June 29, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team turned in another strong performance in the Sunday’s second half of a double-header at Pocono Raceway.

After finishing 13^th and scoring 10 Stage points on Saturday, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came back on Monday and scored eight more Stage points and finished sixth in the Pocono 350.

Sunday’s finish netted 41 points, the most DiBenedetto has earned in a race this season. He remains 14^th in the Cup Series standings, but is just three points behind 13^th-place Clint Bowyer and six back of 12^th-place Jimmie Johnson.

DiBenedetto lined up eighth for the start of Sunday’s race and quickly drove his way into the top five then finished the first 30-lap Stage in sixth place, earning five Stage points.

In the second Stage, a 55-lapper, he ran in second or third place for much of the way, then made a pit stop from third place with 10 laps remaining in the Stage. Still, he drove his way back to ninth at the end of the Stage, earning two more points.

In the third and final segment of the race, he made his final pit stop with 38 laps remaining, taking two tires and fuel.

He rejoined the race and began working his way forward, gaining some spots through passes and others when drivers ahead of him made their last stops.

With 22 laps remaining, he was up to 15^th place, and broke back into the top 10 six laps later. With four laps remaining, he took sixth place and held off William Byron and Clint Bowyer to claim his best Pocono finish in 12 career starts and his fourth top-10 finish of the season.

“We had great strategy from start to finish,” DiBenedetto said of the plans formulated by crew chief Greg Erwin. “We followed Greg’s plan and it worked out even better than we thought.”

DiBenedetto said he and Erwin figured that making a pit stop just before the end of the second Stage would set them up better for the finish but cost them some Stage points, but that wasn’t the case.
 
“We thought we’d be sacrificing Stage points, but we had a good pit stop and had a solid restart and grabbed a couple of points.”
 
DiBenedetto said his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang was fast and his crew was on their game.
 
“We had a top-10 car all day long,” he said. “Everything was really smooth. Everybody executed well, and it was just a good, solid day.”

He said the weekend’s performance at Pocono has him and the team feeling upbeat as they head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
 
“We’ve known we can do this,” he said, adding that he, Erwin and the crew have been working on their communication and on being more consistent in their on-track performance. “I think this weekend was an example of what we’ve been working on and knowing that we’re capable of doing is addressing that and just having solid days like we did today being in the top 10 from the start to the finish of the day, getting stage points and finishing up there.
 
“We’ve done a good job at working on that and I think we can do a lot more of this moving forward.”

Next up for DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team is the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard on July 5. 
 

Solid, Top-15 Finish and Stage Points for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Team at Pocono Raceway

14th   2nd  17th

“Everyone on the Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet team did a great job hanging in there today and working together to pull off a top-15 finish. We made a few adjustments to our car and strategy based on what we learned yesterday. There was a lot more grip on the track then what I figured there would be for a 4 p.m. Eastern race start. We just battled a tight-handling condition for most of the day today, especially at the beginning of the race. We had to free it up a bunch. We missed Stage points at the conclusion of Stage 1 by just one position, but then earned a few key Stage points at the end of Stage 2. During Stage 3, we worked our way into the top-five before pitting for fuel with 13 laps remaining. All-in-all, can’t complain about a 14th-place finish. I want to thank everyone at AstraZeneca and Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) for their support.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Caterpillar Team Put Up Strong Fight at Pocono Raceway

35th     30th    18th

“This weekend did not go at all how we wanted it to, but I’m proud of the No. 8 Caterpillar team for never giving up at any point. When I came across the line to take the green flag today, I lost all power steering and had to drop back to protect the car. Right as I was going to hit pit road to see what we could do to fix the handling, the caution came out for rain, which almost ended up helping us. I was able to pit and give my team the entire yellow to work on the car. We figured out we would be able to replace the alternator belt as the red flag came out. Once the yellow flag came back out, my team worked as fast as they could to make the repairs but we still ended up a handful of laps down by the time we could rejoin the field. From that point on it was just a matter of capitalizing on everything  that came our way to gain as many spots as we possibly could. Every point matters in the fight to make the Playoffs, and we weren’t going to go down without a fight. We got trapped a little bit with how the race played out, but we gave it our all today to get everything we could. I wouldn’t want to be racing with any other group than the one I have right now and am looking forward to getting back after it at Indy next weekend.” -Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYPOCONO 350TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESJUNE 28, 2020 
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER4th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 7th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE9th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE12th    MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE13th    KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2nd     Kevin Harvick (Ford)3rd      Erik Jones (Toyota)4th      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)5th      Aric Almirola (Ford) The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records on Sunday, July 5th, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, NBC Sports Gold and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th“It was good to have a solid run for our NAPA team after yesterday being so poor. Obviously, we would’ve liked to of been a little better, but after starting in the back, I was pleased how I was able to move forward and gain a lot of that track position back. It was a good rebound. Looking forward to getting back on track at Indy.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th“We ended up with a top-10 finish today which was good. It was definitely an improvement from yesterday – seven spots better to be exact – which is good. We still struggled a good portion of the race but I think we made the right calls and adjustments at the end. We had a lot of speed actually the last couple runs. I think the track kind of came to us and ultimately that’s what we needed. So we’ll go on to Indy and hopefully have a better run there.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th“It was an up and down day. So many people are on different pit strategies throughout the day here in Pocono. We had a top 10 car all day, just didn’t have the running positions to show for it. Greg (Ives) and the guys made great adjustments on pit road and really improved the car throughout the race. A top-10 finish today is good momentum for us going to Indy next weekend.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th“The team made a lot of changes to the car from the race yesterday, but we still really struggled with the handling in traffic. The difference between dirty and clean air is crazy. The Monster Energy Chevy was good early on when we had track position (clean air) and we were able to lead all the laps and get the Stage 1 win, but just a tough ending for the No.1 team, a little Pocono Deja vu for us today!”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th“Everyone on the Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet team did a great job hanging in there today and working together to pull off a top-15 finish. We made a few adjustments to our car and strategy based on what we learned yesterday. There was a lot more grip on the track then what I figured there would be for a 4 p.m. race start. We just battled a tight-handling condition for most of the day today, especially at the beginning of the race. We had to free up a bunch. We missed Stage points at the conclusion of Stage 1 by just one position, but then earned a few key Stage points at the end of Stage 2. During Stage 3, we worked our way into the top-five before pitting for fuel with 13 laps remaining. All-in-all, can’t complain about a 14^th-place finish. I want to thank everyone at AstraZeneca and Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) for their support.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th“Overall, I think it was a solid weekend for our Kroger Chevrolet. We definitely learned some things on Saturday that we were able to adapt to for Sunday, but the track raced very differently on Sunday than it did on Saturday. We were really loose most of the race, but Brian (Pattie) made some great strategy calls to keep us running up front and ultimately get a top-15 finish at the end. We’re on a solid momentum streak and I’m looking forward to carrying that over to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20th“Our Richard Petty Motorsports team made the right adjustments for what we fought yesterday, but it still was not the right adjustments; that is kind of the frustrating part. We did not have enough raw speed and couldn’t quite get the handling we needed on our No. 43 Victory Junction Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. All-in-all, we came-out with a top-20 finish and it’s an improvement from yesterday. Good to get out of Pocono, and give us time to refocus before we come back.”“I’m glad we got the race in. Racing with no lights is a little tricky, but all-in-all, we’ll head to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We had our best finish there last year, so we’ll see if we can back that up.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 35th “This weekend did not go at all how we wanted it to, but I’m proud of the No. 8 Caterpillar team for never giving up at any point. Unfortunately, when I came across the line to take the green flag today I lost all power steering and had to drop back to protect the car. Right as I was going to hit pit road to see what we could do to fix the handling, the caution came out for rain, which almost ended up helping us. I was able to pit and give my team the entire yellow to work on the car. We figured out we would be able to replace the alternator belt right as the red flag came out. Once the yellow flag came back out, my team worked as fast as they could to make the repairs but we still ended up a handful of laps down by the time we could rejoin the field. From that point on it was just a matter of capitalizing on everything that came our way to gain as many spots as we possibly could. Every point matters in the fight to make the Playoffs, and we weren’t going to go down without a fight. We got trapped a little bit with how the race played out, but we gave it our all today to get everything we could. I wouldn’t want to be racing with any other group than the one I have right now and am looking forward to getting back after it at Indy next weekend.”

