VP Platinum Battery Showdown Ends 35-Year Abscence from Missouri’s I-70JACKSONVILLE, IL – March 31, 2021 – A few short days after the much-anticipated Bristol Throwdown, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will keep the grind of an 80+ race schedule rolling with a Midwestern triple-header.On Thursday, April 29, the Series makes its only appearance all year in The Illini State with a midweek stop at the always-exciting 1/4-mile bullring of Jacksonville Speedway. All three previous events at the Jacksonville, IL track have been nothing short of thrilling, and you should expect just the same next month.A four-hour jaunt down the road will lead teams to the newly-renovated and state-of-the-art I-70 Motorsports Park in Odessa, MO on Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1. The two-day FVP Platinum Battery Showdown will mark the first appearance by The Greatest Show on Dirt at I-70 since the last race in 1986.I-70 TICKETS (4/30-5/1)Starting the triple-header at Jacksonville will kick the weekend off with loads of excitement around every corner. The track has hosted three previous events with three incredible features at each show. NASCAR Cup Series star Christopher Bell (2014), 105-time World of Outlaws winner Joey Saldana (2016) and current championship contender Carson Macedo (2019) are former winners.Brad Sweet and Donny Schatz are the only two drivers with a top-five finish in every appearance at Jacksonville, but neither have scored a win at the track yet. Sweet’s Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 has finished of 4th – 3rd – 2nd, while Schatz’s Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Carquest #15 has results of 3rd – 4th -4th at the bullring.Currently a month out from Jacksonville, Sweet leads the points in pursuit of his third consecutive World of Outlaws title, Schatz is chasing his 300th career win and 11th Series title, and Macedo is on the prowl and hungry for success in his new ride at Jason Johnson Racing.”I love Jacksonville,” Macedo excitedly said looking ahead. “From the very first time I went there in a Midget, the place was just awesome. If you look back on the highlights of all the Outlaw shows there, they’re all amazing. I’m excited to get back there and try to back up my win from 2019. That race with Sheldon [Haudenschild] was epic. Hopefully we can get another win for the [Jason Johnson Racing] #41.”Following a one-night stand at Jacksonville, the World of Outlaws shine in the grand re-opening of I-70 Motorsports Park on Friday, April 30 and Saturday, May 1 with the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown.The Odessa, MO track debuted on the Series schedule in 1981 and hosted 19 events until the final race on June 11, 1986. The track was converted to asphalt and ran NASCAR sanctioned shows until it closed in 2008. Thanks to Chris Payne and staff, it’s now re-opening as a state-of-the-art facility in 2021.Originally scheduled to debut in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to that and delayed the process. Now, the track has hired veteran Tommie Estes Jr. to help run the facility. Estes has previously served as ASCS Competition Director for 13 years and ran Dodge City (KS) Raceway Park for the last decade.”Impressive is the best word to describe what the new owners of I-70 Motorsports Park have built,” Estes Jr. told SPEED SPORT. “I’m really glad to be a part of putting it all together. I know the drivers and fans will be thrilled every time they come to this new facility. It’ll be exciting next month when fans from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa will get to see the best teams in sprint car racing battle here.”Along with proven champions Sweet and Schatz and Jacksonville winner Macedo, the young core of the Outlaws will be hungry to add more wins to their collection with three races up for grabs. Already this season, Sheldon Haudenschild has won twice and Logan Schuchart, David Gravel, Aaron Reutzel have each won once.Fans who can’t make it to the track can catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to

Jackson, Kilgore score more top-five finishes, now top points standings March 31, 2021 – Three laps remaining. Restart upcoming. Keith Hackney had one shot to clinch the win he worked so hard to defend all race long. Hackney, a frequent racer with the Chevy Performance Street Stock League, had led 20 of the 21 laps completed before the restart, and was just three trips around the virtual Limaland Motorsports Park away from his first career Feature win under the DIRTcar eSports banner. He took off on the restart well, but Carl Kilgore hit it even better. “Carl got a heck of a jump there, and that sort of worried me,” Hackney said. “I thought he was going to drive around me on the outside.” Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, had been breathing down Hackney’s neck throughout the 25-lap affair and got a great run to Hackney’s outside at the drop of the green. He led the field across the stripe to complete Lap 22, but Hackney stayed with him on the inside. With a big leap across all three lanes, Hackney, of Calhoun, GA, threw a big slide job on Kilgore in Turns 1-2 to defend the lead. A successful attempt, as Kilgore ran into Hackney’s rear bumper at the exit of Turn 2. This move dampened Kilgore’s momentum enough to allow both Tyler Jackson and Jesse Wall to close the gap as the white flag was displayed. As Hackney sped away with the win, three-wide across the line came Kilgore, Jackson and Wall for the runner-up spot. Wall ended up edging out Kilgore and Jackson by .014 seconds at the line for the runner-up spot with a great move through the middle, threading the needle between his opponents as they raced through Turns 3-4. “I wish we would have had a few more laps up there to try and catch Keith, but man, that was fun,” Wall said. Kilgore stayed glued to the top side and made it work in the final corner, squeaking past Jackson at the line by just over one tenth of a second. He, like Jackson, has won with the League before and is now sitting inside the podium in the points standings. The Chevy Performance Street Stock League action continues next Wednesday night, April 7, from the Eldora Speedway! Don’t miss a moment – watch all the action in the iRacing server at 7pm Eastern or on the DIRTVision live broadcast for free. Chevy Performance Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 69 – Keith Hackney (1), 2. 2 – Jesse Wall (5), 3. 021 – Carl Kilgore (2), 4. 8 – Tyler Jackson (3), 5. 21 – Jim Reavis (4), 6. 029 – Lane Phillips (8), 7. 121 – Edward Farness (6), 8. 225 – Nathan Lemons (10), 9. 026 – Blade Kearns (7), 10. 92 – Payton Gries (15), 11. 17 – Brett Rowles (11), 12. 48 – Kyle Vaughn (18), 13. 15 – Grant Parr (14), 14. 717 – Bobby Rafferty (13), 15. 260 – Sage Luther (23), 16. 18 – Justin Henson (20), 17. 077 – Holden English (17), 18. 29 – Joshua Divine (19), 19. 71 – Daniel Stiffler (21), 20. 14 – Jaxon Steele (24), 21. 26 – Sean Stevens (16), 22. 93 – Steve Miskolczi (9), 23. 546 – Randy Axner (12), 24. 4 – Nicolas Adkins (22) THUNDER VALLEY THROWDOWN: Seay Leads Flag-to-Flag in Tour UMP Modified Action at BristolSeay’s fourth career Tour victory ties him with Alex Bergeron for most all-time He’s been in Victory Lane with his Summit Racing Equipment UMP Modified on DIRTVision before, and now he’s done it again. With his fourth career victory aboard the DIRTcar eSports Tour Wednesday night at the virtual Bristol Motor Speedway, Evan Seay now sits tied for the most Feature wins in Tour history. Grabbing the lead at the drop of the green, Seay, of Chesnee, SC, pulled out to a big advantage over his competition early, turning the fastest lap of the race on Lap 2. It wasn’t until the halfway mark passed before Seay received his first challenge from a hard-charging Dylan Yeager, who started on the front row but had fallen all the way back to ninth on the initial start. Yeager, of Hamilton, NJ, immediately hit the high side and began making up spots rapidly, reaching the runner-up spot by Lap 12. He then used that momentum to track down leader Seay as he approached lapped traffic. “I told myself I was going to stick to the bottom the first few laps, and it ended up working out and getting me the lead. But all of a sudden, it just slowed way down a ton on the bottom about eight laps in. [Yeager] basically just caught me just running the top – the top was that much faster,” Seay said. But a few costly mistakes on the treacherous high side of Bristol broke Yeager’s momentum on multiple occasions, giving Seay the edge he needed to pull away. “As my dad always says, I race better when I’m pissed off, so I got up on the wheel and drove back up to P2,” Yeager said. “I was running down Evan at the end and then I started messing up and hitting the wall.” Seay turned on the jets in the home stretch and brought home the $250 payday on cruise control.  With an eighth-place finish last week with the Big Block Modifieds at Weedsport, Seay now sits inside the top-five of the points standings. Defending Tour champion Kendal Tucker, of Mount Airy, NC, made his first appearance of the season Wednesday night and had a solid run going, tracking down Yeager in the final laps and making the pass in traffic to clinch a runner-up finish. With all of the back-and-forth, ups-and-downs Yeager had over the 40-lap contest, it’s no surprise he was almost relieved to see the checkered fly by race’s end. “I think that’s the first time I’ve ever sweated in a sim race before,” Yeager said. The DIRTcar eSports Tour action continues next Wednesday night, April 7, with Round 3 of action at the Williams Grove Speedway. The Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds will be the vehicle of choice – catch all of the action live in the iRacing server or on DIRTVision at 8pm ET. Summit Racing Equipment Feature (40 Laps) – 1. 33 – Evan Seay (3), 2. 00 – Kendall Tucker (4), 3. 48 – Dylan Yeager (2), 4. 12 – Alex Bergeron (4), 5. 000 – Kevin Dedmon (11), 6. 331 – Dustin Hall (1), 7. 033 – Richard Murtaugh Jr. (17), 8. 37 – Randall Carter (7), 9. 115 – Boddie Parker (10), 10. 85 – Tyler Schell ((16), 11. 41 – Logan Rumsey (14), 12. 1 – Jesse Enterkin (13), 13. 30 – Tyler Jackson (15), 14. 17 – Brett Rowles (23), 15. 71 – Kevin Hebert (12), 16. 928 – Josh Vinci (20), 17. 29 – William Richardson (24), 18. 24 – Dominque Foster (22), 19. 19. 44 – Clint Sullivan (19), 20. 013 – Brent Feher (18), 21. 69 – Brent Carter (9), 22. 127 – Blake Matjoulis (5), 23 32 – Daniel Powell (21), 24. 2 – Dylan Houser (8)

