Monster Energy Top Fuel driver Brittany Force races to Norwalk semifinals

Monster Energy Top Fuel driver Brittany Force
races to Norwalk semifinals

NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) – Brittany Force found several positives in her march to Sunday’s semifinals in the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, the 12th of 24 races on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Force took the Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster to elimination-round victories against Pat Dakin and Terry McMillen before falling to eventual race winner Steve Torrence in the third round. She also posted quick elapsed times in two qualifying sessions and boosted her points total as the season reached the halfway mark. Continue reading Monster Energy Top Fuel driver Brittany Force races to Norwalk semifinals

Two-time Division 3 champ Mike Coughlin represents his home state well in Top Dragster

Two-time Division 3 champ Mike Coughlin
represents his home state well in Top Dragster
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) — Although he didn’t match his winning effort from 2014 at this track, Top Dragster driver Mike Coughlin represented his decorated racing family well Sunday by reaching the third of five rounds in his competitive eliminator class.

Coughlin, the 2007 and 2009 D3 Top Sportsman champ, was anxious to add a Top Dragster trophy from Norwalk to the Top Sportsman one he captured here three years ago, but he ultimately fell a little short. Nevertheless, he was pleased with the performance of his JEGS.com dragster and the work put in by his crew. Continue reading Two-time Division 3 champ Mike Coughlin represents his home state well in Top Dragster

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Sonoma Post Race

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 25, 2017

TOP TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS:
POS. DRIVER
6TH DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS
8TH CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVY SS
10TH JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVROLET SS
12TH PAUL MENARD, NO. 27 TARKETT/MENARDS CHEVROLET SS
13TH JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
15TH RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CHEVROLET ACCESSORIES CHEVROLET SS Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Sonoma Post Race

Robert Hight takes Auto Club Chevy to Norwalk final round

Robert Hight takes Auto Club Chevy to Norwalk final round

NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) – Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight put together another strong performance with his Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, but fell short of his first victory of 2017 in the final round of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Summit Motorsports Park.

Hight had the quickest car in two of the first three rounds of eliminations, carrying over a steady performance from qualifying, where he ended up with the second-quickest elapsed time. Continue reading Robert Hight takes Auto Club Chevy to Norwalk final round

Day ends sooner than Jeg Coughlin Jr. had hoped at his home track

Day ends sooner than Jeg Coughlin
Jr. had hoped at his home track
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) — Local hero Jeg Coughlin Jr. bowed out of the Pro Stock action a little earlier than expected Sunday, giving away a quarterfinal contest to part-timer John Gaydosh when his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro shook its rear tires so hard just off the starting line that Coughlin had to give up the run.

In the end, it was Gaydosh winning with a 6.695 at 207.18 mph, a considerably slower elapsed time than Coughlin had posted in a first-round victory over Alex Laughlin when he went 6.676 at 209.26 mph. Continue reading Day ends sooner than Jeg Coughlin Jr. had hoped at his home track

Dixon Does It! Pilots His Honda to Victory at Road America

Dixon Does It! Pilots His Honda to Victory at Road America
• Scott Dixon scores Honda’s sixth IndyCar Series win of 2017
• Extends his championship points lead
• Charlie Kimball runs sixth in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 25, 2017) – Scott Dixon provided a master class in Verizon IndyCar Series racecraft on Sunday at Road America, taking charge of the Kohler Grand Prix midway through the 220-mile contest and fending off all challengers to claim his first victory of 2017, and the sixth of the year for Honda. Continue reading Dixon Does It! Pilots His Honda to Victory at Road America

Third final in last three weeks propels Troy Coughlin ever closer to Pro Mod points lead

Third final in last three weeks propels Troy Coughlin ever closer to Pro Mod points lead
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) — Two-time Pro Mod world champion Troy Coughlin gained more ground on the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series points lead Sunday by racing to his third final of the last three weeks before settling for runner-up honors to Shane Molinari.

It was almost a perfect weekend for Coughlin, who set the national speed record at 259.31 mph during a 5.756-second pass in qualifying No. 1 for the third time this year, before powering through a talented field to get to the trophy round. He’s now finished second-first-second in the last three national events to jump from fifth to second in the rankings. Coughlin now trails Mike Castellana by just 82 markers. Continue reading Third final in last three weeks propels Troy Coughlin ever closer to Pro Mod points lead

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Road America

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
KOHLER GRAND PRIX
ROAD AMERICA – ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP
JUNE 25, 2017

Team Chevy Drivers Capture Four of Top-Five Finishing Positions at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, WISC (June 25, 2017) – Josef Newgarden, No. 2 DeVilBiss Chevrolet led the stream of four Team Penske Chevrolets to the finish of the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the Verizon IndyCar Series. The Chevrolet-powered foursome finished second, third, fourth and fifth.