Although the 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, was originally scheduled to be run in April, the repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic forced a date change to June 26-28, 2020. It was definitely worth the wait, though, as the event was run to completion over a near-perfect weekend and racers and fans alike were thrilled to be back out cutting lights and clicking off runs at “Georgia’s House of Speed.” A combined event for both NMRA and NMCA only added to the excitement, while the huge car show and expansive vendor midway amped up the atmosphere even further. At the event’s conclusion, champions were crowned in the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle and cars were eagerly loaded into trailers in preparation for the next event in just a few short weeks. In the combined NMRA and NMCA VP Racing Madditives/Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw category, Alan Felts put his newly-finished “baby Pro Mod” ’91 Mustang into the number-one spot with a 4.424 at 165.97mph blast, but spun twice in round two of eliminations and couldn’t recover. Meanwhile, former champion and Street Outlaw bad boy Phil Hines of Lebanon, Ohio, met with Tony Hobson and his recently-acquired ride for an epic final-round battle of ProCharged-powered Mustangs. Hines, who had qualified fourth, snatched the lead at the start and was able to hold it all the way to the finish where a 4.504 at 160.79mph trip from his ’01 model took down Hobson’s effort of 4.514 at 160.86 mph in his ’90 Fox body. It was Mike Freeman’s name topping the list after qualifying had been finalized for twenty-four NMRA/NMCA Edelbrock Renegade/Xtreme Street entries, as his ’88 Mustang put in an impressive performance of 4.687 at 148.31 mph. In eliminations, all the glory belonged to Bob Zelenak of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and his ’93 Mustang. Zelenak translated his earlier number-ten qualifying performance of a 4.832 at 144.44 mph to a nearly identical 4.832 at 145.55mph run in the finals and was able to add an NMRA Edelbrock Victortrophy to his collection while Scott Grove—who had qualified thirteenth—took the runner up consolation prize with his 5.109 at 139.37mph eighth-mile run. The lead in JDM Engineering Limited Street qualifying belonged to Samantha Moore and her ’14 Mustang, as the duo clocked an 8.669 at 157.70 mph quarter-mile time slip. A hurt transmission took her out in round one of eliminations, though, and opened the door for UPR Products’ own Bill Putnam and Blow By Racing-backed Jason Davis to face off in the finals. Davis, however, had cooked his turbocharger earlier in the day and was only able to take the light as he watched Putnam, who had qualified second, fly down the track in his orange ’94 Mustang for an uncontested win. Rocking out with his ’89 Mustang in Richmond Gear Factory Stockqualifying, John Leslie Jr. earned the number-one placement when he went 10.334 at 128.71 mph. The Rockstar lived up to the name during eliminations, as Leslie rocked out round after round in eliminations and took down Mike Bowen, who had qualified third on a hole shot, on his want to the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle. G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock is always crazy competitive, but Michigan’s Frank Paultanis was on a tear right from the start, as he was the only driver to click off a 10-teens number in qualifying, which rightfully put him in the top spot with his ’04 Mustang. In eliminations, his performance advantage was clearly evident as he turned on win light after win light with his Coyote-powered ’04 Mustang and capped off a perfect weekend with a trip to the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle after putting Nathan Stymiest back on the trailer in the finals. Just 0.003-seconds away from a perfect light behind the wheel of his ’89 Fox body Mustang, Chris Graff was the number-one qualifier in Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle qualifying. Coming back from a stint in no prep racing, though, was Texas-based racer James Meredith of Triangle Speed Shop fielding his ’73 Capri. Meredith proved things really are bigger in Texas, including wins, as he defeated reigning champion Charlie McCulloch and his ’04 Mustang Cobra in a tight final elimination round where McCulloch went 10.980 on his 10.88 but Meredith managed a 9.967 on his 9.91. David Mormann of Tampa, Florida, was nearly dead-on when he ran 11.005 on his 11.00 dial with his ’70 Mustang Mach I during FSC Ford Muscle qualifying to land in the top placement. He kept up the consistency throughout eliminations to muscle his way through to the finals. Kevin Sanders had qualified third and also made it to the last round of the weekend, but Mormann had him both at the start and at the stripe and it was the man from the Sunshine State who closed things out on a high note. Sitting in first after ROUSH Performance Super Stang qualifying, Andy Ransford’s 0.039-second reaction time in his ’06 Mustang definitely did the job, but it was Lloyd Mikeska and Russell Haskins who had the advantage during eliminations. Mikeska, the number-three qualifier from Richmond, Texas, and Haskins, the number-two qualifier from Marietta, Georgia, battled it out in a heated final round, but ultimately the win light lit in Mikeska’s lane.Nearly two dozen competitors came out to contest the ARP Open Comp class, but Tom Hoffman had the quickest reaction time during qualifying with an 0.003-second trigger from his Mustang. Hoffman’s run ended in round two, but Bill Jones and Mel White, both of Nashville, Georgia, and both with 0.019-second reaction times in qualifying to wind up ninth and eighth, respectively, ran side by side in the finals for a ‘60s-era Falcon vs Mustang showdown. At the stripe, it was Jones whose 9.214 at 149.91 mph run on a 9.21 dial was a winner over White’s 10.977 at 121.57 mph pass on his 11.06 goal. Recovering from his battle with Covid-19, Vinnie Telesco was missed by his usual Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning class as well as the entire NMRA family. Keith Chobirko of White Oak, Pennsylvania, however, set the pace in qualifying with his ’01 Ranger when he cut a quick 0.002-second light and stayed right on the money all throughout eliminations. In the final round pairing, Chobirko defeated the number two qualifier, Bob Dill, with a winning package A large group of QA1/TorqStorm Superchargers True Street racers came out to enjoy a 30-mile street cruise and three back-to-back trips down the quarter mile after so much time in quarantine, and it was Mark Scordato of Newton, New Jersey who was the overall winner as his ’68 Pontiac GTO clocked the quickest average of 9.463-seconds. Hot on his heels was Dan Nusbaum from Crossville, Tennessee, who averaged 9.926-seconds in his ’87 Mustang to take the overall runner-up honors. Alex Corella won the 10-second group, Ben Bramlett took top honors for the 11-second section, Mike Baker was the winner in the 12-second group, Dylan Derby bested the 13-second average, Kay Ward had the lead in the 14-second pack, and Allen Smith was the final winner for the 15-second bunch. The NMRA Holley Drag Racing Series continues the 15th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by HPJ Performance with the Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis in Madison, Illinois, over the weekend July 30-August 2, 2020.

Myatt Snider and the TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Show Speed with Top-Five Finish at Pocono Raceway

4th    2nd  10th

“It was a great day for us. We were up front leading laps and had a great chance to win in our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro. I hate we got involved earlier with that incident that took out so many cars. I was getting a big push from behind and had a run on the 9 car. I knew we were going to funnel up very quickly, so I started lifting out of it, but the guy behind me didn’t. I hate it for those guys, but I’m thankful we were able to make it through without damage. In the end it just came down to experience for me. I’ve only had a select few races with this RCR car. It has so much speed, I just need to get myself a little more consistent. Kudos to my RCR guys for bringing such a fast TaxSlayer Camaro. I had a blast today. I just need to get a little more experience and I think we’ll be able to win some races.” -Myatt Snider

EASTABOGA, AL (June 27, 2020) – Jimmy Owens won his fourth straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt series event on Saturday Night leading all the way in the EZ-GO 50. The event marked the first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at Talladega Short Track in 12 years. The current series point leader extended his lead in the championship standings with his 69th career series victory. Josh Richards finished second in the Clint Bowyer Racing entry and Kyle Hardy recorded his best career finish in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as he rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Michael Page came home in fourth followed by former series rookie-of-the-year, Billy Moyer Jr. in fifth. Owens took the lead at the start of the race with Hudson O’Neal quickly moving from his fourth starting spot to second. O’Neal ran in second behind Owens until he slowed on lap 8 and exited the race. Jonathan Davenport moved into second place where he would stay until a caution flew for him with 31 laps scored. Richards became the third different driver to run in the second spot behind Owens. A caution with ten laps to go bunched the field up, but for the fourth series race in a row, Owens went on to the victory in the richest race ever ran at TST. “Once again, the car was flawless all weekend,” said the 48-year-old 3-time series champion in Lucas Oil Victory Lane, “My hats to the crew and Dale McDowell for prepping the track this week. They watered the track and gave us a racy track for a long time. It’s great to come home with a win for Pope Construction, they are just up the road from here. He has helped us for years. I am just glad he could be a part of it and be here with us. I don’t think I have ever been here where I haven’t run off the corner in one and two. I am glad the fans stuck it out and I’m glad the weather held out. Hopefully, we can keep it going.”    Richards tried his best to stay with Owens in the closing laps but settled for the second finishing spot.  “Those guys have a done a good job,” said Richards in reference to Owens and his crew. “Whatever he has going on, he’s been riding it. It doesn’t seem like he has to hustle it very much. Compared to last night, tonight, we got the car more dialed in. We ran the race we feel like we came to win. We were right there on him. He beat us in certain parts of the track, but we feel like we can run with him in other parts.  Our balance is good, and we will just keep on digging.” Hardy was pleased with his run, “We came here with our backs against the wall. We had a tough night last night. I wish It didn’t end like it did. Hats off to the track crew. They worked hard on it this week and they gave us a track to race on. That’s what it’s all about. It means a lot to come here and finish behind Jimmy Owens and Josh Richards.”

The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Tommy Pope Construction, Boomtest Well Service, Red Line Oil, General Tire, Midwest Sheet Metal, Hypercoil Springs, Ohlins Shocks, and Champion Spark Plugs. Completing the top ten were Cory Hedgecock, Dillon Tidmore, Tanner English, Tyler Erb, and Stormy Scott.Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 
Race Summary 
EZ-Go 50
Saturday, June 27th, 2020
Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL

Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 14.036 seconds (overall)
Fast Time Group B: Tim McCreadie / 14.273 seconds 

Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer):  1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 38-Dillon Tidmore[5]; 3. 18X-Michael Page[4]; 4. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 5. 50-Shanon Buckingham[8]; 6. 10J-Joseph Joiner[10]; 7. 66-Jake Knowles[7]; 8. 16S-Sam Seawright[6]; 9. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 10. 00P-Dalton Polston[9]; 11. (DNS) 29-Christian Hanger

FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer):  1. 14-Josh Richards[2]; 2. 2S-Stormy Scott[1]; 3. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[8]; 5. 91-Heath Hindman[5]; 6. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[4]; 7. 85-Jason Hiett[6]; 8. 35-Dallas Cooper[7]; 9. 6S-Blake Spencer[9]; 10. (DNS) 8-Kyle Strickler

Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[4]; 3. 79-Kyle Hardy[5]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 5. 44D-Dalton Cook[3]; 6. 22R-Will Roland[8]; 7. 57-Josh Adkins[9]; 8. 25M-Justin Mcree[10]; 9. 17-Logan Roberson[6]; 10. 84-Austin Smith[7]; 11. (DNS) 99M-JR Moseley

Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 3. 23H-Cory Hedgecock[3]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 6. 24-Zach Leonhardi[6]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[8]; 8. 25T-Tim Roszell[9]; 9. 62-Cody King[7]; 10. 42K-Cla Knight[10]

Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer):  1. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 2. 91-Heath Hindman[2]; 3. 10J-Joseph Joiner[3]; 4. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[4]; 5. 85-Jason Hiett[6]; 6. 66-Jake Knowles[5]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton[9]; 8. 16S-Sam Seawright[7]; 9. 35-Dallas Cooper[8]; 10. 6S-Blake Spencer[10]; 11. (DNS) 00P-Dalton Polston; 12. (DNS) 8-Kyle Strickler; 13. (DNS) 29-Christian Hanger

FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 44D-Dalton Cook[1]; 3. 24-Zach Leonhardi[4]; 4. 22R-Will Roland[3]; 5. 25T-Tim Roszell[8]; 6. 57-Josh Adkins[5]; 7. 62-Cody King[10]; 8. 42K-Cla Knight[12]; 9. 84-Austin Smith[11]; 10. 25M-Justin Mcree[7]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 12. 99M-JR Moseley[13]; 13. (DNS) 17-Logan Roberson

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps): 

