Menard Finishes 18th At Kansas

October 20, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Atlas Roofing Shingles Ford Mustang flirted with a top-10 finish before falling back to 18th over two eventful green-white-checkered-flag runs to the finish of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Menard started Sunday’s 400-miler from 22nd place but moved into the top-15 in the opening laps before dropping back and off the lead lap near the end of the first 80-lap stage.

He was running in the free-pass position when a caution flag flew with four laps remaining for debris from an accident involving Ryan Newman and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Back on the lead lap, he moved into the top 15 and then into the top 10 by the halfway point of Stage Two. Capitalizing on quick pit stops by his Menards/Atlas crew, he maintained his spot in the top 10 throughout Stage Two and ended that segment in eighth place.

In the final segment of the race, Menard raced in the top 15 and was running 11th when a caution flag flew with two of the scheduled 267 laps left to run.

That set up the first green-white-checkered attempt, and Menard was running 13th when a second caution flag resulted in another green-white-checkered try.

In the frenetic bumping and banging over the final two laps, Menard dropped to 18th at the finish.

“We were pretty good most of the day,” Eddie Wood said. “Paul did a good job, and the pit crew had some great stops.”

“We just got jammed up at the end. Now we’ll go to our home track, Martinsville Speedway, and try to give Paul a fast car for his last Cup start at a place that means a lot to our race team and to our family.”

For 31st time, five-time world champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. leads Pro Stock into race day
ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 19) — The Texas heat kept elapsed times in check Saturday at the 34th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals, allowing five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. to collect his second low qualifier award of the year. It’s the 31st time Coughlin has led the category into race day and the second year in a row he’s done so in Dallas.

Coughlin’s run-of-record came Friday evening when he clicked the timers in 6.509 seconds at 210.41 mph. Today’s two runs produced a 6.550 at 210.31 mph and a 6.574 at 208.10 mph. Overall this weekend, Coughlin’s JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro was the quickest in three of four qualifying rounds and the second-quickest in the other. Continue reading For 31st time, five-time world champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. leads Pro Stock into race day →

FORCES SWEEP NITRO NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 19, 2019) — For the second time in NHRA history a parent child duo qualified No. 1 together. John Force and Brittany Force secured the No. 1 qualifier spot in their respective nitro categories Saturday at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. The first time the feat was accomplished, the Force pair qualified in the top spot together at this year’s SpringNationals in Houston, Texas. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team improved to start race day from the No. 7 spot, while Robert Hight and his AAA Texas Chevy Camaro SS team held onto the No. 2 qualifier position.

“Going No. 1 alongside Brittany makes it really special, anytime you get to do something with your kids and to be part of how proud she is of what her and her team have accomplished, it’s good,” said Force. “My wife loves it and it’ll make for a good evening.” Continue reading FORCES SWEEP NITRO NO. 1 QUALIFIERS AT AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS →

Leah Pritchett Leads Dodge//SRT Mopar Teams Qualifying No. 2 in AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals

· Leah Pritchett rockets HEMI®-fueled Pennzoil Dodge Top Fuel Dragster to the No. 2 position for Sunday’s elimination rounds of the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals near Dallas
· Ron Capps leads seven Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car drivers in field of 16 at Texas Motorplex
· Matt Hagan qualifies his Western Technical College Mopar CAP Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Funny Car sixth
· Three Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers earn top-half starting positions in Funny Car field
· Pritchett and Mark Pawuk qualify for 16-car Factory Stock Showdown field
· DodgeGarage.com, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts, features highlights from NHRA season
· New @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel features Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in NHRA action

October 19, 2019, Ennis, Texas – Top Fuel standout Leah Pritchett led the Dodge//SRT Mopar driver contingent in the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals near Dallas. She qualified the HEMI®-powered Pennzoil Dodge Top Fuel Dragster of Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) No. 2 for the third time in the first four NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship events. Continue reading Leah Pritchett Leads Dodge//SRT Mopar Teams Qualifying No. 2 in AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals →

