TOPEKA, KS (August 11, 2021) — With three races remaining in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular season Alexis DeJoria and her ROKiT/Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car are riding a wave of momentum after a solid western swing. DeJoria raced to two semifinals and a quarterfinal with a race car that was near the top of the class at every event with low elapsed times and consistent performance. Heading into this weekend’s NHRA Topeka Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park DeJoria and her team are looking to add to their round win totals.

“We have a great race car with this ROKiT/Bandero Tequila Toyota Funny Car,” said DeJoria. “We went a lot of rounds on the western swing and I think we will be able to continue to have success in Topeka this weekend. It will be another hot race and we made some good runs in the heat in Pomona.”

DeJoria is sitting seventh in the Funny Car points but the competition is tight and she is just 66 points out of third place with points and a half available at the U.S. Nationals, Labor Day weekend. The five-time national event winner is hitting tracks where she has had success with wins in Brainerd in 2017 and Indianapolis in 2014. Heartland Motorsports Park has been a challenge in her previous five appearances but the strength of her runs in Pomona on a track that reached temperatures over 140 degrees could assist her this weekend.

“I have a lot of confidence coming off the success we had in Denver and Sonoma with semifinal finishes,” said DeJoria. “In Pomona it was hot and we got down the track with some good runs. That information will be helpful this weekend and I think we can be in a good position for this stretch run of the regular season. I know the fans in Kansas are ready for some drag racing since we didn’t get to race in Topeka last year.”

In her last three appearances at the Topeka Nationals DeJoria qualified in the top half of the field and raced to the quarterfinals in 2016. This season she has started from the top half of the field in nine out of ten races with six of those starts coming from the No. 3 position or higher. DeJoria has advanced to at least the quarterfinals eight times this season.

Qualifying will begin at Heartland Motorsports Park on Friday, August 13, with an evening qualifying session which is sure to produce low elapsed times and high speeds. Two sessions will follow on Saturday with final eliminations beginning Sunday morning at 11 a.m. local time. The race will be broadcast on Fox from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. CDT.

Sheppard returns, Winger full of momentum, Hoffman absent for remainder of tour

HIGHLAND, IL – Aug. 11, 2021 – After two-and-a-half weeks away from competition, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals gets set to enter the home stretch of the 36th annual tour with two makeup races this Fri-Sat night – Highland Speedway on Aug. 13 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 14.

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals will join the Late Models in the weekend swing, ending a two-week break since their most recent appearance in the 31st Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway.

After that, it’s off to Michigan for Championship Week, where both champions will be made official in the season-ending finale at Merritt Speedway on Aug. 21.  

Remaining races

Friday, Aug. 13 | Highland Speedway | Highland, IL

Saturday, Aug. 14 | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | Pevely, MO

Wednesday, Aug. 18 | Butler Motor Speedway | Quincy, MI

Thursday, Aug. 19 | I-96 Speedway | Lake Odessa, MI

Friday, Aug. 20 | Tri-City Motor Speedway | Auburn, MI

Saturday, Aug. 21 | Merritt Speedway | Lake City, MI

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action live on the newly redesigned DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

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

LAKE CUMBERLAND CANCELED – The tours’ debut at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, KY, which was rained out on July 26, has officially been canceled and will not be made up. No suitable reschedule date could be found that works for all parties.

This will make both tours a 29-race season, still tying the record for the most races completed in the 36-year history of the Summer Nationals, which was set in 2010 and tied in 2014. $29,000 is now the highest amount of money the Late Model champion can earn, provided each of the remaining races are completed. Every driver’s finish will be counted toward their overall points total.

DOOR’S WIDE OPEN – After two successful outings with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, Nick Hoffman will continue his duties behind the wheel of the Scott Bloomquist Racing Drydene #0 Late Model for the coming weeks. Thus, the three-time Summit Modified champion will not be in attendance for any of the remaining races on the schedule, capping his season at an incredible 19 wins in 20 starts.

This leaves the door wide open for the entire DIRTcar UMP Modified world to come in and grab a victory before the season’s out on Aug. 21 – six chances in all. Six-time Summit Modified champion Mike Harrison, the only driver to defeat Hoffman on tour this season, is expected to attend both Highland and I-55 and will be a favorite to win at both venues.

Treb Jacoby, of O’Fallon, MO, is the current UMP Modified points leader at I-55 and is also expected to be in attendance this weekend. Jacoby wheeled his Beak Built Chassis #J82 to a runner-up finish on July 3 at Fayette County Speedway, marking his best career finish.

CRUNCH TIME – With only six races remaining, it’s now or never for Tanner English.

English, of Benton, KY, sits 186 points behind leader Bobby Pierce in the chase for the championship, heading into two tracks Pierce knows very well. Historically, Highland and I-55 have been Summer Nationals staples, and Pierce won with the Hell Tour at Highland in 2017.

However, good fortune and blessings have recently come over the English family, as Tanner and wife Mallorie welcomed their first child to the world together on Wednesday. With three top-fives in his last three starts, the good fortune and strong finishes have the potential to combine for one special weekend at the track.

JUST PEACHY – Ashton Winger is making himself look like less and less of a Hell Tour “rookie” every weekend. The 21-year-old wheelman from Hampton, GA, scored his second career World of Outlaws Feature win in the postponed Thursday night portion of the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway last weekend, beating Chase Junghans to the stripe by just .107 seconds to secure the $6,000 prize.

Winger returns to the Hell Tour this weekend in search of career win #5 at two Summer Nationals staple venues – Highland, a track he’s never been to before, and I-55, where he won a Feature in local competition last year.

BI-STATE BATTLE – Since the first weekend in April, a special Late Model points championship tally has been kept between select events at Highland and I-55, offering a $5,000 grand prize to the points leader at season’s end.

This Saturday will mark the 13th race of the miniseries. Michael Kloos leads the charge into Highland with the points lead and three Feature wins so far this year at the quarter-mile, accompanied by two checkered flags at I-55. Jordan Bauer is second in points with one win at Highland, trailed by Mark Voigt, who won the series opener at Highland on April 3.

ROOM FOR SECONDS – 2013 Summer Nationals champion Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, will saddle up with the family-owned #B5 at both tracks this weekend, marking his second stint with the tour this season.

B-Shepp scored two victories in five starts during Week #3 and is coming off a strong weekend with the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake, bagging two top-five finishes in the USA Nationals behind the wheel of the Rocket1 Racing machine.

He’s been downright dominant the past few years when he unloads at I-55, taking the checkered flag in each the last three Summer Nationals appearances at the high-banked third-mile oval (2017, 2018, 2020), plus a win in the Karl’s Chevrolet 50 last year.

Sheppard returns, Winger full of momentum, Hoffman absent for remainder of tour

HIGHLAND, IL – Aug. 11, 2021 – After two-and-a-half weeks away from competition, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals gets set to enter the home stretch of the 36th annual tour with two makeup races this Fri-Sat night – Highland Speedway on Aug. 13 and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 14.

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals will join the Late Models in the weekend swing, ending a two-week break since their most recent appearance in the 31st Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway.

After that, it’s off to Michigan for Championship Week, where both champions will be made official in the season-ending finale at Merritt Speedway on Aug. 21.  

Remaining races

Friday, Aug. 13 | Highland Speedway | Highland, IL

Saturday, Aug. 14 | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | Pevely, MO

Wednesday, Aug. 18 | Butler Motor Speedway | Quincy, MI

Thursday, Aug. 19 | I-96 Speedway | Lake Odessa, MI

Friday, Aug. 20 | Tri-City Motor Speedway | Auburn, MI

Saturday, Aug. 21 | Merritt Speedway | Lake City, MI

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action live on the newly redesigned DIRTVision presented by Drydene.

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

LAKE CUMBERLAND CANCELED – The tours’ debut at Lake Cumberland Speedway in Burnside, KY, which was rained out on July 26, has officially been canceled and will not be made up. No suitable reschedule date could be found that works for all parties.

This will make both tours a 29-race season, still tying the record for the most races completed in the 36-year history of the Summer Nationals, which was set in 2010 and tied in 2014. $29,000 is now the highest amount of money the Late Model champion can earn, provided each of the remaining races are completed. Every driver’s finish will be counted toward their overall points total.

DOOR’S WIDE OPEN – After two successful outings with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series, Nick Hoffman will continue his duties behind the wheel of the Scott Bloomquist Racing Drydene #0 Late Model for the coming weeks. Thus, the three-time Summit Modified champion will not be in attendance for any of the remaining races on the schedule, capping his season at an incredible 19 wins in 20 starts.

This leaves the door wide open for the entire DIRTcar UMP Modified world to come in and grab a victory before the season’s out on Aug. 21 – six chances in all. Six-time Summit Modified champion Mike Harrison, the only driver to defeat Hoffman on tour this season, is expected to attend both Highland and I-55 and will be a favorite to win at both venues.

Treb Jacoby, of O’Fallon, MO, is the current UMP Modified points leader at I-55 and is also expected to be in attendance this weekend. Jacoby wheeled his Beak Built Chassis #J82 to a runner-up finish on July 3 at Fayette County Speedway, marking his best career finish.

CRUNCH TIME – With only six races remaining, it’s now or never for Tanner English.

English, of Benton, KY, sits 186 points behind leader Bobby Pierce in the chase for the championship, heading into two tracks Pierce knows very well. Historically, Highland and I-55 have been Summer Nationals staples, and Pierce won with the Hell Tour at Highland in 2017.

However, good fortune and blessings have recently come over the English family, as Tanner and wife Mallorie welcomed their first child to the world together on Wednesday. With three top-fives in his last three starts, the good fortune and strong finishes have the potential to combine for one special weekend at the track.

JUST PEACHY – Ashton Winger is making himself look like less and less of a Hell Tour “rookie” every weekend. The 21-year-old wheelman from Hampton, GA, scored his second career World of Outlaws Feature win in the postponed Thursday night portion of the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway last weekend, beating Chase Junghans to the stripe by just .107 seconds to secure the $6,000 prize.

Winger returns to the Hell Tour this weekend in search of career win #5 at two Summer Nationals staple venues – Highland, a track he’s never been to before, and I-55, where he won a Feature in local competition last year.

BI-STATE BATTLE – Since the first weekend in April, a special Late Model points championship tally has been kept between select events at Highland and I-55, offering a $5,000 grand prize to the points leader at season’s end.

This Saturday will mark the 13th race of the miniseries. Michael Kloos leads the charge into Highland with the points lead and three Feature wins so far this year at the quarter-mile, accompanied by two checkered flags at I-55. Jordan Bauer is second in points with one win at Highland, trailed by Mark Voigt, who won the series opener at Highland on April 3.

ROOM FOR SECONDS – 2013 Summer Nationals champion Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, will saddle up with the family-owned #B5 at both tracks this weekend, marking his second stint with the tour this season.

B-Shepp scored two victories in five starts during Week #3 and is coming off a strong weekend with the World of Outlaws at Cedar Lake, bagging two top-five finishes in the USA Nationals behind the wheel of the Rocket1 Racing machine.

He’s been downright dominant the past few years when he unloads at I-55, taking the checkered flag in each the last three Summer Nationals appearances at the high-banked third-mile oval (2017, 2018, 2020), plus a win in the Karl’s Chevrolet 50 last year.

· Program makes return to 24 Hours of Le Mans after missing 2020· First race for mid-engine Corvette C8.R at Le Mans· Nine hours of testing Sunday to set stage for endurance classic· Catsburg, Sims rejoin regular IMSA lineup in pair of Corvette C8.Rs

DETROIT (Aug. 11, 2021) – Corvette Racing is set for its long-awaited return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Only days following its most recent IMSA race at Road America, the program heads across the Atlantic for the French endurance classic. The twice-around-the-clock race is set for Aug. 21-22 around the 8.4-mile circuit that is a mix of permanent racetrack and public roads. Corvette Racing and other teams – including seven other entries in GTE Pro – will have nine hours of track time Sunday during the official Test Day. This year’s Le Mans is significant for many reasons, but two loom largest: it’s the first time in France for the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, and this year’s race marks Corvette Racing’s return after missing the 2020 due to impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. It ended a run of 20 consecutive years at Le Mans that started in 2000. In that time, the program claimed eight victories with three different generations of Corvette… all with the engine in the front. This year things are different. The debut of the mid-engine Corvette C8.R is a highly anticipated one, especially given its success since its first race in January 2020. Corvette Racing swept the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Manufacturers, Drivers and Team titles of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship a year ago, and the team finished 1-2 in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to start the 2021 season.