Pos	Start	Car #	Competitor	Hometown	Pay
1	2	20	Jimmy Owens	Newport, TN	$12,900
2	3	14	Josh Richards	Shinnston, WV	$6,300
3	10	79	Kyle Hardy	Stephens City, VA	$3,500
4	9	18X	Michael Page	Winston, GA	$2,750
5	6	21	Billy Moyer Jr	Batesville, AR	$2,950
6	12	23H	Cory Hedgecock	Loudon, TN	$1,800
7	5	38	Dillon Tidmore	Gadsen, AL	$1,500
8	14	81E	Tanner English	Benton, KY	$2,100
9	18	1T	Tyler Erb	New Waverly, TX	$1,900
10	7	2S	Stormy Scott	Las Cruces, NM	$1,100
11	13	9	Devin Moran	Dresden, OH	$1,775
12	20	44D	Dalton Cook	Columbus, GA	$1,050
13	15	40B	Kyle Bronson	Brandon, FL	$1,725
14	17	50	Shanon Buckingham	Morristown, TN	$1,700
15	1	49	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville, GA	$2,000
16	24	16	Tyler Bruening	Decorah, IA	$1,000
17	11	1	Earl Pearson Jr	Jacksonville, FL	$1,800
18	16	76	Brandon Overton	Evans, GA	$1,000
19	8	39	Tim McCreadie	Watertown, NY	$1,700
20	19	91	Heath Hindman	Signal Mountain, TN	$1,000
21	22	24	Zach Leonhardi	Douglasville, GA	$1,000
22	21	10J	Joseph Joiner	Milton, FL	$1,000
23	4	71	Hudson O’Neal	Martinsville, IN	$1,000
24	23	25	Shane Clanton	Zebulon, GA	$1,700

Race Statistics
Entrants: 42
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Owens (Laps 1 – 50)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Jimmy Owens
Margin of Victory: 1.581 seconds
Cautions: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 8); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 31); Shanon Buckingham, Earl Pearson Jr. (Lap 40)
Series Provisionals: Shane Clanton, Tyler Bruening
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Series Emergency Provisionals: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Jimmy Owens, Josh Richards, Kyle Hardy
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Erb (Advanced 9 Positions) 
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jimmy Owens
Allstar Performance Most Laps Led: Jimmy Owens (50 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy Owens
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Tanner English
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jeff Strope (Jimmy Owens)
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Lap #1 – 14.276 seconds)
STEEL-IT Tough Break of the Race: Jonathan Davenport
PFC Brakes Pole Award: Jonathan Davenport
Time of Race: 23 minutes 48 seconds

Lucas Oil Point Standings:

Pos	Car #	Competitor	Hometown	Points	Pay
1	20	Jimmy Owens	Newport, TN	3545	$99,300
2	49	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville, GA	3145	$63,300
3	39	Tim McCreadie	Watertown, NY	3140	$58,350
4	1T	Tyler Erb	New Waverly, TX	3115	$47,100
5	14	Josh Richards	Shinnston, WV	3090	$53,475
6	9	Devin Moran	Dresden, OH	3035	$43,207
7	40B	Kyle Bronson	Brandon, FL	2975	$44,900
7	25	Shane Clanton	Zebulon, GA	2975	$45,700
9	21	Billy Moyer Jr	Batesville, AR	2725	$30,025
10	81E	Tanner English	Benton, KY	2615	$24,025
11	50	Shanon Buckingham	Morristown, TN	2505	$23,325
12	1	Earl Pearson Jr	Jacksonville, FL	2470	$22,900
13	71	Hudson O’Neal	Martinsville, IN	2445	$23,925
14	16	Tyler Bruening	Decorah, IA	2320	$13,875
15	2S	Stormy Scott	Las Cruces, NM	2205	$12,975
16	76	Brandon Overton	Evans, GA	2125	$53,150

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Team Have Strong Run at Pocono Raceway

19th   17th  18th

“We had a great American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 today, but finished 19th, which isn’t what we wanted. We lost our track position in the middle of Stage 2 when the caution flag was displayed. We were running eighth at the time and hoping that it would go green and cycle out, but it didn’t. We had some really good lap times in Stage 3 but the way tire strategy played out we were not able to cycle our way back to the front for the end of the race. Even though we didn’t get the finish we were hoping for today, the good news is we get to race at Pocono Raceway again tomorrow. We start second. Hopefully we can turn that into a solid run for all of the RCR fans out there. I want to recognize all of the farmers with American Ethanol. They are the true back bone of America and I am proud to race for them. “ -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the Caterpillar Chevrolet Team Showcase Never-Give-Up Attitude at Pocono Raceway

30th     15th    16th

“The Caterpillar Chevrolet was really fast today at Pocono Raceway, and I think we showed that. We had good speed at the start of the race but we were involved in a wreck at the end of Stage Two that put us two laps down and changed the course of our race. From then on out, it was all about finishing and earning maximum points. I have to thank my guys for their hard work and making repairs so I could finish the last stage. We kept after it as a team and finished all the laps, trying to maximize on as many points as we could. We will regroup and be ready for round two tomorrow. Thank you to Caterpillar and the Cleveland Brothers for their support. We will definitely be ready to go tomorrow.” -Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYPOCONO DOUBLEHEADERTEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESJUNE 27, 2020 
 TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER11th    MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE14th    WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE17th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE18th    KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE19th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE 
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kevin Harvick (Ford)2nd     Denny Hamlin (Toyota)3rd      Aric Almirola (Ford)4th      Christopher Bell (Toyota)5th      Kyle Busch (Toyota)  The NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader race weekend at Pocono Raceway continues with the Pocono 350 tomorrow, June 28, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th“We struggled today. We had a hard time making speed and tried to salvage what we could there at the end. We started gaining more speed as the car tightened up by the end of the race. We’ll make some changes for tomorrow and see what we can do then.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th“I’m not really sure what went wrong with the handling on our Monster Energy Camaro? The track changed dramatically for us. We were pretty good the first half of the race, before the car started handling really tight on the exit of the corners. The second half was not so good for us with the handling and track position. We’ll turn it around and work for a better result tomorrow”.
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 19th“We finished 19th today. Not what we wanted. Lost our track position in the middle of Stage 2 when the caution fell. It stunk. We were running eighth, and hoping it would go green and cycle out, but it didn’t. Nineteenth is what we had. I want to recognize all the farmers with American Ethanol. They’re the true backbone of America. I’m proud to race for them and all the ethanol producers across the country, so thank you guys for all your support. Tomorrow we start second and hopefully we can turn that into a solid run for all the RCR fans out there.”  BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 22nd“Well, that was a whole bunch of nothing. We didn’t really hit on much all day. On the tight side; just could never get the front end to work. The guys did good trying to figure out something on our No. 43 Victory Junction Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, it just wasn’t enough. We tried to pull some strategy there at the end, and just didn’t have enough raw speed to dial ourselves out. So, all-in-all, I’m proud of the efforts. We just kind of swung for the fences but didn’t really hit anything good. We know what not to do for tomorrow. We’ll come back way better with a totally different package. I had a good debrief with the guys, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings for us starting in the 22^nd-place. We missed that invert spot by two; stayed on the lead lap almost by a lap. But all-in-all it’s good to come out of there with a clean car. A lot of people had a bad day, so we capitalized. On to tomorrow.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 26th “Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was fast and handled well through the corners, but something was wrong under the hood. Our car just didn’t have the speed on the straightaway and it hurt our momentum. We started the race really tight, but Matt (Borland) made a big adjustment on the first stop which helped the balance. My Germain Racing guys will try to figure out what was wrong tonight, so it doesn’t hinder us tomorrow.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 27th“That is not the way we wanted to end the race. We had a good run going and were going to end up top 10. The No. 2 got into us there at the end and we cut a tire. Definitely don’t have the finish to show how our day was going, but we will be back tomorrow with a new car.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 30th“The Caterpillar Chevrolet was really fast today at Pocono Raceway, and I think we showed that. We had good speed at the start of the race but we were involved in a wreck at the end of Stage Two that put us two laps down and changed the course of our race. From then on out, it was all about finishing and earning maximum points. I have to thank my guys for their hard work and making repairs so I could finish the last stage. We kept after it as a team and finished all the laps, trying to maximize on as many points as we could. We will regroup and be ready for round two tomorrow. Thank you to Caterpillar and the Cleveland Brothers for their support. We will definitely be ready to go tomorrow.” 

NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYPOCONO DOUBLEHEADERTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJUNE 26, 2020 
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF FOR THE NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss going into the first doubleheader race weekend in NASCAR history at Pocono Raceway, his thoughts as a crew chief on single-day shows without practice, and more. Transcript:  HOW EXCITING AND HOW CHALLENGING WILL IT BE TO BE RUNNING BACK-TO-BACK DAYS AT A TRACK LIKE POCONO? “Unfortunately for us, the doubleheader is going to be new to us, but our friends over at JRM just experienced that at Homestead a couple of weeks ago. Talking to Dave Owens, Travis Mack, and those guys, the crew chiefs over there, just getting some of their ideas and the problems they had. I know on the 9 car, they had to replace some body panels and those types of things. It’s definitely going to be new and exciting. I grew up short track racing myself and having twin-125’s and those types of things. Obviously, different scenarios on different days, but it’s definitely going to be fun to do something different.”
IF I READ THE RULES RIGHT, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU MAY HAVE 8 TO 9 HOURS TO WORK ON THE CAR FROM SATURDAY TO SUNDAY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF TIME.“Yeah, I mean it’s always a lot of time until you’re down to the last 20 to 30 minutes. Typically, that’s what the race teams do. They utilize every minute they possibly can, either to make their car better or to double-check things. We have a full list of items that we’re going to either check or inspect to make sure that we don’t have any issues. Who knows what types of incidents we’re going to run into. You’re planning for some pushing on restarts, so are you going to have tail or rear bumper damage that doesn’t necessarily make you want to go to a backup car, but you have to fix it before you go back into the next race. There’s a lot of things like that you don’t have the luxury of your fabricators at the track to make sure it’s right, so that all takes time. Multiple runs maybe through the hawk-eye system and that nine hours is going to go by pretty quick. I think NASCAR is putting that amount of time in just because it’s new. Let’s not try to hit a home run the first time – make sure these guys have enough time to diagnose any issues they may have. And the next time we do this, maybe we can trim back some time.”
YOU GUYS HAVE BACKUP CARS THIS WEEKEND – THAT’S BEEN A REASON WHY THERE HASN’T BEEN PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING. HOW CLOSE DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS ARE TO BEING ABLE TO HAVE BACKUP CARS EVERY WEEKEND IF NASCAR WANTED TO START HAVING ANY PRACTICE OR QUALIFYING? “I think the one thing that backup cars cause issue with is the workforce in the shop. Just having to prepare two cars each week and do that without maybe all one hundred percent personnel in the shop. That tends to make for some long hours and you know what happens when people work long hours – they tend to get grumpy and we don’t want that to happen. This is a fun sport and enjoy what we love to do. Eliminating some of the mid-week races, the Wednesday races, helps that. But all-in-all, you just have to look at the pro of having practice versus what we’re doing already. I feel like what we have right now as a product on the race track is pretty good and that is without a backup car, without qualifying and without practice. I think for the short term, to continue on like this is probably the best way to go.”
FROM A CREW CHIEF STANDPOINT, YOU SAID IT LOOKS LIKE THE SHOWS HAVE BEEN BETTER WITHOUT PRACTICE AND THE SINGLE DAY SHOWS. WHEN THINGS GET BACK TO NORMAL, ARE YOU ITCHING TO SEE PRACTICE BACK? DO YOU THINK THE TEAMS CAN GO WITHOUT PRACTICE IN THE FUTURE? HOW DO YOU SEE IT?“I would like to see practice come back, just from the sense of I have some things I’d like to try to make the car better. You can run as much simulation as possible, but getting it on the race track is the true test. The true feel from the driver and also the stopwatch. I would definitely like to do that being in the Playoffs. Usually this time is used for experimenting and finding that next tenth or two, which is so hard to find in this sport because of how close everything is with rules and the competition. I would like to have practice – not necessarily because I think it’s going to make the racing better on Sunday or easier for the guys in the shop. But I feel like from my standpoint, I go to tests to make my car better and as a crew chief, that’s what you want to be able to do. That’s what I would like to do – have a little bit more time on the track without actually racing.”
WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING ON WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, YOU GUYS FIND YOURSELF IN AN UNIQUE POSITION WHERE YOU HAVE TWO RACES AT THE SAME RACE TRACK ON THE SAME WEEKEND. SO, IT’S ALMOST LIKE YOU GET A PRACTICE SESSION NOW WITH THE RACE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. WHAT ARE THE THINGS YOU’RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO ADJUST BETWEEN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY TO MAKE THE CAR BETTER, DEPENDING ON HOW ALEX (BOWMAN) IS FEELING?“You really can’t change the body configuration. You can to a certain point. If you come there with more of a downforce car versus – you hear that a lot- I had too much drag in the car. It’s going to be difficult, probably, to change that style. There’s some tweaks you can make to get some of the drag off or maybe put some downforce in. But you can’t, obviously, rebuild the whole car. From my springs, shocks, camber settings, those types of things – you definitely can adjust. By the time it’s the end of stage one, usually my engineer is over there ‘hey, we should have done this or we should have done that’. I’ve already got a laundry list of items going of what we need to adjust and that’s not even for a doubleheader. Fortunately for us, I feel like we’ve had good baselines, a good foundation, each week and had a lot of speed. Just have to figure out how to execute and finish some of these races. I think for Pocono, I think the strategy side of things, you’re going to see how different people adjust. They may do one strategy on Saturday and one strategy on Sunday. That’s definitely going to be interesting to see how that plays out.”
OF ALL THE THINGS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN WHEN YOU HAVE A DOUBLEHEADER WEEKEND, WHAT ARE YOU MOST INTRIGUED TO FIND OUT?“Over the course of every year, every race, the track gains character. And what I mean by character is the bumps. Pocono, for example, it started out as a pretty smooth race track. You could stiffen up your front wheel brakes and mainly work on the attitude of the car, and get that so it really doesn’t move like a go-cart. But as the character of the track zones in over the tunnel and gets a little bit more bumps – and now people complain about the front end washing out because you hit a bump and it pushes up the race track, and now you have to work a little more on handling – those are the things that you can’t really predict when you don’t have practice. Typically, when you show up, you have a couple of laps – the driver comes in and says ‘yeah, I’m hitting the splitter too hard, we need a little softer front wheel or it’s way too rigid’, and you can work on that. Once you get into the race, it’s definitely difficult to know that or even change that once those laps start clicking off. The character of the track, you’ve probably even seen it at Talladega, that new tunnel in the entry of Turn Three, you can see the cars moving around a lot more. And you didn’t know that until either watching a race – the ARCA cars or the Xfinity cars – but once we got out there, definitely saw some different things like that.”
WHO DO YOU THINK BENEFITS FROM THIS KIND OF SCHEDULE? THE BIGGER TEAMS WITH TWO RACES IN A WEEKEND? DRIVERS WHO RACE A LOT? DRIVERS WITH EXPERIENCE? YOUNG GUYS?“I definitely think those that kind of have it together with a good foundation. Like I said, we were able to start the year, when we had practice, dialing our setup a little bit. Once we were able to start racing again, we were able to have some really strong runs and, potentially, could have had multiple wins. As the weeks start clicking off, everybody starts zoning back in on what they need to compete – either getting their cars better, setups better, drivers knocking the rust off, teams correlating their splitter heights and what the tires need for air pressure and grip. I think just having that solid baseline to start with and not trying to hit a home run, and ‘hey, we know this package is going to race well, so let’s not try to re-invent the wheel and just go out there and have a solid foundation’. Obviously, the bigger teams are able to feed off of each other. I have a lot of great teammates at Hendrick Motorsports that I can lean on for advice and what their thoughts are going into each week. So, I think it tailors a little bit better to the bigger teams and those that have more experience. The smaller teams, it’s maybe just taking a couple of weeks to zone in on what they need.”
JUST WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT POCONO AND INDIANAPOLIS – THE PAST, PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT IT AS BEING ABLE TO TAKE WHAT YOU HAD IN POCONO INTO INDIANAPOLIS. IS THAT STILL A CASE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF POCONO? “I think everything is relevant. I feel like, as a crew chief, every lap I learn. We used to test at Nashville or Kentucky back in the day, down to New Smyrna – every lap we learned. Pocono definitely has a lot of characteristics with the flat corners, in some sense, and understanding what your package is going to do there. Like I said, the character of Pocono is just going to be a little bit different than Indy. How your car is going to draft down the front straightaway versus at Indy with their long straightaways. So, there are a lot of similarities that you can definitely pull from. If you feel like you selected the wrong aero package at Pocono, it’s probably going to be the wrong one at Indy. And you’re going to do some more things to maybe trim the car out or vice versa – if you trim the car out too much and you still need the handle at Indy. There’s definitely a lot of similarities and like you said, you can learn from Pocono, you can learn what not to do to bring to Indy. Ultimately, definitely a different character at each track, so it’s not a complete ‘hey, I just won Pocono, now I’m going to go win Indy because of this package’. That’s probably not the best way to think about it, but it definitely correlates a lot. Both tend to have the fuel mileage race and that strategy at the end of each stage to win stage points or put yourself in the best position at the end of the race. So, a lot of similarities, a lot of things you can carry over, but it’s not a complete one off.”
CERTAINLY, I’M SURE YOUR AWARE, THE CHARLOTTE AREA HAS MORE CORONA VIRUS CASES. I’M CURIOUS, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE GUIDANCE THAT YOU GIVE YOUR TEAM TO PROTECT THEMSELVES? “Definitely. On an individual basis, you have to have those conversations with each guy that you have on your team. Like you said, from the comfort level of traveling to different areas. I’ve had that conversation with them. The other thing is, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports is taking this time seriously. When we are traveling to Pocono, how are we going to feed our guys and supply them with the food they need. It may sound trivial, but not having them go to restaurants to potentially expose them. And we’ve come up with plans where basically we give them the meals they need so they are only going to one location. Making sure they eat at the track versus going out to somewhere else. Those types of things, even from how we are feeding the guys to how we are protecting them, is definitely very much important to not only myself, but everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. I feel like we’re doing it the best way, the safest way. For those that may feel uncomfortable in those scenarios or situations, we’re definitely hearing their voice and taking the proper protocol.” 

