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

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

September 6, 2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

to Kick-off NHRA ‘Countdown to the Championship’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES

FUNNY CAR:

Matt Hagan, DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye

(Did Not Start)

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TOP FUEL:

Leah Pruett, DSR Dodge//SRT Redeye Dragster

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

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

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

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

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

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak 

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

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

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

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

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NHRA Championship Points Standings:

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

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

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

2. John Force – 938 (3)

3. Bob Tasca III – 937 (2)

4. J.R. Todd – 931 (1)

5. Robert Hight – 867 (2)

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

7. Alexis DeJoria – 835

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

9. Tim Wilkerson– 801

10. Blake Alexander– 519

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Steve Torrance – 1389 (8)

2. Brittany Force – 978 (1)

3. Antron Brown – 839 (1)

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

5. Shawn Langdon – 668 

6. Mike Salinas – 646

7. Justin Ashley – 627 

8. Billy Torrence – 621 (1)

9. Clay Millican – 594

10. Doug Kalitta – 588

FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN

1. Aaron Stanfield –533

2. David Barton –396

3. Jesse Alexandra –372

4. John Cerbone – 342

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

6. David Janac – 314

7. Stephen Bell – 307

8. Dan Condon – 235

9. Arthur Kohn – 231

10. Doug Hamp – 230

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

Top Fuel — Steve Torrence, 3.749 seconds, 324.44 mph def. Brittany Force, 13.165 seconds, 24.39 mph.

Funny Car — Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 3.912, 320.36 def. Ron Capps, Dodge Charger, 3.946, 326.63. 

Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.626, 206.01 def. Kyle Koretsky, Camaro, 6.613, 206.35. 

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Eddie Krawiec, Buell, 6.844, 198.58 def. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki, 6.880, 195.51. 

Top Alcohol Dragster — Jackie Fricke, 5.164, 278.98 def. Matthew Cummings, 5.396, 254.76. 

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Doug Gordon, Chevy Camaro, 5.492, 267.59 def. Shane Westerfield, Camaro, Foul – Red Light. 

Competition Eliminator — Jim Greenheck, Chevy Camaro, 7.504, 179.33 def. Frank Aragona, Roadster, 7.466, 156.08. 

Super Stock — Matt Morris, Chevy Cavalier, 9.748, 129.79 def. Gary Emmons, Chevy Camaro, 10.036, 126.12. 

Stock Eliminator — Matt Lisa, Chevy Camaro, 10.959, 117.89 def. Todd Hoven, Dodge Coronet, 9.826, 133.58. 

Super Comp — Nick Isenhower, Dragster, 8.894, 184.17 def. Mike Jirousek, Dragster, Foul – Red Light. 

Super Gas — Edmond Richardson, Chevy Camaro, 9.890, 148.71 def. Tim Gillespie, Ford, Foul – Red Light. 

Super Street — Larry Paden, Chevy S-10, 10.958, 143.55 def. Trevor Larson, Chevy Corvette, 10.963, 148.25. 

Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Jimmy Lewis, Pontiac Pontiac GXP, 6.356, 221.89 def. Allen Firestone, Chevy Camaro, 6.589, 209.85. 

Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Zach Sackman, Dragster, 6.114, 227.88 def. Bradley Johnson, Dragster, 6.113, 224.10. 

Top Fuel Harley — Ryan Peery, Weekend, 6.696, 196.16 def. Tyler Wilson, JIR, 7.072, 159.63. 

Pro Modified — Jeffery Barker, Toyota Camry, 5.742, 251.67 def. Steve Jackson, Chevy Camaro, 5.785, 248.29. 

Factory Stock Showdown — Jesse Alexandra, Chevy Camaro, 7.841, 178.33 def. Aaron Stanfield, Camaro, 12.557, 82.51. 

NASCAR CUP SERIES DARLINGTON RACEWAY COOK OUT SOUTHERN 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE3rd     ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE 6th      KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 10th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE 12th    RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 KROGER/HERSHEY’S S’MORES CAMARO ZL1 1LE  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2nd     Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)3rd     Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)4th      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)5th      Kevin Harvick (Ford)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Richmond Raceway for the Federated Auto Parts 400 Salute to First Responders on Saturday, September 11, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBCSN, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2ndYOU USED THE VIDEO GAME MOVE DOWN IN 3 AND 4; IT ALMOST WORKED.“Yeah. Yeah. I kind of — we got to the white, and I was like, well, I haven’t been able to gain on him now, I’m going to try something. Honestly got to his bumper too quick. I was hoping he was going to run that diamond to kind of be safe and I could skirt to his outside, but gave everything I had. “I didn’t want to wreck him, I just wanted to try to get to his outside there, but he did a great job not really making any mistakes during the last run, and I was having to push really hard in second to try and just stay with him. “Was hoping we’d catch some sort of traffic, but we never really did. Our HendrickCars.com Chevy was really good out front, just in traffic I would get stuck. Like in traffic I just got stuck really bad, and then there at the end losing control of the race really hurt us, but all-in-all a great day, good points day. Pit crew did great. Cliff (Daniels) made some good changes in the car, so try again next week.” WE KNOW IT’S BEEN A GREAT YEAR FOR YOU, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO START OFF THE PLAYOFFS THIS WAY? YOU’VE LED THE MOST LAPS, YOU’RE RIGHT IN CONTENTION AT THE END. WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THIS TEAM GOING THROUGH THESE PLAYOFFS TO MAKE A CHAMPIONSHIP RUN TO HAVE A GREAT START?“Yeah it’s good to get a good start. I think everybody’s, you know, nervous getting ready for the final 10 and just the anticipation of how it’s going to go. So good to get a good first week in and build some momentum and some confidence within the team, so hopefully go to Richmond, be a little bit better than we were earlier in the year.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rdTHROUGHOUT THE SOUTHERN 500 HERE TONIGHT THERE WAS ALL THE PLAYOFF CARS AND THEN THERE WAS ROSS CHASTAIN IN CONTENTION FOR THE WIN. WHAT A GREAT NIGHT FOR YOU GUYS. WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED TO MAYBE CHALLENGE THAT NO. 11 AND NO. 5?“A better driver. I can go fast. I just can’t quite race with them, and it starts with my restarts. I’ve got some work to do there, so I gave up the outside to take the bottom to be safe and then Kyle rolls around me.Was able to make one last charge there at him at the end, but yeah, I just need to clean up a few things. This McDonald’s car, I think it was the fastest car here tonight, so it’s humbling to come with this CGR group these final 10 races here, a place where my career kind of took a totally different trajectory three years ago, and to have people like Clover and the Moose (Fraternity) and Advent Health on board supporting me and still letting me race three years later, it means the world. I’ve just got to clean up some more, though.” WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE FOR YOU? I REMEMBER BACK IN 2018 WHEN YOU HAD THAT AMAZING RUN FOR GANASSI HERE AT DARLINGTON. YOU’VE BEEN SO CLOSE TO WINNING HERE TWICE IN THE XFINITY SERIES. TALK ABOUT THIS PLACE, HOW GOOD IT IS FOR YOU AND ALSO THE COMPETITION LEVEL OF NOW DOING THIS ON THE CUP SIDE.“Yeah, it’s hard to say. I feel like I’ve put in work, but I always feel behind, so I never feel fully prepared. So I’m not going to say that. I’m going to say it’s probably a lot of hot Saturday nights in south Florida racing at 417 Speedway. We don’t run up against the fence there, but it’s as sideways as we are here at Darlington, and I didn’t run up against the fence at all tonight. A lot of Florida Saturday night short tracks and a lot of older, wiser guys and other racers down there that taught me a lot. To come back here now three years later for the people that supported me then and put me in that car, we’re still here and we’re still fighting, and it means the world.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“That’s what was most impressive was the speed. It was fun to lead laps and be up front. It just seemed like we were juggling a ball of yarn and it was somewhat unraveling the whole race; whether it was the lane choice or a pit stop. And then handling, we were a little bit loose there and a little bit tight there. That last run, everything was back where we needed it; but I threw away all the track position with a couple of fender rubs.”
“We gave away a few points. I would have loved to have had a shot at trying to win it. We might have ended up wrecked, but we gave away three or four points tonight. Not all that bad. It’s a great way to start the Playoffs with this kind of speed in the No. 1 Monster Energy Chevy. That’s what I’m really proud about with my guys.  AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th“I’m proud of everyone on the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy team tonight. To get a top-10 after all of the challenges we faced is a really good night and shows how hard this team works. We started off the race a little too free in the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet, so we pitted during the first caution for adjustments, which really helped our handling issues. Even though we started from the rear, we were able to race our way into the top-10 before finishing the stage 13^th. We lost a little something in Stage 2 after the 18 came down on us. We got some fender damage that affected our handling the rest of the night. We also had a bad vibration in the second half of the stage and it took all we had to stay on the lead lap to finish out the stage. It was great get a top-10 after a rough few weeks. I just wish we could have seen what we could have done without that body damage because the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy was fast tonight.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13thHOW WAS YOUR RUN?“I feel like we were probably a top 20 car most of the day. We struggled. We made some adjustments to get it back and I thought we did a pretty good job keeping up with the race track and everything. But we just have to keep working. It was a good education day, but we didn’t have a lot of speed. So, we have to keep working to make more speed.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CHILDRESS VINEYARDS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th YOU STARTED THIS RACING LOOKING LIKE A TOP 5 CAR, BUT IT SORT OF WENT AWAY FROM YOU. WHERE DID IT START TO GO AWAY?“That’s a great question. I have no idea. I think we would have been able to not fall as far as we did in our Childress Vineyards Chevrolet, but I have no idea. It’s happened to me a few times here. I try to bring back a different approach every time, but I keep missing.” YOU ARE UP AGAINST THE BEST OF THE BEST HERE. YOU PRIDE YOURSELF IS BEING ONE OF THOSE TOP 16, BUT WHAT IS IT LIKE TRYING TO FIND THAT LAST LITTLE BIT IN THE PLAYOFFS?“Well, it’s a head-scratcher because we were running there towards the end of the day. I mean we haven’t been running back there all year. It’s definitely frustrating. I know everyone really pushes when the Playoffs get here to be performing at our best level. We did the same but just weren’t even close.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 26th “I got into the wall into turn one. I was just really loose. The 8 (Tyler Reddick) got to us. I don’t know if he carried me off into the corner or if I just got loose. Either way, it’s just part of it. I just got loose and ended up in the wall right rear first and had damage. And then, that’s what eventually cut the tire to end up in the wall in turn three.”
THE NEXT RACE IS RICHMOND AND YOU WON THERE. IS THAT COMFORT OR CAN YOU NOT LOOK AT IT THAT WAY? “I don’t think we have any comfort going forward the next two weeks. I think we’re going to places that we know we can be strong at. But this is a place where we felt like we should have been pretty strong at and our night was over five laps into the race. We didn’t do a good job capitalizing on it, even from that point on. We left points on the table. My guys did a good job of fixing the car enough to drive it the rest of the night. We just need to be a lot better than we were tonight.”
DO YOU FIND ANY SOLACE IN THE FACT THAT A LOT OF PLAYOFF DRIVERS HAD ISSUES TONIGHT THAT ARE GOING TO FINISH DOWN IN THE STANDINGS? IT COULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH WORSE POINTS NIGHT FOR YOU THAN WHAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN. “Yeah, it helps I guess. It makes the points picture look better, but I don’t necessarily feel any better about anything because of it. Pretty frustrated with myself to grab the wall that early, but that’s Darlington and that’s Playoff racing.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA/CHILDREN’S CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 326; Finished 31st  WHAT A TOUGH WAY TO END THE NIGHT. IT MAYBE WASN’T THE BEST NIGHT THAT YOU WANTED. HOW QUICKLY DID YOU KNOW THE TIRE WAS GOING DOWN? “Yeah, just as soon as I was turning the corner. Just really appreciate NAPA for letting us run this special scheme and making it a special weekend for some of these kids from Children’s (Healthcare of Atlanta).”“On my end, just made way too many mistakes. That’s what you deserve when you make that many mistakes. Onward.” 
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 200; Finished 34th FIRST OF ALL, ARE YOU OKAY? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HAPPENED? ‘Yeah, I’m fine. That was a big hit. It looked like on that pit stop, it looked like we dropped the jack and the left front was still finishing up. I took off and everything felt okay. I went to pass the No. 00 (Quin Houff) or somebody down the front stretch; and was just about to turn into (Turn) 1 and the left front went down. There was nothing we could do. The guys did an awesome job to fix it. We were running like Top-12, I think, even with all the (earlier) right rear damage and it’s just terrible. I don’t know, man. That sucks.”

