PAUL MENARD TO RETIRE FROM FULL-TIME CUP SERIES RACING AFTER 2019 SEASON
Matt DiBenedetto to Join Wood Brothers Racing and Drive the No. 21 Ford in 2020

STUART, VA (September 10, 2019) – Wood Brothers Racing, the oldest active NASCAR team and one of the winningest teams in series history, announced today that driver Paul Menard will transition from full-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) racing after the 2019 season. Matt DiBenedetto will join the team next season and will race the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang beginning in 2020.

Over the last two seasons, Menard has driven the No. 21 Menards/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Centers Ford for Wood Brothers Racing, which formed a technical alliance with Team Penske in 2015. After 16 seasons and more than 460 Cup Series races, the veteran driver has made the decision to move on from full-time Cup Series racing after 2019 and spend more time with his family. Continue reading PAUL MENARD TO RETIRE FROM FULL-TIME CUP SERIES RACING AFTER 2019 SEASON →

Monterey Sports Car Championship
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, California
3 p.m. EDT Sunday, September 15, 2019
NBC
Additional live coverage on NBCSports.com, Radio Le Mans and IMSA.TV.com

ACURA, HPD AT LAGUNA SECA
• Acura Motorsports and HPD have a long, successful history at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, recording 14 victories – more than at any other racing circuit – in Camel Lights, LMP1, LMP2, Prototype and GTD competition from 1993-2018. Continue reading Monterey Sports Car Championship →

Dodge//SRT Mopar Drivers and Teams Begin Championship Playoffs at Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals
Mopar returns as Title Sponsor in first of six events to determine 2019 NHRA Champions

· Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers Matt Hagan, Tommy Johnson, Jr. Jack Beckman, and Ron Capps begin NHRA Funny Car championship chase at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.
· Leah Pritchett set to battle for NHRA Top Fuel championship in HEMI®-powered Mopar Dodge Top Fuel Dragster
· Fourth annual Mopar Mega Block Party at FirstEnergy Stadium set for 4-10 p.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 12; featuring home run derby with NHRA stars, NHRA driver autograph session, Mopar car show, Raminator monster truck rides and more
· Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP) “Assemble Your Future” initiative hosts local, next-generation service technician students for at-track activities as a reward for their participation in the program Continue reading Dodge//SRT Mopar Drivers and Teams Begin Championship Playoffs at Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals →

NARC NEWSLINE – SEPTEMBER 10, 2019, By Jim Allen … Although the marketing slogan reads the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports, it’s actually four complete high-intensity racing programs jammed into a short 80-hour span. Now .., deduct about 24 hours for sleep (hopefully); 28 hours at the race track; and depending on your location, about 14-16 hours of travel, and you’re lucky to squeeze in a few meals and beers. Then there were those of us who actually went to work between races, or those who wrenched on race cars between events. Now that’s dedication! No matter how you slice it, after this sprint car blitz, it’s was a good kind of tired! Here’s some of the highlights & low-lights: Continue reading NARC Newsline – September 10, 2019 →

NHRA® Team Report
Dodge® NHRA® Nationals – Reading
Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon and team have been busy in the shop and will be trying out several new parts on the Snap-on Dodge® this weekend in Reading. “Our focus as a team for the rest of the season is to win races and make sure the car is running its best. I’m really proud of Glen (Huszar) and Nick (Casertano) and the solid young team we’ve built,” Cruz says. “I posted a message to all our fans on social media after the Countdown was determined to thank them for their support, let them know we’re focusing our energy on the final six races and a strong finish.”

Crew Chief Huszar says, “Nick and I have been working with Cruz and the team on the engine/clutch combination. It’s performing well, but still needs some work. We’re trying out some additional new parts, and we believe it’ll all work well together for the rest of the season and be a positive for the 2020 season ahead.”

