended his day.

The NHRA’s “Countdown to the Championship” seven-event playoff series begins with next weekend’s Mopar Express Lane Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pennsylvania on Sept.12-14, 2021

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES

FUNNY CAR:

Matt Hagan, DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye

(Did Not Start)

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 6 Qualifier – 3.907 seconds at 326.08 mph)

Round 1: (0.053-second reaction time, 3.903 seconds at 325.77 mph) versus No. 11 Justin Schriefer (0.083/6.496/102.64)

Round 2: (0.077/3.952/326.79) defeats No. 3 Robert Hight (0.056/12.125/75.88)

Round 3: (0.091/3.909/327.74) defeats No. 7 Alexis DeJoria (0.077/3.992/323.04)

Round 4: (0.075/3.946/326.63) loss to No. 8 Tim Wilkerson (0.088/3.912/320.36)

“First and foremost, our thoughts are with Matt Hagan and his health is on everyone’s mind here. That’s a great race car with Dickie Venables and Hagan and you expect to go through that Dodge to win a race and a championship. It’s weird not having them in the show today. We have these small goals we set and one of those was to be the regular season points leader. Coming in here there were a lot of drivers with the chance to grab that top spot, it was pretty bunched up and exciting for the fans. Things fell our way today. 

“We had some tough matchups with Robert Hight in the second round and Alexis (DeJoria) in the finals. And Tim Wilkerson in the final round. That final round is exactly why we race on the track and not on paper. I learned a long time ago not to expect a win. I don’t care how good your car is running. Tim is a great example. You don’t know what he’s going to do. We both went up, and talked before the run and we were going to throw down. He outran us. It stings. Hats off to them. They threw down that .91 in a lane nobody thought could run that time. Give them credit.”

Cruz Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.896 seconds at 323.66 mph)

Round 1: (0.080-second reaction time, 3.929 seconds at 323.66 mph) defeats No. 13 Terry Haddock (0.111/13.081/69.63)

Round 2: (0.132/3.920/324.20) defeats No. 5 J.R. Todd (0.059/4.328/224.36)

Round 3: (0.068/8.704/87.34) loss to No. 8 Tim Wilkerson (0.089/3.984/325.37)

“A semifinal finish after qualifying in the fourth position is a great day. We ran a 3.92 in both the first and second round. In the semifinal, the track had warmed up a bit so we ended up spinning the tires against eventual event winner Tim Wilkerson. Overall, we look back at it and think it’s the biggest race of the year and anytime you can get to the final four at an event like this, is really a credit to the team and their hard work. It was one of those races where we were on pace to mow them down and win the whole thing, but the track conditions deteriorated as it got warmer, and that was the end of our event there. 

“As we look ahead and look at the countdown, I congratulated the team, everybody that did a great job to get ourselves into the countdown. We’ll start the playoffs eighth and we’re all going to be positioned with ten points separating each position from second place through the tenth, so it’s just a matter of how you do in these last seven events. We’re excited and optimistic that we’re going to have a car to beat. The Snap-on tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat has been really on a roll lately. The fact that we’ve been in the semis or better in the last three events in a row (with a runner-up finish at Brainerd) really bodes well for our team and our confidence.”

TOP FUEL:

Leah Pruett, DSR Dodge//SRT Redeye Dragster

(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.755 seconds at 322.88 mph)

Round 1: (0.077-second reaction time, 3.933 seconds at 252.37 mph) defeats No. 12 Joe Morrison (0.071/4.331/224.36)

Round 2: (0.002/3.897/318.84) loss to No. Josh Hart (0.057/3.790/325.37)

“The U.S. Nationals is normally the biggest marathon of a race as we usually test right before it, take part in a number of events, and have five qualifying sessions and then race on Monday. It’s been quite the opposite this year. This week we had just one qualifier and everybody got a real green track on race day. It was awesome to get through the first round with a very consistent car even with some issues at the top end powerwise. 

“It’s no secret that the left lane is much more competitive to race on than the right lane, and we knew that going in. I sat in the car for almost fifty-five minutes against Josh Hart, as the Safety Safari did the best job that they could on track prep. This is where my team really comes together. I had a conversation with Neal after forty minutes and after looking at the track, they didn’t think we were going to make it off the line, so when they told me to ‘do whatever you want to do as a driver’, I got excited. This is your time. This is the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals. Usually as a driver you stage really shallow, you try to get the best E.T. that you can, but we wanted to take every advantage that we could. So I took a pretty good chunk out there, thinking I could distract him. I went 0.002 but just didn’t have enough power because we had to back down our HEMI to get down that right lane and it was not enough to get around Josh Hart in that second round.”