Austin Dillon And The No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Overcome Challenges to Earn Solid Top-10 Finish at Darlington Raceway

10th

21st

17th

“I’m proud of everyone on the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy team tonight. To get a top-10 after all of the challenges we faced is a really good night and shows how hard this team works. We started off the race a little too free in the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet, so we pitted during the first caution for adjustments, which really helped our handling issues. Even though we started from the rear, we were able to race our way into the top-10 before finishing the stage 13th. We lost a little something in Stage 2 after the 18 came down on us. We got some fender damage that affected our handling the rest of the night. We also had a bad vibration in the second half of the stage and it took all we had to stay on the lead lap. It was great get a top-10 after a rough few weeks. I just wish we could have seen what we could have done without that body damage because the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy was fast tonight.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick And The No. 8 Childress Vineyards Team Still In Solid Contention In The NASCAR Playoffs With Top-20 Finish at Darlington Raceway

18th

7th

12th

“Our Childress Vineyards Chevrolet was pretty good at the start of the race, and it was great to battle competitively in the top-10 during much of the early half of the race. I could see the other Playoff drivers having problems around me and I was hoping it was going to push us over the edge to break through and get going in the right direction. Unfortunately, two different strategies came into play during the final stage and ours was not the strategy that prevailed. Once we lost our track position it was a downhill slide. Our Camaro was tight and loose in the same corner and I wasn’t sure how to help my team fix it. By the end of the race, handling was significantly better but we were trapped a lap down and didn’t get a timely caution to return to the lead lap. This Richard Childress Racing team is strong and we proved that by making the Playoffs. We will go to Richmond and Bristol these next two weeks and do what is needed to advance.”  -Tyler Reddick

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 5, 2021) — Today Alexis DeJoria and the Bandero Premium Tequila/ROKiT raced to the semifinals at the biggest race of the season, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, from the No. 7 qualifier position. After only one qualifying run DeJoria and her Bandero ROKiT Toyota team knew they would have to be at the top of their game and race in completely different conditions to earn another U.S. Nationals title. She previously won the event’s 60th edition in 2014.

“We only got one run in qualifying and ended up seventh with a good pass,” said DeJoria. “Going into race day, it was completely different conditions, but my guys always give me a good Bandero Camry. We had Blake Alexander, who beat us at the last race at Brainerd, so I wanted to redeem myself and luckily, we did. We went out there and got a little out of the groove and pedaled it a little bit and we got the win.”

The first-round match-up with Alexander went DeJoria’s way when she drove around him after he got loose and lost traction. She was able to get her Camry Funny Car out in front and hold on for the win even as she pedaled her car at the top end.

Facing Bob Tasca III in the quarterfinals set DeJoria up against a seasoned veteran with a good racecar. She took another win light with a strong 3.963 second run at 318.17 mph. As DeJoria was pulling away in her Toyota Funny Car Tasca was smoking the tires. The team knew they needed to dig deep and they were able to blast to the finish line first.

“In the second round against Bob Tasca, who had run a 3.88 in qualifying, we went out there and made a good run all the way down the track in the right lane,” said DeJoria. “That lane had been problematic for a lot of teams today, but not for us and that was a big win. It was a confidence builder for the entire team.” 

With a chance at her second U.S. Nationals final round on the line DeJoria pulled up beside Ron Capps in the semifinals. The 2014 U.S. Nationals champion was giving up lane choice, but her team had managed to navigate tricky track conditions all day. She took a strong starting line advantage with a .077 reaction time but as the racecars approached the finish line Capps was able to get the nose of his Funny Car out in front.

“We had Ron Capps, we left on him, but we just got out-run,” said DeJoria. “We’re leaving here in seventh place and entering the Countdown where points get re-set.”

With seven races in the Countdown playoff DeJoria and her Bandero ROKiT Camry Funny Car team are building momentum at the perfect time. Over the last six races the team has reached a final round and two more semifinals including today’s strong performance. 

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.915 sec, 321.88 mph; Qual. 7

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round
Driver                                  Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Alexis DeJoria                   7             .114       4.128     257.14 (W)         

Blake Alexander                               10           .067       6.081     110.88

Second Round
Driver                                  Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Alexis DeJoria                   7             .104       3.963     318.17 (W)

Bob Tasca III                      2             .098       7.877     96.65     

Semifinal Round
Driver                                  Qual       R/T         ET           MPH 
Alexis DeJoria                   7             .077       3.992     323.04

Ron Capps                          6             .091       3.909     327.74 (W)

Camping World Funny Car Regular Season Top Ten

1. Ron Capps, 981

2. John Force, 938

3. Bob Tasca III, 937

4. J.R. Todd, 931

5. Robert Hight, 867

6. Matt Hagan, 865

7. Alexis DeJoria, 835

8. Cruz Pedregon, 825

9. Tim Wilkerson, 801

10. Blake Alexander, 519

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 5, 2021) — Battling through a tough line up composed of a rising star and three former world champions, Tim Wilkerson raced to his second NHRA U.S. Nationals title in front of a packed house today at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. Driving and tuning his Levi, Ray & Shoup Summit Racing Ford Mustang with only one qualifying session under his belt, Wilkerson made consistent runs to earn his 21^st career win and first in over five years.

“I go out there and just run the car,” said Wilkerson, in the media center after the final. “I just race the lane and I don’t really care who is in the other lane. I am an old guy. I have been here for 25 years. I was in the finals in 1997 and won in 2004. It scuffed a piston in 2012 when Mike Neff beat me. I was half a car ahead of him when it shut off. This place loves me. It really does. I usually run well here. I won a lot of races in my alcohol car here. This place and we have a good relationship. It always treats me well.”

 Wilkerson gave the credit for his success throughout the day to his car chief Richard Hartman and his crew members.

“My guys are who I am really happy for,” said Wilkerson. “Most of the guys on this team besides Richard have never won a race period. Those guys are all new to me. That is what really makes me happy. I think we have been to six finals with all those kids, and I couldn’t get that monkey off my back.”

“I am pretty proud of my guys. We had a lot of adversity today. We put three motors in that car. We had an oil pump malfunction in the semis. It had no oil pressure from two seconds until the end. I don’t know how it didn’t break. Thank god for those rods and that good crankshaft because they were still together,” added Wilkerson.   

