Registration Open for 2020 Fall Nationals Makeup, Competitor Info Now Available

LINCOLN, IL – March 9, 2021 – Registration and competitor information for the 2020 DIRTcar Fall Nationals makeup event at Lincoln Speedway, April 8-9, 2021, has now been released.

The DIRTcar Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Pro Modifieds and Sport Compacts will hit the track for a night of open practice on Thursday, April 8, and go racing with a full program on tap, set for Friday, April 9. Late Models will run a 40-lap Feature for a chance at the $3,000 top prize; UMP Modifieds will compete for $1,500 over a 30-lap Feature.

Those who were registered for last year’s event are set and entered for this year’s make-up date. New entries will also be accepted via pre-registration or at the track. All Late Model and UMP Modified drivers who pre-enter by April 5 will receive a discount on their registration fee. All entrants must have a valid 2021 DIRTcar Membership to compete.

PRE-REGISTRATION FORM

COMPETITOR GUIDE

Competitors who had purchased two-day pit passes as well as fans who had purchased two-day or Saturday tickets in person or online will be able to use those by presenting them at the event. Grandstand admission is free on Thursday; $25 at the gate on Friday. Kids 11-and-under are free.

The 2021 Fall Nationals will also be held at the quarter-mile dirt track following the regular season for DIRTcar competitors. Practice will be held on Thursday, Sept. 30 with racing on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 1-2. Full details will be announced at a later date.

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Cruz Pedregon Team Report – Gainesville

March 9, 2021 ARP Trish

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Gatornationals – Gainesville

Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon begins his 30^th year of professional competition with a new team and a completely rebuilt car sporting a new paint scheme as the NHRA readies to fire up the 2021 season at this week’s Gatornationals.

“Our eyes are on the prize of being a top contender this year,” Cruz says. “There’s so much energy that comes with a new season, especially with the good news of Crew Chief John Collins coming on board and the renewal of our contract with long-time primary sponsor Snap-on. That energy has translated into a lot of long days for the team working on this stripped down, rebuilt Dodge Funny Car. As an owner, I’m doing everything I can to provide all the tools they need for us to consistently be in the late rounds and win our share of races this year.”

Cruz invested in the equipment from Collins’ and his team’s former cars that produced a second place points standing at the end of last season. With Collins as chief and Rip Reynolds as assistant crew chief, Cruz says he can stay focused on driving with the tuning in such capable hands. The team put its off-season work and strategy for the future to the test March 5 – 7 at West Palm Beach International Raceway and will do so again in Gainesville before the Gatornationals.

The Snap-on Dodge^®will have two new Hellcat SRT bodies, with the primary paint scheme showcasing a call to the Makers and Fixers of the world to share their stories at makersandfixers.com. The scheme features a silver metallic hood that transitions into iconic Snap-on red and black. Cruz is known for naming his Funny Car bodies, and this year the primary body will be known as “Gato Malo,” which translates to “bad cat.”

“We have lofty goals for the year, but it will take a few races to get into the groove,” says Cruz. “With a top-notch crew, great parts, and respected sponsors, we expect to be in the winner’s circle multiple times.”

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CBS Set to Air Five Lucas Dirt Events in 2021

March 9, 2021 ARP Trish

Batavia, OH (March 8, 2021) – CBS Television Network is scheduled to air five events in 2021, from four different venues. Two events from Lucas Oil Speedway, along with one event from Port Royal Speedway, Knoxville Raceway, and Portsmouth Raceway Park will be showcased, with a potential reach of over 114 million households.

The Show-Me 100 from Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO will air on the CBS Television Network for the eleventh consecutive year. The Show-Me 100, paying $30,000-to-win will air June 27th.

For the first time in series history, CBS will also air four other events. The $15,000-to-win Diamond Nationals will air August 28th. The $30,000-to-win Rumble by the River from Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, PA will air October 2nd. November 6th, CBS will present the Knoxville Late Model Nationals paying $40,000-to-win from Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA. To round out the five series events on CBS, the $100,000-to-win Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season finale, the Dirt Track World Championship from Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, OH will air on December 25th.
To find a complete list of CBS Television Network affiliates, visit: cbsnews.com/news/cbs-tv-stations-affiliates.

The entire 2021 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series TV Schedule can be found on the series website at: https://lucasdirt.com/events/tv-schedule.

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MAVTV Announces LIVE Broadcast Schedule for 2021

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

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Racer’s Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo Earns Pair of Podiums in Sonoma

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

Racer’s Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo Earns Pair of Podiums in Sonoma
Racers Edge Acura finishes third in both season-opening weekend races
Compass Racing NSX GT3 Evo scores top-five result in Sunday’s GT race

SONOMA, Calif. (March 7, 2021) – The Racers Edge Motorsports #93 Acura NSX GT3 Evo launched its 2021 Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS season with a pair of hard-fought Pro/Am podium placements after two races at Sonoma Raceway Saturday and Sunday.

Racers Edge fields a new driver lineup in its Acura NSX GT3 Evo this season, as Taylor Hagler climbs from Touring Car to GT competition, and was joined at the opening weekend by former US F4 champion Dakota Dickerson. Both drivers also are graduates of last year’s inaugural Honda Performance Development GT3 Academy, HPD’s program to assist young drivers advance their sports car racing careers, run in conjunction with Racers Edge Motorsports.

The Florida squad is joined in the Acura stable by Compass Racing, which will campaign an NSX GT3 Evo for the first time with 2021 IMSA GTD champion Matt McMurry and Mexico’s Rodrigo Sales behind the wheel.

Both Acura teams had moments in the sun in Saturday’s opener as Racers Edge ran as second during the first half of the race before settling for third after a tough battle between Dickerson’s NSX and veteran Ryan Dalziel’s Mercedes-AMG.

The battle ended more abruptly for the Compass Racing machine, but was no less promising for the #77 NSX. McMurry emerged from the mandatory driver change with the lead in the Pro/Am class, but his time at the front ended after just six turns as a left-rear wheel came off the car and left him stranded.

The team rebounded well in Sunday’s nightcap, with McMurry and Sales finishing a solid fifth in class despite having to make an extra pit stop early in the race. Dickerson and Hagler came home in third again, just five seconds behind the opening-race winning Porsche 911 GT-R. The team leaves the opening weekend second in the provisional Pro/Am points lead on the strength of the double podium finishes.

Acura Racing social media content and video links from this weekend’s event at Sonoma Raceway are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD).

Quotes
Taylor Hagler (#93 Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished third in GT Pro/Am both Saturday and Sunday: “There were a lot of firsts for me this weekend: my first GT3 race, first time being the finishing driver in a race, and first double podium! I am so thankful to the Racers Edge team, our GT3 coach Ryan Eversley, and my awesome co-driver Dakota [Dickerson]. I am so happy!”

Matt McMurry (#77 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished fifth in GT Pro/Am in Sunday’s race: “We clawed our way back to fifth place after an unexpected extra pit stop today. We’ll come back much stronger for the next race at Circuit of the Americas.”

Dakota Dickerson (#93 Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo) following Saturday’s opening-race third-place Pro/Am finish: “We snagged a podium finish today in the Pro/Am class! It was an awesome first race in GT3 for myself and Taylor [Hagler]. A huge thank you to the team and HPD for the support.”

Next
The Acura NSX GT3 teams will head to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for Rounds 3 & 4 on April 30 – May 2

Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Sonoma Saturday Race Results
3rd Pro/Am – #93 Taylor Hagler and Dakota Dickerson, Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo
NC Pro/Am – #77 Rodrigo Sales and Matt McMurry, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo

Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Sonoma Sunday Race Results
3rd Pro/Am – #93 Taylor Hagler and Dakota Dickerson, Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo
5th Pro/Am – #77 Rodrigo Sales and Matt McMurry, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3

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Strong Vegas Runs Ends with 16th Place Finish for Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

March 7, 2021

The 2021 season finally took a positive turn for Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team, and they were able to leave Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a 16^th-place finish.

DiBenedetto and his No. 21 Mustang put on a display of speed early in Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 as he drove from his 30^th starting position to ninth place in the first 30 laps of the 267-lap race.

He continued to maintain his spot among the top 10 until the end of the first 80-lap Stage, where he finished eighth and collected three Stage points, his first of the 2021 season.

In Stage Two, he continued his climb forward and was in third place by Lap 91.

An attempt to run long in the second Stage was quickly determined to be not worth the risks, and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane crew called DiBenedetto to the pits for a green-flag stop. When the pit stops cycled through, he was in 12^th place and finished Stage Two in that position.

In the final 100 laps of the race, DiBenedetto was among the top 10 for the majority of the laps, and was running ninth when he headed to pit road with just over 40 laps left to run.

As the Motorcraft crew serviced the No. 21 Mustang, an air gun failed just as the left-front tire was about to be changed.

Crew chief Greg Erwin elected to send DiBenedetto back on the track with three fresh Goodyear tires and one with 50 laps of wear on it rather than lose time – and positions – getting a replacement gun to change the tire.

The conventional wisdom is that a racing tire won’t last for 90 laps at speed at Las Vegas, but DiBenedetto nursed his well-worn tire to the finish, losing only a handful of positions during that long green-flag run.

His 16^th-place finish was his best of 2021, and offered encouragement that the team has the speed to compete for wins and top-10s throughout the remainder of the schedule.

“We had good speed, about a seventh-place car,” DiBenedetto said. “We were solid all day. We had an air gun break, which was something out of our control, nobody’s fault.”

Eddie Wood said that overall he was happy with his team’s day at the races.

“I’ll take it,” he said. “I think we’ll be all right going forward. If we can run that good at Vegas, we can run good at places like Texas and other intermediate tracks too.

“And I want to hand it to Goodyear. That was a job well done to build a tire that would run 90 laps and still be running respectable lap times in the last few laps.”

DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers team now head to Phoenix Raceway for next Sunday’s 312-mile, 500-kilometer Phoenix 500.

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Honda Civic Type Rs Open 2021 Touring Car Season With Wins at Sonoma

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

Honda Civic Type Rs Open 2021 Touring Car Season With Wins at Sonoma
Eric Powell makes last lap pass to win Saturday’s season opener
Kevin Boehm moves into TC competition with a victory on Sunday
Honda Civic Si pilots score top-five results in both TCA opening-weekend races

SONOMA, Calif. (March 7, 2021) – The HPD Honda Civic Type Rs started the 2021 TC America Presented by Skip Barber Racing School season in grand style this weekend, sweeping Saturday and Sunday races at Sonoma Raceway.

Eric Powell and Kevin Boehm each scored their first wins of the season in the TC class, with Powell using a last-lap pass in Saturday’s opener to take the victory while Boehm ran away from the field to win Sunday’s event by more than seven seconds.

Powell started from the pole and paced the first half of Saturday’s race, but a late-race caution forced a restart that allowed Boehm to take the lead with less than five minutes left in the race. The handling of Powell’s Civic Type R came into play on the last lap however as he used a crossover move to slip inside of Boehm in Turn Two and take the victory, leaving Boehm to settle for third.

Powell was not as fortunate on Sunday as contact with Toby Grahovec resulted in a spin which gave Boehm a lead that he would never relinquish. The 2020 TCA champion, Boehm quickly expanded his lead on the restart after the spin and was never threatened in winning just his second TC class start. Powell recovered from his trouble and battled back for a fourth-place finish.

Lindsay Brewer picked a pair of top-10 results on opening weekend including a sixth-place run in Sunday’s nightcap. Victor Gonzalez returned in his VGMC Racing Type R after a strong 2020 season, but had contact while battling for a podium finish on Saturday and was unable to compete on Sunday.

Five Honda Civic Si drivers competed in the TCA season openers, which ran simultaneously with the TC cars, paced by fifth-place finishes from Carter Fartuch on Saturday and Jose Blanco on Sunday.

HPD has two ready-to-race Civic models for touring car competition. The line starts with the affordable and reliable Civic Si TCA race car, then leads to the Civic Type R TC racer that puts legendary Type R performance on track, Our unparalleled trackside support at every level from HPD engineers is a unique benefit that no other manufacturer can offer. Find out more about these cars and our touring programs at: https://hpd.honda.com/Motorsports/Touring.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from this weekend’s event at Sonoma Raceway are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD).

Quote
Kevin Boehm (#9 DXDT Racing Honda Civic Type R) finished first in TC on Sunday, third on Saturday: “It’s down to teamwork. When we got here, we had to make some changes to make the Civic Type R better suited to the [Sonoma] track. But we came up with a plan, and every session we kept inching our way forward. I think the result in today’s race [Sunday] is a perfect example of working together as a team. That’s how you get the results. The car felt amazing for the whole race today.”

Next
The Honda Civic Type R and Civic Si Touring Car teams will head to the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for Rounds 3 & 4 on April 30 – May 2

TC America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sonoma Saturday Race Results
1st TC – #92 Eric Powell, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R (First win of season)
3rd TC – #9 Kevin Boehm, DXDT Racing Honda Civic Type R
9th TC – #37 Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R
10th TC – #29 Lindsay Brewer, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R
NC TC – #8 Victor Gonzalez, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R

TCA America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sonoma Saturday Race Results
5th TCA – #16 Carter Fartuch, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si
6th TCA – #99 Jose Blanco, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Si
8th TCA – #2 Mike Stillwagon, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si
9th TCA – #780 Sally McNulty, Team Sally Racing Honda Civic Si
10th TCA – #77 Mario Biundo LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si

TC America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sonoma Sunday Race Results
1st TC – #9 Kevin Boehm, DXDT Racing Honda Civic Type R (First win of season)
4th TC – #92 Eric Powell, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R
6th TC – #29 Lindsay Brewer, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Type R
NC TC – Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R

TCA America presented by Skip Barber Racing School Sonoma Sunday Race Results
5th TCA – #99 Jose Blanco, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Si
6th TCA – #16 Carter Fartuch, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si
8th TCA – #2 Mike Stillwagon, Skip Barber Racing School Honda Civic Si
9th TCA – #780 Sally McNulty, Team Sally Racing Honda Civic Si
10th TCA – #77 Mario Biundo LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si

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JOHN FORCE RACING DOESN’T SKIP A BEAT AT NHRA PRE-SEASON TESTING

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

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RCR Post Race Report – Las Vegas 400

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet Team Earn Hard-Fought 12th-Place Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“The No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was definitely better at the end of the race today than it was to start off. We were extremely loose for a majority of the race, but it started to come alive late in Stage 3. We were tight at the end, which is not surprising because we had a ton of wedge in our car. I tried to get the No. 47 at the end, but he was pretty good and I just had to keep backing up my entry. We didn’t have the greatest of cars, but we hung in there and turned it into a decent day. Good job by Justin Alexander and all of the crew on their hard work to turn things around in the race. We have some work to do, but we will get it.”
-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Ben Gallaher / Quartz Hill Chevrolet Team Fight Hard Through Adversity at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“Today was a tough day for our No. 8 Ben Gallaher / Quartz Hill Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, but I’m thankful to my team for sticking with me and fighting all day. I started off the day just way too edgy in the rear and couldn’t run anything but the bottom. We started to make some gains on it throughout the race, but it just stayed a touch free pretty much all day. Unfortunately, we had a tire rub towards the middle of the final stage and I thought we had a tire going down, so we had to pit outside of our window. Luckily, we ended up being able to stretch the fuel long enough to just make it to the checkered flag without pitting again. My team and I kept after it as much as we could today and will study this race to learn how to be better for our next trip to Las Vegas.”
-Tyler Reddick

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Official Race Results | BMR Suspension NMRA Spring Break Shootout

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

The highly anticipated start of the 2021 Holley NMRA Ford Nationals began with the 27th Annual BMR Suspension NMRA Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park in Bradenton, Florida, over the weekend of March 5-7, 2021.Dramatic shifts in the weather—from temperate sunshine on Friday to dreary rain on Saturday and mineshaft air with a strong tailwind on Sunday—forced some adjustments in the schedule, but the NMRA staff and racers rallied to ensure the event ran to completion and the history books were filled with the names of new winners and record-setters as a result.
After a long winter of waiting, fans and spectators also enjoyed a great weekend of exciting racing action along with a complete manufacturer’s midway chock full of great deals, a cherry picker’s dream of a swap meet, a killer UPR Products Car Show, and more.
Coming out on top of VP Racing Madditives Street Outlaw qualifying was the turbocharged ’02 Mustang belonging to Steve Halprin courtesy of a 4.249 at 170.28mph blast. Halprin stayed in the game through to the finals where he met with the number-two-qualified driver, John Urist of Hellion Turbo fame, and although he had the holeshot advantage, tire spin was Halprin’s undoing as Urist cruised to the win on a 4.261 at 171.97 mph with his turbocharged S550 Mustang.

Hometown hero Bill Gregan and his ProCharged Fox Mustang blasted through the Edelbrock Renegade field in qualifying, taking the lead with a 4.566 at 152.90mph pass. Hot on his heels was Charles Bartholme of Salisbury, Maryland, in second with a 4.576 at 153.58mph trip. The two staged their ’90 Mustangs together in the finals, and while Gregan had the holeshot advantage, his early troubles meant Bartholme easily drove around his competition to capture the win with a 4.557 at 154.21mph time slip.
Samantha Moore’s 8.318 at 161.15mph trip during JDM Engineering Limited Streetqualifying put her into the number-one spot, and was only the beginning of her class-leading performances this weekend. In eliminations, Moore improved round after round and reset the class record with her 8.18-second hit behind the wheel of her supercharged ’14 Mustang California Special. She continued her onslaught all the way to the last matchup and took down Kent Nine with a vicious 8.194 at 162.68mph final blow.
A competitive group of G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock drivers came out to show off, but Nathan Stymiest was the quickest of all and led qualifying thanks to a 9.719 at 137.53 mph pass in his ’92 Mustang. Showing that his advantage was a solid one, Stymiest went on to collect yet another win in his impressive career by putting number-three qualifier Frank Paultanis and his ’04 Mustang on the trailer in the finals, 9.706 at 138.78 mph to 9.869 at 136.98 mph.

Sitting first in Richmond Gear Factory Stock after the qualifying order was set was Mike Bowen, whose ’71 Maverick stopped the clocks in 10.212 seconds at 131.04 mph. Bowen advanced to the finals, but met with Pennsylvania-based racer Justin Fogelsonger who had qualified second. When the lights came down, Fogelsonger’s ’88 Mustang was the first to leave the start and the driver maintained the advantage through to the finish line where his 10.153 at 131.48 mph cemented him as the overall winner for the weekend.
Outgunning the rest of the Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle drivers in qualifying, Darren Foster had a perfect “trip zip” reaction time ensuring he and his ’05 Mustang GT received top billing. He bowed out in round two, but Jason Steamer and Jason Henson both surpassed the competition for the final show. Steamer’s ’08 Mustang GT went up against Henson’s ’03 Mach 1. When the men crossed the stripe together, it was Steamer who drove back to Winter Park, Florida, as a winner.
Running the gauntlet in Fastest Street Car Super Stang qualifying, Chris Parisi left the line just 0.005 seconds after the green illuminated and his ’20 Mustang helped him secure the leading position. Making his huge array of sponsors proud, Parisi went on to defeat Lloyd Mikeska, who had qualified third, in the finals when he ran 12.089 on his 11.95 dial to Mikeska’s opposing 12.167 on his 11.97 dial in.
The huge ARP Open Comp field had some stiff competition as always, with two drivers cutting 0.000-second lights in qualifying. Gerg Cole with his ’88 Mustang and Cameron Bowles with his ’72 Mustang were ranked first and second, respectively, while eliminations hosted Woody Pack of Independence, Virginia, fielding his ’66 Mustang and Steve Cannizzo of Bradenton, Florida, driving his ’67 Mustang. It was a double-breakout situation, but the lesser of two evils swayed in favor of Pack.