JOHN FORCE RACING TEAMS IMPROVE CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS LEAVING AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
ENNIS, TEXAS (Oct. 20, 2019) — The quad of John Force Racing nitro breathing hot rods stampeded their way to semifinal appearances at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex outside of Dallas. Robert Hight and the AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro extended their points lead to 70 while John Force and the PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil / BlueDEF Camaro sit only four points back from second. In Top Fuel, Brittany Force put the Advance Auto Parts team within 46 points of the lead and Austin Prock did some damage to move into sixth. Continue reading JOHN FORCE RACING TEAMS IMPROVE CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS LEAVING AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS →

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Roland Chevrolet Team Earn 20th-Place Finish at Kansas Speedway

“Man, what a day. I was excited about our top-10 starting position, but we were just way too loose to start the race and lost a lot of positions. We ended up falling one lap down to the leader and struggled all day to earn our lap back. Crew chief Danny Stockman called for a lot of adjustments but no matter how many my crew made, we just never got a solid feel for the handling of the Roland Chevrolet. In the closing laps, we had to make a last-minute pit stop for tires after we got a flat from a multi-car incident. We were able to still finish in the top 20, and I’m really proud of everyone at RCR and ECR for working so hard all weekend.”
-Austin Dillon

Daniel Hemric and No. 8 Caterpillar Team Start on the Pole and Lead Laps Before Late-Race Wreck at Kansas Speedway

“That’s an unfortunate ending to our day at Kansas Speedway for our No. 8 Caterpillar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. We had a fast Chevrolet this weekend, and it was really special to earn our first pole award as a group at Kansas. I was hoping once the green flag dropped we’d be able to set sail, lead laps and be in contention for the win. Unfortunately, our Caterpillar Chevrolet was just a little tricky to balance today. I needed more rear grip throughout most of the day, but never got it to where I could run both the top and bottom grooves like I wanted to. On the first attempt at a late-race restart, it all just happened so fast on the frontstretch and before I knew it, the No. 41 was turned down in front of me and we made contact. We were making up good positions before that and would have come away with a decent finish, but we’ll just refocus on Martinsville Speedway next week and try again.”

-Daniel Hemric

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
TEXAS MOTORPLEX IN ENNIS, TEXAS
RACE RECAP AND DRIVER QUOTES
OCTOBER 20, 2019

Chevrolet Camaro picks up 199th Pro Stock victory

Greg Anderson wins Pro Stock in all-Chevy final
Robert Hight extends Funny Car points lead
Brittany Force, Austin Prock set track Top Fuel records

ENNIS, Texas (October 20, 2019) – Greg Anderson and Jeg Coughlin Jr. have faced off 102 times, including 21 in the final round of a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Pro Stock event.

This time, the win light came on for Anderson, who prevailed by five-thousandths of a second in the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals. Anderson, driving the Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS, ran 6.609 seconds to defeat the No. 1 qualifier and collect his 94th career victory. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Texas Post Race →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 20, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Playoff Contender)
2nd * CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
4th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 ADVENT HEALTH CAMARO ZL1
5th * WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1
10th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY FUELING FUTURES CAMARO ZL1
11th * ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CAMARO ZL1 Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Post Race →

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS
TEXAS MOTORPLEX IN ENNIS, TEXAS
QUALIFICATIONS RECAP
OCTOBER 19, 2019

Chevrolet drivers sweep No. 1 qualifying spots at Dallas
Brittany and John Force set another record; Jeg Coughlin Jr. goes to the top
ENNIS, Texas (October 19, 2019) – Chevrolet drivers keep making waves in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Countdown to the Championship.

In four rounds of qualifying for the AAA Texas NHR FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, Team Chevy drivers Brittany Force (Top Fuel), John Force (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) claimed No. 1 spots heading into race day October 20. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Texas–Qualifying →

Menard Qualifies 22nd At Kansas

October 19, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Atlas Roofing Ford Mustang will line up 22nd for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Menard turned a lap at 176.410 miles per hour in qualifying on Saturday afternoon, his best lap of the weekend so far.

