Richard Childress Racing’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series history at Bristol Motor Speedway … In 164 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Bristol Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing boasts nine wins – seven with Dale Earnhardt, one with Kevin Harvick and one with Jeff Burton – three pole awards, 34 top-five and 67 top-10 finishes. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization has led 3,678 laps at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile.” Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Bristol Advance
SAM HORNISH JR. WINS AT MID-OHIO
SAM HORNISH JR. WINS AT MID-OHIO
LEXINGTON, Ohio, August 14, 2017 – Sam Hornish Jr., at his hometown track, won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race this season and fourth Xfinity race for Team Penske at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“We had an excellent Ford Mustang,” commented Hornish. “The guys worked hard and gave me a great car, from the time we unloaded this thing was a rocket ship. We really knew we had a car that could win this race, it was just up to me.” Continue reading SAM HORNISH JR. WINS AT MID-OHIO
Thomas Schinderle tops SOD Driven Racing Oil Battlegrounds Bash
ERIE, MI (August 13, 2017) – Thomas Schinderle was dialed in as Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP invaded Butler Motor Speedway for the Driven Racing Oil Battlegrounds Bash finale/4th Annual Butler Bash Saturday night. The spectacular show, the last 2017 SOD race at Butler, put an exclamation point on the three-race series. The Driven Racing Oil, Butler Motor Speedway, Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP partnership was a huge success. Continue reading Thomas Schinderle tops SOD Driven Racing Oil Battlegrounds Bash
Chad Blonde charges to SOD King Engine Bearings KoM win at Hartford
Chad Blonde dominated the Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt King Engine Bearing King of Michigan Race #3 at Hartford Speedway Friday night.
The large crowd was treated to an impressive display of masterful driving as Blonde charged from his eighth starting position and had little trouble with lapped traffic on the wide, expansive track. Blonde took the lead from Linden Jones on lap four and drove away from the field. He was chased to the checkered flag by Ryan Ruhl who took second from Steve Irwin on lap 17. Ruhl was also impressive as he ran the entire race on seven cylinders, losing a cylinder at the start of the feature. SOD championship point leader Irwin finished third. The caution-free feature was completed in just five minutes and twenty-five seconds with only seven cars finishing on the lead lap.
Blonde is perfect in the three King Engine Bearing KoM races so far in 2017 and also won the last SOD race on the old Hartford track configuration last year. He was also the fastest overall qualifier and heat race winner. His three wins give him a commanding lead in the King Engine Bearing King of Michigan point standings over Steve Irwin, Gregg Dalman, Thomas Schinderle, and Linden Jones.
The Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Masters also won their respective heats with Blonde in the Engler Machine & Tool heat, Joe Swanson in the COMP Cams heat, and Ryan Ruhl in the RockAuto.com heat.
Sebastian Eriksson, Honda Finish Second in Atlantic City
Sebastian Eriksson, Honda Finish Second in Atlantic City
• Eriksson Claims Second Podium Finish of 2017
• Mitchell deJong Records Double Top-Five Finishes
• Honda Remains Second in Manufacturers’ Championship
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (August 13, 2017) – Olsbergs MSE (OMSE), with 24-year-old Sebastian Eriksson, captured Honda’s fifth podium finish of the year Sunday in Round Nine of the 2017 Red Bull Global Rallycross season. The third doubleheader event of 2017 featured some of the most intense racing of the season to date.
Eriksson capitalized on his semifinal heat win by starting on the front row of Sunday’s 10-lap, 10-car final. His aggressive launch allowed the veteran to hold off the eight competitors behind him, defending his position and following winner Scott Speed out of the first corner. The dirt portion of the track was where OMSE’s Mitchell deJong took over fifth in his 600 horsepower Honda Civic Coupe, ahead of his Subaru and Ford competitors. Continue reading Sebastian Eriksson, Honda Finish Second in Atlantic City
Mike Coughlin notches second victory of the season in JEGS.com Top Dragster
Mike Coughlin notches second victory
of the season in JEGS.com Top Dragster
INDIANAPOLIS (Aug. 13) — The hallowed ground of Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis remains a field of dreams for two-time Division 3 champion drag racer Mike Coughlin, who claimed his second win of the year and the fifth Indy victory of his career this weekend in his JEGS.com Top Dragster.
“It was finally my turn again,” Coughlin said with a smile. “We opened the year in Pomona with a win at the Winternationals but as well as the car has been running since then, we hadn’t been able to cash in again until this weekend. It’s a big thrill and a bit of a relief, to be honest.” Continue reading Mike Coughlin notches second victory of the season in JEGS.com Top Dragster
Blaney Finishes 15th At Michigan As Playoff Berth Is Secured
Blaney Finishes 15th At Michigan As Playoff Berth Is Secured
August 13, 2017
Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/SKF team salvaged a 15th-place finish in the Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway after a mid-race setback knocked them out a chance to contend for the victory.
Even so, Blaney and his Wood Brothers team gained a spot in the championship standings to 12th place. More importantly, a race victory by a previous winner (Kyle Larson) secured Blaney and the Motorcraft team a spot in the playoffs, the 10-race run to the championship that begins after three more races.
For the early portions of Sunday’s 400-miler, Blaney and the No. 21 Fusion showed their usual speed. Continue reading Blaney Finishes 15th At Michigan As Playoff Berth Is Secured
Auto Club driver Robert Hight stays hot, wins Norwalk’s Night Under Fire
Auto Club driver Robert Hight stays hot,
wins Norwalk’s Night Under Fire
NORWALK, Ohio (Aug. 12) – Don’t tell Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight that the Night Under Fire is just another match race, just an exhibition race.