Racing second generation driver Bobby Bode in the first round had Wilkerson confident but also wary of the young driver. Wilkerson knew Bode had a quick racecar and the veteran knew the first round would be tricky with different track conditions. This was the first time these two drivers have matched up in eliminations. Both race cars had issues on their run, but it was Wilkerson getting the win after he gave his Ford Mustang Funny Car a quick pedal to regain traction as he accelerated down the track. He was able to generate enough power to get to the finish line first even though he had had no power and was coasting. 

Wilkerson had the luxury of watching three pairs of racecars hit the track before his quarterfinal race against 16-time Funny Car champion and U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifier John Force. In a dominant race Wilkerson made a smooth, quick run, in front of a tire smoking Force. He got to the stripe first with a 3.974 second pass and raced to the semifinals against Cruz Pedregon.

In the past six races leading up to today’s race Pedregon and Wilkerson have raced each other three times with Wilkerson looking for his first win this season against the two-time Funny Car champion. In Topeka, Wilkerson collided with Pedregon severely damaging both race cars during qualifying. Today Wilkerson made another solid pass in front of a tire smoking opponent to race to his first final round of the season. Wilkerson’s winning time of 3.983 seconds was just slightly slower than his quarterfinal pass and showed what a good handle he had on his race car which was making its debut this weekend.

“This is a brand-new car,” said Wilkerson. “That is the car I crashed into Cruz with at Topeka. (Chassis builder) Murf McKinney did a good job for me. We picked that thing up last Tuesday. We spent all day Tuesday and half the day Wednesday putting it together. We drove over Thursday morning and won the race.”

“We were almost financially devastated by all that,” added Wilkerson. “That body that I wrecked with Cruz was brand new. It had two runs on it and I junked it. We came to the U.S. Nationals with one body. Chad Green is sort of my team car and he said I could use his old Mustang body so at least I have something to run if something happens. We are going into the Countdown with one body and we will see how it goes.”

With one more opponent standing between his team and the winner’s circle Wilkerson threw caution to the wind and tuned up his race car to make its best run of race day. In the past Wilkerson by his own admission had missed opportunities for wins by being conservative in the final round. Today he would not take the chance against Capps. In a monster effort Wilkerson took the win with a 3.912 second run in the right lane to outrun Capps’ 3.946 second run. 

“Capps has used me up the last two or three years. I think we have had him in three or four finals. I waited for him one year at Gainesville because they were having problems and he and (crew chief) Rahn Tobler just spanked me. My wife told me they ran 3.90 in the semifinals and I told my guys they ain’t ready for us in the finals and they better run 3.90 again if they want to beat us. We have a good car.”

“I am not saying I was sandbagging all day, but I was making sure I was going down the track,” said Wilkerson. “We are in the finals and I know what NHRA is going to do for us. They bit me before tuning that track up. I went up there thinking it was crummy. This time I told Richard we are going to plan on that track being great because they are going to tune it up. We are at Indy and they are going to do a good job for us. I ran that thing like it was trying to run a night run.”

“We have a twenty-four hour rule, after twenty-four hours it doesn’t matter. Win, lose or draw. I just go up there and try to run my car. My guys do such a terrific job. You can see our car very rarely does anything wrong. There is a lot of emotion today. We are not a rich team. I have one Ford Mustang body left. One. That is the one that just won the U.S. Nationals,” said Wilkerson.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.949 sec, 324.28 mph; Qual. 8

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round
Driver                          Qual    R/T      ET        MPH 
Tim Wilkerson             8          .107     4.611   218.72 (W)

Bobby Bode                9          .081     6.289   112.25

Second Round
Driver                          Qual    R/T      ET        MPH 
Tim Wilkerson             8          .088     3.974   297.81 (W)

John Force                  1          .077     9.041   88.13

Semifinal Round
Driver                          Qual    R/T      ET        MPH 
Tim Wilkerson             8          .089     3.983   325.37 (W)

Cruz Pedregon            4          .068     8.704   87.34

Final Round
Driver                          Qual    R/T      ET        MPH 
Tim Wilkerson             8          .088     3.912   320.36 (W)

Ron Capps                   6          .075     3.946   326.63

Camping World Funny Car Regular Season Top Ten

1. Ron Capps, 981

2. John Force, 938

3. Bob Tasca III, 937

4. J.R. Todd, 931

5. Robert Hight, 867

6. Matt Hagan, 865

7. Alexis DeJoria, 835

8. Cruz Pedregon, 825

9. Tim Wilkerson, 801

10. Blake Alexander, 519

The New Berlin, IL driver is one win away from tying Josh Richards for the most wins all-time. BULLS GAP, TN – September 4,  2021 – Brandon Sheppard’s quest toward World of Outlaws history took another step forward Saturday night at Volunteer Speedway. But without some luck, it might not have happened. Sheppard was fortunate enough to draw the outside pole, putting him on the front row with Championship rival Chris Madden. The New Berlin, IL driver, used the outside lane to his advantage, launching ahead of Madden in Turn 2 and holding on for his eighth win of the season.  The “Rocket Shepp” gave himself a chance to win after making sure he finished his Drydene Heat Race in a redraw spot.  “I really wanted to win that Heat Race, but I knew as long as I finished in the top two, we’d get into the redraw,” Sheppard said. “With this tire rule we’re on here this weekend, it’s kind of hard to pass, so just getting a good starting spot and getting out front early has been key all weekend.”  The win is Sheppard’s 77th World of Outlaws triumph—one win away from tying Josh Richards at the top of the all-time wins list (78). Even though he’s knocking at history’s door, it’s not something that’s on his mind.   “It’s really cool, but I just try not to think about it, you know, because when you think about it, it’s gets in your head, and then you want to win too bad, and then it messes you up,” Sheppard said.  Madden crossed the line second, but not without adversity. The Feature needed three attempts at the initial green flag, including one where the Gray Court, SC driver, received severe body damage to the left side of his car.  Ricky Weiss wheel-hopped Madden’s left rear on one of the attempts, hooking them together as cars wrecked behind them. Both drivers continued, but Madden was upset with what happened despite the runner-up finish.  “Me and [Sheppard] tried two or three times and had perfect starts with no problems,” Madden said. “It’s just the guys behind us can’t do what they’re supposed to do.”  Michael Chilton rounded out the podium for the Salvisa, KY driver’s best career World of Outlaws finish.  While most of the field was running the top, Chilton was one of the few cars taking a chance on the bottom. “I was just beating the hell out of the cushion in [Turn 1 and 2], and then I kind of found a brown streak down in the bottom of [Turn 3 and 4],” Chilton said. “I could make some speed down there, and it seemed like no one else was down there; I had clean air down there, and I got a good drive off the corner and made some ground on some guys.” Tyler Bruening finished fourth—his second top-five of the weekend. Dennis Erb Jr. crossed the line fifth.   Brandon Sheppard has six races left in 2021 to try and grab a piece of World of Outlaws history. Even though he’s on the doorstep, Rocket1 Racing is taking things one race at a time.  “We just keep on doing our thing and keep racing, and the wins are going to come whenever they come,” Sheppard said.  UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel to The Rev in Monroe, LA, for a doubleheader on Sept. 24-25.  Morton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)-1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [2][$10,000]; 2. 44-Chris Madden [1][$6,000]; 3. 97-Michael Chilton [4][$3,500]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening [10][$2,800]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb [11][$2,500]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell [3][$2,300]; 7. 1G-Ryan King [12][$2,200]; 8. 51-Mack McCarter [20][$2,100]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs [14][$2,050]; 10. 7-Ricky Weiss [5][$2,000]; 11. 34-Ellery Leake [18][$1,600]; 12. 79-Ross Bailes [6][$1,400]; 13. 9-Dusty Carver [24][$1,200]; 14. 71-Pierce McCarter [22][$1,100]; 15. 37-Drew Kennedy [21][$1,050]; 16. 1H-Vic Hill [13][$1,000]; 17. 19R-Ryan Gustin [8][$1,000]; 18. 3-Austin Neely [16][$1,000]; 19. 126-Kaede Loudy [15][$1,000]; 20. 21K-Dakotah Knuckles [23][$1,000]; 21. 28W-Jim Whisler [17][$1,000]; 22. 57-Zack Mitchell [7][$1,000]; 23. 83-Jensen Ford [9][$1,000]; 24. B1-Brent Larson [19][$1,000] Hard Charger: 51-Mack McCarter[+12] Qualifying –1. 79-Ross Bailes, 12.533; 2. 44-Chris Madden, 12.62; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 12.697; 4. 97-Michael Chilton, 12.71; 5. 7-Ricky Weiss, 12.719; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell, 12.738; 7. 1H-Vic Hill, 12.781; 8. 28-Dennis Erb, 12.825; 9. 21K-Dakotah Knuckles, 12.848; 10. 3-Austin Neely, 12.879; 11. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 12.889; 12. 71-Pierce McCarter, 12.89; 13. 57-Zack Mitchell, 12.908; 14. 51-Mack McCarter, 12.934; 15. 83-Jensen Ford, 13.014; 16. 16-Tyler Bruening, 13.049; 17. 99B-Boom Briggs, 13.176; 18. 1G-Ryan King, 13.208; 19. B1-Brent Larson, 13.256; 20. 9-Dusty Carver, 13.339; 21. 34-Ellery Leake, 13.638; 22. 82-Eston Whisler, 13.732; 23. 28W-Jim Whisler, 13.795; 24. 126-Kaede Loudy, 13.894; 25. 52-Troy Eads, 14.151; 26. N6-Blonde Bomber, 14.284; 27. 37-Drew Kennedy, NT

