NASCAR CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. NOTES & QUOTES
FEBRUARY 28, 2020

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO, 48 ALLY CAMARO ZLI ILE met with media and discussed racing at his hometown track and what his last year as a full-time Cup drivers means to him, what NASCAR and the state of California mean to each other, advice he would offer up & coming drivers, and more.

Auto Club Speedway president, Dave Allen, presented Johnson with a helmet by Troy Lee Designs, a moto 3 helmet with ‘Too Hip’ written on the back, thanking Johnson for the memories. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Jimmie Johnson →

Trent Hindman and Shelby Blackstock Team Up In NSX GT3 Evo To Run 2020 SRO GT World Challenge Americas
• Acura Motorsports development drivers coming together in 2020
• The pair will compete in full 13-round SRO GT World Challenge America season
• Duo demonstrates HPD’s commitment to helping young drivers progress
Santa Clarita, CA (February 28, 2020) – Trent Hindman, the 2019 International Motor Sports Association GT Daytona class champion, will pair with Shelby Blackstock, a multi-race winner in his Civic Type R TCR, for a full-season effort in the 2020 SRO GT World Challenge America Series in an Acura NSX GT3 Evo, it was announced today.
Blackstock and Hindman will compete for Racers Edge Motorsports as a Silver Cup team in the 13-round GT Championship that features world-class competition. The pairing is a natural fit for both drivers, as each has enjoyed success while competing in Sports Car and Touring Car endurance classes. Continue reading Trent Hindman and Shelby Blackstock Team Up In NSX GT3 Evo To Run 2020 SRO GT World Challenge Americas →

DiBenedetto/Menards Team Hoping To Continue Strong 2020 Start At Fontana

February 27, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and his Wood Brothers team, fresh off a second-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, are headed to Auto Club Speedway with their iconic No. 21 Mustang carrying the green colors of Menards and Quaker State for the first time this season.

And DiBenedetto, who enters the weekend 10th in the Cup Series point standings, carries with him the confidence that comes from having a fast Ford at Las Vegas.

“Daytona is really its own animal,” DiBenedetto said. “Las Vegas was our first of what I’d call a normal weekend and a pretty good indicator of how we’ll be going forward.” Continue reading DiBenedetto/Menards Team Hoping To Continue Strong 2020 Start At Fontana →

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
FONTANA, CALIFORNIA
MARCH 1, 2020

BOWTIE BULLETS:
CHEVROLET TAKES HALF OF POLES, 14 WINS
Chevrolet drivers have registered 15 pole starts and 14 victories in the 30 NASCAR Cup Series races since Auto Club Speedway opened in 1997 to lead all manufacturers. Chevrolet career driver and seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers with six victories at the 2-mile oval, including back-to-back in the October 2009 and February 2010 races. Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Cup Series race at the 2-mile oval on June 22, 1997. After starting third, Gordon led 113 of the 250 laps to beat Chevrolet driver Terry Labonte by 1.074 seconds.
Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Fontana–Bowtie Bullets →

Dominic Scelzi Battles for Win Before Misfortune Strikes During Season Opener

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2020) – Dominic Scelzi enjoyed a strong start to the season last Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway, where he contended for a victory before a mechanical problem ended the night early.

“It went really good to start with,” he said. “We timed in decent. The track was getting faster when we went out, but we had a good time and that put us in a good spot for the heat.” Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Battles for Win Before Misfortune Strikes During Season Opener →

Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Cup Series History at Auto Club Speedway … In 90 overall NASCAR Cup Series starts at Auto Club Speedway, RCR Chevrolet teams have earned one win (Kevin Harvick – 2011), three pole awards (Mike Skinner – April 2000, Austin Dillon – 2016 and 2019), 12 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes. RCR has a 19.1 average starting position and a 16.5 average finishing position at the moderately-banked D-shaped race track.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,998 NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 51 pole awards,108 wins, 490 top-five finishes and 1,077 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.3. RCR has earned 16 total championships (six NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, seven NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Truck Series titles and one ARCA Menards Series title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series. Continue reading RCR Event Preview – Auto Club Speedway →

Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Gearing Up
for Exciting 2020 Season
Series Boasts Lower Ticket Prices and Increased Purse Payouts
CORONA, Calif. (February 25, 2020) – Less than a month remains until the roar of 900 horsepower trucks fill the grandstands of the country’s finest short course off road facilities, as the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Presented by GEICO gears up for what is sure to be an exciting 2020 season. A total of nine classes, filled with the most promising and established talent in the sport, will embark on an 11 round journey to crown a champion, with everything set to kick off at the season opening OPTIMA Batteries SoCal Shootout Presented by K&N Filters from Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, California, on March 14-15.