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak 

(No. 12 Qualifier – 7.965 seconds at 166.70 mph)

Round 1: (0.060-second reaction time, 7.953 seconds at 176.93 mph) defeats No. 13 David Davies (0.095/7.959/175.89)

Round 2: (0.087/7.958/176.07) loss to No. 1 Joseph Welsh (0.016/7.831/177.65)

“Recently, our Factory Stock Showdown Dodge Drag Pak has performed in the clutch on Sunday’s and making race day very exciting. Today, we just did not have enough against the No. 1 qualifier in the other lane. We put on a good race, but it was a power management situation. Running early in the morning for E1, we were able to find that power and then we had about six hours before the second round. We just weren’t able to turn on the win light. We still have a strong hold in the points standings in the Factory Stock class. We will be testing before out next race at St. Louis and I’m excited about that. We have a good team with Kevin (Helms) and AJ (Berge) and we hope to get back to going rounds in a few weeks.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 22 Qualifier – 13.781 seconds. at 75.07 mph)

Round 1: (0.061-second reaction time, 7.973 seconds at 177.32 mph) loss to No. 3 Jesse Alexandra (0.025/7.924/170.36)

“Unfortunately with not getting down the track in Q1 on Friday and rain all day yesterday, it put us behind the eight ball coming into Sunday. We did make a big improvement. It ran 7.97 at 177 mph, which is the best speed we’ve run in a long time. We’re heading in the right direction with this Empaco Drag Pak. We had a driver error in the first round. I was a little late. We got the new car blues out of the way and we’ll run better at St. Louis.”

David Davies, D H Davies Racing Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 13 Qualifier – 7.969 seconds at 176.79 mph)

Round 1: (0.095-second reaction time, 7.959 seconds at 175.89 mph) loss to No. 12 Leah Pruett (0.060/7.953/176.93 mph)

“We’re obviously excited to be racing on Sunday. Anytime you race a team car and Leah Pruett, that’s a tough draw. We lost by six thou and that’s the right way to lose if you have to lose a race. Losing to a teammate makes it less painful. I’m excited about what we’ve done with the car. We’re starting to get this thing dialed in. We were happy with our runs this weekend with only two laps and we’re looking forward to the last two Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown races at St. Louis and Vegas to get ready for next year.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:

Following the Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 981 (1)

2. John Force – 938 (3)

3. Bob Tasca III – 937 (2)

4. J.R. Todd – 931 (1)

5. Robert Hight – 867 (2)

6. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 865 (2) 

7. Alexis DeJoria – 835

8. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 825 (1)

9. Tim Wilkerson– 801

10. Blake Alexander– 519

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Steve Torrance – 1389 (8)

2. Brittany Force – 978 (1)

3. Antron Brown – 839 (1)

4. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 712 (1)