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

The 2021 Scheid Diesel Extravaganza was held Aug 27-28, in Lyons Indiana. Scheid Diesel’s 25th annual event was a success despite temperatures in the 90’s and a couple of potential pop-up showers. One of the many benefits of Waglers Motorsports Park is all events are much closer! Together we are committed to improving the spectator & competitor experience each year. Additional people movers (tractors and wagons with seating) were available to transport spectators from the parking lot to the main event area this year. The parking lot field was planted in grass (thanks to Premier Ag), with a bridge crossing into the event to keep spectators safer and off the road. A spectator tent was sponsored by Complete Outdoor of Terre Haute, a huge blessing with the high temps! Many food concessions were readily available. There were over 100 trucks that participated in the dyno contest with highest hp reaching 1477Hp and 2151 Ft Lbs Tq from a 2008 Dodge diesel pickup on diesel fuel only! Almost 100 participants in the Show N Shine, our thanks to Purdue Diesel Club in organizing this event, they always do a great job! Lucas Oil Pro Pulling had 159 hooks Friday and 172 hooks Saturday with over $71,000 paid out in prize money. Outlaw Diesel Super Series was non stop diesel action as well Friday and Saturday with records being set and $28,000 in prize money going to the winners!! Vendor row was packed with approximately 50 companies being represented from all over the US!! We cannot wait to see what 2022 brings with the 26th Scheid Diesel Extravaganza being held on Aug 26-27, so start making your plans to attend now!!

Results

KKR #9 Team Builds New Car, Changes Engine in Hot Laps, Rallies to Win Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals Opener

ALGER, WA – September 3, 2021 – The racing gods threw everything they could at the Kasey Kahne Racing #9, but James McFadden was not to be denied.

From Sunday’s brutal crash followed by an 18-hour drive to a near-complete re-build of their operation to a spur-of-the-moment engine change, there isn’t much that crew members Justin Adams, Gary [Woodman] Patellaro, and Rob Beattie didn’t overcome this week.

In the end, all of the blood, sweat, and tears took them to victory lane for the second time this season, as McFadden conquered Washington’s Skagit Speedway upon his first visit to the 3/10-mile bullring.

His opening triumph of the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals gives him four World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series wins, most notably tying the Northern Territory boy with fellow Australian Ian Madsen of New South Wales for 68th on the All-Time Wins List.

In a positive spin of the evening for Enumclaw, WA’s Kasey Kahne – who ran 13th in his Outlaws debut at his home track – he still made it to victory lane as a team owner. In fact, KKR’s fifth win at the Alger, WA facility (2 with Saldana, 2 with Pittman) makes them the winningest team at the track over Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing.

“It’s rewarding to rebound like this, especially after the big drama at the last race,” McFadden mentioned. “These guys worked their butts off this week. The long drive here, then the day we had yesterday, then the motor change, just so much has happened. How fast they changed that motor tonight might’ve won us this race.”

Indeed, the timing of the engine change ended up playing a huge role in McFadden’s win. They began the process following the second of three Hot Lap sessions and barely beat the clock to make it to staging for their 14th qualifying spot. McFadden ultimately timed in fourth-quick and joked “I didn’t have any time to think about screwing it up.”

From there he transferred to the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash and then finished second to earn his fourth front row start of the year.

Before James gave his baby boy Maverick McFadden his first-ever wing dance, he had to survive a relentless attack from Sheldon Haudenschild. J-Mac officially led all 30 laps, but it wasn’t without a ferocious challenge from the NOS Energy Drink #17.

The duo ran 1-2 for the entirety of the race, splitting their battles between lap traffic and clean air restarts. Haudenschild got close on Lap 10 with the aid of backmarkers but struggled to find room to make his move on the #9. He had another shot on Lap 22 with more traffic looming, but a caution set the stage for an eight-lap dash to the finish.

With both gassers committed to the tall cushion, Haudenschild stalked McFadden and patiently waited to strike at the right time. He saved his moment for the 30th and final lap, following McFadden to the curb in turn one and setting himself up for a last-corner slide job at the win. However, the #17 slipped over the cushion in turn two and caught the wall, killing Haudenschild’s momentum and taking away his chance at a sneak attack.

Ultimately, Haudenschild fell short of McFadden by 0.514-seconds at the checkered flag.

“I could hear him,” McFadden said of Haudenschild’s run. “Obviously, Sheldon is gonna pound it, so I knew getting the start was crucial. I thought if I could short-slide myself and hit the cushion coming off that I would be okay. I’ve never raced here, but it seems pretty narrow and I tried to play that to my advantage as the leader. I wanted to run a little harder, but felt I should protect at the end.”

It wasn’t back-to-back wins, but Sheldon Haudenschild did extend his wildly impressive four-race top-two streak by claiming runner-up honors. The NOS Energy Drink #17 has been firing on all cylinders recently with crew members Kyle Ripper, Drew Brenner and Stephen Hamm-Reilly clicking down the homestretch.

“James did an awesome job, a near-perfect race for him,” Haudenschild said. “I wanted to get more traffic, but the cautions just fell at the wrong times. I planned on stalking him and waiting for the right shot. I saw the white flag and knew I needed to rip it, but I ruined my run at the slide job when I slipped high and caught the wall. We’ve got an incredibly great car right now, though. We’ll try to build on that the rest of the week.”

Rounding out the podium at the Alger, WA 3/10-mile was David Gravel aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2. The Watertown, CT native cut four points off the championship lead, leaving him -116 points behind Sweet with 18 races remaining.

Donny Schatz finished fourth aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15, making it seven straight top-four finishes for the 10-time champion. Points leader Brad Sweet and his Kasey Kahne Racing #49 team rallied from a rough qualifying effort to earn KSE Racing Hard Charger honors with a 10th-to-fifth bid.

Closing out the top-10 on night one of the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals was Logan Schuchart in sixth, Carson Macedo in seventh, Jacob Allen in eighth, Washington local Jason Solwold in ninth, and Californian Rico Abreu in tenth.

UP NEXT (Sat-Sun): The Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals continues tomorrow at Washington’s Skagit Speedway and then concludes on Sunday night when the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series competes for a $25,000 top prize.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps): 1. 9-James McFadden [2][$10,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$5,500]; 3. 2-David Gravel [4][$3,200]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$2,600]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [10][$2,350]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [8][$2,150]; 7. 41-Carson Macedo [5][$2,100]; 8. 1A-Jacob Allen [13][$1,950]; 9. 18-Jason Solwold [11][$1,900]; 10. 24-Rico Abreu [7][$1,850]; 11. 55-Trey Starks [9][$1,400]; 12. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [15][$1,200]; 13. 83-Kasey Kahne [12][$1,000]; 14. 21P-Robbie Price [16][$1,000]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6][$1,000]; 16. 7-Tyler Thompson [18][$1,000]; 17. 18T-Tanner Holmes [19][$1,000]; 18. 44W-Austen Wheatley [17][$1,000]; 19. 7S-Jason Sides [14][$1,000]; 20. 22X-Brock Lemley [20][$1,000]; 21. 75-Brian Boswell [21][$1,000]; 22. 99-Malachi Gemmer [22][$1,000]; 23. 2C-Wayne Johnson [23][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: James McFadden 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 49-Brad Sweet[+5]

NEW Championship Standings (63/81 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (8,284); 2. David Gravel (-116); 3. Carson Macedo (-164); 4. Donny Schatz (-220); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-240); 6. Logan Schuchart (-312); 7. James McFadden (-716); 8. Kraig Kinser (-970); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-1216); 10. Jacob Allemn (-1448).