Starting from the third position on the grid, Newgarden, the newest member of Team Penske, was credited with leading twice for a total of 13 of the 55 laps in the race and took the checkered flag in the runner-up position. The finish moved Newgarden to fifth in the point standings. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Road America

Kalitta Motorsports–Norwalk Post Race

Post-Race Report
Event 12: NHRA Norwalk Nationals
Summit Motorsports Park
Norwalk, Ohio
June 23-25

Kalitta makes the Norwalk final
Race Recap: After suffering a tough first round loss to his teammate in Bristol, Doug Kalitta was looking for redemption at his home track.

The redemption started early. Kalitta earned five of the possible six bonus points in resetting his own track elapsed time record with a 3.709 second pass on Friday evening. This time, Kalitta’s run would hold through Saturday’s qualifying efforts and Kalitta would have his first no.1 qualifier of the season and 48th of his career. It was his third straight and fourth in the last five seasons at Norwalk. Continue reading Kalitta Motorsports–Norwalk Post Race

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Road America–Post Race

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
KOHLER GRAND PRIX
ROAD AMERICA – ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 25, 2017

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 DEVILBISS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 2ND: POST RACE TV INTERVIEW: YOU HAD THE FASTEST LAP OF THE RACE AND DROVE A GREAT RACE. IT SEEMS YOU JUST GOT UNLUCKY WHEN THE CAUTION CAME OUT WHEN YOU WERE ON BLACKS Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Road America–Post Race

Chevy Racing–Sonoma Fast Facts

CHEVY FAST FACTS
TOYOTA/SAVE MART 350
SONOMA RACEWAY
June 25, 2017

A total of 18 Team Chevy drivers will start the Toyota/Save Mart 350 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Sonoma Raceway. The 110-lap/218.9-mile contest around the 1.99-mile road course is scheduled to begin at 3p.m., ET. Live coverage will be available on FoxSports1, PRN Radio, Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and NASCAR.com. Continue reading Chevy Racing–Sonoma Fast Facts

Too quick at the Tree, two-time champ Erica Enders departs Norwalk race early

Too quick at the Tree, two-time champ
Erica Enders departs Norwalk race early
NORWALK, Ohio (June 25) — As the driver of the lower qualified car in the less-favored left-hand lane, two-time world champion Erica Enders knew a stellar reaction time would help her Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro race team tremendously in their Sunday morning match-up with teammate Vincent Nobile. Continue reading Too quick at the Tree, two-time champ Erica Enders departs Norwalk race early

Richard Childress Racing–American Ethanol E15 250

Ben Kennedy Shows Speed in the No. 2 Rheem Chevy in Iowa

“We had a great race tonight. Our No. 2 Rheem Chevy was really fast, especially on the long run. My team did a great job getting it dialed in. We started out pretty free, but we made good changes and progressively got better throughout the night. It’s unfortunate that the finish doesn’t reflect how our strong our race actually was, but that’s what happens in racing. I’m excited to hop back in the No. 2 car with Rheem next week and come back to Iowa next month.”

– Ben Kennedy Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–American Ethanol E15 250

Auto Club driver Robert Hight ready to win at Norwalk

Auto Club driver Robert Hight ready to win at Norwalk

Photo credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery
NORWALK, Ohio (June 24) – Auto Club of Southern California Funny Car driver Robert Hight is fired up for final eliminations for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals on Sunday at Summit Racing Motorsports Park.

Hight secured the No. 2 qualifying spot and was the quickest Funny Car in the final qualifying session, giving him confidence in his pursuit of his first victory in Norwalk.

“I have a real good feeling about tomorrow,” Hight said. “I’m excited. I’ve never won Norwalk, but I’m going to tomorrow.” Continue reading Auto Club driver Robert Hight ready to win at Norwalk

An interview with: ART ST. CYR

An interview with:

ART ST. CYR

T.E. McHALE: Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to join us for this next in our series of media availabilities during the 2017 season. Our guest today, again, is Art St. Cyr, president of HPD. Thanks for being with us today.
ART ST. CYR: Thanks.
T.E. McHALE: We’ve had about a month now to reflect on what’s been a series of pretty successful results for the Honda Racing program. Let’s just start by getting your general impressions of our IndyCar successes at the 500 and at Detroit the following weekend. Continue reading An interview with: ART ST. CYR

Dixon, Rahal Lead Honda Qualifiers at Road America

Dixon, Rahal Lead Honda Qualifiers at Road America
• Championship leader Scott Dixon qualifies fifth for Kohler Grand Prix
• Two-race winner Graham Rahal will start sixth
• Honda teams and drivers claim eight of top 12 starting positions

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 24, 2017) – Verizon IndyCar Series championship points leader Scott Dixon led the way for Honda Saturday at Road America, advancing to the final round of knockout qualifying to fifth on the starting grid for Sunday’s Kohler Grand Prix. Graham Rahal also advanced to the top six, his third consecutive Fast Six appearance of 2017.

