NHRA® Team Report
NHRA® Nationals – Brainerd
Pre-Race Report

After a trio of solid, low three-second runs, Cruz Pedregon and team are preparing for Brainerd with a win in mind. “As a team, we’re confident in how the Snap-on Funny Car is performing on the track, and we’re working hard to maximize every opportunity to showcase what the car and this team can do,” Cruz says. “In my career, I’ve seen what making the most of every session can do when it comes to earning Countdown points, and we’re ready to move up into that Top 10 spot.”

For an extra event to tune and run the Snap-on Dodge® at this critical point in the season, Cruz and team participated in the popular Night Under Fire® in Norwalk before heading to Brainerd.

“The car is running so well right now, and we’re looking forward to making it the best it can be for Cruz to earn the points needed in the next couple of NHRA races to secure a Countdown spot,” says crew chief Glen Huszar.

“Even as we focus on racing and standings, it’s been important to me as someone whose family is originally from El Paso to send my thoughts to the residents, friends and family I still have there. And one of our team members is from Dayton, another place that’s been on our minds and hearts this week and will continue to be,” Cruz said. “Heading to Brainerd, where so many great NHRA fans come out and create such a lively atmosphere, will be uplifting. The fans there were terrific encouragers at the start of a winning streak we had back in ’92 when I won my first championship. And, we’re looking forward to a positive weekend ahead for everyone at the track and watching on NHRA.com and FOX.”

KEVIN HARVICK & AUSTIN CINDRIC SWEEP NASCAR WEEKEND AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY & MID-OHIO

BROOKLYN, MI – August 12th, 2019 – Kevin Harvick won his second NASCAR MENCS race this season, winning the Consumer Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway, in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang. Since June of 2018, the Michigan Heritage Trophy has been at Ford Motor Company and with this win it will stay at Ford for the next 10 months.

“It was an incredible weekend for Ford Motor Company and Ford Performance NASCAR teams,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It was special to be able to congratulate Edsel Ford and Kevin Harvick in Victory Lane. Competition in the MENCS and Xfinity series is extremely tough and to be able to win both poles and races this weekend is a testament to our partnership with Ford and our race teams.”
Continue reading KEVIN HARVICK & AUSTIN CINDRIC SWEEP NASCAR WEEKEND AT MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY & MID-OHIO →

Menard Runs Short Of Fuel, Finishes 15th At Michigan

August 11, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Senior Master Technicians/Quick Lane Ford Mustang came within a splash of gas of ending the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway with a solid top-10 finish.

But he didn’t quite make it. Continue reading Menard Runs Short Of Fuel, Finishes 15th At Michigan →

Tyler Reddick Collects Back-to-Back Top-Five Finishes to Kick Off Road Course Swing

“A fourth-place finish at Mid-Ohio is like a win for me, not for RCR and my team since they have a stout Xfinity Series road course program to start with, but more of a personal win for me. This road course swing is a challenging part of the season for me that I’ve been trying to be better at for a while, so to get two top-five finishes in a row is great and shows some major improvement on my side. This week’s race at Mid-Ohio was a lot smoother as a whole than last week’s race at Watkins Glen. We had a good set-up for both the right and left-hand turns on the course, which helped me be able to make key passes throughout the day. I just had a bit of an issue with the braking power during the race. It wasn’t like my brakes were gone but like the power went down by 25 percent, so we’ll check that out before we return to a road course in a couple weeks. Finishing fourth here is a big step in the right direction on a road course for me, so I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do at Road America in two weeks.”

-Tyler Reddick

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE NOTES & QUOTES
AUGUST 10, 2019

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1, was the fastest Chevy driver in Happy Hour practice today with a fast lap of 188.763 mph in 38.143 seconds around the 2-mile D-shaped speedway.

POST PRACTICE TRANSCRIPT:

IT’S A PRETTY BIG DEAL TO BE THE FASTEST CHEVROLET IN PRACTICE
“Yeah, it’s just practice. I think our car is really good. We’ve had good speed since we’ve unloaded and good stability. That first run, in final practice, we were really strong. We kind of waited a little bit to try to get with a pack for the end of practice. We just got too tight there at the end. We made some adjustments and got the car on the splitter pretty badly. We’ll undo that and go racing.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Alex Bowman →

Menard Qualifies 9th At Michigan

August 9, 2019

Paul Menard and the Master Techs/Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center Ford Mustang are set to start Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway from the 9th position.

Menard originally earned the 10th starting spot but advanced one position following post-qualifying tech. In Friday’s afternoon session, Ford Mustangs accounted for an impressive six of the top nine starting positions.

It was his sixth top-10 qualifying effort of the season.

Menard picked up speed from opening practice, where he turned a best lap of 188.344 mph on his seventh and final lap of that session. That speed landed him 10th on the speed chart.

Menard said he was pleased for his team to be able to increase his speed from practice when he went out to qualify.