A perfect 0.000-second reaction time from reigning champion Bob Dill, who pilots an ’01 Ford F-150, earned him the number-one spot in Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning. Dill went out in round two of eliminations, but both Mike Roup who qualified second and Fred Wade who qualified fifth, hung on until the end. In the finals, Roup and his ’70 Ranchero bested Wade and his ’04 Lightning when he went 11.362 at 118.72 mph and captured the win to take back to his home in Lockhart, Texas.
Only 0.007-seconds off his 11.00 index with his ’87 Mustang, Alan Hill was the number-one-qualified driver in RacePagesDigital.com Ford Muscle. Hill hustled hard through each of the competitive elimination rounds and earned his spot in the final. There, opponent Bill Lee Jr. of Palmetto, Florida’s ’79 Fairmont was unable to make a run and so Hill was defaulted the win although he ran under his 11.00 dial in with a 10.945 at 122.05mph pass.
Over 100 car-and-driver pairs were on site to show off their street-legal rides in QA1 True Street, but the traditional 30-mile cruise was called off due to unsafe conditions from weather and instead replaced with a timed session spent idling in the pits. After three passes down the drag strip on Saturday night, Donato Sierchio of Forked River, New Jersey, was determined to be the quickest of all as his ’86 Mustang ran the 1,320 in an average time of 8.305 seconds. Larry Albright took second place honors with his ’91 Mustang and an 8.409-second average, while Don Walsh and his ’20 GT500 took the win in the 9-second category. The quickest of the 10-second cars was Scott Boda’s ’18 Mustang, Cary Shotwell and his ’17 Mustang were winners in the 11-second section, while Maci Belcher and her ’16 Mustang were victorious in the 12-second group. Additional winners included Ray Eugenio in the 13-second bunch, Rick Doern in the 14-second segment, and Stephen Priske in the 15-second section.
On Sunday, the ACE Racing Spring Break Shootout welcomed the quickest 16 cars from QA1 True Street for a true heads-up competition on a Sportsman ladder and 4/10 pro tree. Unsurprisingly, the rounds whittled down the hopeful drivers to the top two overall, Donato Sierchio and his ’86 Mustang versus Larry Albright and his ’91 Mustang. Both men were well into the 7-second zone, but Sierchio’s 7.367-second hit was no match for Albright’s 7.534-second run and Sierchio added another accolade to his résumé.
Continuing the legacy of the TREMEC Stick Shift Shootout specialty class, the quickest eight manually shifted Mustangs from QA1 True Street were awarded custom plaques and TREMEC jackets to recognize their accomplishments. Later, while competing on a “Chicago style” ladder, the overall heads-up eliminator was won by David Leshay of The Villages, Florida, piloting his classic ’63 Galaxie to an 11.974 at 115.36mph win over Tyler Thornburg and his ’88 Mustang.
In the Mickey Thompson Street Car Challenge presented by Whipple Superchargers category, Donato Sierchio’s blisteringly quick 7.456 at 183.89mph pass in qualifying gave him the advantage of going into eliminations from the number-one spot. His ’86 Mustang proved unbeatable once again all throughout eliminations, as he clinched his third victory of the weekend on a 7.403 at 189.42mph final run while Randy Thomas, who had qualified second with his ’10 Shelby, took home the runner-up honors with his respectable 8.379 at 167.95mph hit.
The exciting Watson Racing Cobra Jet Showdown presented by Ford Performance showcases the best of Ford’s factory performance with wild, wheels-up, action. Steve Trombley’s 0.005-second reaction time behind the wheel of his ’13 Cobra Jet earned him the top position in qualifying, and Trombley trumped the competition all through eliminations. For the last run of the weekend, Tony Jarvis who had qualified second pulled into the beams alongside him. Both men had impressive 8-second dial ins, but Trombley crossed the traps with more accuracy and earned the overall honors.
The Bracket Open class on Sunday hosted an immense number of cars, requiring eliminations to be contested through seven rounds including the finals. There, Jerry Norton took on J.C. Cole for all the marbles in an unusual final. Cole red-lit with a -0.009-second reaction time, and when Norton tried to leave the line he faced mechanical trouble. Although Norton wasn’t able to complete a pass, he still broke the beams to make his unconventional win official.
Congratulations to all of the class winners, record setters, and those who ran new personal bests on a great start to the 2021 NMRA Holley NMRA Ford Nationals season. Racing resumes on April 9-11 at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, with the 13th Annual NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals. For more information and advance tickets, visit NMRAdigital.com.

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Reutzel Rides the Tide to Thrilling East Bay Win

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

GET AFTER IT: East Bay Return Lives up to the Hype with Epic Racing and Massive CrowdTAMPA, FL – March 6, 2021 – Saturday’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event at East Bay Raceway Park lived up to 38 years worth of hype.When Aaron Reutzel climbed from his Roth Motorsports ride in victory lane, he couldn’t stop smiling. Neither could the fans.The Clute, TX native was a one-man thrill show for the near standing room only crowd in attendance at the Tampa, FL facility. Reutzel, the leading Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender, delivered a gutsy run to collect his third career World of Outlaws win and first of the 2021 season.His inspiration for such a daring drive? His hero and six-time World of Outlaws winner, The Texan Gary Wright.”I dream for stuff like that,” Reutzel exclaimed. “This is what makes me love sprint car racing, when we can go out and do stuff like that. The cushion was so treacherous, but my car was loose enough that I could go up there and just get after it. It was so much fun. Running up there was a blast. I watched a video on the way up here of Gary Wright, my all-time sprint car hero, winning here doing the same thing, rippin’ four tires above it.”For a show that was in serious jeopardy to start with a bleak weather forecast, Saturday’s program ended up being one many fans won’t forget soon.Lining up for the 35-lap, $10,000-to-win NOS Energy Drink feature, it’s safe to say the betting favorites were two-time and defending Series champion Brad Sweet from the pole and ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz from the second row. However, Aaron Reutzel had something to say about that.Reutzel, who started on the outside pole in his Speedway Engines / Triple-X #83, ripped the top right around Sweet and commanded the opening lap, a lead he would never relinquish. Both Schatz and Sweet presented multiple challenges to Reutzel, but neither could make a move stick, partly due to Reutzel’s bold decision making.Putting all four wheels above the cushion and flying through the fluff, Reutzel went where others wouldn’t dare, and it paid off. With cleaner track and more avenues available up in no man’s land, he made quick work of lap traffic which served as the deciding factor when Sweet ran into a log jam on the low line while challenging him with less than ten laps left.In his fourth start as a full-time World of Outlaws competitor, Reutzel held off proven champions Sweet & Schatz along with title contenders Macedo & Schuchart. He officially crossed the line with a 1.683-second advantage, making him the fourth different winner in four races this season.”I can’t thank Dennis and Teresa Roth enough for this opportunity,” Reutzel mentioned. “We’ve been struggling, but we’ve been working really hard to prove to them they made the right decision by bringing me and Dylan on board. Hopefully we made ’em proud today.”Following Reutzel to the stripe with a second-place finish was The Big Cat Brad Sweet. Following a dismal 11th-place outing in Friday’s show at Volusia, the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 crew was happy to put their NAPA Auto Parts entry back on the podium with a shot at winning.”Track position was the biggest thing tonight,” Sweet noted. “The fact that he had that line up his sleeve was huge. When we got to traffic he basically had a clean track up there. My car was really good on the race track I thought we were racing on, but he found another lane so hats off to him. We were way too tight to be up there.”Closing out the podium and scoring KSE Racing Hard Charger honors for the second straight night was Carson Macedo with an impressive 17th-to-third bid. Following their victory on Friday at Volusia, Macedo and the Jason Johnson Racing #41 crew continued their stellar weekend and officially claimed sole command of the World of Outlaws championship standings.”Again, my race car was just incredible in the feature,” Macedo praised. “It just got better and better as the race went on. I’ve got to figure out qualifying and heats so we can get up closer to the front come showtime. I’m having so much fun driving this #41 right now. Carrying on Jason’s legacy with this car and now Phil as involved as he is, it’s a special deal.”Rounding out the top ten at East Bay Raceway Park was North Dakota’s Donny Schatz, Pennsylvania’s Logan Schuchart, California’s Cory Eliason, Pennsylvania’s Brock Zearfoss, Washington’s Kasey Kahne, and Indiana’s Kraig Kinser and Justin Peck.Cory Eliason was Saturday’s Slick Woody’s Cornhole Company Quick Time award winner at 12.396 seconds. Scoring Drydene heat race wins was Aaron Reutzel, Jason Sides and Brock Zearfoss. Brad Sweet was the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash winner.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will hit the Dirty South Swing next weekend with a trip to Mississippi and Louisiana in line. On Friday, March 12 it’s off the Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, MS for a night at The Mag. Then, it’s all about The Rev on Saturday, March 13 with a night at Dylan Scott’s Monroe, LA venue. You can BUY TICKETS HERE.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 83-Aaron Reutzel [2][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [1][$6,000]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo [17][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [4][$2,800]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [10][$2,500]; 6. 26-Cory Eliason [7][$2,300]; 7. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [6][$2,200]; 8. 9-Kasey Kahne [9][$2,100]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [11][$2,050]; 10. 13-Justin Peck [13][$2,000]; 11. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [3][$1,600]; 12. 5-Brent Marks [14][$1,400]; 13. 2-David Gravel [8][$1,200]; 14. 2C-Wayne Johnson [21][$1,100]; 15. 24-Terry McCarl [18][$1,050]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen [15][$1,000]; 17. 21-Brian Brown [12][$1,000]; 18. 19-Parker Price-Miller [22][$1,000]; 19. 33M-Mason Daniel [20][$1,000]; 20. 18-Gio Scelzi [16][$1,000]; 21. 7S-Jason Sides [5][$1,000]; 22. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [19][$1,000]; 23. 20-AJ Maddox [24][$1,000]; 24. 22-Johnny Gilbertson [23][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Aaron Reutzel 1-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 41-Carson Macedo [+14].