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEPOCONO DOUBLEHEADERPOCONO RACEWAYLONG POND, PAJUNE 27-28, 2020
RACE #14 & #15: POCONOFor the first time in NASCAR history, Pocono Raceway will be the host of a NASCAR doubleheader race weekend. The ground-breaking weekend schedule will feature five races in three days, including two NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) events on back-to-back days: the Pocono Organics 325 in Partnership with Rodale Institute on Saturday, June 27th, and the Pocono 350 on Sunday, June 28th. The NCS doubleheader around the 2.5-mile track known as the ‘Tricky Triangle’ will mark the 14th and 15th races on the revised NCS schedule. In compliance with the pandemic guidelines, all events during the doubleheader weekend will be run without spectators.  ALL-TIME WINS LEADEROf NASCAR’s premier series’ 84 trips to the 2.5-mile tri-oval, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with a total of 32 all-time wins. NASCAR Hall of Famer and career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon leads the way in wins at Pocono Raceway with six victories (1996, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2011 and 2012). Two Team Chevy drivers are in the record books as multiple race winners, including Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, and Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, both with three career wins at the track.  BOWTIE BULLETS·       Of the NASCAR Cup Series’ 84 races at the ‘Tricky Triangle’, Chevrolet has recorded 168 top-five’s, 367 top-10’s, and 7,180 laps led. 
·       Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon leads the series in laps led at Pocono Raceway with 1,040 laps in 47-career starts. Of active drivers, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, has recorded the most laps led with a total of 743 laps in 36 starts. Of other lap leader statistics, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, holds the record for the most laps led in a single NCS race at the track with 175 of 200 laps (August ’07). ·       A Chevrolet has led the field to the green from the pole position 34 times, more than any other manufacturer. The most recent Chevy pole winner at Pocono is William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 (June ‘19). 
·       Chevrolet team Hendrick Motorsports has the most wins at Pocono of any team with 17 trips to victory lane: Jeff Gordon (six), Tim Richmond (three), Jimmie Johnson (three), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (two), Kasey Kahne (one), Geoff Bodine (one) and Terry Labonte (one). ·       Of active drivers, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads the way in runner-up finishes with five and top-five finishes with 14 at the track. In other top-finishing statistics of note, Jimmie Johnson and Kurt Busch lead all active NCS drivers in top-10 finishes with 20 each in their careers. ·       With 13 races in the books thus far, Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all NCS drivers in an Average Running Position of 8.2, as well as topping the Fastest Laps Run list with 317. Following the GEICO 500 at Talladega, Elliott broke his longest career streak for races led (eight).  COMING TO THE GREENThe race weekend format continues on with no practice or qualifying. The starting lineup for Saturday’s Pocono Organics 325 in Partnership with Rodale Institute will be set by virtue of owners points and a random draw. Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters: 5th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE7th      Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE10th    Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com Camaro ZL1 1LE12th    Jimmie Johnson, No 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE14th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE15th    Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Caterpillar Camaro ZL1 1LE16th    William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE17th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 American Ethanol Camaro ZL1 1LE The starting lineup for Sunday’s Pocono 350 will be set by the finishing order of Saturday’s event, with an inversion of the top-20 finishers.  TUNE-INFOX will telecast the 130-lap, 325-mile Pocono Organics 325 in Partnership with Rodale Institute live at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 27th. FS1 will telecast the 140-lap, 350-mile Pocono 350 live at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 28th. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. QUOTABLE QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 4th IN STANDINGS“So far, our prep hasn’t been any different for this weekend’s doubleheader. We ultimately want to run one car the whole weekend. I think keeping that in mind during the race on Saturday, but at the same time I don’t know that you are really going to approach it much different. You always want to try and finish, and finish toward the front, so I don’t think that is going to change. I do think track position is going to be really important with the shorter races, though, especially lining yourself up for the last stage in each event because it is going to be so short. It’s going to be hard to make up a lot of ground in a hurry.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN’S THOUGHTS ON POCONO: “Pocono is a really fun track. It is one of my favorite tracks we go to. We are typically really fast here. This track is an interesting track because there is a big compromise in all three corners. It is definitely one of the more technical places that we go to.”
BOWMAN’S THOUGHTS ON PASSING AT POCONO:“Pocono is a tough place to pass cars. One of the keys is to qualify decent, but since we aren’t qualifying, we need to hope we get a good draw. The track is really a one groove track and since it doesn’t widen out a lot, it is tough to get by cars. Hendrick Motorsports is building some fast cars right now and I know when we go to Pocono this weekend, that is what we will have.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON THE POCONO DOUBLE HEADER:“I think overall it’s going to be a fun weekend. I really enjoy racing at Pocono. I think it’s one of those racetracks we go to that’s cool to race at, but is also really tough to get around. The restarts are really difficult and usually pretty treacherous. It’s important to have good, clean and consistent restarts there. You also need a good long run car that turns well to make speed. Now add in back-to-back races there, I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to bring a new challenge and I think we’re up for it. We’ve ran well at Pocono in the past so this is a chance for us to really capitalize.”
BYRON ON IF A GOOD CAR AT POCONO IS SETUP TO RUN BETTER IN ONE CORNER OR CONSISTENT IN ALL THREE:“I think there’s still some truth to when people say you need to have your car setup better in one corner than the others at Pocono Raceway. However, I honestly think nowadays with the way engineering is, you have to figure out how to make it work in all three corners pretty well more than you use to. You have to be close to exceptional in all three turns to be competitive, but I think Turn 3 is the most important, personally. The way that corner is and how difficult it is for the majority of the field, you want to be better there than everyone else. I always look at racetracks and try to see where the majority of the field will be weak and usually the best cars throughout the race excel in those areas of weakness. With that being said, I think the saying still holds true today with the three corners and having to be good at one end over another.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS“The toughest thing to overcome at Pocono Raceway has got the be the dirty air. I’ve gotten in these Cup cars a few times on 1.5-mile tracks, and we ran a similar aero package in our Xfinity cars at Pocono a couple of years ago, and the draft is a huge part of your handling. Managing your track position to avoid as much dirty air as possible is going to be very important. If we’re entering that weekend on a draw, that draw could be the very thing that dictates the first half of the Saturday race and how you’ll need to go about getting track position. With the track being so flat, it’s also important to keep the front of the car rotating through all three corners, which is a challenge since you get tighter the longer we run. With this package, that’s going to get enhanced the longer we are in dirty air. It’s going to be a dogfight on the restarts because of how valuable the air is.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGSTALK ABOUT POCONO RACEWAY. IT’S AN INTERESTINGLY-SHAPED TRACK.“Pocono is a fun, fast track and I feel like we’ve been able to build a good notebook there so I’m excited to get there this weekend for a double-header. Good finishes will be important for us and the points battle following Talladega. At Pocono Raceway, speed is definitely carried through turn two and through three to the start-finish line. I think those are the most important corners. Of course, every corner is important, but turns two and three are a little bit more important because it’s the flat end of the track.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGS “Coming off of a really strong weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, I’m looking forward to the doubleheader at Pocono this weekend. The doubleheader is obviously going to create its own set of unique challenges. The races are shorter, and you could hit on something during the race on Saturday that could really help you on Sunday. We have definitely shown a lot of speed at the big tracks so far this season, and while Pocono Raceway has been a struggle for me in the past, I think Brian Pattie has hit on some things that will give us a strong run Saturday and Sunday in our No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE.” RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 P&G CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“I really like the fact that Pocono Raceway is a doubleheader. I like racing twice in one weekend because of the opportunity it gives you to try something on Saturday and if that doesn’t work, you can readjust for Sunday. I think track position is huge at Pocono and being able to have clean air is a big advantage as well. It’s truly a ‘Tricky Triangle’ with the different turns and straightaways. We’ve got a new paint scheme with our partners at P&G this weekend, and I encourage our fans to go to pg.com/TakeOnRace for more information.”

June 25, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are headed to Pocono Raceway this weekend for a rare Cup Series double-header. They will run the Pocono Organics 325 on Saturday afternoon then return Sunday for the Pocono 350. Both races will be full points-paying events.

DiBenedetto has 10 career starts at Pocono but will be making his first appearance there in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang.

“Pocono used to be one of my favorite tracks,” he said. “It’s so unique, and we used to shift gears every lap.”

These days, he said, things are different with the new handling package and its lower horsepower requirement.

“Now you get everything you can get on the restarts,” he said. “You go banzai for the first few turns, then everything single-files out.”

He said that when you’re running anywhere other than in the lead, it’s a struggle, aerodynamically speaking.
 
“You battle dirty air more at Pocono than at any other track except Indianapolis,” he said.

“You have to really attack the restarts. Track position means everything. 
 
“That puts a lot of pressure on me and on the crew to execute on the pit stops and restarts.”
 
Pocono, with its relatively low banking and long distance (2.5 miles), offers opportunities for fuel-mileage strategies, and the Wood Brothers team historically has been adept at taking advantage of those situations.
 
DiBenedetto, although a newcomer to the team, is well aware of the possibilities Pocono presents.
  
“The track is so big and so long that you can make a green-flag pit stop and not lose a lap,” he said. “Even if the caution comes out, you can stay out and gain track position.
 
“And the crew can crunch the numbers and treat the races there like a road course.”
 
He doesn’t expect the shorter length of the races this weekend will change how teams plan their pit stops.

 “I think the strategies will be the same,” he said.
 
And DiBenedetto said running two Pocono races in two days won’t be too physically taxing.
 
“That part will be fun,” he said. “The races aren’t super long. I should be able to recover physically and get rehydrated.”
 
The real test, he said, will be for the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team, which has to take the Mustang they race on Saturday and in a short time prepare in for Sunday’s race.

“That part will be a good test for our team,” he said.

There will be no practice or qualifying for either race.
 
The Pocono Organics 325 is set to start just after 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, with TV coverage on FOX. Sunday’s Pocono 350 is scheduled to get the green flag at 4 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.
 

• Emerging talents Jacob Abel, Dakota Dickerson, Taylor Hagler and Karl Wittmer work to accelerate their careers with experience behind the wheel of the Acura NSX GT3 Evo
• Inaugural GT3 Academy event combined on- and off-track instruction at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta
• Race winners and NSX GT3 Race veterans Dane Cameron and Ryan Eversley provided one-on-one coaching for the candidates

Atlanta, GA (June 25, 2020) – A quartet of promising racers became the first graduates of the Honda Performance Development GT3 Driver Academy earlier this week, as HPD’s program to assist young drivers accelerate their careers held its inaugural session at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.

The four members of the first GT3 Academy class all were selected for the racing career promise and included Taylor Hagler, Jacob Abel, Karl Wittmer and Dakota Dickerson.  All arrived Sunday for an orientation session with the Acura NSX GT3 Evo they would pilot during the next two days. The car, prepped and crewed by the 2019 SRO World Challenge GT America Championship-winning Racers Edge Motorsports team, proved to be an ideal classroom for the challenging Road Atlanta circuit.

Intermittent thunderstorms shuffled the planned schedule for the inaugural HPD GT3 Academy event at Road Atlanta, but the racer/students still each ran 60-plus laps over two days and worked through the full curricula that included one-on-one coaching and instruction. The first group meeting occurred online Thursday evening with Acura’s social media staff and agency offering best practices on digital engagement with fans, teams, and large OEMs.

Taylor Hagler, who drives a Honda Civic Type R TCR in the Michelin Pilot Challenge noted, “I had a pretty steep learning curve, but thanks to the pre-track briefings, I felt right at home once I got into the cockpit. The NSX GT3 Evo was amazing, and I’m still processing everything I learned in the last two days. I can’t wait for the next event at Mid-Ohio!”

The Road Atlanta program included on-track coaching sessions in the championship winning from NSX GT3 Evo race winners Ryan Eversley and Dane Cameron, as well as off-track instruction relating to effective communication with team personnel and engineers, in addition to driver marketing insights and sponsor searches. As a testament to the drivers’ quick learning, the original target lap set for the drivers by Dane had to be reset with an even faster base lap early on the second day.

“The first event of the GT3 Academy went flawlessly,” commented F3 Americas race winner Jacob Abel. “The NSX GT3 car was awesome, and having very limited experience in sports cars prior to this opportunity, I was concerned about adapting. However, Ryan, Dane, and everyone at Racers Edge Motorsports made the transition seamless. I’m looking forward to taking what we learned the past couple of days and building on it at Mid-Ohio next month!”

After each on-track session, the drivers immediately reviewed lap data and in-car video with an instructor, while drivers not on track would pair with another instructor at a location around the track. Acura Motorsports/HPD provided engineering support and feedback to increase driver experience in working with OEM engineering staff. With a stated goal of expanding diversity and access for North American racing talent, HPD is committed to bringing more opportunities like this for the future stars of motorsport.

Canadian racer Karl Wittmer said, “I have a lot of experience in Touring Cars, but even so, this was quite different. The pre-track briefings and coaching were really valuable, but the best part was definitely getting behind the wheel and getting faster and faster over the two days!”