Although the C8.R is new at Le Mans, it has a race in Europe to its name. Corvette Racing ran a single mid-engine Corvette in the Six Hours of Spa in May with Antonio Garcia and Oliver Gavin. It gave the team experience with a different set of rules than in IMSA – mainly pit stop sequences, yellow-flag strategies and other sporting situations. Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg were the winning drivers at Daytona, and they will reunite in the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R at Le Mans. Garcia and Taylor have won four times and lead this year’s GTLM standings. On the other side of the garage, the No. 64 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette will see Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims back together. Milner and Tandy were victorious in a non-points race at Detroit, and the combination of Tandy and Sims won a 100-minute qualifying race at Daytona. Corvette Racing’s lineup has combined for seven victories: Garcia with three; Milner with two; and Tandy and Taylor with one each. Corvette Racing will contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Aug. 21-22 with the green flag set for 4 p.m. CET and 10 a.m. ET. MotorTrend TV will air the race live with the MotorTrend App adding coverage of official practices and qualifying on Aug. 18 and 19. Live audio coverage will be available from Radio Le Mans starting with Sunday’s Test Day.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It always is nice to go back somewhere when you’ve been away for a year. So it’s great to be back at Le Mans. One of last year’s biggest disappointments was not going to Le Mans. Conditions were what they were. We couldn’t go with the schedule shuffling, and in the end it wasn’t possible to go. It would have been beneficial. That knowledge of the C8.R around Le Mans would be an advantage going into this year’s race. But we can overcome that. Even this is our first time there with this car, we’ve done many races in IMSA with the C8.R. There are a lot of laps and miles already on it.”Expectations for the Corvette C8.R: “This car should be better (than previous generations) and that’s what we expect. We saw at Spa that we were close to our competitors. So it was good event for the team to get used to WEC rules and strategy. Now once we get to Le Mans, it should be an easier time to get into that mindset having been through it before.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s going to be nice going back after a few years off. But for the team after having missed the race last year for the first time in so long is going to feel weird. Everyone lives for that event. It’s biggest event for the team and in sports car racing. Having missed last year is going to make everyone win it that much more and get back there as fast as possible.”Being away from Le Mans: “Having to watch Le Mans on TV isn’t the easiest thing. As a kid watching it, it’s an amazing race and you grow to love it and want to be there one day. Once you get there the magnitude of the event, the people, the fans, the atmosphere… it’s like no other race. So when you get that feeling and emotion, you don’t want to lose it. So then when you have to watch it again on TV during on the years you can’t make it, it makes you miss it that much more and be that much more motivated to go back and be competitive.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 63 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Last year I was doing commentary for Le Mans on Dutch television, so I kind of felt like I was still part of it. But Le Mans is something you can’t take for granted. It took me years to get finally get a seat at Le Mans, and I felt like once I had done it then I would be doing it every year from then on. Of course this didn’t happen in 2020 due to a situation that no one could foresee. That’s why I am going to cherish this year and enjoy it as much possible because you never know when you’re next time is. Even though I liked doing commentary, I like driving a lot better!”Importance of the Test Day: “What is so important about the Test Day is making use of every lap and utilizing the full day in learning as much as possible. There is always a big change in track conditions and a big increase in grip, which you have to take into consideration especially when working on car setup. It is important that you don’t run into any trouble on the Test Day. I hope we can make the most out of it.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We don’t take going to Le Mans for granted. Not going there last year, though, reminds you how special this race is and how important it is for the team, for Corvette and Chevrolet. This is a race that for a lot of people is a bucket-list item. To go there once is special. Each time going back is more so. It’s another chance at winning the greatest sports car race in the world. We don’t take that lightly on this team. We’re even more excited that we get to take the new Corvette over there for the first time. There are a lot of people – me included – are eager to see what the C8.R can do there.”Preparing for Le Mans: “The build-up of going to Le Mans… testing here stateside and getting the car trimmed out and comfortable, that’s what starts the process. The history of Le Mans, the build-up of the race, going to another country for the event, the scrutineering in town. Now having a year off, it will make going back there that much more special. A renewed amount of excitement that comes from all those things will make going back there feel more special than it already does.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m most looking forward to going back with a chance to win the race. That’s why we all go there. Past this, the most exciting aspect for me and my teammates is seeing how the C8.R is at the Circuit de la Sarthe… when we get it to stretch its legs on the long straights in its low-downforce configuration. There’s that aspect of it, and we’re looking forward to seeing what is in store, because we don’t really know.”Lessons from Daytona: “There are a lot of similarities (between Daytona and Le Mans). They’re both 24-hour races, obviously. The kind of running the car goes through is similar with all the flat-out running you do compared to something like Sebring. There are a lot of high-speed sections at Daytona like there are at Le Mans. The car proved ultra-reliable, consistent and quick at Daytona, so this is a big positive going into Le Mans. We will be using a Le Mans-specific aero kit, which hasn’t raced on the C8.R as of yet. It’s been tested, and I’m sure there will be lots of testing leading up to the race. It’s quite a different race with different sporting regulations, the way the pit stops work and things like this. But this isn’t Corvette Racing’s first time at Le Mans, of course. I’m confident we will be on top of things from a driver point of view. We all have a lot of experience there in a number of different cars and classes.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 64 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “The first thing that struck me about going to Le Mans the first time was the fans. Having done some junior single-seaters with one year on the Formula One calendar, I was used to seeing some decent-sized crowds. The pre-race procedure of going through scrutineering in the town center and then the pre-race grid itself, Le Mans was really something else. That was the big thing that stole the show from my point of view in terms of my impression of the race. It was incredible to see not only the amount of fans but also the passion and knowledge they had… plus seeing the number that goes back year after year after year! It’s a bug they get and struggle to shift it, which is lovely to see such commitment from fans. They really make it what it is.”Expectations for the C8.R: “From everything I know from the car, it seems to be very strong in a number of different areas. I haven’t really found a weakness in it yet. The car is super streamlined, has good power and good traction, and is well-balanced through the higher-speed corners that I experienced at Sebring. I really hope it’s going to be quite a force to be reckoned with at Le Mans.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (Aug. 11) — Whether he’s on the drag strip executing 210-plus mph runs in the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro or relaxing in the pits mingling with the fans, Pro Stock driver Troy Coughlin Jr. is a pretty unflappable guy. His steady demeanor has yielded three championships in the NHRA’s sportsman ranks as well as eight national event titles, 10 divisional wins and four high-dollar bracket race victories. Heading into this weekend’s 32nd annual Menards NHRA Nationals presented by PetArmor, Coughlin Jr. knows if he can remain cool as the competition (and summertime temperatures) continue to heat up, he’ll be in great shape when the run into this year’s Camping World NHRA Championship takes shape.

“I love this time of the year because everything starts to get more intense,” Coughlin Jr. said. “It brings out the best in people and I love to race when stakes are high. We’ve had a steady first half of the season and I know without question we have a car and team capable of big things. “These yellow and black guys have been making gains across the board, both in the engine shop and on the car itself, so we couldn’t be in a better position. I’m continually amazed at the effort put in (crew chief) Mark Ingersoll, Kelly Murphy, Steven Hurley, Eric Luzinski, and Kyle Bates.”

Although a win has alluded Coughlin Jr. and crew so far this season, they’ve managed to reach two final rounds and qualify in the top half of the field at eight of nine races. At the last stop in Pomona, Calif., he qualified a season-best fourth.  “We’d love to break through a get a win this weekend,” Coughlin Jr. said. “I just need to execute each run as perfectly as I can and then move on to the next one. If we do that seven times, we’ll be in the winner’s circle come Sunday afternoon.”

Coughlin Jr. can rely on his family’s legacy at Heartland Park Topeka. His uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr. is a three-time champion at the facility, having won the Super Stock title in 1994 and the Pro Stock trophy in 2000 and 2013. His own father, Troy Coughlin Sr., also found success here when he took home the Pro Stock title in 2002. “Having the Coughlin name is such an honor,” Troy Jr. said. “I just try my best to uphold my end of the deal. I focus on the things I can control and always put forth my best effort. It’s what I owe my family name, my teammates and sponsors, and the fans. I say it all the time, I’m truly living a dream and I never forget how fortunate I am to be driving this car for this organization.”

Prior to the event, Troy Jr., his wife Brenna, and JEGS manager Woody Woodruff plan to find the best bar-be-que in Kansas City.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Nationals – Topeka, KS

Pre-Race Report

After a quarter final finish in Pomona, Cruz Pedregon and team put the team’s back-up car to the test at the “Night Under Fire” exhibition in Ohio before heading to Kansas. Topeka’s Heartland Motorsports Park is a historically good track for Cruz where he’s set several records with memorable wins such as the one in the notable “Batman Forever” all-black Funny car.

“Topeka is a consistently great event for me since I’ve won quite a few races here. I love the atmosphere, and the track is strong with really good grip. It’s maybe one of the best surfaces on the circuit, so the team and I are looking forward to it. We’re still working out some kinks to make our race car better, and I’m trying to do a better job as a driver. But overall, the needle is pointing up,” Cruz says. “Watch for the special paint scheme this weekend honoring all the hardworking Snap-on franchisees. Snap-on is our primary sponsor, so I get to meet and ride along with many of the franchisees throughout the year calling on shops and customers. I’ve even been through their training course, so I have a real appreciation for what they do and the Makers and Fixers they serve. I dedicate this race to all the first-rate franchisees who really inspire me, and the plan is to make them proud here at one of my favorite tracks.”

The new “franchise” paint scheme on the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^®Hellcat^® Funny Car carries the signature Snap-on red and black colors with racing stripes featuring special messaging around SnaponFranchise.com. A large “Own It” badge stands out on the hood as a visual reminder of the opportunity to own a Snap-on franchise.

The Centerville, PA driver has six top-10’s with the Series in 2021

MIDDLETOWN, NY – AUGUST, 10 – Author Isaac Marion once wrote, “Every experience, good or bad, is a priceless collector’s item.”  

For Pennsylvania’s Max Blair, those items equate to experience he’s gaining for a full-time World of Outlaws run in 2022 – and for a run against the Outlaws in his home state, Aug. 19-22.

In April, Blair teamed up with car-owner Shawn Martin and Viper Motorsports. Since then, the Centerville, PA driver has racked up multiple victories—most of them coming throughout New York and Pennsylvania. 

Despite that success, Blair struggled before his team started moving in the right direction.  

“It took us about a month or so to get everything to start clicking, but the last month and a half or so has been real good around home,” Blair said.  “We’ve had some decent runs at these bigger races too; we’re learning a little bit every night we race this type of stuff.”

Those bigger races include the USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway. Blair finished sixth in the $50,000-to-win finale—a strong showing against some of the best Late Model drivers in the country during his first trip to the Wisconsin track. 

Blair’s decision to make the trek to the Badger State was a teaching moment, to gain more knowledge for next season. The Centerville, PA driver hopes the experience puts him on a path toward earning World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year honors next year. 

“We’re going to run that ULMS deal around the house, but anytime we can go to any racetrack that has a race we have to be at next year, we’re going to try and hit them all just to try and build a notebook,” Blair said. ”I’m going to see a lot of race tracks I’ve never seen before and a lot of stuff that I’ve never really dealt with before. So, the more we can do this year, the faster it’s going to speed up that learning curve next year.” 

Blair is no stranger to Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws, leading The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet to the checkered flag three times in his career. The Series returns to his backyard for a four-race swing Aug. 19-22, including a stop at Eriez Speedway, where he’s won three times this year. 

Blair has some confidence heading into the Northeast swing but knows racing is a sport with many ups and downs. 

“We’ve been running pretty good at all of the big races at Eriez this year,” Blair said. “I’ve got a lot of laps around that place, so who knows. Hopefully, I like to think we have a chance at it.”

“You just never know about the other ones either. It’s one thing about this racing deal nowadays. Somebody could be really good today, and you’re going to run 15th tomorrow, and then it can go the other way around too.”

Blair leads a contingent of regional competitors who hope to keep drivers like three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard and four-time winner Chris Madden out of Victory Lane. 

It’s already happened once this season, when Dave Hess won his second career Morton Buildings Feature at Stateline Speedway in June. Blair finished third in that race, showing how tough it is for the tour regulars to win. 

“I’ve said it for years; we’ve got a group of really good guys up our way, especially at our racetracks,” Blair said. “If you look back over the years, it reflects that. Anytime you come to our area, there’s been a bunch of winners from our area, and even if they don’t win the race, there’s always local guys running in the top three or five at every single show. 

“That just shows how good the competition is there week-in and week-out.”

Between racing against the tough competition in the Northeast and battlingthe World of Outlaws, Blair learns more with every corner. It’s valuable experience he’s collecting—items he’ll use to make a run toward a Series championship. 