It’s almost go time for the 2020 Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, which will kick off
on March 14-15 from Southern California’s Glen Helen Raceway.
Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series
An array of changes are on deck for 2020, with none more important than the addition of two more rounds of action. Over the course of seven weekends from March to October the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series will visit five different tracks, across five different states, spearheaded by three consecutive doubleheader weekends that will open the season and bring the championship to its halfway point. As always, the year will end with the thrilling Lucas Oil Challenge Cup, which will take place the same day as the final round for the single busiest day of racing for the entire 2020 season. Continue reading Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Gearing Up for Exciting 2020 Season →

Top Fuel — Steve Torrence, 3.679 seconds, 321.27 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 4.052 seconds, 218.90 mph.

Funny Car — Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 3.883, 326.40 def. Jack Beckman, Charger, 6.156, 119.31.

Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.531, 210.44 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.606, 209.33.

Competition Eliminator — Dean Carter, Dragster, 6.904, 177.00 def. Doug Lambeck, Pontiac Sunfire, 8.335, 160.54.

Super Stock — Kyle Rizzoli, Chevy Camaro, 9.479, 133.65 def. Justin Lamb, Chevy Cobalt, 8.872, 149.40.

Stock Eliminator — Brad Burton, Pontiac Firebird, 10.759, 109.97 def. Jon Irving, Plymouth Satellite, 11.416, 108.92.

Super Comp — Val Torres, Dragster, 13.321, 92.96 def. Cal Belden, Dragster, Foul – Red Light.

Super Gas — Ed Olpin Jr, Chevy Corvette, 9.943, 158.35 def. Matthew Larson, Corvette, 9.932, 169.21.

Top Dragster presented by Vortech Superchargers — Art Hoover, Dragster, 6.603, 198.93 def. Phil Unruh, Dragster, 6.346, 223.21.

Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Paul Mitsos, Dodge Stratus, 6.688, 199.88 def. Ed Olpin, Chevy Camaro, 6.935, 198.58.

Top Fuel Harley — Jay Turner, Harley, 9.054, 99.99 def. Rickey House, Harley, Foul – Red Light.

Myatt Snider and the No. 21 TaxSlayer Team Rally From Late-Race Incident to 16th-Place Finish at Las Vegas

“We had a really fast No. 21 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro over the weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We managed to carve our way through the field multiple times during the race, and that’s a testament to all the hard work this team puts into our cars. Thanks to my crew chief Andy Street and all the RCR guys for making this TaxSlayer Chevrolet so competitive all night. We barely had to adjust it, which is always a great sign. I’m proud of the effort the team put in this weekend. We had to overcome a lot, from spinning in practice on Friday, all the way through the late-race contact tonight. It shows what a strong team we have that we can bounce back every time. I can’t wait to get back in the car at Phoenix Raceway in a couple of weeks.”

-Myatt Snider

Tommy Johnson Jr. Earns NHRA Arizona Nationals Win in
All-Mopar Dodge//SRT Funny Car Final Round Battle

· Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) Funny Car driver Tommy Johnson Jr. earns National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Arizona Nationals title win aboard MD Anderson Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
· All-Mopar Dodge//SRT Funny Car final round sees Johnson Jr. defeat DSR teammate Jack Beckman at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park near Phoenix
· Defending Arizona Nationals winner Matt Hagan and his Mopar Dodge//SRT Charger Hellcat Funny Car earn second consecutive No.1 qualifier of the 2020 season but fall short of a chance to repeat with a first round loss
· All four DSR Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat sit top-five in Funny Car championship points
· Top Fuel DSR driver Leah Pruett qualifies her Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster third for second consecutive race and earns a quarterfinal appearance

February 23, 2020, Phoenix, Arizona – It was an all-Mopar Dodge //SRT Funny Car final round showdown at the Arizona Nationals with Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Tommy Johnson Jr. earning his first victory of the 2020 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Series season over his teammate, Jack Beckman. Continue reading Tommy Johnson Jr. Earns NHRA Arizona Nationals Win in All-Mopar Dodge//SRT Funny Car Final Round Battle →

Austin Dillon and the Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road/E-Z-Go Chevrolet Team’s Gamble in Las Vegas Pays Off with Solid Top-Five Finish

“Our Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road/E-Z-GO Chevrolet was strong all day, but we needed track position. Thankfully we were able to make some moves at the end of the race to earn a fourth-place finish. It’s just really hard because everybody is really close, and you can tell how close we all are by how many cars are on the lead lap at the end of these races. NASCAR did a great job of getting these cars to where they are now. The race really came down to restarts. You had to get what you could on the start. It is crazy racing out there. On the second-to-last restart we started on the inside and lost a ton of positions, so at the end of the race when the caution came out, we knew it would be to our benefit to be on the outside. The leaders hit pit road and we were strategic. We had been running the same lap times at the beginning of a run with fresh tires as we were at the end of a run, so staying out was our best move if most of the other cars were pitting. Luckily, we were lined up on the outside on that final restart and were able to fight our way to fourth. It’s a great start to the season. This has been fun.”