Menard’s qualifying position may not be the best indicator of the team’s performance on Sunday as he was seventh fastest in the opening practice with a best lap at 175.308 mph. In Happy Hour he was 11th fastest with a best lap of 176.367 mph, and his speed in his best 10 consecutive laps was seventh on the speed chart.

Menard and his Wood Brothers team have turned in some strong runs at Kansas in the past. The Woods have four top-five finishes in 19 starts with a best finish of second in 2004 with Ricky Rudd driving.

Menard has a best finish of third in 2012 and five other top-10s including a sixth-place finish last fall.

Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 is set to start just after 1:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on NBC.

Tyler Reddick and the TAME the BEAST Team Capture Solid Second-Place Finish to Kick Off the Round of 8

“We’re all trying to lock ourselves into Homestead, and we just came up one spot short today. Obviously, we would have rather won today and been done with it, but we’ll now focus on Texas. Our No. 2 TAME the BEAST Chevrolet was just a little too loose all day and it seemed like it wouldn’t tighten up no matter what we did, so that’s something we’ll have to work on. I’ll talk to Cole (Custer) before the next race and we’ll sort out our issues. Our emotions run high when everything is on the line like this and both of us have a lot to lose. If we take each other out of the race, neither one of us will make it to Homestead and we both deserve to be there.”

Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his nephew Troy
are provisional top qualifiers in Dallas
ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 18) — It’s been a great day for the yellow and black JEGS.com brand as team drivers Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his nephew Troy Coughlin Jr. both lead their respective classes, Pro Stock and Top Alcohol Dragster, at the 34th annual AAA Texas NHRA Fall Nationals.

“With three races to go in the championship chase we’re trying to be as aggressive as possible all the way around,” Jeg Jr. said. “My crew chief Rickie Jones cooked up a real fast combination for the first session and the car felt really strong. He reviewed that data and made a few adjustments to get us even quicker and everything worked out.” Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his nephew Troy are provisional top qualifiers in Dallas →

JOHN AND BRITTANY FORCE DOMINATE FRIDAY QUALIFYING AT
AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 18, 2019) — Under the Friday night lights at the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex, John Force and Brittany Force both powered their 11,000-horsepower machines to the provisional No. 1 qualifier spots in their respective categories for the second time this season. Teammate Robert Hight and his AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS team are currently in the No. 2 spot, and rookie Austin Prock with his Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster are 11th.

Looking for her eighth No. 1 qualifier of the season and first at the Motorplex, Brittany Force propelled her Advance Auto Parts dragster to a jaw dropping 3.651-second pass at 331.28 mph in the night session to set the track elapsed time record and jump into the No. 1 position. The 2017 Top Fuel world champion had an already solid start to qualifying when she crossed the finish line with a clean 3.784-second pass at 299.00 mph as her first pass of the day. Continue reading JOHN AND BRITTANY FORCE DOMINATE FRIDAY QUALIFYING AT AAA TEXAS NHRA FALLNATIONALS →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 19, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1
5th KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1
9th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 ROLAND CAMARO ZL1
10th BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCATION CAMARO ZL1
12th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY FUELING FUTURES CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Daniel Hemric (Chevrolet)
2nd David Ragan (Ford)
3rd Ryan Blaney (Ford)
4th Brad Keselowski (Ford)
5th Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)

NBC will telecast the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway live at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, October 20. The NBC Sports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:
DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Winner
GOOD JOB BY THE WHOLE TEAM! THIS IS YOUR FIRST CAREER POLE. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
“Yeah, it’s pretty special. I kind of just feel crazy. I got out of the car and I thought I’d be maybe fifth to eighth but man, these guys on this Caterpillar Camaro ZL1 have done a great job all year of no matter what’s thrown at us, kind of just rising to the occasion and showing back up at the race track every week ready to work. And, with all that going on, there’s so much going on around us, that you can get lost in the distraction of things. But, to know these guys have continued to have my back through all that stuff has meant the world to me. So, congratulations to ECR and RCR. They’ve been doing a great job for us all year. It’s cool to be the guy to steer it around the line there and get the quick time.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Qualifying →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 19, 2019

