WAYNESVILLE, GA (May 19, 2020) – Jimmy Owens picked up his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of 2020 on Tuesday Night at Golden Isles Speedway. The series returned to the race track for the first time since the Georgia-Florida Speedweeks back in February, 100 days ago. The 40-lap main event had three different race leaders, Owens, Brandon Overton, and Josh Richards. Owens took the lead from Brandon Overton on lap 32 and then pulled away for his 65th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win. Mason Zeigler got by Overton on the final lap to finish second. Overton was third followed by Josh Richards and Devin Moran. Overton was looking for a clean sweep of the night after setting the overall fast time amongst the 43 entrants on hand, then ran away to a heat race win, earning the outside front-row starting position alongside Richards in the process. Overton led the pack for the first eight laps of the race until Richards took the lead on lap 9. A lap later Overton regained the top spot. One of the cars on the move was Tim McCreadie.  McCreadie, who won the first race of the season at Golden Isles back in February, climbed to second after a terrific side-by-side battle with Richards for several laps.  McCreadie finally cleared Richards by lap 23 and had his sights set on race leader, Overton. As McCreadie was battling 3-wide in traffic for the lead, he and a lap-car got together, with McCreadie suffering a cut right-rear tire, forcing the caution and him into the pits to change the tire. When the race resumed Overton still held the point in the Wells Motorsports/Longhorn.  Owens began his assault on the leaders and started to flex his muscles. He quickly moved to second around Richards on lap 28 and then with 9 laps remaining he was able to take the lead from Overton. Overton fought back as the two drivers went door-to-door for the race lead. Owens was finally able to shake Overton and go on to become the sixth different winner in the nine events contested so far in 2020. In his last seven starts overall this season Owens has won six of those races. The 48-year-old Tennessee native and 3-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion continued his recent hot streak of victories as he recorded his fourth career win at Golden Isles. “The car was a little bit freer than I wanted it to be. It had a push, so I had to rotate it a lot through the center of the turns a lot more than I wanted to. We made a couple of changes right before the feature and I felt like it really messed us up, but the car is still really, really good right now.” Zeigler picked up one of the most exciting wins back in February at East Bay, and tonight came from 9th to pick up the runner-up spot in the JLE Industries/Rocket. “I really needed the top on that restart.  Those two guys [Owens and Overton], went to slide them both, but they both went to the middle. Rubbing is racing sometimes. The car was good, I wish we could have started closer to the front and we are aiming for that tomorrow.” Overton led the most laps during the race and held on for third in the end. “In the middle of the race I got into a lapped car and it never drove the same after that, it got really, really tight. All-in-all it has been so good all night and I didn’t want to touch much. These guys are the best in the business, Jimmy’s been really hot so congratulations to him.” The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and is sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Tommy Pope Construction, Boomtest Well Service, General Tire, Ohlins, Champion, FK Rod Ends, Hypercoil Springs, and Red Line Oil. Completing the top ten were Shane Clanton, Tyler Erb, Rick Eckert, Kyle Bronson, and Tanner English.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
Optima Batteries Golden Isles Nationals – presented by Bilstein
Tuesday, May 19th, 2020
Golden Isles Speedway – Waynesville, GA
Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Josh Richards / 15.006 seconds 
Fast Time Group B: Brandon Overton / 14.779 seconds (overall)

Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer):  1. 14-Josh Richards[1]; 2. 111B-Max Blair[2]; 3. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[3]; 4. 0E-Rick Eckert[5]; 5. 22F-Chris Ferguson[4]; 6. 5W-Mark Whitener[7]; 7. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[8]; 8. 1B-Ross Bailes[6]; 9. 1V-Vic Hill[9]; 10. 00-Russell Brown Jr[11]; 11. 8-Mike Benedum[10]

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer):  1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[5]; 5. 3S-Brian Shirley[6]; 6. 50-Shanon Buckingham[4]; 7. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[9]; 8. 6S-Blake Spencer[10]; 9. 2W-Pearson Williams[7]; 10. 0R-Ryan Scott[11]; 11. 89-GR Smith[8]

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening[2]; 3. 25-Shane Clanton[4]; 4. 111-Steven Roberts[3]; 5. 49-Jonathan Davenport[5]; 6. 72-Michael Norris[6]; 7. 1G-Ryan King[7]; 8. KB0-Kerry King[8]; 9. F15-Jeremy Conaway[9]; 10. (DNS) 71-Hudson O’Neal; 11. (DNS) 91S-Blake Naylor

Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 2. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 3. 7F-Jason Fitzgerald[5]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[7]; 5. 25DC-Donnie Chappell[4]; 6. 311-Ken Monahan[9]; 7. 14B-John Baker[10]; 8. 5T-John Tweed[8]; 9. 2S-Stormy Scott[6]; 10. (DNF) 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 5W-Mark Whitener[3]; 2. 22F-Chris Ferguson[1]; 3. 50-Shanon Buckingham[4]; 4. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 5. 1B-Ross Bailes[7]; 6. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 7. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[6]; 8. 00-Russell Brown Jr[11]; 9. 0R-Ryan Scott[12]; 10. (DNS) 6S-Blake Spencer; 11. (DNS) 1V-Vic Hill; 12. (DNS) 2W-Pearson Williams; 13. (DNS) 8-Mike Benedum; 14. (DNS) 89-GR Smith

FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 72-Michael Norris[3]; 3. 1G-Ryan King[5]; 4. 14B-John Baker[6]; 5. F15-Jeremy Conaway[9]; 6. 91S-Blake Naylor[13]; 7. 311-Ken Monahan[4]; 8. 2S-Stormy Scott[10]; 9. KB0-Kerry King[7]; 10. 71-Hudson O’Neal[11]; 11. (DNS) 5T-John Tweed; 12. (DNS) 25DC-Donnie Chappell; 13. (DNS) 40B-Kyle Bronson

EPPING, N.H. (May 19) — NHRA officials have announced a second JEGS SPORTSnationals event on the weekend of Aug. 21-22 at New England Dragway. The new race will bring national-event level drag racing to the historic Northeast locale, which lost this year’s regularly scheduled NHRA main event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are thrilled to team with our longtime friends at JEGS to present this event,” said Josh Peterson, NHRA Vice President-Racing Administration. “Sportsman racers are truly the backbone of our sport and the opportunity to give them another place to shine this season and the chance to do it with our partners at New England Dragway is a tremendous opportunity. The SPORTSnationals has been a rich tradition in NHRA for more than 40 years and we’re proud to help add to that history.”   Dating back to the mid-1970s, SPORTSnationals events feature high-level drag racing in eight of NHRA’s Lucas Oil Series categories. Drivers in Competition Eliminator, Stock Eliminator, Super Stock, Super Comp, Super Gas, Super Street, Top Sportsman and Top Dragster will collect national-level points while carving out a share of more than $100,000 in prize money. “We are thrilled to add a second JEGS SPORTSnationals event to the 2020 schedule,” said Scott Woodruff, director of media and motorsports at JEGS Automotive, Inc. “Having a chance to fill this need for our Division 1 friends and all of the great New England fans is a real honor for all of us at JEGS.    “It was a bummer when NHRA was forced to trim a few races off the national schedule because of COVID-19, so when the group at NHRA called and asked if we could help do something special, we were happy to put this together for everyone.” It’s not unprecedented for there to be more than one JEGS SPORTSnationals events held in a single year. In fact, there have been as many as three in one season. This year’s other JEGS SPORTSnationals will take place during JEGS Speedweek on July 16-19, merging with the season-opening Division 3 race at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, Ohio, just outside of Columbus.

May 19, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team head back to Darlington Raceway Wednesday night for an encore performance with the Lady In Black.

 DiBenedetto finished 14^th in this past Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington, which marked NASCAR’s return to racing after a 10-week hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With that race in the books, DiBenedetto and the team are working to find more speed for Wednesday’s 500-kilometer race, a rare midweek prime-time TV appearance for the sport. Once again, there will be no fans in the grandstands due to the threat of spreading COVID-19.

DiBenedetto, who will be making his sixth career Cup start at the iconic South Carolina track, said he plans to review the broadcast of Sunday’s race, taped for him by his wife Taylor, to see what can be learned from it.

 “I’ll watch the other guys and see what I can pick up as far as how to improve,” he said, adding that he expects crew chief Greg Erwin to make adjustments as well to the Mustang they’ll race on Wednesday. “We’ve got a little catching up to do, but we can do it.”

Wednesday’s race will be the 95th Cup appearance at Darlington for the Wood Brothers, who first competed there in the 1961 Rebel 300 with the legendary Curtis Turner, a close friend of the Woods, at the wheel of the No. 21.

 Modern era fans point to the spring race at Darlington in 2003, where Ricky Craven edged Kurt Busch for the win in a door-slamming battle to the checkered flag, as the best-ever finish at Darlington. But for fans of an earlier era, the ’61 Rebel 300 was the gold standard for great Darlington finishes.

Here’s how author and historian Greg Fielden described the late-race battle between the veteran Turner and the youngster Fred Lorenzen in his book, Forty Years of Stock Car Racing: “Fair-haired Fred Lorenzen and old pro Curtis Turner literally fought each other with fists of steel in Darlington Raceway’s fifth-annual Rebel 300 in a death-defying slugfest which decided perhaps the most exciting stock car race of all time.”

Fielden reported that the two “slapped considerable sheet metal” before Lorenzen finally took the lead with two laps remaining, leaving a frustrated Turner to finish second. 

Turner expressed his sentiments to reporters after the race, saying: “If I could have caught [Lorenzen] before he got the checkered flag, I guarantee you he never would have finished the race.”

It was the first of seven runner-up finishes at Darlington for the Woods, who have eight victories there. Six of those victories were with David Pearson driving. Cale Yarborough and Neil Bonnett scored the other two.

In Wednesday’s race, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team will show that not all heroes drive race cars.

The team will honor Loretta Burton as a Star of Life.

Burton, a paramedic from Youngstown, Ohio, will be recognized for her actions that saved the life of a cardiac arrest patient in April of 2019. 

On that day, she and her EMT partner were called to a dental clinic parking lot where they found an 81-year-old male in cardiac arrest. With the help of her partner, Burton began CPR and then continued ALS care on her own.

She was able to establish a return of spontaneous circulation, and the patient was transported to the emergency department of a local hospital. The patient was released a few days later with no neuro deficits or cardiac damage. 

This save was a direct result of Burton’s dedication to the patients she serves. That dedication perhaps was demonstrated best when she was the medic on the scene of a car accident involving the man who had earlier tried to shoot her policeman husband. She treated this patient with respect, and he received the best of care.  

Burton has been in EMS for 18 years. She began her career as an EMT and continued her education to become a paramedic. She attained the rank of supervisor but reduced her hours to part-time to care for her five children.

Wednesday’s 228-lap race is set to get the green flag just after 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on FOX Sports One.

BATAVIA, OH (May 18, 2020) – The Lucas Oil Reopening Tour for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series kicks off this week with the Optima Batteries Golden Isles Nationals – Presented by Bilstein. Three single day shows – paying $7,000 each to-win will be contested at Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, GA on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday May 19th, 20th, and 21st. All three events will be full series points races, including Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains and a 40-Lap A-Main Feature Event each night. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, these events will be fan-less.  Following the three nights of racing in Georgia, the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour will travel to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL for the GEICO East Bay Nationals – Presented by Brandon Ford on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday May 25th through the 27th. Three single day shows – each paying $7,000 to-win will be contested at East Bay Raceway Park, including Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 40-Lap A-Main Feature Event. All three events will be full-point paying races for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, these events will be fan-less.  Thanks to Lucas Oil Products, Lucas Oil Production Studios, LucasOilRacing.TV, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, fans will still have the opportunity to watch all three events LIVE from Golden Isles Speedway and East Bay Raceway Park from wherever they are located around the world. The adrenaline-pumping Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be broadcast LIVE on LucasOilRacing.TV for monthly and yearly subscribers and LIVE on the Series Facebook page (www.facebook.com/lucasdirt/) for FREE at 7:30PM ET/6:30PM CT each night. All six nights of racing on the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour will be taped for broadcast on the MAVTV Motorsports Network – airing later this year. “We want to thank all of our partners who are making it possible to reopen the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series during the COVID-19 Pandemic. We especially would like to thank Optima Batteries, GEICO, Brandon Ford, and Bilstein for their sponsorship of the TV broadcasts, making it possible to show all the action live to the fans – from all six events of the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour. Lucas Oil’s love for the sport, race teams, fans, and all our partners, couldn’t be more evident at this moment. We encourage everyone to tune in to the LIVE broadcasts and get ready for some thrilling racing action,” stated Wayne Castleberry, Corporate Motorsports Sales and Marketing for Lucas Oil Motorsports. The Lucas Oil Reopening Tour will also have additional bonus money up for grabs, courtesy of Riggs Drilling Solutions and Sunoco Race Fuels. The driver that earns the most points in these six events will receive a $5,000 cash award after the final event at East Bay Raceway Park, compliments of Riggs Drilling Solutions. The Sunoco Road to East Bay program will award racers with perfect attendance in 2020 through the May 27th event at East Bay Raceway Park, an additional $1,500 cash bonus, compliments of Sunoco Race Fuels. Any companies or individuals that would like to contribute to this bonus/point fund program for the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour can contact Wayne Castleberry directly at his email at: wcastleberry@lucasoil.com or by phone at: 951-741-8679. The more contributions we receive, the more spots the point fund will pay back to the drivers that compete in the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour.