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models return to action on Thursday, Aug. 19, at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES VERIZON 200 AT THE BRICKYARD INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT AUGUST 10, 2021 AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW MOBILITY SCIENCE CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript Highlights: KEVIN HARVICK SAID THAT HE FEELS LIKE INDY SHOULD BE A HERITAGE RACE WITH RACING ON THE TRADITIONAL OVAL. WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT RACING THE ROAD COURSE?“It’s a good question. I think that the oval, I think we lose a crown jewel when we don’t go to the oval there. This history of it. I don’t think the road course will ever be what the oval history has. So, I’m kind of disappointed that we don’t get to race on the oval. Now, in saying that, I’ve had a lot of fun on the simulator running the road course at Indy. It seems like a cool track, and I wouldn’t mind going twice and doing it two different ways. If we have to run the road course, we still want to be able to run the oval because of the history and legacy there. Everybody wants a real Brickyard trophy. I feel like this weekend, when you win there, it’s not going to be like winning on the oval. That’s my viewpoint.” YOU’RE GOING TO RUN THE XFINITY RACE THERE. HOW MUCH WILL THAT LEND TO BE ABLE TO PULL IT OFF?“I think it’s going to be huge to get the Xfinity race in on Saturday. I think it was good this past weekend and anytime you can get on the track, I think you start fresh for the Cup race. I’m really excited about running the Indy road course race. Billy Scott and everybody at Our Motorsports has worked hard. It’s the same car we brought this past weekend. I had to fix the track bar this week and those guys have been working hard on it. So, it’ll be great to get track time and really see what that track is all about.” HOW NERVOUS ARE YOU ABOUT MAKING THE PLAYOFFS? DOES THE FACT THAT THIS IS ANOTHER ROAD COURSE, DOES THAT MAKE IT EVEN MORE NERVE WRACKING?“No, I’ve been pretty calm, really, about it. I know the situation I’m in. It’s unfortunate the amount of winners that we’ve had this year. I feel like we’d be well in a safe place right now, but we’re not. It’s just the situation we’re in and we’re racing our teammate. But I’m pretty confident after being on the SIM a couple of weeks at Indy. I usually don’t pick-up the road courses on the simulator very fast, but for some reason, Indy came to me pretty quick, which is good, I think, for what we’re going into. I think qualifying is the biggest thing on my mind right now for this coming weekend and getting a good qualifying position, because I know how important, the way it is, it’s so hard to pass on all these road courses that get strung out, that starting position matters. “So, I’m putting a lot of focus into qualifying and trying to make sure that we start up front and give ourselves the best way to get points. We have a 15-point gap right now and if we can maintain or gain a little this weekend, I feel like the next two weeks are good tracks for us and we’ll be in a pretty decent situation going into Daytona, if it is a points game. Obviously, I’d like to lock ourselves in with a win and just don’t want any new winners. That would really put us out. So yeah, I’m in a pretty good calm situation as far as my mental state. I’ve been working out and am ready to go race and see what it brings us. I think we have been very consistent this year. We just haven’t had the speed that we want at some of these tracks, but the road course stuff has been fun. It’s such an improvement for me that I’d love to go back to some of these road courses a second time with what I’ve learned this year.” OF ALL THE ROAD COURSES YOU’VE RUN THIS YEAR, WHICH ONE IS THE MOST COMPARABLE TO INDY?“Wow, it’s so flat. We’ve got elevation change at every track that we’ve gone to. I’d say Daytona has a little less elevation change. So for me, I really don’t know because the asphalt at Indy is so different the way the grooves are cut in it and it’s using a lot of lateral grip there. Sonoma, I think braking force-wise, is probably going to be similar; the amount of brake force and stuff like that because it seems like the track falls off a little bit. So, I’m thinking maybe Sonoma and Daytona, in between there.” LOOKING AHEAD TO MICHIGAN, FANS HAVEN’T BEEN THERE FOR TWO YEARS. YOU’VE GOT THE HERITAGE TROPHY ON THE LINE AND YOU’LL HAVE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT RACING EXPERIENCE THERE EVEN THOUGH IT’S A BIG WIDE TRACK. TALK ABOUT RACING THIS PACKAGE THERE AND THE EXPERIENCE“Michigan has been a fun race for us on the No. 3 team for us the last couple of years, so we always circle it. We are really focused on this one and the points situation we’re in, we like going to places where we’ve had success in the past. Everybody at RCR has put a lot of focus on our car for that weekend, knowing it’s a good place for us. We’d like to go there and show out for our partners at Dow and Chevrolet. Dow is based out of Midland up there and it’s always good to put on a good show for everyone that helps us get to the track each and every weekend.” DO YOU THAT DAYTONA IS THE FINAL RACE OF THE REGULAR SEASON? WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL KNOWING THAT YOU HAVE THAT ON THE SCHEDULE WITH ONE LAST CHANCE TO GET INTO THE PLAYOFFS?“Yeah, that gives the confidence to you as being the last race of the year. And the situation I am in right now, I think I’ve been in other situations down the road, it would probably be more stressful. But for me, we’re in a little bit of a nothing to lose attitude right now because we’ve got to gain on our teammate, and if not, we’ve got to win somehow. So, Daytona is that place and it gives us an opportunity with our ECR horsepower. I don’t know. We’ve just had the ability to keep that No. 3 at the front when we go to Daytona. I like it. It’s a magical place and I’ve had some great runs there. I’m pumped that it’s the last race of our regular season.” IN TALKING ABOUT DAYTONA, LAST YEAR, AS THE REGULAR SEASON FINALE, YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IT WITH YOUR WIN. DID YOU NOTICE THAT THE RACING WAS MUCH DIFFERENT?“For some reason, I can’t really recall that particular race. Usually, I’m pretty good at that. But I think we were kind of coasting in because we knew we were in the Playoffs. But Daytona and Talladega are always a chance because there’s an opportunity there. And with it being the final of the regular season, there are some that will go about it and say hey, I’ve got to get to the checkered flag to have a chance to have a chance to win and there are some that think they’ve got to lead every lap. I’ll definitely be re-watching it, and kind of seeing how people played it and who was aggressive in those moments. But it’s so easy to get aggressive and wipe out half the field there. So many things happen at the speedways with an errant move or an aggressive move and take a lot of people out early. So, you don’t want to be in that situation. But we’ve been pretty successful at the speedways by keeping ourselves up front. But I’ve seen guys get wrecked leading. So, anything can happen at these places. You’ve got to have a good strategy and also a fast car that kind of keeps you out of the way, and a bit of luck.” FOR INDIANAPOLIS AND YOUR WORK ON THE SIMULATOR, HAVE YOU NOTICED MUCH OF A TIRE FALLOFF? IS IT ANY MORE OR LESS THAN OTHER ROAD COURSES?“Our tire model, we do take grip away to see what it’s like on a 10 to 15-lap run. But it’s kind of hard to tell without getting there with that tire and really knowing. We have people at Chevrolet that kind of predict what that falloff is going to be. Those predictions, we try to get them as accurate as possible and kind of build around, knowing that our tires are going to fall off or whatnot. So, we’ve got a prediction. We just need to prove it out in practice.” YOU’VE BEEN HITTING THE GYM PRETTY HARD WITH PAUL SWAN EVERYDAY. WHAT DOES THAT DO FOR YOUR MENTALITY IN A PRESSURE SITUATION?“Hopefully, in any situation in the car, you feel good. You don’t want to have a point where you don’t feel strong enough to be the same driver every lap. Last weekend at Watkins Glen it was pretty hot. And it was a tough physical race. Anytime you can put yourself in a better situation with your heart rate and everything, health-wise, I think it’s better. You are more clear, mentally. I noticed a lot of the guys switching to those Cool Shirts. I’m definitely going to probably try that, coming up. Actually, this weekend is the first time we’re probably going to have that. I ran it in Michael Annett’s car when I jumped-in and it was a big game changer. Anytime you can keep yourself in good physical shape. I worked out with Paul during the off-week, and he’ll kill you. He works out for hours. So, I’ve been back at the gym with our trainer and it’s a little more based on what I do in the car and staying more mobile and keeping my body right, so I’m stretched out and feel good when I get in the race car. And yeah, healthy is a good thing.”

100+ Entries, Four Nights, Million Dollar Purse, Incredible Racing, LIVE on DIRTVision

KNOXVILLE, IA – August 9, 2021 – The Granddaddy of ‘Em All has arrived. It’s the Knoxville Nationals, people.

On Wednesday, we officially kick off the 60th running of this historic event at Iowa’s famed Knoxville Raceway.

More than 100-plus NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are already pre-entered and the anticipation continues to only climb for this mega event.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all of the action live on DIRTVision at either DIRTVision.com or through the DIRTVision App on iPhone, Android, Roku, FireTV or Xbox One.

KNOXVILLE NATIONALS TICKETS

Here are just a few of the many notable storylines:

CHASING KINSER: With 10 Knoxville Nationals titles to his credit, Donny Schatz sits only two away from matching “The King” Steve Kinser with the most in event history at 12 wins. After a rather public roll-out of the new Ford Performance (FPS410) engine, Schatz’s struggles have been well documented all season long with only one win. However, he and the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 team sure seemed unfazed on Sunday when they ran third at the Capitani Classic. The 300-time World of Outlaws winner will qualify the Carquest entry in Wednesday’s preliminary field.

SUNDAY SCORE: David Gravel and the Big Game Motorsports #2 won the first battle of the week, claiming Sunday’s 10th annual Capitani Classic atop the black zook clay. The reigning Knoxville Nationals champion will have a chance to become the eighth different driver to win back-to-back titles, and that quest begins with his Thursday night preliminary. The good news for Gravel is the last two Knoxville Nationals champions have started their week with a triumph at the Capitani Classic, including himself in 2019 when he swept all three races he ran.

360 NATIONALS: Winning the Knoxville 360 Nationals only four days before the Knoxville 410 Nationals is the kind of momentum every driver dreams of. For Giovanni Scelzi, that’s exactly what he did on Saturday at the 1/2-mile aboard his KCP Racing #18. He became the youngest winner in event history by outlasting former World of Outlaws champion Daryn Pittman in an instant classic that came down to the last lap. Both Scelzi and Pittman will look to carry that speed into their preliminary shows as they each chase their first 410 titles.

THE IRONMAN: For the second-straight Knoxville Nationals, Sheldon Haudenschild enters as the reigning Ironman following his victory at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Saturday night. The only bad news for Sheldon is since the Pevely, MO event was created in 2009, every single winner has failed to win the Nationals one week later. With winning experience under his belt at Knoxville and a fifth-place finish in Sunday’s Capitani Classic, Haudenschild believes he can end that streak this week. His NOS Energy Drink #17 will qualify during Wednesday’s preliminary night.

BACK IT UP: In June, Carson Macedo was the talk of the town when the World of Outlaws swept through Knoxville. The Lemoore, CA native won both nights on the 1/2-mile, giving him his first and second career victories at The Sprint Car Capital of the World. With Crew Chief Philip Dietz, who won the 2016 Nationals with Jason Johnson and 2019 Nationals with David Gravel, Macedo feels more confident than ever entering the August tradition. They’ve left this particular Maxim Chassis sitting on the shelf since sweeping in June, threw in a new Kistler Engine for this week, and have a special design for Thursday’s preliminary night.

CLAWING FORWARD: The Big Cat Brad Sweet is sitting pretty with a third-straight World of Outlaws championship in sight, but he’s made it clear his goal remains winning the Crown Jewel races. The 2018 Knoxville Nationals winner is aiming to join an elite club as the eighth multi-time champion in event history with another score this week. However, the Kasey Kahne Racing squad will have to overcome some Knoxville struggles this season to get the job done. The NAPA Auto Parts #49 won once in weekly competition here, but finishes of 6th & 16th with the Outlaws and an 11th at the Capitani Classic will need improvement this week.

ROTH QUESTIONS: Since Aaron Reutzel’s suspension six days ago, Roth Motorsports has been the hottest topic in all of Sprint Car racing. The question around town in Knoxville and on social media is who will drive the #83 at the Knoxville Nationals. The Dennis Roth led operation tabbed Parker Price-Miller to run the #83 at I-55, and they shined bright setting QuickTime both nights and leading laps, but PPM has commitments to Guy Forbook’s #5 this week. The rumors have been flying off the wall left and right with names from sea to shining sea tossed around. The only concrete thing, though, is no official driver has been announced yet for their Thursday preliminary night.

KINGS COURT: Both King Kyle XXXVII and King Tyler XXXVIII will be in action at the Knoxville Nationals this week, and both will compete in Thursday’s stacked preliminary field. Larson, who just won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen, is hopping on a plane and making his way to Iowa to drive the Paul Silva #57. The California sensation has five A-Main starts but has never conquered the Nationals. For Sunshine, he and the Clauson-Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink TURBO #7BC are chasing their first appearance in Saturday’s A-Main, which pays $10,000 just to start.

SLAMMIN’ SAMMY: No driver has contested more Knoxville Nationals than Slammin’ Sammy Swindell. He’ll make his 46th appearance this weekend with the potential to qualify for his 35th A-Main, which would tie him with Steve Kinser for the most A-Main appearances all-time. The 1983 Knoxville Nationals champion will pilot the Pete Grove owned #70 in Thursday’s preliminary field.

CHOMP CHOMP: With a fresh engine aboard the Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S, Logan Schuchart will be a lethal contender in Wednesday’s preliminary. Remember, the last Knoxville Nationals in 2019 is when the Hanover, PA native put together a miraculous 22nd-to-2nd charge and netted $75,000. Before racing begins, Schuchart and the Shark crew will be unveiling their Nationals designs on Tuesday at 2pm CT at the Sprint Car Hall of Fame.

‘MO MONEY: The prestige of the Knoxville Nationals alone is worthy of drawing 100+ cars, but the money is a whole different matter. With the added lap money, the 60th running this week boasts a purse of $1,064,855, the highest in the history of Sprint Car racing. Saturday’s champion takes home $150,000 for winning, but every lap led is an additional $1,000, meaning the potential is there for a $200,000 payday. The best part of Knoxville’s purse is the healthy structure of pay, offering a season-changing $75,000 for second, $37,500 for third, and $10,000 just to make the Feature.

FAREWELL KNOXVILLE: For the 39th and final time, Jac Haudenschild will contest this week’s Knoxville Nationals as part of his Farewell Tour. “The Wild Child” drives for Rico Abreu in the iconic Pennzoil #22, a replica of the car owned by Jack and Carol Elden in the 1990s. Jac won two preliminary Features and started on the pole of the 1998 Knoxville Nationals in that very car. On Thursday, he’ll begin his week in preliminary action, and on Saturday, the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer will run his final laps at the Knoxville Nationals.

ALL ABOUT POINTS: The best route to a Knoxville Nationals crown is through the front row, and the only way you make it there is with a phenomenal preliminary performance. The more points, the closer to the front. On prelims on Wednesday and Thursday, Qualifying rewards 200-198-196-etc. with Heat Races paying 100-97-94-etc. and the Feature again offering 200-198-196-etc. A perfect night would tally 500 points, something only done once in the last 25 years.

PERFECT TIMING: When you think of the most surprising drivers without a Knoxville Nationals, Brian Brown is right at the top of the list. Brownie is tied with Joey Saldana for the most second-place finishes (3, 2012-14) without a win to his credit. However, if any year were to be his year, 2021 would be quite fitting for #21. Since handing the wrenches to his uncle and Knoxville Raceway legend Danny Lasoski, the Casey’s General Stores, FVP Parts machine has found a whole new gear. The Grain Valley, MO native will try to win his third Nationals preliminary Feature in Thursday’s field.

THE INVERT: Arguably the most exciting racing of the week comes in the form of Heat Races during Wednesday and Thursday’s preliminary nights. Following Qualifying, the field is lined up in five, 10-lap Heat Races with an eight-car inversion. Meaning you go fastest and you start eighth in the first Heat. It gets tougher from there because only the top-four finishers in the Heat Races will transfer directly to the preliminary Feature.

MARION COUNTY LOCALS: One of the greatest aspects of the Knoxville Nationals is seeing the wide array of competitors all battle on the same turf. This week brings the World of Outlaws, the All Stars, the PA Posse, the Cali clique, and so many more to the Marion County Fairgrounds to race for big money and history. It’s the ultimate opportunity for Knoxville regulars to make a lasting mark. Among the contenders, this week are points leader Davey Heskin and two-time winner Justin Henderson on Wednesday, plus Austin McCarl and Brian Brown on Thursday.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Of the 100-plus entries, currently 16 of them will be vying for the Rookie of the Year honors. Those sticking out include Zeb Wise, an All Star Circuit of Champions full-timer substituting for Buddy Kofoid in the potent CJB Motorsports #5XX, and Missouri’s Ayrton Gennetten who has Knoxville ace Chad Morgan on the wrenches of his #3. Both young guns will participate in Wednesday’s preliminary.

MR. SPRINT CAR: Since 2002, the tradition of Southern Iowa Speedweek has seen one driver who consistently outperformed his competitors in a variety of events at different tracks crowned as Mr. Sprint Car. This year’s award in honor of Jesse Hockett is presented by Beaver Drill & Tool with a boosted purse of $6,000 to the winner, $2,500 to second, and $1,000 to third. As of now, Justin Henderson (132) leads the way with Shane Golobic (132), Cory Eliason (129), Giovanni Sceliz (128), and Tyler Courtney (114) following.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all of the action live on DIRTVision at either DIRTVision.com or through the DIRTVision App on iPhone, Android, Roku, FireTV or Xbox One

Wayne Taylor Racing podium pace marred by puncture
Meyer Shank Racing unable to capitalize on strategy gamble
Gradient Racing takes eighth place GTD result in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo

ELKHART LAKE, WI (August 8, 2021) – Both Acura ARX-05 Prototypes hit late-race snags at Road America, resulting in the Wayne Taylor Racing #10 and Meyer Shank Racing #60 finishing off the podium in today’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race.

