• Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Matt Hagan earns 2020 Funny Car World Championship aboard his “demon-possessed” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and wraps up the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Series season with a win at the Dodge NHRA Finals
• Hagan won his third career Funny Car world championship and took home his third Wally trophy of the season
• DSR drivers Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr., Jack Beckman and Ron Capps dominated the Funny Car class to finish 1-2-3-4 and combined for a NHRA season sweep by winning all 11 national events
• A DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car won every race of the 2020 NHRA season and extended the team’s undefeated streak to a record 14 consecutive victories since October 2019
• Hagan earned his 35th career win against No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps in the seventh head-to-head Dodge final round battle of the year
• Leah Pruett drives Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel dragster across the 2020 season finish line to a fourth place finish in championship for a third straight year
• Mark Pawuk wheels his Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to a third-place result in the 2020 Factory Stock Showdown championship
  

November 1, 2020, Las Vegas, Nevada – Matt Hagan and his “demon-possessed” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye have earned the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Series Funny Car World Championship title and the national event win at the season-ending Dodge NHRA Finals Presented by Pennzoil in Las Vegas. It is Hagan’s third championship crown after title wins in 2011 and 2014 and the sixth Funny Car class victory for the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) team in 18 years.

From the No. 2 position on the eliminations ladder, Hagan earned his third Wally trophy of the year in a season dominated by the DSR stable of HEMI®-powered Funny Cars. The DSR foursome of Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr., Jack Beckman and Ron Capps finished 1-2-3-4 atop the Funny Car standings and combined for a NHRA season “sweep” in which a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat won every national event to extend the team’s undefeated streak to a record 14 consecutive victories since October 2019.

“It’s been just an unbelievable season,” said Hagan. “My guys have put an unbelievable car behind me with Pennzoil, Dodge SRT and Mopar. Everybody who supports us. It’s great to win for Camping World and their first championship. My guys have worked so hard all season long. I can’t say enough about them and thank them. Three wins, a championship, it’s just special. I can’t wait for next season.”

“To have Matt Hagan win the championship at the Dodge NHRA Finals and cap off it off with an undefeated season and record 14th straight victory is a testament to the team’s hard work and the pure performance of the Charger SRT Hellcat,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Global Head of Alfa Romeo and Head of Passenger Cars – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “It is really satisfying to watch our quickest, fastest and most powerful production vehicles represented so well on the race track.”

“On behalf of all of us at Mopar, congratulations to Matt Hagan on a well-deserved third NHRA World Championship and a dominating performance in Funny Car competition this season,” said Mark Bosanac, Head of Mopar Service, Parts and Customer Care for FCA – North America. “Reflecting on Mopar’s long-standing involvement in the NHRA, including 18 successful years in partnership with Don Schumacher, we take great pride in this title win.”  

With a two-round lead over his closest championship challengers, teammates Johnson and Beckman, Hagan clinched the crown after wins over Cruz Pedregon and Paul Lee in the first two rounds and just prior to staging his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye for his semifinal match-up against Alexis DeJoria. The deal was sealed after Beckman was upset in the opening round against Paul Lee and No. 1 qualifier Capps defeated Johnson as the first semifinal pair to take the track.

With the 2020 Funny Car championship secured, all that was left to determine was who would take home the Dodge NHRA Finals Wally trophy as Hagan and Capps lined up for the seventh head-to-head Hellcat final round battle of the year. 

While Capps had the early lead his efforts went up in smoke at half-track as Hagan took his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat for a solid 3.914-second final lap to earn his 36th career victory and defend his 2019 win at The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway and tie the NHRA reco

“Dodge and the DSR fab shop, they’ve put a great race car underneath us,” said Hagan. “My crew chief Dickie Venables, I can’t say enough about the guy. He’s won me two world championships (2014, 2020) and we’ve runnered-up a few times. There’s a handful of guys on this team who haven’t won a championship before. I’m just so proud to give them that opportunity and I know how bad everybody wanted it. 

“For us to have won three world championships now in this sport, it’s incredible,” added Hagan. “It all comes back down to my guys and the car they put under me. It’s not just me. I try not to mess it up. This is one of the most humbling sports I’ve been involved in and it always seems to come down to the last race and that certainly doesn’t make me look any younger. Thank you to everyone who supports what we do and we hope we made you proud to be a part of this.”

The Top Fuel season wrapped up with Leah Pruett racing her Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster to semifinal finishes in three of the first five races, a runner-up finish at the U.S. Nationals, and another semifinal finish at the Gatornationals, making her a top-three championship contender for most of the year. Pruett remained in the hunt until the penultimate race of the year when eventual title winner Steve Torrence’s points lead was insurmountable. Pruett turned her focus to finishing strong by taking her fierce-looking Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster to the quarterfinals in the season finale to match her career-best fourth place finish in the Top Fuel standings for the third consecutive year.

Pruett also spent time behind the wheel of her Mopar Dodge Challenger Drag Pak alongside teammate Mark Pawuk in Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) competition in 2020. Winner of the 2018 class title in her rookie year, Pruett took on the challenge of battling against a competitive  field of 30 entries by scoring two round wins, but is now looking forward to making a return to competition next season aboard a new 2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak.

Pawuk made positive gains aboard his Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak throughout the six-race season as he battled atop the Factory Stock Showdown standings with a runner-up finish at U.S. Nationals and back-to-back semifinal results at the Dallas FallNationals and Houston’s Mopar Express Lane SpringNationals (rescheduled to the Fall). Pawuk’s solid performances garnered him a third place finish in the Factory Stock Showdown championship won by Aaron Stanfield.

The Mopar Dodge//SRT contingent will return to competition in the spring for the NHRA’s 70^th anniversary season. The 2021 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season with feature a 22-race schedule that will kick-off on March 12-14 at the 52nd annual Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 10 Qualifier – 3.996 seconds at 309.70 mph)
Round 1: (0.072-second reaction time, 3.975 seconds at 317.05 mph) lost to No. 7 Paul Lee (0.079/3.933/327.82)

“We lost the war, but I’m going to have to be comforted by the fact that we won a lot of battles this year. We won the Winternationals, we won the U.S. Nationals, we won at Dallas, those are all huge races. We had a fantastic year. We had a car that contended up to the last day. I can’t put a positive spin on losing the championship. I truly thought we were going to do this. I thought it would be the most fitting way as a tribute to the Chandler family going out and perhaps the end of my career. I’m just going to have to step back and get my perspective and remain an adult about this. As disappointing as it is, it’s been a fantastic year. It’s been a fantastic ride with the Infinite Hero Foundation and the Chandler’s and if its ended it’s been a fantastic career.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car  
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.911 seconds at 327.82 mph)
Round 1: (0.067-second reaction time, 3.901 seconds at 328.38 mph) defeated No. 15 Cruz Pedregon (0.066/4.034/312.35)

Round 2: (0.092/3.934/321.81) defeated No. 7 Paul Lee (0.081/4.181/258.57)

Round 3: (0.064/3.915/326.48) defeated No. 3 Alexis DeJoria (0.105/4.053/261.02)

Round 4: (0.110/3.914/326.40) defeated No. 1 Ron Capps (0.067/4.463/173.70)

“It’s been a fight all year long. With Covid, not know when we’ll start racing again, where the season will end, it’s just been very challenging mentally, for my guys, our sponsors, but thank you to everyone at Dodge SRT, Mopar and Pennzoil and everyone for sticking by us. Dodge and the DSR fab shop, they’ve put a great race car underneath us. Dickie Venables, I can’t say enough about the guy. He’s won me two world championships and we’ve runnered-up a few times. There’s a handful of guys on this team who haven’t won a championship before. I’m just so proud to give them that opportunity and I know how bad somebody wants it, especially the first time. 

“For us to have won three world championships now in this sport, it’s incredible. It all comes back down to my guys and the car they put under me. It’s not just me. I try not to mess it up. This is one of the most humbling sports I’ve been involved in and it always seems to come down to the last race and that certainly doesn’t make me look any younger. Thank you to everyone who supports what we do and we hope we made you proud to be a part of this.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 4 Qualifier –  3.915 seconds at 319.14 mph)

Round 1: (0.090-second reaction time, 3.942 seconds at 323.74 mph) defeated No. 13 Jim Campbell (0.096/5.047/153.56)

Round 2: (0.074/3.939/323.81) defeated No. 5 Bob Tasca III (0.066/3.960/324.12)

Round 3: (0.090/3.943/324.20) lost to No. 1 Ron Capps (0.068/3.906/329.8)

“It was a great season, we came close. Matt (Hagan) and his team did a great job this season. I’m just so proud of my guys on this MD Anderson team. It was a very difficult 2020 year and to come down to the last few rounds of the year and to have a shot of winning the championship is nothing to hang our heads about being second. It’s disappointing to get so close and not get it, but at the same time it was a great season to finish second. Hopefully something comes around and we can have a shot again next year. All-and-all a great season. Very happy for the Chandlers and to have their cars finish second and third is pretty outstanding.”

Ron Capps, Pennzoil NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.902 seconds at 327.98 mph)
Round 1: (0.097-second reaction time, 6.031 seconds at 109.69mph) defeated No. 16 Chris Morel (No Time)

Round 2: (0.082/3.953/325.45) defeated No. 9 J.R. Todd (0.078/4.075/297.94)

Round 3: (0.068/3.906/329.83) defeated No.  4 Tommy Johnson Jr. (0.090/3.943/324.20)

Round 4: (0.067/4.463/173.70) lost to No. 2 Matt Hagan (0.110/3.914/326.40)

“What a weekend. It all came to plan. Especially getting the No. 1 qualifying spot and that Camping World hat. We did get a lucky break first round, but Rahn Tobler and the NAPA/Pennzoil guys, what a job they did. It went almost to plan until the final round. It was running great and I’m not sure what happened, but another one of those pretty big explosions. Thanks to Impact for great safety gear and everyone at the DSR fab shop for mounting a great Dodge body. Two wins this year, some finals, a pole, not a bad ’20 season for this NAPA team.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 6 Qualifier – 3.791  seconds at 322.04 mph)

Round 1: (0.116-second reaction time, 3.753 seconds at 317.64mph) defeated No. 9 Chris Karamesines (0.447 /4.260/203.00)

Round 2: (0.091/3.810/321.65) lost to No. 12 Justin Ashley (0.061/3.777/320.36)

“Our fourth place finish on the season is a direct reflection of our overall performance. It’s very respectable of course not the best on the track and we truly feel like we were completely in stride and making progress as a championship contender and once our St. Louis incident happened we lost our consistency. It’s like we had a broken link in our system that we’re working to get back. A scuffed piston on our round two lap put us behind and we’re trying to find the confidence we once had to get back our complete performance package and we know that’s possible. I think overall the beauty of the 2020 season for us is that we had shown glimpses of a championship caliber performance and we’ll be working to get it back. We made it the entire season and didn’t lose first round and next year we have to make it to at least the semis at every race.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout
(No. 15 Qualifier – 9.346 seconds at 168.22 mph)

Round 1: (0.048-second reaction time, 8.003 seconds at 170.90 mph) lost to No. 2 Aaron Stanfield (0.027/7.929/172.50)

“It ended up a great season for this Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Pak. We struggled in (Las) Vegas at the last race unfortunately not being able to get down the track in qualifying which had us running the series champ in the first round and going out. We had a shot to finish second in points which would have been my best ever finish in NHRA competition, but just got bumped down to third today. Still a great season. We were down on power early, but Kevin Helms, Terry Snyder, Kyle Pawuk did a tremendous job to get us competitive. The driver did ok and finishing third ain’t bad. We’re really looking forward to bringing out the 2021 Drag Pak next year and hopefully Leah and I can go out and do some damage.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 3 Qualifier – 7.976 seconds at 170 mph)
Round 1: (0.046-second reaction time, 7.940 seconds at 171.27 mph) defeated No. 14 Kevin Skinner (0.054/8.104/168.03)

Round 2: (0.036/8.056/168.05) lost to No. 6 John Cerbone (0.004/8.064/169.21)

“What a table-turn of events this weekend. We had a very competitive car all weekend at Vegas with very tight racing. Of course, if we would have raced anyone else that second round we probably would have won. When your competitor has a .004 light against you, sometimes it makes it difficult to put on your win light. It was a proper finish for El Bandito. He finished off strong and the new Drag Pak is very exciting and we’re ready to show off some new Mopar-muscle.”

2020 NHRA FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 1020 (3)

2. Tommy Johnson Jr. (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 915 (3)

3. Jack Beckman (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 848 (3)

4. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 828 (2)

5. Bob Tasca III – 679

6. J.R. Todd – 663

7. Tim Wilkerson – 615 

8. Alexis DeJoria – 605

9. Paul Lee – 464 

10. Cruz Pedregon – 436

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Steve Torrance – 1015 (4)

2. Doug Kalitta – 822 (1)

3. Billy Torrence – 793 (1)

4. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 754 

5. Antron Brown – 709 (1) 

6. Shawn Langdon – 595 (1)

7. Justin Ashley – 594 (1)

8. Clay Millican – 493 

9. Tony Schumacher – 464 (1)

10. Terry McMillen – 436

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 Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and  NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Another Runner-Up for GTLM Champions Garcia, Taylor · Garcia, Taylor take second consecutive runner-up finish· Chevrolet on verge of clinching GTLM Manufacturers championship· Technical infraction spoils run for Gavin, Milner

MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor recorded their eighth podium finish of the season Sunday as the pairing finished second in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class of the Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Garcia and Taylor placed second in the category with their No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R for the second race in a row. The result also sealed the GTLM Drivers and Team titles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. In addition, Chevrolet moved into position to clinch the GTLM Manufacturers title as long as either of Corvette Racing’s two mid-engine Corvettes starts the final race of the year – the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in two weeks. It would be the third time since 2014 that the program has swept the full-season GTLM championships in the same year. Corvette Racing’s second C8.R – the No. 4 of Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner – finished a hard-fought third in class Sunday. Unfortunately, the car was found to be out of technical compliance in post-race inspection and was relegated to sixth place. Sunday’s race featured a myriad of tire strategies on the dusty and slippery Laguna Seca circuit. After starting on pole position, Taylor led for the first 16 laps before making the first of three pit stops in the No. 3 Corvette. He cycled back through to second place, which is where he and Garcia stayed most of the day. Gavin and Milner finished on track in the same position the No. 4 Corvette started. With the team deciding to run a slightly longer opening stint, Gavin pitted from the lead five laps after Taylor as the No. 4 team eyed a potential two-stop strategy. Those plans went by the wayside just past the halfway point. Garcia took over the second-place No. 3 Corvette with 86 minutes left in the two-hour, 40-minute event and attempted to regain the lead from Earl Bamber’s Porsche 40 minutes later by going a lap longer before making the final stop. Traffic stymied Garcia’s progress before he took his last service. Milner, who got in the No. 4 Corvette with 82 minutes left, came in a lap later and cycled back to fourth. A full-course caution with 25 minutes remaining brought the top four GTLM cars – both Corvettes and both Porsches – together for a late-race dash. Milner came out the biggest winner, moving from fourth to third with a nifty move inside the final 15 minutes, and he set the fastest GTLM lap of the race shortly after the pass. Meanwhile, Garcia got as close as a half-second to the leader but settled for second and ultimately the class championship. The final round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring from Nov. 12-14 at Sebring International Raceway.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “Today was a good race, and we maximized everything we had. We lost track position to the 912 at the start, and it was tough to get that back. The safety car mixed things up a little bit and it gave me a chance to get closer, but they were able to open up the gap a little bit. The pace was very fast, and I couldn’t use the traffic in my favor. I pressured as much as I could, but they didn’t make any mistakes. Maybe I had one or two chances where I could have gone for it, but it wasn’t the right time or place to try something crazy. In that situation there is nothing you can do. It wasn’t easy to pass on this track. There was a ton of pressure on the crew guys to do three separate tire changes when we were relying on tires to be finished instead of fuel. I think we ran a perfect race. Unfortunately for us the 912 did, too. There was nothing I could do, and that’s why I congratulate them.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SECOND IN GTLM: “It was a difficult race today with the tire wear and traffic that we expected. We can be happy with the result, especially not having been on this track before with the C8.R It continues to show the value of the simulator work we do. We will take this good momentum on to Sebring and hopefully close out the season with another strong run there.”

OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTLM: “We were a little up and down with pace during the day. At the end, Tommy drove his last stint really well and was strong. My first stint was about managing the tire and looking after everything in thinking about how far we needed to go in the stint. But things were constantly developing and changing throughout, so we had to be flexible with the strategy. We hit a bit of a rough patch at that first stop. I had to go through some GTD traffic before the first stop, and that lost us some time. We didn’t necessarily get the rub with the traffic today, but as things turned out we got into that final 25 minutes in good position. Tommy drove well after the caution, and the cooler track temperatures seemed to suit our car.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FINISHED SIXTH IN GTLM: “This race and this track always provide some tricky conditions with tire degradation for everyone. Trying understand the best strategy is always a head-scratcher early in the weekend. As the race plays out, it becomes more and more obvious what the right decision was. We had a good day going, for sure. We called an audible on our original plan and ended up going to a three-stop strategy, which I ultimately think was the right thing to do. More importantly, we were keying off what the BMWs were doing since they are the ones closest to us in the championship. All in all, we covered them and had a good strategy for the race anyway. I was super happy with the balance of the Corvette, and the pace in the car at the end was really strong. Olly drove more than he was expecting to, and he did an awesome job in those two stints.”

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION DODGE NHRA FINALS PRESENTED BY PENNZOIL THE STRIP AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY NOV. 1, 2020                                                                                                Chevrolet powers Enders to record fourth Pro Stock titleFirst female to win four championships closes season with victory
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 1, 2020) – A social media post by Erica Enders leading up to the Dodge NHRA Finals presented by Pennzoil was self-motivational and prophetic.
“I can and I will. Watch me.”
Enders became the first female in National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing history to win four championships as the Houston native wrapped up the Pro Stock title at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Enders, driving the Melling Performance/Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS, brought a 55-point lead into the finale of the 10-race season abbreviated because of effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. After Enders won her first-round elimination race, elation quickly and surprisingly replaced anxiousness when closest challengers Jason Line and Jeg Coughlin Jr. both lost their opening-round matches.
“On behalf of Chevrolet, congratulations to Erica Enders, Richard Freeman and everyone at Elite Motorsports for winning the 2020 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock championship for the second consecutive year and record fourth time overall for a female driver,” said Roger Allen, NHRA program manager, Chevrolet. “It was a challenging year for all teams and drivers in all professional categories.
“Not only is Erica a standout driver, she is a tireless champion for the sport, her team sponsors and for Chevrolet. We’re proud that all four of Erica’s Pro Stock championships have been won in a Chevrolet Camaro.”
Enders surpassed Shirley Muldowney, who won Top Fuel titles in 1977, ’80 and ’82, and Angelle Sampey with Pro Stock Motorcycle championships in 2000, 2001 and ’02. 
“It’s a goal I set,” said Enders, who previously won the Pro Stock championship in 2019, 2015 and 2014. “Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey mean a lot to me and I’m in good company with them.”
Enders also joined Greg Anderson (Pro Stock), Don Prudhomme (Funny Car), Gary Scelzi (Top Fuel/Funny Car), Lee Shepherd (Pro Stock) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) with four titles on the all-time list.
“It’s no secret that I’ve struggled this year, the last couple of years honestly,” said Enders, who won her initial Pro Stock race at Chicago in 2012. “It’s been an uphill battle. I speak so highly of my team from the bottom of my heart. (Team owner) Richard Freeman organized the most amazing group of people. All of these guys, they give their lives to this. I could not be more proud. I’m so happy. I’ve never been in a situation like that where I’ve depended on other people to handle it for us.”
Enders recorded four victories, including the season finale when Kyle Koretsky (NitroFish Chevrolet Camaro SS) tripped the red light in his first Pro Stock final, and a 25-6 round record during the season shortened by eight races. She has 29 career wins in 55 finals.
“This is a lesson that you dig deep, you fight and pray with all the heart you have every single chase you get because you never know when it’s your last. I’m a blessed girl,” Enders said. 
Coughlin and Line were completing their final season of full-time Pro Stock competition. They have combined for eight championships, 106 victories, 1,328 round wins and 92 top qualifier honors in Pro Stock competition alone.
“On behalf of Chevrolet, thank you Jeg Coughlin Jr. and Jason Line for many years of exciting Pro Stock competition in your Chevrolet Camaros, your engagement with fans and your support of Chevrolet Racing. Congratulations on championships you’ve won and treasure the memories and positive impact you’ve had on the sport you love,” Allen said.
Aaron Stanfield, driving a Janac Bros. Chevrolet COPO Camaro, earned his fifth consecutive victory in the SAM Tech.edu NHRA Factory Stock Showdown series. A week earlier at Houston, the 25-year-old from Bossier City, Louisiana, wrapped up the championship.
Justin Lamb of Henderson, Nevada, drove his 2019 Chevrolet COPO Camaro to victory in Stock Eliminator.
CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITPRO STOCK:

ERICA ENDERS, ELITE MOTORSPORTS, MELLING PERFORMANCE/ELITE MOTORSPORTS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:WHAT WILL BE YOUR LEADING MEMORY OF TODAY?“Being able to lock up our fourth world championship and becoming the winningest of all time for females. Shirley Muldowney and Angelle Sampey mean a lot to me and I’m in good company with them. I’ve not had the best year, but this is a lesson that you dig deep, you fight and pray with all the heart you have every single chase you get because you never know when it’s your last. Richard Freeman gave me this opportunity and I’m a blessed girl.” 
WHERE DO YOU DRAW YOUR STRENGTH FROM?“The good Lord, honestly. It’s no secret that I’ve struggled this year, the last couple of years honestly. It’s been an uphill battle for me. I have to give a lot of credit to my sister. She stands beside me; she stands behind me. She’s the best friend I could ever ask for, as well as my father who gave me the mental strength to get through any of this. I speak so highly of my team from the bottom of my heart. (Team owner) Richard Freeman organized the most amazing group of people. All of these guys, they give their lives to this. I could not be more proud. I’m so happy. I’ve never been in a situation like that where I’ve depended on other people to handle it for us. I’m so blessed.”
JEG COUGHLIN JR., ELITE MOTORSPORTS, JEGS.COM/ELITE PERFORMANCE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “We’ve had one heck of a good time out here racing NHRA – Pro Stock in particular. I’ve always enjoyed the challenges of the day, of the event and of the year, and to do as well as we’ve had, to win the races and championships we have has been nothing short of phenomenal. We’ll step away with pride. I’m sure we’ll tip toe in and out back here.”
JASON LINE, KB RACING, SUMMIT RACING EQUIPMENT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “I have no regrets, no complaints. I’ve gotten to do more, see more, and be with some really good people. It’s been a good ride. It’s been an interesting season, without a doubt, and I’m thankful to have had my family with me so much this year. The circumstances that made that possible weren’t great, but having them with me out here was special.”

LAS VEGAS (Nov. 1) — Third-generation driver Troy Coughlin Jr. concluded his first year in the Pro Stock class Sunday with a quarterfinal finish at the 20th annual Dodge NHRA Finals. Coughlin trounced Chris McGaha in the opening round of action at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway before dropping a nail-biter to newly re-crowned world champion Erica Enders in Round 2.  “I’m very grateful for the incredible opportunity I’ve had to race with Elite Motorsports this year,” Coughlin said. “This is such a class organization with the best crewmen in the sport and it’s no surprise to me to see the team win another Pro Stock championship. Congrats to everyone, especially Erica Enders and her guys, and thank you for letting me be a part of it all.”

After winning back-to-back Top Alcohol Dragster regional championships in the last two seasons, Coughlin moved to Pro Stock this year to race alongside his uncle Jeg Coughlin Jr., who retired from full-time competition at the conclusion of Sunday’s race. Prior to his successful stint in Top Alcohol Dragster, Coughlin raced in Top Fuel, Pro Mod, Top Dragster and Junior Dragster. Even while racing Pro Stock this year, he continues to compete in Super Comp and Super Gas and at various E.T. Bracket events.  “I’ve said since the beginning I’m the luckiest kid in the pits and I still feel that way,” said Troy Jr., who drove the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Ford Mustang this season. “Having had the opportunity to drive so many different cars in a bunch of different classes, and to have had the crews I’ve worked with through the years, is just incredible.  “This year was probably the pinnacle because, without question, Pro Stock is the most challenging category of all. It’s the most cognitive workout you can have in a racecar between executing good burnouts, working the clutch and hitting the shift points just right, to keeping the car straight all the way down the track. It’s such a challenge to try to make a perfect lap every time knowing a perfect lap doesn’t really exist.”

The highlight of the 2020 season for Troy Jr. was reaching the final round of the third Indy race, where he lost to his uncle Jeg Jr. That big day helped him finish 13th overall, despite missing the first two of 10 nationals events.  “Special thanks to (crew chief) Rick Jones, Mike DePalma, Eric Luzinski and Robert Freeman for their help on my car,” Troy Jr. said. “They had it hopped up today and I got past Chris McGaha with a nice, smooth pass. We were set for the second round also against Erica but my left leg (clutch) was a few thousandths of a second slower than it needed to be and she beat us on a holeshot by .002 of a second.  “It’s been emotional today seeing Uncle Jeg roll down that return road for the last time. I shed a few tears watching that and thinking about all the things he’s taught me. He’s always been a hero to me and he definitely earned ‘The Natural’ nickname because he’s the best we’ve ever seen. I still have plenty to learn from him and I know he’ll always be there for me. “I’m not sure what’s next for me but whatever it is, it can’t come soon enough.”

ChampionshipsBanner season in first year for mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R

MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor clinched the GT Le Mans (GTLM) Drivers title Sunday in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – the 13th for Corvette Racing and with one event still to go in the season. The two finished the Monterey Sports Car Championship second in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. Garcia and Taylor have teamed to win five races in the No. 3 Corvette Racing C8.R entry – which also landed the GTLM Team Championship for Corvette Racing. It is the 14th time the program has claimed that honor since 2001 and comes near the end of the first year for the new, mid-engine Corvette race car. Garcia is now a four-time IMSA Drivers’ champion – all coming with Corvette Racing – while Taylor added his first in GT competition to a pair from the prototype ranks. Following the return of racing in July due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pair won at Daytona to give the Corvette C8.R its first victory as well as the 100th in IMSA competition for Corvette Racing. Garcia and Taylor went on to win races at Road America, Virginia International Raceway, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and the Charlotte Roval. Taylor captured pole position at Sebring, Mid-Ohio, Charlotte and Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, as did Garcia in the previous IMSA event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta for Petit Le Mans. Garcia also set fastest GTLM race laps at Daytona, Road America and Mid-Ohio. Chevrolet can complete a sweep of the full-season GTLM championships and wrap up the Manufacturers title by having one of the two Corvettes start the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Acura Team Penske scores fourth IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory of 2020 with 1-2 finish, claims Drivers’ Championship lead
Meyer Shank Racing completes winning day for Acura and returns to the top of the championship points table with 1-3 result in GTD
Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ championships to be decided at Sebring season finale

MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Acura resumed its race-winning ways in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, scoring its second sweep of the 2020 season with a 1-2 finish overall and in DPi for Acura Team Penske, and a 1-3 result in GTD for the Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evos.

As a result of today’s wins – the best combined finish for Acura in the three years the company has been contesting both DPi and GTD – Acura goes to the season finale at Sebring International Raceway leading the IMSA Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ championships GTD; and the Drivers’ Championship in DPi; while trails in the DPi Manufactuers’ Championship by just a single point.

Acura Team Penske
Pole qualifier Juan Pablo Montoya and co-driver Dane Cameron dominated today’s two-hour, 40-minute contest, leading 104 laps before allowing teammate Ricky Taylor to move to the front for the final minutes, as Taylor and co-driver Helio Castroneves are better placed in the overall championship battle.

The late-race swap enabled Castroneves and Taylor to score their fourth win from eight races this season, moving the pair to the top of the championship with 242 points to 240 for Wayne Taylor Racing drivers Renger van der Zande and Ryan Briscoe, who finished sixth today.

Montoya took charge of the two-hour, 40-minute contest in the #6 Acura ARX-05 right from the green flag, while outside front-row starter Castroneves slotted into second as the pair of Acuras led the 29-car starting field. Montoya soon established a comfortable, eight-second lead before handing off the driving duties to Cameron at the first scheduled pit stop. Cameron maintained the advantage for the #6 Acura ARX-05 throughout the next two stints, building a lead of as much as 12 seconds.

Meanwhile, Castroneves survived an early scare when contact with the GTLM Corvette of Jordan Taylor resulted in the Acura losing a front aerodynamic “dive plane” in Turn 11. Despite the resulting understeer, Castroneves and co-driver Ricky Taylor were able to fend off the frequent advances from the #31 Cadillac of third-running Pipo Derani and Felipe Nasr until the first and only caution flag of the race – for debris on track – waved with just over 20 minutes remaining.

However, when green flag racing resumed, both Cameron and Taylor were able to gap the field, enabling Cameron to let his teammate into the lead in the #7 Acura for the final two laps. The 1-2 finish for Acura Team Penske move Castroneves and Taylor into the Drivers’ Championship lead with 242 points to 240 for van der Zande and Briscoe; and takes Acura to within one point of Cadillac [263-262] with just the season finale at Sebring remaining.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo Teams
Matt McMurry and Mario Farnbacher scored their second victory of 2020 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the #86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo to complete a double-win, quadruple-podium day for Acura in IMSA competition.