NASCAR CUP SERIESDARLINGTON RACEWAYTHE REAL HEROES 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTMAY 18, 2020 
MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference to discuss his Top-10 finish in The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway. Full Transcript:   WALK US THROUGH YOUR RACE, YOUR FIRST RACE BACK WITH NO PRACTICE AND NO QUALIFYING. IT SEEMS LIKE YOU DIDN’T MISS A STEP.“I don’t know about that. It ended up being a great finish. I had a lot of fun in the car and working with those guys. There were certainly some things that I need to be sharper on and brush up on. But yeah, overall, it was a great day. The CGR cars run really well there at Darlington (Raceway), so I was glad we were able to get a good finish and work our way back up toward the front there at the end.” HOW WOULD RATE THAT AS FAR AS THE MOST DIFFICULT THINGS YOU’VE DONE IN RACING? WAS IT ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT? WAS IT NOT ALL THAT DIFFICULT? WHERE WOULD YOU RATE IT?“It’s never really easy. I would say to get prepared and get the mental mindset and everything ready to start the race was very difficult. I was definitely anxious when they were getting ready to throw the green, firing off there in the first corner, and everything being new and different with having an extended period of time off. But really once we got into that second restart and ran three or four laps, I really felt pretty comfortable. There are a lot of things when you’re out for awhile that you just aren’t as sharp on as when you left; just all the little detail stuff like getting in your pit box clean, pit road stuff, just a lot of different little stuff. But I really felt pretty comfortable in the car. They did a great job of getting everything ready. I felt really good physically. There were really no issues there, just trying to get rolling again. So, I mean they were all difficult, but I certainly think it helped that typically their cars run really well at Darlington. Certainly, this package makes the cars easier to drive than what they were when I left. When you have less power and more drag, everything is happening just a little bit slower and that helps with the adjustment as well.” WE THOUGHT VETERANS WOULD ACCEL AT DARLINGTON. IT’S PRETTY AMAZING WHAT YOU DID. HOW DO YOU LOOK AT GOING BACK AND DO YOU THINK THE VETERANS WILL BE THE ONES THAT WILL BE THE ONES TO DO BETTER WHEN WE GO BACK WEDNESDAY? HOW DO YOU LOOK AT PREPARING FOR THE RETURN? “I don’t know, I haven’t really gotten to review any film yet or anything. I don’t really know what everybody looked like, except for the cars that I raced around. It’s just hard to predict who’s going to do better than everybody else on Wednesday, although it is a quick turnaround. I wouldn’t expect the guy that won the race is going to run really bad or vice versa necessarily. I just hope to improve a little bit on everything we did. But, at the same time, that’s what everybody is trying to do. It’s not like you’re going to go out there and be like ‘we finished tenth, I need to do this better and that better, and we’re going to go there and automatically do that much better’ because that’s what everybody’s goal is. Everybody went in there, nobody had any practice, all the drivers have been out of their cars for 60 or 70 days or whatever it was. I think everybody is going to get better. I have to try to figure out how to be better, we’ve got to get the car a little better. It’s definitely going to be different conditions, most likely, than what we had this weekend. So, there are a lot of variables.” HOW ODD WAS IT YESTERDAY WITH  ALL THE PROTOCALS AND NO FANS FOR YOUR FIRST RACE BACK? TODAY, THIS MORNING, HOW HAS YOUR BODY RESPONDED TO BE READY TO GO BY WEDNESDAY?“I feel fine, I could probably use a little bit more sleep. It was pretty busy around here getting everybody going with the kids, getting all the race notes done and then throwing in some of this stuff. So, it’s a little busy; need a little bit of time probably to get caught up on everything. But I feel good, I feel really good. I haven’t really had any issues, which I’m thankful for. Everything fit pretty good and I feel good.” “It kind of felt like you were going to a test, so yeah it was different not having all the fans there. I would say once they threw the green flag, you didn’t really notice it as much. But certainly, pre-race and post-race it definitely felt different, for sure. Once the race started, I thought the racing was good. With nobody having practice, I think that typically makes for better races because some people kind of hit it and some people kind of miss it. You didn’t really notice the environment from the driver’s seat being different once we started the race.” SINCE YOU HAVEN’T DRIVEN THIS PACKAGE BEFORE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE AND WHAT KIND OF ADJUSTMENTS DID YOU HAVE TO MAKE TO YOUR DRIVING STYLE? LISTENING TO THE RADIO A LITTLE BIT, CHAD (JOHNSTON) WAS GIVING YOU A LOT OF INFORMATION, LIKE WHAT THE LEADER OR OTHERS WERE DOING WITH THE THROTTLE IN THE CORNERS. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WERE GETTING MORE OF TO HELP YOU WITH THIS PACKAGE? “It’s always good to get information; I would rather have too much information than not enough. So, I think that’s the approach we take. If you can use it to your advantage, you can get better and adjust to something faster. A lot of it is dictated on how your car is driving, the traffic your in and all that stuff. As far as the package, I certainly think it made the adjustment a little bit easier to get going again. It’s definitely different. Even Darlington for as worn out that it is and all the tire fall off, you have to be much more strategic, especially on restarts. The first three or four laps there were, I hate to say luck, but being on the right line on restarts. I can imagine that will be a lot more important when we get to places like Charlotte where you have a lot of grip and can run closer to wide-open, if not wide-open. But yeah, you had to be more patient. There were times where if it was the old package, you would catch somebody on a restart, you would turn under them and try to pass them and you could usually make that pass. I caught myself doing that a few times; you’d get along side of him and then four cars would pass you down the straightaway on the top. So, you certainly had to be more patient, I think. You had to get whatever you could get on restarts, but you also had to be careful to not get yourself in a position where you would get your car bogged down, get stacked up down the straightaway and go back by you. So, certainly a little more strategy involved, particularly when the cars were bunched up, than there used to be.” YOU SPOKE GOING INTO THIS RACE HOW YOU WERE A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS AND YOU JUST USED THE WORD ‘ANXIOUS’. WAS THERE A POINT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RACE WHERE YOU FELT LIKE ‘I GOT THIS’?“You never feel like you got this until you’re coming off four and leading; that’s the only time you really feel like that. I would say about the second or third lap, I felt pretty good. I felt pretty comfortable and I felt pretty aware of my surroundings. I was able to race a lot of the cars around me and even in that first segment, make a few passes on some competitive cars. It really felt pretty good, so just the part about being on the race track it didn’t take me long to feel comfortable or at home, or I haven’t really had any time off. That part didn’t really take very long. A big part of that, like I said, was having a good-driving race car. I really wasn’t uncomfortable at all by the time we got done with the second restart.” A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, KEVIN HARVICK WENT OUT OF HIS WAY ON HIS RADIO SHOW TO PRAISE YOU AND HE WAS GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK. HARVICK SAID IT AGAIN LAST NIGHT AND HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO TALK ABOUT HOW GREAT IT WAS TO HAVE YOU BACK. HAVE YOU HEARD FROM OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE SAID THEY ARE EXCITED TO HAVE YOU BACK?“I’ve heard from a lot of people. That’s really nice of him to say, especially when he’s out there winning those races. Certainly, it feels good to be back. I’ve had a lot of fun the last two or three weeks working with Chad (Johnston) and my new team, and getting back on the race track and being competitive. You just don’t know, I wasn’t real competitive the last season that I raced and, certainly, the year before that really didn’t go the way I thought it should go or wanted it to go necessarily. It feels good to be back, to be wanted, to be part of that team and to get a good start. It’s only one race; I have a lot of racing to do and I realize I have a lot of improving to do. But it has been fun so far, for sure.” KURT BUSCH TOLD US LAST NIGHT THAT HE WAS REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO CALLING YOU ON THE WAY HOME. I WAS WONDERING, DID YOU GUYS HAVE A CONVERSATION AND HOW THAT WENT TALKING TO KURT? “I actually called him, I didn’t know he was calling me (laughs). I called and talked to him a little bit on the way home. Actually, as soon as we hang up here, we have a call scheduled. It was good, Kurt had a really good day. He finished really well and I’m looking forward to reading more of his stuff, and hearing more about his race. Hopefully, I can learn something from that and apply it for Wednesday.” HOW DOES YOUR FINISH COMPARE TO HOW YOUR EXPECTATIONS WERE GOING INTO THE RACE? ALSO, SINCE YOU DID SO WELL IN THAT RACE, ARE YOU ALREADY LOOKING POTENTIALLY AHEAD AT A PLAYOFF BID FOR CHIP GANASSI RACING?“We’re only one race in and have a lot of work to do and racing to do to have a shot at making the Playoffs. Obviously, a win would get you there, but I don’t know about any of that. Expectations are a tricky thing. I expect to be competitive. I didn’t know how long that would take for me to be at my best, necessarily. You never know how you’re going to run week to week. It was super, super random and I never usually make predications. But my kids were talking to me last week and Kaylin was kind of grilling me on where I thought we were going to finish and how we were going to run. I don’t know why, but I just had 12th in my head. She had two other people last week when they were talking about it, everybody had 12th. I would have been pretty happy with being 12th my first day, so finishing 10th I thought was really good. Top-10’s are not easy to come by, so to get one on our first day and for Kurt to go out there and run third, I thought that was a big success for the whole organization.” I KNOW YESTERDAY YOU WERE RUNNING AROUND TYLER REDDICK A BIT; I DON’T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU RAN AROUND JOHN HUNTER NEMECHEK AT ALL. BUT SEEING THOSE TWO ROOKIES COME HOME WITH TOP-10’S, DID YOU SEE ANYTHING THAT JUMPED OUT ABOUT THEM THAT MAY HAVE SURPRISED YOU? “I watched the championship race for Xfinity at Homestead last year. I don’t know him at all, but I watched that race with my dad and it was just incredible driving. He went and won that race, and he was the difference maker in that. A lot of times, everybody is pretty good when you get to this level, and you feel like it’s more about the car, positioning, and a lot of different stuff. But when I watched that race at Homestead, he’s just incredibly talented. Especially at those tracks where you have to run high and get all that extra out of it, and just laying it on that line without making a mistake. A lot of people can lay it on that line, but typically or eventually make a mistake. He really impressed me watching that race, so I can’t say it really surprised me when I saw how fast he can run. Yesterday, particularly when he had nobody in his way in that top grove, he really got that working well.”
“John Hunter (Nemechek) I haven’t really raced against a lot. I’ve watched him race; he’s obviously got a lot of talent. It’s not a knock at all on the team, but especially when you see him in that car in the top-10, that was a really impressive run.”

May 18, 2020

After a 10-week layoff due to the coronavirus, Matt DiBenedetto climbed back into the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang and was back at work in Sunday’s The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway.
 
In an effort to try to prevent the spread of the virus, Sunday’s race was run without practice or qualifying. 

DiBenedetto said taking the green flag at the “Track Too Tough to Tame” under those circumstances wasn’t as difficult as it might seem.

“It felt great to get back in the car,” he said. “It was like riding a bike. Even Lap One was not uncomfortable.

“It was good to get back in a rhythm.”
 
With no practice to fine-tune the set-up of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, the team had to make its best guess as far as a combination of shocks, springs and adjustments. 
 
DiBenedetto said they came close to getting the set-up they needed but were a bit off.
  