5. Shawn Langdon – 668 

6. Mike Salinas – 646

7. Justin Ashley – 627 

8. Billy Torrence – 621 (1)

9. Clay Millican – 594

10. Doug Kalitta – 588

FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN

1. Aaron Stanfield –533

2. David Barton –396

3. Jesse Alexandra –372

4. John Cerbone – 342

5. Leah Pruett (2021 Mopar Drag Pak)– 332

6. David Janac – 314

7. Stephen Bell – 307

8. Dan Condon – 235

9. Arthur Kohn – 231

10. Doug Hamp – 230

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION DODGE/SRT NHRA U.S. NATIONALS LUCAS OIL RACEWAY AT INDIANAPOLIS, BROWNSBURG, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY RECAP SEPT. 5, 2021                                                                                                    Chevrolet rolls to impressive weekend at U.S. Nationals * Erica Enders repeats victory, delivers Chevrolet’s 340th Pro Stock win* No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier Brittany Force is runner-up, No. 2 playoff seed* No. 1 qualifier John Force claims No. 2 seed in Funny Car playoffs* Jesse Alexandra wins Factory Stock Showdown in all-COPO Camaro finalBROWNSBURG, Ind. (Sept. 5, 2021) – Four-time National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock champion Erica Enders recalled the first time she raced at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and certainly didn’t want a repeat performance in the Pro Stock final of the U.S. Nationals.“I raced here in 1994 as a 9-year-old at the inaugural Junior Drag Racing League nationals. We went red in the final,” she said. 
Fortunately for the driver of the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, that didn’t occur and the No. 3 qualifier defeated second-year Pro Stock driver Kyle Koretsky on a holeshot to record her third victory of the season and third in the U.S. Nationals.
“This is a dream come true. This track means so much to everybody. This is Indy. It’s so hard to explain to people what it means to us,” said Enders, who delivered Chevrolet’s 340th Pro Stock win since 1970. “My Elite Motorsports/Melling team is bad to the bone and I could not be more proud of them.”
Brittany Force drove the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster to her sixth successive Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier – and eighth in 13 races – on the way to her third runner-up finish of the season. Tony Schumacher in 2005 was the last Top Fuel racer to earn six top qualifiers in a row and owns the record for most No. 1s in a season with 13.
“Wrapped Indy, leaving here No. 2 in points which is a great position to be in and we went to a final round. That’s outstanding for this Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team. We feel confident going into the Countdown to the Championship,” Force said. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day. We didn’t get down there, but our focus now is going into this Countdown and the next seven races.”
John Force, the No. 1 qualifier in the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS, and No. 3 qualifier Robert Hight in the Automotive Club of Southern California Camaro SS, fell in the second round of Funny Car competition.
Force, the top qualifier for the second time in the 13-race regular season, enters the Countdown as the No. 2 seed as he seeks a 17th world championship. He’ll also be the first NHRA driver to reach 2,000 elimination rounds; he has a 1,377-622 record.
“My PEAK Chevy, we couldn’t get it done today but it was fast in qualifying. That right lane was tricky and it got me in trouble,” said Force, who won the U.S. Nationals for the fifth time in 2019.
Enders’ Camaro ran 6.626 seconds to Koretsky’s 6.613 in the Lucas Oil/Nitro Fish Camaro SS, but her .024 of a second reaction time was the difference by about 13 inches. Enders defeated Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Camaro SS, in one semifinal, while Koretsky bested KB Racing teammate Dallas Glenn, who defeated Koretsky in the final at Topeka three weeks earlier. 
Anderson, seeking to tie Warren Johnson’s class record of 97 wins, is the top seed heading into the Countdown. Five different drivers of the Camaro SS have won at least once in 11 regular-season races.
Jesse Alexandra defeated 2020 U.S. Nationals winner Aaron Stanfield in an all-Chevrolet COPO Camaro final to register his first Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown victory. Chevrolet has won five of the six races in the eight-event series.
The Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil on Sept. 10-12 kicks off the Countdown to the Championship. The event at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, was not held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, Brittany Force was the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier and John Force was the Funny Car runner-up. 
FS1 will telecast eliminations live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 12.
An interview with Pro Stock winner ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:WALK US THROUGH YOUR RACE DAY.“Well, I had a really great car all day. We had an outstanding run first round but second round we were a little behind at 60 feet but won. From that point, we steadily worked on the race car to get it to perform. We lost lane choice going into the finals, which we thought was pretty crucial today. I didn’t drive spectacular today; I’d probably give a C minus. My lights were not stellar, but being able to turn on the win light is all that matters. Just being there and taking advantage of the situations, keeping lane choice when it was crucial, especially against Greg Anderson in the semifinals. That was a big round win of the day.”HAVE YOU EVER REALIZED HOW MUCH YOU’VE ACCOMPLISHED? “I step back and look at it but the hunger in me wants more. What’s next? What’s next? My dad reminds me a lot – these are the good old days. Don’t forget what you’re accomplishing by looking too far into the future. Just enjoy the moments. I didn’t have a lot of success until I came to Elite – this is my eighth season with them. We won our first U.S. Nationals together in 2015 and the last three years we’ve been in the finals. We had that heart-breaking loss to our ex-teammate and were able to win back to back. I think this is a great way to kick off the Countdown. We have four in a row and we have to keep it rolling. It’s really humbling to take a step back and realize what we’ve accomplished in such a short time. I’ve been driving Pro Stock for 17 years, but I’ve only had a great car and a great team for eight.”