Leading the GTD field from the class pole, McMurry held off a challenging BMW in the hands of Robby Foley at the start, and established a commanding lead through the first stint of the race before handing over to teammate Farnbacher with under two hours to go.

Farnbacher continued to hold the advantage in his Acura, despite traffic that allowed the BMW, now with Bill Auberlen driving, to close the gap through the middle stages of the race. But once in clear air, Farnbacher was able to extend the lead until a late-race caution bunched the field up again. When the green waved once more in the final 15 minutes of the race, Farnbacher again stretched the lead to more than 10 seconds at the checkers.

The #57 Heinricher Racing with MSR Curb-Agajanian Acura of Misha Goikhberg and Alvaro Parente had their best result of 2020 with a third-place result. Goikhberg had a stellar start from fourth, getting around the #63 Ferrari for third. He and co-driver Parente would maintain their rapid pace throughout the day, finishing third to give Acura four podium-finishing cars today.

The Sprint Championship-contesting Gradient Racing #22 Acura NSX GT3 Evo ran their final IMSA race of the season, highlighted by a season-best eighth in qualifying by starting driver Till Bechtolsheimer. Although co-driver Marc Miller was shuffled back to a 12th-place finish late in the contest, their NSX showed strong pace in the race, with Miller setting a best race lap of 1:25.922, a time eclipsed by only two other GTD entries.

Today’s class victory by McMurry and Farnbacher catapulted them back to the lead of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD Drivers’ standings by seven points, and gives Acura a two-point advantage in the Manufacturers’ title heading into Sebring.

Next
The 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship now takes a weekend off before resuming November 12-14 for the season-ending Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at the famed Sebring International Raceway in central Florida.

Acura Motorsports Social media content and video links from this weekend’s Acura Sports Car Challenge are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD).

Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#7 Acura Team Penske ARX-05) race winner, Fourth IMSA victory of 2020, moves into the DPi Drivers’ Championship lead with co-driver Helio Castroneves: “It was them [teammates Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron] being nice guys for us. We were strong all the day, but the No. 6 [Acura] was super, super strong. At the end of the race, we weren’t specifically asking [for a pass around], but when you work for such a strong team like Acura Team Penske, all eyes are on the big goal, the championship. They really were the class of the field this weekend, they really earned the win, but they thought about us and our championship situation.”

Mario Farnbacher (#86 Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) Second GTD win of 2020, returns to the lead of GTD Drivers’ Championship with co-driver Matt McMurry: “That’s exactly what we needed. Last year, we had such a hard race here [finishing eighth] and in a million years I wouldn’t have thought our Acura would perform as well as it did today. I really have to thank Matt [McMurry], because being on the pole here is at least 80% of the job, since [the race here is] all about track position. Our engineer [Ryan McCarthy], he made a ‘masterpiece’ out of the car. He did a [setup] change overnight and it improved everything – tire wear, pace, overall pace. I’m so incredibly happy that we’re back in the lead of the championship because that’s the important part going into the last race. Bringing home the championship, especially in the last year of the car, means everything.” 
David Salters (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today’s double victory for Acura: “Laguna Seca is one of the world’s most iconic race tracks, it’s great to show Acura’s world-class ‘Precision Crafted Performance’, and to take the fight to our very skilled competitors here today in both DPi and GTD. Our drivers and teams had a superb weekend, with pole positions and victories in both classes; and our best combined result since we returned to DPi competition, along with GTD, in 2018. Massive thanks to the team of committed associates at HPD who engineer and support these projects. We race to grow our people and technology at HPD, and weekends like this really reward everyone’s efforts and competence. Coming into this weekend, our goal was to put ourselves in position to take the championship fight to the last race. So lets go race and entertain the fans at Sebring.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE SCORES VICTORY AT MARTINSVILLETeam Chevy Heads to the Championship Four
RIDGEWAY, VA (November 1, 2020) – It was a weekend of ‘firsts’ for Chase Elliott when he powered his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE to victory lane in the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway, the elimination race for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of Eight. Elliott not only scored his first-career victory at the .526-mile oval of Martinsville Speedway, but also punched his ticket to his first-career appearance in the Championship Four to battle for the title of the NASCAR Cup Series Champion. The win was his 10th victory in 185-starts in the NASCAR Cup Series. 
With the stage two win and 236-laps led, Elliott’s victory during the 500-lap, 263-mile event marked his fourth points-paying win of the season, the most in one season during his career in NASCAR’s premier series. The triumph at the Martinsville, Virginia, circuit is Chevrolet’s eighth victory of the 2020 season and the manufacturer’s 794th all-time win in the NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott’s win gives the Bowtie brand its 57th victory at Martinsville Speedway, continuing Chevrolet’s lead in Martinsville victories of all manufacturers. 
The win is the 262nd all-time NASCAR Cup Series triumph and 25th win at Martinsville Speedway for Hendrick Motorsports, leading all teams in the series at the track. Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Alex Bowman, concluded his first-career Playoffs’ Round of Eight run with a sixth-place finish in his No. 88 Planters Camaro ZL1 1LE, his ninth top-10 finish in the last 11 races. Fellow Chevrolet driver, Kurt Busch, brought his No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE across the line in the fifth position to give Team Chevy three of the top-10 spots in the final running order.  Ryan Blaney (Ford) was second, Joey Logano (Ford) was third, and Brad Keselowski (Ford) was fourth to round out the top-five finishers.  The NASCAR Cup Series season concludes next weekend at Phoenix Raceway with the Season Finale 500 on Sunday, November 8, at 3:00 p.m. ET, the first time in NASCAR history that the 1-mile Arizona venue will host the Championship event. Live coverage of the 312-lap, 312-mile race can be found on NBC, NBC Sports Gold, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.  CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:  THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Chase. Thank you for taking the time to join us. We will get right into questions for our race winner, Chase Elliott.            Q. With the Championship 4 set, is there one team you see as the biggest threat? If so, why?CHASE ELLIOTT: I think the worst thing we can do is worry about everybody else all week. But for right now, I’m just enjoying the night. This is a big moment for us, having to perform in a tough spot. We had to, didn’t have a choice. I think that’s something we’ve been missing as a team, something we haven’t been able to achieve over the last handful of years.           To be in the position tonight to have to perform, to go perform, to win the race, lock ourselves into Phoenix, have a shot for a championship, these are all moments that I’ve never experienced, moments we haven’t done yet as a team.           I’m just enjoying that right now. I know the week is short. I’m going to enjoy that for sure for a little while. We’ll go to work on Phoenix starting tomorrow.            Q. Is this the biggest win of your career?CHASE ELLIOTT: Hands down, I think, absolutely.            Q. What do you think it means kind of getting over the hump of getting into the Final 4, doing it this way, doesn’t just mean for the next six days but for years to come?CHASE ELLIOTT: I think you hit it. I think it’s huge. I think it’s huge for me personally. I think it’s huge for our team as a whole, each and every person that puts in time and effort to try to make our program work.           I think when you’re able to be in a position that we were in, like we were tonight, have to go to perform, go and do that, I think everybody gains a lot of confidence from it.           We proved to ourselves that we can do it. I think we have always believed we can do it. But to go out there and achieve it certainly is something we haven’t experienced yet as a group.           To win a championship in this series, you have to make the Final 4. We’ve seen the same crowd make the Final 4 since this deal has been implemented. We want to assert ourselves amongst the people who can make it consistently.           I feel like we’re very capable of doing that. We just have to seize the moment, enjoy it. This is a huge week. I’m just excited to get out there and try to have the best race we can.            Q. In a massive moment like this that you’ve never been in before, is there any extra composure that you have to have in the final laps, when you’re making the pass to lead, to calm yourself down? How do you stay focused, keep your lunch from not coming up, things like that?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, good question. I think for me and kind of the experiences that I’ve kind of had handed to me over the past number of years, since I’ve been in Cup, have taught me a lot of lessons that the race is not over. I think we’ve all kind of seen that, different positions we’ve been in, races we lost.           For me, I don’t have to think back into my head very far to realize that the race isn’t over till it’s over. Just to be prepared for another caution, another restart, whatever it takes to try to get the job done.           I knew everybody had their last set of tires on. We were going to be riding that set to the end. If we had a caution there with just a couple laps to go, everybody was going to be restarting on old tires. Certainly challenging.           I was trying to think about that, tried to be prepared for what was going to come. I felt like the odds of a caution coming out were better than not to have one, to be honest. I was surprised to see it go green.            Q. Not only is this a big day for you, but it will be the first time Chevrolet has had a driver competing in the Championship 4 since 2016, who happened to also be the last Hendrick driver, which is Jimmie Johnson. It’s probably a pretty big deal for manufacturers not to have a chance to win the championship. What are your thoughts on being able to do that?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, absolutely, man. It’s a huge deal for everybody involved. Obviously me personally, it’s a huge deal. Never been in this position before. That’s exciting. But for everybody that is a part of our organization, obviously NAPA is a huge partner, super pumped to have them on the car tonight, a big moment. They’ve been a big piece of my career. Hendrick Motorsport, everyone that lays a hand on our cars. It’s a big deal for everyone to have a chance to win a championship.           For Chevrolet to have a shot again this year I think is important for them, for sure. I’m excited for everybody. I’m excited for myself. I’m going to enjoy it, then we’ll go to work tomorrow and get ready for the big day.            Q. Your thoughts on Phoenix being the decider? When you look at your competition, do you think you’ll stack up pretty good?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I mean, I think the worst thing we can do is to sit back and worry and watch everybody else. I just think we need to focus on ourselves this week and really think about what we struggled with there at the first race this year, what we might need to do to be better, put our best guess on that, go run the race.           I think if we sit back, start worrying about who is favorite, who is not, who is the underdog, getting everybody running their mouths deal, I’m just not about that. I think it’s unproductive.           We’re going to worry about ourselves, try to give it our best shot to win.            Q. Normally championship contenders have the whole weekend to run through and get themselves in championship mode. You got to take the green on Sunday with no practice. What do you think this week is going to be like in terms of anxious, being excited, especially moments before the green flag?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I mean, I think just excited, looking forward to the opportunity. I think the more that you can enjoy that moment, enjoy being backed up against a wall, having to perform, the more you can enjoy that, the better off you’re going to be.           That’s something we put a lot of emphasis on, something I personally put emphasis on to try to get better in those moments. That’s what we had to do today.           I think moments like tonight prepares you for moments like what we’re going to see next week and I’m excited about it.            Q. Is Sunday going to be a backs‑against‑the‑wall moment for you again?CHASE ELLIOTT: Well, you got to win to win the championship, so I would say so.            Q. Given that a driver like Kevin Harvick, who had nine wins this season, completely missed out on the Playoffs, he would have won the championship a few days ago at Texas if the points went the full season, what does it say about the integrity or legitimacy of the championship?CHASE ELLIOTT: I mean, the rules are the rules. I don’t get a vote in that. I don’t want a vote in that. I know they’re the same for everybody when you start the year. Whether you might agree or not agree with it, that’s just what it is.           I’m focused on ourselves and enjoying tonight. Had to come out here and perform, and we did. I think worrying about other competitors is just not going to get us anywhere. I’m just excited for us, looking forward to a great opportunity next week.            Q. What was your message to the team once you got to greet them at the end of the race? You proved tonight that NASCAR is a team sport, good pit stops, appealing the penalty. What did you say to your team?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, just a lot of yelling and screaming and happy people. This is a moment that we haven’t experienced together. I said that a few times tonight. You just don’t know those emotions until you go through it, are able to experience it. We obviously all put a lot of effort in to try to do our jobs to the best of our ability.           T.J. made a mistake. He was heads up enough to go back and fix it, not to have to go to the back of the field. If he hadn’t have done that, I don’t think we’d have been able to win. There just wasn’t enough time left. That’s super heads up.           It absolutely is a team sport. We can’t do it on our own. I can’t do it by myself. No one on our team can do it alone. We recognize that. Feel like we have a great group, a group that’s capable of winning. I thought we showed that and proved that tonight. I think we can have a great shot next week.            Q. Have you had any chance to check in with your father and get reaction? If not, what do you suppose the reaction is going to be back home?CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I’m excited. I don’t have my phone on me. He’s not here. My family isn’t here. I wish they were. So hard, right, to come to these races by yourself some weeks, not have that support group around you.           But I certainly wish they were here, wish we could have shared this moment together. Looking forward to seeing them tonight. Yeah, be headed home here just in a little while.             THE MODERATOR: Chase, congratulations. Thank you so much for taking the time. We’ll see you at Phoenix.             CHASE ELLIOTT: Thanks, guys. ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: 
THE MODERATOR: We are now joined by our race winning crew chief, Alan Gustafson. Congratulations on heading to the Championship 4.           We’ll get right into questions.            Q. On the pit stop when your jackman came back to the wall, you were aware of that? Is that something you drilled into those guys?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I mean, we were certainly aware of it. I can’t take the credit for coaching that into those guys. I think that credit goes to Chris, our pit department. They did a good job of instructing those guys, T.J., what to do.           It’s a new rule. Man, I want to say it’s new this year or last year. It’s certainly an adjustment that NASCAR has made to give those guys a little bit of forgiveness if that was to happen.           Yeah, they did a great job. It was a huge moment in the race. Certainly we didn’t need the mistake. For T.J. to have the wherewithal to go back to the wall and reset was great.            Q. How much stress was there tonight with the way it was going up and down?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, I mean, it’s an intense race. It’s a lot of fun. This is a great track. It’s a good place to do this.           For us, I had my mind made up we were going to have to win. I didn’t really see any way to get in on points. Especially when the 2 and the 11 and some of those guys did a fairly decent the first stage, it was going to be all about winning the race.           We were able to do that fortunately. That was our focus. We didn’t get too caught up in the back and forth of it.            Q. The rule said you have to reestablish yourself to the wall. Did you know you just need to touch the wall? Is that an interpretation that NASCAR described to you or your pit coaches?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Basically, yeah, yes. I don’t know the exact language they described it to us. Yeah, you just got to get back on the wall, your foot back on the wall.           I don’t think it’s a judgment call in my opinion. I think it’s pretty straightforward. He did what he was supposed to do, took the time to reset. It’s the way the rule is stated.            Q. What do you think this win means not for next week but for Chase and your team in the years going forward?ALAN GUSTAFSON: We’ve been trying to take this step now for the last two or three years. I feel like we’ve been really ready to do it, able to do it. We just have not done it when it mattered. Today we were able to.           We were able to overcome some pretty tough circumstances at Texas, come here really in a must‑win situation. Being able to do it was great. It’s great for the team. Super proud of those guys. Everybody at HMS essentially delivered. Brand‑new car, great car. Tons of speed obviously. Great engine. Pit crew did what we had to do. Yeah, it’s a good day.            Q. I heard you get pretty hot about guys running in to you purposely to try to cut the tire using the fender. That’s always been a practice in short‑track racing. Is there any way to police it?ALAN GUSTAFSON: I think it’s self‑policing, in my opinion. There’s a couple guys that consistently do it, at least to us. You just get tired of getting raced that way.           Yeah, I was pretty upset about it. If that ultimately was a tire rub, would have cut our tire down, it was going to get ugly in a hurry.           It happens, right? I get it, you’re racing. I think you see guys when you’re racing them, things happen. You might get into each other. When it happens consistently from the same person, you’re just over it.            Q. What do you believe sets the No. 9 team apart from the other three championship contenders?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Well, our objective is to have the fastest car. That’s going to be the key. That’s certainly what we’re going to try to do. I think the person with the fastest car has a significant advantage in the race. That’s what we’ll focus on trying to do. That’s going to be our objective.            Q. Chase mentioned the importance of he called it to be able to perform when you have no choice. Would you agree with that assessment as an accomplishment tonight?ALAN GUSTAFSON: Yeah, it’s a tough thing to describe. I’m trying to think of the best way.           You have one shot. I mean, that’s it, right? I never played in the Major Leagues or whatever, but you think about the World Series, you’re up to bat, this is it, right? Bottom of the ninth, two outs. It’s up to you to make it happen.           Those pressure situations in sport are great. I think that’s what draws so many fans and gets everybody so excited. It’s such a special moment. That’s what you have to do. You have to be able to deliver. That’s it, it’s your last shot. It’s time to go, time to do it. There’s no tomorrow.           To be able to do it, like I said earlier, I felt confident we had to win. All week I didn’t have any designs of anything but winning. We knew that was what it was going to take. The competition is too good to make up 25 points in a race. That’s just not going to happen. We knew we had to win. Everybody did.           It’s a huge effort. You see what goes on here at the track. What you don’t see is everybody in the shop midnight Friday getting the car ready to go, making sure every single circumstance in the car is as good as it can be, putting their hearts and souls into it.           That’s a huge thing for us to be able to pull it off.             THE MODERATOR: Alan, thank you so much for taking the time to join us today.