“We couldn’t get the balance right,” he said. “We worked on it, but never could get the speed we were looking for.
 
“At best we were a 10^th– to 12th-place car and wound up 14^th,” he said. “We fought hard and made the best adjustments we could, but we had to work with what we had when we unloaded.”
 
Sunday’s return to racing saw the Mustang of Kevin Harvick take the checkered flag, and Eddie Wood said the victory came at a great time for Ford Motor Company.

 “With all that Ford has done in using its resources to address the health-care crisis facing our nation, the company and its employees deserve to have a race win to celebrate,” Wood said. “And it was more special because it was such a dominating victory.” 
 
DiBenedetto’s 14^th-place finish allowed him to remain ninth in the Cup standings heading into Wednesday night’s race, a rare mid-week Cup race which also will be run at Darlington Raceway.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIESDARLINGTON RACEWAYTHE REAL HEROES 400TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESMAY 17, 2020 
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM / NOCO CAMARO ZL1 1LE3rd     KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 4th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 7th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE 10th    MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kevin Harvick (Ford)2nd     Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)3rd     Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)4th      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)5th     Denny Hamlin (Toyota)  The NASCAR Cup Series season continues with a return visit to Darlington Raceway on Wednesday, May 20, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM / NOCO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2ndYOU AND KEVIN (HARVICK) HAD A BATTLE ON THAT FINAL RESTART, JUST NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO PULL IT OFF. MAN, THAT WAS FUN TO WATCH YOU GUYS RACING THAT HARD.“Yeah, it was a lot of fun to get to race a guy like Kevin (Harvick) at a place like Darlington (Raceway). Man, I’m pumped for ChevyGoods.com and NOCO. Hendrick Motorsports had four really fast race cars. It sucks to finish second, but it’s really good to restart the season this way with a strong car off the truck. We just needed a little bit more. I don’t really know what it was. At times we were tight, at times we were free. Neither times were we faster than the 4 on the long runs. So, I thought if I could get him there on the restart, we’d have a shot at it, but just came up a little bit short.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rdI HEARD YOU SAY AT ONE STAGE IN THE RACE THAT ‘WE HAVE A GOOD CAR AFTER TEN LAPS’, SO IT JUST TOOK A LITTLE BIT TO GET THAT THING GOING. “We were a little bit tight here, a little bit loose there. But, man, what a great team. Thank you to Chip Ganassi, Rob Kauffman, Felix Sabates. I’m the happiest guy in the world. I got to drive 200 mph today, pass some cars, felt the energy of the race car, and just to be out here and have a job. Thank you to Monster Energy and Chevrolet. I miss you race fans. We didn’t have you here, but I felt you through the camera. Thank you to FOX and NASCAR for making this happen.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th“Had a slow start for sure, it was nice to get our NAPA Chevy back driving decent there at the end. Hate that we were so far in left field to start the race, but really proud of the effort. Pit stops were fantastic and the adjustments were really good. The track kept changing and we were able to kind of keep up with things and finally get caught back up to a decent place at the end. Hopefully we have something really good to build off of on Wednesday. Heard that was our best run at Darlington, so that’s good! Hopefully Wednesday is a few spots better.” “Thought NASCAR did a great job of executing today in a safe manner. It was a good atmosphere, in my opinion. The lack of people is certainly a weird vibe, but I think from execution and them (NASCAR) doing a really good job of keeping everybody safe and trying to execute the first race back was very well done. Looking forward to Wednesday, like I said, just excited to be back racing. It was a fun day, it was a fun vibe. I loved the atmosphere and the fact that we didn’t practice, I thought it was really cool. I think it had zero percent effect on the race winner today. Hopefully we can kind of make this a trend and get back to our roots. It reminded me a lot of short track racing, which I think is a lot of fun. Looking forward to Wednesday.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th“Well, we’re officially back to racing, and it felt great. Our first day back in the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet was a little rough around the edges at times, but starting out in the 29^th spot and racing our way into the top five in about the first 125 laps was just an outstanding kick off our race. It felt like we were bouncing right back from our good momentum that we had at Phoenix Raceway before this break. It was a hot, slick track for sure today, which I love, but we also saw the track change quite a bit. Our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet was really good and took off so well at the start of the race, that it was tough to adjust on it throughout the day. We really needed to though as the track changed, so that’s something I think we can look to improve on for Wednesday’s race, since we know how much the lanes could change during a race now. It was a wild day for us though. We had that piece of debris come off the wall and stick our splitter, which slowed one of our stops as we tried to get it all off. That caused a slight pit road miscue with a tire, which sent us to the tail of the line and forced us to fight back from 29^th one more time. We never gave up, and all in all, it was a great day. A seventh-place finish is a great way to come back, and we’ll look to build momentum from here. Good news is, we get to come back Wednesday night and try to finish seven spots better.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11th“First off, I want to start off by saying good job NASCAR. That was awesome to be able to pull off a race like that here in Darlington. This place is awesome, I love this track. It can be so frustrating and so fun at the same time. Position 11; we had a really fast car there at the end. We ran the 42 (Matt Kenseth) down from way back. We didn’t have enough time, messed around there too much early in that last run.” “Man, that was fun. The 8 car was amazing; really fast today also. So, I think we can look at both of our setups and learn something, and kind of mix between the two. Thank you to everyone from Symbicort and all our partners. Once again, thank you NASCAR for coming back and being successful. This was cool. I miss the fans, for sure. I was worried it wasn’t going to feel like a race, but when you put the helmet on and get in the car, it was a race. It was nice to be out there racing against all those guys. It was a good one. Thank you to everyone that helped put this on.” TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 19th “My Germain Racing guys did a good job today and prepared a solid race car to bring here to Darlington. It’s not easy to just unload and have your first lap on the track, be the first lap of the race, but it is a pure testament to their hard work at the shop. Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was way too tight for two-thirds of the race, but Matt (Borland) and I kept working on it to make the handling pretty good by the end. We as a team worked through the frustration in the beginning and kept building on it. I’m happy to get a top-20 finish to kick off this stretch and now we will look forward to Wednesday night.” RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20th“Overall, it was a solid day for our Cottonelle Chevy. We’ve been in a little bit of a hole to start out the season for reasons we weren’t able to control, but this is a positive step forward. We were able to get some stage points and run towards the front, just had a few pit stops that didn’t go our way. We’re a team and we’re moving forward together. We know we have the speed, just need to put everything together. Starting on the pole this Wednesday is going to be really fun. I’m very grateful for all of our frontline workers, everyone at the shop, and our NASCAR industry as a whole for rallying together to be able to safely get us back on the racetrack. We definitely miss the fans but hope that having our sport live on TV fills the gap until we can safely have everyone back at the racetrack. WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA ‘COLOR OF THE YEAR’ CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 35th “We had such a fast car today. We just had a vibration that kept getting worse and the wheel finally came loose. I really appreciate me team sticking with it today and for all the hard work they have put in to unload with such a fast Axalta Chevy. Good thing we can rally and do it all again on Wednesday. We’ll be ready.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined in crash on lap 89; Finished 38th YOU HAD A LIGHTNING-FAST 48 CAR TODAY. WAS THERE ANYTHING DIFFERENT OFF OF TURN TWO THAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE OVER THERE?“Gosh, what I would do to get that corner back to do it over again. Coming to the end of the stage, I was just trying to make sure I got a good run off of turn two. I felt like I was going to be able to exit the corner side-by-side with him, things just went horribly wrong there. What a great car, I feel terrible for my team and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. I’m very thankful for Ally and all of their support. We have great race cars and things are coming in the right direction, just unfortunate that things didn’t really turn out there off of turn two.” “Man, that hurts, what a bummer. There’s a race in a few days and we’ll be back. Stuff happens, it’s racing. The good news is that the 48 is fast, my team is on it, and my Camaro is fast. We have great support from Ally and great support from my fans. This will sting a little on the drive home, there’s no doubt. But I will use this and learn from it. I will be back Wednesday and then it’s on.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined in crash on lap 1; Finished 40th “Not really sure what to say there about our first lap, first corner. Pretty embarrassing for myself, our team. My crew guys, I feel awful for them. They put a lot of hard work into getting our cars ready and coming all the way down here to Darlington. I put myself in a bad spot there. The 32 (Corey LaJoie) looked like he had to check up and I put myself on the inside of him. Just put ourselves in a bad spot and ended our race before it ever started. I’m looking forward to getting back here on Wednesday to try and put a better run together, and put this behind us.”

Late-Race Momentum Helps Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Team Finish Strong at Darlington Raceway

“Good job NASCAR. That was awesome to be able to pull off a race like that at Darlington Raceway. This place is great. I love this track. It can be so frustrating, and then so fun at the same time. We finished 11th in the No. 3 Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet. We had a really fast Chevy at the end of the race. We ran the No. 42 car down from way back, but we didn’t have enough time to pass him for 10th. I messed around too much early in the last run. That was a fun race. Both RCR entries were good today. The No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet was amazing. I think we can look at both of our setups and learn something, maybe a mix between the two setups for Wednesday night’s race. I want to thank everybody from AstraZeneca, and all of our partners. It was a huge accomplishment for our industry to come back, and to be successful. I missed the fans, for sure. I was worried it wasn’t going to feel like a race, but when you put the helmet on and got into the car, it was a race. It was nice to be out there racing. Thanks to everybody who put this on.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Earns Career-Best NASCAR Cup Series Finish in the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet at Darlington Raceway

“We’re officially back to racing, and it feels great. Our first day back in the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet was a little rough around the edges at times, but starting out in the 29th spot and racing our way into the top five in the first 125 laps was just an outstanding kick off to our race. It felt like we were bouncing right back into our good momentum that we had at Phoenix Raceway before this break. It was a hot, slick track for sure today, which I love. We also saw the track change quite a bit. Our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet was really good and took off so well at the start of the race, that it was tough to adjust on it throughout the day. We really needed to though as the track changed, so that’s something I think we can look to improve on for Wednesday’s race. It was a wild day for us though. We had a piece of debris come off the wall and stick to our splitter, which slowed one of our pit stops as we tried to get it all off. That caused a slight pit road miscue with a tire and sent us to the tail of the line, forcing us to fight back from 29th one more time. We never gave up, and all in all, it was a great day. A seventh place finish is a great way to come back, and we’ll look to build momentum from here. The good news is, we get to come back Wednesday night and try to finish seven spots better.”