Cruz will have a special guest in his pit Saturday when he welcomes one of his favorite athletes — boxing legend Larry Holmes. Holmes is a former WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Heavyweight Champion of the World and the founder of the Heart of a Legend foundation. The foundation’s mission is to help the underprivileged by supporting and assisting local cities and communities. Holmes and his family will be in Cruz’s pit for qualifying and will have two signed boxing gloves to auction off to benefit the Heart of a Legend foundation. Holmes drag raced in years past, but this will be his first time to attend an NHRA event. He says he’s excited to see the “hot rods” at Maple Grove Raceway.

Dominic Scelzi Passes 21 Cars During Main Events at Silver Dollar Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Sept. 9, 2019) – Dominic Scelzi made progress throughout each of four straight nights of sprint car competition at Silver Dollar Speedway last week.

Scelzi guided his family owned team to a top five on Wednesday and he was in contention to duplicate the performance the ensuing night before a flat tire resulted in a DNF. The team then maneuvered from 17th to 12 th on Friday and from 20th to 13th on Saturday during World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series events.

“That’s a positive to move forward like we did, but if you want to win World of Outlaws races and compete to win you have to qualify near the front,” he said. “When you don’t do that you take yourself out of contention. I know we can race and I feel confident in our program. We just needed to qualify better to be in the best position.” Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Passes 21 Cars During Main Events at Silver Dollar Speedway →

BACK-TO-BACK FORD WINS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY- HARVICK KISSES THE BRICKS

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – September 9, 2019 – Kevin Harvick was the big winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, winning the Brickyard 400. This was Harvick’s third win of the season and Stewart-Haas Racing’s 54th overall Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win. In addition, this marked Ford’s second win in a row at the Brickyard (Brad Keselowski 2018).

“Congratulations Kevin, Tony, Gene, and the No. 4 crew” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Our Ford Performance teams were fast in qualifying as Kevin, Paul, Clint, and Joey qualified 1 through 4. To see the cars and drivers perform at the highest level in the sport is a testament to the team’s effort and determination to win. It’s special to be able to kiss the bricks two years in the row and congratulations to our Ford drivers advancing to this year’s playoffs.”

One of the world’s iconic racetracks and crown-jewel events in the sport proved to be the perfect match for Harvick, as he came out strong during Sunday morning’s qualifying, to secure the pole with a 48.448 second run at 185.766 mph. Continue reading BACK-TO-BACK FORD WINS AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY- HARVICK KISSES THE BRICKS →

Menard Finishes 10th After Starting From Outside Pole At Indy

September 8, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team had one of their strongest runs of the season in the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard.

Menard was the fastest in Happy Hour practice on Saturday then backed that up by winning the outside pole during Sunday morning’s qualifying session.

Throughout the 400-mile run at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Menard kept his No. 21 Mustang in the mix, dodging crashes on several occasions and running in the lead group for the first half of the 400-mile race.

His chances of a good finish seemed to in jeopardy when he was collected in a Lap 105 multi-car crash that saw the left front of the Menards Mustang damaged despite Menards’ best efforts to avoid the cars spinning all around him. Continue reading Menard Finishes 10th After Starting From Outside Pole At Indy →

Austin Dillon and the SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Team Earn Hard-Fought 12th-Place Finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

“Starting off, our SYMBICORT® (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was tight in Turn 2 but handled really well everywhere else on the track. Trouble came early though when the caution flag was displayed during Stage 1. We all came down pit road to pit and a big group of cars got jumbled on pit road and started making contact with each other. The cars in front of me started colliding and I made contact with the No. 9 car, then the No. 17 car drove through all of us because someone hit him from behind, too. The craziest part of this entire race is pit road. You’re dodging slower cars and if something happens you have no where to go. You can’t dodge left. You can’t go anywhere. We were able to make repairs to our Chevy, but the damage definitely created handling issues for the rest of the day. We raced our way as high as seventh but the handling was so tight that we lost a few positions at the end to finish 12th. I’m proud of this team. We had a plan and we stuck to it. It feels great to put together a solid race for our partner AstraZeneca and everyone associated with the No. 3 team.”