The Mid-Ohio GT3 Academy event in July will feature two 2019 NSX GT3 Evo Champions in drivers Kyle Marcelli and Mario Farnbacher as instructors and will focus on communication and feedback with a racer’s team and engineering personnel. The remaining two GT3 Academy dates will be announced shortly with a planned bonus event later in the year.

Current F3 Americas Champion Dakota Dickerson concludes, “The first event of the HPD GT3 Drivers Academy was an incredible experience. Being able to work with so many experienced professionals including the Racers Edge Motorsports Team, Ryan Eversley, Dane Cameron, and all of the folks at Acura Motorsports helped accelerate my learning curve and gave me valuable insights. Plus, the Acura NSX GT3 EVO was a blast to drive!”

Next GT3 Academy Event: July 22-23 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

CORONA, Calif. (June 25, 2020) – Building off the rising demand for streaming entertainment, and in response to the noticeable need for motorsport racing and automotive content on streaming platforms, MAVTV, the only cable television network in the U.S. dedicated solely to motorsports, is pleased to announce the launch of “MAVTV Select” on The Roku Channel, the home for free and premium entertainment on the Roku® platform. MAVTV’s new streaming network specializes in broadcasting only the best motorsport content available, including Pro Motocross, Late Model Dirt, Pro Pulling, ARCA Menards, and other racing entertainment. MAVTV Select is available on The Roku Channel, effective immediately.

“The development of Connected TV’s and digital streaming players have changed the way we watch television forever. Consumers want content they can stream for hours on end from multiple devices,” stated Ed Niemi, Senior Vice President, Content Distribution & Strategic Partnerships, MAVTV Motorsports Network. “By tapping into our vast media library, we’ve created MAVTV Select, now available through a linear channel on The Roku Channel, to meet the rise in demand for digitally streaming content and expanded our availability to motorsports fans throughout the U.S. and around the world.” Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. The Roku Channel, which launched in 2017, is the home to more than 100,000 titles, including free movies and TV episodes as well as premium entertainment, and is one of the top channels on the Roku platform. In Q1, The Roku Channel reached households with an estimated 36 million people.  “Now more than ever it’s important for us to provide Roku users with easy access to free content, such as news and sports, and the ability to access it on-demand,” said Ashley Hovey, Director of AVOD Growth, Roku. “We’re excited to enhance the streaming experience for motorsport enthusiasts through the updates we’ve made on The Roku Channel.” MAVTV Select will broadcast content from the enormous Lucas Oil Studios library. Daily programming for MAVTV Select is said to remain independent from the existing linear channel. Therefore, LIVE race event programming will stay exclusively on the MAVTV Motorsports Network. MAVTV Select is a free 24/7 channel dedicated to all motorsports and designed to complement the existing MAVTV Motorsports Network. From archived race events, to figure 8 racing, to car build shows, MAVTV Select will broadcast nothing but the best motorsports content. To begin streaming premium motorsports content on your television, use your Roku remote to turn on the device or open the smart tv app and The Roku Channel will appear automatically on your home scre

Richard Childress Racing at Pocono Raceway …  In 165 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has earned two wins, 16 top-five, and 56 top-ten finishes at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ The Welcome, North Carolina-based organization also has 13 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts with a best finish of second coming last year with Tyler Reddick.  COVID-19 Relief … Own a piece of history by participating in an auction and sale of Richard Childress’ personal collection of memorabilia. All proceeds will assist COVID-19 relief efforts. Thousands of rare, hard-to-find and exclusive items from Richard Childress’ 50+ years in NASCAR are up for bid or sale. Visit https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection. Catch the Action … The NASCAR Cup Series Pocono Organics 325 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live Saturday, June 27, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The NASCAR Xfinity Series Pocono Green 225 Recycled by J.P. Mascaro & Sons at Pocono Raceway will be televised live Sunday, June 28, beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The NASCAR Cup Series Pocono 350 at Pocono Raceway will be televised live Sunday, June 28, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Austin Dillon at Pocono Raceway … Dillon has 12 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Pocono Raceway, one start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and is a former winner at the track in the NASCAR Truck Series (2014). Delivering Performance on and Off the Racetrack… Austin Dillon races on Sunoco Green E15 fuel made with 15 percent American Ethanol. Ethanol is the most effective and least expensive source of octane available and it also burns cleaner and cooler than gasoline. All those factors mean that ethanol helps drive peak engine performance whether you’re in a racecar or on your way to the grocery store. And, ethanol helps keep our air cleaner and our environment healthier by reducing toxic and greenhouse gas emissions. Learn more about why ethanol is the smart choice for your engine, your wallet and our environment at americanethanolracing.com.SYMBICORT Partners with the No. 3 at Pocono Raceway … SYMBICORT is an AstraZeneca product and the sponsor of No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono Raceway on Sunday with Austin Dillon. You can learn more at MySymbicort.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:Talk about Pocono Raceway. It’s an interestingly-shaped track …“Pocono is a fun, fast track, and I feel like we’ve been able to build a good notebook there so I’m excited to get there this weekend for a double-header. Good finishes will be important for us, especially with the points battle following Talladega. At Pocono Raceway, speed is definitely carried through turn two and through three to the start-finish line. I think those are the most important corners. Of course, every corner is important, but turns two and three are a little bit more important because it’s the flat end of the track.”

Tyler Reddick at Pocono Raceway …This weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader at Pocono Raceway will be Tyler Reddick’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ Reddick has two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts there and has not started or finished outside the top 10. He finished second during last year’s race with crew chief Randall Burnett. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate also has three NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track and one top-five finish. About Cleveland Brothers … Since 1948, Cleveland Brothers has had a history of offering quality solutions to support the needs of their customers. They are focused on growing your business with the equipment, parts, and service for any size company. Cleveland Brothers has 26 locations conveniently located throughout Pennsylvania, Northern West Virginia and Western Maryland. An assortment of online tools and information are also available to help make your business decisions easier. For more information, please visit: www.clevelandbrothers.com. About Caterpillar … Since 1925, Caterpillar Inc. has been helping our customers build a better world – making sustainable progress possible and driving positive change on every continent. With 2019 sales and revenues of $53.8 billion, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives. Services offered throughout the product life cycle, cutting-edge technology and decades of product expertise set Caterpillar apart, providing exceptional value to help our customers succeed. The company principally operates through three primary segments – Construction Industries, Resource Industries and Energy & Transportation – and provides financing and related services through its Financial Products segment. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:What is the trickiest part about getting around Pocono Raceway?“For me, it has got the be the dirty air. I’ve gotten in these Cup cars a few times on 1.5-mile tracks, and we ran a similar aero package in our Xfinity cars at Pocono a couple of years ago. The draft is a huge part of your handling. Managing your track position to avoid as much dirty air as possible is going to be very important. If we’re entering the weekend on a draw, that draw could be the very thing that dictates the first half of the Saturday race and how you’ll need to go about getting track position. With the track being so flat, it’s also important to keep the front of the car rotating through all three corners, which is a challenge since you get tighter the longer we run. With this package, that’s going to get enhanced the longer we are in dirty air. It’s going to be a dogfight on the restarts because of how valuable the air is.”

This Week’s No. 21 Taxslayer Chevrolet Camaro at Pocono Raceway… Myatt Snider will return to the seat of the No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro for his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut at the ‘Tricky Triangle.’ Snider’s previous race in the Richard Childress Racing-prepared Chevrolet was at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he had a career best finish of fifth. He has one career NASCAR Truck Series start at Pocono in 2018, finishing in the 12th position. He has also made a pair of ARCA Racing Series starts at Pocono Raceway, earning two top-10 finishes in 2016. About TaxSlayer … TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million state and federal e-filed tax returns in 2019 and processed $12 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com. Tax Day … The IRS has extended the federal tax filing deadline for 2020. Tax Day is now July 15, 2020. This extension is automatic and applies to all taxpayers. For up-to-date information and advice, check out TaxSlayer.com/blog. Save Now … When you file with TaxSlayer, the savings are around every turn. All the deductions, all the credits, and all the money you deserve comes back to you in your refund. Start for free at TaxSlayer.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:What are the biggest challenges you’ll face this weekend with Pocono Raceway only having three turns?“I think the biggest challenge at Pocono is just getting the car right for all three corners. The corners are all so different. You can usually only pick two out of the three corners to really focus on. I have full confidence that Andy Street and our No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team will be able to adjust the car to what I need on each of our pit stops. I think if we can unload close to what we need we will be a contender on Sunday in our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIPDAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYIMSA WEATHERTECH 240 AT DAYTONAPRE-RACE MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPTJUNE 24, 2020