Richard Childress Racing at Darlington Raceway … Richard Childress is tied for third in all-time car owner victories with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers in NASCAR Cup Series competition at Darlington Raceway with eight wins each. RCR’s history at the South Carolina-based track began in 1976 with Richard Childress earning a top-10 finish behind the wheel of a No. 3 Chevrolet. Since that time, RCR has notched 125 collective Cup Series starts at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, accumulating 23 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes. RCR also has 58 starts at the track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with 10 top-five finishes and 23 top-10 finishes, and three NASCAR Truck Series starts, with one top-five finish. COVID-19 Relief … Own a piece of history by participating in a recently launched auction and sale of Richard Childress’ personal collection of memorabilia. All proceeds will assist COVID-19 relief efforts. Thousands of rare, hard-to-find and exclusive items from Richard Childress’ 50+ years in NASCAR are up for bid or sale, including an original No. 3 Chevrolet once raced by Dale Earnhardt, complete with engine. To bid or purchase items from Childress’ personal collection, visit https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection. Bidders interested in the Dale Earnhardt racecar should register here https://www.barrett-jackson.com/Events/Event/Home/OnlineMay-2020/4ac775c5-37d9-4906-800b-84478937ab2b. The NASCAR Cup Series Race at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Wednesday, May 20 beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Austin Dillon at Darlington Raceway … Austin Dillon has made six career starts in the NASCAR Cup Series at Darlington Raceway, posting a career-best fourth-place finish in 2017. He has made three appearances at “The Lady in Black” in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, securing his best finish of fifth in 2012. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fifth in August 2010. SYMBICORT Partners with the No. 3 at Darlington Raceway … SYMBICORT is an AstraZeneca product and the sponsor of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Darlington Raceway with Austin Dillon. You can learn more at MySymbicort.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team … Austin Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by recreating in the lab one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack. After 7 years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports and follow us on Twitter @DowSports & @DowNewsroom. About Keep America Beautiful … Keep America Beautiful, the nation’s leading community improvement nonprofit organization, inspires and educates people to take action every day to improve and beautify their community environment. Established in 1953, Keep America Beautiful strives to End Littering, Improve Recycling and Beautify America’s Communities. We believe everyone has a right to live in a clean, green and beautiful community, and shares a responsibility to contribute to that vision. The organization is driven by the work and passion of more than 600 Keep America Beautiful affiliates, millions of volunteers, and the collaborative support of corporate partners, social and civic service organizations, academia, municipalities, elected officials, and individuals. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Donate and take action at kab.org. The Real Heroes … In support and appreciation of the frontline workers who have been improving our communities and contributing to our health and safety as we navigate COVID-19, Dillon and Richard Childress Racing are partnering with FOX and NASCAR to honor healthcare workers at Darlington Raceway. On Sunday, Dillon’s name above the door of the No. 3 Chevrolet will be replaced with the name of Elisa Bowman. Bowman has been a nurse for many years, but during the current crisis she’s volunteered to take on new responsibilities, working the makeshift ER for COVID patients that’s set up in the tent outside. She trains new nurses, not only on standard procedures, but the new COVID procedures as well. For Wednesday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway, RCR will honor Wake-Forest Baptist Health above the door on the No. 3 Chevrolet. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:If you run at Darlington Raceway and you don’t have a Darlington Stripe have you truly raced at that track? “Yeah, I have actually made it through without a Darlington stripe, but I have wiped out two cars in first practice. It’s a place that will bite you quick and you just have to have the right mentality going into it of what you are racing against. It’s not necessarily the competition as much as yourself. Mentally it’s a challenging place, and I love that about it.”  Is Darlington Raceway a place where you feel like it’s more in your control versus some other tracks? “For sure, it is. It’s a place where if you do your job and you have to have a good car, obviously, everybody that runs well there does, but doing your job rewards you at the end of the night.”Tyler Reddick at Darlington Raceway … Tyler Reddick will be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Darlington Raceway this weekend. The two-time NASCAR Xfinity Series champion has three starts at “The Lady in Black” in the Xfinity Series, collecting two top-five finishes and leading 70 laps during last year’s race. Caterpillar Gives Thanks … What does it mean when someone says, “thank you?” The global health crisis truly illustrates how critical many jobs are and how many of us took them for granted. While some of us are safely isolating from home, others bravely continue to do the work, risking their health and safety to keep their communities moving forward. Medical professionals putting the rest of us ahead of their own loved ones. Folks who are part of supply chains are doing more than just stocking shelves, they’re delivering inspiration. We’re all feeling the uncertainty, but we’re also feeling a profound sense of gratitude. At Caterpillar, we want to say, “thank you.” Not just to our customers who continue to build towards a better tomorrow. But to people everywhere who are digging in, working hard and giving us hope as we struggle through.  We’re in a fight for the future. We’re in it together. And to those of you on the front lines… “thank you.” Learn more by visiting Cat.com/thanks or Caterpillar’s Facebook Page. Real Heroes … Reddick and his No. 8 team are honored to take part in The Real Heroes Project in conjunction with NASCAR and FOX to highlight healthcare workers and systems that play a major role in the fight against COVID-19. On Sunday, Reddick’s name above his driver side door will be replaced with Dr. David Zich, an Internist specializing in Internal and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Zich, based out of Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized as a Fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the American College of Emergency Physicians, denoting high achievement and fulfillment of rigorous professional standards for both specialties. Dr. Zich has also been recognized for his ability to explain complex medical topics to the general public. On Wednesday, Reddick’s name will be replaced with OSF Healthcare Systems, a healthcare system located in Peoria, Illinois, and the backyard of Caterpillar’s global headquarters. The staff at OSF has fought against COVID-19 both at their local hospital and locations across the country, with some of their staff traveling to New York and Chicago to provide further assistance where they can.  TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:It looks like it’s going to be very warm on Sunday for the return to racing at Darlington Raceway, are you concerned about that for the first race back?“I’m very excited about the possibility of hot weather at Darlington Raceway, and the slipping and sliding we’ll probably see during these two races there, especially the first one. We’ve seen that race run a lot at night, so I think we’ll see two different races between the ones on Sunday and Wednesday. They are both going to be tough races, but I’m really looking forward to the race on Sunday during the middle of the day. I love hot, slick racetracks when we’re hot in the car, which probably seems strange to people, but I love it. It just seems like the hotter it gets, the more fun I have in a race car. Granted, a lot of that experience is on the Xfinity side, so maybe I’ll think differently after this Cup race since most our races have been relatively cool this year. But I’m looking forward to being back at the track. I’ve been karting lately, trying to keep my instincts up for when I’m back in the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet, and I think I’m ready to go on Sunday.” The industry is doing a lot to recognize frontline workers across the country during these races. What have you seen stand out as we head into the race weekend?“I really appreciate what everyone is doing to thank and honor frontline workers across the country and across multiple industries. Caterpillar has a great ‘Thank You’ campaign going on that focuses on those who are helping to keep moving our country forward during this time and is including everyone from healthcare workers to truck drivers and construction workers. As someone who has a couple friends that are truck drivers who’ve been working non-stop lately, it’s really cool to see them get some recognition. Then on top of that, we’re going to be part of the Real Heroes Project through NASCAR and honor healthcare workers and systems by putting their names over ours on the door. I think that’s a really special way that we’re able to show some gratitude towards everything these people have done for us during this time. All their hard work does not go unnoticed, and it is the reason we’re able to return to racing like this.”This Week’s No. 21 iRacing Chevrolet Camaro at Darlington Raceway … This weekend will mark Anthony Alfredo’s return to the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing and his debut at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In preparation for the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ return to action on Tuesday night, Alfredo has been familiarizing himself with Darlington Raceway by practicing on iRacing. Welcome iRacing … iRacing is the leading sim racing game for your PC. Developed as a centralized racing and competition service, iRacing organizes, hosts, and officiates online racing on virtual tracks all around the world. In the fast-paced world of eSports, iRacing is a one-stop-shop for online racing. We utilize the latest technologies to recreate our ever-expanding lineup of famed race cars and tracks from the comfort of your home. Simulate what a professional NASCAR driver experiences inside the seat of a stock car, or a Grand Prix driver sees over the dash. All of the details add up to a lineup of cars and tracks that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. This creates unmatched immersion when sim racers take the green flag in our online racing simulator. Although iRacing is an online racing simulator at heart, the value as a training tool is just as real. The best sim racers in the world compete on iRacing and you can watch the race broadcasts live on the iRacing eSports Network. Sign up today and get 50% off all new memberships at iracing.com.  Did You Know … Anthony Alfredo established his own iRacing league called the ERL (eSports Racing League) that featured several talented iRacing drivers, including competitors from the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTES:You are making your Darlington Raceway debut on Tuesday in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. What will it be like going into Turn 1 at Darlington with no practice or qualifying prior to the green flag?“It will definitely be a bit nerve-racking heading into Turn 1 at one of the most difficult tracks on the circuit. Not only will we be without any practice or qualifying, but this is just my second NASCAR Xfinity Series start. It is definitely not ideal circumstances; however, I am confident in my Richard Childress Racing team. I know we will have great equipment, and the guys will make sure to get me comfortable quickly so I can figure out the racetrack. Hopefully, we can work together with our competitors to ensure we all make it through the first corner at the very least. After that, we can all settle in and get back into our rhythm. I am looking forward to getting back to racing and putting on a great show for our fans.”

BATAVIA, OH (May 15, 2020) – The rescheduled “Lucas Oil Reopening Tour” for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will now consist of six events at two venues, starting with Golden Isles Speedway in Waynesville, GA on May 19th, 20th, and 21st, with the next three events taking place at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL on May 25th, 26th, and 27th. The Lucas Oil Reopening Tour will now have additional bonus money up for grabs, courtesy of Riggs Drilling Solutions. The driver that earns the most points in these six events and maintains perfect attendance at all six, will receive a $5,000 cash award after the final event at East Bay Raceway Park. 
Riggs Drilling Solutions, owned by Jason and Scott Riggs and based in Norris City, Illinois, provides general excavation and directional drilling services for any of your personal or corporate needs. Utilizing a wealth of knowledge and years of experience, the family owned and operated business specializes in land clearing, driveway work, spreading rock, and dirt work, as well as installation of underground conduit for various applications. The Riggs family also owns Riggs Motorsports, a super late model race team with Tanner English as their driver. To learn more about their company visit their website: www.riggsdrilling.com. 
The six events, within the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour, will pay $7,000 to-win, each night. All races are full series points races, with a five-person limit – per team. No Fans will be allowed to attend these six events but Fans can watch the action LIVE on www.LucasOilRacing.TV and LIVE on the Series Facebook page. “A very special thanks to Jason and Scott Riggs, and Riggs Drilling Solutions for putting up the $5,000 cash bonus to the driver that earns the most points during the six race reopening tour. It is very generous of the Riggs family to offer this bonus and give racers additional money to race for during these unique times – due to the COVID-19 Pandemic,” stated Wayne Castleberry, Corporate Motorsports Sales and Marketing for Lucas Oil Motorsports.
Any companies or individuals that would like to contribute to this bonus/point fund program for the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour can contact Wayne Castleberry directly at his email at wcastleberry@lucasoil.com or by phone at 951-741-8679. The more contributions we receive, the more spots the point fund will pay back to the drivers that compete on the Lucas Oil Reopening Tour.