“We picked up a little bit from practice which is kind of hard to do at a speedway race which this kind of falls into this category because all of your fluids and everything are so cold,” he said. “In practice everything gets hot. To pick up I am proud of my guys for dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s, and it is a pretty good starting spot for Sunday.”

Friday’s practice session was mostly devoted to fine-tuning the Master Techs/Quick Lane Mustang for qualifying, and there will be two practices on Saturday, which will give the team more opportunities to perfect their race set-up.

The Consumers Energy 400 is set to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday with TV coverage on NBCSN.

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
TEAM CHEVY QUALIYFING NOTES & QUOTES
AUGUST 9, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
4th Alex Bowman, No. 88 Axalta Camaro ZL1
6th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Camaro ZL1
7th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet Accessories Camaro ZL1
11th Daniel Hemric, No. 8 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Brad Keselowski (Ford)
2nd Kevin Harvick (Ford)
3rd William Byron (Chevrolet)
4th Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)
5th Clint Bowyer (Ford)

NBCSN will telecast the 203-lap Consumers Energy 400 live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, August 11. 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. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Qualifying Notes →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
TEAM CHEVY BREAKOUT SESSION
AUGUST 9, 2019

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 BREAKOUT SESSION HIGHLIGHTS:

AT SOME POINT, WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO JUST RUN FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP UNENCUMBERED?
“I look forward to that day. I know it will happen, just don’t know when. 2031, that’s 12 years from now. I’ll have as long of a Cup career as Tony Stewart did and I’ll still be in my mid-30s. I’ll be fine.”
Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Kyle Larson →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
TEAM CHEVY BREAKOUT SESSION
AUGUST 9, 2019

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 BREAKOUT SESSION HIGHLIGHTS:

SOME PEOPLE LIKE SEEING THE JIMMIE JOHNSON THAT IS AGGRESSIVE. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
“Of course, I was very upset following the race with what took place there, and in my opinion you have to go talk to people and try to find out if what you thought in the car happened or not. Through that conversation, I was able to learn a lot about where Ryan’s head was on it all and here we are, we’re in Michigan. That’s last weekend. It did not turn out the way if could have for us and points are so important for us right now. That is where a lot of the frustration came from. I’m sure we’ve all talked about it plenty and I’m ready to go racing at Michigan. I practice today we continued to make the car better.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Jimmie Johnson →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
TEAM CHEVY BREAKOUT SESSION
AUGUST 9, 2019

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES CAMARO ZL1 BREAKOUT SESSION HIGHLIGHTS:

YOU WERE FAST IN PRACTICE
“It’s pretty cool. It’s not an impound race, so people are all trying to go as fast as they can and doing their thing to make the car go fast. We obviously did a really good job of that. It’s not the easiest to drive when you’re trimmed out like that. It’s a little more hair-raising, I guess you could say, when you’re out there in qualifying trim doing your thing. So, yeah, I’m pumped. I think we have a good shot at the pole and an opportunity to start up front here means a lot. You saw what Joey (Logano) was able to do with the pole last time. Hopefully this is good for us.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Austin Dillon →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 9, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 met with media and discussed traction compound, what it would be like to win at Michigan, the upcoming race at Bristol, and more. Full Transcript:

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME USING THE PJ1 HERE AT MICHIGAN. WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF TRACTION COMPOUND OVERALL? PRO OR CON?
“I think it’s a good thing to be messing with. Back when we were going really fast here, I think this was probably a track that really needed it bad. It’s so far up the race track here that everybody is a little concerned. It might be a little too far around for the amount of power we have. I feel like that’s the big question mark. You’re not lifting enough to make up longer distance. You use 2 rpm or whatever kind of distance, if you can move up high enough and get it; whereas now, we’re so close to wide-open running the regular groove, I think it’s going to be hard. But the one thing I don’t know and I’m not sure about everybody else. But it seems like to me, if there’s an advantage in maybe drafting or being to the right side of a car here, that might push it up. But, just to be running out there by yourself with nobody else around you, I don’t think you can go any faster up there. I think it’s too high.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Chase Elliott →

STATEMENT CONCERNING ARROW SCHMIDT PETERSON MOTORSPORTS’ REQUEST TO BE RELEASED FROM ITS 2020 ENGINE SUPPLY CONTRACT WITH HONDA PERFORMANCE DEVELOPMENT

“HPD is proud of its numerous accomplishments in partnership with Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, which include all seven of the team’s NTT IndyCar Series victories to date, as well as two coveted pole positions for the Indianapolis 500. Although we regret that this partnership will be coming to an end in advance of the 2020 season, HPD has the utmost confidence in the strength and commitment of its remaining partner teams, all of whom have won at least one NTT IndyCar Series race in each of the past two seasons. We look forward to demonstrating that same type of depth across our entire lineup for many years to come.”