-Austin Dillon

Late-Race Wreck Collects Daniel Hemric and The No. 8
Liberty National Chevrolet Team in First Brickyard 400 Start

“This was an important day, making my first Brickyard 400 start in the No. 8 Liberty National Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and we had a really solid race going until we were involved in an on-track incident with about 50 laps remaining. I felt like we had a good restart and I got to the bottom, which is where you need to be. The next thing I knew I saw the No. 48 car sideways. I saw the left side of his car, his nose through the grass. I thought I had it missed but someone got turned down and caught me in the right side and turned me into the outside wall. I’m not sure what started it or what happened – it was just chaos. That’s been the story for this No. 8 team all year. Everybody on this team works too hard to have this many unfortunate things happen to us. We’ll put this one behind us and move on to Las Vegas next week.”
-Daniel Hemric

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOY CAMARO ZL1
4th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
9th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
12th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1
13th TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kevin Harvick (Ford)
2nd Joey Logano (Ford)
3rd Bubba Wallace (Chevrolet)
4th William Byron (Chevrolet)
5th Clint Bowyer (Ford) Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Indianapolis–Post Race →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY PLAYOFF CONTENDERS NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

FIVE TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS

Following the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard, Round 26 of 36 races in the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS), 16 drivers have now qualified to compete in the 10-race MENCS Playoffs that will ultimately determine the 2019 MENCS champion. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Five Team Chevy Drivers Advance to Playoffs →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
3rd BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOY CAMARO ZL1
4th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1
9th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1
12th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1
13th TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Kevin Harvick (Ford)
2nd Joey Logano (Ford)
3rd Bubba Wallace (Chevrolet)
4th William Byron (Chevrolet)
5th Clint Bowyer (Ford) Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Indianapolis–Post Race →

Troy Coughlin Jr. subdued by tire
spin in semifinals of Epping divisional
EPPING, N.H. (Sept. 7) – Reigning North Central Region Top Alcohol Dragster champion Troy Coughlin Jr. surrendered the East Region points lead Saturday with an untimely semifinal loss to Josh Hart, who entered the “Night of Fire” event in second place.

“This is such a humbling sport,” Coughlin said. “We’ve been running so well and we were very confident heading into what was obviously a big round for us and the car spun the tires. I mean we didn’t go an inch. That hasn’t happened all year and that was a bad time for it to happen but we’re not gonna dwell on it. We’re already looking forward to next weekend.” Continue reading Troy Coughlin Jr. subdued by tire spin in semifinals of Epping divisional →

Late-Race Contact Ends Tyler Reddick’s Day at Indy Prematurely

“Man, I hate that’s the way our day ended with the No. 2 Anderson’s Maple Syrup Chevrolet Camaro. These guys built a solid Chevy Camaro for this weekend and it’s a shame it ended that way. Both Christopher (Bell) and I were just going for it late in the race, as expected from us, and it looks like we both just snapped loose at the same time. We had overcome just about everything during that race, from early nose damage to hitting the wall in Stage 2, and we’re finally in position to try to win it when the contact occurred. It’s disappointing for sure, but we’ll head to Las Vegas next week and get after it again. The points battle for the regular season championship will definitely be one to watch.”