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

SHEPPARD LOOKS TO KEEP MOMENTUM ROLLING AT FARMER CITYTHE NEW BERLIN, IL DRIVER PUSHES FOR 4TH ILLINI 100 WINFARMER CITY, IL – MARCH 30, 2021 – Getting that elusive first victory of the season can be one of the hardest things to do in all forms of motorsports.Three-time defending World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model champion Brandon Sheppard knew that all too well. He went six races without a win – the longest he’s gone without a win to start the season with the Series.He broke that streak at Cherokee Speedway during a special 25-lap event. However, with the Cherokee race being a special event, the victory doesn’t count toward his win totals, which still sits at 69 World of Outlaws wins.The win does give the New Berlin, IL native some momentum as he heads back home for the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway this weekend, where he’ll hope to finally, officially, get his 70th career win.“We didn’t get that race in last year, and it’s one I really look forward too,” Sheppard said about the Illini 100. “It’s just going to be nice to get back home, someplace I’m familiar with.”Before Sheppard’s win at Cherokee last Friday, the results weren’t coming in as much as he hoped. Heading into that event, the “Rocket Shepp” still hadn’t finished in the top-five.Despite the tough start, he still sits second in the points standings, 66 points behind Kyle Strickler. Sheppard said he’s in a good position as the meat of the Series schedule begins.“We’re really excited to get going into the grind of the year, and hopefully get our consistency back, and rattle off a few wins,” Sheppard said.While the optimism to get that consistency back is there for the Rocket1 Racing team, Sheppard knows how tough it’ll be to stay consistent throughout the season.“The competition is really high, and it makes it tough. But it’s a lot better when we’re racing night-in and night-out,” Sheppard said. “It makes it a lot better for the team, and we get a good rhythm going.”The Illini 100 is the second straight weekend of big payouts for the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models. The Saturday event at Cherokee Speedway that was postponed would’ve paid $40,000 to win.This weekend, one driver could walk away from Farmer City Raceway with $26,000 if he can win Friday ($6,000-to-win) and Saturday ($20,000-to-win).For Sheppard, the money is great but a morale boost for the team may be more important.“We’re not getting the consistant finishes we’ve gotten in the last few years,” Sheppard said. “I don’t think we’re far off, we’re right on the verge, give us another couple of weeks and we’ll be back in Victory Lane.”Even though Sheppard has had success at Farmer City Raceway, it won’t be easy to keep his consistency going.Along with the World of Outlaws Late Model Series regulars, he’ll have to contend with several drivers from Illinois, including Bobby Pierce, Shannon Babb and Brian Shirley.Shirley and Sheppard battled during the final stages of night one of the 2019 Illini 100. Shirley won that race, but Sheppard won the 75-lap finale.If Sheppard can match that win from 2019, the Illinois driver will have his 70th career Series win. That means he’d only be seven wins away from tying Josh Richards for the most all-time wins.The 2021 Illini 100 kicks off with a practice session on Thursday, April 1.The Friday, April 2, 25-lap Feature will award $6,000 to the winner. Then, on Saturday, April 3, the Series will run a 75-lap Feature, with the winner collecting $20,000. Saturday’s event also pays $10,000 to second and $1,200 to start.Hot Laps are scheduled for 6pm (CT) on Friday, and 5pm (CT) on Saturday. For tickets to the event CLICK HERE.Fans can also meet some of the drivers during an autograph session Saturday from 3pm (CT) to 4pm (CT).If you can’t make it either night, watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS Subscription for $39/month.

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

Outlaws Chasing Personal Records, Track Records & More at Pevely, MO 1/3-MilePEVELY, MO – March 30, 2021 – The Greatest Show on Dirt is bound for I-55 this weekend.Hosting a doubleheader this Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, the Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 will host the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars for the 60th time – becoming the tenth-most visited track in Series history.TWO-DAY PACKAGE (4/2-3) FRIDAY TICKETS / SATURDAY TICKETSLet’s get you ready for an always-exciting affair with the Outlaws rolling into Pevely, MO this weekend. Here are some of the storylines to follow:RECORD STREAKS: For three of the top drivers, they’re approaching or already have established record personal runs to start the 2021 World of Outlaws campaign; and they’re all previous winners at I-55.Brad Sweet of Grass Valley, CA currently leads the championship standings aboard his Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49. That’s thanks to a stretch of back-to-back wins and six-straight podium finishes, which is second-only to his personal record seven-consecutive podiums in 2020. He’s won at I-55 in 2019 & 2020.Sheldon Haudenschild of Wooster, OH has officially completed the greatest five-race stretch of his young career. A pair of victories at Magnolia (MS) and Cotton Bowl (TX) lead the way over a span that has featured a 2.8 average finish for the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17. He also won at I-55 in 2019 & 2020.Logan Schuchart of Hanover, PA has matched 2020 as his best start to a season. Through nine races, he and his Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S are still the only combination with a top ten finish in every World of Outlaws race. He won at I-55 in 2018.THE WAITING GAME: It’s been 16 races since Donny Schatz won his 299th career World of Outlaws feature at Williams Grove (PA) Speedway on October 3, 2020. This is Schatz’s fifth-longest winless drought over the 15-year span that dates back to the first of his ten Series championships in 2006.This 2021 season will mark only the fifth occurrence since the turn of the millennium that Schatz enters the month of April without a World of Outlaws win. For 16 of those seasons, he was a winner within the first seven races. Over this stretch, his longest starts to a season without winning are 16 races in 2011, 23 races in 2001, 27 races in 2004, and 49 races in 2002.The good news? The Outlaws head to I-55 this weekend where Schatz has always been stout. In 49 appearances, the Fargo, ND native has victories in 2006 and 2015 as well as 28 top-five finishes and 41 top-ten runs.‘IT’S A NINE’: A year ago at this time, Logan Schuchart held the I-55 track record with a lap of 10.115 seconds that he set on August 2, 2019. Then, Kyle Larson happened.It was May 22, 2020, only the second race amid the #RETURNtoRACING due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Larson, making his first-ever appearance at the Pevely, MO 1/3-mile, was the sixth car to qualify in his Paul Silva owned #57. Lap one was a 10.145 already good enough for QuickTime, but that wasn’t enough. Lap two was a perfect run of 9.995-seconds, marking the first nine-second lap in I-55 track history. Will see another nine-second lap this weekend?RICO RETURNS: The ever-popular Rico Abreu of St. Helena, CA will make his season debut with the World of Outlaws this weekend at I-55. After an early-season west coast swing in the Works Limited #57 with Paul Silva on the wrenches, the 29-year-old will return to his personally-owned #24 Abreu Vineyards machine this weekend as he ventures to the Midwest.An eight-time winner in World of Outlaws action, I-55 is not only one of his Abreu’s best tracks, it’s one of his favorites too. He has four total wins at Pevely, including two Ironman 55 titles in 2016 and 2018 to go along with a weekend sweep with the POWRi National Midgets in 2019.This weekend will mark Rico’s first event competing against Jason Sides’ #7S, who he became part-owner of this off-season.BUILDING MOMENTUM: A quintet of racers racked up top ten runs at Lake Ozark Speedway on Saturday night and continued building momentum ahead of an I-55 doubleheader.Kraig Kinser of Bloomington, IN scored his third top ten through the first nine races, the most since for his Kinser Racing, Mesilla Valley Transportation #11K since 2014. He enters I-55 as a former winner in 2005.James McFaddenof Alice Springs, NT, AUS made it three top tens in three races since he joined the World of Outlaws tour from overseas. On Saturday, he landed his first podium of 2021 aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9. He enters I-55 still searching for his first win at the track.Carson Macedo of Lemoore, CA was aiming for a meaningful win in the Jason Johnson Classic aboard the Jason Johnson Racing #41, but a fifth-place finish would have to suffice. After back-to-back 11th & 13th-place finishes, a top five was a welcome sight. He enters I-55 with three top-tens in seven starts.Aaron Reutzel of Clute, TX continued his steady top-ten stretch at Lake Ozark. Outside of a win at East Bay (FL) Raceway Park, the Roth Motorsports #83 only has one other top-five finish. However, they do have eight top-ten finishes through the first nine races and lead the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year chase. He enters I-55 with just four starts under his belt.David Gravel of Watertown, CT advanced to third in the championship standings following a seventh-place run at Lake Ozark. His Big Game Motorsports #2 has collected one win to go along with eight top-ten finishes and five top-five results this year. He enters I-55 as a winner back in 2016.Fans who can’t make it to the track can catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.Photo – Trent Gower

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

It’s been a few months since our latest update on the Nissan Navara-R, but that doesn’t mean we haven’t forgotten about you all. The truck has been out visiting SB Motorsport partners recently, so let’s give you an update with what’s been happening.

To start off the new year, we delivered the truck to Mike and the guys at @WaltonMotorsport for fabrication of the @Vibrant_Perfomance full exhaust system, @GarrettMotion G30-660 Turbo install with the @TurboSmartHQ Wastegates. All a custom layout to make the engine bay look as insane as it can, whilst still being fully functional, keeping reliability in mind.  The work these guys do is next level with all their manifold fabrication work, and with a short turnaround time it definitely made our lives at @SBMotorsport a little easier to get the truck to its next visit.

We had an unexpected call from Jay at @WheelPros_Europe to let us know that our new ‘Fuel Beast’ @fueloffroad_wheels had been delivered, all the way from the USA!  So Baggsy headed straight over to their warehouse to pick them up, ready to reveal on the next episode of our Mission CTRL: Nissan Navara-R livestream, which for 2021 is scheduled to be the last Wednesday of each month.

The next venture for the truck was the guys at @ForgeMotorsport in Gloucester for all the Radiator, Intercooler, Oil & Fuel cooler fabrication. Custom designing where all the pipework would sit and creating an awesome finished product. Even the heat sink fins on the Radiator are a work of art!  When we got the call saying they had finished within a few weeks, and us at SB seeing how awesome the engine bay looked, we were very pleased with the outcome! Alongside all the custom @SamcoSport silicone hoses mapped around the engine bay, this build is insane!

The engine bay almost looked complete with the @Asnu_Fuel_Injection inlet manifold and the @KNFiltersUK poking out the front of the truck. But this was now time to remove the #VR38 engine from under the bonnet, and for Paul at @PCheshire_AP to work his magic for the full strip-down and rebuild. With a few upgraded internal parts, and a professional dynamic balancing process by Steve at ‘Vibration Free’.  More exciting info on the engine build coming very soon!

Let’s not forget that this build will have a figure of over 1000hp from the standard twin turbo Nissan GT-R V6 engine, a fully custom chassis using the original GT-R front and rear subframes and epic ST 3 way adjustable suspension.

AND all of this will be on the public roads! Thats right. A fire breathing, Nissan Navara with a widebody kit and 2-step will be breaking necks on the road this year, whether that be heading out to get the weekly food shop, grabbing a few D.I.Y bits from a hardware store or cruising to an automotive event. You will definitely notice this in your mirrors!

Mission CTRL: Navara-R Livestream is back TOMORROW!  Wednesday 31st March! We’re rolling on the last Wednesday of the month in 2021. So schedule us in, 7:30pm on the @BaggsyBoyUK YouTube & Facebook page.

Baggsy –“It’s already been a busy start to the year with the truck, visiting a few of our partners involved in the Navara-R build and getting closer to that completion date.” “I just cant wait to drive it!”

March 30, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Quaker State team recovered from a pre-race penalty to finish 13th in the inaugural Food City Bristol Dirt Race.

The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday afternoon due to torrential rains in the Tennessee mountains, and DiBenedetto was set to start 12th. But a miscue unloading the Menards/Quaker State Mustang from the team hauler caused some fender damage, which is considered by NASCAR to be an unapproved adjustment. The penalty for any change to the car prior to the start of the race is moving to the rear for the initial start.

Once DiBenedetto took the green flag, he set about working his way forward. Despite the dusty conditions that limited his visibility throughout the race, he was up to 24th by Lap 49, when the caution flag flew for a multi-car crash just ahead of him.  