DANIEL HEMRIC CAPTURES FIRST CAREER POLE AT KANSAS
Four Camaro ZL1 Drivers Qualify in Top 10

KANSAS CITY, KS (October 19, 2019) – Daniel Hemric was the fastest qualifier for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) playoff race at Kansas Speedway with a quick lap around the 1.5-mile tri-oval of 178.047 mph in 30.329 aboard his No. 8 Caterpillar Camaro ZL1. He was the only driver in the 40-car field to surpass the speed of 178 mph, and it marked the first MENCS career pole win for Hemric. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Daniel Hemric Captures Pole →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 18, 2019

RYAN PREECE, NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW IS THE BACKUP CAR?
“We were just super, super loose. We made some adjustments and we’ll go at it again. I will say it was turning pretty solid.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Ryan Preece →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 18, 2019

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

INAUDIBLE
“I feel like we’ve come such a long way at Ganassi from our first race at Martinsville. I’m looking forward to going back to apply all the season-long trends. Martinsville is so early in the year and we were such a new team. I think we finished 12th. We learned so much together as a group. That’s what’s cool about going back to these tracks a second time. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Kurt Busch →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 18, 2019

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

ARE YOU LOOKING AT KANSAS AS A MUST-WIN SITUATION?
“Yeah, I think it’s definitely a must-win situation. I think we can look at the stages and try to get a bunch of points in those. Ultimately, we’re going to have to win and that’s our goal.”

AFTER THE FIRST PRACTICE, DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A CAR TO DO IT?
“We’ll see. It’s hard to say here because of the draft and just the effect it has on lap times based on the group you’re around. We didn’t have as much speed as we wanted to have, in terms of lap times. But the car felt pretty good and I felt like we could move around. We just have to continue to work on it.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–William Byron →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 18, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, Media Breakout Session Highlights:

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOU FELT IN THE FIRST PRACTICE.
“I thought it was OK. We started not very good I thought. Once we kind of got back in the ballpark, I thought we were decent. We’re just trying to get it as close as we can and I think, now, there are going to be a handful of guys that will have their cars driving the way that it should. Hopefully, we’re amongst that group and can give ourselves a shot. We have to try to be the first guys off pit road or be the guy with the best restart at the end of the race because there are going to be a few guys that will have the car driving well enough to win.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Chase Elliott →

Magnussen to Explore Future Opportunities Away from Corvette Racing
He holds a record of 35 wins and four championships with program since 2004

DETROIT (Oct. 18, 2019) – Jan Magnussen will explore new driving opportunities for 2020 away from Corvette Racing.

Since joining Corvette Racing in 2004, Magnussen has played a major role in the team’s success, with 35 victories, including four in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and one in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, four IMSA championships and 17 pole positions in 156 starts.

“I’m fortunate to have had such a long career with Corvette Racing,” Magnussen said. “When I joined the program in 2004, I never thought this would be my home for the next 16 years. The team is like my second family. I’m very proud of the championships and race wins we achieved together against very tough competition. Thanks to everyone at Corvette Racing for the good times and memories.”

Magnussen spent his first three years with Corvette Racing as an endurance driver and became a full-time driver in 2007. He partnered with current teammate Antonio Garcia full-time starting in 2012, with the pairing winning GT Le Mans championships in 2017 and 2018.

“Everyone at Corvette Racing thanks Jan for his years of dedication and professionalism during the last 16 years,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “Jan has been a key part of the growth and success of Corvette Racing. His experience and insight have been invaluable. We hold Jan in the highest regard and wish him well in the next chapter of his career.”

Corvette Racing will confirm details of its 2020 racing program later this year.