NASCAR CUP SERIES XFINITY 500 MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES NOVEMBER 1, 2020
 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 5th      KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 6th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE14th    MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE16th    TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICOWEEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)2nd     Ryan Blaney (Ford)3rd      Joey Logano (Ford)4th      Brad Keselowski (Ford)5th      Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)UNOFFICIAL CURRENT PLAYOFF RANK (Following Race 9 of 10 / Entering into the Championship Four)POS.   DRIVER (* = Chevy Contender)        1st      Joey Logano (Ford)2nd     * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)3rd      Brad Keselowski (Ford)4th      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series seasons concludes at Phoenix Raceway with the Season Finale 500 on Sunday, November 8,^, at 3:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Race WinnerAT THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME, YOU SEE YOUR FIRST VICTORY AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY. YOUR CREW IS A LITTLE EXCITED, AS YOU ARE TOO, RIGHT CHASE?“Oh, my gosh. This is the biggest win ever for us. I’m just so proud to be able to be backed into a corner like that and have to win tonight. I feel like that’s what we’ve been missing these past four or five years and perform when we don’t have a choice. And, to do that tonight; we couldn’t ask for a better night. This is unreal. Thanks to the fans for coming out. They’re here and I love to see it! I’ve just got to catch my breath. This is just unbelievable. We’re going to Phoenix with a shot to win a championship and have a beautiful blue NAPA Camaro headed out there with a shot to win a title. What more could you ask for? WHEN YOU HAD YOUR CAR BACK IN THE PACK A LITTLE BIT AND A COUPLE OF MISCUES ON PIT ROAD, WHAT CONCERNS DID YOU HAVE?“Yeah, I didn’t think our car was driving as good there at the end as it was at the beginning of the race. But those last couple of pit stops made some really good changes and had a good pit stop on that last one and a good last restart. And that was the difference. Everybody makes this possible. This is unbelievable. I’m just at a bit of a loss for words. Like I said, this is the piece we’ve been missing. I feel like we’ve had the group to do this. We just have to go make it happen and we did tonight.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5thKURT BUSCH FINISHES FIFTH, BUT THAT DOESN’T FULLY EXPLAIN THE DAY YOU HAD. YOU GUYS PUT A VALIANT EFFORT TO PUT YOURSELF IN POSITION TO WIN THIS RACE. WHAT MORE DID YOU NEED? “We gave it all we had. I’m really proud of my guys. Chip Ganassi Racing put up a really good fight this year to get this far, to win and to post top-five’s through the Playoffs. We crossed over our threshold. Last week, we finished seventh at Texas, fifth tonight and we’re walking around kind of kicking the ground – like that wasn’t our best effort or we could have done this or could of done that. When I started here two years ago, we finished in the top-five and were celebrating. We’ve come that far in this short amount of time and I’m really proud of everybody back at the shop, Chevrolet, thankful for Monster Energy, GEARWRENCH and all of our partners at Chip Ganassi Racing. To come here with a shot at it, we knew we had to win. It takes a team all the way through. The driver has to make good decision – spotter, pit crew, crew chief and adjustments. We just came up a little shy. Our weakest area was pit road and we know that we need to work on that. But all-in-all, I can’t thank everybody enough. It’s cool to see the evolution of where we’ve come in two years.” YOU’VE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY YOU GUYS ARE AN UNDERDOG COMING INTO THIS ROUND OF EIGHT. I KNOW YOU GUYS MAYBE HAD A LITTLE MORE CONFIDENCE THAN THAT. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU SHOWED THAT WITH THOSE TOP-FIVES AND THE SPEED YOU HAD HERE IN THE ROUND OF EIGHT?“You’re an underdog when you go in ranked eighth out of eight. We had an engine problem at Kansas and that just kicked us straight in the shin. From there, we had to win. Texas, we just didn’t get the job done – we got seventh. Today, we got fifth. Those are great quality finishes, but you can’t rely on those in the Playoffs against the best of the best. Right now, (Kevin) Harvick’s not in. That just shows you how tough this competition is.  ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“I drive this place so wrong. I try to roll the center really fast and then I am like oh we don’t have any drive off. You would think I would figure it out, but I kind of know what I need to do. All in all, a good day for our Planters Chevrolet. Mr. Peanut looked pretty cool. Really proud of Chase (Elliott) and making the final four there. Bummed we aren’t a part of it, but I think we have a solid shot at getting fifth in points. The progress this team has made over the past two months has been incredible. This is something they really deserve.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICOWEEN CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th “Today was a good day for our Germain Racing team. Our GEICOween Chevrolet Camaro would build tight over the run, but Matt (Borland) and the guys continued to make it better with every adjustment. Our team never gives up and I had a lot of fun behind the wheel today. To finish 16th is a great way to end our final Martinsville start together as a team. We are going to head to Phoenix next week and give it everything we have to make the last race for Germain Racing a memorable one.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 MOTORTREND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 24th “This was only my second time at Martinsville Speedway in four years, and I definitely learned a lot today in the No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. We fought pretty much the same problem all day, just too tight in the turns from about two-thirds of the way in through the exit. My team did everything they could today, and we tried every adjustment we could think of to loosen our car up but nothing seemed to stick. Our changes would help for a handful of laps on each restart, but then the track would rubber up and the tightness would return every time. Not our day, but I’m thankful for my team for sticking with it all race long and continuing to fight. We’ll look to finish out the season strong at Phoenix Raceway next weekend.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Team Hang On at Martinsville Speedway For 23rd-Place Finish

23rd   14th

“That’s not the finish we wanted in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway tonight, but we hung on all race and tried our hardest. We just missed the balance. For most of the race, we were too tight and the car just wouldn’t turn. Even though our team worked on our Chevy all race, we never got it. It’s not what we wanted, but I’m proud of this team for never giving up. We’ll go to Phoenix Raceway and finish this season off.”-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 MotorTrend Team Show Perseverance During Martinsville Speedway Run

24th   17th

“This was only my second time at Martinsville Speedway in four years, and I definitely learned a lot today in the No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. We fought pretty much the same problem all day, just too tight in the turns from about two-thirds of the way in through the exit. My team did everything they could today, and we tried every adjustment we could think of to loosen our car up but nothing seemed to stick. Our changes would help for a handful of laps on each restart, but then the track would rubber up and the tightness would return every time. Not our day, but I’m thankful for my team for sticking with it all race long and continuing to fight. We’ll look to finish out the season strong at Phoenix Raceway next weekend.” -Tyler Reddick

NARC NEWSLINE – November 1, 2020, By Jim Allen… Here’s something that has never been said in the 61-year history of the Northern Auto Racing Club during the month of October:  “Welcome to our third race of the season!”  Such was the case when the King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Seriespulled through theKeller Auto Speedwaypit gate in Hanford on October 10^th.   Rest assured, we all agree that having only three races before Halloween sucks on many different levels, but what we have lacked in quantity, we have made up for with quality. I know that sound like a cliché’ marketing slogan but it would pass my polygraph test.  And be thankful because without that, we would all be shuffling like a Zombie down the Tequila aisle at Bevmo! or be in desperate need of strong prescription meds.

The inaugural Morrie Williams Legends Tributelived up to that mantra of a good quality event.  For the first time since … well … I really can’t remember … if ever… we ran a pair of twin 20-main events on the same program.  The first one straight up by times, and the second completely inverted by the finish of the first 20.  Yup, the fast guys charging from the back reminiscent of the 1970’s non-wing days of NARC.  If you were nostalgic enough, you were probably walking through the pit area looking for the likes of LeRoy Van Connect, Hank Butcher, Rick Horton, and Johnny Anderson.

It’s not every day that you can drop this type of event on a NARC King of the West racing schedule.  But without a 2020 championship being pursued, and everyone eager to honor the late great Morrie Williams,it became a reality.  It started at the top with promoter Peter Murphydoing what he does best by putting on his “Sprint Car Ambassador”hat and talking it up.  This included many conversations with local officials who are basically handcuffed by PP (Pandemic Politics) in Sacramento.  But with less than a month remaining before the scheduled race day, it was cleared for launch.  At that point, Ashley Smithcaffeinated-up and hustled extra sponsorship support for the show that eventually sported a healthy $28,000 purse.  Not bad for having to run only 10 extra action-packed feature event laps.

What made this event really, really work was an exceptional multiple-line racing surface that promoted great wheel-to-wheel racing.  Although he will never admit it before the event, Peter Murphywas a little stressed because he knew an excellent track surface was 100% mandatory for this 20/20 in 2020.  A hooked up first 20, followed by a rubber-down back 20 would have been disastrous.  In the end, Murphy deserved a nice frosty Fostersbeer for what he delivered!  Drivers were charging from deep in the pack and it was “edge of the seat” type of open wheel entertainment.

One of the best things about this show was it had a storybook ending that few could have predicted.  After all, what are the odds of two different Williams Motorsports white ZERO cars winning the two features?  (Well, that one might actually have good odds.)  And what is the numerical probability that one of those winning cars was towed to Hanford on an open trailer?  That hasn’t happened at a NARC race since the early 1990’s.  Kyle Hirst’s cushion-riding final lap, wheel-hopping photo finish over Mitchell Faccintohad America vaulting off their couches with a massive beer-spilling adrenalin rush.  It was the sixth lead change in the first 20-laps.  Dominic Scelzi’ s methodical charge to the front in the second main after starting 11^thwas a gem also.  You can chalk up some of that success to a pair of master crew chiefs by the name of Sean GrealyandAshley Smith.  In the end, it was a great Katie Scott, Hirst, Scelzi, Grealy, Smith& crew photograph in victory lane that served as a perfect legends tribute to Morrie Williams. Two races, two winners. Kyle Hirst and Dominic Scelzi got it done! Photo by Ashley Grealy.

MORRIE WILLIAMS RACE NOTES:  One of the more impressive performances was by 2005 series champ Sean Beckerin the Dan Monhoff#35 machine.  He started 10^thand took the lead from Kyle Hirstin the late going of the first event, only to have the caution wave and revert back a lap.  That got Hirst sitting high in the seat with his elbows-up the rest of the way.  Becker ended up with a front row seat for the crazy Hirst/Mitchell Faccintowheel-to-wheel scuffle at the checkered.  The “Shark” started 17^thin the second feature and fought his way to fourth.  That was good enough to finish second in the overall standings, only one spot behind Tim Kaeding. … Speaking of Kaeding, he was on a mission during the final laps of the night, getting past Becker and Ryan Robinsonduring the last 1 ½ laps.  That was worth an additional $1000 and something everybody needs, a Budweiseracoustic guitar. … Iowa’s Austin McCarlwas the featured driver in the Roth Motorsports 83JRand was a rocket from the first second he stomped on the loud pedal.  He set quick time, picked off his heat race, and claimed the Sunnyvalley Bacondash to start on the pole. At this point, it looked like he was going to pull a “Spencer Baystonrepeat of June 20th” and sweep the night.  But racing is unpredictable, otherwise we would be doing something else on our weekends.  He ended up eighth and fifth in the two 20’s. …

… Earning the Hardcharger award proved to be lucrative.  Sean Becker(10^thto 3^rd) and Tim Kaeding(16^thto 2^nd) ended up with the honors.  Each pocketed $400 from Swift Metal Finishingand Alan Cade, plus a Hoosierright rear tire. … Two-days before the event, Tarlton Motorsportsannounced that Bud Kaedingwas their driver for the Morrie Williams event.  Wasn’t expecting that?  The familiar BK Racing 69sported a 360 powerplant which he used to claim the Kings of Thunder 360 Cotton Classicrace over Mr. Scelzi. … Yes, that was Sean Grealy sporting white coveralls honoring Mr. Williams. …  No tire changes were allowed during the intermission unless the team wanted their car to start the second 20 at the very back (even behind the lapped cars).  Most knew it, but some got sidetracked.  The Country Buildersteam inadvertently changed a LR tire and had to start dead last in feature number two. Otherwise, Kyle Offillwould have started in the fourth row. … When Stan Greenbergand Mitchell Faccintowere asked if they were considering a RR tire change during intermission, they answered they couldn’t if they wanted to.  Their spare was on their 360.  The Williams Motorsports team changed the RR on Hirst car after the win figuring they had nothing to lose.  Hirst pulled off only 11 laps in with motor issues. … Yes, that was Burt Foland Jr.driving a 410-powered sprint car. … Ryan Robinsonled the first 15-laps of the second feature in Mike Phulps #56. … Blake Carrickwas impressive battling for the lead midway through the first main.  He finished fifth.  Tanner Carrickfinished sixth in the second race. …  Kyle Hirst captured Friday nights Kings of Thunder 410 feature at Hanford.  Yes, that was Sean Watts who set quick time. …

… We would like to thank all the sponsors of the event once again.  They include:  EMADCO, Southern Pacific Farms, Fujitsu General, Tiner/Hirst Enterprises, Ashley Smith, Johnstone Supply, Floracing.com, Kistler Racing Engines, Prior Engineering, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, Hoosier Tire West, Roth Motorsports, Dan Bandy, Kevin Shearer Design and Peter Murphy. …