Having escaped damage there, he continued his climb, and was up to 16th place at the end of the first 100-lap Stage.

In the second Stage, he ran as high as 14th at one point and just outside the top 20 at another, but wound up 15th at the end of that 100-lap run.

In the final 50 laps, he ran as high as 11th before taking the checkered flag in 13th place. It was his fourth finish of 16th or better as he and the No. 21 Menards/Quaker State team continue to bounce back from a disappointing start to the 2021 season.

“We started last and got a decent finish,” DiBenedetto said. “I’ll take it.”

DiBenedetto said his spotter Doug Campbell  deserves much of the credit for keeping him out of harm’s way throughout the race. 

“I need to give a big shout out to Doug,” he said. “As dusty as it was, he did an excellent job of looking ahead and keeping us out of trouble.”

Eddie Wood seconded DiBenedetto’s comments, adding that the driver/spotter combo did a commendable job missing the mayhem around them.

“It seemed like most every crash happened right in front of Matt or beside him,” he said. “I was happy to get through the race with no damage.”

DiBenedetto said that while there were issues with dust on Monday, he believes that with some changes future dirt races at Bristol will be improved. Track officials announced on Monday that the dirt would return next year.

“It would help to run it at night,” DiBenedetto said.

DiBenedetto and Wood also offered congratulations to their fellow Ford teammates at Team Penske, who now have won on consecutive weekends – Ryan Blaney at Atlanta and Joey Logano at Bristol.

“It’s always a good day when a Ford driver wins,” Wood said.
 
After taking a week break for Easter, DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Wood Brothers team will return to action at the Woods’ home track, Martinsville Speedway, on Saturday night, April 10.

BRISTOL, TN – March 30, 2021 – Joey Logano won the inaugural Spring dirt race at Bristol Motor Speedway. For the first time in more than 50 years, NASCAR Cup Series raced on dirt and Logano adapted to the new surface to become the seventh different Cup winner this season and record his 27th career Cup series win.

“Congratulations to Joey, Paul, Roger, and the No. 22 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “It’s great to see another Ford Mustang in Victory Lane this year. Joey and the No. 22 crew did a great job adapting to the track surface and conditions, finding a way to get the most out of the No. 22 to win the race. We are fortunate to have great partnerships that provide resources on and off the track to support our racing programs.”

Logano and his crew worked together, continuously making the No. 22 Ford Mustang better and better throughout the race. Logano was able to work his way around the No. 99 of Daniel Suarez to take the lead on lap 193 and win Stage 2 of the race, setting himself up to be the leader going into the final stage of the race.

In an over-time, 2 lap shootout, the No. 22 led the field back to green and was able to pull away from the field to take the checkered flag .554 seconds ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 47. Logano led the last 61 laps of the 253-lap race.

“Man, it’s incredible,” commented Logano. “How about Bristol on dirt? This is incredible, unbelievable racetrack. There were so many first-time winners and different winners than there has typically been I said, ‘We’ve got to get a win to make sure we get in the playoffs,’ so it’s amazing to get this Shell/Pennzoil Mustang into Victory Lane at Bristol. There’s nothing like winning at Bristol, but putting dirt on it and being the first to do it is really special.”

Roush Fenway’s Ryan Newman drove a great race, finishing P5 and Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney was able to recover from a ten-car incident mid-way in the race to finish P8.

The NASCAR Series will head to Martinsville Speedway in two weeks to take on the famed “Paperclip”, the shortest track on the NASCAR schedule.      33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 417 WINS – 376 POLES!

Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (March 29, 2021) – Dominic Scelzi is certainly off to the best start of his sprint car career following a weekend sweep of the Kings of Thunder 360 Sprint Cars doubleheader at Thunderbowl Raceway.

Scelzi won the feature on Friday and Saturday to give him four triumphs in his last seven races. The four wins mark Scelzi’s most in a season since recording eight triumphs in 83 races in 2019.

“It’s a weird point in time for me,” he said. “From life outside of racing to work to racing, I’m in a really good place. I almost feel like that’s why things are going so smooth at the track. We’ve really started to come into ourselves and we’ve seen it from the first race of the year.”

Last weekend started on Friday with Scelzi qualifying third quickest out of the 29 entrants. He then advanced from fourth to third place in a heat race, which locked him into the dash.

“We went out late in qualifying,” he said. “The cushion was really big. We did exactly what we needed to do and qualified really strong. We were right there on top of first and second. We had good speed and made good laps. They reworked the track and it got hooked up and rough, which is the type of track where we struggle the most. We decided to test for the heat race. We tried some stuff and it didn’t work the way we wanted. We drew the No. 1 for the dash and the moves we made weren’t the right decision so we made some big changes for the main event.”

Scelzi placed second in the dash to line up on the outside of the front row for the 30-lap main event.

“We took the lead going into turn one and didn’t look back,” he said. “We were way better than what we were through the first three quarters of the night. I ran the bottom on both ends. When I got into traffic I moved up. I could go through the holes and above the holes. For me it was a big win because when tracks are like that I struggle. We were able to use the night as a test and we gained on it. That’s a testament to where we’re at as a team.”

Scelzi was locked into Saturday’s dash thanks to the podium performance on Friday. He drew the No. 5 for the dash and gained a position to finish fourth, putting him on the outside of the second row for the 30-lap feature.

“The track was a complete 180 from Friday and was slick to the fence,” he said. “It had a small cushion against the fence and you could pretty much run around the infield wall. I felt pretty good on both ends when we hot lapped. For the dash the track was really slick. I felt good and we had the second fastest lap in the dash. I felt confident going into the main event.

“They reworked the track a little bit. We knew the moisture would be around for five or six laps and then the track would go slick. We stayed pretty tight. We got the lead on Lap 3 and then I was up to the fence. It was as wide as that place can get and about as good as you’ll see that track. With about 12 laps to go we were in heavy traffic. The cars were all over the track in front of me. (D.J.) Netto slid me in turns three and four and I turned it under him to stay in the lead. A couple of laps later we had a restart and I slid myself into turn one. He got a run on me and slid me into turn three, but I was able to turn underneath him again and we never looked back.”

Scelzi will be off this weekend before returning to action on April 10 at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif.

QUICK RESULTS –

March 26 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 3 (4); Dash: 2 (1); Feature: 1 (2).

March 27 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Dash: 4 (5); Feature: 1 (4).

SEASON STATS –

11 races, 4 wins, 7 top fives, 10 top 10s, 10 top 15s, 10 top 20s

UP NEXT –

April 10 at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford, Calif.

The World of Outlaws Bristol Bash will be April 8-10 and the World of Outlaws Throwdown will be April 22-24 By Nick GrazianoBRISTOL, TN – March 29, 2021 – Brothers Joseph (6) and Andrew (16) Cochrane wanted one thing for their birthdays: to go to Bristol Motor Speedway for NASCAR’s dirt race. On their way out of the event, they had one more request: to see the World of Outlaws at Bristol in April.“We’re actually trying to plan to see if we can make it work in our schedule next month to come here,” said Jeff Cochrane, the brothers’ father.On April 8-10 the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will take their turn around the dirt half-mile for the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash. Then, on April 22-24, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series will put on their own high-octane show during the World of Outlaws Bristol Throwdown.The NASCAR Truck Series and Cup Series events on Monday brought dirt racing to a fan base unfamiliar with a brown track and terms like “tacky” or “cushion.” However, for fans young and old, this new style of racing, to them, brought a new level of excitement.Not only were Jeff Cochrane’s sons impressed by the dirt racing action, he was too. They’d been to Bristol several times, but the NASCAR Truck Series and Cup Series events on Monday were their first trip to a dirt race. Jeff grew up near Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN – where the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series will visit Sept. 4 – but never made it out to see a race. Now, he’s hooked.“It’s awesome,” Jeff Cochrane said. “We like watching the cars getting loose in the turns. This is amazing.“It was pretty neat how [Matt Crafton] was trying to go up to the top side, the high line, just getting completely sideways outside the other cars. That was awesome.”The wide-eyed expression and head nodding from Andrew proved the love for dirt racing was contagious.Patrick Hunter, from Greenville, SC, has been a Sprint Car fan throughout his life, following the likes of Lou Blaney – father of former NASCAR driver and 1995 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion Dave Blaney. That fandom led to his support of NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney – Lou’s grandson and Dave’s son. That brought him to Bristol with his two daughters, Gia (10) and Lucy (12).For the two girls, the events were their first time at a dirt race. And like the Cochranes, they couldn’t get enough of it. While shy with words, Gia said she enjoyed the atmosphere of the event and Lucy said she’d like to attend more dirt races.When their dad mentioned the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars would be at the track April 22-24 – for the World of Outlaws Throwdown with the Super DIRTcar Series – their eyes lit up.“We might be coming back,” Patrick Hunter said.The drivers, even those with little to no experience on it, gained a new passion for the form of racing. Joey Logano, who became the first NASCAR winner on dirt in 50 years on Monday, ran a DIRTcar UMP Modified during the 50th DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park in February to prepare for Bristol. But what was meant to just be a warm-up, became a fun experience after racing from 19th to third in his first time out in the car. Logano credited that experience as being key to his Bristol dirt win.”We’ve done a lot of work in the dirt department with my buddy Ryan Flores and my car chief Jerry Kelley doing a good job with the modified and just making laps and learning where I was going,” Logano said. “A lot of that helped.”To Eric Shanz, from Cincinnati, OH, who’s also been to Bristol before, nothing has compared to the dirt race.“The hype is not enough. It should’ve been higher, man,” Shanz said. “That was f***ing awesome. It’s just crazy. Everyone going around the turns just going crazy. Every time I turned, I was like, ‘Wreck! Wreck! Wreck! But they held on to it. It was nuts, man.”He too expressed his excitement to see drivers like Kyle Larson, Stewart Friesen and Matt Crafton take more laps around the half-mile track during the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash and World of Outlaws Throwdown.“Dirt is awesome,” he said.For tickets to the World of Outlaws Bristol Bash and Bristol Throwdown, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.For more information on the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws Late Models, go to WorldofOutlaws.com. Go to SuperDIRTcarSeries.com for more information on the Super DIRTcar Series. And go to DIRTcar.com for more information on the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.