-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 TAME the BEAST Team Kick Off 1.5-Mile Speedway Program with Strong Showing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

“Overall, we had a solid day with our No. 8 TAME the BEAST Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. I was loose for the majority of the day when I tried to run the bottom, but the adjustments my team made through the race helped a lot. I was able to get the top to work fairly well, especially on the long runs. I just needed a little more to fire off with, but we’ll work on that. It was great to be able to run inside the top 10 today. That’s momentum we can build on. When that final yellow came out, we decided to gamble in Las Vegas and stay out to go for the win. Unfortunately, we lined up fifth, which meant we were on the bottom for the restart. The bottom hadn’t restarted well all day, so that wasn’t in our favor and we fell backwards but ultimately had a shot at it. We’ll get back after it at Auto Club Speedway next weekend.”

-Tyler Reddick
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DiBenedetto Finishes Second At Las Vegas

February 23, 2020

In his second ride in the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang, Matt DiBenedetto finished second in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, tying his best career Cup finish and posting his first-ever top-10 on an intermediate track.

“This is all just too surreal,” a beaming DiBenedetto said in a televised post-race interview.

“Tough to be that close, but, hey, this is only the second race of the season.”

“It was the strength of this team. It’s so cool to have the backing of all the people that allow me to drive this thing. It took so many people, Motorcraft, Quick Lane.” Continue reading DiBenedetto Finishes Second At Las Vegas →

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: More Lessons Learned with Corvette C8.R
Magnussen, Rockenfeller complete trouble-free run at Six Hours of COTA

AUSTIN, Texas (February 23, 2020) – Corvette Racing ran another trouble-free event in the second race for the new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R on Sunday with a sixth-place class finish in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of COTA at Circuit of The Americas.

Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller, each making their first starts in the mid-engine No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R, completed 170 laps for 570 miles in the highly competitive GTE Pro category. Despite lacking the same outright performance as the other manufacturer teams in the class, the Corvette Racing program still went away from the weekend with a significant amount of data and notes that will be applied to the C8.R ahead of its next event at Sebring International Raceway in March. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: More Lessons Learned with Corvette C8.R →

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
WILD HORSE PASS MOTORSPORTS PARK IN CHANDLER, ARIZONA
RACE RECAP AND DRIVER QUOTES
FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Chevrolet remains strong in second race of season

Reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders picks up 26th career win
Brittany Force claims No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier, sets track records
John Force continues hot streak with No. 2 qualifier, semifinal appearance

CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 23, 2020) – Though Erica Enders didn’t win her first Pro Stock race of the 2019 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) until the second of six events in the Countdown to the Championship on Sept. 29, she went on to claim her third championship. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Arizona Recap →

NASCAR CUP SERIES
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
PENNZOIL 400 PRESENTED BY JIFFY LUBE
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
FEBRUARY 23, 2020

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE
4th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE
5th Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
6th Bubba Wallace, No. 43 Coke Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE
9th Kyle Larson, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1 1LE

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Joey Logano (Ford)
2nd Matt Dibenedetto (Ford)
3rd Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (Chevrolet)
4th Austin Dillon (Chevrolet)
5th Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Auto Club Speedway with the Auto Club 400 on Sunday, March 1 at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas–Post Race →

Slight engine issue slows Jeg Coughlin Jr.’s incredible start to 2020 season
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 23) — Prior to Sunday, absolutely nothing had gone wrong for six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. this season. He swept through the NHRA opener in Pomona, Calif., two weeks ago with the quickest racecar of every qualifying and elimination round on the way to his 64th career Pro Stock victory.

It looked like this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals would be a repeat performance, with Coughlin once again leading the three qualifying sessions that were held, locking up his 34th career low qualifier honor in his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. But alas, a minor malfunction in his powerplant during Sunday’s quarterfinal round of eliminations ended his perfect start.