The Rock Hill, SC driver survived several restarts and a challenge from Tyler Bruening to find Victory LaneLAVONIA, GA– September 3, 2021 – In 2019, Ben Watkins blew a tire while leading a World of Outlaws Feature at Lancaster Speedway. It’s the heartbreak he thought he’d never fix.  Watkins finally got his redemption Friday night at Lavonia Speedway, leading all 40 laps to win the Charlie Mize Memorial. He’s the fifth driver to win his first career World of Outlaws Feature in 2021.    Watkins started on the outside pole next to Rookie of the Year contender Tyler Bruening, searching for his first World of Outlaws win. When the green flag dropped, the two thundered into Turns 1 and 2 side by side before Watkins carried his momentum around the 16 car, rocketing to the top spot down the back straightaway.  That wasn’t the last time Watkins saw Bruening, as the Decorah, IA driver peeked underneath him, pulling even with him in lap traffic on Lap 19. A caution on Lap 24 gave Watkins some breathing room, allowing him to take the race one lap at a time.  “When we caught lap traffic, they were two wide, and they were racing,” Watkins said. “With the dirty track, it kind of upset my car a little bit, and it was hard to maneuver through them. The way the cautions played out, I was not upset.” Three cautions plagued the second half of the 40 lap Feature, but they couldn’t have come at a better time for Watkins. He knew he had just enough laps to avoid dealing with traffic and another potential battle with Bruening.  “We had that restart with 11 [laps] to go, I believe it was, and I was hoping that was just enough time we wouldn’t catch lap traffic too bad,” Watkins said. “Right at the end, we caught them and had just enough of a lead to kind of settle in there, and it played out perfectly for us.”  Bruening, the top Rookie of the race, finished second, his best finish of the season. The Decorah, IA driver, knew he had his work cut out for him on the initial start since he was on the bottom.  “It was just a little slimy on the bottom, and you really just wanted to be on that outside groove,” Bruening said. “We put a whole night together, just one spot short in the end. We were really good all night long, and I’m really proud of the effort to come back from [Thursday].” Three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard crossed the line third, his 22nd podium finish of 2021. The New Berlin, IL driver, thought he might have had a chance if Watkins spent more time battling traffic. “I felt like we had a strong car, and once we got strung out there, it was hard to pass,” Sheppard said. “I was hoping for more time in lap traffic than what we had, just to be able to dice things up a little bit, but all in all, we’re happy with a top three.”  One night after winning $40,000 Cherokee Speedway, Brandon Overton finished fourth, and Zack Mitchell rounded out the top five. Ben Watkins earned his redemption Friday at Lavonia Speedway. It’s an opportunity he thought may never happen again and one he’ll cherish for the rest of his career.  “I didn’t really think I’d ever get another chance at it; these opportunities come few and far between,” Watkins said.  UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel to Tennessee for the fourth time in 2021 for a stop at Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN.  If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.Morton Buildings Feature (40 Laps)-1. 16W-Ben Watkins [2][$10,000]; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening [1][$6,000]; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard [4][$3,500]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton [6][$2,800]; 5. 57-Zack Mitchell [5][$2,500]; 6. 18D-Daulton Wilson [7][$2,300]; 7. 79-Ross Bailes [15][$2,200]; 8. 7-Ricky Weiss [10][$2,100]; 9. 28-Dennis Erb [14][$2,050]; 10. 44-Chris Madden [13][$2,000]; 11. 42-Cla Knight [3][$1,600]; 12. 88-Trent Ivey [17][$1,400]; 13. 19R-Ryan Gustin [16][$1,200]; 14. 4-Ryan Wilson [23][$1,100]; 15. F1-Payton Freeman [8][$1,050]; 16. 1C-Kenny Collins [9][$1,000]; 17. 99B-Boom Briggs [20][$1,000]; 18. 1D-Brent Dixon [18][$1,000]; 19. B1-Brent Larson [11][$1,000]; 20. 22S-Nick Schlager [21][$1,000]; 21. 24D-Michael Brown [12][$1,000]; 22. 21-Will Harris [22][$1,000]; 23. 18E-Ethan Wilson [19][$1,000]; 24. 87-Walker Arthur [24][$1,000] Hard Charger: 4-Ryan Wilson[+9]Qualifying –1. 57-Zack Mitchell, 15.378; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 15.527; 3. 16W-Ben Watkins, 15.535; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening, 15.566; 5. 76-Brandon Overton, 15.679; 6. 42-Cla Knight, 15.751; 7. 7-Ricky Weiss, 15.761; 8. B1-Brent Larson, 15.767; 9. 1C-Kenny Collins, 15.769; 10. 18D-Daulton Wilson, 15.779; 11. F1-Payton Freeman, 15.804; 12. 24D-Michael Brown, 15.812; 13. 18E-Ethan Wilson, 15.825; 14. 88-Trent Ivey, 15.841; 15. 1D-Brent Dixon, 15.917; 16. 44-Chris Madden, 15.946; 17. 28-Dennis Erb, 15.97; 18. 79-Ross Bailes, 15.99; 19. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 15.999; 20. 99B-Boom Briggs, 16.031; 21. 87-Walker Arthur, 16.051; 22. 21-Will Harris, 16.119; 23. 4-Ryan Wilson, 16.201; 24. 22S-Nick Schlager, 16.248; 25. 22-Chris Ferguson, NT; DNS. O5-Corey Roulette, NT

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

INDIANAPOLIS (Sept. 03, 2021) – The John Force Racing team returned to the most prestigious event on the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway, with finesse on Friday night. Both John Force with the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro and Brittany Force with the Monster Energy dragster took the provisional No. 1 positions while Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy sit solidly in No. 3. John Force took the PEAK Camaro to a stellar 3.877-second pass at 330.72 mph under the lights in the first qualifying pass of the U.S. Nationals. Force is looking to secure his 12th No. 1 qualifying position at the historic facility, but his first since 2006. His 11 top spots are already more than at any other event in the series. “I’ve always loved this. Go out here in Indy at night, go down that racetrack, header fire on both sides, driving around weaving, yeah it’s a turn on,” Force said. “It’s a great night at Indy. Our teams are doing well. This PEAK Chevy, that Monster Energy dragster and Auto Club Camaro, we’re all running well, I’m proud of us.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team are once again in familiar territory after their stunning 3.684-second pass at 334.57 mph has them sitting at the top of the Top Fuel field. Force is performing to secure her sixth consecutive and eighth overall No. 1 this season. “Potentially eight No. 1 qualifiers, that’s pretty cool. It says a lot about this team, David Grubnic and Mac Savage and all these guys,” Force said. “We want No. 1 qualifiers, but we also want to win on race day. We had some luck a couple weeks back in Topeka, but we want to do it here, the biggest race of the season, Indy. I’ve been coming here since I was a baby, love this place and we want to get the win here.” The Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy was handled to a 3.889-second run at 329.67 mph by three-time champion Robert Hight to currently put them in the No. 3 qualifying spot heading into Saturday. Hight is going after his second No. 1 spot at Lucas Oil Raceway. “This was a good start to the weekend,” Hight said. “This Auto Club team put in some extra work after Brainerd, figured some things out and left testing really excited for what we think we can do. We’ll keep it up for tomorrow, go some rounds on Sunday and make up a couple of spots in the points on Sunday to start the NHRA Countdown in a prime position for another championship.” Qualifying at the Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals continues Saturday with sessions at a revised time of noon and 5:45 p.m. ET. Eliminations are slated for 10 a.m. on Sunday. Television coverage for the weekend will continue Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on FS1. Eliminations television coverage will be live but split with a show at 11 a.m. ET on FS1 and a second show at 1 p.m. ET on FOX Broadcast Network.

New crew help, quest for new records propelled Illinois icon to dominant season

OAKWOOD, IL – Sept. 3, 2021 – At just 24 years of age, Bobby Pierce has now reigned supreme over the Midwest’s most grueling Dirt Late Model tour four times. But this one just might be his most impressive.

His fourth career DIRTcar Summer Nationals title run included 13 Feature wins, 23 top-fives and 25 top-10s in 28 starts, plus five weekly points titles for a grand total of $119,000 in first-place and championship earnings alone.

Pierce also set a new personal-best for wins in a single season – just two shy of fellow four-time champion Shannon Babb’s record of 15, which he established in 2005. To top it off, he finished with a 178-point advantage over runner-up Ashton Winger, all while having one less appearance than five of the other seven full-time drivers.

Overall, it was one of the most dominant and high-profile summers of his young career – one that began from the humble days of his early teens, with father and two-time Summer Nationals champion Bob right by his side.

“I’ve just gotta give a huge thanks to my dad, mostly,” Pierce said. “Starting me off pretty young, going to all these racetracks right in the beginning of my racing career. He pushed me to be the best that I could be, and it goes a long way.

“It’s been a long journey, even though I’m pretty young. It’s been a long journey so far, and I’m excited to maybe go on and get another four championships,” Pierce said.

But for the past three seasons, the Summer Nationals yard had been run by Illinois rival Brian Shirley. Pierce’s partial participation of the 2018 and 2020 tours, along with a runner-up effort in 2019, set up his chance for a return to the top in 2021.

On his climb back up the mountain from his home in Oakwood, IL, Pierce fended off some of the toughest full-time competitors from outside the state of Illinois the tour has seen in the last several years. Winger, Tanner English, even Devin Moran came out and scored two wins on tour over the 68-day stretch.

“For sure, Summer Nationals has its competition,” Pierce said. “Whether they think it or not, it definitely does. I think racing against that competition every night is what propels us to get better.”

Through all 1,240 laps of Feature competition, Pierce and his team sharpened their skills and only became more consistent as the season continued – most notably rattling off three-peat wins at Beaver Dam Speedway, Davenport Speedway and The Dirt Oval at Route 66 Raceway.

“I definitely feel like we’re more improved than we were last year,” Pierce said. “Even when we go to all these other races, we’ve been doing pretty good, qualifying good, running up front in the Features… Hopefully we can just keep that up.”

Their team got a few new additions for the tour, including tire prep specialist Kyle Albury and crew member Josh Raymond. The two joined forces with the Pierce father-son duo to make one of the most well-oiled machines in the pits.

“I give them an A, for sure. Everyone was working very hard. It’s definitely one of the toughest series when it’s super hot outside,” he said. “You have those long, late nights… we hit a deer early on [in the tour]… just stuff like that happens that you don’t expect.

“It made it pretty challenging with all the stuff thrown at us. And with that, we still ended up winning the points, and winning it by a lot. So, I’ve got to give everyone props for that.”

Twenty-eight races over any stretch of time is a lot for even the best Dirt Late Model teams in the country to take on, let alone perform at the top level every night. The tough courses, ranging from high-banked quarter-miles, to long, flat half-miles, are at the core of what makes the Summer Nationals unique. Pierce has been around the block several times now and knows that it’s a driver-crew-fortune combo.

“You’ve gotta be good, but you’ve gotta have some luck, too,” Pierce said. “You can’t have any failures and you’ve gotta qualify good every night. Every night’s a new battle within itself.”

“Just to be the fastest car every night is one thing, but you go to all these different places and track conditions – to be consistent is really key.”

Consistency wins championships, but records get the instant glory. Pierce owned 12 victories heading into the final four-race swing through Michigan, and won the first at Butler, but ultimately fell a few short of tying Babb’s record of 15.

Next year, he’ll start another quest to try and break it, while aiming for a fifth championship and the century mark in Feature wins.