NASCAR CUP SERIES BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOOD CITY DIRT RACE TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES MARCH 29, 2021 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE4th      DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE 6th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE7th      TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LE9th      ERIK JONES, NO. 43 TIDE CAMARO ZL1 1LE10th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE  TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Joey Logano (Ford)2nd     Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet)3rd      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)4th      Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet) 5th      Ryan Newman (Ford) The NASCAR Cup Series season continues in two weeks at Martinsville Speedway for the Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 on Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2ndBRINGING IT HOME IN SECOND PLACE, YOU GUYS HAD TO MAKE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THIS RACE CAR ALL DAY LONG. FINALLY AT THE END, IT LOOKED REALLY GOOD.“Yeah, our Kroger Camaro was really good on the long run; we needed a little bit more NOS Energy Drink for the restarts. I just couldn’t get going; couldn’t get the turn in the race car that we needed. But we made a ton of adjustments and we kind of went back and forth overnight of what we were going to do. (Kyle) Larson and I came out and hung with the track crew. Steve Swift and the boys did a great job of getting this thing raceable today with all the rain and all the challenges that they had.”“Man, we had a blast. At the start of the race, I was terrible with the green race track and a little bit of moisture in it. But as it blew off, we got back to where we were in practice and felt really good with it. A good way to go into the off week. I’m going to go run my sprint car with my dad this weekend. Hope everyone has a good Easter. Go get some NOS Energy Drink at Kroger!” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4thLESS THAN A WEEK AGO, YOU GOT ON DIRT FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. TODAY YOU LED 58 LAPS IN THE CUP RACE AND FINISHED FOURTH. HOW IN THE WORLD DID YOU DO IT?“To be honest, I had no idea what I was doing. But we’re having fun. Everyone at Trackhouse Racing did an amazing job. This is the second week in a row that we’ve had very fast race cars capable of running in the Top-5, Top-10. I couldn’t be more proud of all these guys (like) Justin Marks, Ty Norris, and everyone that helps in this program; Camping World, Chevy, CommScope. Everyone has been a huge support of myself. It just feels so good to be back. It’s been a little bit difficult the last year, and it feels so good to be able to race with these guys and to have some fun up front. Hopefully our time will come soon.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“We had a lot of fun today. I felt like we were really good in Stage 1 and 2, and then I got too loose. The car just didn’t have enough to lean on and we struggled on the restarts because of that. We got it really good by the end and came back from eleventh to sixth. It was good; a lot better than I would have thought. We’ll move onto Martinsville and try to win that one.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th“That was a tough day for everybody out there, but I’m really proud of my BetMGM team for sticking with me all day long. It was truly a battle out there to keep up with the changing track conditions. I felt like we had everything come at us today. Our No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE fired off too loose and then built too tight as the track changed. Visibility was a huge challenge too. My spotter, Derek Kneeland, did a great job helping me through all the restarts when I couldn’t see anything on the track with all the dust. Towards the end of Stage 2, my engine temps started pegging and we were all worried that was going to ruin our race, but thankfully a caution came out at the right time. I was able to cool it off long enough under yellow to make it to the stage break and have my team work on it. We had a shot at a top-five at the end today, but I went for it on the top and the grip just wasn’t there like I hoped. But overall, a really good day for us. We’ll take this top-10 finish and build on it in a couple weeks at Martinsville Speedway.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 TIDE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th“It was a good day for our No. 43 Tide Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the Bristol Motor Speedway. We started a little bit further back in the lineup, and worked our way towards the top-10. Our Richard Petty Motorsports team ended up getting some good stage points throughout the day (Stage 2, 8th-place) and ended up coming home in the ninth place. It was a solid day. What we were looking for today was getting back towards the top 10, and I think our Chevrolet Camaro was probably a little bit better than that even. We just kind of ran out of laps and ran out of time the way the race was sectioned out.” “We got some good notes. It sounds like we are going to do this again in the future, so hopefully we can take something we learned from today, move forward with it and bring it back next time.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th“We tried the slow and steady approach, tried to keep all the fenders on the Monster Energy Chevy, maybe that was too much of the old man sequence. Not many scratches on it, but not much speed, just tried to take care of it. It was good to see fans back at the track. Me and Harvick were back there trying to hold each other up!” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 22nd“Not how we wanted to end our day. We lost fourth gear early on and it just affected the rest of our race. I really think we could have been up front at the end. It’s going to be nice to have a weekend off this week and we will come back strong in Martinsville.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 CLOVER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 35th“Just a disappointing day for the Clover team. We were making progress and working to see how the track conditions would change. Unfortunately, we didn’t even make it to the end of the first stage. Just a wrong place at the wrong time kind of moment.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Fight Through Long Afternoon at Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Race

21st

9th

11th

“What a day at Bristol Motor Speedway. We fought hard all day, but we just never had the Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet we needed. It’s perplexing because it was a night and day difference from our practice sessions to the race. The team never gave up and worked all day to improve our handling. We’ll go back to Welcome to evaluate everything and start working on a game plan for next year’s race.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Capitalizes on Wild Race to Claim Seventh-Place Finish in BetMGM Chevrolet at Inaugural Bristol Motor Speedway Dirt Race

7th

27th

25th

“That was a tough day for everybody, but I’m really proud of my BetMGM team for sticking with me all day long. It was truly a battle out there to keep up with the changing track conditions. I felt like we had everything come at us today. Our No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE fired off too loose and then built too tight as the track changed. Visibility was a huge challenge too. My spotter, Derek Kneeland, did a great job helping me through all the restarts when I couldn’t see anything on the track with all the dust. Towards the end of Stage 2, my engine temps started pegging and we were all worried that was going to ruin our race, but thankfully a caution came out at the right time. I was able to cool it off long enough under yellow to make it to the stage break and have my team work on it. We had a shot at a top-five at the end today, but I went for it on the top and the grip just wasn’t there like I hoped. But overall, a really good day for us. We’ll take this top-10 finish and build on it in a couple weeks at Martinsville Speedway.” -Tyler Reddick

Super DIRTcar Series Invades Pennsylvania’s Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Raceway Sept. 2 for Huge $10,000-to-win EventBig purse up for grabs in NAPA Super DIRT Week Qualifier at reopened Keystone State fairgrounds speedwayBLOOMSBURG, PA – On Thursday, Sept. 2, the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds will storm into Pennsylvania for a 100-lap, $10,000-to-win spectacular at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Raceway. The Bloomsburg Fair is entering its 166th edition in 2021 and its first Super DIRTcar Series race. Recently, the fair built a 3/8-mile race track inside of the original half-mile configuration making it suitable for full-size, high-horsepower race cars, and appointed Steve O’Neal as race promoter. Super DIRTcar Series Director Dean Reynolds is excited to bring the Series back to Pennsylvania in a big way. This marks the first Series race in PA since Matt Sheppard won at Grandview in 2016.“Bringing Central Pennsylvania back on the Super DIRTcar Series is key for the overall schedule process,” Reynolds said. “We like to bring an influx of a few tracks outside our New York and Canada core from what we call ‘down south’ as there are many Big Blocks in the area.” “This is a really nice fit with Bridgeport in New Jersey and now with the specials-only schedule that Bloomsburg is running. Not to mention that Bloomsburg is very easy to travel to from New York,” Reynolds added.By Sept. 2 the Super DIRTcar Series season will have been underway for five months. Vital championship points will be in heated contention with the season heading full steam towards the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Star drivers like Mat Williamson, Matt Sheppard, Larry Wight, and the rest of the Series will make history at the first Super DIRTcar Series race at Bloomsburg. Young guns like Demetrios Drellos, Jack Lehner, and more will look to stamp their name on the inaugural event. The Wingless Sportsman Series will also be on the card making for an exciting two-division show to kick off the Labor Day Weekend.  Not only will the race winner hoist a $10,000 check above their head in Victory Lane, but they will also receive guaranteed starter status for the biggest dirt modified race in the world: The Billy Whittaker Cars 200 at NAPA Super DIRT Week. All Series races paying $10,000 or more have this distinction. The Series has a long history of running big races at fairgrounds. Land of Legends Raceway, Weedsport Speedway, Orange County Fair Speedway, and others are all on fairgrounds and on the Series schedule today. Of course, NAPA Super DIRT Week once took center stage at the New York State Fairgrounds until the event moved to Oswego Speedway. The Series also visited the Reading Fair Speedway (in PA) six times in the 1970s. There is simply something special about racing at historic fairgrounds no matter where it is. Be there Thursday, Sept. 2 at the Bloomsburg Fair Raceway. If you can’t make it to the track, pick up your DIRTVision FAST PASS for the Bloomsburg race and much more.Bookmark SuperDIRTcarSeries.com for features, news, and more. Plus follow the Series on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for videos, photos, and up-to-the-minute news and notes on race day. PHOTO CREDIT: Joe Grabianowski

The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics.