The #10 WTR Acura started on the front row in the hands of Ricky Taylor, and spent most of the two-hour, 40-minute event in that second position. However, the team was forced to make an extra stop in the final half hour when contact with the #55 Mazda cut Taylor’s co-driver, Filipe Albuquerque’s left rear tire.

Albuquerque fell to the fifth position, but moved into fourth place on the final lap of the race. Despite the unfortunate result, the team still maintains a 41-point lead in the drivers’ championship with three races remaining.

Meyer Shank Racing’s Olivier Pla started the race in the sixth position in his #60 ARX-05, before handing over to co-driver Dan Cameron. The team would take a gamble on fuel strategy, propelling Cameron into the lead of the race for 31 laps. However, the gamble did not pay off for the team and they were forced to come back down pit road for a splash with three and a half minutes remaining and ultimately finish fifth.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo
In the production-based GTD division, Gradient Racing’s Till Bechtolsheimer and Marc Miller led the charge for Acura, finishing eighth in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo.

Magnus with Archangel’s Andy Lally and John Potter looked set for their best result of the season before their #44 NSX lost a wheel in the closing stages of the race. The #76 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo of Mario Farnbacher and Jeff Kingsley were taken out of contention when the team was forced to make an extra stop to change tires. Despite finishing in the 12th position, the team showed pace with Farnbacher setting the fastest lap of the race in GTD.

Acura IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America Results
4th overall – #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque
5th overall – #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla
8th GTD – Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Till Bechtolsheimer, Marc Miller
12th GTD – Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Jeff Kingsley, Mario Farnbacher
13th GTD – Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers John Potter, Andy Lally –not running

DPi Manufacturers’ Championship Drivers’ Championship (after 7 of 10 rounds)

1. Cadillac 2,574 1. Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor 2,380
2. Acura 2,486 2. Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr 2,339
3. Mazda 2,409 3. Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell 2,337

Quotes
Dane Cameron (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05) finished fifth: “We’ve been struggling a little bit throughout the week, so we took a shot at it with a different strategy today. We made the car a little bit better this morning and it was good in the race.  There has been a lot of weather around so we thought, you know, we just kind of need to take a shot here, and kind of roll the dice a little bit. So we were a little bit off sequence there and needed a little bit of help to be able to make it work, just came up a little bit short. But I’m proud of the guys for an aggressive call and glad we had a good fast car. They did a great job in the pits and it was a good strategy.  We just kind of rolled the dice and needed a little bit of help and didn’t get it.”  

Till Bechtolsheimer (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished eighth: “Today was good! That was really tiring. It was about twice as long as I’m normally in the car for, and I wasn’t able to drink any water while I was in there, so I was struggling a little at the end physically. But I really enjoyed the stint and I was glad I was able to hang in there with the guys in front. I had a great time this whole weekend, this is a fantastic circuit and the NSX was a pleasure to drive here. We had pretty mixed conditions all weekend, and the Acura NSX does great in variable conditions. We were kind of hoping for rain in the race, and even though that didn’t end up happening, I had a lot of fun out there.”

Marc Miller (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished eighth: “We were hoping to make it on one stop after that caution, and that very few other cars would be able to, but it seems that almost everyone was able to make it on fuel. Our pace, compared to Friday and Saturday, was much, much better. But, because of the strategy we went with, our second stop was significantly longer and we lost a lot of ground there. I think we’re happy to leave with a top-10, but you always want to finish higher. Till drove an absolute rockstar stint. I hope people are beginning to realize what a great bronze he is. He drove one of the best races of his life and I really see a bright future for him in this sport. He kept us up there and in the race all day, definitely would not have finished in the top 10 if he didn’t put that performance in.

David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race at Road America: “Everybody worked really hard this weekend and, as always, put everything on the line to do well here. But, this is racing, sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. If you get a puncture [as happened to the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura], there’s not much you can do about that. It’s unfortunate because the WTR team was looking at a likely top-two finish prior to their issue. For Meyer Shank Racing, I think they needed to take a calculated risk on strategy to fight for the win, and unfortunately it didn’t pan out for them. That’s racing. However, we are still leading the drivers’ championship leaving this race. Everything is to play for in these final races, and from here we’re going to look forward and move on.”

Acura IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America Fast Facts
Acura Motorsports has scored eight victories at Road America, most recently in 2020 with Ricky Taylor and Helio Castroneves.
Acura’s first win at Road America came in 1993 with Parker Johnstone and Dan Marvin in their Comptech Racing Acura Spice SE92P.

Next
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next travels to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca September 10-12.

Acura Motorsports Social media content and video links from this weekend are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Ho

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX STREETS OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP AUGUST 8, 2021 FELIX ROSENQVIST CAPS STRONG WEEKEND IN NASHVILLE TO LEAD TEAM CHEVY CONTINGENT IN BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE (August 8, 2021) – Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, liked the new street course in Downtown Nashville when he first laid eyes on it during the track walk prior to the start of the inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix weekend. With extensive street course experience all over Europe early in his career, Rosenqvist adapted quickly to the intricacies of the tight, bumpy course.   He was solid in practice, qualified well and brought home an eighth-place finish. The 80-lap race saw nine cautions for 33 laps from several multi-car accidents that damaged many of the front-runners and left them mired deep in the field. Two-time NTT INDYCAR Series champion Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 10^th after receiving damage from contact as drivers were trying to avoid cars stopped on course early in the race. He battled his way through the field to grab the top-10 and sits fourth in the standings with five races remaining.  Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, salvaged a 13^th place finish after being involved in one of the numerous incidents. He dropped to third in the standings but remains in the title chase only six points out of second.  Marcus Ericsson was the race winner.  Next on the schedule is the historic NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR Cup Series weekend on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Big Machine Spiked Coolers GP for INDYCAR will be Saturday, August 14, 2021. On Sunday, the Chevrolet teams and drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series will compete in the Verizon 200. TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS FINISHING POSITIONS:8th: Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet10th: Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet12th: Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Chevrolet13th: Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet14th: Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet18th:  Max Chilton, No. 59 Carlin Chevrolet21^st:  Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Chevrolet22nd: Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 DEX Imaging Team Penske Chevrolet23^rd : Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet24th: Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet27th: Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet DRIVER QUOTES:FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, FINISHED 8^TH: “We were solidly in sixth until the final red flag. Everyone around us was on reds and we were on blacks. I couldn’t get them up to temperature and I lost two positions in the final lap to finish eighth. I feel we never were quite able to build up enough momentum to attack. At the same time, it was a crazy race. I’m just happy to finish it to be honest, because a lot of cars ended up in the wall. The race was a special one, but at least we got some points and are a bit closer to where we should be. Definitely leaves us wanting a bit more next weekend on the IMS road course.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10^TH: “It was a really tough weekend, you know, it’s been a tough week. It was a great event and I’m really proud of the city of Nashville and IndyCar. I think just putting this together they did a great job. But specifically on the No. 2 Hitachi Chevy, just sort of a nightmare day. Up and down, you know just tried to fight and I think ultimately I can’t be too sad. I don’t think we can be dissatisfied with 10th. As up and down as the day was and as much chaos happened, 10th’s not the worst thing coming out of here, but very disappointed. I’m proud of my team. I think they did a great job and Team Chevy and the support from Hitachi and all our partners is always top-notch and the people on the 2 car are a pretty special bunch. I’ll be happy to go into the next race and keep fighting and come back here next year and hopefully redeem ourselves.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 12TH: “I don’t really know how to describe today. I saw a car with its nose 30 feet in the air, then that car won the race and I’m not really sure how that happened! We were in the right position for a podium, it seemed like we were doing the right things but we got unlucky the way the strategy fell. To be in the Top 12 today was good, but it’s really tough to be that close to a podium.  We’ve done so much work to put ourselves in a good position and we just can’t quite get there. We were right there today, we will keep trying and hopefully get a podium soon!” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, FINISHED 13TH: “What a weekend here for the first race in Nashville. Honestly, I feel I did a really good job at the beginning. The team was spot on with the strategy calls that they made. But we picked up two penalties and, while I might not agree with them, it is what it is. At one point we were 20th and were able to recover all the way to 13th, which is a positive. I saved some points there at the end with these No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP guys, but a disappointing day.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 14^TH:  “Pretty crazy day. I feel bad for Scott definitely. I thought he saw me and I was on new tires and he had like 15 laps on his and it was totally on me. Just a bad move. Rough day to say the least. A 14th-place finish is not a very good day for the No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevy, but I learned a lot.” SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 21^ST: “Well, we didn’t have the day we expected with the Menards Chevy. We had a fantastic racecar, really fast. I wish we could have been at the front all day, but we got collected in two big incidents and ended up not finishing the race, which was a shame. I really enjoyed the racetrack this weekend and I love the town. I’m going to come back and visit. I want to see some good restaurants and music. The design of the track was fun and I look forward to coming back next year.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 DEX IMAGING TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET—FINISHED 22ND : “Promising day, but unfortunately it turned into a bit of a negative. Our Dex Imaging Chevy looked good and we were coming through the field fast. I was having a lot of fun passing a few cars and passing people on strategy.  But unfortunately I got taken out twice. It’s disappointing, but its part of it. I’m probably more disappointed for Dex Imaging. It is their first time back on the car since St. Pete. We were having a good run there. I learned a lot this weekend. It’s a promising sign for my INDYCAR career and I’ll continue to focus on just trying to be better and trying to put myself in better situations so we don’t get caught up in the mess. I learned a lot. I love Nashville, and I can hardly wait to come back next year.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, FINISHED 24^TH: “First, I just want to thank my guys for all of their hard work repairing the car. They did a great job and I wish I could have got a good result for them. I had a really good first 20 laps, I made it up to P12 from starting P22. I was on for a really good restart, but I got caught up with everyone stopping on track. The car was hit from the back and I got a lot of damage. We tried to get it repaired and back on track, but when I hit the brakes it locked up completely and I went right into the wall. That was the end for me, unfortunately. We are going back to Indy next week, which has been a good track for me and hopefully I can have some luck again!” SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS, NO. 14 ROCKIT AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET, INVOVED IN MULTICAR ACCIDENT EARLY IN THE RACE – FINISHED 27th:“I was looking forward to that race but unfortunately we won’t get anything out of it. Following a decent start, sitting 14th, Marcus was right in my gearbox before the restart, but the field started to check up and he ran right over us damaging our car very significantly, putting an end to our race…”

August 8, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Moen team continued their string of strong performances with an 11^th-place finish in Sunday’s Go Bowling at the Glen at historic Watkins Glen International. It was their fourth-straight finish of 11^th or better, including a 10^th-place finish at Road America, a ninth at Atlanta Motor Speedway and an 11^th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

DiBenedetto and the Menards/Moen Mustang lined up 14^th for the start of Sunday’s 90-lap run on the historic road course in New York.

DiBenedetto had moved up to 12^th place by Lap 12 when the yellow flag was displayed for the Competition Caution. He was running 13^th just prior to the end of the first 20-Lap Stage when he made a green-flag pit stop. That took him out of the running for Stage points in the first segment but gave him track position at the start of the second Stage.

He lined up 11^th for the restart, moved up to sixth at one point then closed out that Stage in seventh place, earning four Stage points.

In the third and final segment of the race, which was completed without a caution flag, he ran inside the top 10 before making his final pit stop, under the green flag at Lap 58. DiBenedetto worked his way back to 11^th and was running there when the checkered flag fell. 
 
He told reporters afterward that he thought his Menards/Moen Mustang was capable of a bit more.
 
“I think we were an eighth- to 10th-place car,” he said. “We probably finished a couple spots further back than what we could have gotten.

“We caught that whole group of cars at the end and just ran out of time.”
 
DiBenedetto said his No. 21 team, led by crew chief Jonathan Hassler, turned in a solid effort.

“We were lacking a little bit of speed, but it was a good day. I thought we maximized,” he said. “We made good adjustments.  

“Hassler made the perfect adjustment there at the end, and it was as good as our car was going to be without practice.  
 
“There were things I wanted to change, but you can’t when you don’t have practice.”
 
DiBenedetto remains 17^th in the Cup Series standings and 19^th in the Playoff standings, and will need a race victory in one of the three remaining regular season races to make the cut for the Playoffs.
 