NARC NOTES:  We know there isn’t a NARC-KWS championship points race this season due to the COVID challenged schedule.  But, if there was, Tim Kaedingand car owners Joshua Bates/Roger Hamiltonwould be on top of the standings.  Kaeding leads Mitchell Faccintoby five points and the car owner duo has a three-point advantage over Tarlton Motorsports.  Kaeding will be competing with the Outlaws at the season finale, so the mythical 2020 championship driver’s battle is up for grabs.  The Bates-Hamilton team is expected to announce their cameo driver soon.  No matter what happens, this will be a great trivia question a decade or two down the road: “Who won the 2020 NARC King of the West championships that didn’t count?”… Dennis Rothwas presented with the prestigious Dave Bradway Jr. Inspirational Trophyat Hanford.  Roth’s contributions to sprint car racing could easily fill a Hall of Fame. Team Manager Todd Venturaaccepted the award on his behalf because Dennis was home nursing a sore back.  However, he was watching the presentation on Floracing.com.…

… It’s also time for a random shout out to Keller Motorsportsmotor sponsor Mike Mitchell Construction.  He is a General Contractor out of Paso Robles who actively supports the 410-motor program of the Keller’s and driver JJ Ringo.  This sport isn’t cheap, and we need all the Mike Mitchell’s we can get.  Thank him if you get a chance (www.mitchellconst.com).  Better yet, do business with him if the opportunity presents itself.  Please support those who support sprint car racing. …  Mike Andreettaand Chris Goodwill be presenting the Billy Albini Mechanic of the Year Awardat the season finale.  Expect this award to recognize past crew chief superheroes as well as current ones because there are a lot of noteworthy candidates that need to be put on a pedestal. …  Enjoyed a nice conversation with Greg DeCairesin the Hanford pits.  DeCaires just finished up radiation cancer treatments and is now in the recovery mode – ready to tackle regular life again and go back to work.  What started out as a little lump became serious, but he got a jump on it and got treated  We traded cancer recovery stories and concluded that we were glad we both acted fast.  Not to provide any medical advice here, but we ask that all of you race fans do the same.  Go to the doctor and get a physical once a year.  You’ll live longer! … The 2021 season opener?  How about March 13^that Kern County Raceway Park!…

WHAT’S NEXT?  Well, the only thing better than three NARC King of the West410 races in 2020, would be four.  Stockton Dirt Trackpromoter Tony Noceti, who has been chomping at the bit since March to get the lights turned on, finally got an approval to stage a racing event (without mufflers no less.)  It will be the November 7^thTribute to Gary Patterson.  Are the grandstands open for front gate general admission?  NO …, BUT …, that’s not any fault of anyone in the racing community.  However, and this is a big HOWEVER, there will be two types of pit passes offered to accommodate an “in person” experience.  Stay with me here and read between the lines.  All racing team participants, diehard fans and people staying in the pit area will purchase the normal (HOT) pit pass.  For this event, there will also be a COLD PASS sold at the front gate tunnel for race fans/sponsors/fanatics.  A $30 cold pass will get you into the pits until racing gets underway around 5:00 p.m.

At that point, all “Cold-Passers” will be funneled back into the main grandstand area, where they can safely enjoy the 37^thAnnual GP race, along with 360 racing on the 4/10^thmile dirt oval. Make sense?  It’s what has to be done to play within the regulations that were provided.

As part of our standard public service announcement, please note that the normal California COVID-19 safety protocols are in full effect:  Wear a mask, practice social distancing, and don’t sing, chant, chew tobacco, bob for apples, share a Kleenex, sit at a bar, spit out your gum or sunflower seeds, French kiss a homeless person, play a kazoo, get your nails done, trade bodily fluids in the parking lot, travel to Wuhan, use a friends toothbrush or earplugs, pick your teeth with a business card, work out with gym equipment, cough, sneeze, touch your face, hold hands, or … use a plastic straw or bag.  And for God’s sake, if you don’t feel good, please stay at home, and watch the festivities on Floracing.com

Coming to you live from Auburn, CA.  See ya.

NASCAR CUP SERIES XFINITY 500 MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT NOVEMBER 1, 2020
JIMMIE JOHNSON, ALLY ‘SIGN FOR JIMMIE’ CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media and discussed nearing the end of the 2020 season, his goals looking ahead, his primary sponsor for 2021 INDYCAR and partners for other special events on his wish list, and more. Full Transcript: WHAT EMOTIONS ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW?“I’m excited, honestly. It’s been an amazing journey and one that I could have never dreamed of; and to be here at the end of it going out on my terms and when I choose to go out. With the great support of Hendrick Motorsports, Ally, friends & family, partners, and everybody involved, I’m excited. I’m happy. I’m in a great head space. I’m excited to be at one of my best tracks. The sun is out, thankfully; unlike last week and I’m excited to get going.”
YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT MAYBE DOING SOME ONE-OFF NASCAR RACES IN THE FUTURE. NOW THAT YOU’VE GOT THE SPONSORSHIP SORTED OUT ON THE INDYCAR SIDE OF THINGS, HAVE YOU HAD THOSE CONVERSATIONS AND WHERE DOES THAT STAND?“Yeah, nothing directly. The whole group understands some options that could be out there, but we’ve all been so busy trying to finish up the current NASCAR season and just trying to get prepared for the start of the INDYCAR season for next season, that nothing has really materialized yet. So, to be determined. I hope to get something kind of moving on the Rolex 24. That’s certainly high on my list for next year. But again, with my plate being so full wrapping up and then just trying to get started on the INDYCAR side, I haven’t had a chance to work on much of that, either.”
WHEN YOU LOOK AT YOUR TWO DECADES IN THE CUP SERIES, DO YOU HAVE ANY REGRETS? DO YOU WISH YOU COULD GET A DO-OVER ON ANYTHING OR WISH YOU COULD RE-DO AN ENTIRE SEASON OR WISH YOU COULD HAVE ONE RACE BACK?“I think do-overs; I’m not sure about regrets. I’ve always felt like mistakes made really give you a chance to learn and grow. And although the last three years really haven’t been how I wanted them to go or expected them to go. I’ve done a lot of learning and soul searching on my own and feel like I’ve had a lot of personal growth through it all. So, I’m thankful for that. There are some moments in time that I wish I could do over or handle differently, but no real regrets at the end of the day.”
EVERYBODY TALKS ABOUT WHAT A NICE GUY YOU ARE. PEOPLE ALSO SAY THAT NICE GUYS FINISH LAST. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MESH THE TWO?“I think if you just be yourself, ultimately you’re going to be the best that you can be. Anybody that’s trying to be nice and isn’t, is going to fall short. And it plays the same way in the other direction. And I think you’re personality and the way you treat people and handle things, not only impacts your live specifically, but it also attracts like-minded people to be around you and the teams that you drive for and the sponsors that you have. When I look at the big picture you see all these other variables where like-minded people have assembled together and we’re able to do what we do. So, it’s a saying and I think I understand why; because competition is fierce and you have to be cutthroat at times, but I think I’m one of quite a few examples that if you just be yourself, and do your thing, you can be respectful and kind to others and still succeed in a competitive sport.”
DO YOU THINK THAT WAS PART OF YOUR ATTITUDE EARLY JUST BECAUSE YOU DIDN’T HAVE SUCCESS IN THE XFINITY SERIES?“Yes, Xfinity; and then I would back up to my ASA days, different moments in time in my off-road days, my motocross days; I’ve had patterns my whole life where things started slowly and then I was able to have my moment. And it goes all the way back to my earliest years of racing on dirt bikes. And then I’d also have to put my family dynamic in there; how I grew up and my parents and my siblings and just the way we lived our lives and interacted with others.”
ON THE SPONSOR-SIDE, YOU’VE BEEN PRETTY FORTUNATE WITH LOWES AND ALLY. HOW DID THE CARVANA SPONSORSHIP COME TOGETHER FOR YOU IN INDYCAR AND WHAT WAS YOUR ROLE IN THAT?  HOW SATISFYING WAS THAT TO PUT TOGETHER?“It was certainly satisfying. And, as I understood the hurdles, I had in front of me to go INDYCAR racing, I went to my contact lists and my friends, far and wide; some in North Carolina, some in New York, and some out in Colorado. I just started conversations with people that I knew were plugged into corporate America, if you will. And that led to some other phone calls and eventually phone calls to the Carvana folks. And quick in the conversations with them, I could sense that Ernie Garcia, the founder of Carvana, could really identify the opportunity here. Although he is not very familiar with auto racing and sports marketing in that sense, he could understand kind of the life story going on or my journey and the opportunity within all of that. And within short order, they expressed a verbal interest and wanted to move forward with things.
“So, I’m very pleased, obviously, to have them. It’s a tough world out there right now with the pandemic. And to find such an amazing sponsor with such reach and understanding of this opportunity was really special to us. And then we’re certainly looking forward to a few more partners to come on-board with the INDYCAR program; and then as I move into some other one-off events, we’ll need other partners for that stuff as well. Through our search in my office and the contacts that we have, what I’ve accumulated on a digital platform standpoint, clearly success on track, and this opportunity to tell a story in transitioning from NASCAR to other forms of racing, creates a unique opportunity for many marketers, that at least I could call on and they would listen to you. Finding those right partners are just so important.”
WAS THERE EVER A FEAR THAT YOU MIGHT NOT COME UP WITH SPONSORSHIP? WOULD THAT HAVE DE-RAILED THE INDYCAR DEAL OR WERE YOU JUST THAT CONFIDENT YOU WOULD FIND SOMEBODY?“I’ve really felt good about things. I wasn’t sure, I didn’t feel in my heart that we would have a sole primary sponsor for INDYCAR. I felt like selling it in three, four-race blocks or four, three-race blocks, might be the way to go about it and the way we would get to the finish line. But as soon as we spoke to Carvana, we understood that if they came in they would come in on a big level. And that kind of changed our thought process then.”
YOU MENTIONED THE ROLEX 24 EARLIER. DO YOU WANT TO RUN IT AGAIN BECAUSE IN EIGHT STARTS YOU STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN THE WATCH? TO GET THAT WATCH, WOULD THAT JUST BE SOMETHING YOU COULD ADD TO YOUR RESUME? IS THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU?“Oh, without a doubt. The fact that I’ve been second twice fuels that fire a bit more (laughs). And, in these bucket lists items involve marquee events and Le Mans and the Rolex 24, those are on the top of any auto racer’s list. They’re still on mine although I’ve been in the Rolex 24 quite a few times; I just want to go back and do it. These marquee events and unique opportunities like this really sound fun and exciting to me moving forward.”
OTHER THAN THE INDY 500, IS THERE ONE TRACK IN PARTICULAR, FROM AN INDYCAR STANDPOINT, THAT CALLS YOUR NAME OR SOMETHING YOU’VE ALWAYS SAID, THAT’S THE ONE?“There are quite a few that are really interesting. But as a kid, I just knew so much more what was going on in California. And the track in Monterey was always so picturesque and unique and different with the corkscrew; so that was really high on my list. But then as I started dreaming of a professional racing career, the Long Beach Grand Prix was an event that I would go to in order to get face time with everyone at Chevrolet. Showing up there and thinking of racing and wondering if I could have a professional career, changed my experience at that track. So, I think those two tracks are probably the most meaningful ones for me right now as I look forward to my schedule next year.”
TWO YEARS AGO, THIS WAS THE RACE WHERE YOU ANNOUNCED THE ALLY PARTNERSHIP. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT? WHAT HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP BEEN LIKE WITH THEM? DO YOU EXPECT TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM AFTER YOUR NASCAR CAREER?“I really do. We’re working on what that arrangement will look like. I feel like we just have so many synergies together and share so much in common with our identity or brand identity if you will. I’ve become very close with the executive staff at Ally. They’re not only working friends, but I have friendships and relationship with them and have been integrated into their company in a very unique and fun way. So, I really see the relationship continuing on longer. And I’m very happy for Mr. Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports and the long relationship that they’ll have with Ally. I think they’re signed-up through 2023, if I remember right. It clearly makes a lot of sense from a B-to-B standpoint. But then again with Ally’s presence in Charlotte and their CEO living there in town and just the relationship we’ve all built; especially Rick (Hendrick) and the Ally folks. I would anticipate Ally being around at Hendrick Motorsports for a long time and hopefully with me, for many years to come, as well.”
REGARDING THE CHOOSE RULE, THE WAY THE CARS HAVE BEEN LINING UP HAS BEEN RATHER EVEN. WHY HAS THAT BEEN THE CASE?“I don’t know. I’m running it through my mind. I think you’re probably right. You probably have stats to prove that (laughs). I don’t know. I think ultimately, we just wanted that opportunity to choose what happens. You see some of these races play out because you had a strong car and you didn’t have a chance to pick the right lane or you didn’t come off pit road in the right spot or drivers were dragging their feet to try to be even or odd for what needed on that particular race track. So just to take all that out seemed like a cleaner and easier way to go about it. And the conversation was bounced around for quite a few years. In the end, once we tried it, we realized there wasn’t a great affect and it’s pretty simple to manage. And everybody feels like they chose their own destiny. So, it just kind of negates any reason to argue and it’s turned out really well.”

Taylor Sets GTLM Record in Pole Position RunGavin to start third in another strong showing for Corvette C8.R at new track

MONTEREY, Calif. (Nov. 1, 2020) – Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor captured pole position and set a GT Le Mans track record in the process Sunday morning ahead of the Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Taylor, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set the fastest time in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTLM category – 1:21.483 (98.876 mph) – as he and teammate Antonio Garcia look to close out the class Drivers and Team championships. It was the fifth pole position of 2020 for Corvette Racing, fourth in a row for the No. 3 Corvette and fourth of the season for Taylor. He broke the previous GTLM qualifying record by 0.074 seconds. Oliver Gavin will line up behind Taylor on the GTLM grid after qualifying third in class with the No. 4 Corvette. His best lap of 1:21.853 (98.429 mph) was only 0.370 from the other C8.R and barely a tenth-of-a-second from starting second with teammate Tommy Milner; the No. 4 pairing is second in GTLM points heading into today’s next-to-last round of the season. The Monterey Sports Car Championship is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET today with same-day television coverage on NBCSN beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold will offer live streaming of the full race starting at 4 p.m. ET. In addition, IMSA Radio will broadcast the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. The race also will air on XM channel 202 and SiriusXM Online 972.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was good. This is more of a championship-focused weekend, but we have a competitive Corvette and we saw that right out of the box. We led both practice sessions and obviously we led qualifying. The C8.R is definitely quick and has pace. The race will be a much different story with tire degradation and things like that. We wanted to get track position early on like this, so the qualifying went well for that. The year has been going incredibly well… our fourth pole in a row. We’re trying to close out the season on a strong point.” MOOD OF THE TEAM CLOSING IN ON CHAMPIONSHIP BUT SEEING NEWS ABOUT OLIVER GAVIN IN 2021:“It’s business as usual. The news about Oliver was disappointing for everyone, but he’s in great spirits. He’s a racer and is at the track wanting to win the race. It was a small talking point at the start of the weekend, but once the weekend started with practice, it was back to business as usual, trying to work on the cars and race strategy. Sebring will be his last full-time race with the team, so that one might be a little bit different. But it’s almost more special to have that one be his final race.” ADAPTING TO THE TRACK WITH NO PREVIOUS TESTING: “It’s similar to Mid-Ohio. The track is low-grip so the car is moving around a lot more. The tire compounds are similar for what you want to use. We were able to do a day at the simulator, which was a big help to get the setup in the window where we wanted it. I think we’ve tried two setup changes on our car and have gone back to where we started the weekend. It was crucial to have that day to get up to speed for Tommy and I. When we got here, the car was right where we wanted it and we were strongest right out of the box. This was good proof of the simulator working again.” ON POTENTIALLY CLINCHING THE GTLM CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY: “The week off between Petit Le Mans and now, it was on my mind. But as soon as you’re in the car, you want to do the best job possible and be quickest. Now we’re on pole and our mentality is to win the race. We have a competitive car so we can race for the win. I don’t think points are going to be really at the top of our minds most of the day. It’s going to be about maximizing the results with what we have.”

