CHEVROLET AT POMONA
What:
53rd Auto Club NHRA Finals
When:
Friday, Nov. 10-Sunday, Nov. 12
Where:
Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, California
TV:
FS1: Qualifications live – 6:30 p.m. ET Friday; 6 p.m. ET Saturday
FS1: Eliminations and finals live – 4 p.m. ET Sunday
Chevrolet Aims to Wrap Up Championships in Three Pro Classes
Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock titles on the line in Auto Club NHRA Finals Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Pomona Advance
Blaney, SKF/Quick Lane Team Head To Phoenix Still In The Running For 2017 Championship
November 8, 2017
For Eddie Wood, there are two ways of looking at his team’s status headed into this weekend’s Can-Am 500, the final race of the Monster Energy Cup playoffs Round of Eight. On one hand, it’s a “must-win” race if Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 team want to advance to the final round of the playoffs and compete for the Cup title in Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead Miami-Speedway. It is possible for Blaney to get a berth in the title round without a Phoenix win, but it would take a combination of a great finish by Blaney and poor finishes by the other five playoff contenders not already assured of advancing.
On the other hand, it’s a “can’t lose” time for the team, as Blaney and the crew can celebrate a fantastic season no matter how they finish at Phoenix.
With three drivers – Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. – already assured of being in the elite four on Ford Championship weekend, there’s only one spot left and Blaney is sixth in the standings, 22 points below the cut-off line for advancement.
“I think it’s quite an accomplishment to go into the next-to-last race of the season and still be in the running for the championship,” said Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 team. “Going into the season I would have been happy just to make it into the playoffs, so getting through the rounds and coming this far has been a bonus.”
Indeed, Blaney and the team have had an amazing season considering Blaney and his crew chief Jeremy Bullins are just in their second full season in NASCAR’s elite division. And the Wood Brothers are back on a full time basis for just the second year after running a limited schedule for the previous seven seasons.
They scored a win at Pocono, Blaney’s first and the Woods’ 99th, a pole at Kansas, Blaney’s first and the team’s 117th.
So far this season, they have four top-five and 14 top-10 finishes and 290 laps led.
They’ve held their own against the Cup circuit’s elite teams during the eight playoff races to date. As in most years, the playoff participants have been at their best.
“You’ve got to give credit where it’s due,” Wood said. “The teams headed to the championship round have really stepped up their performance,” Wood said. “And Ryan and Jeremy and all of our team members have done the same.
“To have finishes of third, eighth and sixth in the past three races and still needing a win at Phoenix to advance shows just how tough this playoff competition has been.”
Heading into this weekend at Phoenix, Blaney has three Cup starts on the one-mile oval in the Arizona desert. He has two top-10s there, and an average finish of 13.7, but he has a runner-up finish there in the Xfinity Series earlier this year and two top-fives in three Camping World Truck Series starts.
For Sunday’s race, the blue and white colors of SKF will be on the hood, while Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center will be on the quarter panels. SKF was a primary sponsor for the Wood Brothers in two races last season and has been a long-time supporter of motorsports, including a relationship with Wood Brothers’ technical partner, Team Penske.
SKF is a leading global supplier of bearings, seals, mechatronics, lubrication systems, and services. The company is represented in more than 130 countries and has around 17,000 distributor locations worldwide.
Qualifying for the Can-Am 500 is set for Friday at 4:45 p.m. (6:45 p.m. Eastern Time), and Sunday’s 312-lap race is scheduled to start just after 12:30 p.m. (2:30 Eastern) with TV coverage on NBC.
Championship charge comes up just short
for Top Dragster driver Mike Coughlin
LAS VEGAS (Nov. 8) — Top Dragster drag racer Mike Coughlin took his bid for the 2017 world championship to the final race on the Division 7 schedule only to come up a few rounds short of ultimate glory. Finish aside, Coughlin says the memories he made and the comradery he felt made this year one of his best ever, including his Division 3 championship-winning seasons of 2007 and 2009 when he raced Top Sportsman.
“This year was super special and really fun, especially down the stretch,” Coughlin said. “There was a tight group of us all fighting for the championship right to the end and even though we all desperately wanted to end up on top, we all supported each other the best we could. It was one of those deals where you’d say, ‘well if it can’t be me, I hope it’s you,’ only there were four or five of us all feeling that way.
“This is the way drag racing always has been and it’s refreshing to see it’s still that way. My heartfelt congratulations to Lynn Ellison on winning it all. I’m happy for Paul Nero and Steve Casner for finishing second and third, and Jeff Strickland and John Strassweg for pushing us to our fourth-place finish. John and Lynn are both Division 3 guys also so it was a great year for the North Central guys, which is extra cool.”