WORLD CHAMPIONS JOHN FORCE AND ROBERT HIGHT TO RACE AT
KELLY SERVICES NIGHT UNDER FIRE

NORWLAK, Ohio (Aug. 9, 2019) — After both having had milestone victories during NHRA’s famed Western Swing, John Force and Robert Hight will once again participate in the 42nd annual Kelly Services Night Under Fire at Summit Motorsports Park outside of Cleveland. Continue reading WORLD CHAMPIONS JOHN FORCE AND ROBERT HIGHT TO RACE AT KELLY SERVICES NIGHT UNDER FIRE →

Dominic Scelzi Building Momentum Throughout Iowa Speedweek

Inside Line Promotions – OSKALOOSA, Iowa (Aug. 8, 2019) – Dominic Scelzi has had a fast race car throughout the first half of Iowa Speedweek.

Scelzi has guided his family owned sprint car to numerous strong moments, including top-15 runs at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, and at Southern Iowa Speedway. Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Building Momentum Throughout Iowa Speedweek →

Quartet of Team JEGS racers
headed to SFG Buckeye Bracket Bash
WEST SALEM, Ohio (Aug. 7) — Led by six-time world champion drag racer Jeg Coughlin Jr. and reigning North Central Region titlist Troy Coughlin Jr., a strong foursome of Team JEGS racers will be vying for the big cash prizes up for grabs at this weekend’s second annual SFG Buckeye Bracket Bash at Dragway 42.

Samantha Coughlin, Jeg Jr. ‘s wife, and Paige Coughlin, Troy Jr.’s sister, also will be competing in JEGS’ yellow-an-black livery.

Jeg Jr. will be racing his beloved JEGS.com Chevy II wagon in the three races that make up the weekend, including Friday’s $50K-to-win tilt, Saturday’s $75K-to-win main event and Sunday’s $25K-to-win finale.

Jeg Jr. went to the semifinals at the last SFG event. Continue reading Quartet of Team JEGS racers headed to SFG Buckeye Bracket Bash →

Richard Childress Racing at Michigan International Speedway … In 173 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Michigan International Speedway, RCR teams have earned three wins, two with Dale Earnhardt (1987, 1990) and one with Kevin Harvick (August 2010). Additionally, RCR has claimed 25 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes with 10 different drivers including Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, who recorded top-10 finishes at MIS in June 1978 and August 1979. Continue reading RCR Event Preview – Michigan International Speedway / Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course →

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
CONSUMERS ENERGY 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
BROOKLYN, MICHIGAN
AUGUST 11, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
THE CHASE IS ON:
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, dominated the 90-lap Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International for the second consecutive year. In the calendar year from The Glen win on August 5, 2018, to his August 4 victory on the 2.45-mile road course, Elliott has five victories. Elliott added victories at Dover and Kansas in ’18 and won at Talladega earlier this season. At the 2-mile Michigan International Speedway, Elliott leads active drivers with an average finish of 7.4 (seven races).

CHEVROLET IS POLE LEADER:
At The Glen, Elliott produced the 11th Chevrolet pole in the 22 MENCS races this season, which leads all manufacturers. Elliott, Austin Dillon and William Byron all have three pole starts for the Bowtie brigade. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Bowtie Bullets →

Giovanni Scelzi Rallies During 360 Knoxville Nationals Before Earning Podium at Capitani Classic

Inside Line Promotions – KNOXVILLE, Iowa (Aug. 6, 2019) – Giovanni Scelzi improved throughout last weekend at Knoxville Raceway, which hosted its first of two straight huge weekends of action.

Scelzi and car owner Bernie Stuebgen opened the competition on Friday by qualifying seventh quickest out of more than 50 competitors during a preliminary night for the 29th annual My Place Hotels 360 Knoxville Nationals presented by Great Southern Bank. Scelzi then gained a position in a heat race to finish fourth and lock directly into the A Main.
Continue reading Giovanni Scelzi Rallies During 360 Knoxville Nationals Before Earning Podium at Capitani Classic →

Momentum Shifts Define Action-Packed
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
Doubleheader in the Silver State
History Made in Pro 2 with First Ever Win for Pro 2M Engine
SPARKS, Nevada (August 6, 2019) – It had been more than two months since the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, presented by GEICO, was last seen in action, and the extended downtime lit a fire under every competitor across the championship’s nine classes. The culmination of this eagerness resulted in some of the best battles of the 2019 season at the OPTIMA Batteries Silver State Showdown, presented by GEICO, and with back-to-back nights of racing on the fastest track in the series at Wild West Motorsports Park, it also led to significant momentum shifts in each respective title fight. Continue reading Momentum Shifts Define Action-Packed Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series →

Ford Honors the First Class of 20-Year Senior Master Technicians with Wood Brothers Racing’s Paint Scheme

Program Headlines Efforts to Attract and Retain Auto Technicians

Seventy-eight Ford and Lincoln 20-Year Senior Master Technicians Honored at Michigan International Speedway
Ford uses motorsports sponsorships in NASCAR and NHRA to get word out that jobs are available in the automotive technician field
Special weekend highlights Ford’s partnership with Wood Brothers Racing Continue reading Ford Honors the First Class of 20-Year Senior Master Technicians with Wood Brothers Racing’s Paint Scheme →