Next up for DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team is another road-course race, the Verizon 200 next Sunday on the infield road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONALmGO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT AUGUST 8, 2021

KYLE LARSON TAKES THE WIN AT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONALTeam Chevy Scores 12th NCS Victory of 2021WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 8, 2021)– Kyle Larson’s title of the winningest NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) driver of the 2021 season continues on by driving his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) return to Watkins Glen International in the Go Bowling at The Glen. Rolling off in the fourth starting position, Larson drove his Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolet to top-five finishes in both stages, leading 27 of the 90-lap, 220.5-mile race to capture the driver’s 11th NCS career-victory and fifth of the 2021 season.  The 29-year-old California native’s victory marks Chevrolet’s 12th win on the 2021 NCS season and its 807th all-time victory in NASCAR’s premier division. With just three races left in the regular season, Chevrolet continues to lead in the Manufacturer Points Standings in its quest for its 40th NASCAR Cup Series title. Larson’s victory brought the Chevrolet driver to the top of the Driver Standings, tying Denny Hamlin for the lead, in the battle for the Regular Season Championship. The victory at the New York road course circuit is Hendrick Motorsports’ 24th road course win, extending its record as the NASCAR Cup Series all-time road course win leader. In 23 points-paying races in the NCS 2021 season, Hendrick Motorsports has made its way to victory lane 11 times, the most ever at this point of the year.  Larson lead a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 finish after teammate, Chase Elliott, charged through the field after starting from the rear to give the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro a runner-up finish and its 14th top-10 finish this season. William Byron took the checkered flag in sixth in his No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE. Tyler Reddick rounded out the Team Chevy top-10 in tenth in his No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 1LE, giving the Camaro ZL1 1LE four of the top-10 finishers of the race.  Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota) finished third, Kyle Busch (Toyota) was fourth and Denny Hamlin (Toyota) rounded out the top-five. KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – POST RACE WIN QUOTES:Q.Kyle, what a great victory, but there in those closing laps, I have to ask, as you caught all those lap cars were you worried about losing the time there?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I was. Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track, so when I caught those, I think, four cars and got into the 38 right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and the 9 would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that.I want to say a big apology to Christopher Bell. I was inside but I wasn’t inside enough, and I didn’t — I needed to have the nose a few feet further ahead, and the angles just caught there in the middle and I ended up turning him. I hate that. I race with him a lot. He’s probably the one guy that I race with the most in all my racing, so hate to turn him like that. We’ve had incredible races together.Anyways, hats off to Hendrickcars.com. Thanks for everything you guys do for me, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, Cliff Daniels, this whole 5 bunch. Another amazing car. I could tell from about lap 3 after I stopped making a bunch of mistakes that we were going to have a car that could win today. Q.This is your fifth win on the season, one of the most successful seasons of all time. What does it mean to come to Hendrick Motorsports and have this successful of a season?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it’s awesome. I mean, it really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at their race shop, all the men and women. All four of us could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them, and thanks to everybody else I get to race for. Get to go to Iowa this week and chase another big win, so looking forward to that, and hopefully can just keep racking these wins up. Q.What do you want to say to another massive crowd here at Watkins Glen?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, thanks all you guys for coming out. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, so hopefully we put on a good show for you. It was definitely a good show from my seat when the three of us were going at it for the lead in the first stage, then there in the second and third stage. Just a lot of fun today and hope you guys enjoyed it. KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by Kyle Larson, our race winner and driver of the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. You had a pretty strong day. Can you tell us a little bit about your run?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it was a good day. In the beginning there I knew I had a fast car and was able to close in on Joey and Brad pretty quickly, and just couldn’t really do anything with them at that point because they were a little bit better than me in the areas where I needed to build a run. But I knew my car was good and had a lot of grip. Gave me confidence there, and once the strategies kind of worked out and I ended up mid-pack, I knew I needed to beat the 22 and the 11 to the front, and then I would have better tires than those guys in front of me, and the strategy would work out.Thankfully that’s what happened. Our pit crew did a great job on the green flag stop and got us out in front of the 19, and we were able to kind of maintain that gap for a little while and then eventually start to pull away, and thankfully the 9 was not close enough there at the end because he was really, really fast. Q.When you want info on a faster car, I heard it on the radio with you and Cliff, how often do you want it?KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, under caution — obviously I knew the 9 car and his history on road courses, like he’s the guy to judge off of and how you’re going to be. You couldn’t really get a good judge because he had to start in the back. I felt like he made it up a good ways. I seen the big screen early, and he passed like 18 cars in the first run.Then I was like, man, he was really fast. Then he was — I think the way the cycle worked out at the end of the stage he was not bad, so I was a little bit — I was definitely worried about him all day.Then I didn’t see him, but he had his lock-up issue, and that kind of was able to give us the gap that all of us needed to hold off — well, I guess I was the only guy that could hold off Chase there at the end.He was so fast. Yeah, I was wondering kind of how he was, and my team was doing a good job of keeping me aware of the gap and how it was shrinking, so I knew he was really fast, and just trying to judge the gap in my head and manage it and not make as many mistakes, and hopefully he wouldn’t be to my back bumper, but then we caught that thick traffic and I got held up a lot right there, but thankfully I had a big enough gap. Q.You’re tied for the regular season points lead. What’s the mindset with three races to go? Hamlin said it’ll likely come down to the last lap at Daytona.KYLE LARSON: Yeah, and he’s so good at Daytona, too, so it would be nice to get a couple good weeks and get that point lead because I know he’s going to go there, and anything can happen at Daytona but I know he’s going to go there and he’s going to get stage points and he’s going to challenge for the win.I know he’s looking at me as the same. If he could go into Daytona being even or ahead, he’s going to feel like he’s got the advantage.I’d like to have a good couple weeks before we get there and give us a little bit of wiggle room. Q.Where did you feel like you were better than everybody else on the track like spot-wise, and when did you get the lead from the 19 there during the sequence of green flag pit stops?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I felt like — well, I felt really good up to the esses, but I would give up a lot into the esses but then I would motor up and gain that back if not a little bit more by the time we got to the Bus Stop, and through the Bus Stop I felt like I was pretty good, and then I felt like I could manage well through the Carousel, gain a little bit in 6 and then lose some through 7 and probably maintain or lose a little bit through 1.I was happy with my car and felt like — I felt like I could pass okay. There was just some of the good — the few good cars that were just a little bit better than me through 7 where I couldn’t really get runs into 1 or they were a little bit better than me off of the Carousel and I couldn’t get to where I needed to be off their back bumper through 6.We’ll work on that a little bit, but all in all I was really happy with my race car. Q.On the Christopher Bell contact, his comment, he said he didn’t feel like you maybe had as much of a run off of 7 so he was kind of confused why you were there making that run at that point. Can you talk me through coming off 7 how you made that move because I know he was saying on pit road, he says, hey, he shouldn’t have been there. I’m sure two people see it two different ways.KYLE LARSON: Well, I definitely made a mistake getting into him. But yeah, he would pull me off of 7 every time, and that time I maintained, and I was outbraking him in the other laps, so I thought I could outbrake him and get all the way to his inside, but I was only able to get my nose to his numbers. Maybe not even that far, but it was close. At that point I’m already committed and on the verge of wheel hopping and locking the fronts up and I was just hoping he would leave enough room.Like I said, I just needed to be a few feet further up, and I think I would have had position on him, but I wasn’t able to get there, and yeah, he had to turn for the corner, and I was as low as I could get. Yeah, we made contact.It was definitely my fault. Not intentional, obviously. But I made a mistake. Q.Also, I can remember earlier in your career you would run well on road courses in qualifying and lamented about trying to put together full races, and here you’ve won multiple road courses, you’ve held off Chase Elliott, who’s been as strong as anybody here recently. How have you kind of evolved, and what’s helped you evolve to be the road course racer that you’ve become?KYLE LARSON: Well, I think the biggest thing is just the race car, their setups. I could tell instantly that had had a different feel than I’m used to here. It had good grip. So I think that’s the most — that’s the biggest thing of why now I’m racing well. I’ve always been able to run fast laps, and I think it’s showed in the times that we’ve qualified on road courses. I’ve still been second, I think, in both of them.And then yeah, I definitely did some studying this week and looked at how Chase kind of gets through the Bus Stop. I feel like he’s got his own kind of unique style through there, so I looked at that a lot, and I felt like I was pretty good through the Bus Stop. I haven’t looked at data yet, but I’d be curious to see how I was relative to the 9 car, but I felt like to everybody else I was faster and quite a bit faster through the Bus Stop.But yeah, I don’t know. Like I said earlier, I feel like I’m good — I’ve been good at road courses, but I just didn’t know. I was always like a seventh- to a tenth-place guy when it came to the race, but now I think that I’m in a great race car I’m able to run that aggressive pace the whole time, and my car stays with me. Q.Denny said he’s going to race you pretty hard over the final three races. Is it normal for you, or how do you race with Denny?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know, whatever. I want everybody to race me hard.He ran me really hard at Road America and put me in a couple bad spots to where I almost ended up in the grass or if I didn’t lift I was going to send him spinning. So then I knew points was on his mind and trying to hold me back is definitely on his mind.Yeah, it’s fun racing him, and I look forward to the next few weeks and really even into the playoffs. There’s still a lot of racing left, and yeah, it’s going to be fun.I’m glad there’s a fun little regular season point battle, and I feel like in years past it’s kind of been a blowout come the last race of the points. But yeah, to be tied with three races left is pretty cool. Q.Denny said he’s really enjoying the battle because he feels like it’s keeping him fresh and he feels like every race for the last few months has been like a playoff race in terms of the intensity and trying to gain the points. Do you feel that same way?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, no doubt. I think probably for him and I both. Say he still had an 80-point lead or something. You could get lazy and not care as much and make mistakes, whether it be make a dumb move on restart or speed on pit road, which we’ve both done a few weeks ago. But now it’s like every point matters to get those five extra bonus points.Yeah, I think keeping your mind strong and sharp through the regular season is important to where you don’t have to just flip a switch now when it comes playoff time and who knows if you’re mentally there. But I think for him and I both, we’ve been mentally there for a while now.Yeah, so I think come the playoffs time, we’ll just keep on doing what we’ve been doing, and hopefully we’ll find ourselves in the Final Four. Q.I think he said he was originally going to be your ride home but he said he was leaving you.KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I figured. I won at Sonoma, too, and he left me. But it’s fine. I’ll get to fly home with the team now, and that’ll be cool, and I’ll get to — I don’t really think I’ve ever — Nashville would be the only other time I think I won when I got to fly home with the team.It’ll be cool to get to fly home with them and celebrate a little bit. Q.Is there anything that you can take from this race in the road course to next week’s race at the road course, as well? Is there anything that translates over?KYLE LARSON: I don’t know, I haven’t made a single lap there on a simulator or anything, and I’m not going to get to chance to do that this week. I don’t know, I’m going to watch as much Xfinity video as I can and what other video I can just to figure out brake markers and things like that. I don’t even — I honestly don’t even have the corners memorized yet.I don’t think — as of right now there’s nothing that I can take to there, but once I get laps and in practice maybe there’s some corners that will be similar, but we’ll just have to wait and see. Q.Probably sounds a little silly talking about snapping a five-race winless streak, but during the five races you didn’t lead very many laps, which you had been doing quite a bit, particularly when you won three in a row. Was it good to just simply get back into that rhythm that you guys seemed to have gotten yourself into when you did win three in a row?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, definitely. We haven’t won a stage in a while, and we hadn’t won or led many laps. Aside from Pocono when we blew that tire, we haven’t really contended much.Cool to be here and contend I felt like all race long. I felt like if I did some things right in the first stage I could have got another playoff point, but I think we’ve got to get another week in to see if this is some new momentum or anything like that.Yeah, it was definitely fun today, and anytime you can win, which I’ve been doing a lot of, even in the dirt stuff, it goes a long way. Q.When it comes to the playoffs, have you even started thinking about the playoffs or do you worry about the playoffs after Daytona? What’s the mindset of the 5 team right now?KYLE LARSON: I mean, I’ve been worried about the playoffs all season long. Every stage I’m thinking about it, every race win I’m thinking about it. I want to just keep racking up those points because I think it was Harvick last year, he had a bunch of points, playoff points, bonus points, and he still missed the Final Four.You still have to execute, but if you can gain points, it’ll make your life a little bit easier. Great to get another five points today, and hopefully we can keep winning and keep stacking them up. Q.Not losing sleep over it yet, are you?KYLE LARSON: I race way too much to really worry about the playoffs yet, but no, I don’t lose sleep over anything really, other than just my kids waking up too early or something like that.Q.They put a nice picture out on Twitter after you won.KYLE LARSON: Yeah, Owen is racing at Mountain Creek tonight. Bummer that I’m not there, but hopefully he can get a win. CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTQ.Cliff, that pit stop really won the race when you guys jumped Truex. How good were they the entire day?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, they were great. Honestly our first pit stop we just felt a little bit off to our standards, and the guys were hard on themselves, but credit to them, all the coaches back at Hendrick Motorsports; they knew how to be clutch when it was needed. That was the money stop of the race, and they did it. Q.Kyle was talking about all the information that you were feeding to him. Is that conversation that you had with him pre-race in terms of how much information he wants, how much information you want to give him, or were you just kind of feeding whatever you wanted to?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, we’ve kind of adjusted that over the course of the season. He is so intellectual about what he does. So we all know Kyle Larson, right, as the amazing talent and he hits the “go” button and goes really fast. But he’s also really aware of the race around him. Over the course of the season we’ve just kind of developed our communication, and I know that he is in a more comfortable spot behind the wheel the more information that he has.The timing worked out where I could talk to him right down the front straightaway, kind of fill him in on what was going on around him, and then coach him not to over-drive it and certainly pace himself.I think that’s just kind of developed throughout the year, honestly. Q.The regular season points battle is tied right now with three races left. Kyle and Denny both said that they’re kind of enjoying it because it feels like a playoff race almost every weekend. How important is that to you as a crew chief and do you feel that way on the pit box, as well?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, I would say so, and honestly I think if I was in your position I would ask the same question, but in my position you’ll understand that we’ve kind of had a thing that we’ve done all year on how we call races and how we prepare for a race, so I don’t plan to change that.There’s a level of competitiveness that we strive for every week, and there’s things that our team tries to accomplish every week. That hasn’t changed. So the way we call the race really hasn’t changed. Our strategy from the start of the day is the strategy that we held to.I will say that Denny and Chris Gabehart definitely are pros, and it’s going to be fun to race those guys. They’re tough, they’re going to be tough every week. Yeah, it’s going to be fun to race them, but I certainly don’t want to get distracted by that at the expense of calling a good race, if that makes sense. Q.I don’t think a lot of us expected Kyle to be so good at road courses this year. He’s been decent at them in the past but really has excelled this year, now getting two wins here. What have you seen from him on these road courses that has allowed this kind of success?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, he’s naturally good anywhere. One of the things that he challenges himself with during the summer months, and we’ve seen him do it years in a row, especially last year and then again this year, when he gets in a different type of dirt car at a different track, they don’t give much track time, right, so the driver has to adapt really quick, got to give the right feedback to make the right changes to a car.That format that we have now in the Cup Series where we don’t have practice and qualifying, you don’t have three practice sessions before the race to dial yourself in or out; it’s just load and go. That suits him really well.The timing of that, A; and B, I’ll give credit where credit is due. We’re kind of spoiled that we have the best road course team in-house, and that’s the 9 team. I think all things being equal today, it was going to be a really tough race to beat those guys if they didn’t have their issue middle of the race, and that’s no bigger compliment that I could give to the 9 team. Chase and Alan are pros.To have their notes, to have the conversations and just the teamwork that we have with those guys, as cliche as it sounds, is so valuable.I think a lot of things factor into what you’re seeing this year, and I know I’m getting a little long-winded here, but having good cars at the shop, good teammates, plus this format and Kyle’s all-in-the-gas nature kind of works out. Q.I asked Kyle this question, and he said it was difficult to judge off one race whether he would have any kind of momentum. When you look at the last five races where you guys had not led very many laps, do you look at today as sort of a turnaround or at least looking back more like the team that we saw when you were winning three in a row?CLIFF DANIELS: I think that’s a really fair question to ask, and our view out the windshield really hasn’t changed a lot. We’re trying to see everything out the windshield and make sure even looking in the rear view mirror that we evaluate ourselves every week, and if we — I mean, look, let’s be honest, at Loudon we were probably a ninth-place car. We were a seventh-place car; by the time the 18 and 19 wrecked, when you take them out of the field, we were a seventh-place car. I’m well aware of that. We weren’t at the level that we needed to be.Looking at everything out front and what’s coming ahead, we’re going to prepare the same way using the same methodology that we’ve had all year. We’re going to have the same communication that we’ve had all year and just keep building.To judge momentum at this point off of one race is hard to do, but certainly we’ll take it. Q.As the playoffs approach, how do you feel about the 5 team now compared to maybe a month to month and a half ago?KYLE LARSON: Honestly very much the same. When I look at Darlington, knowing that the pit road speed penalty put us back a little bit at Darlington and then we had to take a couple rounds of pit stops to get back up there and contend for the win. I know Darlington is going to be a good track for us.Richmond we had a horrible race in the spring but our teammates, the 48, ran really well, so kind of confident that thankfully the 48 had a good race and a good datapoint that we can go look at.Bristol, that has always been a special place for me and a special place for Larson. I think the dirt race kind of stung, the way it went for us this year, so Bristol is going to be a good race for us.Going to the next round and go through those tracks and the next round and so on and so forth, I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for us, and we’re certainly eager to get there, but we’ve got to be really smart with the decisions that we make and how we execute.The way we built our team to go into the summer months was to treat every race like it was kind of a do-or-die race, so we’ve had some training in that. Now the 11 is pushing us to stay on that path, right, and there’s no reason to let off the gas, so hopefully we’re keeping the arrow straight and true and headed for the target. Q.Earlier in here Kyle talked about in terms of the points race and saying, hey, I want to try to get, build up a little bit of advantage the next couple weeks because Denny does so well at Daytona and he’s a little bit better. For what your driver has done this year, do you even want your driver to even think that somebody is better than him, even though maybe the numbers show it at that type of particular track? How do you, as you build up your driver, what you have to do, that he’s even thinking along those lines, you don’t care or do you want to get in his ear and say, let’s not be thinking that way?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, I think it’s a fair question. We think a lot alike, and we both knowing if somebody beats us that we have that to shoot for and that we get to go study that much harder. If I think I’m good, I’m not very comfortable, and if he thinks he’s good, he’s not very comfortable. So he’s comfortable knowing that he needs to improve today to be better tomorrow. And I’m kind of the same personality.I think that’s pretty healthy that he thinks that, and I think that of myself and our team, too. We’re going to look at today and be critical. I know my pit crew guys really well; they’re going to be critical of our first stop. You guys are all going to write about our second stop, but my guys at the shop on Monday are going to be beating themselves up over the first stop. Me and my engineer were already talking about things we could have done to make our car better to the 9 because the 9 was the best car at the end of the race. Like that’s a real thing.Even leaving here as the winner, we already know two key areas that we can be better, and I think Kyle doing that, looking ahead at some of those races, is probably not a bad thing. Q.He also talked kind of leading into that, that going into this race one of the things he took a close look at was how Chase got through the Bus Stop. He said he felt like that was a really key point and that’s something he really wanted to focus on going into this event. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to look at the data or if you’re looking as the race goes on; was Kyle any better in that area? Did he close the gap on Chase in that portion of the course?CLIFF DANIELS: He did, absolutely. Two things, big credit to Kyle because to himself, I think he had a huge improvement today just in some of the data that we studied the weeks leading up to this to prepare. I did try to look at it as much as I could during the race.And then the second thing is Chase Elliott is still really, really good here, so he was still phenomenal through the Bus Stop. Q.Next week at Indianapolis, inaugural race on that road course, obviously Xfinity raced there last year. Is there anything from this season, different courses, different portions of tracks that help with that, or is it so different because it’s flat there’s no elevation, it’s a different type of course? How do you prepare for that?CLIFF DANIELS: It’s kind of a blend. This will sound weird, but we’ve studied it a good bit. It’s kind of a blend of Sonoma, Road America and maybe even a little bit of COTA. That’s pulling a lot of different areas. Trust me, I understand.But different areas of the track can kind of resemble other different areas of those other tracks that I just mentioned. We’re trying to be smart and thoughtful in how we prepare the car for that race. I’ve said we’ve got to be smart in practice, execute in qualifying. Who knows for strategy during the race. I think tires are going to matter more than they mattered today, so you may see some guys, if there’s a weird caution, they pit and get tires on the car and could shake things up.We’ll study up hard.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Aug. 8, 2021) – Corvette Racing finished second and third in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on Sunday at Road America as the program now heads across the Atlantic Ocean for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. GTLM championship leaders Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor finished second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, just ahead of Tommy Milner and Nick Tandy in the No. 4 mid-engine Corvette. Shortly after the race, all focus turned to Le Mans with the team traveling over in the coming days with the Test Day set for Aug. 15. Sunday’s race marked Corvette Racing’s 20th event at Road America, and early on the two C8.Rs were in control. Taylor and Tandy ran 1-2 during the opening minutes. An early-race call to take fuel and tires just 22 minutes in gave the No. 4 Corvette the advantage during the opening hour. Running second, Tandy took fuel and fresh Michelin tires just ahead of a full-course caution period.  Once the GT pits opened for stops, the No. 3 Corvette side switched to Garcia along with a full fuel fill and fresh tires. Meanwhile, Tandy remained in the No. 4 C8.R and took just enough fuel to top off the tank to move from third to first ahead of the restart at the 40-minute mark. Tandy continued his good work in traffic on the restart to move five seconds ahead of Garcia before a second full-course caution 20 minutes later. Tandy and Garcia both stayed in with the No. 4 C8.R retaining an advantage. Garcia stopped the No. 3 Corvette for more fuel and tires with 75 minutes left with the No. 4 coming in less than 15 minutes later for a driver change to Milner. Disaster struck, though, as the car’s wheels spun while on the airjacks. Race officials assessed the No. 4 C8.R a drive-through penalty for the infraction. Meanwhile, Garcia set out to pressure Matt Campbell in the No. 79 entry late but the pace and gap was too much to overcome. Corvette Racing next makes its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which runs Aug. 21-22.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “Not bad. It was all about gambling. Before the first yellow, we had decided to split strategies to put pressure on the Porsche and they decided to follow us. I think we probably took a gamble on some tires and it didn’t pay off on that first stint I did. We lost some track position and had to change strategies from that point on to make up one stop. The information I got on my stint probably helped us close the gap. We had to get pushing but they (the No. 79) made it to the end. So we did all we could do – keep the pressure up and pray for a little less fuel in their tanks. They did right and won the race. I’m happy with it considering how the race went. It’s a shame the 4 car had that drive-through (penalty). I think they would have put the Porsche under a lot more pressure and would have to push. Maybe that would have put us more in contention. You never know in these races.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “It’s not a win, but looking overall with how the day went I think we can be happy. We went a little bit off strategy tire-wise and it didn’t pay off. But we were a little off-strategy with the 79 there at the end. Had there been a yellow at the right time, things could have gone our way. We can’t be too upset with a second-place after winning three in a row.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTLM: “Nick did an awesome job at the start. The pace was really good, he held on to the tires and the strategy was good. It was just one small, little mistake on the pit stop. My engineer Chuck wants to take the blame, but it’s also on me as well. In the moment and heat of it, we knew the stop was going to be finished around the time that the driver change was done. The information I got was that they were waiting on me, but obviously there was still some work being done and the car was in the air. There were a lot of things happening all at once there. At the end of the day, I don’t think it would have made a massive difference in the end result. Maybe we would have finished ahead of the 3 car. The 79 today was significantly faster than us at every stage of the race. Now the focus is on Le Mans. We definitely learned a lesson today. In the heat of the moment there, we need to make sure our processes are perfect. It wasn’t right there but we will take that lesson, move on and not make it again.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED THIRD IN GTLM: “It’s not the result we wanted in the end. It was an interesting race for us in the 4 Corvette. We had a good start and led a couple of laps. The C8.R was good and we made a great call to pit before the first yellow. The pace of the Porsche at the end of their stints forced us into a box and we were trying to second-guess them because we saw the pace the car had. We had the mistake on the pit stop that set us back, and from then we were hoping for a yellow which never came. But now we go to Le Mans having run at the front again. All we need to do is finish off one of these races.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT AUGUST 8, 2021