BRANDON SHEPPARD, BRIAN SHIRLEY, DENNIS ERB JR. AND MORE GET READY FOR FARMER CITY RACEWAYFARMER CITY, IL – MARCH 29, 2021 –The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Series returns to Farmer City Raceway this weekend for the 13th annual Illini 100.The Series gears up for two nights of action at the 1/4-mile track, with one driver possibly walking away with $26,000 in winnings between the two nights.The Friday, April 2, 25-lap Feature will award $6,000 to the winner. Then, on Saturday, April 3, the Series will run a 75-lap Feature, with the winner collecting $20,000. Saturday’s event also pays $10,000 to second and $1,200 to start.Hot Laps are scheduled to start at 6pm on Friday, and 5pm on Saturday.Fans can also meet the drivers during an autograph session on Saturday, from 3pm to 4pm.Teams will get a practice session on Thursday, April 1.After six races, Kyle Strickler has a 66-point lead on three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard. Strickler is still the only two-time winner on the Series, so far.The World of Outlaws Late Models have run 16 races at Farmer City Raceway, with eight different winners. Brandon Sheppard is the most recent winner – April 2019. Billy Moyer has won the most, reaching Victory Lane four times.If you can’t make it either night, watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS Subscription for $39/month.Here are the top stories to follow this weekend:The Push For 70 Continues: Brandon Sheppard finally picked up his first win of 2021 at Cherokee Speedway last weekend. However, that was a special event and didn’t count as an official Series victory.Sheppard’s next official win will be the 70th World of Outlaws Late Model victory of his career.There’s good news for the New Berlin, IL native. He’s had a lot of success at Farmer City Raceway. Sheppard has three World of Outlaws victories at the speedway, all coming in the 75-lap portion of the Illini 100.Fighting for Victory: Brian Shirley has two World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model wins in his home state at Farmer City Raceway. Both have been during the 25-lap portion of the Illini 100. He’s been close to clinching the 75-lap event, finishing second to Brandon Sheppard in the Illini 100 finale in 2017.Overall, the Chatham, IL driver has four top-fives in World of Outlaws Late Model competition at the track.Racing Close to home: Brandon Sheppard isn’t the only driver looking forward to getting home this weekend. Illinois-native Dennis Erb Jr. has four wins at Farmer City Raceway. However, none have come during World of Outlaws competition.In those races, the Carpentersville, IL native has three top-fives, and six top-10s. Two of those top-fives were during the Illini 100 in 2019.New Territory: The Illini 100 will be a whole new ballgame for Series points leader Kyle Strickler. Friday night will be “The High Side Tickler’s” first start at the track with the World of Outlaws Late Models.So far this season, Strickler has been the dominate driver with the most wins (two), the most top-five finishes (4) – currently the only driver with more than three top-fives – and the most top-10s (5).The Pennsylvania campaigner enters the weekend with a 66-point lead over Brandon Sheppard and leads the hunt for Rookie of the Year.This Week at a GlanceWhen and WhereApril 1-3 at Farmer City Raceway in Farmer City, ILAbout the TrackFarmer City Raceway is a 1/4 mile high banked track Online: https://www.farmercityracing.com Track Record: 11.750 set by Brandon Sheppard on April 5, 2019PREVIOUS FARMER CITY RACEWAY WINNERS 2019 – Brian Shirley on April 5; Brandon Sheppard on April 6 2017 – Brandon Sheppard on March 31; Brian Shirley on April 1 2016 – Josh Richards on April 2, 3 2015 – Scott Bloomquist on April 17; Brandon Sheppard on April 18 2014 – Shannon Babb on April 26 2013 – Billy Moyer on April 6 2012 – Jimmy Mars on March 31 2010 – Billy Moyer on April 10 2009 – Shane Clanton on April 4 2008 – Billy Moyer on April 5 2007 – Shannon Babb on April 27 2006 – Billy Moyer on Aug. 14On the Internet World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models Series Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, April 8-10, heads to Bristol Motor Speedway, in Bristol TN, for the Bristol Bash. CLICK HERE for tickets.Feature Winners: (5 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsKyle Strickler, Sinking Springs, PA-2Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1 Chris Madden, Grey Court, SC-1DRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (19 Drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsKyle Bronson, Brandon, FL-3 Tim McCreadie, Watertown, NY-3Kyle Strickler, Sinking Spring, PA-2 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH- 2 Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-2 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL-2 Chris Madden, Grey Court, SC-2Dale Mcdowell, Chickamauga, GA- 1 Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA-1 Darell Lanigan, Union, KY-1 Parker Martin, Milledgeville, GA-1 Ross Bailes, Clover, SC- 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, Ga-1 Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1 Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1 Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN-1Last Chance Showdown Winners (12 drivers) Rank- Driver- Hometown-WinsRicky Weiss, Headingly, MB -2 Dale Mcdowell, Chickamauga, GA-2Ross Robinson, Clover, SC- 1 Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA-1 Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN-1 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA- 1 Dennis Erb, Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1 Mike Norris, Sarver, PA- 1 Stacy Boles, Clinton, TN-1 Kyle Strickler, Silver Springs, PA-1PODIUM FINISHES (14 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – PodiumsKyle Strickler, Sinking Spring, PA – 3Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 2 Kyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 2Cade Dillard, Robeline, LA – 1 Scott Bloomquist, Mooresburg, TN – 1 Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY – 1 Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN – 1 Ricky Thornton, Jr., Chandler, AZ – 1 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 1 Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA – 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 1 Chris Madden, Grey Court, SC-1 Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1 Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, GA-1HARD CHARGER AWARD (4 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C. AwardsRicky Weiss, Headingly, MB – 2 Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS – 2Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA – 1 Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL – 1SLICK WOODY’S QUICK TIME AWARD (6 drivers) Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTsKyle Bronson, Brandon, FL – 1 Kyle Strickler, Sinking Spring, PA – 1 Brandon Overton, Evans, GA – 1 Devin Moran, Dresden, OH – 1 Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, IL – 1 Donald McIntosh, Dawsonville, GA- 12021 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & WinnersNo./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Thursday, Jan. 14 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Bronson (1) 2. Saturday, Jan. 16 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Strickler (1) 3. Wednesday, Feb. 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Kyle Strickler (2) 4. Thursday, Feb. 11 / Voluisa Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Devin Moran (1) 5. Friday, Feb. 12 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brandon Overton (1) 6. Saturday, March 6/ Smoky Mountain Speedway/ Maryville, TN/ Chris Madden (1). 7. Friday, March 26 / Cherokee Speedway / Gaffney, SC / Jimmy Owens/Brandon Sheppard

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

Sweet & KKR #49 Land Series-Best Third Win of 2021 at Lake Ozark SpeedwayELDON, MO – March 27, 2021 – It was rough and tough, and tricky and treacherous; a track that Jason Johnson himself would’ve thrived on.If it couldn’t be the #41, though, it’s no surprise that it ended up going to the #49 Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts car,.Leading all 30 laps on a “cowboy up” surface at Lake Ozark Speedway on Saturday night, Brad Sweet of Grass Valley, CA checked a big one off his bucket list by claiming the third annual Jason Johnson Classic to the tune of $15,000.His third win of the 2021 season marked the 61st of his World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series career. He’s a Knoxville Nationals champion, King’s Royal winner, and so much more, but Saturday’s win was admittedly one of the biggest of his stout career.”This is definitely one of my biggest wins,” Sweet said afterwards. “I know it’s not the Knoxville Nationals or anything, but memorial races just mean so much. We lost Jason a few years back and I’ve missed him ever since. I think about Bobbi, Jaxx, and his whole family still sticking with the sport after everything that has happened to them. They’re a lot braver than I am. I hope Jason is looking down on us and smiling tonight.”Sweet, the two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, was impressive all night long on the Eldon, MO 3/8-mile. He set Slick Woody’s QuickTime, ran second in his Team Drydene Heat Race, and second again in the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to claim the outside pole position of the main event.Sheldon Haudenschild, a runner-up twice before at Lake Ozark, had the honors of leading the field to the green flag in his Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17. It wasn’t Lil’ Haud, but The Big Cat who pounced on the conditions and put his #49 in front of the field to lead the opening lap, a command he would never relinquish it.It wasn’t an easy win by any means for the KKR #49. Outside of one stoppage for a flipped fourth-runningJacob Allen on Lap six, it was a grinding 30 laps through lap traffic.Things heated up at halfway when the initial installment of lap traffic slowed Sweet’s pace and brought Haudenschild to his back bumper. The #17 was hounding the #49 for a handful of laps before Sweet made the right move and separated himself from Haudenschild, who was boxed-in by traffic.Once able to sneak away, Sweet put on an absolute clinic. He lapped up to the sixth-position and crossed the finish line with an astounding margin of victory at 4.218-seconds. Afterwards, he was adamant in making this night about Jason and the Johnson family.”The night is all about honoring Jason and his legacy as a racer, as a father, and as a husband,” Sweet continued. “He was someone we all looked up to in the pits. He really made an impact on this sport. We really miss him. We want to take a moment every now and then and pause to remember him. Tonight is the night we get to do that. It’s truly an honor to win this race. This NAPA Auto Parts car was on rails. That’s a track that Jason Johnson would’ve had his elbows up on. He would’ve been tough to beat tonight.”Sheldon Haudenschild of Wooster, OH gave Sweet all he could at halfway, but the combination of traffic and conditions allowed Sweet to escape. Saturday marked his third career runner-up result at Lake Ozark and his third consecutive top five finish at the Jason Johnson Classic. A strong run, but it left him hungry for a win at this joint.”I’m gonna win this race someday,” Haudenschild told Bobbi Johnson afterwards. “We were really good, but just Brad out-raced us I think. I hung with him for a really long time, but he got through one pack of lappers better than me and it was game over. We want to win this one real bad. Even though it was rough it was awesome to drive. I had a blast.”Coming home with a third-place finish and earning his first podium appearance of the season was James McFadden in the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9. Since making his way overseas, the Alice Springs, NT, AUS driver has yet to finish outside the top ten in World of Outlaws action.”We just sort of rolled around and tried to keep out of trouble and capitalize on everyone else’s mistakes,” McFadden noted on his strategy. “Tried to minimize my mistakes as much as possible. It was a tough race, though. I always enjoy this track, it’s a lot of fun. This is a good confidence booster for us. We struggled in Texas, so running third is great for sure.”Rounding out the top ten on Saturday night was Logan Schuchart in the Shark Racing #1S, Carson Macedo in the Jason Johnson Racing #41, Aaron Reutzel in the Roth Motorsports #83, David Gravel in the Big Game Motorsports #2, Brent Marks in the CJB Motorsports #5, Kraig Kinser in the Kinser Racing #11K, and Cory Eliason in the Rudeen Racing #26.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series heads to Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 next weekend. A two-day stop brings The Greatest Show on Dirt to the Pevely, MO 1/3-mile on Friday and Saturday, April 2-3. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$15,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [1][$6,225]; 3. 9-James McFadden [5][$3,725]; 4. 1S-Logan Schuchart [3][$3,025]; 5. 41-Carson Macedo [7][$2,725]; 6. 83-Aaron Reutzel [8][$2,525]; 7. 2-David Gravel [9][$2,425]; 8. 5-Brent Marks [20][$2,325]; 9. 11K-Kraig Kinser [6][$2,275]; 10. 26-Cory Eliason [11][$2,225]; 11. 15-Donny Schatz [12][$1,825]; 12. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [14][$1,625]; 13. 11-Ian Madsen [15][$1,425]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [19][$1,325]; 15. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer [18][$1,275]; 16. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [13][$1,225]; 17. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [22][$1,225]; 18. 2C-Wayne Johnson [10][$1,200]; 19. 7S-Jason Sides [23][$1,200]; 20. 21-Brian Brown [17][$1,200]; 21. 14E-Kyle Bellm [24][$1,200]; 22. 73-Scotty Thiel [16][$1,200]; 23. 1A-Jacob Allen [4][$1,200]; 24. 98-Clinton Boyles [21][$1,200]. Lap Leaders: Brad Sweet 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 5-Brent Marks[+12].NEW Championship Standings (9/83 Races) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet (1,298); 2. Logan Schuchart (-32); 3. 2-David Gravel (-52); 4. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild (-60); 5. 15-Donny Schatz (-60); 6. 41-Carson Macedo (-90); 7. 83-Aaron Reutzel (-90); 8. 26-Cory Eliason (-106); 9. 5-Brent Marks (-164); 10. 11K-Kraig Kinser (-180).Photo – Trent Gower

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

BRASELTON, GEORGIA (March 26, 2021) – Beating out nearly 30 other Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda cars, Noel Leon of Monterrey, Mexico, claimed the first pole position of the season on at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Friday. 

After winning the 2020 NACAM F4 championship, Leon brought his talents north to vie for another title and the FR Americas scholarship valued at $230,000. Today Leon got one step closer to his season-long goal, securing pole position in the No. 19 DEForce Racing Ligier by nearly a half of a second ahead of second-place with a fast lap of 1:28.258-seconds.

“I really like Road Atlanta, especially now that I got my first career F4 U.S. pole here,” said Leon. “I am so happy for the team, for my family, sponsors and country to get the first pole of the season. We are shooting for a great result tomorrow.”

The Velocity Racing Development duo of Jason Alder of Cookville, Maryland, and Nico Christodoulou of Maple, Ontario, held the top two times early in the session, but a red flag halted qualifying after the No. 22 of Christodoulou made contact with the wall in Turn 1. Christodoulou remained unscathed but was forced to retire the session due to damage. The early flier he set was good enough to give him a top-five start for Saturday’s opening round.

Christodoulou’s teammate Alder continued to build momentum in the No. 77 VRD machine after the track switched back to green. The rookie driver laid down his fastest time (1:28.744-seconds) on the final circuit to secure a front-row start. 