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car 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), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.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 all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws .

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‘Smokey’ Mountain Climber: Chris Madden earns redeeming Tennessee Tipoff win

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

Mike Marlar and Jonathan Davenport battled back and forth for second throughout the 50-lap eventBy Mike WarrenMARYVILLE, TN – March 6, 2021 – Everything in racing can be going right until the unexpected creates heartbreak.Flashback to one year ago, when Chris “Smokey” Madden was leading at Smoky Mountain Speedway. That’s when power steering issues sidelined him for the night on Lap 25.One year later, he got his redemption, leading every lap of Saturday night’s Tennessee Tipoff en route to his 29th World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Feature win, and second at Smoky Mountain.The win makes Madden only the second driver in World of Outlaws history to win multiple Feature events at the track.While leading all 50 laps seemed like a dominant performance, Madden held off challenges from last year’s winner Mike Marlar, and Jonathan Davenport in heavy lap traffic, to take home the $12,000 prize.Madden got the jump at the initial green flag, powering to the number one spot outside of Davenport in Turn 2. He would hold that position easily through the only two cautions of the race, the first for debris on Lap 5, the other for a collision between Cade Dillard and Sam Seawright on Lap 7.After the final re-start, Madden had to fight through a long green flag run and heavy lap traffic. The driver of the Drydene #44 machine caught the tail end of the field on Lap 16, and five laps later, he’d face his first challenge from Marlar. The 2018 Series champion consistently got a run on Madden into the corner and poked his nose under him each corner. That’s when Madden made a switch to the bottom of the racetrack, blocking Marlar’s runs low line runs.“We got in lap traffic there at the end and I knew he (Marlar) was closing up on me, and I had to try to get some lap cars in between me and him, so I made a move to get a couple in front of him, and I did what I had to do to win the race,” Madden said.Even after making that move, Madden knew patience would be the key in the closing laps of the event.“I knew I had to be patient, not miss my marks, and not overcharge the corners,” Madden said.The win keeps Madden’s momentum rolling, coming off his second consecutive Drydene Xtreme Dirtcar Series Championship last weekend. He also picked up a Drydene Heat Race win earlier in the night.One of the things he’s been happy with to start the season is the help from two new team members.“I got two new guys, Ricky and Steven, they’re working extremely hard, and learning fast, and just doing an outstanding job for me, and I’m proud to have them,” the Court Grey, SC campaigner said.Madden’s biggest challenger throughout the night was Marlar, of Winfield, TN. He kept the pressure on Madden throughout the night but couldn’t get a good enough run to win his second consecutive World of Outlaws race at the track.“Chris (Madden) did a really good job getting in the right lane at the right time, I almost got him and then he knew to move down, and kind of hit a sweet spot in the bottom of the track,” Marlar said.Overall, the 2020 winner of the Tennessee Tip-Off was happy with a second-place finish, after starting in the fifth spot.“Racing’s a humbling sport, I’m never going to complain about second,” Marlar added.While Marlar was trying to put the pressure on Madden, he had even more pressure from Davenport all 50 laps. The two drivers swapped second and third on multiple occasions. One of those occurred during the first 10 laps, as Davenport pulled a slide job on Marlar just as the caution came out on Lap 7.“That second caution came out right at the worst time,” Davenport said. “It was right before it (the track) started taking rubber, and I got the top going pretty good, and was going to slide Mikey (Marlar) right there.”The two battled again in the final 10 laps, when the Blairsville, GA campaigner snuck by Marlar on the bottom on Lap 44, before drifting high while trying to get by a slower car, allowing Marlar to get the spot back two laps later.Hudson O’Neal finished fourth, while Tim McCreadie crossed the line in fifth. Rounding out the top-10 were Jimmy Owens, Chris Ferguson, Brandon Sheppard, Darrell Lanigan, and Josh Richards.Points leader Kyle Strickler finished 15th, holding on to a 66-point lead over three-time defending champion Brandon Sheppard, whose seventh-place finish vaults him into the number two spot in the standings.UP NEXT
The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series is back in action on March 26-27, for a doubleheader weekend at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney SC. For Tickets, CLICK HERE.If you’re unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.RESULTS
Morton Buildings Feature (50 Laps)
1. 44-Chris Madden [2][$12,000]; 2. 157-Mike Marlar [5][$6,500]; 3. 49-Jonathan Davenport [1][$4,000]; 4. 71-Hudson O’Neal [3][$3,000]; 5. 39-Tim McCreadie [6][$2,500]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens [8][$2,300]; 7. 22-Chris Ferguson [10][$2,200]; 8. 1-Brandon Sheppard [9][$2,100]; 9. 29V-Darrell Lanigan [7][$2,050]; 10. 14-Josh Richards [13][$2,000]; 11. 76-Brandon Overton [17][$1,600]; 12. 17M-Dale McDowell [19][$1,400]; 13. 20RT-Ricky Thornton [4][$1,200]; 14. 23-Cory Hedgecock [12][$1,100]; 15. 8-Kyle Strickler [20][$1,050]; 16. 83-Jensen Ford [14][$1,000]; 17. 7-Ricky Weiss [16][$1,000]; 18. 16-Tyler Bruening [23][$1,000]; 19. 18-Chase Junghans [31][$110]; 20. 58-Ross Bailes [22][$1,000]; 21. 54-David Breazeale [28][$110]; 22. 40B-Kyle Bronson [18][$1,000]; 23. O-Scott Bloomquist [26][$1,000]; 24. 19R-Ryan Gustin [29][$110]; 25. 99B-Boom Briggs [27][$110]; 26. 29-Christian Hanger [24][$1,000]; 27. 28-Dennis Erb [25][$1,000]; 28. B1-Brent Larson [32][$110]; 29. 56-Tony Jackson [30][$110]; 30. 11B-Stacy Boles [21][$1,000]; 31. 97-Cade Dillard [11][$1,000]; 32. 16S-Sam Seawright [15][$1,000]; Hard Charger Award: 18-Chase Junghans[+12]QUALIFYING FLIGHT-A- 1. 157-Mike Marlar, 17.757; 2. 8P-David Payne, 17.861; 3. 97-Cade Dillard, 17.896; 4. 29V- Darrell Lanigan, 17.930; 5. 71-Hudson O’Neal, 17.959; 6. 20RT- Ricky Thornton Jr., 17.976; 7. 14- Josh Richards 17.981; 8. 1-Brandon Sheppard 18.046; 9. 76-Brandon Overton, 18.050; 10. 44F-Stewart Friesen, 18.077; 11. 16S- Sam Seawright, 18.103; 12. 8-Kyle Strickler, 18.127; 13. 17M-Dale McDowell, 18.176; 14. 18-Chase Junghans, 18.193; 15. 16- Tyler Bruening, 18.301; 16. 21K- Dakota Knuckles, 18.324; 17. 79-Daulton Wilson, 18.577; 18. 99B- Boom Briggs, 18.627; 19. 58- Ross Bailes, 18.650; 20. 4T- Tommy Kerr, 18.864; 21. 17- Colton Profitt, 18.936; 22. 6JR- Parker Martin, 19.069, 23. 17V- Tim Vance, 19.987; 24. 6- Blake Spencer, 19.994; 25. 3X- Bo Eaton, 20.297; 26. 22R-Will Roland, NT.QUALIFYING FLIGHT-B- 1. 7M- Donald McIntosh, 17.537; 2. 22- Chris Ferguson, 17.764; 3. 39- Tim McCreadie, 17.813; 4. 49- Jonathan Davenport, 17.828; 5. 44- Chris Madden, 17.845; 6. 23-Cory Hedgecock, 17.872; 7. 20- Jimmy Owens, 17.939; 8. 54-David Breazeale, 18.029; 9. 29- Christian Hanger, 18.037; 10. 25-Shane Clanton, 18.058; 11. 7-Ricky Weiss, 18.082; 12. 21- Robby Moses, 18.112; 13. 83-Jensen Ford, 18.201; 14. 11B- Stacy Boles, 18.202; 15. 40B- Kyle Bronson, 18.238; 16. 0- Scott Bloomquist, 18. 360; 17. 19R- Ryan Gustin, 18.471; 18. 6C- Clay Coghlan, 18.583; 19. 00- Dalton Polston, 18.658; 20. B1- Brent Larson, 18. 749; 21. 3- Steve Smith, 18.853; 22. OS- Ryan Scott, 18.881; 23. J27-Jay Scott, 19.043; 24. 56- Tony Jackson Jr., 19.265; 25. 28- Dennis Erb Jr., 19.315.

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 .