“It could definitely maybe happen,” Pierce said. “If we don’t get that… if anything, it’s going to be a long time until I reach 100 wins, like [Shannon] Babb and [Billy] Moyer.”

Tense late-race restarts decided Lebanon Valley Speedway’s 101-lap Mr. DIRT Track USA

WEST LEBANON, NY – It all came down to one final lap and The Wild Child, Andy Bachetti, rose to the occasion. 

After 100 laps of high speed, high banked action at The Valley of Speed, the 101-lap, $25,500-to-win Mr. DIRT Track USA had yet to be decided. 

Larry Wight, who had led laps and fought inside the top three all race, slowed on the backstretch with a mechanical problem bringing out the caution flag on lap 100. 

Andy Bachetti, from Sheffield, MA, was able to hold off Matt Sheppard and Stewart Friesen to be the first across the finish line under the waving checkered flags. At the same time, Sheppard made the pass for second place on the final lap over Friesen and took home $6,000.

Bachetti now has five Super DIRTcar Series victories at Lebanon Valley Speedway (2004, 2004, 2008, 2013, 2021) which means he has Series wins in three different decades. 

He was extremely thankful for his hard-working crew and the clutch calls they made on the setup going into the Feature. 

“We were good all night,” Bachetti said about his #4 Big Block. “My team made the right calls tonight. We went with the right tire combination and the Garrity Asphalt Reclaiming machine was awesome.” 

It’s not all in the setup though. Lebanon Valley Speedway can use a racecar up very quickly without the proper care behind the wheel. 

“You have to keep the car square and straight,” said Bachetti. “You gotta keep the tires on. You gotta have a good enough car to get there. We had a lot of brake fade and a lot of issues. When I got here, we had a brake issue so was pumping the brakes a lot. Would get tight and push too but overall, it was a super way to end the year.”

Mike Mahaney, in the #35, brought the field to the green flag and raced to the lead in the first corner. Unfortunately, a brake failure caused Mahaney to overshoot the next corner and hit the wall. The car rolled down the track in front of the field and luckily no other drivers made contact with his prone racecar. 

The race restarted on lap seven with Larry Wight and Adam Pierson now on the front row. The #99L jumped to the lead and the #4 of Andy Bachetti followed by and into second place. Wight managed to hold off Bachetti until lap 20 when he finally got by. 

Meanwhile, Sheppard and Friesen started on the fifth row in ninth and 10th, respectively. Friesen followed in Sheppard’s footsteps up through the field.

“I got up through the field pretty good,” said Sheppard. “I was working on Larry Wight. I was a little faster, but I couldn’t quite get by him. I lost the spot to Stewie and then we had another restart. Tyler Dippel crashed into me and we lost a few more spots. We were able to fight back to the front though and got by Decker, Friesen, and others. I was just happy to get back to second.”

As laps clicked off towards halfway, Sheppard and Friesen got up to third and fourth. Only Larry Wight was in between Bachetti and Sheppard. 

Sheppard was determined to get around Wight to try reeling in Bachetti who kept amassing sizeable leads over the dueling rivals.

The #9s was all over the #99L from lap 40 to lap 59 when Kenny Tremont Jr. brought out the caution flag with a flat left rear tire. 

“I was working him high and low,” said Sheppard of his battle with Wight. “He was running a different line and it was working for him. It blocked the bottom and the top. I couldn’t get a great run on the top and or the bottom.”

On a lap 63 restart, Friesen got around Sheppard for third. Bachetti’s lead grew until lap 74 when Adam Pierson brought out the caution flag. When the field got back underway Friesen got up to third while Sheppard was shuffled back several positions after contacting Tyler Dippel. He who showed his displeasure with the #9s under caution. 

On lap 81, Kenny Tremont Jr. brought the caution out again. The running order was Andy Bachetti in first place, Larry Wight second, and Stewart Friesen in third with 20 to go.

Unfortunately, on the restart, Bachetti fired prior to the VP Racing Fuels starting point. The #4 was sent back a row and the restart was attempted again. 

“We kind of got a raw deal getting put back a row on the restart,” said Bachetti. “When you are the leader you should be able to restart like that.”

Luckily for Bachetti, Drellos came up lame on lap 92, and on the ensuing restart, the #4 took the lead back from Friesen one last time. 

There was stout competition for the overall hard charger award which goes to the driver who makes up the most positions from their starting spot. The 2021 Mr. DIRT Track USA Hard Charger was Peter Britten, a former force in Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship action at Lebanon, who started 25th and drove his #21A Big Block to sixth.

Erick Rudolph, as usual, also passed a lot of cars and drove his #25R up 18 positions and finished ninth. Local racer Kolby Schroeder did his hometrack fans proud picking up 15 spots to finish an impressive seventh against the best of the best. 

Next weekend, the Series runs a doubleheader at the Cavalcade Cup Weekend at Weedsport Speedway, Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 11-12). Night one is capped by a 60-lap $7,500 Super DIRTcar Series Feature before the Series takes to the ⅜ mile historic dirt track for 100 laps and $10,000. Get your tickets here or catch all the action live on DIRTVision. 

Feature (101 Laps)

1. 4B-Andy Bachetti [5][]; 2. 9S-Matt Sheppard [9][]; 3. 44F-Stewart Friesen [10][]; 4. 91D-Billy Decker [17][]; 5. 97H-Bobby Hackel [4][]; 6. 21A-Peter Britten [25][]; 7. 99S-Kolby Schroeder [22][]; 8. 42S-Kyle Sheldon [11][]; 9. 25R-Erick Rudolph [27][]; 10. 35L-LJ Lombardo [12][]; 11. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [28][]; 12. 88W-Mat Williamson [23][]; 13. 115-Kenny Tremont [24][]; 14. 3J-Marc Johnson [14][]; 15. 45J-Wayne Jelley [19][]; 16. 60B-Brian Berger [15][]; 17. 74H-JR Heffner [6][]; 18. 215p-Adam Pierson [2][]; 19. 2L-Jack Lehner [16][]; 20. 5H-Chris Hile [18][]; 21. 9D-Chase Dowling [30][]; 22. 99L-Larry Wight [3][]; 23. 35CC-Chris Curtis [21][]; 24. 111D-Demetrios Drellos [20][]; 25. 1T-Tyler Dippel [7][]; 26. 55B-Brett Hass [8][]; 27. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson [13][]; 28. 98M-Eddie Marshall [29][]; 29. 32CC-Max Mclaughlin [26][]; 30. 35M-Mike Mahaney [1][]

Hard Charger Award: 21A-Peter Britten[+19]