Dixon, who has qualified eighth or better in all 10 races this season, currently leads the drivers’ championship with 326 points, to 313 for defending series champion Simon Pagneaud in second. Eight Honda drivers advanced out of first-round qualifying to complete the top 12 starting positions.

Sunday’s 55-lap, 220-mile race, the 10th round of the 2017 season, begins at 12:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.

Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “It was [a] decent [qualifying run]. I think we struggled with balance yesterday, then we made some big changes overnight and definitely got better. Our car has been pretty good today in practice and qualifying. Overall, we’re pretty happy. We know the deficit [to the fastest qualifiers] we’re dealing with; it is what it is. We’ll try and do our best tomorrow.”

Graham Rahal (Rahal Lettterman Lanigan Racing Honda): “We got all of it. I think [the gap to the pole] is more of a handling thing than straight-line speed. Hopefully, tomorrow we can have a good race. We strategically did not use the [optional, softer-compound] ‘reds’ [tires] in round three, because I didn’t want to. I wanted to be pretty race-minded. I wanted to put myself in the best spot possible for tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. Go out there and take the challenge to them, as will Dixie, and see what happens.”

World record helps Troy Coughlin qualify on Pro Mod pole; Ohioan also claims Round 1 win

World record helps Troy Coughlin qualify on
Pro Mod pole; Ohioan also claims Round 1 win
NORWALK, Ohio (June 24) — Troy Coughlin ran the fastest pass in Pro Mod history — a stunning 259.31 mph top speed achieved during a 5.756-second pass — to easily earn the top qualifying spot in the J&A Service Pro Mod Drag Racing Series Saturday in Norwalk. He then scored a big first-round victory over Danny Rowe to further his chase of a third world championship in the popular category.

Coughlin’s record run came in the hottest qualifying session Saturday and unseated retired pro Melanie Troxel from the top spot in the record books, a perch she held for six full years since running 258.71 mph on June 4, 2011. Continue reading World record helps Troy Coughlin qualify on Pro Mod pole; Ohioan also claims Round 1 win

Continuous Qualifying Improvement Brings Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Determination for Norwalk Raceday

Continuous Qualifying Improvement Brings Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Determination for Norwalk Raceday

NORWALK, Ohio (June 24, 2017) – In the most closely packed Pro Stock field in ages, Marathon Petroleum Co./J&J Racing Dodge Dart driver Allen Johnson will take on the competition from the No. 9 spot at the 11th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park. Continue reading Continuous Qualifying Improvement Brings Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Determination for Norwalk Raceday

Helio Castroneves Puts Chevrolet on Pole at Road America

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
KOHLER GRAND PRIX
ROAD AMERICA – ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSIN
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
JUNE 24, 2017

Helio Castroneves Puts Chevrolet on Pole at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, WISC: Helio Castroneves will lead the Verizon IndyCar Series field to the green flag for the 50th time in his career on Sunday for the Kohler Grand Prix at Road America. With a lap of 1 minute, 41.3007 seconds/142.649 mph around the 14-turn, 4.013-mile natural-terrain road course, Castroneves captured the Verizon P1 Award for third time in 2017. It is his sixth front row starting position in 10 qualifying sessions this season. Continue reading Helio Castroneves Puts Chevrolet on Pole at Road America

Hagan Sets Norwalk Track Record in Mopar Dodge Funny Car, Claims No. 1 in NHRA Qualifying

Hagan Sets Norwalk Track Record in Mopar Dodge Funny Car, Claims No. 1 in NHRA Qualifying

Matt Hagan qualifies Mopar Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car No. 1 at Summit Motorsports Park
Hagan sets track elapsed-time record with pass of 3.865 seconds at 333.33 mph
Mopar HEMI®-powered cars from Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) have set quick time in qualifying on 10 occasions this year (six in Top Fuel, four in Funny Car)
Hagan takes third No. 1 qualifier of 2017 and 29th of career
Six Mopar Dodge Funny Cars qualify for 16-car field
Mopar Top Fuel driver Leah Pritchett qualifies fourth, teammate Tony Schumacher is eighth
June 24, 2017, Norwalk, Ohio – Mopar Funny Car driver Matt Hagan turned in a record-setting performance during qualifying for the 11th annual NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park, putting HEMI® power in prime position to take home yet another win during its thus-far dominant 2017 campaign on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Continue reading Hagan Sets Norwalk Track Record in Mopar Dodge Funny Car, Claims No. 1 in NHRA Qualifying

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