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RCR Post Race Report – Alsco Uniforms 300

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Team Persevere Through Tough Breaks at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“Today definitely didn’t go as planned for our TaxSlayer team. Coming off our first win last week at Homestead-Miami Speedway, our Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was able to start on the pole and have track position early. We battled a loose-handling condition during the opening stage and I struggled to commit wheel to it off the wall. My crew chief Andy Street had a plan to make adjustments to our Camaro, but unfortunately, as we were entering pit road during the first stage break, the cars in front of me stacked up without notice and as a result, our hood had significant damage. After a few stops for repairs, the pit crew had the car feeling pretty close to how it did at the beginning of the race and we quickly worked our way back to the top-20. Bad luck struck again at the halfway point of the race, when our water temperatures skyrocketed and we were forced to pit under green to cut a hole in the nose and fix duct work. Our No. 2 team does not give up and we kept battling in the final 100 laps. Even though we didn’t have the finish we were hoping for, we now have some notes to go back and dissect before coming back to Vegas for the start of the playoffs.”
-Myatt Snider

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Carson Macedo Gets First World of Outlaws Win of 2021 at Volusia

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

NE FOR THE 41: Carson Macedo Makes Statement with Volusia Victory from 10thMacedo Leads World of Outlaws Standings for First Time in his CareerBARBERVILLE, FL – March 5, 2021 – With the spin of a wrench Phil Dietz took Carson Macedo from an uneasy feeling to the best car in the field on Friday night.The revered crew chief at Jason Johnson Racing went to work after a mediocre preliminary performance and sent the Lemoore, CA native on track with what he called “one of the best cars I’ve ever driven in my life.”Macedo masterfully picked his way from tenth-t0-first and executed a late-race pass to steal the win from Sam Hafertepe Jr. with four laps remaining at Volusia Speedway Park. A confidence booster and chemistry builder for a driver and team that know their potential can reach championship heights in 2021 with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.”It’s not every night that your car is that dominant,” Macedo mentioned of his Kistler powered Maxim #41. “I mean that thing was just perfect to drive. Phil [Dietz], Clyde [Knipp], and Nate [Repetz] were incredible tonight. You know, I felt really balanced and great all through DIRTcar Nationals last month, but early tonight I just didn’t feel good. Phil and the guys made a lot of changes for the feature and nailed it. I could go anywhere I wanted. I’m so happy to get a win for this team, these sponsors, a lot of really great people involved.”At the start of Friday’s 30-lap, $10,000-to-win feature, it was Sam Hafertepe Jr. of Sunnyvale, TX and David Gravel of Watertown, CT pacing the field. Hafertepe, who won his second DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash of the season to claim pole position, bolted away and controlled the opening 11 laps. The first stoppage was a surprise when points leader Logan Schuchart stopped in turn four following contact with Gio Scelzi amidst a top five battle.Macedo made his biggest move on that first restart, advancing four spots in one lap with a great fire off the high side of the half-mile. The next restart, however, spelled trouble when the #41 had to line up on the low line. Restarting with 17 laps remaining, Macedo surprised himself and quickly took third from Sheldon Haudenschild, and then set his sights on Hafertepe and Gravel out front.”Hafertepe chose the outside and I was stuck on the bottom, which made me nervous,” Macedo noted on the final restart. “I was on the top every restart prior to that and the bottom wasn’t getting great starts. I didn’t really get a good start, but it was fairly decent and let me sneak back into the top groove in front of Donny. I got that run on Sheldon because he went low, and I was able to slide by him real quick. I felt like my car was as good as those guys, if not better once I got to third. I just needed traffic to move around a bit and capitalize.”And capitalize he did. With heavy lap traffic in play, Macedo reeled in the lead duo and made it a three-way war with seven laps left. The #15H, #2 and #41 ran bumper-t0-bumper-to-bumper with the win on the line.Macedo slid by Gravel for second on the 24th lap and two laps later, he was sliding Hafertepe for the top spot. His massive turn one slider with four laps to go was a thing of beauty, sweeping through the middle and clearing Hafertepe with ease to steal the top spot in the waning circuits.The final four laps went by like a breeze as the 24-year-old pilot drove off into the Florida night with a 2.167-second advantage at the checkered flag. Friday’s feature victory marked the seventh of Macedo’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series career, and his first of the 2021 season.Albeit only three of 80+ races are complete, Macedo still achieved a milestone by moving atop the World of Outlaws championships standings for the first time in his career. Something he knows is useless in the middle of March, but deep down means a lot to a California kid chasing his dreams.”It doesn’t mean anything because we’re so early in the year it just doesn’t matter yet,” Macedo said on the points lead. “For me, personally, inside my own head, it’s really cool. My goal in this sport is to be a World of Outlaws champion. In order to do that, at some point you gotta lead the points. You have to clear those milestones and hit those accomplishments to get there, right? We have a team capable of winning it this year. I know it’s too early to think of that though, we’re just gonna do our best every night and let the cards fell where they fall.Settling for a second-place finish after leading the opening 25 laps was Sam Hafertepe Jr. aboard the Townline Variety #15H. A tough pill to swallow for a driver that’s hungry to end his nine-year winless drought with the Outlaws, but it’s the latest sign that his operation is as good as ever. Friday’s runner-up result is Hafertepe’s best Series finish since a third-place finish at Lernerville’s Silver Cup in 2013.”We’ve made leaps and bounds compared to what we came here with in February,” Hafertepe commented on the progression of his program. “To be right here right now is like a win to us. We’ll keep building and look to get better.”Rounding out the podium with a last-lap pass to finish third was Fresno, CA’s Gio Scelzi aboard the KCP Racing #18. It was his first night with trusted crew chief and friend Bernie Stuebgen of Indy Race Parts in the KCP camp and their revived relationship already appears to be paying dividends again.”It’s huge, it’s like getting the band back together,” Scelzi said on working with Stuebgen again, who he won his first two Outlaw races with. “I’m feeling comfortable and confident with myself. If we keep running like this, the wins will come eventually.”Closing out the top ten at Volusia Speedway Park was Donny Schatz in the Tony Stewart Racing #15, David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2, Sheldon Haudenschild in the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17, Cory Eliason in the Rudeen Racing #26, Parker Price-Miller in the PPM Racing #19, Logan Schuchart in the Shark Racing #1S, and Aaron Reutzel in the Roth Motorsports #83.UP NEXT – On Saturday, March 6, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series ends a 38-year absence from Tampa’s East Bay Raceway Park. If needed, a Sunday rain date is scheduled to complete the show. You can BUY TICKETS HERE.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 41-Carson Macedo [10][$10,000]; 2. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [1][$6,000]; 3. 18-Gio Scelzi [3][$3,500]; 4. 15-Donny Schatz [8][$2,800]; 5. 2-David Gravel [2][$2,500]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [6][$2,300]; 7. 26-Cory Eliason [12][$2,200]; 8. 19-Parker Price-Miller [5][$2,100]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4][$2,050]; 10. 83-Aaron Reutzel [9][$2,000]; 11. 49-Brad Sweet [14][$1,600]; 12. 5-Brent Marks [13][$1,400]; 13. 9-Kasey Kahne [11][$1,200]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [15][$1,100]; 15. 11K-Kraig Kinser [20][$1,050]; 16. 21-Brian Brown [7][$1,000]; 17. 33M-Mason Daniel [16][$1,000]; 18. 2C-Wayne Johnson [19][$1,000]; 19. 13-Justin Peck [21][$1,000]; 20. 7S-Jason Sides [17][$1,000]; 21. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 22. 24-Terry McCarl [22][$1,000]; 23. 20-AJ Maddox [24][$1,000]; 24. 1C-Andrew Cobb [23][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1-25, Carson Macedo 26-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 41-Carson Macedo[+9]Photo – Trent Gower

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I-80 Speedway Offers Staggering Purse in July

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

Batavia, OH (March 5, 2021) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials along with I-80 Speedway promoters are thrilled to announce one of the biggest weeks in super late model history with an unheard of purse of over half a million dollars up for grabs July 20th – 24th.

The Al Belt Custom Homes I-80 Nationals will start the week off with two, 30 lap, $7,000-to-win preliminary events, one on Tuesday, July 20th, the other on Wednesday, July 21st. Thursday, July 22nd will be the 53 lap, $30,000-to-win, $2,000-to-start, I-80 Nationals finale. There will also be a $2,000-to-win non-qualifier race that will pay $530 to start.

The focus will then shift to the Silver Dollar Nationals with action continuing on Friday, July 23rd, with dual heat race action. The heats will award passing points to drivers, which will line up Saturday’s main event and B-Mains. Each heat race will also pay the top 3 finishers $250, $150, and $100 respectively. Saturday’s 80 lap Silver Dollar Nationals will pay $53,000 to win, $5,300 to start. Once again, there will be a non-qualifiers race which will pay $5,300 to the winner, and $1,000 to start.

Championship points for the series will be awarded for Thursday’s Al Belt Custom Homes I-80 Nationals and Saturday’s Silver Dollar Nationals. All five nights from I-80 Speedway will be available for live viewing on MAVTV Plus streaming service.

The originally scheduled Dirt Track Bank Go 50 has been moved to Wednesday, September 15th, just prior to the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, IA. This event will pay $12,000-to-win, $1,000 to start.
For tickets or more information, call: (402) 342-2453 or visit: www.i-80speedway.com.