DELAWARE, Ohio (May 15) — With an annual stop in Houston each year, drivers on the NHRA drag racing tour have a great opportunity to visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which has been the operational home of space exploration and flight for nearly 50 years. Always interested in the USA’s space program, Jeg Coughlin Jr. took advantage of a special invitation to tour the facility, a memory he cherishes more now as his days of full-time professional competition are drawing to an end. “We’ve all heard the line ‘Houston, we have a problem,’ from countless astronaut movies and this was a special chance to see where the folks on the other end of that distress call were all those years ago, plus so much more,” Coughlin said. “When I was asked if I’d like a tour, I jumped at it, and I’m so happy to have had the chance to peek behind the curtain. “The first thing you notice when you arrive on campus is that you’re not just entering a big facility; it’s more like a city. It’s just overwhelming to see the assets on hand and to try and figure out the number of very intelligent people it takes to do their missions. It was a real treat to be there.” Johnson Space Center sits just 26 miles from Houston Raceway Park powered by Pennzoil, site of the annual Mopar Express Lanes NHRA SpringNationals, so it was an easy and worthwhile jaunt for the six-time world champion, who is currently ranked second in the championship points.   “We started off with a visit to the Saturn V building, which houses the most powerful rocket ever flown,” Coughlin said. “It’s laying on its side in this enormous hanger and it pretty much takes up the whole place. To think about what it took to build with the technology they had back when it was assembled in the late ’60s and early ’70s just blows your mind. “There was another building adjacent to that one that housed all kinds of additional spacecraft, small little landing capsules, lunar rovers, a bunch of really neat stuff. Every wall seemed to be covered with so much history of the various Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Apollo-Soyuz and Space Shuttle missions. They certainly show a great respect for the pioneers who made it to the moon and back using slide rules and such.”   The tour continued to various training areas where modern-day astronauts are put to the test, as well as a trip back in time to the actual mission control room where NASA personnel heard those (slightly embellished) fateful words from Apollo 13 astronaut Jack Swigert. Swigert’s actual transmission, as Coughlin learned, was “Okay Houston, I believe we’ve had a problem here,” in regards to an onboard explosion that crippled their space ship.  “To sit in the seat the main engineer was in at that historic moment was really cool,” Coughlin said. “That specific mission control room was deactivated after the Apollo era and they’ve kept it just as it was so you really get a feel for it.   “They also took us to a virtual gravity room where you get a bit of a sense of what it’s like to be in zero gravity. Obviously, that’s not possible on the surface of the Earth but you do get some idea of what it must be like. We were using the same equipment the actual astronaut trainees use.   “We also had a chance to visit a complete space shuttle they have on campus, and I had the honor of sitting in the driver’s seat, as it were.” Since his hosts knew of his auto racing background, Coughlin was offered a rare chance to drive a prototype of a lunar rover, which ended up being the highlight of the trip.    “We actually took it out on the streets of Johnson Space Center and drove it around,” he said. “It was pretty wild because it can go in any direction: forward, backward, sideways, diagonally, whatever you wanted. You could get yourself dizzy in a hurry if you weren’t careful. That thing made my Pro Stock car feel stable. It was a lot of fun, for sure, and cool of them to let me have a rip around the block.”   As always when visiting Houston, Coughlin concluded his special day by taking his JEGS.com crew to Lupe Tortilla’s Mexican Restaurant, a favorite stop each year.    “My buddy Stan Holt and his wife Sheila-Mae always take great care of us and it was a good place to tell all the neat stories we had from our incredible day at NASA,” Coughlin said.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCETHE REAL HEROES 400DARLINGTON RACEWAYDARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINAMAY 17, 2020
NASCAR IS BACK ON-TRACK:After a two-month hiatus due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the race track on Sunday afternoon, May 17th, with The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The 293-lap, 400-mile race at the historic 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval track, known as ‘The Lady in Black’, and ‘The Track Too Tough to Tame’, will mark the fifth event on the 2020 schedule and the first of four Cup races slated in the span of 11 days. The series return to racing will be a one-day show without the traditional practice and qualifying.  The entry list features 18 Team Chevy Camaro ZL1 1LE drivers. Owner points and a random draw played a role in determining the starting lineup. By virtue of the random draw, Alex Bowman will lead Team Chevy to the green with an outside, front row starting spot for his No. 88 Valvoline Camaro ZL1 1LE.  BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Of the 116 Cup races at the Darlington venue since 1950, Chevrolet has captured 41 wins in NASCAR’s premier division, leading all other manufacturers.  ·       Of today’s active drivers, Jimmie Johnson, who pilots the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, has scored the most victories with three (2012, and two in ‘04) at Darlington Raceway.  ·       A Team Chevy driver has sat on the pole 22 times. William Byron, who drives the No. 24 Axalta ‘Color of the Year’ Camaro ZL1 1LE, was the most-recent pole sitter at the track for the famed Southern 500 in September of last year.   ·       Matt Kenseth will make his season debut in the No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1 1LE for Chip Ganassi Racing, which marks his first Cup race since retiring at the end of 2018.  FOUR RACES IN THE BOOKSLeading into Race #5 of the season at Darlington, Team Chevy has scored 1 victory, 2 poles, and has three competitors in the Top-5 in the point standings. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro Zl1 1LE is third; Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com-NOCO Camaro ZL1 1LE is fourth; and Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE is fifth in the point standings. With his recent win at Auto Club Speedway in March, Bowman has clinched a spot in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. Elliott also captured the pole at the most recent race at Phoenix Raceway on March 8th, as did Ricky Stenhouse, No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE, at the season-opening Daytona 500 in February. Of laps led this season so far, Elliott tops all drivers with a total of 186.  TUNE-IN:In compliance with the pandemic guidelines, The Real Heroes 400 will run without spectators, but you can view the live competition on Sunday, May 17th, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. QUOTABLE QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGS“It’s exciting to have something new and I’m excited that we are going to be back on TV and give our fans something to watch. I think the silver lining is that we are going to be able to offer something to our viewers on TV.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS“I am definitely ready to get back in the No. 88 Chevrolet and race on track. Virtual racing was a great way to pass this time, but man am I glad to get back to the real track. Darlington is a tough track at times, but this team has brought some fast Camaro ZL1 1LE’s to the track this season and I have tons of confidence that they will do that this weekend.” “Since we have been away from the track, I have really been focused on working out and keeping my mind focused. We moved into the new ABR shop and have been working to get that shop organized and put together. Josh (Wise) has had me working out like crazy, but it has definitely been key to stay on track and continue with our typical schedule.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 88 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1 1LE“Going to Darlington, unloading and going straight to the race is going to be interesting. We typically unload pretty close each weekend and Alex is good at adapting to what we have. The pit crew making quick stops and getting the team great track position helps put us in the right spot. We always say that the race is ultimately won in the shop, so this will be a true test.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGSWHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING DURING THE BREAK? “We are highly organized around the house; we have checked things off the list that we haven’t been able to get to for a very long time. I am an educator and homeschooler Dad now, as I assume most people out there have become. As things have opened up, I have been able to take some laps in a go kart with my girls, done some pedaling and dirt biking, and obviously I have done the iRacing thing.” HOW DO YOU THINK DARLINGTON IS GOING TO GO WITHOUT PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING? “It’s hard to say how things are going to go. But the depth we have in the No. 48 team and at Hendrick Motorsports, this is a great challenge for us. It could be beneficial for us. I think my physical fitness and knowledge of hydration will also certainly come into play racing twice a week – these race tracks are tough. I’m very excited for this opportunity.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS“To get the call and know that we are going back to Darlington is huge and great for the sport of NASCAR. The industry has been collaboratively working together to make sure that this is done safely and properly to put on a good show. I’m excited to go to Darlington. The track is going to change a bunch over the course of 400 miles, but I’m excited to feel the car with the G-forces, the pit stop sequences with the guys and everything about getting back to live racing. It’s refreshing to know that we are headed back to the track soon.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS“I’m looking forward to getting down to Darlington Raceway this weekend and getting back in our Kroger Camaro. I felt like we got off to a great start and good momentum early this season and I’m ready to pick back up right where we left off. Going to Darlington with no practice and no qualifying is going to be fun. All of us drivers and teams will be in the same spot, same position in terms of things that we’re going to have to correct and make right on our race cars. That includes making sure everything in the driver compartment is how I want it. All the nut and bolt checks and everything that comes along that you would learn in practice is going to be key to having prepared when we get to the track. All of my guys on this No. 47 team have been working really hard to make sure everything is perfect and ready to go. The track is going to be really fast with no practice on it. Darlington definitely wears the tires out so it’ll be interesting to see how that changes throughout the race. Racing during the day will also be different for us at Darlington. We always start in the day and finish at night and I think that will play a big factor into how this race plays out. More importantly, I’m grateful to all of our frontline workers, all of our friends and partners at Kroger who have been busier than ever serving their communities, and to NASCAR for giving us a safe space to race and getting back to a little bit of our normal.” BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS“Darlington, Darlington. Man, Darlington Raceway tough. Obviously, the track has the nickname ‘Too Tough to Tame’ for a reason. It is one of those places where I have always had on the list to keep getting better and better at – because it’s such a special place and a unique place. There are two different corners. The focus level there is so much higher, I feel like, more than any other track. It’s so easy to over-step your boundaries, and get yourself in a tough spot and earn your Darlington stripe early.” “With no practice and no qualifying, there is no room for error. There’s no ‘oaky, that’ll buff out. We can get it ready after we hit the fence in practice.’ It’s something where our Richard Petty Motorsports team has to be on top of our game, so we’ll be on the cautious side to start out.” “I’m just excited to get the season back underway. It’s been a long break and a much-anticipated time to get back. I think it’s great that NASCAR is putting in every effort to get us back and put on a great show for the fans. But I think it’s also really awesome that we’re just showing up and racing at one of the toughest places that we go to. I hope everyone enjoys the show.” JERRY BAXTER, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE“Our whole team at Richard Petty Motorsports are all excited about going to Darlington Raceway because it’s been so long since we have been to the track. It is almost like preparing for the DAYTONA 500. You’ve been off all winter and you go start the season, everyone’s excited and it’s just a good thing. I think we are pretty well-prepared and we will go down there and see what we can do.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA ‘COLOR OF THE YEAR’ CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGS“I’m excited to get back on track this week. While being able to spend some time at home to regroup has been nice, I’m ready to get back behind the wheel and keep the momentum going that the No. 24 team had been working on this year. It will be different not having any practice or qualifying before we race, but everyone is in the same position. Darlington (Raceway) is a track that relies on car setup and tire management. You’re constantly on the wheel it feels like, so you try to work the grip limit while not over taxing it. I’ve had good runs going my last two races there, but we’ve just had bad luck. Hopefully that changes this time.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGSIF YOU RUN AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY AND YOU DON’T HAVE A DARLINGTON STRIPE, HAVE YOU TRULY RACED AT THAT TRACK? “Yeah, I have actually made it through without a Darlington stripe, but I have wiped out two cars in first practice. It’s a place that will bite you quick and you just have to have the right mentality going into it of what you are racing against. It’s not necessarily the competition as much as yourself. Mentally it’s a challenging place and I love that about it.” IS DARLINGTON RACEWAY A PLACE WHERE YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S MORE IN YOUR CONTROL VERSUS SOME OTHER TRACKS? “For sure, it is. It’s a place where if you do your job and you have to have a good car, obviously, everybody that runs well there does, but doing your job rewards you at the end of the night.” TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGSDARLINGTON IS A TRACK THAT TAKES A LOT OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CAPACITY FROM DRIVERS. WHEN YOU GO INTO TURN ONE, WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE LIKE? “It’s going to be unique, probably a little more conservative than normal. You are going to be feeling everything out and hope that your car is all together in one piece and everything is working properly. Usually in practice, you get to feel it out and if there is anything that is off, you and your team can work on it. Drivers will probably be a little conservative on lap one, but it’s also really hard to be conservative at 190 mph. Darlington is definitely the hardest track to adapt to. It’s a track we always say is ‘too tough to tame’ and you race the racetrack, you don’t race the other guys around you, and it’s hard enough to race the racetrack. With no practice, no qualifying, fans are going to see talent rise to the top right away and as the race goes on, guys are going to work together with their teams to even out the field. The beginning of the race, especially, will be super fun and exciting under these unique circumstances. I’m pumped to get back to the track with my Germain Racing team and we are looking for a good run from our GEICO Chevrolet.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSIT LOOS LIKE IT’S GOING TO BE VERY WARM ON SUNDAY FOR THE RETURN TO RACING AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THAT FOR YOUR FIRST RACE BACK?“I’m very excited about the possibility of the hot weather at Darlington Raceway, and the slipping and sliding we’ll probably see during these two races there, especially the first one. We’ve seen that race run a lot at night, so I think we’ll see two different races between the ones on Sunday and Wednesday. They are both going to be tough races, but I’m really looking forward to the race on Sunday during the middle of the day. I love hot, slick racetracks when we’re hot in the car, which probably seems strange to people, but I love it. It just seems like the hotter it gets, the more fun I have in a race car. Granted, a lot of that experience is on the Xfinity side so maybe I’ll think differently after a Cup race since most our races have been relatively cool this year. But I’m looking forward to being back at the track. I’ve been karting lately, trying to keep my instincts up for when I’m back in the No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet, and I think I’m ready to go on Sunday.” THE INDUSTRY IS DOING A LOT TO RECOGNIZE FRONTLINE WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY DURING THESE RACES. WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN STAND OUT AS WE HEAD INTO THE RACE WEEKEND? “I really appreciate what everyone is doing to thank and honor frontline workers across the country and across multiple industries. Caterpillar has a great ‘Thank You’ campaign going on that focuses on those who are helping to keep moving our country forward during this time, and is including everyone from healthcare workers to truck drivers and construction workers. As someone who has a couple friends that are truck drivers who’ve been working non-stop lately, it’s really cool to see them get some recognition. Then on top of that, we’re going to be part of the Real Heroes Project through NASCAR and honor healthcare workers and systems by putting their names over ours on the door. I think that’s a really special way that we’re able to show some gratitude towards everything these people have done for us during this time. All their hard work does not go unnoticed, and it is the reason we’re able to return to racing like this.” RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 33rd IN STANDINGS“I’m absolutely ready to get back to the racetrack this weekend at Darlington Raceway. Darlington is going to be challenging. That track is its own special racetrack. Speed doesn’t seem to matter nearly as much as longevity and keeping the tires on our Cottonelle Camaro ZL1 1LE. It’s one of those tracks where you race the drivers less, and the track more. It’s going to be a lot of fun. We’re really thankful for everyone at Kroger for all of the hard work they’ve put in during this pandemic to keep their employees safe, shelves stocked and communities healthy. It’s going to be a safe environment and getting back to racing is hopefully a much-needed relief during the quarantine.” MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE “I’m just as excited as I’ve been to go racing in many, many years, and I’m really looking forward to getting to the track. I really like this group of guys at Ganassi; the cars look nice and the Camaro looks like they’re really fast, so I’m really looking forward to this first race. The 42 team has run really well at Darlington in the last two years, so setup-wise we’re probably not going to veer too far off of that. I think you’ll run those first thirty laps, see how the car feels and then be able to make some small adjustments and go from there. Everyone is going to be out there ready to pounce on whatever spot they can, so you just have to be smart. Especially for me, I just need to be smart and get through those first bunch of laps to get in a rhythm, get a little bit of room to move around, breath, get kind of acclimated, and go from there. I know that it’s going to be a big challenge, and I’m going to do my best to try and take advantage of the opportunity.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDARLINGTON RACEWAYTHE REAL HEROES 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTMAY 14, 2020 