Corvette Racing drivers Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor (No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R) along with Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner (No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R) met with members of the media during a teleconference to discuss returning to competition next week at Daytona. FULL TRANSCRIPT: WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO ABOUT NEXT WEEKEND AND GETTING BACK TO DAYTONA?Antonio Garcia: “It’s been super strange to have such a long period of ‘off’ time between the Rolex 24 and Daytona next week. It has been strange doing our own work; my own workout is the only thing I could do. I haven’t been back to the simulator yet so the next time I will be in the C8.R will be full-on in the first practice.”Jordan Taylor: “I’m excited. Everyone is ready to get back to the racetrack. It feels like this has been another offseason, just a little weirder. It’s been tough not to be with the guys, hanging out, going to the shop and checking out the car. I was able to go to one simulator test last week in Charlotte, which also was a new experience. We weren’t allowed to have engineers there, so everyone was remoted in, so I was basically talking to everyone on a radio. We had one person there to run the simulator. That was unique but it was nice to get back to work and working toward the race next week. We had a good showing for the new Corvette C8.R at the Rolex 24. We had a flawless run in our car, so having the opportunity to come back there is a plus. We have spent a lot of time at Daytona and can apply what we’ve learned.”Oliver Gavin: “It’s fantastic to get back racing. All credit to everyone at IMSA for working away tirelessly for the last couple of months to get us back racing at Daytona. It will be obviously pretty hot and sticky conditions but at least we will be back behind the wheel. Some fans will get to see cars out on track, which I think is fantastic. It’s been a long break… probably the longest period for anyone involved in racing. There isn’t a lot of track time at Daytona, which will present some challenges and be a little weird, to be honest. But everyone is really wanting to just get out there and get on with it.”Tommy Milner: “I’m very excited to get back racing. It’s been a long break for a lot of us out of a racecar. This is probably the longest break most drivers and teams have had from racing and testing. So we’re all excited to get back in the racecar and go racing again. It’ll be quite different going back to Daytona in the summertime. I’ve done that before in GRAND-AM; I remember it being very hot so that will be a big change from what we’re used to at Daytona. But there are a lot of things these days that we aren’t used to. So most of all, I’m excited to get back to racing, getting in the Corvette and having some fun.” ANTONIO, YOU AND OLIVER GAVIN ARE SHARING AN APARTMENT OR HOUSE SOMEWHERE IN FLORIDA. HOW IS THAT GOING?Antonio Garcia: “It’s another new experience. This isn’t the first time I’ve shared a house with Olly; we used to do that every year we go to Sebring because we stay longer than a week there. We came over on the 18th to make sure we are ready for the race. So far it is going OK. We don’t hate each other yet! There’s still a few days to go because we usually don’t fly over this early. We are carrying on doing our work even though it is very warm. But we are getting used to the heat because the next two races will be very, very warm.“We are near Clearwater, by the sea. It’s a very nice area. Olly likes to ride a lot on the bike and it’s very good for me to run here, as well. We need to be out there first thing in the morning otherwise it gets very warm. We are trying to stay over in the U.S. until Road America. We don’t know how the quarantine situation will develop, so we will plan to stay through Road America but who knows what will happen after that.” OLIVER, HOW HAS IT BEEN BEING IN A QUARANTINE STATE FOR A COUPLE WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE RACE? WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING TO ACCLIMATE TO THE FLORIDA CLIMATE?Oliver Gavin: “Cycling has helped and getting out for a few hours of exercise in the Florida heat and humidity. I’m sharing a house with Antonio, which is going good and well. He has some pretty good skills with his cooking, which is good. I’m not so hot at that, so I’m doing some shopping, tidying up, doing the dishes. He actually brought a PlayStation so we’re playing a bit on that. We’ve done Bathurst and Motegi in the Corvette C7.R. Just filling the days and trying to get acclimated. We’re right on the beach so we can just go right out to the sea, which is really hot! I can’t believe how it is… it’s like a bath!” WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE NOT HAVING DAN BINKS WITH THE TEAM AS CREW CHIEF?Antonio Garcia: “It will be very strange. This entire situation has been a whole new experience for everyone. It will be strange not to have him on the radio and talk to him in the garage. I don’t know what exactly it will be like, but as soon as we show up at the track we will miss him.” YOU HAVE A GOOD NOTEBOOK ON DAYTONA WITH THE NEW CORVETTE, BUT ONCE YOU GET INTO THE OTHER EARLY-SEASON RACES FOLLOWING THE TESTING LOCKDOWN, IS THAT A HANDICAP FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP?Antonio Garcia: “It’s always a handicap not to be able to test and compete. We know Corvette Racing has been working since the checkered flag at Daytona. For sure we learned a lot at that race. There were some mistakes and the car wasn’t where we wanted it to be. I don’t know what to expect but I’m sure we will be as prepared as we can.” HOW HAS THE BREAK ALTERED YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SEASON?Antonio Garcia: “It’s going to be a challenge for everyone. Not being able to test your development on track is a new thing to do. Everyone is working at home so it’s not easy. You go by how the race went at Daytona, and we hope we are fixing the items we identified but we couldn’t test them on track. That’s the only downside to that and having just two hours practice. It will be a challenge, but Corvette Racing is the best team out there. If anyone can do this, it’s this team.” HOW IS IT DIFFERENT SHARING A CAR WITH JORDAN GIVEN THE HEIGHT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JAN (MAGNUSSEN)?Antonio Garcia: “Up to now in the longer races, I used an insert so I could raise myself up a little bit. That’s one of the things we still need to work out. Maybe we will use a seat position that works for both us. It could be a little high for Jordan but also works for me because I wasn’t too low. For sure, my legs would be a little stretched out but as long as I can see out of the window I’m happy with that. We will figure out what the best solution is.” IT’S BEEN SOME TIME SINCE YOU’VE WON A RACE ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE A COUPLE OF CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THAT SPAN. DOES THAT PLAY ON YOUR PSYCHE?Antonio Garcia: “I think you need to play every race as a single event and just try to achieve that. We had come close to many times with Jan; it was a little bit frustrating to be second so many times and knowing we could have won many of the races. But I think the approach will be the same: go race-by-race, do our best and if someone else does it better, then we can’t do anything about it.” HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU IN THE MEDICAL PROTOCOLS THAT IMSA HAS PUT IN PLACE FOR THIS EVENT?Jordan Taylor: “IMSA has gone through a lot and worked with NASCAR with their protocols. I’ve not heard of any issues through any of those events. I’m trusting them. There are a lot of competitors, teams and families involved so I’m sure they are taking all the precautions necessary.” TALK THROUGH THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THIS RACE AND THE ROLEX 24.Jordan Taylor: “It will be a much shorter race with a much different mindset. For the Rolex, you’re trying to race to the end and survive the first 20 hours to race in the last four. For this one, you’ll prepping a car for speed to compete in laptime and performance. You’ll have to take a lot more risks not to lose track position. There will be a bit of difference in strategy. Corvette Racing has a long history of bouncing between races of these lengths (endurance vs. sprint).” IS THIS THE BEST POSSIBLE PLACE TO RESTART THE SEASON?Jordan Taylor: “I think so. It’s the World Center of Racing. It’s a fun track and offers a lot of good things from a racing perspective. It will be an awesome July Fourth. We used to do this in the GRAND-AM days with the night race and with NASCAR. It’ll be a good show.” WITH PORSCHE LEAVING GTLM, ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE CLASS?Jordan Taylor: “I haven’t had any conversations on this. There’s a lot going on and not just in GTLM. It’s disappointing to see them gone but I’m sure they will be back at some point. I have confidence in Chevrolet and Corvette with decision-making processes.” HOW HAS THE BREAK ALTERED YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SEASON?Jordan Taylor: “I don’t know if it’s altered things, but it’s made everyone a little more excited to get back to the track. I think we still have a team, a car and a full package to compete for the championship. For us, maybe the break is a little bit of an advantage for us with a new car. The guys were able to go back and study the car… understand where can make improvements whether it’s pit stops, drivability of the car, engine calibration, all those little things that have been worked on between the engineers and crew. I still have high expectations.” HOW HAS YOUR MINDSET CHANGED GIVEN THAT YOU NEED TO USE YOUR MIRRORS FOR PASSING MUCH MORE THAN YOU DID IN THE DPi CARS?Jordan Taylor: “That was pretty eye-opening. It had been a few years since I had done the Rolex in a GT car. Going back to GT, I realized that you had a lot of time to relax in the prototype when you’re coming up on a GT car. If you know you’re not going to pass in that corner, maybe you come off the throttle a little. You’ll lose a couple of tenths but maybe you can a couple in the next corner when your competitor has that same GT car there. I went into the Rolex with that same mindset – if I see a prototype then I’ll lift a little and let that car go and lose a couple tenths. But I realized that all those tenths you lose in GT, you don’t find that back. So it was a lot more mentally draining just being focused on pushing every lap in a stint and trying to hold prototypes off. I’m glad I had that 24-hour experience before going to a sprint race when that will really matter.” FROM WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THE NEW CORVETTE AND THE TIRE BEHAVIOR, COULD A SPRINT RACE PLAY INTO YOUR HANDS OR WOULD AN ENDURANCE RACE SUITED THE CAR BETTER AT THIS STAGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT?Jordan Taylor: “It’s hard to tell. We’re going to Daytona for a race where it’s going to be so much warmer so we don’t know how the tire is going to react. Through all of our Daytona testing it was pretty cool, and even on raceday the highest temperature wasn’t that hot. That will be the bigger thing… how everyone gets their tire in the window to see how they work. But I’m sure no matter what race, you’re going to single-stint tires. Endurance racing suits Corvette Racing with its heritage but they are very good in these strategic races as well. We have the right guys behind us.” TALK ABOUT THE EFFORTS BY IMSA TO GET THE INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS OVER HERE FOR THE RACE.Oliver Gavin: “They really worked really hard, as did Ben Johnson (team manager) to keep Antonio and I in the loop. They worked really hard with DHS (Department of Homeland Security). There were lots of questions going back and forth during this whole time. All credit to everyone to get this going. Getting to the airport, getting over here and getting into the U.S. was relatively straight-forward and well-run. Where I flew into at Miami was good… the temperature checks, the paperwork we had to do, the advice on the quarantine was good. It is a recommendation, the quarantine. It’s not like there is someone watching the building to make sure we are sticking to the rules. But it’s the thing Corvette Racing wanted us to do, and it’s the right thing.” HOW MUCH EXTRA STRESS DID YOU FEEL ABOUT POSSIBLY NOT GETTING BACK TO THE U.S. AND NOT GETTING BACK IN THE 4 CORVETTE?Oliver Gavin: “There was a little bit of anxiety about it, certainly in the last number of months when we heard Sebring was going to be postponed and moved and no one knew what was going to happen next. Ben Johnson and everyone at Corvette Racing kept us in the loop and have been working away, and IMSA has been working tirelessly. There have been some periods where you’ve been home for many, many weeks and you’re wondering what is going to happen. But you look around at all the racing series around the world and everyone is in the same situation. I think people are finding solutions, and that’s great.” IT’S AN UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCE THAT THE TEAM WON’T BE ABLE TO GO TO LE MANS, BUT COULD THIS BE TURNED INTO A POSITIVE THAT MORE OF THE EFFORT WILL BE PUT ON THE IMSA CHAMPIONSHIP?Oliver Gavin: “Honestly in all the years I’ve driven for Corvette Racing, I never thought us going to Le Mans was detrimental to our championship chances in IMSA. I always thought us going to Le Mans made us better as a team, really sharpened our focus, gave us a chance to race other people and examined us fully under a microscope. There is no hiding place at Le Mans. So anything, I thought Le Mans was a really big bonus for us and that we always came back a little bit wiser and stronger. It’s a disappointment not to go this year. But in this whole season and year, there are lots of things that we are not going to like or not be happy about. But we have to make the best of the situations and make the most of it.” YOU TALKED ABOUT COMING INTO THE COUNTRY AND IT BEING QUITE ORGANIZED. AS AN IMSA COMPETITOR, IS IT A LETTER THAT YOU SHOW UP WITH, A FORM OF A VISA OR SOMETHING ALREADY STAMPED IN YOUR PASSPORT? HOW DOES IT WORK WHEN YOU SHOW UP AT THE DESK?Oliver Gavin: “I operate on a P1 visa, so that’s already on my passport. There were two other pieces of documentation that IMSA sent through to make sure we were on the list for immigration and particular flights and where we were going. We had to send all that through a long time before the 18th. So when I turned up at the airport in London, I went straight to a desk and then a U.S. immigration person. They then went down the list of people and said, ‘Yes, OK you’re on this flight and yes you’re with IMSA. We’ve got 11 others of you on this flight today.’ And I think half my flight was with IMSA people. It wasn’t very busy, so that’s side of things were really straight-forward.“Coming into the country on the plane, they have you filling out a form asking where you’ve been, what you’ve been doing and other bits and pieces. Once you are off the plane, they’d take that questionnaire off you, taking your temperatures and asking a few more questions. It was as thorough as it can be.” TALK ABOUT THE TIME AWAY NOW FOR YOUR FAMILY THAT THIS IS GOING TO BRING. HOW HARD IS THAT GOING TO BE?Oliver Gavin: “It is going to be a difficult period and something my wife and I spoke about, and also my kids. I spoke earlier about this being a difficult period for a lot of people and there are going to be lots of things that not a lot of us really want to do, but we have to in order to fulfill our jobs to get back racing and do the thing we love. We know there will be some sacrifices. My wife has been supportive 100 percent, and my kids have been as well. We’ve had a fantastic time together these last three months. It’s three months at home with my wife and my kids that I just have never had before. So that side of it has been a huge positive. There’ve been loads of jobs done at home – some inside and some outside. But this has been a big plus.” JORDAN HAS BEEN DOING SOME KARTING AND SIM RACING. WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING, AND IS IT IMPORTANT TO ACTUALLY DRIVE SOMETHING TO STAY SHARP? IS STAYING IN SHAPE ENOUGH BECAUSE YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS SO LONG THAT IT’S GOING TO COME BACK QUICKLY, OR DO YOU NEED TO BE BEHIND THE WHEEL OR A KART OR EVEN A COMPUTER GAME?Tommy Milner: “I just did the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual that Corvette Racing supported with two cars… that was an interesting exercise. IMSA has had its own iRacing series, and I think those are very valuable for drivers. It has a lot of value in that it keeps your mind in racing. What we were driving isn’t exactly the real thing, and nothing will ever replace the real thing. But putting yourself in racing situations with traffic, those are all skills we have honed in real life that we can apply to these different virtual situations and can continue to learn from that. It’s hard to say that someone who has done a lot of sim racing can get into a car suddenly and go super-quick. But there is value for guys who have been doing it for a while to keep their minds in the game. Time will tell if the sim racing stuff has a lot of value or is of just a little value. We’ve only recently been able to get in our professional Chevy simulator to do some setup work for the upcoming races. It’s helpful for the drivers but also for the engineers to explore setup options and different tire temperature and compounds that we’ve found over the years that definitely apply to real life. It’s good for the team to get their mindset on Daytona and Sebring with these different temperatures and in some ways try to explore a bit of what’s going to happen. With the Corvette C8.R, we have quite a new platform and car. So there still is lots of learning and tweaking on things from Daytona and the WEC race at Austin, so there are a lot of ideas that the engineers want to try. There is nothing like real-life, on-track experience and we’re all looking forward to that next week.” WITH THE SMALLER GTLM FIELD THIS YEAR, HOW DO YOU SEE THE DYNAMIC WORKING OUT? DAYTONA WASN’T GREAT WITH THE RESULT FOR POINTS. IT’S HARD TO MAKE THOSE POINTS UP WITHOUT A LOT OF CARS. DOES THAT CHANGE YOUR PHILOSPHY GOING FORWARD?Tommy Milner: “With a new car, we are approaching each race trying to learn as much as we can. Winning races is always the target, and that won’t change whether we had a bad Daytona or not. For Olly and I, it’s about continuing to push the car forward and going for race wins. That’s the best way to make up that deficit. With less cars, it’s harder to make up larger point gaps but it’s the same for everyone. Just because we had a bad Daytona doesn’t mean we are out of it. As always, the goal at every weekend especially early on is to finish as high as we possibly can. Winning obviously is No. 1, but getting points is big. That won’t change by any means. There is an expected learning process with the new Corvette. If there is something we can learn early on here that will help us down the road then we will certainly explore that.” LOOKING AT THE STRUCTURE OF THE IMSA CALENDAR NOW, DO YOU SEE HAVING THE THREE MAJOR ENDUROS STACK UP AT THE END OF THE SEASON GIVEN THE EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF THE C8.R?Tommy Milner: “That’s an interesting point I haven’t considered. Usually our two biggest races in the U.S. are the first two. Going into those with a new car is a big test of the car on the team and the drivers. Petit Le Mans has always been at the end so no matter if you have a new car or old car, you’ve got it figured out by the end of the season. I would expect that to be somewhat of the case again this year at Petit and Sebring – that the teams and drivers have figured their cars out and should provide for some pretty close racing. Sebring is a pretty tough track and we’ll have an opportunity here pretty early on and obviously not drive for 12 hours but have the experience of driving Sebring. We’ve done some testing there with this new Corvette so we have some experience there with it. Of course more time with the car is better. We had the one little problem at Daytona but the team had already identified the issue and made an update and fix for the WEC race in February. Everyone is confident that is solved and fixed. This whole year is going to be interesting with races quite close together is something we are going to be totally used to. It should be interesting. The team is up for it. They’ve taken this time with the opportunity to go through the lessons learned from Daytona and Austin to improve pit stop processes and other little details that sometimes get put aside earlier in the season because there often can be bigger things to focus on. All through testing, we’ve had a really good car. Daytona showed that the 3 car there was fast and competitive and reliable. That’s what we expected going into Daytona and that’s the feeling I get and the feeling most of the team has now. We aren’t looking to find problems with the car; we’re looking to find ways to make the car faster and win races.”