KYLE LARSON TAKES THE WIN AT WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONALTeam Chevy Scores 12th NCS Victory of 2021WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 8, 2021)– Kyle Larson’s title of the winningest NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) driver of the 2021 season continues on by driving his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) return to Watkins Glen International in the Go Bowling at The Glen. Rolling off in the fourth starting position, Larson drove his Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolet to top-five finishes in both stages, leading 27 of the 90-lap, 220.5-mile race to capture the driver’s 11th NCS career-victory and fifth of the 2021 season.  The 29-year-old California native’s victory marks Chevrolet’s 12th win on the 2021 NCS season and its 807th all-time victory in NASCAR’s premier division. With just three races left in the regular season, Chevrolet continues to lead in the Manufacturer Points Standings in its quest for its 40th NASCAR Cup Series title. Larson’s victory brought the Chevrolet driver to the top of the Driver Standings, tying Denny Hamlin for the lead, in the battle for the Regular Season Championship. The victory at the New York road course circuit is Hendrick Motorsports’ 24th road course win, extending its record as the NASCAR Cup Series all-time road course win leader. In 23 points-paying races in the NCS 2021 season, Hendrick Motorsports has made its way to victory lane 11 times, the most ever at this point of the year.  Larson lead a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2 finish after teammate, Chase Elliott, charged through the field after starting from the rear to give the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro a runner-up finish and its 14th top-10 finish this season. William Byron took the checkered flag in sixth in his No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE. Tyler Reddick rounded out the Team Chevy top-10 in tenth in his No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1 1LE, giving the Camaro ZL1 1LE four of the top-10 finishers of the race.  Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota) finished third, Kyle Busch (Toyota) was fourth and Denny Hamlin (Toyota) rounded out the top-five. 
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:Q.Kyle, what a great victory, but there in those closing laps, I have to ask, as you caught all those lap cars were you worried about losing the time there?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I was. Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track, so when I caught those, I think, four cars and got into the 38 right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and the 9 would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that.I want to say a big apology to Christopher Bell. I was inside but I wasn’t inside enough, and I didn’t — I needed to have the nose a few feet further ahead, and the angles just caught there in the middle and I ended up turning him. I hate that. I race with him a lot. He’s probably the one guy that I race with the most in all my racing, so hate to turn him like that. We’ve had incredible races together.Anyways, hats off to Hendrickcars.com. Thanks for everything you guys do for me, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, Cliff Daniels, this whole 5 bunch. Another amazing car. I could tell from about lap 3 after I stopped making a bunch of mistakes that we were going to have a car that could win today. Q.This is your fifth win on the season, one of the most successful seasons of all time. What does it mean to come to Hendrick Motorsports and have this successful of a season?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it’s awesome. I mean, it really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at their race shop, all the men and women. All four of us could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them, and thanks to everybody else I get to race for. Get to go to Iowa this week and chase another big win, so looking forward to that, and hopefully can just keep racking these wins up. Q.What do you want to say to another massive crowd here at Watkins Glen?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, thanks all you guys for coming out. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, so hopefully we put on a good show for you. It was definitely a good show from my seat when the three of us were going at it for the lead in the first stage, then there in the second and third stage. Just a lot of fun today and hope you guys enjoyed it.
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTQ.Cliff, that pit stop really won the race when you guys jumped Truex. How good were they the entire day?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, they were great. Honestly our first pit stop we just felt a little bit off to our standards, and the guys were hard on themselves, but credit to them, all the coaches back at Hendrick Motorsports; they knew how to be clutch when it was needed. That was the money stop of the race, and they did it. Q.Kyle was talking about all the information that you were feeding to him. Is that conversation that you had with him pre-race in terms of how much information he wants, how much information you want to give him, or were you just kind of feeding whatever you wanted to?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, we’ve kind of adjusted that over the course of the season. He is so intellectual about what he does. So we all know Kyle Larson, right, as the amazing talent and he hits the “go” button and goes really fast. But he’s also really aware of the race around him. Over the course of the season we’ve just kind of developed our communication, and I know that he is in a more comfortable spot behind the wheel the more information that he has.The timing worked out where I could talk to him right down the front straightaway, kind of fill him in on what was going on around him, and then coach him not to over-drive it and certainly pace himself.I think that’s just kind of developed throughout the year, honestly. Q.The regular season points battle is tied right now with three races left. Kyle and Denny both said that they’re kind of enjoying it because it feels like a playoff race almost every weekend. How important is that to you as a crew chief and do you feel that way on the pit box, as well?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, I would say so, and honestly I think if I was in your position I would ask the same question, but in my position you’ll understand that we’ve kind of had a thing that we’ve done all year on how we call races and how we prepare for a race, so I don’t plan to change that.There’s a level of competitiveness that we strive for every week, and there’s things that our team tries to accomplish every week. That hasn’t changed. So the way we call the race really hasn’t changed. Our strategy from the start of the day is the strategy that we held to.I will say that Denny and Chris Gabehart definitely are pros, and it’s going to be fun to race those guys. They’re tough, they’re going to be tough every week. Yeah, it’s going to be fun to race them, but I certainly don’t want to get distracted by that at the expense of calling a good race, if that makes sense. Q.I don’t think a lot of us expected Kyle to be so good at road courses this year. He’s been decent at them in the past but really has excelled this year, now getting two wins here. What have you seen from him on these road courses that has allowed this kind of success?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, he’s naturally good anywhere. One of the things that he challenges himself with during the summer months, and we’ve seen him do it years in a row, especially last year and then again this year, when he gets in a different type of dirt car at a different track, they don’t give much track time, right, so the driver has to adapt really quick, got to give the right feedback to make the right changes to a car.That format that we have now in the Cup Series where we don’t have practice and qualifying, you don’t have three practice sessions before the race to dial yourself in or out; it’s just load and go. That suits him really well.The timing of that, A; and B, I’ll give credit where credit is due. We’re kind of spoiled that we have the best road course team in-house, and that’s the 9 team. I think all things being equal today, it was going to be a really tough race to beat those guys if they didn’t have their issue middle of the race, and that’s no bigger compliment that I could give to the 9 team. Chase and Alan are pros.To have their notes, to have the conversations and just the teamwork that we have with those guys, as cliche as it sounds, is so valuable.I think a lot of things factor into what you’re seeing this year, and I know I’m getting a little long-winded here, but having good cars at the shop, good teammates, plus this format and Kyle’s all-in-the-gas nature kind of works out. Q.I asked Kyle this question, and he said it was difficult to judge off one race whether he would have any kind of momentum. When you look at the last five races where you guys had not led very many laps, do you look at today as sort of a turnaround or at least looking back more like the team that we saw when you were winning three in a row?CLIFF DANIELS: I think that’s a really fair question to ask, and our view out the windshield really hasn’t changed a lot. We’re trying to see everything out the windshield and make sure even looking in the rear view mirror that we evaluate ourselves every week, and if we — I mean, look, let’s be honest, at Loudon we were probably a ninth-place car. We were a seventh-place car; by the time the 18 and 19 wrecked, when you take them out of the field, we were a seventh-place car. I’m well aware of that. We weren’t at the level that we needed to be.Looking at everything out front and what’s coming ahead, we’re going to prepare the same way using the same methodology that we’ve had all year. We’re going to have the same communication that we’ve had all year and just keep building.To judge momentum at this point off of one race is hard to do, but certainly we’ll take it. Q.As the playoffs approach, how do you feel about the 5 team now compared to maybe a month to month and a half ago?KYLE LARSON: Honestly very much the same. When I look at Darlington, knowing that the pit road speed penalty put us back a little bit at Darlington and then we had to take a couple rounds of pit stops to get back up there and contend for the win. I know Darlington is going to be a good track for us.Richmond we had a horrible race in the spring but our teammates, the 48, ran really well, so kind of confident that thankfully the 48 had a good race and a good datapoint that we can go look at.Bristol, that has always been a special place for me and a special place for Larson. I think the dirt race kind of stung, the way it went for us this year, so Bristol is going to be a good race for us.Going to the next round and go through those tracks and the next round and so on and so forth, I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for us, and we’re certainly eager to get there, but we’ve got to be really smart with the decisions that we make and how we execute.The way we built our team to go into the summer months was to treat every race like it was kind of a do-or-die race, so we’ve had some training in that. Now the 11 is pushing us to stay on that path, right, and there’s no reason to let off the gas, so hopefully we’re keeping the arrow straight and true and headed for the target. Q.Earlier in here Kyle talked about in terms of the points race and saying, hey, I want to try to get, build up a little bit of advantage the next couple weeks because Denny does so well at Daytona and he’s a little bit better. For what your driver has done this year, do you even want your driver to even think that somebody is better than him, even though maybe the numbers show it at that type of particular track? How do you, as you build up your driver, what you have to do, that he’s even thinking along those lines, you don’t care or do you want to get in his ear and say, let’s not be thinking that way?CLIFF DANIELS: Yeah, I think it’s a fair question. We think a lot alike, and we both knowing if somebody beats us that we have that to shoot for and that we get to go study that much harder. If I think I’m good, I’m not very comfortable, and if he thinks he’s good, he’s not very comfortable. So he’s comfortable knowing that he needs to improve today to be better tomorrow. And I’m kind of the same personality.I think that’s pretty healthy that he thinks that, and I think that of myself and our team, too. We’re going to look at today and be critical. I know my pit crew guys really well; they’re going to be critical of our first stop. You guys are all going to write about our second stop, but my guys at the shop on Monday are going to be beating themselves up over the first stop. Me and my engineer were already talking about things we could have done to make our car better to the 9 because the 9 was the best car at the end of the race. Like that’s a real thing.Even leaving here as the winner, we already know two key areas that we can be better, and I think Kyle doing that, looking ahead at some of those races, is probably not a bad thing. Q.He also talked kind of leading into that, that going into this race one of the things he took a close look at was how Chase got through the Bus Stop. He said he felt like that was a really key point and that’s something he really wanted to focus on going into this event. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to look at the data or if you’re looking as the race goes on; was Kyle any better in that area? Did he close the gap on Chase in that portion of the course?CLIFF DANIELS: He did, absolutely. Two things, big credit to Kyle because to himself, I think he had a huge improvement today just in some of the data that we studied the weeks leading up to this to prepare. I did try to look at it as much as I could during the race.And then the second thing is Chase Elliott is still really, really good here, so he was still phenomenal through the Bus Stop. Q.Next week at Indianapolis, inaugural race on that road course, obviously Xfinity raced there last year. Is there anything from this season, different courses, different portions of tracks that help with that, or is it so different because it’s flat there’s no elevation, it’s a different type of course? How do you prepare for that?CLIFF DANIELS: It’s kind of a blend. This will sound weird, but we’ve studied it a good bit. It’s kind of a blend of Sonoma, Road America and maybe even a little bit of COTA. That’s pulling a lot of different areas. Trust me, I understand.But different areas of the track can kind of resemble other different areas of those other tracks that I just mentioned. We’re trying to be smart and thoughtful in how we prepare the car for that race. I’ve said we’ve got to be smart in practice, execute in qualifying. Who knows for strategy during the race. I think tires are going to matter more than they mattered today, so you may see some guys, if there’s a weird caution, they pit and get tires on the car and could shake things up.We’ll study up hard.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES AUGUST 8, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE 2nd     CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 6th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE 10th    TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES CAMARO ZL1 1LE 12th    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 MYMCDONALD’S REWARDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE13th    KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 15th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 COWBOY CHANNEL CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)2nd     Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)3rd      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)4th      Kyle Busch (Toyota)5th      Denny Hamlin (Toyota) 
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course with the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, August 15, at 1 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race Winner KYLE, WHAT A GREAT VICTORY, BUT THERE IN THOSE CLOSING LAPS, I HAVE TO ASK – AS YOU CAUGHT ALL THOSE LAP CARS, WERE YOU WORRIED ABOUT LOSING THE TIME THERE? “Yeah, I was. Chase was already catching me pretty quick, even with me being in open track, so when I caught those, I think, four cars and got into the 38 right here, I thought I would look at my mirror and the 9 would be right on me, but thankfully had a comfortable enough gap to where I could make a mistake like that.” “I want to say a big apology to Christopher Bell. I was inside but I wasn’t inside enough, and I didn’t — I needed to have the nose a few feet further ahead, and the angles just caught there in the middle and I ended up turning him. I hate that. I race with him a lot. He’s probably the one guy that I race with the most in all my racing, so hate to turn him like that. We’ve had incredible races together.” “Anyways, hats off to Hendrickcars.com. Thanks for everything you guys do for me, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, Rick Hendrick, Jeff Gordon, Cliff Daniels, this whole 5 bunch. Another amazing car. I could tell from about lap 3 after I stopped making a bunch of mistakes that we were going to have a car that could win today.” THIS IS YOUR FIFTH WIN ON THE SEASON, ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SEASON OF ALL TIME. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO COME TO HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND HAVE THIS SUCCESSFUL OF A SEASON? “Yeah, it’s awesome. I mean, it really just shows how good the organization is, all the people that they’ve assembled at their race shop, all the men and women. All four of us could not be getting these wins like we have been without them. Thanks to them, and thanks to everybody else I get to race for. Get to go to Iowa this week and chase another big win, so looking forward to that, and hopefully can just keep racking these wins up.” WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY TO ANOTHER MASSIVE CROWD HERE AT WATKINS GLEN? “Yeah, thanks all you guys for coming out. It’s been a while since we’ve been here, so hopefully we put on a good show for you. It was definitely a good show from my seat when the three of us were going at it for the lead in the first stage, then there in the second and third stage. Just a lot of fun today, and hope you guys enjoyed it.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2nd EXHAUSTING DAY, BUT WHAT A HEROIC EFFORT IT WAS TO GET BACK THERE TO SECOND AT THE END. HOW DO YOU SUM UP THIS DAY? YOU PASSED MORE CARS THAN I THINK ANYBODY OUT THERE BUT STILL COME UP ONE SPOT SHORT. “Yeah, I made too many mistakes to get the win, unfortunately, and made it too late in the race. Super proud of our team. Been kind of an uphill battle all day, but everybody was just super prepared coming into the day, and our NAPA team just did a really good job of fighting it.” “If I hadn’t have let them down there, I think we would have had a shot at it, but congrats to Kyle (Larson, race winner), Cliff (Daniels, Crew Chief), all the guys on the 5. Happy for everybody at HMS. Hendrick Motorsports has been working extremely hard, and not only do the people deserve to win, but Mr. Hendrick deserves to win. Really happy for him, and I’ll try to clean some things up and make less mistakes next time. Maybe it’ll work out.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“We had a solid run and ended up sixth in the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE. Lost the fifth spot on the last lap, unfortunately. We had a good car and it was a good run for us. We started mid-pack and worked our way forward, so I’m happy with that. Definitely a solid road course finish for us and we’ll keep moving forward.”  TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th “We had some good speed in our No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today but just needed the balance to be a little better overall. I was really tight throughout most of the day, especially on landing through the turns. It didn’t seem to matter which way I was turning, I just couldn’t get the front to rotate like I needed it to once I got through the first third of a turn. The adjustments we made during the day seemed to help during the last stage of the race and I was able to grab the tenth spot on the final lap. It’s good that we were able to leave the track with another top-10 to help us with the Playoff cutline. I wish we were able to finish a little higher up, but we will have a good shot next week to show what we can do at another road course. There’s no other group I’d rather be fighting with to make the Playoffs, and I know they’ll all continue to fight through the coming weeks.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 MYMCDONALD’S REWARDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 12th“Tough day at Watkins Glen (International) for the No. 42 MyMcDonald’s Rewards Camaro ZL1 1LE. I think Kurt (Busch) and I both struggled for turn. There was quite a bit front chatter and it was just hard to get through a lot of the rights. That’s hard on a primarily right-hand turn track. Our left and rights balance was off just a little bit.” “The pit stops helped, but we just started too far off. We definitely played the right strategy to keep cycling up. I went for one spot there at the end, I think for eighth, and gave up four to finish 12th when I ran it out of gas. A lesson learned there. I needed to save a straightaway more and I didn’t; I went for it. Live and learn.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 COWBOY CHANNEL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th“What a day at Watkins Glen International. We started the race 16^th in the No. 3 Cowboy Channel Chevrolet and finished ninth in Stage 1 to grab a couple of stage points. We struggled a little bit through the esses but overall handling was pretty good today. I think we could have finished well inside the top-10 if things would have gone just a little differently. I made a mistake that cost us maybe five spots when a car ahead of us slammed on the brakes and I just didn’t anticipate it. Good job to everyone on this RCR team all day. Everyone fought hard, just as they have all season. Thank you to The Cowboy Channel for their support. We’ll go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course next week ready to battle.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 CLEAN HARBORS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 27th“The day started off okay. The No. 43 Clean Harbors Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was good, and we made our way forward. Then we lost track position and got too far back, spun-out and never caught a caution to get caught back up. Not a solid end, but we proved to have an okay car. We just lost the balance a bit through the middle of the race, and got too free and didn’t really have it where we needed it. We will head to another road course next week. I think we learned some good stuff and got a few things better that will carry over.” 