Al Belt Custom Homes I-80 Nationals Past Winner:
2020 – Tim McCreadie

Silver Dollar Nationals Past Winners:
2020 – Brandon Sheppard
2019 – Bobby Pierce
2018 – Jonathan Davenport
2017 – Tim McCreadie2016 – Jonathan Davenport2015 – Scott Bloomquist2014 – Scott Bloomquist2013 – Jimmy Owens2012 – Brian Birkhofer2011 – Don O’Neal

Track Information:Phone Number: 402-342-3453Location: 13909 238th St Greenwood, NE 68366Website: www.i-80speedway.com Event Purses:Tuesday, July 20thA-Main Purse (30 laps): 1. $7,000, 2. $4,000, 3. $3,000, 4. $2,000, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,000, 7. $900, 8. $800, 9. $700, 10. $600, 11. $580, 12. $560, 13. $540, 14. $520, 15. $500, 16. $490, 17. $480, 18. $470, 19. $460, 20. $450, 21. $440, 22. $430, 23. $410, 24. $400 = $28,230
Wednesday, July 21stA-Main Purse (30 laps): 1. $7,000, 2. $4,000, 3. $3,000, 4. $2,000, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,000, 7. $900, 8. $800, 9. $700, 10. $600, 11. $580, 12. $560, 13. $540, 14. $520, 15. $500, 16. $490, 17. $480, 18. $470, 19. $460, 20. $450, 21. $440, 22. $430, 23. $410, 24. $400 = $28,230

Thursday, July 22ndNon-Qualifier Event Purse: 1. $2,000, 2. $1,800, 3. $1,700, 4. $1,600, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,400, 7. $1,300, 8. $1,200, 9. $1,100, 10. $1,050, 11. $1,000, 12. $950, 13. $900, 14. $750, 15. $650, 16. $620, 17. $600, 18. $590, 19. $580, 20. $570, 21. $560, 22. $550, 23. $540, 24. $530 = $24,040

Al Belt Custom Homes I-80 Nationals A-Main Purse (53 laps): 1. $30,000, 2. $18,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $7,000, 5. $6,000, 6. $5,000, 7. $4,500, 8. $4,000, 9. $3,900, 10. $3,800, 11. $3,700, 12. $3,600, 13. $3,500, 14. $3,400, 15. $3,300, 16. $3,200, 17. $3,100, 18. $3,000, 19. $2,900, 20. $2,800, 21. $2,700, 22. $2,600, 23. $2,500, 24. $2,400, 25. $2,300, 26. $2,200, 27. $2,100, 28. $2,000 = $143,500 Friday, July 23rd
Heat Race Purses: 1. $250, 2. $150, 3. $100 = $500 x 10 heats = $5,000

Saturday, July 24thNon-Qualifier Event Purse: 1. $5,300, 2. $2,800, 3. $2,600, 4. $2,000, 5. $1,700, 6. $1,400, 7. $1,200, 8. $1,175, 9. $1,150, 10. $1,125, 11. $1,100, 12. $1,090, 13. $1,080, 14. $1,070, 15. $1,060, 16. $1,050, 17. $1,040, 18. $1,030, 19. $1,020, 20. $1,010, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $35,000

Silver Dollar Nationals A-Main Purse (80 laps): 1. $53,000, 2. $20,000, 3. $14,000, 4. $12,000, 5. $10,000, 6. $7,500, 7. $7,000, 8. $6,900, 9. $6,750, 10. $6,600, 11. $6,500, 12. $6,400, 13. $6,300, 14. $6,200, 15. $6,100, 16. $6,000, 17. $5,950, 18. $5,900, 19. $5,850, 20. $5,800, 21. $5,750, 22. $5,700, 23. $5,650, 24. $5,600, 25. $5,550, 26. $5,500, 27. $5,450, 28. $5,400, 29. $5,350, 30. $5,300 = $260,000
Wednesday, September 15thDirt Track Bank Go 50 A-Main Purse (50 laps): 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = $52,800

Tire Rules:
Tuesday, July 20th
Left Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (90) LM20, (90) WRS2Right Front – Hoosier (90) WRS2Left Rear – Hoosier (90) WRS2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Wednesday, July 21st
Left Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (90) LM20, (90) WRS2Right Front – Hoosier (90) WRS2Left Rear – Hoosier (90) WRS2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Thursday, July 22ndLeft Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (90) LM20, (90) WRS2Right Front – Hoosier (90) WRS2Left Rear – Hoosier (90) WRS2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for B-Mains and Non-Qualifiers Race.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 4 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Friday, July 23rdLeft Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (90) LM20, (90) WRS2Right Front – Hoosier (90) WRS2Left Rear – Hoosier (90) WRS2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for both Heat Races.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Saturday, July 24thLeft Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (90) LM20, (90) WRS2Right Front – Hoosier (90) WRS2Left Rear – Hoosier (90) WRS2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for B-Mains and Non-Qualifiers Race.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 4 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Wednesday, September 15thLeft Front – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350, (90) LM20, (90) WRS2Right Front – Hoosier (90) WRS2Left Rear – Hoosier (90) WRS2Right Rear – Hoosier (92) LM40*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
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About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

Founded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap. The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network. The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

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Pro Stock Star Horning Claimed Hoosier Championship in 2020, Ready for 2021

March 8, 2021 ARP Trish

AROUND THE HORN: MALTA, NY – DIRTcar Pro Stock dynamo Luke Horning maintained the focus of a heavy-weight title fighter throughout the turbulent 2020. He captured his first Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship in addition to the prestigious Albany-Saratoga Speedway track championship, and aims to carry the momentum of that success into the 2021 season.Horning, from Gloversville, NY, racked up a total of eight DIRTcar Pro Stock wins at three tracks: Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, Utica-Rome, and Albany-Saratoga Speedway. Not only did he park the #2H in Victory Lane across New York throughout the season but was also enviably consistent, accumulating 26 top-fives in 32 starts.He’s proud of the foundation of success that he and his team have built and they are coming in prepared to defend their Albany-Saratoga track championship.“All those tracks are great to win at,” Horning noted of his 2020 season stats. “Winning at Malta is great because that place is standing room only every week and to get a win there you are beating the best of the best. Lyle [Devore] does a great job there. The facility is top-notch and the track is great. Even if it rains all day they’ll get the race in. A lot of tracks have six-seven drivers that can win. Malta has 15 that are really good and 10 that can go out and win anywhere they go. Getting through traffic is tough but the racing up front is great. They put in that inside jersey barrier in so you can’t dive bomb into the mud anymore and it creates great racing.”With Glen Ridge Motorsports Park coming into the DIRTcar fold, they have made Fultonville, NY a Pro Stock hub on Sundays with their widened, banked quarter-mile oval. Horning is looking to build a legacy at Glen Ridge. “Glen Ridge is a tight bullring where you are up on the wheel so to get a win there is a big deal too,” he noted. “I’ll never leave Glen Ridge. Ray from West End and those guys have supported me since the street stock days. We’re now the all-time winners there in the Pro Stocks. You go to Fonda and you hear about Kenny Gates and you go to Malta and you hear about Joe Santoro. That’s something that in a couple of years people will hear about me and Glen Ridge. A lot of these tracks have already been racing for so many years, but I started on the ground floor at Glen Ridge to build my resume.”Despite all of the success, there was one race Horning wanted back and that was the widely watched OktoberFAST presented by DIRTVision finale at Weedsport Speedway. He started the Feature deep in the field and came a lap away from the signature victory. “That deal at Weedsport was tough,” Horning said. “I set the fast time in the Time Trials, won the Heat Race, and then started in the back after a bad draw. I really wanted to catch [Nick] Stone on the last lap. That one still bothers me a little bit. You are trying to get through traffic, the track is slick, but you’re running out of the laps. When that race stretched out on green flag laps the leader is gone, you get through traffic.”Race fans can catch the #2H once again at Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, and on the DIRTcar Pro Stock Series tour in 2021. Be sure to follow DIRTcar Northeast on Twitter, Facebook, and head to DIRTcar.com and sign up for the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship newsletter. PHOTO CREDIT: Joe Grabianowski

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, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA.

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FULFILLING A DREAM: One ‘Hello’ led to 20-year Late Model career for Heather Lyne