DOES THIS PUT THE 2019 FINAL IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR?
“I drove better in ’19. Being .00 on the Tree and then having a transmission failure and getting beat was probably the most gut-wrenching, made me physically ill, hardest loss of my career. The only justification at the time was he was my teammate, so at least Elite was in the winner’s circle. That was a tough pill to swallow and one that stuck with me until we got to the next race. Those are the moments that make you better, righty? Coming back in 2020 and getting the win and being able to stick it in the winner’s circle today, I had a good feeling this morning and some days you’re the windshield and some days you’re the bug. Today was one of those races when we had our lucky rounds and we were there when it mattered. I’ve been on the wrong side of the win light a lot, so days like this make up for it.”DOES WINNING INDY MAKE IT EASIER TO WIN INDY?“Before I got my first, someone said as soon as you get your first win the others will follow. It’s something that you have to learn. You have to learn how to be a winner. You have to learn how to perform when the pressure is on. You have to acquire that trait. That’s why driving all those cars that when we showed up I knew we wouldn’t qualify, just battling it out through the sponsorship woes, you do everything you can to get where you’re at. I guess once you win Indy … it’s crazy; it’s our third one and two other finals. It just means a lot. Once you win, you just want more.”
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPIT
TOP FUEL:
BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/ FLAV-R-PAC CHEVROLET DRAGSTER (No. 1 qualifier, runner-up): “Wrapped Indy, leaving here No. 2 in points which is a great position to be in and we went to a final round. That’s outstanding for this Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team. We feel confident going into the Countdown to the Championship. Now that Indy is behind this, all the hard work, everything we’ve learned this year, everything we’ve done, now it’s time to put it to good use and go for this championship. The final round was definitely disappointing. Again, proud to be in that final round and have that No. 1 qualifier coming out of Indy so we can’t hang our heads too low, but it was frustrating. We were right there; we could almost taste it. We had been running in the left lane all weekend long and that right lane was tricky. Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day. We didn’t get down there, but our focus now is going into this Countdown and the next seven races.”
FUNNY CAR:
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTO CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 3 qualifier, fell in quarterfinals): “Definitely not what we wanted. That was disappointing, for sure. Not how this Auto Club team wanted to perform at the U.S. Nationals, but we get to move on, reset points and really begin the battle for another championship next weekend. We’re confident. Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham, they’re looking for some consistency and we felt really good after testing in Brainerd. Luckily, we get four back-to-back races, build some momentum early in the Countdown. We love coming to Indy; it’s kind of a home track for us with our race shop right down the street.”
JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier, fell in quarterfinals): “My PEAK Chevy, we couldn’t get it done today but it was fast in qualifying. That right lane was tricky and it got me in trouble. To see the fans come here and pack it, it looked great. Thank you for making the Camping World Drag Racing Series what it is and to make us drivers who we are. We’re excited to make the Countdown, but winning Indy is like winning a championship.” 
PRO STOCK:
KYLE KORETSKY, KB RACING, LUCAS OIL/NITRO FISH CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 1 qualifier, runner-up): “The crew gave me a great car as usual and driver didn’t do his job. We got some momentum with two runner-up finishes in a row and got some points toward the Countdown. My team did a great job. Erica is a tough competitor and I knew I had to be good on the Tree. I drove good, just not on the Tree. It’s good old Pro Stock racing. This Lucas Oil Chevy Camaro has been on fire all weekend.”
GREG ANDERSON, KB RACING, HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 7 qualifier, fell in semifinal): “I just didn’t have a great weekend. We only got that one qualifier and I had a problem with my engine so we had to change engines for today. It was definitely off starting today and we were gaining on it each run, but we missed on the starting line set-up and spun the tires. I actually drove good but we didn’t make the right calls with the car. You have to have it all together.”
DALLAS GLENN, KB RACING, RAD TORQUE SYSTEMS CAMARO SS (No. 4 qualifier; fell in semifinal): “I think this weekend went really good; we had a good car. I never really made a bad run. I feel like I have a great car going into the Countdown. I feel like we have a lot of momentum. The last two races I have a win and a semifinal.”
MATT HARTFORD, HARTFORD RACING, TOTAL SEAL/CIP1 CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 6 qualifier, fell in quarterfinals): “We were happy to get through first round and now we’re not happy unless we’re qualified deep in the top half and going to the final round. We went to a lot of final rounds in the last couple years. The Total Seal/CIP1 Camaro has been performing and if we can keep the driver on point we have as good a chance as anyone (to win).”
DERIC KRAMER, KRAMER RACING, GET BIOFUELS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 10 qualifier, fell in first round): “It wasn’t the weekend and hasn’t been the season we’ve been looking for, but we did enough to get into the Countdown and that’s what we’re out here for. Hopefully we can turn it around through the Countdown and make up some points on the rest of the field.”