Austin Dillon’s Playoff Hopes Still Alive With Top-15 Finish in the No. 3 Cowboy Channel Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International

15th

16th

13th

“What a day at Watkins Glen International. We started the race 16th in the No. 3 Cowboy Channel Chevrolet and finished ninth in Stage 1 to grab a couple of stage points. We struggled a little bit through the esses, but overall handling was pretty good today. I think we could have finished well inside the top-10 if things would have gone just a little differently. I made a mistake that cost us maybe five spots when a car ahead of us slammed on the brakes and I just didn’t anticipate it. Good job to everyone on this RCR team all day. Everyone fought hard, just as they have all season. Thank you to The Cowboy Channel for their support. We’ll go to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course next week ready to battle.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Chevrolet Accessories Team Fight to a Top-10 Finish at Watkins Glen International

10th

13th

12th

“We had some good speed in our No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE today and I’m proud of everyone on this RCR team. We just needed the balance to be a little better overall. I was really tight throughout most of the day, especially on landing through the turns. It didn’t seem to matter which way I was turning, I just couldn’t get the front to rotate like I needed it to once I got through the first third of a turn. The adjustments we made during the day seemed to help during the last stage of the race and I was able to grab the tenth spot on the final lap. It’s good that we were able to leave the track with another top-10 finish to help us with the Playoff cutline. I wish we were able to finish a little higher up, but we will have a good shot next week to show what we can do at another road course. There’s no other group I’d rather be fighting with to make the Playoffs, and I know they’ll all continue to fight through the coming weeks.” -Tyler Reddick

Seven Lead Changes Among Three Drivers in Intense $20,000/Win Feature

PEVELY, MO – August 7, 2021 – As time marches on, Sheldon Haudenschild’s legacy at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 only grows.

On Saturday night, the Wooster, OH native wrote his newest chapter by topping an electrifying 55-lap Feature that included a whopping seven official lead changes. His second Ironman 55 title puts him in rarified air with Craig Dollansky and Rico Abreu as the only multi-time winners in event history.

Compared to his 2019 beatdown of the field when he lapped up to fifth, this score came in a much more trying fashion. After starting fourth, the NOS Energy Drink #17 didn’t make it to the lead until Lap 21 and lost it on two occasions before securing it for good on Lap 44.

The $20,000 payday marks Sheldon’s fourth victory at the Pevely, MO bullring, putting him past his father Jac and in a tie as the fourth winningest Outlaw through 65 races at the track. He also becomes the first driver in 13 years of the event to sweep Ironman weekend.

His 21st career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series victory most notably ties him with fellow Ohian Rick Ferkel for 27th on the All-Time Wins List.

Better yet, Haudenschild’s thrilling score came in front of the largest crowd in the history of Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

“We had to get our elbows up for that one,” Haudenschild said. “This track turned out beautiful. I just love this place. It suits my driving style so well. Excited to carry this momentum into Knoxville next week.”