2020 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTLM Standings (After Nine of 11 Events) Driver Standings1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2932. Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2653. Jesse Krohn/John Edwards – 2614. Bruno Spengler/Connor De Phillippi – 2595. Fred Makowiecki/Nick Tandy – 2326. Earl Bamber/Laurens Vanthoor – 222 Team Standings1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2932. No. 4 Corvette Racing – 2653. No. 24 BMW Team RLL – 2614. No. 25 BMW Team RLL – 2595. No. 911 Porsche GT Team – 2326. No. 912 Porsche GT Team – 222 Manufacturer Standings1. Chevrolet – 3042. BMW – 2883. Porsche – 2514. Ferrari – 28 CORVETTE RACING AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for more than 20 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Laguna Seca since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (1999-04) Corvette C6.R (2005-2013) and the Corvette C7.R (2014-2019). The new mid-engine Corvette C8.R will make it four starting this weekend.• 4: Career victories at Laguna Seca for Oliver Gavin – all with Corvette Racing.• 7: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004.• 10: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing for the current driving lineup – Oliver Gavin (four), Antonio Garcia (three) and Tommy Milner (two) and Jordan Taylor (one).• 11: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, seven went on to win at Monterey.• 11: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition.• 12: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 21: Number of GT Le Mans wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.• 25: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 29: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999.• 113: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 105 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 236: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 12,292.10: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 19 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 5,575 laps or nearly 725 trips along historic 17-Mile Drive on the Monterey Peninsula.• 310,644.74: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is nearly halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – at 622,268 miles.

·        Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Ron Capps drove his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the No.1 spot in the final qualifying session of the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing season at the Dodge NHRA Finals Presented by Pennzoil

·        Capps earned his first No.1 qualifier position of the season and taking it away from the provisional pole sitter and points leader Matt Hagan at The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway

·        No. 2 qualifier Hagan leads No. 4 seed Tommy Johnson Jr. and No. 10 Jack Beckman into the final elimination rounds of the 2020 season to determine the NHRA world champion among the top-three DSR Dodge Funny Cars

·        Leah Pruett will launch her Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel dragster from the No. 6 position in her quest to secure a top-three finish in the championship 

·        Pruett starts her Mopar Drag Pak from No.3 spot in Factory Stock while teammate Mark Pawuk looks for runner-up finish in the Factory Stock Showdown championship to close out the 2020 season.

October 31, 2020, Las Vegas, Nev. – The final qualifying sessions of the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racing Series season have been completed at the Dodge Finals Presented by Pennzoil with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car pilot Ron Capps taking his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the No. 1 qualifier position. Capps and his DSR teammates, Matt Hagan, Tommy Johnson Jr. and Jack Beckman head into the final eliminations rounds of the season battling for the Funny Car world championship with a points-a-half format to determine the winner among them.

Capps earned his first No.1 qualifier honors of the season, the 25^th of his career, in the final session with a 3.902-second elapsed time pass at 327.98 mph to dislodge the provisional pole sitter and the defending race winner Hagan. Capps has taken home five Wally trophies (2001, 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2012) from The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway and will start his quest for another against Chris Morel in the first round.

With the qualifying result Capps added four bonus points to his total which has him fourth in the standings that the four DSR Dodge Funny Car have dominated all season-long with an undefeated streak of 13 national event wins that stretches back to October 2019.

Hagan’s 3.911-second pass at 327.82 mph was enough to keep his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye No. 2 on the ladder. Looking to secure his third championship title, the Mopar driver will begin his drive through eliminations with a first round match against Cruz Pedregon.

Should he be successful, the biggest challenge of the day could be a quarterfinal pairing with teammate and fellow championship contender Beckman who qualified tenth and would need to beat Hagan for his own chance to vie for the title.

Johnson Jr qualified fourth with a solid 3.915-second pass at 319.14 mph aboard his MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, earning bonus points in both sessions for posting the fourth and third quickest runs, respectively, and will look to turn on four win lights on Sunday to earn his first Funny Car championship title. 

Trailing the points leader by 45 and 52 markers respectively, Johnson and Beckman would both have to finish two rounds ahead of Hagan for a chance to win the Funny Car crown. With both on opposite sides of the ladder, that could also set up an all-DSR Dodge final round showdown for both the national event win and the Funny Car world championship.

Last year’s No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier at the Fall Vegas event, Leah Pruett set the second quickest run in the first session by driving her “Demon-possessed” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye dragster to a 3.791 sec./ 322.04 mph run. That lap was good enough to keep her in the top half of the ladder when her second run didn’t go as planned and will see her line up against Chris Karamesines in the opening round. From her No. 6 position, Leah hopes to make a run for her first event win of the season and boost her back into the top-three in the standings to finish the season in which she was part of the championship conversation until the very end. 

Pruett will also close out the season with a No. 3 Factory Stock Showdown starting position for her Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak after setting the second quickest run in the first session and then improving on her second lap with a 7.976 sec./170.00 mph pass. She’ll meet up with Kevin Skinner in the opposite lane for her first run on Sunday. 

Meanwhile, her Factory Stock Showdown DSR Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak teammate Mark Pawuk, after two difficult qualifying sessions without a clean run, finds himself starting from 15^th place on the ladder. He will line up his Empaco Equipment Drag Pak against No. 2 qualifier Aaron Stanfield who clinched the Factory Stock Showdown championship last weekend after their semi-final match-up at the Mopar Express Lane Spring Nationals. Pawuk will be looking to win that rematch to help him secure a runner-up finish in the Factory Stock Showdown championship.

The 2020 NHRA season concludes at the Dodge NHRA Finals in Las Vegas with FS1 broadcasting the action on Sunday, Nov. 1. Qualifying highlights will air from 2-4 p.m. ET and then eliminations from 4- 7 p.m. ET will feature live coverage of the final rounds.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES: 

Jack Beckman, Infinite Hero Foundation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 10 Qualifier – 3.996 seconds at 309.70 mph)
Qualifying 1: 4.983 sec./ 153.37 mph  

Qualifying 2: 3.996 sec./ 309.70 mph

“You can strategize and worry yourself into the ground trying to figure out where you should qualify to be the most advantageous. Sometimes it’s easier to put your blinders on and go up there and try to get data for the car. Low and behold, the ladder turned out exactly the way we needed it. If we go out and win the race we will be the champions. We will get to face Matt Hagan early in eliminations and if they beat us more power to them. And if we beat them we’re going to keep marching on. This is going to be one of the most exciting Sunday’s of my entire career. This is the site where I got my first nitro win back in 2006 and if this is the end of my career this would be the perfect place to close it out.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Funny Car  
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.911 seconds at 327.82 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.911 sec./327.82 mph 

Qualifying 2: 6.026 sec./ 113.06 mph

“We ended up No. 2 and made a great first run out here at (Las) Vegas and ended up No. 2. If we get there, we could see (Jack) Beckman second round. We just need everything to fall in place. We have a great opportunity with a great race car and Vegas has been very kind to me. We’ve been lucky. We want to keep that going, but it’s drag racing and you just never know and that’s why the fans buy tickets to see what’s going to happen. This Dodge SRT Redeye Hellcat is hauling the mail and I’m fortunate to be driving it.”

Tommy Johnson Jr., MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 4 Qualifier –  3.915 seconds at 319.14 mph)

Qualifying 1: 3.939 sec./ 310.98 mph 

Qualifying 2: 3.915 sec./ 319.14 mph

“I’m happy with how qualifying played out. We have a really good, consistent race car and we’re ok for tomorrow to go some rounds. So far, everything is going as planned and we’ll go out tomorrow and see if we can click off four more like we did the last race and see how it all falls after that.”
 
Ron Capps, Pennzoil NAPA Auto Parts Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.902 seconds at 327.98 mph)
Qualifying 1: 3.958 sec./ 324.20 mph

Qualifying 2:  3.902 sec./ 327.98 mph

“A great job (Rahn) Tobler, Dustin (Heim) and the guys. We obviously brought this car out under extreme circumstances for the final round in Gainesville and it won, and then we brought it out again in Houston and came close to winning last Sunday. Honestly, we had never warmed the car up until today. Both those final rounds we didn’t get to warm the car up because we were under such pressure and time constraints. Tobler decided to run this car and I kept telling him how much I like this car and I love driving it and my lights are good and it feels right. Low and behold, it went out and made a nice, safe run. We had some DSR parts we wanted to try on the first lap, so we had to back it down a bit and just get down there. And then everything was right to plan with the NAPA Know How we talk about and it went up there and leaned on the tune-up and that number popped up. It probably had more in it, but at the time that’s what he was trying to do. For me, I wanted to get a Camping World hat and obviously a win would be great, but to steal the No. 1 spot at the last race of the year is a big feather in the cap. Now time to do some big stuff tomorrow.”

Leah Pruett, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye Top Fuel Dragster  
(No. 6 Qualifier – 3.791  seconds at 322.04 mph)

Qualifying 1: 3.791 sec./ 322.04 mph 

Qualifying 2: 6.414 sec./ 103.29 mph

“One of our favorite things to do is race at (Las) Vegas. We have a strong history of qualifying well and going deep into the rounds. We laid down a solid Q1 pass and were excited about the foundation that allowed us to put the coals to it for Q2. Unfortunately, we had about 24 extra seconds on the line idling which drowned more than a gallon of fuel and these cars are very sensitive to weight and I had the front tires in the air much longer than normal and when they came down we smoked the tires. We had it set up to run a high .60, low .70 and go to the No. 1 spot. We can’t change the variables from that Q2 run, but we are ready for a very long Sunday and finish the season in a strong manner.”

Mark Pawuk, Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak– Factory Stock Shootout
(No. 15 Qualifier – 9.346 seconds at 168.22 mph)

Qualifying 1: 9.346 sec./168.22 mph 

Qualifying 2: 21.467 sec./ 47.63 mph

“Coming into the last race of the season, we were really looking forward to making some good laps, but unfortunately we couldn’t get the car to hook up either session today. So, the car is going to have to go down the race track tomorrow. We qualified way down in the field and we’ll be running one of the fastest cars in round one. I’m going to do the best I can. I know my crew will be there for me and we’ll tune this Drag Pak Hemi up and try to knock out one of the top qualifiers.”

Leah Pruett, Mopar Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak – Factory Stock Shootout 
(No. 3 Qualifier – 7.976 seconds at 170 mph)
Qualifying 1: 7.989 sec. /170.17 mph

Qualifying 2: 7.976 sec./ 170.00 mph

“The car ran really good on both runs and that puts us deep in the field like we want. We’ve never race El Bandito in (Las) Vegas before. We need some win lights on Sunday and a little gold man. We’ve got the car and the setup for it just like we’ve been preaching all season and it’s finally here. This would be a good way to wrap up this 2020 Factory Stock (Showdown) season. We have a lot of confidence heading into Sunday. We want a strong day in both Factory and Top Fuel and I feel good.”

Late Race Incident Spoils Top-10 Run For Myatt Snider and The No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team at Martinsville Speedway

23rd   22nd

“It felt really good to be back with Richard Childress Racing and this entire No. 21 TaxSlayer team today at Martinsville Speedway. We had great speed, but we battled the handling of our TaxSlayer Chevrolet throughout the day. I just could not get the car to rotate through the center how we needed it to. My crew chief, Andy Street, played some great strategy to get us towards the front in the final stage and I was able to drive up inside the top-five. We ended up getting turned around in the pack after a pit stop, which really set us back. That incident led to us losing a lap, but we battled back to be in position for the free pass. I was really hoping we would catch a late yellow, so we could get our lap back and make our way back towards the front, but unfortunately, it just didn’t play in our favor. I am still really proud of our team. We had a really nice looking Halloween TaxSlayer scheme this weekend and I wish we could have gotten the finish we deserved. I am looking forward to finishing the year strong next weekend at Phoenix.”  -Myatt Snider

Longest serving, most accomplished driver in Corvette Racing program history

DETROIT (October 31, 2020) – Chevrolet and Corvette Racing are paying tribute to the accomplishments of Oliver Gavin, who will step away from full-time competition with the program at the end of 2020. Gavin, one of sports car racing’s biggest stars, has been part of Corvette Racing since 2002 and will complete his 18th full-time season with the team at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in two weeks. The first race for Gavin with Corvette Racing took place at Sebring in 2002, and he was promoted to full-time status the following year. Gavin’s list of accomplishments with Corvette Racing is unmatched. He has more starts (201), championships (five), race wins (51), 24 Hours of Le Mans victories (five) and pole positions (25) than any other driver in program history. He also has won five times at both Sebring and Petit Le Mans with Corvette Racing and captured the Rolex 24 At Daytona in 2016 to begin his latest championship run. “To have been with the same team for 19 seasons has been an immense privilege, and I thank from the bottom of my heart each and every person who has shared that journey with me,” Gavin said. “It’s been an amazing run, and I’ve been very lucky to have been able to drive at such a high level for so long. I’m extremely proud of what we’ve achieved together, especially the championship wins and milestone victories at Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring, among others. I’m also very proud of the part I played in developing four generations of Corvette race cars for both IMSA and at Le Mans, and I look forward to exploring opportunities to represent Chevrolet and Corvette Racing in the future.”