“Getting into the top-two in such a heavy field of talent is amazing,” said Alder. “Tomorrow I am going for the win.”

Driving the No. 5 CSU/One Cure/Lucas Oil/Pelican/Capri Tools Jay Howard Driver Development car, Matt Christensen of Orlando, Florida, slotted into third on the last lap (1:28.797-seconds). Arias Deukmedjian of Merritt Island, Florida, will share the second row with Christensen.

“The red flag kind of held us up, getting caught in some traffic,” explained Christensen. “The car felt great. I really like racing here. Road Atlanta is a really fast track, a really technical track and I love it.”

Saturday morning will kick off the triple-round weekend for the F4 U.S. drivers at Road Atlanta, starting with Race 1 at 10:35 a.m. Eastern followed by Race 2 at 3:25 p.m. Eastern. Sunday will wrap up the weekend with Race 3 scheduled at its new time of 1:30 p.m. Eastern. 

DRIVERS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NEW BANKING IN TURNS 1 AND 2

GAFFNEY, SC – March 26, 2021 – Friday night at Cherokee Speedway was double the Features, double the fun with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models.

The 42-car field was split into two groups, running two 25-lap Feature events on night one of the Rock Gault Memorial doubleheader.

While the number of laps were equal, the two Features were anything but similar.

ACT ONE

The first Feature was a war of attrition with drivers working to manage their tires.

When the dust settled, Jimmy Owens won the war, picking up the $5,000 prize.

Chris Madden wasted no time using the track’s new configuration, rim-riding on the top side of the speedway in Turns 1 and 2. That’s where speedway officials added banking earlier in the week.

“Smokey” used that lane for the first 10 laps, until he started getting pressure from Kyle Strickler and Owens.

Strickler pulled a slide job on Madden in Turn 2, taking the lead for a few car lengths on Lap 9. But that’s when Owens, the “Newport Nightmare,” decided to strike. He took advantage of the open lane on the bottom of the speedway, powering past Strickler and Madden for the top spot.

Tire wear became an issue for some drivers in the final 10 laps, bringing out a few late cautions. That put all eyes on Owens with each restart.

Kyle Strickler chose the high side on the double-file re-start, pitting him in a side-by-side battle with Chris Madden.

“The High Side Tickler” was living up to his nickname, trying to power past Madden as Jonathan Davenport and Chris Ferguson raced wheel-to-wheel behind them. That’s when the bad luck bug hit Strickler, as his right rear tire went flat with six laps to go.

He wouldn’t be the only one with trouble, as the same problem would plague Chris Madden a few laps later, costing him a top-five finish.

The Grey Court, SC campaigner said damage early in the race led to the flat tire.

“I got run into, and it pushed the quarter panel into the tire,” Madden said. “After Lap 3, we were kind of just hanging on.”

Owens held on for the victory in the final two laps of the race, putting the Ramirez Motorsports car in victory lane.

“The track turned out pretty good,” Owens said. “I would’ve liked to run [Turn] 1 and 2 a little bit better because it was really dusty, but overall, it worked out for us.”

Davenport finish second, Trent Ivey was third, Tim McCreadie fourth, and Brent Larson fifth.

ACT TWO

In the second Feature, the outside lane became the main factor in the race’s outcome.

Dale McDowell took the lead early and began to pull away from the field in what looked to be a dominant victory.

But three-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard pulled into second with 15 laps to go and started using the high lane to reel in McDowell.

Sheppard caught McDowell with two laps to go. He rocketed around the outside of him in Turn 3, using a slower car as a pick to get by.

“Towards the end we got to lap traffic, and luckily my tires must’ve been just right at the end, because I could roll the middle and top pretty good compared to early in the race,” Sheppard said.

It was a big win for the reigning champion, being his first of 2021 – however these special Features will not count as official Series wins for Owens or Sheppard.

“We’ve been on the struggle bus for most of the year, but I knew not to count ourselves out,” Sheppard said.

McDowell led the first 23 laps of the feature and said lap traffic wasn’t the only reason he lost the lead in the final two laps.

“I started losing grip in my right rear tire, I’m pretty sure [Sheppard] went with a harder tire. It was the right choice for 23 laps, but it is what it is,” McDowell said.

The Chickamauga, GA driver held on for second place, Brandon Overton finished third, Scott Bloomquist fourth, and Jeff Smith fifth.

UP NEXT:  

The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series is back in action on Saturday March 27, for night number two of the Rock Gault Memorial at Cherokee Speedway Gaffney SC. For Tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you’re unable to make it to the track can watch all of the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

Morton Buildings Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens [2][$5,000]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport [10][$2,500]; 3. 88-Trent Ivey [3][$1,750]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie [11][$1,500]; 5. B1-Brent Larson [6][$1,200]; 6. 79-Casey Roberts [9][$1,100]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb [13][$1,000]; 8. 22-Chris Ferguson [4][$950]; 9. 421-Anthony Sanders [15][$900]; 10. 57M-Zack Mitchell [14][$850]; 11. 58-Ross Bailes [8][$800]; 12. 20H-Bryson Harper [17][$750]; 13. 44-Chris Madden [1][$700]; 14. 1D-Brent Dixon [18][$650]; 15. 18D-Daulton Wilson [7][$600]; 16. 7-Ricky Weiss [16][$550]; 17. 8-Kyle Strickler [5][$525]; 18. 11-Austin Kirkpatrick [12][$500]; 19. 6JR-Parker Martin [20][$500]; 20. 42-Doug Sanders [19]; 21. 23-Ahnna Parkhurst [21][]; 22. 14-Josh Richards [22]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 49-Jonathan Davenport[+8]

Morton Buildings Feature 2 (25 Laps): 1. 1-Brandon Sheppard [6][$5,000]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell [1][$2,500]; 3. 76-Brandon Overton [5][$1,750]; 4. O-Scott Bloomquist [2][$1,500]; 5. 70-Jeff Smith [3][$1,200]; 6. 16-Tyler Bruening [8][$1,100]; 7. 18-Chase Junghans [7][$1,000]; 8. 6B-Dillon Brown [10][$950]; 9. 19R-Ryan Gustin [12][$900]; 10. 1P-Earl Pearson [13][$850]; 11. 29V-Darrell Lanigan [15][$800]; 12. 97-Cade Dillard [9][$750]; 13. 24D-Michael Brown [19][$700]; 14. 57-Adam Yarbrough [11][$650]; 15. 40B-Kyle Bronson [14][$600]; 16. 42K-Cla Knight [16][$550]; 17. 89-G.R. Smith [21][$525]; 18. 6-Blake Spencer [17][$500]; 19. 25-Shane Clanton [4][$500]; 20. 99B-Boom Briggs [18][$500]; 21. 54-David Breazeale [20]; KSE Hard Charger Award: 24D-Michael Brown[+6]

Qualifying Flight-A: 1. 22-Chris Ferguson, 14.867; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens, 15.137; 3. 44-Chris Madden, 15.169; 4. 57M-Zack Mitchell, 15.229; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson, 15.256; 6. 88-Trent Ivey, 15.318; 7. 8-Kyle Strickler, 15.367; 8. B1-Brent Larson, 15.369; 9. 421-Anthony Sanders, 15.382; 10. 49-Jonathan Davenport, 15.397; 11. 79-Casey Roberts, 15.41; 12. 11-Austin Kirkpatrick, 15.42; 13. 28-Dennis Erb, 15.428; 14. 58-Ross Bailes, 15.434; 15. 39-Tim McCreadie, 15.45; 16. 1D-Brent Dixon, 15.603; 17. 20H-Bryson Harper, 15.61; 18. 7-Ricky Weiss, 15.639; 19. 42-Doug Sanders, 15.912; 20. 6JR-Parker Martin, 15.973; DNS. 23-Ahnna Parkhurst, NT; DNS. 14-Josh Richards, NT

Qualifying Flight-B: 1. O-Scott Bloomquist, 14.9; 2. 76-Brandon Overton, 15.103; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard, 15.237; 4. 25-Shane Clanton, 15.288; 5. 24D-Michael Brown, 15.332; 6. 54-David Breazeale, 15.402; 7. 18-Chase Junghans, 15.474; 8. 70-Jeff Smith, 15.486; 9. 97-Cade Dillard, 15.498; 10. 19R-Ryan Gustin, 15.568; 11. 17M-Dale McDowell, 15.57; 12. 40B-Kyle Bronson, 15.679; 13. 89-G.R. Smith, 15.753; 14. 6B-Dillon Brown, 15.754; 15. 29V-Darrell Lanigan, 15.793; 16. 42K-Cla Knight, 15.809; 17. 57-Adam Yarbrough, 15.856; 18. 16-Tyler Bruening, 15.863; 19. 1P-Earl Pearson, 15.925; 20. 99B-Boom Briggs, 15.991; 21. 6-Blake Spencer, 16.152

TJ Speed locks up front row in FR Americas debut

Full Results

BRASELTON, GEORGIA (March 26, 2021) – A dozen competitive Formula Regional Americas Championship Powered by Honda drivers suited up for the first qualifying session of the season on Friday afternoon at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, all with the same goal to be the fastest car on the technical 2.54-mile, 12-turn circuit.

Three different drivers held the top spot in the condensed 20-minute qualifying with only a half of second deciding the first three rows. But it was Kyffin Simpson from Grand Caymon who secured pole position with a fast lap of 1:19.141-seconds in the No. 21 Simpson Race Products/GoPro/Spy Optic Ligier. Simpson will be joined on the front row by his TJ Speed Motorsports teammate Logan Cusson of Port Hope, Ontario. 

“I am feeling great after that result,” said Simpson. “The entire TJ Speed team worked so hard this weekend. I am so glad that today came out well and get the pole for them. 

“Road Atlanta is a great course, it’s one of my favorites,” Simpson continued. “It has fast corners and earlier this weekend we had rain which made it a little more interesting through those fast corners. In qualifying the track was just a lot of fun.”

Following an extended oil spill clean up earlier in the day from another group, the FR Americas qualifying session was shortened, giving the drivers just 20 minutes to get up to speed. In an all green session, Simpson, Cusson and Newman Wachs Racing’s Jordan Missig of Channahon, Illinois, all found themselves leading a lap. 

Cusson continued to find speed throughout the session and topped his personal best time on the final circuit (1:19.371-seconds), but with a bobble in a turn, he missed pole position by just .230-seconds. Saturday will be the Canadian’s first front row start of his FR Americas career. 

Cusson is the only driver entered for the weekend who has competed at Road Atlanta with FR. Cusson’s lap times from his 2019 rookie season at Road Atlanta have improved by more than two seconds with the help of his new team. 

“I have had a lot more experience than I had last time I am here,” said Cusson. “I had a year in the car between that time, and I am on a really great team now. TJ Speed has really helped me out with coaching and the car was just perfect today. I am feeling super confident for tomorrow’s race.”