The 55-lap endurance began with David Gravel placing the Big Game Motorsports #2 in the lead as he chased his first Ironman award. Parker Price-Miller entered the picture on Lap 6, sliding by Gravel and taking the Roth Motorsports #83 to the top spot in only his second start aboard the #83 ride.

PPM led the next 10 laps before heartbreak ensued. A cut right rear tire while pulling away with the lead sent him into the turn four wall and flipping upside down to bring out the red flag on Lap 15. With assistance from countless other teams, the #83 was able to re-fire and ultimately finish 13th, but you can’t help but wonder what could’ve been for the Kokomo, IN native.

Gravel re-inherited the lead and paced another five laps before Haudenschild came to play and slid by him on Lap 21 just as the caution flew. Capitalizing on the restart, Gravel drove right back by him to assume the lead on Lap 22, which he would hold for 11 more laps.

More green flag laps allowed Haudenschild to close and rocket back to the lead on Lap 33. He retained the spot for nine laps until a #OpenRed on Lap 41 created another challenging restart for the 27-year-old.

Once again, Gravel took advantage and went back to the lead as the field re-fired on Lap 42. The next five laps were an all-out war with Haudenschild chunking sliders at Gravel all while McFadden, Sweet, and Schuchart entered the picture.

Ultimately, Haudenschild returned to the lead on Lap 44 and commanded the final 12 laps before crossing the finish line with a 0.733-second margin of victory.

Moving from 12th-to-second, James McFadden and the Karavan Trailers #9 team earned KSE Hard Charger honors on the night. Chasing them was Kasey Kahne Racing teammate Brad Sweet in the third spot aboard the NAPA Auto Parts #49.

Former Ironman 55 champions Logan Schuchart and Rico Abreu closed out the top-five at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55.

Closing out the top-10 on Saturday night was early leader David Gravel in the sixth spot, Shark Racing’s Jacob Allen in seventh, PA Posse star Danny Dietrich in eighth, 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz in ninth, and Carson Macedo with his 18th consecutive top-10 in tenth-place.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series heads to The Sprint Car Capital of the World. A week-long vacation in Knoxville, Iowa will bring tens of thousands of fans and more than 100 cars to compete in the 60th NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals pres. by Casey’s.

NOS Energy Drink Feature (55 Laps): 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4][$20,000]; 2. 9-James McFadden [12][$6,000]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [10][$3,500]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [14][$2,800]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu [9][$2,500]; 6. 2-David Gravel [1][$2,300]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [8][$2,200]; 8. 48-Danny Dietrich [11][$2,100]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz [2][$2,050]; 10. 41-Carson Macedo [6][$2,000]; 11. 13-Justin Peck [17][$1,600]; 12. 44-Cale Thomas [18][$1,400]; 13. 83-Parker Price-Miller [3][$1,200]; 14. 20G-Noah Gass [15][$1,100]; 15. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [21][$1,050]; 16. 47N-Marcus Dumesny [24][$1,000]; 17. 7S-Jason Sides [19][$1,000]; 18. 11K-Kraig Kinser [5][$1,000]; 19. 53-Jessie Attard [20][$1,000]; 20. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [16][$1,000]; 21. 28-Jason Keith [23][$1,000]; 22. 2C-Wayne Johnson [13][$1,000]; 23. 49J-Josh Schneiderman [22][$1,000]; 24. 11-Spencer Bayston [7][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-5, 16-20, 22-32, 42-43; Parker Price Miller 6-15; Sheldon Haudenschild 21, 33-41, 44-5. KSE Hard Charger Award: 9-James McFadden[+10]

NEW Championship Standings (53/81 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (7,360); 2. Carson Macedo (-140); 3. David Gravel (-144); 4. Donny Schatz (-258); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-266); 6. Logan Schuchart (-300); 7. James McFadden (-722); 8. Kraig Kinser (-910); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-1174); 10. Jacob Allen (-1386).

It’s the Blairsville, GA driver’s eighth career World of Outlaws Victory

NEW RICHMOND, WI – August 7, 2021 – Classic Rock band Guns N’ Roses said it best, “All we need is just a little patience.” 

Jonathan Davenport stayed patient Saturday night, surviving a war of attrition to win the 34th annual USA Nationals at Cedar Lake Speedway.

The Blairsville, GA driver found momentum on a Lap 89 restart, thundering to the bottom of the track, and muscling his way in front of Kyle Bronson to take the lead. From there, Davenport couldn’t be touched, claiming the $50,000 prize for a second time. 

“Superman” stated he needed things to break the right way to make his move past Bronson. 

“If I could ever get a half-assed run on [Bronson], I was going to try and go ahead and slide him,” Davenport said. “I knew I was just a little bit better off the cushion than he was, and he was pretty much married to it, and his quarter panel tore off.

“He did a hell of a job; I was just in the right place at the right time and just got to break his momentum.” 

Bronson looked like the man to beat for most of the race, leading more than 80 Laps. He powered past Ashton Winger on the cushion on a Lap 3 and pulled away. The Brandon, FL driver led until that Lap 89 restart when Davenport got by. Soon after, things went south as Bronson jumped the cushion, ending his night early. 

“It’s a mistake by my part, really, and it sucks, but that’s the way it goes,” Bronson said. “When [Davenport] got by me, I was just giving her all she got, and we pulled the left tire off the wheel.” 

Davenport’s ascension toward the front showed off his ability to adapt from his 11th starting position. He picked off cars one by one before finally getting the shot at Bronson he needed to claim the victory. 

“Depending on what car was in front of you was where you had to run,” Davenport said. “I was trying to be really patient through the middle of the race, and I didn’t know if I had that good of a car because there were times I couldn’t keep up with the guy in front of me. 

“I stayed patient and just wanted to have the best tires at the end.” 

Davenport wasn’t the only driver who was patient throughout the 100-lap Morton Buildings Feature. Brandon Overton methodically worked his way into second in the end, taking advantage as cars in front had either flat tires or damage. 

“There was a lot of guys in front of us that wasn’t going to do too much giving,” Overton said. “I kind of hovered around between the seventh and 10th spot the whole time and never could really get going.  

“I just kept my car from getting as beat up as I could, and nobody hit me in the front end, and I was just lucky to run second.”

Ashton Winger rounded out an all-Georgia podium one night after winning his second career Morton Buildings Feature.  

The Senoia, GA driver faced some adversity on the way to a third-place finish. 

“When I went to the top, I lost a mud cover, so the right rear was packed full of mud,” Winger said. “We were vibrating our teeth out for 80 laps, but the car was good, and I think Davenport definitely should’ve won; he was just a little better than me.” 

Jason Feger passed more cars than anyone Saturday night, finishing fourth to earn the race’s hard charger. Feger, from Bloomington, IL, had one of the tallest mountains to climb after starting 23rd.  

“We had some luck, and it takes that, and people broke and had flats and stuff like that,” Feger said. “Honestly, that’s the best the car’s felt all weekend.”  

Three-time and defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard rounded out the top five. Like Winger, Sheppard also dealt with adversity, battling back from a right rear flat tire on Lap 74. 

The New Berlin, IL campaigner got up to second before he felt the tire starting to go down.  

“Right off one of them cautions I started laying over really bad, and I didn’t know if something was wrong with my car or if I had a tire going down,” Sheppard said. “Sure enough, I had a tire going down, and it holstered me there.” 

Jonathan Davenport played his strategy to perfection for his eighth career World of Outlaws triumph. All “Superman” needed was a little patience to avoid problems that were his competitor’s kryptonite. 

UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet return to action on Thursday, Aug. 19, at the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, NY. 

Morton Buildings Feature (100 Laps)-1. 49-Jonathan Davenport [11][$50,000]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton [7][$20,000]; 3. 12-Ashton Winger [2][$10,000]; 4. 25-Jason Feger [23][$6,000]; 5. 1-Brandon Sheppard [5][$5,000]; 6. 111V-Max Blair [6][$4,800]; 7. 32-Bobby Pierce [26][$4,600]; 8. 0-Nick Hoffman [14][$4,400]; 9. 16-Tyler Bruening [16][$4,200]; 10. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr [21][$4,000]; 11. 97-Cade Dillard [1][$3,800]; 12. 40B-Kyle Bronson [3][$3,600]; 13. 7-Ricky Weiss [22][$3,400]; 14. 44-Chris Madden [10][$3,350]; 15. 20-Jimmy Owens [4][$3,300]; 16. 59-Garrett Alberson [9][$3,250]; 17. 49T-Jake Timm [19][$3,200]; 18. 10C-A.J. Diemel [8][$3,150]; 19. 28-Dennis Erb Jr [17][$3,100]; 20. 55C-Chad Mahder [12][$3,075]; 21. 11-Gordy Gundaker [27][$3,050]; 22. 74-Mitch McGrath [24][$3,025]; 23. 28M-Jimmy Mars [15][$3,010]; 24. 25S-Chad Simpson [18][$3,000]; 25. 18-Shannon Babb [13][$3,000]; 26. 18C-Chase Junghans [20][$3,000]; 27. B1-Brent Larson [25][$3,000] Hard Charger: 25-Jason Feger[+19]

Last Chance Showdown 1 (15 Laps) – Top 3 Transfer-1. 28-Dennis Erb Jr [1][]; 2. 49T-Jake Timm [4][]; 3. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr [3][]; 4. 6M-Jeff Massingill [7][]; 5. 11-Gordy Gundaker [9][]; 6. B1-Brent Larson [5][]; 7. 80-Allen Hopp [14][]; 8. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck [6][]; 9. 15-Nick Anvelink [12][]; 10. 38-Thomas Hunziker [13][]; 11. 45-Kyle Hammer [15][]; 12. 11T-Trevor Gundaker [11][]; 13. 58-Mark Whitener [2][]; 14. 3S-Brian Shirley [8][]; 15. 19R-Ryan Gustin [10][]; 16. 10K-Shawn Kirwin [16][]; 17. 99B-Boom Briggs [17][]

Last Chance Showdown 2 ( 15 Laps)-1. 25S-Chad Simpson [1][]; 2. 18C-Chase Junghans [3][]; 3. 7-Ricky Weiss [10][]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce [5][]; 5. 25-Jason Feger [2][]; 6. 74-Mitch McGrath [14][]; 7. 90-Lance Matthees [6][]; 8. 77-Jordan Yaggy [9][]; 9. 24-Ryan Unzicker [4][]; 10. T22-Tegan Evans [15][]; 11. 32S-Chris Simpson [8][]; 12. 0E-Rick Eckert [7][]; 13. 21-Billy Moyer Jr [11][]; 14. 2-Allen Murray [12][]; 15. 1st-Johnny Scott [13][]; 16. 98-Jason Rauen [16][]

Colton Herta crushes large field in Nashville for second street circuit pole of 2021
Defending INDYCAR champion Scott Dixon completes front-row sweep for Honda
Honda drivers take five of top six starting positions in frantic NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Aug. 6, 2021) – Colton Herta dominated NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying today on the downtown Nashville temporary street circuit that will be the site of Sunday’s inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, scoring his sixth career pole and second of the season in his Andretti Autosport Honda.

Herta’s qualifying edge of just over a half second in his Andretti Autosport Honda was huge by INDYCAR standards, and came after he also led the opening round for Firestone “knockout” qualifying. Herta’s other pole this season came on the St. Petersburg, Florida, street circuit and his run today was the sixth pole of the season for a Honda driver.

Fellow Honda driver Scott Dixon will start on the outside of the front row, second, in his best qualifying effort since he qualified on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 in May, and is the third front-row start of the season for the six-time champion for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Dixon’s teammate, Alex Palou, qualified third fastest today. But the current championship points leader will start ninth after an issue in pre-race testing resulted in an “unapproved” engine change, resulting in a six-place grid penalty at the next event.

Alexander Rossi now will start third in his Andretti Autosport Honda; with fellow Honda drivers Romain Grosjean (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR) and Jack Harvey (Meyer Shank Racing) completing the top six on the grid. The 27-car field for Sunday’s 80-lap race is the largest of the season outside of the Indianapolis 500.

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results
1st Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
2nd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda*
4th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
6th Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
7th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
10th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
13th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
14th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
15th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
17th Santino Ferrucci Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
18th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
24th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
25th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
26th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
27th Cody Ware-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
R – Rookie

• — Qualified third, but will start ninth due to a penalty

Quotes
Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport Honda) Pole qualifier, his sixth career INDYCAR pole and second of 2021: ““I mean, it was a good lap but what we did in Q1 [the first qualifying round] really helped us there with being able to transfer [to Round 2, by only using the harder compound] ‘Black’ (primary) tires. “That was the biggest thing, is being fast on the blacks. It was really just made it a lot easier for the rest of the way. Great job by everybody; great job by the team. The car is fantastic. As you can see what we’re able to do on the black laps compared to everybody, we’re really in a league of our own. So, it felt amazing. A good car to take into the race tomorrow, too. Nice and stable. So, yeah, really excited [for the race tomorrow].”

Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) Qualified Second: “I knew the PNC Bank #9 was super-fast; the Honda’s have been super-fast all weekend with drivability and just power, I think. That’s been a positive. The car was just really fast. We knew Herta was going to be fast because he was the only guy with new [softer compound ‘Red’] tires, and he’s been quick all weekend. He definitely deserved [the pole], so kudos to that group. We’ll see how tomorrow plays out, but starting on the front is fantastic for us.” [How do you win on this track tomorrow?] “Go fast, take chances.”

Fast Facts
This is the sixth pole of the season for a Honda driver. Other poles this year include Colton Herta at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg; Alex Palou in the first race of the Texas Motor Speedway doubleheader, and Scott Dixon in the second race; and Romain Grosjean at the Indianapolis GMR Grand Prix.

Sunday’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on the city streets of downtown Nashville will be the inaugural running of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix.

Previously, INDYCAR and the Indy Racing League conducted eight races on the 1.33-mile Nashville Super Speedway oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, from 2001-2008. Honda drivers and teams won five of the six races the manufacturer contested from 2003-08.

Honda winners at Nashville Speedway include Tony Kanaan in 2003, and Dario Franchitti in 2004. Scott Dixon won three consecutive races on the Nashville oval, from 2006-08, in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

Where to Watch Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix
Live NBC Sports Network race coverage of the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix begins at 5:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, August 8. Additional coverage can be found on the INDYCAR Radio Network and on Sirius/XM satellite radio.