CHAD KNAUS, CREW CHIEF OF THE NO. 24 AXALTA ‘COLOR OF THE YEAR’ CAMARO ZL1 1LE FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, spoke with media via video conference to discuss safety protocols for his teams, how they have prepared for Darlington, and more. Transcript:CAN YOU TELL US HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE SPENT FACE-TO-FACE WITH YOUR TEAM AND ROAD CREW AND THE TYPES OF PRECAUTIONS YOU’VE TAKEN THIS WEEK FOR SUNDAY’S RACE?“Do you mean personally or via computer?”
PERSONAL INTERACTION“Really none. I saw my team today for the first time. My pit crew. And I was in my car while they were doing pit stops and that was it. So, really, I haven’t been at Hendrick Motorsports. I went there three weeks ago to pick up something for my printer and other than that, I haven’t been there at all. So, no face-to-face or contact with these guys whatsoever. Everything has been on team meetings and looking at them just like I’m looking at you now (via Zoom).
SO YOU WON’T HAVE TOUCHED THE CAR AT ALL UNTIL MAYBE YOU HELP PUSH IT THROUGH TECH ON SUNDAY?“I haven’t seen the race car at all. Nope, haven’t seen it or touched it. Nothing.”
I’M SURPRISED YOU’RE STILL BREATHING (LAUGHTER)“That’s the recommendation by NASCAR for the traveling teams to stay as isolated as they can and try to keep everybody at the race track as healthy as we can and that’s the protocol we put into place and that’s what we’ve been abiding by.”
HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT STRATEGIZING FOR THIS RACE AS FAR AS SET-UP? DO YOU JUST LOOK AT LAST YEAR’S DARLINGTON RACE AND TRY TO DO SOMETHING OFF THAT? DO YOU ASSUME THINGS HAVE CHANGED? WHERE DO YOU GO FOR A STARTING POINT?“Well, that’s a great question (laughs). It’s not easy, man. We obviously used last year as a baseline; 2019 was a solid race for us at Darlington. We qualified on the pole. We raced really well. We lost some track position early and we kind of ran around seventh most of the day until the end when we were caught-up in an accident. So, we used that as a baseline. Obviously the Camaro was a new beast for us, so we had a really good race in Las Vegas. Our teammates had a really good run in Fontana. So we took the data from there and applied those offsets to the best of our ability and where we feel like the characteristics re going to be when we go to Darlington and kind of came up with what it was; the derivative of 2019 with a little bit of what we’ve learned so far in the mix.”
I REALIZE YOU’VE HAD TO REALLY GO BACK ON THE AMOUNT OF PERSONNEL YOU’VE HAD IN THE SHOP. WHERE HAVE YOU HAD TO CUT AND MAYBE GET A LITTLE BIT INNOVATIVE OR CREATIVE WITH SOME OF THE PROCESSES TO GET THINGS READY FOR THE RACE TRACK?“It’s been a huge challenge and I really have to throw a lot of thank-yous and a lot of accolades to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports because it’s not been an easy process to get back in there in a very, very short period of time and get race cars ready to go to a very unique venue. Darlington is quite a lot different than any other race track that we go to, obviously. But, we’ve got staggered work hours. We’ve got blocks of people that work. We’re not really alternating days. We’re going in blocks of days to try to keep the exposure down to a minimum.
“We’re thermal testing people as they come into the facility. You see everybody wearing their masks and practicing social distancing. We’re doing all that we can to be in accordance with the CDC regulations and what the governor has put out there, to make sure we’re doing what’s right and being smart. It’s not easy. As we were chatting a little bit ago, I haven’t seen the race car. The Car Chief hasn’t seen the race cars. My guys that are going to be at the race track are basically going to show up and say, okay, hey what have we got here and let’s get after it.’ It’s all unique but it’s actually been educational for the folks that are working at the shop to make sure they cars show up at the race track with the best amount of detail that’s capable of being put in our cars. It’s been good. It’s unique for sure, for everybody, but it’s what’s necessary at this time.”
WITH NO PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING AND JUST SHOW-UP AND ‘RUN WHAT YOU BRUNG’, THAT’S NOW GOING TO BE THE CASE. CAN THESE RACES BE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TEAMS TO CAPITALIZE IF THEY’RE ABLE TO UNLOAD WITH SOMETHING REALLY CLOSE, WHEREAS OTHER TEAMS MAY STRUGGLE? OR, WILL THE RACES STILL BE LONG ENOUGH THAT IT’S GOING TO BE THE SAME OLD RISING TO THE TOP MID-WAY AND TOWARD THE END OF THEM?“I think the potential for somebody to really hit on it and have an advantage, is definitely there. Absolutely. Although, like what you mentioned, I think the best teams will still manage to work their way toward the front, either by the end of the race or by the end of this little jaunt that we’ve got going on. The best teams out there are going to learn from their experiences in the first couple of races and be able to build upon that; and the best teams have a very deep notebook. I think if you go to any venue, and you don’t think that a Kyle Busch or a Chase Elliott are not going to rumble, I think you’re just kind of fooling yourself, right? They’ve got depth. They’ve got time and tenure with their crew chief. So, they’ve got a lot to fall back on. So, I think the best teams will still be the best teams when it’s all said and done.”
AT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, EACH OF THE FOUR TEAMS ARE TAKING AN ENGINEER EACH THIS WEEKEND. SOME OF THE ORGANIZATIONS ARE LEAVING ENGINEERS AT HOME TO HAVE THE EXTRA CREW MEMBER THERE TO HELP WITH THE CAR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS FOR THAT?“Well, it’s interesting because when you say an ‘engineer’…. For my instance, one of my engineers is very mechanically inclined. So, he can cross over and do a multitude of things. It’s not like he’s just hugging a computer, right? So, I think every team is being adjusted per their strengths and what they feel their needs are. Some times, all their engineers do is look at a computer, right? And they have no value at the race track and can do everything remotely. So, it just depends on what your strengths are and what you need. Personally, I need my engineer. I’m not smart enough to go out there and do it by myself. I have to have somebody hold my hand. These guys are very well-rounded and that’s why they’re going to the race track in case things come up. And, I feel honestly, that the preparation at the shop is what’s going to really be the key. So, we wanted to keep a good, strong, staff of mechanics at the shop with good and recent race track experience, to try to make sure that when we unload the race car that we’re absolutely race ready.”
NASCAR HAS SHARED THE FACT THAT AS PART OF THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS, THEY ARE ASKING EVERYONE THAT COMES TO THE TRACK TO KEEP A LOG OR JOURNAL OF THEIR WHEREABOUTS AND CONTACTS, IF NEEDED FOR FUTURE TRACING. CAN YOU SHARE ANYTHING ABOUT THE TYPES OF INFORMATION YOU’RE HAVING TO KEEP A LOG OF? “That would be very difficult for me to manage exactly whoever we’re in contact with. We’re trying to do everything we can to be in compliance with what NASCAR is asking for. And then we’re just trying to manage like, okay, we’re going to be around this group of guys. And as long as you stay with that group of guys, you really know where you’re going to be. We’re not going to do a lot of cross-talking with other teams or other officials. So, we’re really just trying to keep that pared down so that it’s easy to make that determination when it’s all said and done. I think that’s what we really have to do. And, that’s the wisest way to go about it. So, everybody’s got responsibility in this because the goal is for nobody to get sick and for nobody to have a big problem. So, we have to do our best as an industry to make that happen so we can get out there and keep racing and put on a great show for the fans and we can get our fill for the completion that we’re looking for. We’re all going to do everything in our power to do what NASCAR needs and everybody around us needs.”
WHEN IT COMES TO THE SAFETY PROTOCOLS, HOW MUCH DIRECTION IS COMING FROM NASCAR VERSUS HENDRICK VERSUS YOUR OWN SAFETY PRECAUTIONS?“There’s a lot of information out there, as we all know. And we’re all trying to sift through that and we’re using the best information we possibly can. Obviously NASCAR is our sanctioning body and they’ve done a lot of work to lay the ground rules we’re making sure we’re following what it is that they need to do and what they’ve recommended. We’re also doing everything we can to follow the governor’s wishes, the local governor’s wishes, and the CDC. We’re taking all of that information and providing the teams with all the equipment that they’re going to need as far as the masks and whatnot, and we’re going to go ahead and try to stick with that as best we possibly can. It’s not easy. Everybody is throwing you different information from all of these angles. We’re trying to keep it consolidated to the local and state governments and NASCAR and just honestly, using our heads a little bit.”
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CREW CHIEF IS TO MANAGE THE TEAM AND IF THEY DO SOMETHING WRONG, YOU’RE IN CHARGE AND RESPONSIBLE. TALK ABOUT THAT AS IT RELATES TO ALL YOUR TEAM MEMBERS DOING WHAT THEY’RE REQUIRED TO DO, INCLUDING YOUR DRIVER. AND WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CONCERN IN GENERAL?‘Yeah, it’s tough because we are ultimately responsible and we sign our name on that line, it’s tough. Jimmie Johnson always said I’ve signed my name on the wrong line. I picked the hard job, you picked the easy job, right? And, it’s a difficult thing. But we’ve been educating our guys consistently and providing them with materials that they need and trying to give them proper direction and a clear direction. There is so much information out there that it can get cluttered and cloudy really quick. So, we’re trying to be very specific about what the needs need to be and how they need to approach the weekend and putting forward protocol so it’s easy for them to follow. And look, if something happens and the guys make a mistake, it’s a mistake. And if they’re held accountable for it, look, I get it. Now if one of the guys just get out of line and is just going off the rails and not doing what we feel he should be, then that’s a personal problem that we’re going to handle ourselves. So ultimately yeah, I guess it all falls on me and I’ll deal with it.”
IT SOUNDS LIKE SOME TEAMS ARE GOING TO HAVE A CONTINGENCY PLAN WHERE THEY MAY HAVE CREW MEMBERS IN THE VICINITY OR EVEN A BACK-UP DRIVER JUST IN CASE THEY NEED TO RELY ON THEM. DOES HENDRICK HAVE A PLAN LIKE THAT?“We’re going a good job, I feel, of that. We’ve got a complete track protocol group, and at-track-activation group, that we’ve worked with and I was a huge part of that. We’ve got some very responsible people that are working on that and we’ve got a complete list of team members we’re going to have that are prepared to go to the race track and we’re keeping dibs on and understanding where they’re at from a health standpoint and they’re in the back-up roster that’s been submitted to NASCAR already. We’re going through and have them on-the-ready. For instance, let’s say Joe Mechanic gets up on Sunday morning and he’s getting ready to drive to Darlington and he’s got a fever, he calls me and I tell Joe to stay home and we call Bob and bring him in. We call the proper people at NASCAR that this person has already been cleared and tested and we’re ready to rock and roll with this fellow. That’s how we’re doing it. I hope we don’t have to deal with that, but we like to be prepared nonetheless, in a case of emergency. We’ve dealt with everything from drivers all the way down to crew chiefs.”
WILL THE FIRST SUNDAY DARLINGTON RACE MIRROR THE SECOND? ARE YOU GOING TO BE TAKING A LOT OF NOTES AND SEARCHING FOR IMPROVEMENT FOR THE MIDWEEK RACE, REGARDLESS OF HOW YOU’RE DOING? AND, DO YOU GUYS HAVE BRANDED FACE MASKS?“Nice to throw that one in there at the end (laughs)! We do not have branded face masks but we have some really nice face masks that we think are going to keep our guys really safe. Hendrick Motorsports has done an amazing job of really trying to be prepared in all levels. You bring up a great point. What happens if you go and you run well, and what happens if you don’t run well? Why, right? We’ve got a couple of options right now on the No. 24 car. If things don’t go the way we want them to, we’ve got a whole other package that we’re ready to put into our next race car to take to the race track. If we go and it runs well and just needs a little bit of massaging, then we just go ahead and take that race car, with the right set-up in it, and just adjust a little bit. Going from the 400 to the 300, I don’t know that it’s going to be significantly different because of the greenness of the race track that we’re going to have. It’s going to rubber-up fairly quickly, I understand that but it’s still going to be fairly green. By the time we get there and we race later in the evening, the track’s going to be a little bit cooler and the grip level will come back up a little bit. So, we’re just going to have to wait and see. If you see a car go out there and run really well on Sunday, my dime would be that he’s probably going to come back and run pretty well again on Wednesday.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESDARLINGTON RACEWAYTHE REAL HEROES 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTMAY 14, 2020 
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss getting back to racing at Darlington, his new teammate Matt Kenseth, and more. Full Transcript: REGARDING THAT TURN ONE MOMENT WITH NO PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING. WILL IT BE DIFFERENT OR WILL YOU TREAT IT LIKE ANY OTHER RACE?“It will be exciting to say the least. When I ran the Indianapolis 500 a few years ago, everybody was hyped up and going three-wide into turn one. It’s because the whole month of practice, preparation, and drafting, you are only doing it with a few cars at a time. This will be the same thing for us. It’s a group of cars, group of professionals, all barreling down into turn one with months of built up anxiety and excitement. Everybody knows it. Everybody can feel it. And I hope everybody uses their best judgement because we all know there is going to be a competition caution for everybody to check their settings with the front splitter, cambers, and the set-up balances. My approach is that we all need to drive down there at an 80% level and then ramp up our percentage of aggressiveness as the race moves forward.” HOW DIFFERENTLY DOES DARLINGTON RACE IN THE DAYTIME VERSUS THE NIGHT THIS TIME OF YEAR AND WITH THIS PACKAGE?“You know, each of our upcoming races are all going to be in different time slots and the track grip levels are going to be very different than what they have shown for patterns in the years past. For this race, I want everybody to look at how bleached-out the asphalt will look when we turn on that broadcast on Sunday. You are going to look and go, ‘wow, I don’t even recognize the racetrack’, and that is because there has been no track activity. No Xfinity Series, no Trucks, and nobody that put any kind of rubber down from the practice sessions. So, the whole thing will be a whole different look. It will get built up with rubber and it will be slicker in the daytime and turns 1 and 2 will have the sun beating down on it hard. And looking at the weather forecast, it’s going to be in the upper 80s. So, this will be a big challenge right off the bat. It’s a 400-miler, everybody’s physical level will be tested, mental level, and then adjusting to track conditions. This on a scale of 1-10 is a 9.5 to start off with.” DO YOU FEEL LIKE ALL EYES ARE GOING TO BE ON NASCAR THIS WEEK TO SEE HOW IT GOES OFF THE NEXT 10 DAYS AND DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT COULD BE A TEST FOR ALL PROFESSIONAL SPORTS LEAGUES?“I feel like this is a genuine opportunity for many different reasons. All sports fans, NASCAR fans, the drivers, and the sanctioning body – we are all looking forward to it. At the end of the day, we are hopeful that this is a light at the end of the tunnel that people can see. It is a beacon that is shining out there saying this is a professional sport with competitors and millions of dollars in TV and team sponsorships that create a sense of balance. Something that says, ‘if they can do it, we can do it’. But other sports have many other hurdles that they have to overcome. For us, it’s exciting that we have our chance to go out there and compete. Whether it is a stage to stand on or not, you have to block out all that pressure. I am looking forward to trying to grab that first checkered flag in two months.” HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR NEW TEAMMATE (MATT KENSETH) WILL DO WITH NO PRACTICE AND THE NEW SITUATION FOR HIM?“Yeah, I think Matt Kenseth is up for the challenge. It’s a unique set of circumstances for him, as well as everybody. For Matt to not be in a car for a longer duration than most of us, it will be different with a new team and new communication over the radio. He has gone through the steps with Ganassi and with Chevrolet in the simulator to make some laps and hear his crew chief on the radio and to do things in the virtual aspect. But again, nothing translates to the real thing in feeling the G forces and being out there with the competitors. He has the option to start in the seventh-place position, or wherever the random draw goes for the top-12 in points. So, there is that question of whether he wants to drop to the back and kind of ease into it. But Matt is a champion, a true professional, and I am excited to work with him as we move forward.” DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO GET BACK ON TRACK AFTER 9-11 AND KIND OF THE EMOTIONS THAT FOLLOWED THAT AND THE FAN REACTION?“That is a loaded question and a great question. With 9-11 and having that moment for our country to be attacked in a terrorism-type of setting, there are some similarities to that in this current day, but everybody wanted to go back to the track and I swear, everybody was wearing red, white and blue. There was no other color and the grandstands were packed. The electricity was beyond. That moment is going to be similar, but it’s going to be an empty set of grandstands. It’s going to be all eyeballs and spirits watching through the FOX network. We will be able to feel that, but we will have a whole different set of feelings and circumstances around us as teams, as sponsors, and as drivers when we get to the track on Sunday. But we know that everyone is going to be looking at us through that camera lenses, and that is what we saw in 1979 with everybody having travel issues and everybody being snowed-in on the east coast. With all those eyeballs watching, it transcended our sport. That happens over time. I think the 9-11 thing happened instantaneously and this one has been a two month break in racing action. But yes, we are not going to have our fans at a full capacity right now at the track, it will be through the television. It’s a blend. It’s a big moment, but at the same time, time will tell what this will do with our sport and how we are able to create a little bit of normalcy for the fans that tune in on Sunday.” DO YOU THINK HAVING MATT KENSETH AS A VETERAN TEAMMATE YOU TWO TOGETHER CAN PUSH GANASSI TO THE NEXT LEVEL?“Oh absolutely. I think that is one of the reasons for the decision, to go with Matt Kenseth, a past champion. For us to have been teammates years ago, that already helps us cross over a bridge that sometimes youneed to spend time on. His work ethic, his drive and also the chance here for this opportunity is to use his experience and his wisdom to help a whole new group of guys on that 42 car. Those are the things that I did with the 1 car and it’s a matter of raising the bar for everybody. So, yes, Matt is going to look for that opportunity to do it when there is the right time to implement certain things. For the two of us, I hope quicker rather than later we get in this sync, side-by-side, pushing as well with General Motors and what we can do with Chevrolet, to make Ganassi a winner week in and week out.” 