In addition to his competitive record, Gavin also has been a fundamental part in the development of every generation of racing Corvette during his tenure with the program. His efforts in the Corvette C5-R laid the groundwork for the GT1- and GT-spec versions of the C6.R. Gavin was heavily involved in testing and development of the C7.R and mid-engine C8.R. He won an IMSA championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring with the Corvette C7.R. “Oliver Gavin is a name that is synonymous with Corvette Racing,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “He has been one of the sport’s greatest drivers and a fantastic representative of Chevrolet for nearly two decades – on the track, working with our Corvette production engineers, and engaging Corvette owners and fans around the world.” Gavin claimed the first pole position for the C8.R at Daytona in July, and he and Milner won the next event at Sebring in their No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R. They stand second in the GT Le Mans Drivers’ Championship entering this weekend’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event at Laguna Seca. “All of us at Chevrolet thank Oliver for his nearly 20 years of contributions to Corvette Racing,” Campbell added. “No driver at Corvette Racing has started more events, captured more championships or won more races. Oliver’s success has brought great improvements over the years not just to Corvette Racing, but also to every Corvette that sits in an owner’s driveway. We are hopeful of creating more of those opportunities with Oliver into the future.” Details on Corvette Racing’s complete driver roster for 2021 will be confirmed at a later date.

SPEEDWAYRIDGEWAY, VIRGINIA NOVEMBER 1, 2020

MARTINSVILLE: RACE #35NASCAR’S three national series head to the .526-mile oval of Martinsville Speedway to close out the Playoffs’ Round of Eight and the last opportunity for drivers to punch their ticket for the Championship Four in each series. For the second time this season, the NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Martinsville, Virginia, short track for the Xfinity 500. The 500-lap, 263-mile event will be the 144th race in the track’s history for NASCAR’s premier series and the first time that Martinsville has held the elimination race for the Round of Eight. 
The Playoff tripleheader kicks off under the lights with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series’ NASCAR Hall of Fame 200 tonight, October 30th, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Day two is an appearance by the NASCAR Xfinity Series with the Draft Top 250 on Saturday, October 31st, at 3:30 p.m. ET, the first time the series has been at Martinsville Speedway since 2006. To conclude the weekend. The NASCAR Cup Series’ Xfinity 500 will wrap up the Playoff Round of Eight cut-off weekend on Sunday, November 1st, at 2:00 p.m. ET. 
As NASCAR returns to Martinsville Speedway, up to 1,000 fans will be welcomed back to the venue and have the chance to experience the three days of Playoff racing action in-person. 
ROUND OF EIGHT: THE ELIMINATION RACE  It all comes down to 500-laps around the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval of Martinsville Speedway to set the field for the series’ championship. Martinsville Speedway has held three different spots on the post-season schedule since the beginning of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2004. It’s the third different track to be positioned as the ninth event in the Playoff stretch, joining Darlington Raceway (2004) and Phoenix Raceway (2005-2019).  Three Team Chevy drivers have their eye on the final three spots left in the Championship Four and their opportunity to compete for the title of the NASCAR Cup Series Champion. Going into the Round of Eight elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, here’s where the Team Chevy drivers currently sit in the Playoff standings, as well as key statistics at the track:  Alex Bowman, No. 88 Planters Camaro ZL1 1LE – 5th in Standings (4,095 points)Victories: 1 (Auto Club Speedway)Top-Fives: 6; Top-10’s: 14; Laps Led: 439; Average Finish: 14.9Stage Wins: 4 At Martinsville: Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 22.0 Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE – 6th in Standings (4,095 points)Victories: 3 (Charlotte Motor Speedway, Daytona Road Course, Charlotte Road Course)Top-Fives: 13; Top-10’s: 20; Laps Led: 858; Average Finish: 12.3Stage Wins: 9At Martinsville: Top-Five’s: 3; Top-10’s: 5; Laps led: 193; Average Finish: 13.4 Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE – 8th in Standings (4,039 points)Victories: 1 (Las Vegas Motor Speedway)Top-Fives: 6; Top-10’s: 18; Laps Led: 142; Average Finish: 15.9Stage Wins: 1 At Martinsville: Wins: 2; Top-Five’s: 3; Top-10’s: 8; Laps Led: 464; Average Finish: 20.1 Coming off last weekend’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series win at Texas Motor Speedway, GMS Racing and Team Chevy’s, Sheldon Creed, secured his position in the Championship Four. Joining teammate Brett Moffitt, Team Chevy enters into the Round of Eight cut-off race with two spots clinched in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway and the chance to win the series title. 
After a wild conclusion in the Lone Star state, three spots are still up for grabs for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Four. Of the eight playoff contenders left in title contention, five of those are occupied by Team Chevy drivers. For their first appearance at the track since 2006, the series finds their trip to Martinsville Speedway as their final shot to seal their fate into the championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway. 
Heading into the Round of Eight finale, here are where the Team Chevy drivers sit in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff standings: 
NASCAR GANDER RV & OUTDOORS TRUCK SERIES1.        Sheldon Creed, No. 2 GMS Racing Silverado: Clinched by Win2.        Brett Moffitt, No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado: Clinched by Win3.        Zane Smith, No. 21 GMS Racing Silverado: 3,108 points / +12 points8.        Tyler Ankrum, No. 26 GMS Racing Silverado: 3,029 points / -79 points
NASCAR XFINITY SERIES3.        Justin Allgaier, No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS: 3,097 points / +8 points4.        Justin Haley, No. 11 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS: 3,093 points / +4 points6.        Ross Chastin, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS: 3,078 points / -15 points7.        Noah Gragson, No. 9 JR Motorsports Camaro SS: 3,069 / -24 points8.        Ryan Sieg, No. 39 RSS Racing Camaro SS: 3,050 points / -43 points BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Victories by active Team Chevy drivers at Martinsville Speedway include:Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, has nine wins (2004, ’06, ’07-twice, ’08, ’09, ’12, ’13, & ’16)Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE has two wins (2002, & ’14)
·       The first win for Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway came in 1957, when Buck Baker parked his Chevrolet 150 ‘Black Widow’ stock car in victory lane. Through NASCAR’s history at the .526-mile oval, other models that have scored a win include Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Impala SS and SS. Of the 143 NCS races held at the oldest track on the NASCAR circuit, a Bowtie brand has visited victory lane 56 times, the most of any other manufacturer. 
·       Hendrick Motorsports and Team Chevy driver, Chase Elliott, heads into the final race of the Round of Eight leading Playoff drivers in a variety of statistical categories through eight Playoff races: Most points earned (307), stage points earned (93), most laps in the top-five (1,374), and most laps in the top-10 (2,006). Teammate, Alex Bowman, has had an impressive run in his first Round of Eight run in his six-year Cup Series career. Bowman holds the best average finish in the Playoffs thus far with an 8.3 and ties for the lead of top-10 finishes in the Playoffs with six. 
·       In 143 NASCAR Cup Series events held at the .526-mile venue, Chevrolet has captured 53 poles, 262 top-five’s, 500 top-10’s and 27,429 laps led. 
·       Hendrick Motorsports leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Martinsville Speedway with 24 wins: Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoffrey Bodine (one) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one).
·       Heading into his final race in his full-time NASCAR Cup Series career at Martinsville Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet driver, Jimmie Johnson, tops the leaderboard in a variety of categories in his 37 career starts:o  Johnson leads the series in victories at Martinsville Speedway with nine. With a win this weekend, Johnson can become the third driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to record 10 or more wins, joining Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip.  o  Johnson leads the series in runner-up finishes at Martinsville Speedway with four, top-five finishes with 19, and top-10 finishes with 25. o  Among active drivers, Johnson leads the series in average finishing position with a 9.3. 
STARTING LINE-UP:For the remainder of the 2020 NCS season, the starting lineups will be determined by a competition-based formula, combining the following metrics from the previous race event: 15% of a fastest lap time position, 25% of the driver’s final race finish position, 25% of the owner’s final race position and 35% of the Owner points position.  Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters for Sunday’s Xfinity 500: 3rd      Alex Bowman, No. 88 Planters Camaro ZL1 1LE5th      Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE8th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE13th    William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE14th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE17th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 MotorTrend Camaro ZL1 1LE18th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE TUNE-IN:NBC will telecast the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, November 1st, at 2:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the 263-mile, 500-lap event for the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of Eight elimination race can also be found on the NBC Sports Gold app, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGS“The only way to make the final four is to go out this weekend and get the win. We have been really focused on Martinsville not knowing the outcome of the first two events of the Round of 8. I am confident in this No. 88 team and I am confident in Greg (Ives). This is what we have been working for all year, to go for a championship in Phoenix. While we were in Texas, the crew back at Hendrick Motorsports was dialing in our Martinsville Chevrolet and getting it ready to race. We have all been putting in the work needed to get the job done and that is what we plan on doing.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS“Both fortunately and unfortunately we have been in this position a few times. I think at the same time it’s not something where you need to go hit a homerun, we just need to go win. I don’t think you have to hit homeruns to win races. We will treat it like a normal race weekend because that is what it is and we will give it our best shot to make it to the final four. If we just do our thing and improve on the last couple of Martinsville trips, take our notebook and try to improve upon it, I think we can contend for a race win. Still one race left in the round so it’s certainly not over. I’m looking forward to it.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HOW TO APPROACH RACING AT MARTINSVILLE:“I’ve really enjoyed going to Martinsville even more recently since I’ve really started to figure it out I feel like. It has an interesting rhythm to it, and once you figure it out it’s just a lot of fun and a cool track in general. There really is no room to move around that much. And while rhythm is a key there, you need to know the areas of the track that you want your car to be good in as well. There is a lot of factors that make speed there. It’s just figuring out that rhythm that you need to go fast.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 MOTORTREND CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 19th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE SOME LESSONS FROM THE RACE WE HAD AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY EARLIER THIS YEAR THAT YOU CAN APPLY TO THIS WEEKEND? “We had a really good Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE the last time we went to Martinsville Speedway and learned a lot about the track that I think will help us this time around. The race we had back in June was my first time back at Martinsville since 2016, so I had to adapt quickly to figure out how to get around there in a Cup car since we went into that race without any practice. The track changed a lot over the course of that race, a lot more than we were expecting, so we’ll take that into account when setting up our strategy for it this time around. This is one of my crew chief’s favorite tracks, so we’re all looking forward to getting back there in our No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet to see what we can do.” 

NASCAR CUP SERIES XFINITY 500 MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 30, 2020 CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media via teleconference and discussed his mindset going into Martinsville on Sunday, how he feels about it being a cutoff race, his thoughts on 2021 Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, and more. Full Transcript: REGARDING THE GEORGIA TEAMS, THE ATLANTA BRAVES AND THE BULLDOGS NOT HAVING THE BEST OCTOBER, HOW MIGHT YOU CHANGE THAT TREND?“I hope we can help with that trend, for sure. It’s been a rough go. The Braves had such a good series with the Dodgers, and then for the Dodgers to go on and win like they did, it was pretty frustrating. But yeah, hopefully we can try to help that, I guess, in a sense. We’ll find out here on Sunday.” WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE WHEN YOU GO INTO THE LAST RACE OF THE YEAR AND YOU ARE OUT OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP RACE? DO YOU ALWAYS LEAVE THERE THINKING YOU JUST DON’T WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN THIS WAY?“Yeah, it certainly is motivating for sure. As you go into that last weekend and you’re not a part of it you still want to try to get that race win and you’re still there battling; but at the same time, it is still disappointing; especially being just knocked out like six days ago like the way it was last year. Yeah, it’s an unfortunate way to kind of end the year but that’s the way it is. If you’re not good enough or don’t have a good stretch of races there in each round, you’re not going to make it. So that’s just part of it.” WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR NEW TEAMMATE, KYLE LARSON? HAVE YOU SPENT MUCH TIME TOGETHER OR WILL THIS BE LIKE THE FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL WHEN YOU FINALLY GET TOGETHER?“I’m really excited, first off, for Kyle; and having an opportunity and getting a second chance. I think he really is a good dude and there’s really nothing that I’ve seen in my time around him that would lead me astray. Otherwise, I think everybody makes mistakes. It wasn’t good, but at the same time I think he’s taken the right path to grow a lot and I do think he’s grown a lot in more ways than just that. So, I think he’s going to be a good addition. I think he’s going to have a lot of success much like he was already having before he left. And, I haven’t spent a ton of time around Kyle over the years. We came from different worlds, but we’ve inadvertently raced against each other along the way in K&N; I don’t think we ran any Trucks but my first season in Xfinity I think he was either full time or still racing a lot before they changed the rules. I’ve raced with him a bunch, but I can’t say I have a really close friendship or anything with him off the track. So, I’m looking forward to getting to know him better and trying to improve Hendrick Motorsports as a whole.” WHEN THIS SEASON IS OVER, HAVE YOU THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO TO DECOMPRESS?“Yeah, I think right now I’m on the NASCAR thing and trying to focus on the end of the season and hopefully finishing out on a really high note. So, I think that’s kind of where my head is right now is we will have a great opportunity going to Martinsville this weekend still in the hunt and hopefully give ourselves a chance the next week at Phoenix. So, all eyes are on that right now and it’s all that matters. So, I’m looking forward to that first.” THE FOUR DRIVERS ABOVE THE CUTLINE HAVE COMBINED FOR 23 OF 34 WINS THIS YEAR. GOING INTO MARTINSVILLE, THOSE ARE THE GUYS EVERYBODY IS CHASING. IS THAT SURPRISING THAT THEY’VE BEEN THE GUYS LEADING THE WAY?“No. Who’s in right now? You’ve got Joey (Logano), Kevin (Harvick), Denny (Hamlin) and Brad (Keselowski). Those are very familiar faces to the Final Four and that’s not by happenstance. So, they’re obviously very good and they’ve obviously asserted themselves as the top drivers and teams over the course of the last number of years; especially since this points format has been implemented. So, hopefully we can change that course this weekend.” MARTINSVILLE, IN THE PLAYOFFS, ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAVE QUITE A FEW MOMENTS THESE PAST YEARS. IS THERE ANY REASON NOT TO EXPECT MORE OF THE SAME NOW THAT IT IS THE CUTOFF RACE WITH THE LAST CHANCE TO GET TO PHOENIX?“Yeah, I think it’s a great place for it. Who knows how the race will shape up?  A lot of circumstances kind of led to some of those big moments and the timely cautions and things of that nature, so who knows? I certainly couldn’t tell you whether it’ll be fireworks or not, but my goal is to be fast enough where you don’t allow fireworks. And that’s the best way to deal with that.” ARE YOU STRESSED? AND IF SO, HOW ARE YOU DEALING WITH IT?“To be really honest with you, I feel good. I feel probably better than I ever have and as relaxed as I ever have. Coming into that last opportunity, that ‘last chance Sunday’ as I’ve called it the last couple of years, I’m looking forward to it. I think the more that you can embrace that moment and embrace that situation and really enjoy that time, the better you’ll be prepared for a Final Four one day if you ever get there. So, that’s kind of the way I feel about it and am really just excited to have the opportunity and I’m looking forward to the challenge.” WHEN RICK HENDRICK WAS BEING ASKED ABOUT KYLE LARSON DOING DIRT RACING, HE MENTIONED YOU MIGHT WANT TO BE DOING SOME MORE OUTSIDE RACING, TOO. IS THAT BECAUSE YOU’RE JUST RACING ONE DAY A WEEK IN NASCAR OR IS IT JUST FOR FUN?“Great question. For me, I’ve had a lot of interest to go and go back and run short track stuff over the past number of years I’ve said that. I’ve said that a lot. I just haven’t had the right opportunities and I haven’t been able to do the things the way I want to do them. So, it’s not necessarily the racing one day a week thing. I’ve had the interest when we were at the track more, aside from this year; but I think now I’ve been able to kind of at least get some ideas of things that I want to do. I’m not sure exactly how timely it will be, but I want to do it kind of my way and I want to do it the way that I think is right. Until I can do it that way, I won’t. That’s just kind of the way I am. So, I’m looking forward to doing some more racing and I really, really want to and I’m excited about it. I’m just not exactly sure when, but would love to.”” WHAT IS THE ART OF RACING AT MARTINSVILLE? WHAT’S THE CHALLENGE TO PASS THERE?“Martinsville is such a tough place and it’s a place that I’ve really struggled at in the past. We’ve had some good runs there too; but it’s such a knife edge of getting your car perfect at that place. You’re asking to make such a sharp turn and you’re also asking to go from a really slow corner and accelerate at a pretty high rate back up on the straightaway, which can be hard on the rear tires as well. So, you’re just getting all those things married up and right is very tough. And then the passing side of things, I feel like has gotten really hard. I feel like it’s gotten harder over the past couple of years for whatever reason. I feel like some guys are starting to drive the track more similarly which makes it really hard to be different. And when you’re just kind of the same as the guy in front of you, although you might be able to make a little bit more time than him in certain areas if you’re driving the track with the same technique, it makes it very challenging to pass a guy. But that’s also what’s made some of these races very entertaining at the same time. So, I don’t exactly know what that is or why that is; but it certainly is a tough place.” WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE OF PLAYOFF RACING AT MARTINSVILLE?“I don’t necessarily know that it’s any different. I want to go win a regular season race really bad, too. So, I can’t say that I’m going to try any harder on Sunday than I would have in the spring. I feel like I’m trying really hard as is. So, I don’t really see it being really much different from the added challenge. I think that for us we’re in a position where we really need to go win and in the spring race, we needed to go win then too. We needed those five bonus points then. So, I think it will all be very similar.” INAUDIBLE“I certainly think that the team that wins that very first race in the Round of 8 and is locked-in, you have more time to think about what car you’re going to take to the final race. You have more time to massage on it. Yeah, I definitely think that could be a slight advantage. I’ve never really thought about that. I think that’s a great point. I do think that would be a slight advantage in car selection and time to tweak on those really, really small fine-tuning items that could potentially add up to make a difference. So, I can see that being a help. I can also see momentum being big, too. If you get on a roll, I could see winning Martinsville being a big momentum-booster for that team, whoever wins on Sunday, to propel them and have a really good shot the following week too. So, I think it’s really about how you ride the wave if you are that team that can win that very last race in the Round of 8.” IN THE PAST, YOU’VE GONE FROM PHOENIX TO HOMESTEAD. THIS YEAR IT’S TWO 750 HORSEPOWER TRACKS. DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT CHANGE IT A LITTLE BIT, TOO, THIS WEEK SO YOU COULD TAKE A SIMILAR CAR?“You know, I’m not sure on that. I definitely think it’s great that we’re ending the season on two 750 tracks. I’m a bigger fan of that, I think, in deciding our champion in the final two races. So, that has my vote; not that I get one, but I really like it a lot. And I’m looking forward to seeing that too. Could you potentially take your Martinsville car to Phoenix? Maybe. You might. Yeah, that might be a good thing from the car-side and performance-side as well. That would be kind of a toss-up and one of those decisions you have to make pretty fast.”