Inside Line Promotions – GAS CITY, Ind. (June 24, 2020) – Giovanni Scelzi showcased speed in both a winged sprint car and a midget throughout four races in a six-day span.

Scelzi made his debut behind the wheel of Guy Forbrook’s sprint car on June 12 at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, which hosted the two-day Brownells Big Guns Bash featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

Scelzi qualified fifth quickest out of 26 drivers in his group, placed sixth in a heat race and won the Last Chance Showdown to lock into the main event. He then charged from 21^st to 14^thin the feature to be tied for the third-most cars passed.

“Knoxville was about getting comfortable in the race car,” he said. “I think it takes time. It’s a new car so everything is different. We’ll get more comfortable the more we race. We had awesome speed though.”

Scelzi continued to be fast the following day as he timed in third quickest out of 26 drivers in his group. He was running second in a heat race when an incident ended the night early.

“I was in a spot to make the dash when I got into the infield and spun,” he said. “I tried to run the bottom lane and clipped the infield drain. It just bounced and backed me up into the fence.”

Scelzi was off for two days before joining Tucker Boat Motorsports for a pair of Indiana Midget Week races with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets beginning a week ago Tuesday at Paragon Speedway in Paragon, Ind.

Scelzi qualified eighth quickest out of 46 drivers before he maneuvered from fifth to third place in a heat race. That locked him into the main event and the feature inversion placed him on the pole for the 30-lap feature. Scelzi led the first 10 laps before losing a pair of positions in traffic. He was maintaining third place until he caught the cushion wrong with nine laps to go.

“We were really fast at Paragon,” he said. “I was pushing too hard and hit the cushion and flipped. It’s easy to do in those cars. I think we could have had a third-place run. We regrouped for a good finish on Tuesday.”

Scelzi also drove for the team the following night at Gas City I-69 Speedway, where he timed in 17^th quickest and won a heat race to garner the eighth starting position for the A Main. He continued to progress throughout the feature and posted a fifth-place finish, which was his sixth top five of the season.

“I’m glad we were able to have a good run,” he said. “I struggled to get off turn two. That’s where I think I got beat. I felt better in turns three and four. It was a lot of fun racing the midget again.

“I want to thank Toyota and Tucker Boat Motorsports as well as Guy Forbrook for the opportunities.”

Scelzi returns to pavement competition the next two weekends. He will race this Saturday at Utah Motorsports Campus in Erda, Utah, during the ENEOS/Sunrise Ford Twins presented by West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame with the ARCA Menards Series West.

BACK ON TRACK

Santa Pod Raceway

Sat.4 July 2020 – Racer Day

Sun.5 July 2020 – Racer Day

Sat.11 July 2020 – Street Day

British drag racing roars back to life next month with Back On Track at Santa Pod Raceway, two individual days of track action for racers on Saturday 4 ^th and Sunday 5 ^th July (Racer Days) and a third day for Run What Ya Brung (public track day) entrants on Saturday 11 ^th July (Street Day). All three events, naturally, will be conducted according to the Government’s lockdown guidance.

Each meeting will be held behind closed doors, admitting no spectators. On each Racer Day the attendance list will be limited to just 100 pre-booked entries. A paddock area accustomed to hosting 300 race teams and their transporters will enable bespoke, enlarged pit bays to accommodate social-distancing requirements. Both Racer Day events are open to cars and motorcycles using only race tyres, and the dragstrip surface will be prepared to full race standard.

Both Racer Day events will be live-streamed on Santa Pod’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Street Day will also welcome cars and motorcycles. Only treaded street tyres will be permitted on the track.

New hygiene and safety measures are being introduced to ensure that Santa Pod remains Covid-secure. To comply with Government guidelines prohibiting gatherings of more than six people, individual entries at all three events will be restricted to one driver and five crew members. Hand-sanitiser stations will be located throughout the venue and regular hand-washing encouraged, while limited retail and catering facilities will be equipped according to required standards.

Full event information, detailing all the Racer Day and Street Day requirements and regulations, is available at www.rwyb.co.uk/backontrack.php and entry tickets may be booked, first-come, first-served, at www.santapodtickets.com. 

The UK drag racing season was due to begin at Easter, with racers already eager for action after a long winter’s break from the track. By now, Santa Pod should have hosted three national championship events and the opening round of the FIA/FIM European Championship series, plus its regular programme of modified car shows, specialist festivals and public track days on every intervening weekend. Despite their Covid-imposed restrictions, the Back On Track Racer Day and Street Day events respectively offer racers and RWYB entrants on two and four wheels a precious opportunity to test, tune and match race for the first time this year. It has been a long time coming, but drag racing is at last heading Back On Track.