ALGER, WA – September 4, 2021 – Brad Sweet is making a habit out of conquering the tracks that have haunted him for years.He finally won at Lincoln (PA) in May; he finally topped River Cities (ND) two weeks ago; and tonight, The Big Cat finally scored a Skagit Speedway victory that has eluded since he made his debut at the track 19 starts ago in 2010.It was a puzzling path to victory lane filled with lap traffic mayhem and an ever-changing 3/10-mile surface, but it was no task too tall for the NAPA Auto Parts #49. Sweet started third in the 30-lapper, slid by Donny Schatz for second on Lap 12, then drove right by David Gravel for the lead on Lap 22.The most troubling news for the field in Sweet’s 16th World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win of the year (double his closest competitor) is his mention that the team, including Eric Prutzman, Joe Mooney & Andrew Bowman, “found something they’ve been missing over the last few weeks.”Saturday’s Skagit score, which marks wins at 42 different tracks with The Greatest Show on Dirt, brings Sweet to 74 career wins and leaves him only 10 away from reaching Stevie Smith to crack a legendary top-10 on the All-Time Wins List.Kasey Kahne Racing continued their perfect weekend in the boss’ home state as Sweet became the fourth driver to deliver a win at Washington’s Skagit Speedway, joining Joey Saldana (2), Daryn Pittman (2), and James McFadden (1).”I’ve always loved coming to Skagit,” Sweet told the fans. “We’ve got a great crowd and a great track this weekend. We’ve always been close here but seemed to finish second or third and just miss that little extra bit in the late going. I think we found something tonight, though. I could move around and get through traffic really well, and that’s what wins or loses these races. I felt like I could do things that I haven’t been able to do in weeks with this setup.”Halted by only one caution on Lap 8, Saturday’s 30-lapper was full of thick, tight, and troubling lap traffic. After earning a Series-best ninth pole position, Gravel jetted away to a 2.194-second lead at the halfway mark, but then traffic got tricky.Once Sweet cleared Schatz for the second spot, he quickly caught Gravel and applied pressure with the #2 struggling to make moves on the backmarkers.The winning move came on Lap 22 when Sweet aced the bottom of turns one and two and rolled right by Gravel, who was pinned on the high side. The #49 machine immediately checked out and ran to the win unchallenged over the last eight laps, but things got wild for the runner-up position as Gravel, Schatz, McFadden, and Haudenschild went wheel-to-wheel under a blanket and in traffic on the narrow 3/10-mile.Ultimately, Sweet took the checkered flag ahead by 2.336-seconds.”Sometimes it’s easier to be in second at a track like this,” Sweet noted. “It’s so much fun to race with guys like David, Donny, and everyone on tour right now. This is the toughest the World of Outlaws has been I think. Hopefully, we can come back tomorrow and get us $25,000.Sweet now only has four tracks with 10+ starts and zero wins: Williams Grove (PA), The Dirt Track at Charlotte (NC), Thunderbowl (CA) Raceway, and Tri-State (IN) Speedway. He’ll have a shot at the first two later this fall.Capitalizing on the wild lap traffic action, Donny Schatz clawed back from fourth and ended up second in Saturday’s 30-lapper. He’s up to eight consecutive top-four finishes aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance, Carquest #15.”That was a high-speed chess match,” Schatz said. “The car feels solid, so I think we should be good for tomorrow’s big show.”After leading the opening 21 laps, David Gravel of Watertown, CT slipped back to finish third-place for the third-straight race. He slipped back to fourth at one point amid the lap traffic chaos but recovered nicely for his 20th podium of the year in the Big Game Motorsports #2.”It’s a bummer to draw the one on back-to-back nights with zero wins to show for it,” Gravel admitted. “We got better today, so hopefully we’ll find a little more tomorrow with $25,000 on the line.”James McFadden, who won Friday’s opener at Skagit, finished fourth on Saturday and took home KSE Hard Charger honors in the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9. Sheldon Haudenschild drove the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing #17 to a fifth-straight top-five finish at the Alger, WA track.Rounding out the top-1o on night two of the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals was Carson Macedo (6th) in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, Logan Schuchart (7th) in the Drydene Performance Products #1S, Brock Zearfoss (8th) in the Moose’s LZ Bar & Grill #3Z, Kasey Kahne (9th) in the Beef Packers #83, and Rico Abreu (10th) in the Rowdy Energy #24.UP NEXT (Sunday): The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will return to Washington’s Skagit Speedway tomorrow, September 5, for the $25,000-to-win finale of the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals. On Labor Day,NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps): 1. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$10,000]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2][$5,500]; 3. 2-David Gravel [1][$3,200]; 4. 9-James McFadden [7][$2,600]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [4][$2,350]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo [6][$2,150]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10][$2,100]; 8. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [9][$1,950]; 9. 83-Kasey Kahne [8][$1,900]; 10. 24-Rico Abreu [12][$1,850]; 11. 55-Trey Starks [11][$1,400]; 12. 2C-Wayne Johnson [15][$1,200]; 13. 11K-Kraig Kinser [14][$1,000]; 14. 18-Jason Solwold [17][$1,000]; 15. 44W-Austen Wheatley [16][$1,000]; 16. 21P-Robbie Price [18][$1,000]; 17. 7S-Jason Sides [5][$1,000]; 18. 18T-Tanner Holmes [19][$1,000]; 19. 99-Malachi Gemmer [22][$1,000]; 20. 7-Tyler Thompson [20][$1,000]; 21. 22X-Brock Lemley [21][$1,000]; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen [13][$1,000]; 23. 75-Brian Boswell [23][$1,000]; 24. 1J-Jack Eckard [24][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-21, Brad Sweet 22-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 9-James McFadden[+3]NEW Championship Standings (64/81 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (8,434); 2. David Gravel (-122); 3. Carson Macedo (-176); 4. Donny Schatz (-224); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-250); 6. Logan Schuchart (-326); 7. James McFadden (-724); 8. Kraig Kinser (-996); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-1,232); 10. Jacob Allen (-1,492).Photo – Trent Gower

• Rain-shortened qualifying sets the field for the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) 67th annual Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals in Lucas Oil Raceway
• Last year’s Top Fuel runner-up finisher at Indianapolis Leah Pruett will start from the No. 5 position on the eliminations ladder after a solid Friday evening qualifying run aboard her Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster
• Pruett will also race her Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak in Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) from the No. 12 starting position in a competitive 22 car-field as she looks to double-up on trophies at the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals
• Three-time U.S. Nationals Funny Car title winner Cruz Pedregon and his Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat qualify No. 4 on the strength of his Friday qualifying pass
• Ron Capps positioned his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car in the top half of the field with his Friday qualifying run as he sets his sights on earning an elusive Wally trophy at the “Big Go”.
• NHRA Funny Car points leader Matt Hagan recently tested positive for COVID-19 and withdrew from competing in the 2021 Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals
• Tommy Johnson Jr. took over driving duties aboard the DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car in Hagan’s absence but did not qualify due to a mechanical issue on Friday and rain on Saturday

Indianapolis, Indiana, Sept. 4, 2021— Qualifying for the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) 67th annual Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals proved to be more of a challenge than usual as rain washed out both Saturday sessions for most categories competing at Lucas Oil Raceway, resulting in elimination fields being set based on a single Friday evening run.

Leah Pruett, last year’s Top Fuel runner-up finisher at Indianapolis, will start her drive for another shot at a final round appearance from the No. 5 position on the eliminations ladder after taking her Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Dodge//SRT Redeye dragster for a solid qualifying pass under the lights. Her 3.755 second elapsed time (E.T.) run at 322.88 mph gives her lane choice over No. 12 seed, Joe Morrison. 

In Funny Car qualifying action, three-time U.S. Nationals Funny Car title winner Cruz Pedregon’s Snap-On Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat was the top HEMI®-powered entry starting from the fourth spot earned with a 3.896-second drive at 323.66 mph. The Cruz Pedregon Racing team owner and driver will have No. 13 seed Terry Haddock as his first round opponent on Sunday.

DSR’s 27-year veteran driver Ron Capps also positioned his NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car in the top half of the field with a 3.907 second/326.08 mph effort to go into the final eliminations battle of the regular season as the No. 6 seed. Capps will have No. 11 Justin Schriefer in the next lane as he sets his sights on battling for the elusive Wally trophy from the only NHRA event he has never won.

As the DSR Funny Car team prepared to take to the staging lanes for Friday qualifying, the team announced that two-time U.S. Nationals winner and category points leader Matt Hagan had recently tested positive for COVID-19 and would not be competing in this year’s event. In his place, the team called upon Tommy Johnson Jr. to take on the driving responsibilities for Hagan’s Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car. Johnson was the easy choice after finishing second in the 2020 NHRA Funny Car World Championship with DSR with three wins and three No. 1 qualifier positions last season. 

Efforts to qualify the hard charging Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye for the prestigious Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals and add to Hagan’s point total were short-lived. Following a mechanical issue, found immediately after the burnout, that didn’t give Johnson the chance to take the tree, any opportunity to get in a run on Saturday was washed out by persistent rainfall. That left Johnson with no qualifying time and without a spot on the eliminations ladder, a situation that also unfortunately meant that no points would be awarded to Hagan. With the unique points-and-a-half format employed at this final regular season event, that drops the DSR driver several positions in the final battle for position in the Funny Car standings heading into the NHRA’s “Countdown to the Championship” which begins next weekend at the Mopar Express Lane Nationals in Reading, Pennsylvania.

In Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS), Pruett took her 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak for a 7.969 second run at 176.79 mph to earn the No. 12 spot on the eliminations ladder comprised of a competitive 22-car field. Following two runner-up finishes this season in consecutive events at Denver and Topeka, Pruett is seeking another FSS win at the U.S. Nationals to add to her 2018 Indy victory. By juggling stints aboard both her Top Fuel dragster and drag pak on Sunday, Pruett has the unique possibility of taking home two Wally trophies for Dodge at the world-renowned event to which the performance brand has lent its name as title sponsor for the first-time. 

Pruett will begin her day against DSR teammate and No. 13 seed David Davies and his 2021 Mopar Drag Pak after his best qualifying effort to date. He was among only a handful of FSS competitors that got in a second run on Saturday morning before rain showers claimed the day. 

Fellow DSR FSS driver Mark Pawuk, who finished runner-up at the last year’s event, was unfortunately not among that group as he could have benefitted from the opportunity to get in a second qualifying pass after finding himself in the final spot on the ladder following his Q1 run. Nevertheless, he will work to battle his way through the field aboard his 2021 Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak as it makes its maiden drive in competition this weekend.

Television coverage of the 67th annual Dodge//SRT NHRA U.S. Nationals will be broadcast on Sunday Sept. 5, on FS1 from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. and then on the FOX national broadcast network from 1 – 4 p.m. EDT.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES

FUNNY CAR:

Tommy Johnson Jr., DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye

(Did Not Start) 

Qualifying 1: Did not run due to mechanical issue on the starting line

“It’s a bummer. I hate it for the guys. They worked so hard to make this happen, and make it successful in a tough situation. I hate it for them to not get a shot at this. After being out of the car for so long, it’s disappointing. To have that shot, and get to do a burnout and have an issue and not make it, and then not get to make a run at all, it’s just a bummer. I really wanted to have that feeling of throwing the ‘chutes. But, I appreciate the opportunity, and should DSR ever need a stand-in again, I’d welcome the chance to do my best to represent the them.”

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

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

Qualifying 1: 3.907 seconds at 326.08 mph

“Indy is always a weird weekend in the sense that we’ve had a lot of first time winners in the past at the U.S. Nationals. If something strange is going to happen, it always seems to be around this race with so much history and so much going on. This weekend, we only had one qualifying run and the field is set. We had a little bit of drama with our leader in the points not being in the race, and so it just adds to the typical U.S. Nationals craziness. Sunday is going to be interesting because it’s supposed to warm up and we’re going to have conditions like we haven’t seen this weekend. That’s when you really appreciate having great crew chiefs that can adapt. That’s what I love about Guido (Dean Antonelli) and John Medlen. Our NAPA team has done so well in different conditions all year long, so we’re going to focus on our goal of reclaiming the points lead. There’s a lot of other teams saying that same thing, but we’re going to see if we can get it done tomorrow.”