Richard Childress Racing at Martinsville Speedway… In 175 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned four pole awards and posted seven victories with drivers Dale Earnhardt (five times), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Kevin Harvick (2011). RCR Chevrolet teams have earned 30 top-five and 63 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978. The NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to Martinsville Speedway this weekend after a 14-year hiatus from the Virginia short track. The Welcome N.C. organization’s only two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the half-mile paperclip came in 2006. Kevin Harvick scored the victory, followed by a runner-up finish from Clint Bowyer. Collectively, Harvick and Bowyer combined to lead 207 out of the 250 laps en route to a 1-2 finish for RCR. Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Draft Top 250 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live Saturday, October 31, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  The NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway will be televised live Sunday, November 1, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Martinsville Speedway… In 13 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Dillon earned his best finish of fourth in April 2016 at the half-mile short track after starting deep in the field from the 29th spot. He also has a fifth-place finish at the track (April 2017). He has made four appearances at the track in the NASCAR Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011. Tracker Off Road… Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.  Bass Pro Shops… Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/. E-Z-GO… E-Z-GO is an iconic, world-renowned brand in golf cars and personal transportation vehicles. Products sold under the E-Z-GO brand include RXV® and TXT® fleet golf cars, Freedom® RXV and Freedom TXT personal golf cars, E-Z-GO Express™ personal utility vehicles, and the 2Five® street-legal low-speed vehicle. Known for innovation in electric-vehicle technology, E-Z-GO’s newest offerings include the ELiTE series of lithium-ion powered golf cars and PTVs, and the company’s exclusive 72-volt AC electric powertrain found in its latest Express series vehicles. Founded in 1954 in Augusta, Ga., E-Z-GO became part of Textron Inc. in 1960, and today operates as part of the company’s Textron Specialized Vehicles division. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:How do you feel about short tracks like Martinsville Speedway?“I love going to Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville is one of those places where you go through so many emotions during the course of the race. Someone might bump you and that give-and-take can get frustrating. It’s a short little paper clip, with hard-braking corners. Earlier this year I got cooked at Martinsville Speedway because we had a tire go down before the race even started. I love that it’s one of the NASCAR Playoff cut off races this year. That will make it a blast for fans to watch.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Martinsville Speedway… Tyler Reddick has one NASCAR Cup Series start at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 16th at the short track earlier this year. Reddick also has six NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track, during which he had two top-five and three top-10 finishes.  About MotorTrend’s NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure… From learning how to communicate with their teams remotely due to Covid-19, to the cultural themes of social change and standing united, watch as NASCAR navigated one of its most tumultuous seasons in history in the all-new docuseries “NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure”, premiering Saturday, October 31, on the MotorTrend App, the only subscription streaming service dedicated entirely to the motoring world. As the first major sport in the U.S. to re-open, “NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure” provides an all-access inside look at all of the major themes of the 2020 season with a sharp focus on who will qualify for the 16 playoff spots, and how they were each eliminated on the road to crowning the 2020 NASCAR Cup Champion. The all-new 7-part docuseries streams on the MotorTrend App beginning Saturday, Oct. 31. About MotorTrend Group… MotorTrend Group is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery’s fast-growing MotorTrend TV, formerly Velocity, and a vast automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social, and live event portfolio, including MOTORTREND, HOT ROD, ROADKILL, AUTOMOBILE, and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a monthly audience of 26 million across web, TV, and print, and 110 million social followers, culminating in 2 billion monthly content views across all platforms, the company encompasses television’s #1 network for automotive superfans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel, and the MotorTrend App, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service. MotorTrend serves to embrace, entertain, and empower the motoring world. Subscribe to the MotorTrend App and start your free trial now! Stream more than 3,600+ hours of the best in automotive entertainment and access the entire MotorTrend library from original series, hit shows from MotorTrend, live events, motorsports and more. Watch the best series, classic races, exciting documentaries and more with the NASCAR Collection from “NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure”, The MotorTrend 500: NASCAR Heads West, The Wood Brothers and more, all ad-free across your favorite devices anytime, anywhere. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:What are some lessons from the race we had at Martinsville Speedway earlier this year that you can apply to this weekend?“We had a really good Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE the last time we went to Martinsville Speedway and learned a lot about the track that I think will help us this time around. The race we had back in June was my first time back at Martinsville since 2016, so I had to adapt quickly to figure out how to get around there in a Cup car since we went into that race without any practice. The track changed a lot over the course of that race, a lot more than we were expecting, so we’ll take that into account when setting up our strategy for it this time around. This is one of my crew chief’s favorite tracks, so we’re all looking forward to getting back there in our No. 8 MotorTrend Chevrolet to see what we can do.”

This Week’s No. 21 Taxslayer Chevrolet Camaro at Martinsville Speedway… Myatt Snider will return behind the wheel of the No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Saturday will mark Snider’s first Xfinity Series start at the Virginia short track. Snider has three career Truck Series starts at the half-mile speedway. He finished in the top-10 in all three of his previous starts, including a third-place finish in 2018.  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:You are back with RCR to run the final two races of the season. What kind of excitement level do you have entering Martinsville Speedway this weekend?“Absolutely, I am very blessed to have this opportunity to finish off the season with Richard Childress Racing. It has been a really interesting year for me personally, with a lot of new experiences, going to new tracks and bouncing back and forth between teams throughout the season. I am just very thankful to be back in the No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet this weekend to compete at one of my favorite tracks, Martinsville Speedway. We have a really cool Halloween scheme with TaxSlayer on board this weekend, so hopefully we can park it beside a clock at the end of the day Saturday.” You have some strong stats at Martinsville Speedway from your NASCAR Truck Series starts. What is it specifically about Martinsville that seems to fit your driving style so well?“Martinsville Speedway is one of the best short tracks on the schedule. I’ve had the opportunity to run races at Martinsville in late models and trucks for several years now, so even though this is my first start in an Xfinity Series car there, I still have a lot of laps and experience under my belt. It’s just a lot of fun. It has got a nice combination of hard-braking zones and getting back hard on the gas. It also requires a lot of patience out of the driver, so I think the one who can be the most patient and most intelligent with taking care of the car will find themselves in a really good position to win this race. Hopefully, that will be us.”  What are your expectations coming into this weekend at Martinsville Speedway? What will you consider a good day?“Honestly, I think with how both myself and the entire No. 21 team have advanced this year our expectation is to go out and contend for the win this weekend. My crew chief, Andy Street, and our entire RCR team have been bringing extremely fast race cars to the track every week, and I don’t expect that to change at all. We’re all going to give it 100 percent this weekend, and hopefully, we’ll be right there contending for the win at the end of the day with our TaxSlayer Chevrolet.”

Ryan Tuerck leads, Fredric Aasbo third heading into key Dallas weekend

DALLAS, Texas (October 29, 2020) – The Papadakis Racing Toyota team will be fighting for podiums at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend as the Formula Drift series heads to Toyota’s backyard for a critical doubleheader.

“I’m excited to be returning to compete in the hometown of Toyota’s North American headquarters,” said Fredric Aasbo, who pilots the team’s all new Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra. “The crowd here is always really welcoming and it’s great to see so many familiar faces in the stands.”

Texas Motor Speedway is located just 30 miles from Toyota North America in Plano.

Team drivers Ryan Tuerck and Aasbo are first and third in the points and in a close fight for the title. Only 44 points separate the Top 5 drivers in the standings, with Toyota chasing points leader Ford for the Auto Cup and team partner Nitto Tire out front in the Tire Cup. There has been a Papadakis Racing Toyota on the podium at every stop this year.

Tuerck has shown consistent performance in his first season with Papadakis Racing, driving the new Gumout / Nitto Tire / Mobil 1 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. He has earned three podiums in four rounds and is leading the championship points heading into the Dallas stop. He is hoping to capitalize on his momentum this weekend with his first win of the year.

Aasbo came out of the gate hard in 2020 with an opening-round victory in his all-new Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra. Already the most winning driver in series history, Aasbo’s latest victory pushes his career wins total to 14.

Watch a Papadakis Racing recap to see the technical side of the first victory for the Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra here: https://youtu.be/zyRYmPE8M8o

Formula Drift competition is streamed live online across the series’ social media channels and this season has seen record Livestream tune-in and social engagement. Stream and content views for Rounds 3 and 4 achieved 3.7 million views on YouTube alone, and Formula Drift’s social media engagement has led all other major racing series in the USA.

Aasbo joined Papadakis Racing in 2011 and earned the series crown in 2015. He started his Formula Drift career in 2010 as a privateer in a Mark IV Supra and comes full circle this season as he takes his first victory in his all new Toyota GR Supra. He finished fourth in Texas last year when an opponent crashed him into the trackside barrier and badly damaged his car.

Tuerck is a leading social influencer and top-tier driver with a career 17 podiums. His down-home charm, commitment to the sport’s grassroots, and talent in front of the camera have brought him a social fanbase of over a million followers. Earlier this year, he retired his previous chassis, a powerful Toyota 86.

The Papadakis Racing team began drifting in 2004 and is the most winning team in Formula Drift history, earning the 2015 title with driver Aasbo, as well as back-­to-back championship titles with driver Tanner Foust in 2007 and 2008.

Ryan Tuerck leads the points in the Gumout / Nitto Tire / Mobil 1 Toyota Corolla Hatchback; Fredric Aasbo is currently third in the Rockstar Energy Drink Toyota GR Supra. 

(Photo: Toyota Racing)

October 28, 2020

After 500 miles of racing and 72 hours and 28 minutes of rain delay at Texas Motor Speedway, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Richmond Water Heaters team are headed home with an eighth-place finish in the AutoTrader 500.

DiBenedetto and the Menards/Richmond team started the race on Sunday afternoon from the 14^th position and ran as high as second before rain halted the action after 52 laps with DiBenedetto in 14th place.

When racing finally resumed on Wednesday afternoon, he began working his way forward and finished the first 105-lap Stage in 10^th place, earning one bonus point.
 
As the second stage wound down, crew chief Greg Erwin elected to stay on the track as others pitted. DiBenedetto eventually assumed the lead before making his stop with seven laps remaining in the Stage.

While the move prevented DiBenedetto from earning Stage points in the second Stage, it allowed him to leapfrog to fourth place before the drop of the green flag to start the final segment.

DiBenedetto ran in the top five for the early portion of the stage but eventually yielded a few spots. Still, the decision to go for track position at the end of the second Stage allowed the Menards/Richmond team to score its ninth top-10 finish of 2020.
 
“It was a good, solid day all around for our Menards/Richmond team,” DiBenedetto said. “Our Mustang was a little better in the warmer temperatures, and as it got colder it cost us a little bit of speed. But the crew made a couple of adjustments that really helped, especially in Turns One and Two.”
 
DiBenedetto said he was appreciative of the efforts of Erwin and spotter Doug Campbell.
 
“Greg made some good calls, and Doug was really busy spotting all day which helped us keep our track position and end up with a good finish.”
 
DiBenedetto said he did have a few close calls at the start of the race, especially when he drove in the areas where the PJ1 traction compound had been applied.
 
“I had a couple of moments where I slipped the tires,” he said. “That was pretty hairy, but once the track got some heat in it, things were a lot better.”
 
DiBenedetto and the team moved up one spot in the points standings to 14^th as they head home to prepare for Sunday’s race at Martinsville Speedway, the home track of the Wood Brothers.