NASCAR CUP SERIESDARLINGTON RACEWAYTHE REAL HEROES 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTMAY 14, 2020 
MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss his anticipation to returning back to racing, how he has been able to prepare for his first race back, the challenges that come with racing at Darlington Raceway, and more. Transcript: WHAT IS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE SETUP OF THE CAR WHEN YOU GET THERE? YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN A CAR SINCE THE END OF 2018. HAVE YOU GUYS DISCUSSED WHAT SETUP YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO USE?“Chad (Johnston) assures me it’s going to be perfect (laughs). I mean, yes and no. I leave that job to him, the engineers and everyone here at CGR. They’ve ran really well at Darlington in the last two years, so I’m thinking they’re probably not going to veer too far off of that. I think you’ll run those first thirty laps and you’ll get kind of the extended caution there to be able to make some small adjustments and go from there. So, I don’t think it’s really different from what they ran there last year or maybe even the year before.” JUST CURIOUS, HOW MUCH TIME HAVE YOU SPENT IN THE SIMULATOR TO PREPARE FOR THIS WEEKEND?“About fifteen minutes or so. There are a lot of good things about it, but it’s still not exactly the racecar. I’ve been doing as much as I can, as far as being prepared, looking at data and reading notes. Going to the simulator was one of those boxes that I wanted to check. So, I did go over there to drive it and make a few runs at Darlington to just kind of drive it, feel comfortable and all that stuff. I didn’t really spend an extended period of time there because, in my mind, it’s still not like driving the racecar. There are a lot of things that are very similar, but a lot of things that are different as well. I did spend a little bit of time there, but not a lot.” WHEN YOU ROLL OFF AT DARLINGTON AND THINK ABOUT THE FEEL AT THE START OF THE RACE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? HOW DO YOU THINK IT WILL LOOK? IT COULD BE A LITTLE BIT CRAZY OR MAYBE NOT. HOW DO YOU INVISION THIS ALL HAPPENING?“Well, I don’t know, we’ll have to see where everyone starts. Nobody has been in a car in a while; certainly, it’s been longer for me. I think the biggest difference for me, also, is that I haven’t driven these racecars or for this team. So, there are a few more unknowns. I’m not sure how exactly everything is going to feel and all that kind of stuff. There is certainly a little bit of anxiety for those first few corners to kind of get rolling and get used to things. At the same time, everybody is going to be ready to pounce. Restarts are very important, track position is very important and you always want to get what you can get when you can get it. So, I don’t expect people to be taking it real easy or maybe giving you a bunch of extra room or anything like that. You certainly don’t expect any kind of special treatment. You know everyone is going to be out there ready to pounce on whatever spot they can, so you just have to be smart. Especially for me, just be smart and get through those first bunch of laps to get in a rhythm, get a little bit of room to move around, breath, get kind of acclimated, and go from there.” DRIVERS ARE BEING TOLD TO STAY IN THEIR MOTORHOMES. SO, I WAS CURIOUS, DO YOU HAVE A MOTORHOME OR WILL YOU HAVE TO DRIVE DOWN AND STAY IN YOUR CAR?“I was just planning on driving my car down for the first bunch of weeks, but I heard that as well. I know they are trying to keep everybody kind of by themselves as much as they can and away from a bunch of other people. I still own my motorhome. I was hoping to sell it, but didn’t, so thankfully I still have it and I’ll have that there to have somewhere to hangout for a while.” KURT BUSCH WAS JUST ON THE LINE AND SAID THAT HE HAS PLANS TO HEAD TO THE RACE SHOP AND TALK TO HIS CREW CHIEF. I’M CURIOUS IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BEEN TO THE SHOP IN PERSON OR HAVE PLANS TO DO THAT BEFORE HEADING TO DARLINGTON?“I haven’t met with Tony (Raines), my spotter, yet. I met with Chad (Johnston) a bunch of times. I’m actually at the shop right now and was just meeting with him and Chip (Ganassi) when I ran upstairs here to make this call. So, yeah, I’ve been over here a fair amount. Like I touched on before, it’s different with the shifts and there aren’t a lot of people here at the same time. I was actually just going through all the final details for the car for Sunday, just making sure everything was good and going through all that stuff to get ready.” YOU STARTED RACING AT DARLINGTON IN 1997. AT WHAT POINT IN YOUR CAREER DID YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH DARLINGTON AND ALL THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS AS A DRIVER? HOW DIFFERENTLY DOES THIS TRACK RACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPRING COMPARED TO LATE IN THE EVENING AT THE END OF SUMMER?“Things change rapidly. I think Darlington and, when Rockingham was still on the schedule, those tracks down there in that part of the state with all the sand and the environment seem to change more than most tracks that we go to from year to year. Darlington has obviously changed a lot during the years. There has been a re-pave in between there and certainly keeps getting bumpier and all that kind of stuff. But I think the cars, setups, rules and all that stuff seem to change probably faster than a lot of the tracks change. So, it’s a little different every time you go down. I don’t know that I have a good comparison for a day race in May compared to a summer race in September. It sounds like it’s going to be the first hot day of year on Sunday. It sounds like it’s going to get up to 90 degrees the last time I looked and that’s about the same that it usually is when we’re down there Labor Day weekend. I don’t really anticipate it being that much different at the start of the race, but it’ll certainly still be light by the end of the race. So, I think the end of the race will be different than the second one. I think it changes a little more at night. I think it picks up speed and changes balance just a little bit.” HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO SHOWCASE YOUR SKILLS GOING FORWARD AND MAYBE SETTING UP A FUTURE FOR RACING BEYOND THIS YEAR?“Right now, I’m not really looking too far beyond Sunday, to be totally honest with you. Certainly, the learning curve is going to be steep. I know being out of the car that long, starting with a different team and piling on top of not being able to practice for the foreseeable future, or testing and anything like that, is going to be very challenging. But, I’m really excited. I have to admit, I’m just as excited as I’ve been to go racing in many, many years. So, I’m really looking forward to getting to the track. I really like this group of guys, the cars look nice, the Camaro looks like they’re really fast, so I’m really looking forward to it. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity, I just know that it’s going to be a big challenge. I’m going to have to work hard and do my best to try and take advantage of the opportunity.”