-Tyler Reddick

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1, met with media and discussed the recent progress of the No. 48 team, his approach to racing at the Brickyard in order to transfer to the Playoffs, the shortened weekend schedule, and more. Full Transcript:

IF YOU HAD TO GO TO A VENUE AND BE RACING FOR YOUR PLAYOFF HOPES, IS THIS ONE THAT YOU FEEL RATHER GOOD ABOUT CONSIDERING YOUR PAST HISTORY HERE? HOW AWARE DO YOU WANT TO BE DURING THE RACE ON SUNDAY OF THE OTHER THREE COMPETITORS’ POSITIONS?
“I don’t mind coming here at all. I love the history of this track and love being here. Making a lap here is really special. It’s a place that drivers all aspire to come and compete. But, if I could pick a track, it would probably be Dover. So, it would be different if I had a chance to pick myself. I love it here. It’s a great place. The car is real fast and we’re excited about the weekend. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Indianapolis–Jimmie Johnson →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

REGARDING LAS VEGAS SURFACE AND TIRES
“I don’t know about saving because its kind of hard to save in general really anymore. Either you are good enough to push hard all the time, or you are probably not going to be very good. But yeah, its definitely worn out a lot and I thought the groove moved around a lot during the first race. I don’t know how hot or cold it will be next week but I am sure we will be all over the track again. Seemed like the preferred groove was the outside line in the first race. That will probably happen again.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Indianapolis–Chase Elliott →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 MCDONALD’S CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE CUTOFF, THE PLAYOFFS AND HOW YOUR FOCUS WILL CHANGE? YOU RACE ALL THE TIME SO YOU’RE PROBABLY ALWAYS FOCUSED?
“Yeah, that’s good for me. I race a lot so I’m always focused on racing and the next race. It was cool to get locked into the playoffs last week. It wasn’t too long ago that I was right on the cutoff, so it shows how good a last month and a half we’ve had to gain as many points as we have. We’ve been running well and I’m looking forward to the playoffs starting. I feel like we’re at a good point with our race team, our momentum and how we’ve been doing. I’m ready to get through tomorrow’s race and on into the playoffs.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Indianapolis–Kyle Larson →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:

HOW ELATED ARE FOR THE PLAYOFFS?
“I’m excited. I don’t really know what to do or what to expect or anything. But, obviously having been in the series last year and having seen the way that the races played out, it’s just all about getting down to business and pretty much doing the same thing that you’ve been doing to get here, and just try to eliminate mistakes, I think is the biggest thing. I’m going to try to definitely have really clean races and that starts this weekend for us and just trying to build the momentum for it and make sure we execute a good race.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Indianapolis–William Byron →

Time for our only stop in Oregon and return to California!

After three exciting races in Washington, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will make its first and final appearance in Oregon and make its return to California.

The battle for the championship continues to be close between Donny Schatz and Brad Sweet – just 36 points separating them. Schatz is on a stretch of two second-place finishes in-a-row, while Sweet is eyeing a win in his home state.

Logan Schuchart and Daryn Pittman are currently carrying momentum with big wins in Washington. They’ll both look California victories with Schuchart having won at Stockton in March and Pittman driving for California-based Roth Motorsports.

If you can’t be there in person, make sure to watch all four nights of the action LIVE on DIRTVision!

NEW THIS WEEK

Kinser
AT A GLANCE: TIM KAEDING HOPING TO PICK UP WEST COAST VICTORY WITH SIDES MOTORSPORTS

Tim Kaeding’s 2019 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series part-time schedule with Sides Motorsports is nearing its conclusion.

The West Coast swing through September will be the end of Kaeding’s travel plans, he said. But before stepping out of the No. 7s for the final time this season, the San Jose, Calif.-native wants to bring Jason Sides and the Sides Motorsports team to Victory Lane.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
BIG MACHINE VODKA 400 AT THE BRICKYARD
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
INDIANAPOLIS
SEPTEMBER 8, 2019

BOWTIE BULLETS:
CHEVROLET DOMINANT AT INDY
Chevrolet drivers have won 17 of the 25 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including an amazing streak of 12 years (2004-13). Career Team Chevy driver Jeff Gordon, who won the inaugural event in 1994, leads all drivers with five victories on the 2.5-mile oval. In that first race, Gordon led seven different times for a total of 93 laps, including the final five. Gordon won the pole the next year and finished sixth. Continue reading Team Chevy–Brickyard Advance →