March 5, 2021 ARP Trish

She enters her 20th year of working with Dennis Erb, Jr. as one of the only female crew chiefs in the motorsports industryMARYVILLE, TN – March 5, 2021 – One dare was the catalyst for a two-decade-long way of life for Heather Lyne.It was a push to the closed door of an unknown dream waiting to become reality.She opened that door in June of 2001 by walking into Dennis Erb, Jr.’s race shop, having never met him, and volunteering herself to join his race team. Twenty years later, she continues to be his sole crew member and inevitable crew chief on the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model tour.In that time span, she’s also juggled managing a full-time job as an electrical engineer for a defense contractor with the military – a job she’s held for more than 20 years.“We put bombs on bad guys and warheads for foreheads, and bring the good guys home,” she said with pride.Her passion and drive for the full-throttle lifestyle have been instilled in her since she was young.“I’m the tomboy of the family,” Lyne said. “I climbed trees. I played with mud pies. I played with GI Joe, not Cabbage Patch dolls. I always did the opposite of what my sister did. I didn’t like Barbies. I decapitated her Barbies (said with a chuckle). I’ve always liked and had that tendency to be outdoors and do something with my hands. Something about the dirt world that always intrigued me.”Her passion for racing was ignited by watching NASCAR on the weekends with her father. Eventually, her passion for the sport exceeded his. While most kids are brought to a racetrack by their parents, Lyne was the one who dragged her dad to his first dirt track.Tired of spending her time at the lake, she looked for a new adventure. She borrowed her parent’s car one day after school and went to the nearest dirt track in town – in Shawano, WI. There, she fell in love. The kind of love you can’t help but want to share as it builds in your heart.“I was like, ‘Dad, you’ve got to go.’ He’s like, ‘Ahh, dirt…’ I’m like, ‘No, you don’t understand. You’ve got to go,’” she exclaimed.Once she got him to the track, he shared the same joy that lit her spirit. First, he sponsored a car. Then, their weekends went from watching racing together to working on a car together. He bought his own limited Late Model and Heather was there every race, helping turn the wrenches.However, after a few years of racing, her mother decided it was time for her father to hang up his helmet – she wanted her weekends back. Lyne wasn’t ready to hang up her wrenches, though.While talking with her father one night, he proposed a dare. Lyne saw Erb on TV a few times, running his rookie season with the Hav-A-Tampa Late Models, and realized he lived nearby in Carpentersville, IL.“Just in conversation, I was talking with my dad and he said, ‘You’re not going to be brave enough to go down there to that shop and introduce yourself and say, ‘Hey, if you ever want any help, call me up and let me know,’” she said.Still dressed in her business clothes, she left work one day soon after and did just that. Then, the journey began.“I didn’t know her or anything at the time, but she lived in my hometown,” Erb said. “She came down one day and asked if I needed any help. At first, I didn’t know what she was really going to do. She’s definitely been a great help and has worked very hard at it and she is dedicated to it. I can go off and do whatever I want to do and know my stuff is getting done right. That’s a big lift off of me.”For the majority of Erb’s career, which includes six World of Outlaws victories, three consecutive Summer Nationals championships and a win at The Dream at Eldora Speedway, Lyne has been his sole crew member on the #28 car.On the day she first walked into his shop, Erb told her he was racing at Pecatonica Raceway during the week and she could show up if she wanted to. She did and didn’t hesitate to jump in, jacking up the car, putting on the battery charger, making sure there was fuel and changing tires. Eventually, her responsibilities grew as she continued to learn and Erb gained trust in her.“That first race, he handed me a left rear tire to put on the car and I’m like, it’s leaking air somewhere,” she said. “I rolled it back in the trailer and said, ‘This tire has something wrong with it, it can’t go on. It’s got a leak in it somewhere.’ I guess after that he realized I’m not going to just do whatever he tells me. I’m actually going to pay attention and figure things out. I went to the shop every night and started learning things from him.”While her job as an electrical engineer entailed working on several sophisticated systems – such as infrared countermeasures and targeting and navigating systems on aircrafts that can put bombs through a very small bathroom window with accuracy and without taking out any collateral damage – she said there wasn’t much she could take from it that could help with setups. However, engineering is the art of solving problems efficiently. So, while she may not always have an answer to Erb’s problems, her background helped her talk through issues with him and come up with a solution.Her career choice also familiarized her with the male-dominant atmosphere of motorsports.“I was raised to believe and do anything you can,” she said. “You’re capable of doing anything you want as long as you put your heart and mind to it. 110 percent. I know I’m in a male dominant sport. I’m in a male dominant field. I work with military pilots. Kind of all guys. Doesn’t faze me at all. I just always liked that competitive nature. I always enjoyed racing.”Lyne doesn’t see herself as “the one girl crew chief” on the tour. She sees herself as just another member of the Series. She isn’t looking for special treatment and doesn’t want it.“I don’t expect everybody to change just because I’m here,” she said. “I just want to be treated fairly and like any other person in this sport.”Having her name up in lights was never something she strived for. She’s happy with hiding behind a toolbox or under the hood of the car. However, there is one aspect of being recognized as one of the few women on the tour that she finds rewarding.“What’s rewarding is when I have a parent come and introduce their daughter to me,” Lyne said. “And they say, ‘She’s interested. She wants to know how you got into it and why you did it. Is it hard because there are so many guys?’ So, it’s nice to say I kind of am a little bit of a role model for that younger generation to potentially bring more women into the sport.”When she first started working on Erb’s team, Erb said there were probably a few raised eyebrows, but he never cared what other people thought. He knew no one in the pit area worked harder than her.“Anybody knows over the years and where we’re at right now, she’s definitely one of the hardest working people there,” he said. “I do this for a living and am fortunate to have her helping me out. Anybody wants to sit back and watch now; you’ll see how hard she works. I can walk away, and she can change a motor and get it ready and done. She’s had a lot of years at it.”Being on the road for 20 years, traveling across the country, has brought several highs and lows for Lyne and Erb. She’ll never forget winning The Dream at Eldora or the three consecutive Summer Nationals championships – especially with it being just the two of them. But she’ll also never forget the hard times, like breaking down on the side of the road and having to rely on others to help you get to the next event.In an odd, yet fortunate, turn of events, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her company to have her and others work from home more, which, as long as she has internet, can be anywhere. So, since March of 2020, Lyne has had the benefit of being able to work while on the road. And like it’s been since January, home for her most of the time is in the team’s truck.“It’s a lot of hard work. It’s a lot of long hours,” Lyne said. “But if I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be doing it.”One dare and one “Hello” was all it took for a two-decade-long way of life.You can see Lyne and Erb continue their World of Outlaws season Saturday, March 6, at Smoky Mountain Speedway for the Tennessee Tipoff. For the rest of the 2021 Series schedule, CLICK HERE.If you’re unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

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Mopar and Dodge//SRT Renew Support of NHRA in 70th Anniversary Season

March 5, 2021 ARP Trish

Prestigious U.S. Nationals joins lineup of five event title sponsorships

Prestigious U.S. Nationals joins lineup of five event title sponsorships
Mopar and Dodge//SRT brands expand support of National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing series in 70th anniversary season
Addition of prestigious NHRA U.S. Nationals to Mopar and Dodge//SRT portfolio of event title sponsorships with multiyear deal
Extension of NHRA national event title sponsorships include Denver and Reading, Pennsylvania, and reprised roles as title sponsors at Houston and Las Vegas
Mopar and Dodge//SRT extend relationship with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) and enter into 19th season with the winningest organization in NHRA history
Continued Sportsman class support with contingency programs, the return of the Dodge HEMI® Challenge, and the upcoming debut of the fourth-generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak are all slated for the 2021 season

March 5, 2021, Auburn Hills, Mich. –The Mopar and Dodge//SRT (Street and Racing Technology) performance brands are bolstering their relationship with the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) as the series gets set to celebrate 70 years of drag-racing history with the start of the 2021 Camping World Series season.

The two partnering brands, long known for their involvement in motorsports, will expand their support of the premier drag-racing series to include the title sponsorship of the Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, the 68th edition of the NHRA’s prestigious cornerstone event and world’s biggest drag-racing competition.

Mopar and Dodge//SRT brands are also extending their title sponsorship support of national events at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, the longest running sponsorship in NHRA and one of longest in all of motorsports, and Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania, while reprising their sponsorship of the Houston and Las Vegas races.

The 2021 NHRA season’s 21-race calendar will see Mopar and Dodge//SRT divide title sponsorship duties at five NHRA national events:

May 21-23 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA SpringNationals Presented by Pennzoil (Houston)
July 16-18 – Dodge//SRT Mile-High NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Denver)
Sept. 1-5 – Dodge//SRT U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis)
Sept. 10-12 – Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Reading, Pennsylvania)
Oct. 29-Nov. 1 – Dodge//SRT NHRA Nationals Presented by Pennzoil (Las Vegas)

“The performance legacy of Dodge and SRT is forever intertwined with the NHRA and taking on title sponsorship of the U.S. Nationals further enhances that connection to our roots,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “If there’s one thing Dodge//SRT performance-car customers have in common, it’s a passion for the feeling you get when you experience NHRA racing for yourself. We try to build a part of that experience into every Dodge//SRT Hellcat Charger, Challenger and Durango you can buy.

“NHRA drag racing is a great example of how on-track performance is translated by our engineers to the benefit of our Dodge//SRT performance vehicles,” added Kuniskis. “Dodge literally sells the same cars you’ll see racing in the NHRA’s Sportsman classes. And much of what we learn in the series’ premier classes finds its way into our Dodge//SRT Chargers, Challengers and Durangos.”

“As the ultimate exhibition of horsepower for passionate motorsports enthusiasts, NHRA drag racing is the perfect place to showcase the Mopar brand,” said Mark Bosanac, North America Vice President, Mopar Service, Parts & Customer Care. “As the defending NHRA Funny Car world champions, we look forward to adding to our extensive list of accomplishments and wins. In addition, we are pleased to announce that Mopar Express Lane will return as the title sponsor for the national race event in Reading that kicks off the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.”

Decades-long Legacy in the NHRA

Since the NHRA’s founding in 1951 by Wally Parks, the family of Mopar and Dodge brand vehicles and parts has forever left its mark, not just in NHRA record books, but in the hearts of drivers, tuners and fans captivated by their performances. The drag strip is where the brands built their reputation, which began in 1963 with the domination of the 426-cubic-inch Max Wedge V-8 engine in the Stock and Super Stock classes. Next came the introduction of the legendary 426 HEMI® engine, whose basic architecture has been used in Top Fuel and Funny Car classes for decades and continues today. The history of success in the pro ranks of Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock includes a combined total of 1,280 national event title wins and 79 NHRA world championship titles.

Much of Mopar and Dodge brands’ most recent success in the NHRA has been earned in the more than 10,000-horsepower nitro-fueled (Funny Car and Top Fuel) classes where competitors reach speeds in excess of 330 mph. The return of HEMI-powered machines to the track in March will signal the start of a 19th season for Mopar and Dodge//SRT brands’ long-standing relationship with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR), the winningest organization in NHRA history.

After securing the 2020 Funny Car World Championship, a third with Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye driver Matt Hagan (2011, 2014, 2020) at the helm, Mopar and Dodge//SRT are extending their relationship with DSR through 2021. Their association first blossomed in 1971 when rookie driver Don Schumacher drove a HEMI-powered Funny Car for the first time at the U.S. Nationals and won the national title, was formalized with the DSR team in 2003, and has since yielded 13 NHRA world championships and 278 event wins (161 Funny Car, 111 Top Fuel, three Pro Stock and three Factory Super Stock). Mopar and Dodge//SRT primary paint schemes will be featured again on Hagan’s Funny Car and Leah Pruett’s Top Fuel dragster throughout the 2021 season.