Coughlin’s chance at the championship came to an end in the second round of last weekend’s race at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when he drew his first red-light foul of the season in his JEGS.com dragster. He needed to win the event outright to steal away the title.
“We went down swinging,” Coughlin said. “That was the first time I’d gone red all year and of course it came at the worst time. I was really amped up and the day was changing from dusk to dark, which made it extra tricky. I just didn’t do a good job calculating the delay.
“It’s funny with these LED bulbs. In the dark you tend to be slower than you are during the day, but when it comes to dusk you’re kind of in between the two.
“Heck, we fought until they told us it was over. We finished fourth in the world and didn’t break a thing all year except in pre-season testing. What a job by the guys — Greg Cody, Dave Raurk, Ryan Micke and Tony Collier — and a big thanks to Jerry and Traci Albert for coming with us to Vegas to support the team and help out.”
Although his 2017 campaign just ended, Coughlin already is thinking about 2018 and another run for the title.
“The only thing we’ll change on the car in the off-season is the number,” Coughlin said. “I honestly can’t ask for more than what we had this year. It was a heckuva lot of fun and the car was perfect all season.
“I’m thankful for my wife Kriss and our boys Jack and Clay, my dad, my brothers, and everyone at JEGS for their incredible support.”
High Stakes: Record Speed with Bill Litton
Nov 9, 2017 | Race Results
High Stakes: Record Speed with Bill Litton
For two back-to-back weekends in Las Vegas, Team Litton Racing combined its efforts with Randy Meyer Racing to leave their mark on both the NHRA Toyota Nationals and Lucas Oil Regionals. Going into the Toyota Nationals, Team Litton knew there was plenty at stake being the next-to-last event of the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Every run was important, and a slip could be worse than snake eyes at the other Strip’s craps tables. With the Team pumped up and Randy Meyer horsepower ready, Driver Bill Litton, Crew Chief Randy Meyer, and Co-Crew Chief Dan Pomponio along with Co-Crew Chief Adrian Long, and team member Megan Meyer were all confident to roll the dice before a “sell out” crowd. Continue reading High Stakes: Record Speed with Bill Litton
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
CAN-AM 500
PHOENIX INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
AVONDALE, ARIZONA
NOVEMBER 12, 2017
BOWTIE BULLETS
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS:
This weekend at Phoenix International Raceway, Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott are the only members of Team Chevy still in contention to be one of the final four drivers to compete for the 2017 championship title at Homestead. After last weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, three drivers are assured trips to the championship finale based on wins and points performances. Following 312-laps/312-miles of racing around the 1-mile venue in the Valley of the Sun, one driver will emerge as the final championship contender. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Phoenix Preview
Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series History at Phoenix Raceway … Team owner Richard Childress has six victories at Phoenix Raceway, ranking him third on the all-time car owner victories list at the Avondale, Ariz. facility. This includes wins with Ryan Newman at the Series’ most recent appearance to the track in March 2017, along with Kevin Harvick in Nov. 2013, Nov. 2012 and March and Nov. 2006. Prior to that, Dale Earnhardt won the Checker 500 on Nov. 4, 1990. In 112 starts at Phoenix, the Welcome, North Carolina based organization boasts 19 top-five and 42 top-10 finishes. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing Phoenix Preview
Kasey Kahne Racing – Results Recap
Sweet finishes Second in Championship Standings
Pittman scored quick time and Sweet grabbed his 72nd top-10 finish on Friday night after starting 25th.
Sweet just barely missed cracking the top 10 and Pittman finished seventh for his 56th top 10 of the year on Saturday night.
Both cars finished in the top five in the points standings, with a total of eight wins, 84 top-five, and 128 top-10 finishes combined.
Giovanni Scelzi Aiming for KWS-NARC Championship Saturday at Stockton
Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 7, 2017) – Giovanni Scelzi enters his final race of the season in the hunt for the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series championship.
Scelzi and the Roth Motorsports team are only three points out of the lead heading into Saturday’s Tribute to Gary Patterson at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif. Continue reading Giovanni Scelzi Aiming for KWS-NARC Championship Saturday at Stockton
JAY HOWARD’S MDD COMMITS TO F3 AMERICAS WITH BALTAZAR LEGUIZAMON
Leguizamon confirmed as first driver in inaugural F3 Americas season
INDIANAPOLIS (Nov. 7, 2017)- IndyCar driver Jay Howard confirmed today that Baltazar Leguizamon of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will compete under his Motorsports Driver Development team in 2018 in the newest SCCA Pro Racing championship, Formula 3 Americas Powered by Honda. MDD is the first team to sign a driver for the new series, making Leguizamon the first competitor to commit to the season. Continue reading JAY HOWARD’S MDD COMMITS TO F3 AMERICAS WITH BALTAZAR LEGUIZAMON
With six Pomona wins, six-time champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. ranks track as one of his favs
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 7) — Auto Club Raceway in Pomona always has been a favorite spot for six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. who has amassed six of his 76 career victories at the historic facility on the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.