In his series debut, Jay Howard Driver Development rookie Christian Bogle (1:19.416-seconds) will start on point from Row 2 in the No. 7 CSU/One Cure/Lucas Oil/Pelican/Capri Tools. Bogle was fastest in the morning practice and slotted into third on the white flag lap. The F4 U.S. graduate competed at Road Atlanta in 2019 with JHDD in F4. 

“It’s been a pretty big difference moving from the F4 car into the FR car here at Road Atlanta,” said Bogle. “We’ve done a pretty good job keeping up to speed. We had a strong practice session and came in third in qualifying. We have a strong starting position and I am looking forward to the race tomorrow.”

F4 U.S. reigning champion Hunter Yeany (1:19.525-seconds) and Missing (1:19.590-seconds) rounded out the top five times. 

PMH Powering Diversity scholarship recipient Ernie Francis Jr. finished with the 10th fastest time of the day with a 1:21.202-second lap. Future Star Racing took position of Francis Jr.’s  No. 98 Ligier last weekend and Thursday’s test day was the Francis Jr.’s first time behind the wheel. The seven-time Trans Am champion has two victories at Road Atlanta in Trans Am but has found that making the switch to open wheel comes with its own learning curve.

“The biggest difference between driving Road Atlanta in my Trans Am car compared to the FR Americas car is the braking and corner speed,” explained Francis Jr. “I have to attack the braking zones so much differently. It takes a totally different mentality with the driving style so I am trying to manage rewiring my brain to go and drive this without losing it all for the Trans Am sessions. Future Star Racing has made this opportunity possible and it’s been a great learning experience. I am looking forward to my first standing start tomorrow.”

Saturday morning will kick off the triple-round weekend for the FR Americas drivers at Road Atlanta, starting with Race 1 at 8:50 am Eastern followed by Race 2 at 1:25 p.m. Eastern. Sunday will wrap up the weekend with Race 3 scheduled at its new time of 3:10 p.m. Eastern. 

WASHED OUT: Excessive Rain Forces Cancellation of US-36 on FridayWorld of Outlaws Sprint Cars Move to Lake Ozark Speedway on SaturdayOSBORN, MO – March 25, 2021 – Due to a series of showers on Thursday that soaked the facility, Friday’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event at US-36 Raceway in Osborn, MO has been cancelled.Fans who purchased tickets in advance to Friday’s show have the option to take their tickets to Saturday’s World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event at Lake Ozark Speedway. Fans who can’t attend the Lake Ozark event will receive an automatic credit to their MyDirtTickets.com account, or they  can request a REFUND HERE (need new link) within 30 days.The Greatest Show on Dirt now shifts its focus to Saturday night when the third annual Jason Johnson Classic presented by FK Rod Ends offers a $15,000 payday at Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO. Plan ahead for an early start time with hot laps scheduled for 5:00pm CST. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE.Fans who can’t make it to the track can catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws eve

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE FOOD CITY DIRT RACE BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY BRISTOL, TENNESSEE MARCH 28, 2021

RACE #7 – BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAYOne of the most highly-anticipated events on the revamped 2021 NASCAR schedule, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will return to the dirt for the first time in over 50 years as the .533-mile oval of Bristol Motor Speedway is converted to dirt for the sport’s first visit to the venue this season. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) will also be joining in on the action at the Tennessee short track, who will compete in the first of two dirt races on the Series’ schedule for the 2021 season. 
There have been 489 NASCAR Cup Series races contested on dirt from June 1949 to September 1970, which was won by Richard Petty at the half-mile North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
The NCWTS schedule has included at least one race on dirt since 2013, though the 2020 event was canceled because of COVID-19. A second dirt race is scheduled for July at the famed half-mile of Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa.
Chevrolet NCS drivers Kyle Larson and Daniel Suarez will do double duty this weekend. Larson won the NCWTS race at the Eldora Speedway dirt oval in 2016. Also entered is Myatt Snider, who is seventh in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings in the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
The NCS 250-lap Food City Dirt Race will be telecast on FOX at 3:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, March 28. FS1 will telecast the 150-lap Pinty’s Truck Race on Dirt at 8:00 p.m. EDT Saturday, March 27.
DILLON PREPS WITH WIN ON DIRTRichard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon tuned up for the Bristol race weekend by winning the 604 Late Model feature last Saturday, March 20, on the high-banked oval as part of the Bristol Dirt Nationals. Dillon started from the pole and led all 20 laps.
Kyle Larson and reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott also got in laps in competition at the Bristol Dirt Nationals. Larson was runner-up in the 40-lap Super Late Model feature. Larson is the reigning champion of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals and also won a Late Model race on dirt this year, making the 28-year-old California native one of the favorites to capture the victory of this historic event. 
WELCOMING WINDOM FOR THE WEEKENDUnited States Auto Club (USAC) Triple Crown champion Chris Windom is among the 39 entries for the NCS race. He will drive the No. 15 NOS Energy Drink Camaro ZL1 1LE for Rick Ware Racing in partnership with his USAC sprint car team, Hayward Motorsports.
LARON MOVES TO SECONDAfter matching his career-best finish of second at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Larson moved from a tie for fifth in the Driver Standings to second. Larson led 269 of the 325 laps on the 1.5-mile oval and recorded two stage wins.
Larson, No. 5 Freightliner Camaro ZL1 1LE, is among three drivers with five top-10 finishes in the six races. Homestead-Miami Speedway winner William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE, is eighth and Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, rounds out the top-10 in the standings.
HEAT RACES TO DETERMINE LINEUPSThe race weekend kicks off with a pair of 50-minute practice sessions for both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday, March 26. Saturday’s events kick off with heat races, which will determine the starting lineups for each main event. Both series will run four 15-lap heats, with the lineup for each heat determined by random draw. The starting lineup will be determined by a formula that weighs finishing position plus passing points from positions gained during each heat. BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet leads manufacturers with 640 laps led – 200 more than its closest competitor – and in top-10 finishes with 26.
·       Chevrolet has 797 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers.
·       Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 379 laps led in the six races.
·       Kyle Larson is one of just two drivers to complete every lap thus far this season. Austin Dillon has completed all but one of the 1,441 laps.
·       Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2) have stage wins.
TUNE INFOX will telecast the 250-lap Food City Dirt Race live at 3:30 p.m. ET Sunday, March 28. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 FREIGHTLINER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSLARSON ON WHAT COMES TO MIND IN ADVANCE OF THE FIRST CUP SERIES DIRT RACE AT BRISTOL:  “Anticipation and the unknown. Even me being a dirt racer, I really don’t know what to expect. These (NASCAR Cup Series) cars are way different than what I’m used to racing on dirt. They are way heavier with a lot less power than I’m used to. I think the only thing that transfers from my previous dirt experience to this weekend is how to read the surface and how it changes and evolves throughout the weekend and the race. I may be able to adapt to that quicker than a pavement racer.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 FREIGHTLINER CAMARO ZL1 1LE DANIELS ON PREPARATION FOR THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE:  “We have watched a lot of Eldora races, especially the race that Kyle won and others he was close to winning. We’ve talked to (No. 24 crew chief) Rudy (Fugle) a lot and to a lot of friends and contacts in the dirt racing world. We’ve studied everything we can possibly study to make good decisions. We’ve talked with Kyle a lot since he ran the super late model last weekend to see what he would predict or expect – and that is still a bit of an unknown. But we’ll still have to react quickly to whatever challenges are thrown at us this weekend.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON THE CHALLENGES HE EXPECTS RACING ON DIRT: “This weekend is going to be such a challenge. I’m looking forward to it and I think it will be fun. I just don’t know what to expect, honestly. Luckily, iRacing scanned it and we will race virtually Wednesday night. Hopefully, that will help a bit. I think the guys who run dirt normally will have an advantage. Someone like Kyle Larson is going to be fast. It’s going to be a challenge for us asphalt guys. You’ll have to have your elbows up every lap. It’s going to be challenging physically, too, because you’re going to be driving your car hard constantly. There is no saving equipment in dirt racing.”
BYRON ON HOW HE PLANS TO PREPARE FOR SUNDAY’S DIRT RACE: “I didn’t do the best at Eldora (Speedway) but Bristol has more banking, which will give it a different feeling. I’m excited to get there and see what it’s like though. I’m obviously going to talk with Kyle (Larson) some beforehand, but he also doesn’t know what to fully expect in a Cup car there. The biggest thing when it comes to dirt is getting to experience it yourself and watching what everyone else is doing and where they are making speed. I plan to really do that during practice on Friday to see what I can learn and apply to the race on Sunday.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON RACING ON DIRT AT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY: “This weekend’s race will be unlike any other that we’re used to. Just about every way the car is set up is the opposite of what we would normally run. You want the car raised up higher to account for the dirt and bumps but also to allow the right side to really roll over and get the rear tire to catch and grip the track. The main thing is we don’t have any notes on what to expect from the track, but at least we do have practice sessions on Friday to help get acclimated. We’ve also been watching the other races that have been taking place there the last few days to try judge some characteristics of the track as runs go on. The good thing is that we’re really all on the same page going into the event.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 10th IN STANDINGS“Just the track surface, to me, is the biggest question and just how the event is going to look from the beginning of the weekend to the end. The racetrack is going to change a lot, I think, throughout the week. Weather can play a factor into that (and) how they water and keep up the track if they do any track prep. That, to me, is probably the biggest question mark in just how they’re going to go about that. Two hundred fifty laps in the sun is a lot on a dirt track. What little bit of experience I have, those tracks lose their moisture very fast when the sun’s out, so if it’s sunny and you’re racing with that many heavy cars on it, I can see the track degrading very quickly.” 
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGSONE THING THAT I’VE HEARD CONSISTENTLY ENOUGH THAT ONCE THE TRACK TAKES ENOUGH RUBBER, IT MIGHT BE A SLOWER VERSION OF WHAT BRISTOL USED TO BE WHEN IT WAS KIND OF BOTTOMING-FEEDING, BUMP-AND-RUN. IS THAT KIND OF FAIR TO SAY?“I think there’s definitely going to be a point where there’s going to be a dominate line everybody is going to be fighting for. The one thing, though, that I noticed at the dirt track last weekend was that you can kind of move around, momentum-wise, to find speed, which is nice. That’s what’s great about dirt racing. As the track goes through transitions, it’s always going to change. There might be a point in the race where, ultimately, you have to be on the bottom and you’ll be fighting for it. But the great thing about dirt racing is that the track is always changing. So, it’ll go through so many transitions throughout the race and that’s what’s cool about dirt racing. You have to be comfortable with change because it changes throughout the race and to be good at it, you have to search constantly. Even when you’re the leader, the leader is always kind of a moving target. They have to be comfortable; they can’t just get in a line and think that line is going to win them the race. We’re going 250 laps on a dirt track. After 25, the dirt track changes drastically with a lot of cars out on it. So, that’s the great thing about it. It’ll go through so many transitions and the team that is willing to change and move will be the best by the end of it.”
DOES THE WEIGHT OF THE CARS PLAY INTO YOUR FAVOR?“From sprint cars to late models, I definitely think there’s some experience there that helps. Kyle (Larson), he’s driving late models now and doing really well. He about won the big race this past weekend in the super. The weight in those late models, they drive so much different than our Cup cars or a truck. A truck, from what I know in the past, the history that I have in my mind is that they are heavier. You don’t really drive them, I would say, like a late model or a sprint car. Definitely the weight is the biggest thing in the difference in how you drive. Side force, too; I’ll throw that in there. Our cars don’t have the bodies that the late models and sprint cars have wings; they’re just built a lot different to rely on downforce.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON HIS DIRT EXPERIENCE: “I’m excited. I may not be a dirt guy, per se, but I probably have more dirt starts than most, I guess, going into Bristol. I ran a couple different midget series for a couple years. While I ran pavement more than dirt, I did run some dirt stuff. I’m going to race my Sprint car this year as well. I definitely enjoy the dirt thing. I’m ready to go. I ran the ARCA race on dirt. I feel like that was somewhat similar. I don’t know what to expect. You saw the track get pretty rough over the last couple nights. But those late models make a lot of grip, do some crazy stuff with the rear suspension that I think probably tends to dig the racetrack up a little bit. Our cars are heavy. We’ll see if they do the same thing or not.”
BOWMAN ON RACING ON DIRT FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR A CUP SERIES RACE: “I’m just excited. I love new and different things. I think going somewhere completely different than what we’ve done in the Cup Series for forever is pretty awesome. Who knows if it’s going to be amazing, not great, what the racetrack is going to do or what’s going to happen. I think the fact that it’s new, different and exciting, is really cool to be a part of.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON BOWMAN’S DIRT EXPERIENCE: “It’s actually really nice that Alex (Bowman) has some dirt experience racing in the midgets and his love for it. I think his background and experience really brings an added bonus to not only myself, but the rest of the race team. I grew up having a little bit of dirt experience, but most of my stuff was on asphalt. I am definitely looking forward to the challenge of not only the new track configuration, but also the challenge of getting back into the routine of practice. I know qualifying is a heat race, but you are just going to have a lot more track time.”
IVES ON THE SPEED OF THE NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET: “I feel like we have had speed all year. Incidents on the race track whether it is a tire going down or contact with another car has hampered that finishing position, which ultimately reveals your speed. If you look at when we have been running well and not having those issues, we are capable of top 10s and top fives every week. Our third-place result last week kind of shows that. You can always talk the talk, but unless you walk the walk it doesn’t really matter, and we were able to do that this week. The pit crew was phenomenal, and Alex (Bowman) did a great job on green flag cycles and managing restarts. Every time we came on pit road we picked up spots.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 15th IN STANDINGS“I’m tremendously excited, but I am nervous too. I’m ready to go and experience it all. Just to be out there at a track where I have six wins, but it’s going to be different: it will be colored differently (with the clay), we’ll be slinging mud and I get to learn all about a bias-ply tire that I haven’t driven on since the 90s. The build-up and anticipation for this has had a ton of hype, so I think everybody’s all jacked and ready to go. There are still so many unknowns; what set up do we run, what brakes do we put on it? We just gotta get there and get to work. Then Mother Nature; you check the radar, it’s like we’ve got a possibility of rain Sunday morning, that’s just going to make it muddier, dirtier and filthier!”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS“Heading into the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race this weekend, there are a lot of unknowns but we’re all really excited for it. With my experience racing dirt, I think I’m going to be a little more comfortable heading into the weekend, but these cars drive totally different than racing in my sprint car but I’m ready for the challenge. It’s the same as other race weekends, you have to have a good team and a good car and get it done behind the wheel. Brian Pattie (crew chief) also grew up racing Modifieds on dirt, so I know he and I are going to have a good game plan heading into the weekend and I think we’re going to give the fans a really good show in our No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet with the NOS Energy Drink in-car camera.”
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 BUSH’S BEANS/KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGS“I haven’t raced on dirt in more than a decade, but I think this is going to be an awesome challenge for us in the No. 37 BUSH’S Beans/Kroger Chevrolet. We had a really strong start to the season and have just missed it a little bit the last couple of weeks, but this is a perfect opportunity to get the momentum back rolling again. Ricky obviously has a ton of experience dirt racing, so I think we’ve been leaning on each other a little bit to prepare the best we can to be competitive right off the truck starting with practice on Friday.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 CAMPING WORLD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSWHAT WILL BE THE KEY TO SUCCESS AT BRISTOL? “I don’t know how to answer that. I have never been on dirt in my life so I’m not a dirt person. I grew up in Mexico and didn’t even know people raced cars on dirt! That’s wasn’t an option when I was growing up. But, honestly, I’m super excited for the challenge. It will be interesting to see how things play out. I will have to put a lot of work in and try to get better at it quickly.”
HOW BIG OF A DISADVANTAGE WILL IT BE FOR YOU? “Even the guys who have raced on dirt before have never raced a Cup car on dirt. So, it’s going to be a challenge for not just me but them as well. We will see how things play out. I think patience will play a huge role.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 TIDE FOOD CITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSWHAT KIND OF EXPECTATIONS DO YOU HAVE GOING INTO THE DIRT RACE AT BRISTOL? AS A DRIVER, WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREPARE FOR THAT? “I don’t know that I have many expectations – it’s kind of a wildcard race for me. I’ve only ran two dirt races ever in my life and those were both in the NASCAR Truck Camping World Truck Series at the Eldora Speedway. It’s hard to set an expectation when you don’t really know. For me, I want to go there and survive and be there at the end of the race. We did have some good runs at Eldora in the Trucks, so that’s encouraging. It’s hard to set expectations for that one.”
“As far as preparing for it, you just really need to get into anything on a dirt track before we go there and just get that feel. You want some sense of normalcy when you hop in the car on dirt. You don’t want it to feel totally foreign, even though it will anyways, so just getting some experience in a dirt car is important. I don’t really know that it matters what kind of dirt car it is, but I think that will be valuable for when we get there.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 28th IN STANDINGSWHILE THEY WEREN’T NASCAR VEHICLES, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY’S DIRT SURFACE AFTER SEEING THE BRISTOL DIRT NATIONALS TAKE PLACE LAST WEEK?“I saw a lot of great racing and a really fast track for those divisions that ran last week. We saw a couple bumps develop in Turns 3 and 4, likely because of the rain, but overall it was a very fast track for those cars. That’s exciting to me because our Cup cars are so much heavier with more power and less tire underneath us, so we should have some great racing this weekend. I think one thing that will be interesting to see if it unfolds is if two lanes of competitive racing on the track will develop with the Cup cars at the same time. But regardless, from what I saw this past week, I think it’s going to be a good race. It was just really cool to watch. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, and I went up to Bristol last Friday afternoon to check it out, touch the dirt and really understand how it was going so far. To see how quick these late models were going was amazing. 250 laps is a lot for a dirt track, so the track will change quite a bit during the race on Sunday. It should be exciting for fans and I’m looking forward to being behind the wheel of the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for it.”
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE TAKEAWAYS FROM YOUR VISIT TO BRISTOL LAST FRIDAY ON HOW THE TRACK HAS BEEN PREPARED? “There’s a lot of things to look at. The track says they took banking out, but it still has a lot of banking in it, so that was wild to see. There’s a lot of dirt on this racetrack, and it’s really incredible to see how they all brought it together. They had a lot of equipment out there and were trying a lot of things on the track this past week. I think it was great Bristol had that week of racing with so many different entries ahead of NASCAR’s weekend there. Bristol now has a better idea of what the track is going to do with so many different cars having been on it, that now they can get the track where they want it to be for us.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NASCAR TRUCKS AT KNOXVILLE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“This weekend at Bristol is going to be a new challenge for everybody. It will be the first time we’ve had any sort of practice prior to a race in over a year. I ran a late model last week at Bristol to get familiar with the track, hopefully it translates some to the Cup car. Most of the field has limited experience on dirt so it’ll be the most level playing field we’ve been on in a long time. I’m looking to capitalize on what I learned last weekend at Bristol and rebound for a good result after a rough last couple of weeks.”