Supporting Legions of Grassroots Racers in Sportsman Class

Continued Mopar and Dodge//SRT brand support in the Sportsman classes continues into the NHRA’s 70th anniversary season, beginning with the 52nd annual Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Florida, March 12-14. The Mopar Contingency Program continues its long-running presentation of monetary awards to recognize wins or runner-up finishes for grassroots racers running a Mopar contingency decal and using specified parts, including the brand’s valve covers, intake manifolds and cylinder heads. Similarly, the Dodge Top Finisher Award will provide cash prizes to Stock Eliminator and Super Stock drivers of a Mopar-powered Dodge, Chrysler or Plymouth race car, which advances the furthest in eliminations at each 2021 NHRA national event.

The brands’ Sportsman class support will also be highlighted by the return of the Dodge HEMI Challenge, a fan-favorite showcase of iconic 426 HEMI-powered Super Stock 1968 Dodge Darts and Plymouth Barracudas battling head-to-head, set celebrate its 20th anniversary during the 2021 Dodge U.S. Nationals, Sept. 2-3.

Mopar and Dodge//SRT will also debut the much anticipated fourth-generation Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak this NHRA season in the Factory Stock Showdown, an eight-race series in the Sportsman class, with DSR-prepared entries driven by Pruett and Mark Pawuk.

Additionally, Mopar, Dodge//SRT and NHRA have teamed up for a multi-year full media package that will include NHRA on FOX commercials and integration. In order to share the brands’ enthusiasm with fans attending races, Dodge//SRT and Mopar offer a massive 4,800-square-foot exhibit, one of the largest displays in the NHRA’s Manufacturers Midway. Among the exhibit’s interactive features are Dodge Challenger SRT Demon simulators for competitive NHRA fans to virtually race themselves, as well as the opportunity to see and feel the experience of drag racing from the driver’s seat aboard an actual Mopar Dodge Charger Funny Car simulator.

To follow Dodge//SRT and Mopar during the 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season, visitDodge Garage, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts.

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.

Complete information on the Mopar brand is available at www.mopar.com. 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.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

2021 marks the year that Dodge is distilled into a pure performance brand, offering Hellcat-powered, 700-plus-horsepower SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2021 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the new 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the new 710-horsepower Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, the most powerful SUV ever. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). The Dodge brand also ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market). These results are historic because it marks the first time a domestic brand has earned top spots in both J.D. Power studies in the same year.

Dodge 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.

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA’s 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 Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

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Stotz Racing returns to Championship form for the 2021 motorcycle drag racing season.

March 4, 2021 ARP Trish

After the Covid-19 Pandemic started shutting down events at the beginning of 2020, it was apparent that a full season would not be in the cards for the Stotz Racing team. With all the lockdowns and forced cancellations, the father and son duo got to work in their shop. The ‘First in the Fifties (6.58)’ Honda was stripped down to the bare frame and everything has been rebuilt and ready to fly.

Stotz Racing will be running a full season of NHDRO Pro Street, traveling the midwest from May until October. And to finish the season off, we will hit the XDA Battle Royale and the Man Cup Finals in November.

Stotz Racing 2021 Drag Racing Schedule

NHDRO / May 14-16 / National Trail Raceway
NHDRO / June 11-13 / US 131 Motorsports Park
NHDRO / July 30 – Aug 1 / Lucas Oil Raceway
NHDRO / Aug 27-29 / US 131 Motorsports Park
NHDRO / Sept 17–19 / Summit Motorsports Park
XDA / October 8-10 / Maryland International Dragway
Man Cup / November 18-21 / South Georgia Motorsports Park

The team is looking toward 2021 full of vigor and ready to win another Pro Street championship on their record-holding Honda CBR1000RR Turbo monster. We look forward to a continued partnership with Sikora Precision again in 2021 as we look to set more records and win another championship. Frankie Stotz will once again be on pilot duty with Kent on the computer making tuning magic.

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RCR Event Preview: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

March 4, 2021 ARP Trish

Richard Childress Racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Las Vegas Motor Speedway is one of only four active race tracks where team owner Richard Childress has yet to earn a NASCAR Cup Series victory. In 72 Cup Series starts at the Nevada tri-oval speedway, Richard Childress Racing has 11 top-five and 22 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C. organization has also found success in the NASCAR Xfinity Series capturing four wins, 14 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes in 55 starts. Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 300 will be televised live Saturday, March 6, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The NASCAR Cup Series Las Vegas 400 be televised live Sunday, March 7, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… In 11 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Dillon has two top-five and two top-10 finishes, including his best finish of fourth in March 2020. He is a former winner at the 1.5-mile speedway in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2015) and NASCAR Truck Series (2010). About BetMGM… BetMGM is a market leading sports betting and gaming entertainment company, pioneering the online gaming industry. Born out of a partnership between MGM Resorts International and Entain (formerly GVC), BetMGM has exclusive access to all of MGM Resorts’ U.S. land-based and online sports betting, major tournament poker, and online gaming businesses. Utilizing Entain’s U.S.-licensed, state of the art technology, BetMGM offers sports betting and online gaming via market leading brands including BetMGM, Borgata Casino, Party Casino and Party Poker. Founded in 2018, BetMGM is headquartered in New Jersey. The Broadcast Booth… Dillon is scheduled to serve as a guest race analyst in the broadcast booth for this weekend’s NASCAR Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race is live on FS1 at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, March 5. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:What are your thoughts on Las Vegas Motor Speedway?“Las Vegas Motor Speedway has always been one of my favorite tracks. It’s always been a rough place as far as Turn 1 goes. Being able to turn through the bumps is very important. In Turn 3, it is important not to miss the entry. It starts there. The track has gotten a lot of character over the last couple of years, and that is what makes it fun to drive on. You really have to challenge yourself to be disciplined on your marks. I really enjoy the track. You saw Kurt Busch pull out a win in the NASCAR Playoffs last year. We had a pretty solid run going but we had a belt break. We’ve got a solid base line for Las Vegas Motor Speedway, so we want to make sure we continue to have the speed we’ve shown in the first three races of the year.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Ben Gallaher / Quartz Hill Records Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Reddick has two NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway under his belt as the series heads west this weekend. Reddick has previously found success at the 1.5-mile track with wins in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2019) and Truck Series (2016) and collected a total of four top-10 finishes in seven starts between the two series. About Quartz Hill… Quartz Hill Records, in joint partnership with The Orchard, is a full-service Country music label led by Benny Brown, Paul Brown and award-winning songwriter Jason Sellers. Joining this venture, The Orchard is a leading global music distributor and Artist & Label services company which specializes in empowering creators and businesses to grow and adapt in the dynamic global industry. Quartz Hill’s roster includes up-and-coming country stylist Nate Barnes and triple threat singer/songwriter/ guitarist Ben Gallaher.
About Ben Gallaher… A triple-threat singer, songwriter and self-taught musician with a strong reverence for guitar masters, Ben Gallaher’s songs are autobiographical anthems of growing up in Southern Pennsylvania that radiate a passion for the lyric-driven country music that influenced him. The burgeoning star has earned a fast-growing fanbase due to his commanding guitar prowess and energetic live shows while opening for the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr., Blake Shelton, 3 Doors Down, Lee Brice, and has toured the Pennsylvania State Prisons for ten years on his annual, headlining “Prison Tour.” Gallaher’s debut Quartz Hill Records single, the anthemic “Every Small Town” is available now at all digital retailers and streaming services. For the latest on Ben Gallaher follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE: You had a strong run during last year’s spring race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. How does that experience from last year help in your preparation for this weekend’s race?“It definitely helps having a year in the NASCAR Cup Series under my belt for both myself and my team to have notes to look back on as we get started with the 2021 season. Last spring, we had really good long run speed in our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, but just needed a little more on the short runs. If we had that, I think we would have been able to hold our own on the final restart and come away with potentially a top-10 or top-12 finish to match where we had been running for a lot of the race. Knowing how our car was last year and that we can set it up to benefit us more in the short run, I think we’ll have a strong No. 8 Ben Gallaher / Quartz Hill Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Las Vegas this weekend. Hopefully, we’ll be up front so everyone will get a good look at our Chevy and then go check out Ben Gallaher’s new song, ‘Every Small Town.’”

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at Las Vegas Motor Speedway… Snider has two career NASCAR Xfinity Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, both of which came in 2020. The Charlotte, N.C. native has also competed in three NASCAR Truck Series races, posting a sixth-place result in 2018.
First-Time Winner… Last Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Snider captured his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory. This win also marked Snider and TaxSlayer’s first checkered flags in a national NASCAR series. The 26-year-old earned the victory after holding off a charging field during a second overtime finish.
Starting from the Pole… For the second consecutive spring Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Snider and the TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro will start from the pole position. About TaxSlayer… TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million federal and state e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTES:What are your thoughts heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway?“We had a good amount of speed, even in a back up car, last year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Our TaxSlayer team is looking to continue with the same thing that we have had there before and figuring out what it takes for us to succeed throughout the entire race. We had top-seven, top-eight speed last time in the spring race, so with the improvements I’ve seen made over the off-season, I think we can easily be a top-five car and hopefully put ourselves in contention to win again this week.”
While Homestead-Miami Speedway is unique, is there anything you can transfer over to another 1.5-mile track in Las Vegas Motor Speedway? “Well, it depends on how hot it gets, because if it gets really hot, there is a chance we could be up on the fence again. If we do, we showed a lot of speed doing that last week in Homestead. I’m excited about what we have with our Chevrolet Camaro, so it will depend on the temperature and how the track reacts.”
With earning a win in the first three races of 2021, how does your outlook on the rest of the regular season change? “It just takes a weight off your shoulders. Now that we know we are in the playoffs, we can focus on getting stage points and putting ourselves in a better spot for the end of the race. We can experiment a little bit more and vary our strategy up. It opens up our options and takes the pressure off to allow us to focus on the playoffs.”

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