With the 53rd annual Auto Club NHRA Finals on tap this weekend, Coughlin is hoping to find some more Pomona magic to close out 2017 with a long-awaited victory. Continue reading With six Pomona wins, six-time champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. ranks track as one of his favs
Courtney Force’s Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet to
feature Big Machine Records’ Taylor Swift’s
‘reputation’ album cover for Auto Club Finals
Photo credit: Getty Images
BROWNSBURG, Ind. (Nov. 7) – John Force Racing announced today that Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force will drive the Big Machine Records Funny Car at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif., this weekend in her final bid for the 2017 championship. Continue reading Courtney Force’s Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet to feature Big Machine Records’ Taylor Swift’s ‘reputation’ album cover for Auto Club Finals
Team JEGS Prerace Notes
Auto Club NHRA Finals
Team JEGS Prerace Notes
Auto Club NHRA Finals
Pomona, Calif.
Nov. 9-12
The JEGS Mail Order team will be represented at this week’s season-ending Auto Club NHRA Finals by six-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. behind the wheel of the JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Pro Stock Camaro.
Jeg Jr. will be driving a Rick Jones Race Cars-built Chevy Camaro as a member of the Elite Motorsports team. Continue reading Team JEGS Prerace Notes Auto Club NHRA Finals
Dominic Scelzi Confident Entering Tribute to Gary Patterson Saturday at Stockton
Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (Nov. 6, 2017) – Dominic Scelzi is taking a suitcase full of confidence into his final event of the season.
Scelzi and his family owned, Roth Motorsports supported team will compete in both the King of the West-NARC Fujitsu Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour classes this Saturday at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif., for the Tribute to Gary Patterson. Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Confident Entering Tribute to Gary Patterson Saturday at Stockton
Monster Energy driver Brittany Force ready
to follow in father’s footsteps as NHRA champion
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 6) – Monster Energy driver Brittany Force has seen her father compete and win championships her entire life.
Now, in her fifth season as a Top Fuel driver, Brittany has a realistic chance at the 2017 Top Fuel world championship. With only the Auto Club Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway remaining, Force sits second in the points standings, less than a round out of first place. Continue reading Monster Energy driver Brittany Force ready to follow in father’s footsteps as NHRA champion
Sixteen-time Funny Car champ John Force looks
to close season with another Pomona win
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 6) – John Force is teetering on the brink of becoming a 19-time, maybe even 20-time, NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship-winning owner in this weekend’s Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona.
Teammate Robert Hight leads the Funny Car points standings, while daughter Brittany Force is within 20 points – less than a round – of the Top Fuel points lead, sitting second in her category. Force himself is a 16-time winning driver, and has two other championships as an owner, including Hight’s 2009 crown.
As a driver, Force looks to move into the top five of the standings as the 2017 season comes to a close in the Auto Club NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, his home track. The Yorba Linda, Calif., driver is sixth in the standings, up two positions from where he started the Countdown to the Championship, the final six races that determines champions in NHRA’s professional series. Force also looks to add to his one victory – which occurred in the NHRA Gatornationals – in March at Gainesville, Fla.
“I can’t run for the title – I’m not in the hunt, but my teams are running for the championship,” Force said. “Robert Hight, (daughter) Courtney (Force) is still close – she might need a miracle – and Brittany’s in the hunt. That’s what I’m really excited about.”
Undoubtedly, no one in NHRA history has been as good as Force at Pomona. He owns 16 victories – half of which have come in the Auto Club NHRA Finals – as well as 16 No. 1s at the track. His last victory in the Finals came in 2010, when he clinched his 15th Funny Car title.
Force started the 2017 season strong, taking his PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS to the semifinals at Pomona in the annual NHRA Winternationals. During that race weekend, he established then career bests in time and speed – 3.849 seconds at 335.15 mph. Both of those marks remain in the top-five of the Hall of Famer’s career.
“I’m going to enjoy Pomona,” Force said. “I’m going to go out there and race the race and see where it goes. I’ve got a good car. It’s starting the corner.”
The Auto Club NHRA Finals begins with a pair of qualifying sessions at 12:45 and 3:30 p.m. Pacific on Friday, and two sessions at 12:45 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Elimination rounds begin at 11 a.m. Sunday.
Fox Sports 1 will provide live television coverage of Friday’s qualifying starting at 3:30 p.m. Pacific, with Saturday’s live coverage beginning at 3 p.m. Pacific. Elimination rounds will be shown starting at 1 p.m. Pacific on Sunday.