CHEROKEE SPEEDWAY OFFICIALS MAKE CHANGES IN PREPARATION FOR ROCK GAULT MEMORIAL WITH $40,000-TO-WIN FEATURE ON SATURDAYGAFFNEY, SC – MARCH 25, 2021 – “It’s the power and the glory, it’s a war in paradise.” That’s two of the many ways Canadian rock band Rush describe “Big Money.”Big money is what drivers competing with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series are gunning for over the next three weeks.It starts Friday and Saturday, March 26-27, in Gaffney, SC, at Cherokee Speedway, for the inaugural Rock Gault Memorial. Friday night will be twin features, each paying $5,000 to win. Saturday night’s feature pays $40,000 to the winner, $15,000 for second, and $10,000 for third.Co-promoters Tony Adair and Scott Childress are excited about how the purse came together. Local businesses are chipping in money, so the winner isn’t the only one walking away with a high dollar amount.“It’s a page full of businesses, and Mike Gault [Rock Gault’s son] has done a tremendous amount of work raising the money to get [the purse] where it’s at,” Childress said. “Everybody liked [Rock Gault] so everybody’s really supporting this event.”“It’s definitely the biggest thing we’ve seen around this area,” Adair said.A high-paying purse isn’t the only thing drivers can expect this weekend. Cherokee Speedway officials are making some changes.After talking to drivers, Adair and Childress made the decision to add some banking in Turns 1 and 2, to try and create another groove on the high side of the speedway.“We’ve had to add some concrete blocks in [Turns] 1 and 2, so we could bring some of the dirt up,” Childress said. “We think it’s going to be a big difference, and we’ve been thinking we needed to do this anyway.”“We just had the barriers in [Turns] 1 and 2, and it was too short to keep banking the turn up. It was dangerous,” Adair said. “I think the drivers will be more enticed to get up on the high side now.”The track surface and concrete walls aren’t the only change at the speedway. Officials are also giving the walls around the track a new patriotic look.“We’re going red, white, and blue around the walls on the speedway, inside and out,” Adair said.After Cherokee, the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models head to Farmer City Raceway April 2-3, for the Illini 100. Friday night’s 25-lap Feature pays $6,000-to-win, and the winner on Saturday gets $20,000 in Saturday night’s finale.One week later is the highly anticipated Bristol Bash.Friday, April 9, drivers will battle for $10,000 in a 40-lap feature. They’ll then battle for another 40-laps Saturday, April 10, but this time with a $25,000 top prize on the line.South Carolina driver and 2021 Rookie of the Year contender Ross Bailes is excited about the high paying races on the horizon.“It’s really big, it seems like tracks are stepping their purses up,” Bailes said. “It’s good when we can go and race for $10,000 almost every weekend.”With big money on the line, the best Late Model drivers in the country will be gunning from the drop of the green flag. But as “Rush” also said. It could lead to “A Cinderella story, or a tumble of the dice.”If you can’t make it this weekend or any other event, catch all of the action on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month.

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