“We’ve had a helluva run to kick off the season but we had a quirky little thing bite us today so we’ll just reset and start over,” Coughlin said. “There’s absolutely no reason to think we can’t get right back where we were right away. We checked everything out and it was just a small miss, which can easily be fixed.”

After crushing rookie teammate Marty Robinson in the opening round with a 6.535 at 210.11 mph to Robinson’s 6.634 at 206.67 mph, Coughlin was lined up against another Elite Motorsports driver, Alex Laughlin, in the second session. But after a huge .033-second head-start, Coughlin felt something going wrong.

“I could sense a small miss right when we launched and it got bigger and bigger and the car started getting heavier and harder, but for a moment I didn’t see him so I kept my foot in it,” Coughlin said. “About that time, he went flying by me and I decided to give up the chase and not hurt the engine. As it turns out, I could have legged it out without damaging anything but I wouldn’t have caught Alex.

“The good news is our other teammate Erica Enders went on to win the race outright so we are two-for-two with Elite and that’s really exciting. All of the Elite cars are looking very fast. Congrats to the reigning champ on her big win.”

Always anxious to race, Coughlin will compete at the Drag Illustrated World Doorslammer Nationals presented by Elite Motorsports, March 6-8, in Orlando, Fla., before returning to NHRA action with the Amalie Motor Oil Gatornationals, March 13-15, in Gainesville, Fla.

“From what I understand, most of top Pro Stock and Pro Mod cars from the NHRA are headed to Orlando so that’ll be a fun weekend,” Coughlin said. “Our team owner, Richard Freeman, and his group are involved as sponsors and the race is offering up a $50,000 top prize in each class so everyone will be geared up for that event.”

JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF CHEVY HAVE SEMIFINAL FINISH SUNDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 23, 2020) – Sixteen-time Funny Car world champion John Force and the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team launched their way to the semifinals Sunday in front of a sold-out crowd at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Brittany Force exited in the quarterfinal with her Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel team, while Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS team and Austin Prock with Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist both ended race day in round one. Continue reading JOHN FORCE AND BLUEDEF CHEVY HAVE SEMIFINAL FINISH SUNDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

Jeg Coughlin Jr. still the quickest
in Pro Stock, qualifies No. 1 again
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 22) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. seems to be operating on another level this year, extending a run of having the quickest Pro Stock car in the NHRA to 11 consecutive rounds. The streak places his JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro on top of the field of the NHRA Arizona Nationals heading into race day.

Coughlin opened the season two weeks ago with a convincing win in Pomona, Calif., where he had the quickest car of every qualifying and elimination. That continued here in Phoenix with three more powerful passes that gobbled up every bonus point available. If not for rain showers canceling one of two schedule rounds Saturday, the tally of class-leading runs would likely be 12.

“It’s been quite a run this year and we are certainly going to try to keep this going for as long as humanly possible,” Coughlin said. “Everyone is making quite a big deal out of this and they should because everyone on this team has been working extremely hard to get us to this point. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. still the quickest in Pro Stock, qualifies No. 1 again →

BRITTANY FORCE TAKES FLAV-R-PAC TO THE TOP SPOT SATURDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS
CHANDLER, Ariz. (Feb. 22, 2020) – Due to persistent rain, racing on Saturday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park was reduced to just one qualifying session. That was all Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel team needed as they laid down an aggressive 3.670-second pass at 327.11 mph, earning Force the 20th No. 1 qualifier of her career and second consecutive of the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season.

John Force and the BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS team stayed in the No. 2 spot, Robert Hight kept his No. 3 positioning with the Automobile Club of Southern California team and Austin Prock and Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist will start race day from 11th. Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE TAKES FLAV-R-PAC TO THE TOP SPOT SATURDAY AT THE NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS →

CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Positive Steps Forward for Corvette C8.R
Magnussen, Rockenfeller relish first laps in new mid-engine Corvette racecar

AUSTIN, Texas (February 22, 2020) – Corvette Racing and the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will roll off seventh in the GTE Pro category for Sunday’s Six Hours of COTA for the World Endurance Championship. Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller posted an average lap of 2:02.967 (100.725 mph) in the unique two-driver qualifying format Saturday at Circuit of The Americas.

It wrapped up a day that saw the mid-engine Corvette C8.R turns laps at COTA and in the FIA WEC for the first time following its competition debut at last month’s Rolex 24 At Daytona. Magnussen, Rockenfeller and the Corvette Racing operation made steady gains from Saturday morning’s first session and were within a second of the top runners in class by the end of the final practice. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT COTA: Positive Steps Forward for Corvette C8.R →