4-Second Reads:
John Force has competed in 73 races at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona, and qualified for all but four races. He has qualified for every race at Pomona since the 1988 NHRA Winternationals.
Force has 16 victories at Pomona, including eight in the Auto Club NHRA Finals. His last NHRA Finals victory came in 2010, when he defeated Gary Densham, Bob Bode, Melanie Troxel and Jeff Arend.
Overall, Force has made 25 finals at Pomona, appearing in approximately more than one of every three Pomona race finals (.342). His last finals appearance in the NHRA Finals came in 2014.
Force is 127-53 in 180 career elimination rounds at Pomona (.706), and 69-26 in 95 rounds in the NHRA Finals (.726).
Force has qualified No. 1 on 16 occasions at Pomona, including six times for the NHRA Finals. The most recent No. 1 at Pomona came in the 2014 Winternationals, and most recent NHRA Finals No. 1 was in 2013, the same weekend he won his 16th Funny Car title.
Of the 69 races for which Force has qualified at Pomona, he has qualified in the top half of the bracket 57 times. He qualified in the top eight in every race between the 1994 Finals and the 2011 Winternationals, a streak of 34 consecutive races.
Force is 50-19 in 69 first-round elimination matchups at Pomona. His longest streak was 13, between the 1994 and 2000 NHRA Finals.
Force entered the Countdown to the Championship eighth in Funny Car points standings, and is currently sixth, 81 points out of fifth and 30 points ahead of seventh. Following Sunday’s race, Force will finish in the top 10 in points for an unprecedented 33rd consecutive season.
In 2017, Force has one victory, a 22-22 record in 44 elimination rounds, and one No. 1.
Force has faced 18 different drivers this season in elimination rounds and has at least one win against 14 of them. He has a season-high four elimination-round wins over Del Worsham.
In his career, Force has 148 victories and 1,285 elimination-round wins, both records. He has 155 No. 1 qualifying spots, of which 60 have resulted in victories, also both records.
Force has qualified for 215 consecutive races, dating back to 2008 race in Concord, N.C. This marks the sixth longest streak in NHRA history and fourth active. Force’s streak of 395 straight races between the 1988 Winternationals and the 2007 NHRA Gatornationals remains the benchmark in all of NHRA’s professional categories.
Most recent NHRA victory – 2017 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Most recent No. 1 qualifying effort – 2017 NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.
Best time/speed at Pomona – 3.849 seconds (2017 #1 Q3); 335.15 mph (2017 #1 Q3)
Best career time/speed – 3.832 seconds (2017 Gainesville Q2/2017 St. Louis Q2); 337.16 mph (2017 Sonoma Q4)
Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force wants
to finish off season with first victory of 2017
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 6) – With three finals appearances in five NHRA Countdown to the Championship races, Courtney Force and the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS team have been a model of consistency this postseason in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car class. Continue reading Advance Auto Parts driver Courtney Force wants to finish off season with first victory of 2017
Auto Club driver Robert Hight on title battle:
‘Focus on the process, not the outcome’
POMONA, Calif. (Nov. 6) – It’s all come down to this.
Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight carries a 15-point lead in the Funny Car standings into the final race of the 2017 NHRA season, the Auto Club Finals this weekend at Auto Club Raceway. Continue reading Auto Club driver Robert Hight on title battle: ‘Focus on the process, not the outcome’
11/3/2017: 2017 Super Stock Diesel 4WD Champion
Scheid Diesel
2017 Super Stock Diesel 4WD Champion
Congratulations to Kent Crowder on your amazing year with the Scheid Diesel Super Stock Truck!! Kent was officially named champion of the class Saturday night at the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling Banquet!! Kent received a bucket full of Lucas Oil product and custom painted helmet!!
http://www.scheiddiesel.com/super-stock-truck-schedule.html
FORD GT TAKES THE CHECKERED FLAG IN SHANGHAI!
SHANGHAI, China, November 6, 2017 – Ford Chip Ganassi Racing made a statement in Shanghai, winning the 6 Hours of Shanghai for the second year in a row. The No. 67, driven by Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell brought home the second win for Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship Series. Continue reading FORD GT TAKES THE CHECKERED FLAG IN SHANGHAI!
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen
Talking teamwork that led to 2017 GT Le Mans championship sweep
DETROIT (Nov. 6, 2017) – Winning an IMSA championship is never easy. Corvette Racing just makes it appear that way. In 2017, the program successfully defended its Manufacturer, Driver and Team titles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with four victories in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen, in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R, recorded three of those victories on the way to their second championship together – the first coming in the 2013 American Le Mans Series. Here are their thoughts on another title-winning campaign. Continue reading IN THEIR OWN WORDS: Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen Talking teamwork that led to 2017 GT Le Mans championship sweep