May 13, 2020

When Matt DiBenedetto travels to Darlington Raceway for Sunday’s resumption of the NASCAR Cup Series season he’ll be doing it much like old-school race fans have done over the years.

Due to conditions placed on the event because of concerns of spreading COVID-19, DiBenedetto and his fellow drivers will drive themselves to the track and basically quarantine themselves until they strap in for the start of the 400-mile race.

Just as old-school fans who packed a picnic lunch and fired up the ol’ hotrod for the trip to NASCAR’s original superspeedway, DiBenedetto plans to take his favorite street ride – a blue 2020 Ford Mustang GT – and a cooler full of goodies prepared by his wife Taylor.
 
“I’m going to enjoy driving down there,” DiBenedetto said, adding that since he doesn’t have a motorcoach, he’ll hang out in and around his Mustang before he takes the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang. “I’ll eat a couple of sandwiches and do some stretching to be sure I’m ready to race.”
 
For Sunday’s race, and three of the next four Cup races, there will be no practice and no qualifying – just line up and race. The starting field for Sunday will be set by a modified random draw. The No. 21 team, which is ninth in Cup points, will join the other teams in the top 12 in points for a draw for the top 12 starting positions.  The rest of the field will be set in a similar fashion.
 
DiBenedetto said he’s not worried about the entire field barreling off into Turn One at the Track Too Tough to Tame without a single lap of practice.
 
“Call me crazy, but I think that will be pretty cool,” he said. “It’ll be a fun opportunity to fire off cold turkey, especially at Darlington, one of the toughest places we go to.
  
“It’ll be a neat story that we can tell the rest of our lives.”
 
DiBenedetto said he believes his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will be in the ballpark, handling-wise, when the race starts. The team has data from previous races to use in setting up the car.

“I have so much confidence in my team,” he said. “They are so good.”
 
He did say that he expects the competition to be stiff, even at the start of the race.
 
“People will give each other some room, but they will still be pretty aggressive,” DiBenedetto said. “With the higher downforce package we’re running, passing cars in dirty air is difficult. 

 “Starts and restarts are where you make up the most ground.” 
 
DiBenedetto has made five career Cup starts at Darlington, with a best finish of eighth in his most recent appearance there.
 

– Fans offered PPV option to watch entire race weekend –

ENNIS, TX (May 13, 2020) — The Texas Motorplex will be one of the first sporting venues in the state to host events following Governor Abbott’s new directives on public gatherings and sporting events. The Keurig Dr Pepper Lone Star Nationals presented by Driven Automotive Protection, a primarily participant only event, will be held May 21-23. The event will be an opportunity for race teams to test as well as race for one of the largest cash purses ever offered to Alcohol Funny Cars and Dragsters. The Mid-West Pro Mods will also be competing showing off their 200 mph door-slammer speed.

“First we want to assure everyone that we are taking all necessary safety precautions to keep our employees, competitors and fans safe during this event,” said Andy Carter Texas Motorplex General Manager. “We know racers have been staying at home for over two months and we just want to give them one of the first opportunities to get back on the track. We have set up a program for fans to watch from home from their mobile devices, computer or even smart TV. The Lone Star Nationals will feature a great assortment of race cars and the track will be in great shape.”

Fans will be able to enjoy the three days of racing action for the low price of $15 by purchasing the event Pay Per View livestream on TheFoat.com Ticketing with BangShift.  The entire event from the first burnout to the last win light will be broadcast with wildly entertaining Al Tucci calling the action.

The event will be contested on May 22-23 with qualifying on Friday beginning at 5 p.m.. On Saturday competitors in Top Alcohol Funny Car and Top Alcohol Dragster will battle it out for a winner’s purse of $3,500 in prize money. Additionally Mid-West Pro Mod drivers will be tearing up the track throughout the weekend. In addition to the record cash purse drivers will earn valuable Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series points.

10-Round Schedule Slated to Kick Off in Reno-Sparks on July 24-25

CORONA, Calif. (May 7, 2020) – As states across the country continue to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and begin the individual processes of reopening local economies and businesses, series officials at the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Presented by GEICO have taken the initiative to develop an updated racing schedule for the 2020 season in correspondence to the multi-phase efforts being implemented throughout the United States. The newly condensed schedule will consist of 10 rounds, running from late July to mid November, while the Lucas Oil Challenge Cup remains the closing event on the calendar. “So far, we’ve found ourselves with a series of difficult decisions to make throughout the ongoing pandemic, but we’ve remained steadfast in our goal to host a successful 2020 season of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series,” said Ritchie Lewis, Director of Race Operations, Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. “With so much uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the various states and municipalities in which our events are held, we’ve decided to move forward with a new plan for the season that will allot us additional time to work alongside local officials, in hopes that we’re able to host a large gathering of competitors and fans, alike, while also observing necessary protocols to ensure the health and safety of everyone in attendance.”

Scenic Wild West Motorsports Park will kick off the 2020 season  with a nighttime doubleheader from Reno-Sparks on July 24-25. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Under the new schedule, the opening weekend of the season will take place from Wild West Motorsports Park in Reno-Sparks, Nevada, with a high-octane doubleheader under the lights on Friday, July 24, and Saturday, July 25 (Rounds 1 & 2). Just a few weeks later, the series will make its anticipated return to Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri, for a historic weekend that will consist of three days of racing on Friday, August 21, Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23 (Rounds 3, 4, & 5). As the fall season approaches, the championship will make its first of two visits to Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona, for back-to-back nighttime spectacles on Friday, September 18, and Saturday, September 19 (Rounds 6 & 7). A long overdue return to Southern California follows for the penultimate stop on the schedule, where San Bernardino’s Glen Helen Raceway will host a pair of afternoon showcases on Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11 (Rounds 8 & 9). Finally, the 2020 season will come to a dramatic conclusion with a return to Wild Horse Pass for the 10th and final round on the afternoon of Saturday, November 14, followed by the always memorable Lucas Oil Challenge Cup that same evening. “No matter how you look at it, the 2020 season is slated to be a historic one, and we’re bringing a renewed sense of hope that this updated schedule will provide us with the best possibility to bring the spectacular sport of short course off road to our fans,” continued Ritchie. “We know we have an exceptionally hungry collection of drivers that have been patiently waiting for their chance to return to the track, and in providing this new schedule it will allow us all to work towards the common goal of finally getting things underway at Wild West Motorsports Park in July.”

2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series – Updated Schedule 5/7/20July 24-25Wild West Motorsports ParkSparks, NVAugust 21-23Lucas Oil SpeedwayWheatland, MOSeptember 18-19Wild Horse Pass Motorsports ParkChandler, AZOctober 10-11Glen Helen RacewaySan Bernardino, CANovember 14Wild Horse Pass Motorsports ParkChandler, AZ

May 7, 2020

For decades people in southern Virginia and beyond knew Ray Lee Wood for the beautiful flowers growing in front of his home in the community of Buffalo Ridge and for the sourwood honey that he collected from his beehives. 

They knew of his prized Persian cats and Siberian Huskies, and the goldfish he raised in ponds on his family property.

Others were amazed at his knowledge of the Bible and his loyalty to the Pentecostal Holiness Church.

And there were some that knew the rest of the story, about how Wood was an integral part of some of the grandest triumphs in motor racing history – among them victories in the 1963 Daytona 500, the 1965 Indianapolis 500 and the inaugural American 500 at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham in 1965.

Ray Lee Wood, who died May 5 at the age of 92, was the third son of J. Walter and Ada Wood. In the early 1950s, he and his brothers Glenn, Clay, Delano and Leonard, took on the world of automobile racing with the same passion and determination that they applied to every task they ever took on.

Early in the Wood Brothers’ career, they worked on their race cars under a giant beech tree, its limbs serving as support for pulling engines with a chain hoist. Ray Lee Wood spent the last half of his life serving as caretaker of the famous tree, one that attracted visitors including Edsel Ford II.

As the team began competing in the series now known as Cup, Ray Lee changed front tires and helped prepare the Fords initially driven by his brother Glenn but later driven by some of the biggest names in motorsports. 

Leonard Wood said his brother could have added his name to that list had he chosen to do so.

“Ray Lee could have been a race driver as well as Glenn,” he said. In 1958, on the sands of Daytona Beach, Ray Lee hit 142 miles per hour on the measured mile in a hopped-up street car, topping the speed chart for that day.

When the Wood Brothers won the Car Owner’s Championship in 1963 using multiple drivers, Ray Lee Wood was the car owner of record and the Championship trophy bears his name. 

When the Woods scored the first of their five Daytona 500 victories, with Tiny Lund filling in for a badly burned Marvin Panch, Ray Lee played a key role in the team’s winning pit strategy.

After the first 10 laps of the 500 were run under the yellow flag because of rain, the Woods saw an opportunity to play a pit strategy similar to those used in road-course races today. They began making their pit stops with the intention of making one fewer stop than their competitors. 

They also were hoping to run the race on a single set of tires.

Firestone representative John Laux and Ray Lee were in charge of checking the tires. Both agreed on each early stop that the tires were good to go.

On the final stop, Laux wasn’t so certain. Ray Lee said the tires were good for another 100 miles. His brothers took his advice, and Lund drove on to the checkered flag.

Wood played a similar role in the Indianapolis 500, as he and his brothers pitted the Lotus Ford driven by Jim Clark. Again, Wood checked tires on each stop, and again the call was made to continue. The result was another major win for the Stuart, Va.-based team.

That trip to Indianapolis was a life-changer for Wood.

“When we were up there in Indiana, I felt the calling of the Lord,” Wood said in a 2010 interview. “He had something else for me to do.”

It was the same calling his brother Delano, the family jack man, would feel at the end of the 1983 season.

Not wanting to leave his brothers in mid-season, in an era when good tire changers were hard to find, Ray Lee decided to stay on through the end of that year.

His racing career ended in storybook fashion, with his old friend Curtis Turner driving the Woods’ Ford to victory at Rockingham.

Wood and Turner had become close over the years, and Wood often flew back from races with Turner, so he could be back at work with his grading business on Monday morning.

That race, Turner’s 17th and final Cup win, also was the final NASCAR appearance for Ray Lee Wood, who began spending his Sunday’s at his beloved church, located near his home in Buffalo Ridge.

In the years after that, he never attended another NASCAR race, although he did participate in a Fan Appreciation event at the Wood Brothers Museum in 2011.

His nephew Eddie Wood said that in a family of cool brothers, Ray Lee stood out.

“He had the coolest cars,” Eddie Wood said. “He had lots of girlfriends. He had one of the first color TVs in our county. He was just a happy-go-lucky guy.”

Like his brothers, Ray Lee didn’t do things halfway.

“He started a rose garden, and the next thing you know he had 500 of them, and then a thousand,” Wood said. “He bought two expensive Persian cats, Sam and George, and kept getting more until he had 50 show cats.

“He got into Siberian Huskies and had giant goldfish… Whatever he did, he went at it 100 percent.”

Ray Lee Wood lived in the same house where he grew up, and in his latter years was content with a simple life, far removed from the cheering crowds and checkered flags of his early years.

“He was just laid back, in no hurry,” his nephew Len Wood said. “Nothing ruffled his feathers.”

With his racing career behind him, Ray Lee was close to his sister Crystal and his church family, and remained supportive of the racing side of his family.

“Ray never went back to the track after 1965, but he supported us all the way and always followed our races on the radio or TV,” Leonard Wood said. “He was a great brother and a great all-around person.

“I can’t say enough good words about him.”

G

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (May 6, 2020) – Giovanni Scelzi is anticipating his return to Knoxville Raceway this Friday during his first race since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March.

Scelzi will pilot a family owned sprint car at the half-mile oval in Knoxville, Iowa, with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

“It’s definitely one of my favorite tracks and I wouldn’t want to restart the season anywhere else,” he said. “It’s a fun track that usually gives different grooves to race. We’ve had success there so that is a confidence boost going into the race.”

Scelzi became the youngest 410ci winged sprint car driver in the history of the track last year when he captured an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions triumph. He then finished third out of 77 drivers during the 8^th annual Bell Helmets Capitani Classic presented by Great Southern Bank and 10^th at the 59^th annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals presented by Casey’s General Stores. Scelzi also won the Knoxville Raceway season finale two weeks later.

Following the event in Iowa Scelzi will shift to 360ci winged sprint car action next Tuesday and Wednesday during the West Texas Crude Nationals at West Texas Raceway in Lubbock, Texas.

“There will be a lot of great drivers at Knoxville and at West Texas so it will be important to start each night strong,” he said. “We’re grateful to resume racing and hopefully we can put together consistent nights that result in us running up front.”