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

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

Qualifying 1:  3.896 seconds at 323.66 mph

“We’re qualified fourth with a 3.89 (second elapsed time run) at 323 mph which is a great first run off the trailer even if we pulled it back a little bit. We knew there was a good possibility of rain, so we weren’t pushing really hard, but it was still a great elapsed time. We would have liked to have had another shot at it. I talked to my crew chief JC (John Collins) and we were going to push it a little harder and try to move up the ladder a few more spots but we’ll take that fourth place. We’ll approach the race like all races even though we have just one run under our belts for this week. The track is solid and it’s similar to Brainerd (where we just ran) and we’re confident we can go out there tomorrow and put strings of good runs together. That’s the plan for the Snap-on Tool Dodge SRT Hellcat and we’re excited to see what happens.”

TOP FUEL:

Leah Pruett, DSR Pennzoil Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster  

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

Qualifying 1: 3.755 seconds at 322.88 mph

“What a wild Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals that we’ve had. Not a lot of on-track action, but I’m proud of this team for coming out strong on our one and only qualifying hit to land us in the No. 5 position. We’re looking forward to a good elimination outing on Sunday. Our team does well when we have a strong start to the weekend, and for us, that started on Friday night, and it doesn’t get much bigger than this. We’re at our sponsor’s race in our team’s hometown, and it’s the U.S. Nationals. Of course, we want to go one step further than last year’s runner-up finish, but it all starts first round and it’s an early morning. We’ve got our hot rod tucked away, and ready to rip it on the strip tomorrow, and look forward to putting on a phenomenal show.”

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak 

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

Qualifying 1: 7.969 seconds at 176.79 mph

“Factory has very much emulated Top Fuel where we made a solid pass in the first session. It was tricky on the starting line, and we have some new gearing so that was our first run with this new set up. We had some issues right through the lights which cut our speed and our E.T. so we definitely would have qualified better than our .96, but, it was an easy fix and we look forward to seeing the results of that fix in the first round of eliminations. With a 32-car field and multiple rounds to go, I’m very confident in this team that has gone to back-to-back final rounds, and we know what a win looks like at the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals with this Dodge Mopar Drag Pak team. I’m very impressed with how cohesive our Factory Stock program has been with the addition of David Davies and his Drag Pak. We’re all running three different packages so for (crew chiefs) Kevin Helms and A.J. Berge to keep them organized, and for all of us to have a solid shot at going rounds on Sunday, is impressive and makes me proud to work with this Mopar team. I’m looking forward to putting on more win lights tomorrow, and hopefully grabbing our second U.S. Nationals win.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

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

Qualifying 1: 13.781 seconds at 75.07 mph

“We were really looking forward to getting our new Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Pak out on the race track this weekend. After overpowering the track on the first run, we weren’t qualified very well, and we were ready to go out and kick some butt this morning. I did my burnout and got ready to stage and then it started raining, and I didn’t get to make my run. Unfortunately, the rest of the day got washed out. It’s a big disappointment. Some of the class ran, and we were part of the group that didn’t get to make a lap. But, we’re qualified. My new car looks great. We’re going to keep plugging away until we get this thing figured out, and start winning some races.”

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

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

Qualifying 1: 7.969 seconds. at 176.79 mph

“The extra work that the team put in leading up to the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals has paid off. We had a successful first qualifying session that put us in the 10th spot leading into today’s second round of qualifying. We didn’t move the 2021 Drag Pak up the ladder in Q2 today, but still we made a successful pass that kept us in the ‘top 16’ in a very competitive field. Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn’t let the entire Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown class to complete their second qualifier so we’ll have to see how tomorrow shapes up. It’s good for the entire team to see the payoff from the lessons learned from Topeka, and we’re all looking forward to Sunday.”

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News
Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com. 

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram
The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Mopar
Mopar (a simple contraction of the words MOtor and PARts) offers exceptional service, parts and customer care. Born in 1937 as the name of a line of antifreeze products, the Mopar brand has evolved over more than 80 years to represent both complete vehicle care and authentic performance for owners and enthusiasts worldwide.

Mopar made its mark in the 1960s during the muscle-car era with performance parts to enhance speed and handling for both on-road and racing use. Later, the brand expanded to include technical service and customer support. Today, Mopar integrates service, parts and customer-care operations in order to enhance customer and dealer support worldwide.

Mopar is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com. 

PORTSMOUTH, OH (September 4, 2021) – Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship point leader, Tim McCreadie, won his second consecutive series race as he took the top spot in the River Days Rumble – presented by Pepsi on Saturday night at Portsmouth Raceway Park. McCreadie’s win was his fifth this season. Devin Moran finished second to McCreadie with Ricky Thornton Jr., Tyler Erb, and Jimmy Owens rounding out the top five. Kyle Bronson led the first four laps of the race until Bronson, Moran, and McCreadie went three-wide for the lead on lap five, with McCreadie emerging as the new first place car. Moran was able to challenge McCreadie after several of the restarts. Despite ten caution flags that slowed the action, McCreadie held the lead to the checkers by 2.8 seconds, for his 27th career series victory.  In Lucas Oil Victory Lane McCreadie was already thinking about the next race in the quest for his first Lucas Oil title. “It’s great to win here that’s for sure, but I am just going one race at a time. The car was pretty much flawless tonight, we are always working to make it better. This group of drivers are so tough. There are still a lot of races left to go in the season. I want to thank my car owners Donald and Gena Bradsher, they have given me everything I need. They are supportive whether we win or not; we could run second, fifth, or whatever and they are always positive. That is a great feeling to know that.” “With that many cautions you just have to be patient. It’s tough to start and get going and then the caution would come out. Taking the lead there early on was important. I just went for it, and it worked out. I figured maybe Devin or Kyle would go back to the outside and get by me, but no one ever did. It’s great to win in front of this crowd. Sometimes during the other races, I will come up there and sit with some of you. I remember sitting in the grandstands and rooting for my dad for several years.” Moran, looking for his third career Lucas Oil win and his first of the season, came home in second. “Our car was good for most of the race, we kind of faded there at the end, but we held on for second. I was able to stay with Timmy there for a long time, but those cautions kind of hurt my momentum. That one restart we went to the top and was running him down. I would go into one a little lower than him and we would make up even more ground. To finish second here hopefully gives us some good notes for when we come back here in October.”  Thornton Jr., the top Eibach Springs rookie this season in the series pitted during one of the caution flags to change a flat tire but came back to round out the podium. Yes, it was a nice comeback for us to come back to get third. The car was really good the last part of the race. We could get up there and run with Devin and I thought we had a shot to get second for a moment. To come from the back, I have to thank my crew for getting me back on the track after the flat.” The winner’s Donald and Gena Bradsher Paylor Motorsports Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Bilstein Shocks, D&E Marine, Racing for Heroes, and The Aesthetic Haus. Completing the top ten were Hudson O’Neal, Spencer Hughes, Jonathan Davenport, Rod Conley, and Clint Keenan. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary River Days Rumble – presented by PepsiSaturday, September 4th, 2021Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Devin Moran / 14.516 seconds Fast Time Group B: Kyle Bronson / 14.496 seconds (overall)Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 81F-Brandon Fouts[2]; 3. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[5]; 4. 14-Josh Richards[6]; 5. 11R-Josh Rice[3]; 6. 55-Chuck Kimble[7]; 7. B1-Josh Bocook[8]; 8. 17ST-Shannon Thornsberry[4]Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 3. 12J-Jason Jameson[5]; 4. 111-Steven Roberts[4]; 5. 20B-Todd Brennan[3]; 6. 71R-Rod Conley[6]; 7. 10-Mike Meyers[7] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 40B-Kyle Bronson[1]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 3. 25-Shane Clanton[4]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 5. 11J-Jared Hawkins[6]; 6. 33K-Kevin Wagner[5]; 7. 73B-Charles Mullett[7]Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes[2]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 3. 71C-RJ Conley[4]; 4. 4G-Kody Evans[5]; 5. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 6. 1B-Nick Bocook[7]; 7. 29-Clint Keenan[6] LINE-X B-Main #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 6 Transfer): 1. 11R-Josh Rice[1]; 2. 11J-Jared Hawkins[2]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[4]; 4. 20B-Todd Brennan[3]; 5. 71R-Rod Conley[7]; 6. 29-Clint Keenan[12]; 7. 33K-Kevin Wagner[6]; 8. 10-Mike Meyers[11]; 9. 1B-Nick Bocook[8]; 10. 73B-Charles Mullett[10]; 11. 55-Chuck Kimble[5]; 12. B1-Josh Bocook[9]; 13. 17ST-Shannon Thornsberry[13]River Days Rumble Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 29Lap Leaders: Kyle Bronson (Laps 1-4); Tim McCreadie (Laps 5-50)Wrisco Feature Winner: Tim McCreadieArizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 2.881 secondsStop Tech Brakes Cautions: Todd Brennan (Lap 2); Steven Roberts (Lap 9); Jason Jameson (Lap 13), Josh Richards (Lap 13 restart); Josh Rice (Lap 14); Kyle Bronson (Lap 14 restart); Debris (Lap 34); Josh Richards (Lap 34 restart); RJ Conley (Lap 35); Earl Pearson, Jr. (Lap 40)Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aAllstar Performance Fast Time Provisionals: Shannon Thornsberry; Kevin WagnerTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler Erb, Jimmy OwensOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Advanced 16 Positions)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Tim McCreadie (46 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tyler ErbEibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Tim McCreadie (Lap 5 – 15.163 seconds)Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Kyle BronsonOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Philip Snelen (Tim McCreadie)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Devin Moran (14.378 seconds)Time of Race: 61 minutes 14 seconds Lucas Oil Championship Points:

*Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day*