For Hight and his John Force Racing team, the Night Under Fire on Saturday was a chance to out-run seven other Funny Cars and bring home another trophy. And Hight did just that, beating Cruz Pedregon in the final to win the special event for the third time.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re running a foot race: You want to beat these other guys,” Hight said as the smoke cleared from another epic fireworks show at Summit Motorsports Park. “We came here to put a great show on for the fans, but, really, we wanted to win this thing – and we did.”
Hight came into the Night Under Fire having won two of the last three NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races and having set the national speed record of 339.87 mph in Sonoma.
The 40th annual Kelly Services Night Under Fire featured eight nitro Funny Cars, including two from JFR: Hight’s Chevrolet Camaro and John Force’s PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevy. The eight cars make one qualifying pass, and the drivers with the top two elapsed times advance to the final round.
Hight qualified No. 2 with a pass of 3.939 seconds at a slowing 282.66 mph, but that was enough to race Pedregon in the final.
There, he made a terrific run of 3.865 seconds at 321.50 mph to dispatch Pedregon.
“It gives you confidence that you can come in under any conditions – hot, cold, mile-high, sea level, humidity, whatever – and run like we’re running,” Hight said. “First run today, it was going to run .88, and a piston failed. It wasn’t like a tuneup problem; a piston failed – we had some different pistons in it.
“We put some different ones in the final and stepped it up. We ran .86, smooth as glass. It gives you a lot of confidence as a driver.”
John Force made a nice run of 3.959 seconds at 323.17 mph to qualify No. 3, but he was off the throttle early in his consolation race against Ron Capps.
Hight collected his third Night Under Fire trophy, and JFR scored back-to-back wins. Courtney Force won this race in 2015, with the 2016 version rained out.
Hight accepted his trophy from Summit Motorsports Park’s Bill Bader Jr.
“This is an unbelievable show,” Hight said. “There’s nothing like it. The show they put on for the fans, it’s like none other. We look forward to coming here. I’m honored they invite us every year. They really care about the fans, and it shows. That’s why you have 40,000 people here. The biggest one-day drag race in the world, and we just won it.”
Acura NSX GT3 Team Has Breakout Weekend In Utah
Acura NSX GT3 Team Has Breakout Weekend In Utah
• Peter Kox and Mark Wilkins earn first NSX victory on Saturday
• Ryan Eversley and Tom Dyer finish season-high second in Sunday’s wrapup
• RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3s earn three top-five results this weekend
TOOELE, Utah (August 13, 2017) – The RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 team had the weekend it had been waiting for at Utah Motorsports Campus, scoring three top-five finishes and taking the new NSX supercar to Victory Lane for the first time in Pirelli World Challenge competition. Continue reading Acura NSX GT3 Team Has Breakout Weekend In Utah
Richard Childress Racing–Pure Michigan 400
Solid Performance by Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Dow Automotive Magna Team Earns RCR A Seventh-Place Finish at Michigan International Speedway
“We needed that finish. The guys did a good job. This team has come a long, long way in the past couple of weeks. The Dow Automotive Magna Chevrolet was very drivable throughout the race, we just needed a little more speed to really get after it. We had good pit strategy and adjusted the car well. It’s been a while since we’ve had a race car capable of doing something. RCR has been working hard and we need to hit our stride right when we get to the start of the playoffs. Kyle Larson’s win officially locked us into the playoffs, taking a little bit of pressure off of our backs now.”
– Austin Dillon Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Pure Michigan 400
Chevy Racing–KYLE LARSON WINS AT MICHIGAN IN OVERTIME
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTS
AUGUST 13, 2017
KYLE LARSON WINS AT MICHIGAN IN OVERTIME
Six Team Chevy Drivers Finish in Top 10
BROOKLYN, Mich. (August 13, 2017) – In an exciting overtime restart of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS), Kyle Larson powered his No. 42 Target Chevrolet SS to the lead to capture his third consecutive win at the popular 2-mile venue. The victory was also Larson’s third thus far in the 2017 season, and fourth of his MENCS career. Continue reading Chevy Racing–KYLE LARSON WINS AT MICHIGAN IN OVERTIME
Brenda Grubb–July Time Slip
While the trip to Denver didn’t result in a Wally, it was an experience! We exited first round in Super Stock and second round in Stock. After the race, we took a few days to enjoy the area however, not before heading up the mountain with the race rig encountering 9+% grades. Our Super Street friends made the campground reservations near Central City, CO without investigating the travel route. Note to self: Never follow your friends blindly!
From the campground, we left for the Topeka double header divisional race, driving down the mountain at 4:30 am in the dark, and that was only the start of the drama for the trip. Our SS Goodyear tire test session was rained out on Thursday and Bill had a tire blow out on our pit bike. After calling every motorcycle/powersports store in Topeka, Bill unable to get a spare tire had to resort to plan B for the weekend; riding my bicycle. Continue reading Brenda Grubb–July Time Slip
Richard Childress Racing–Mid-Ohio Challenge
Late-Race Incident Spoils Potential Top-10 Finish for Ben Kennedy
“Our No. 2 Rheem Chevrolet was good all day long, running in the top 10 for a majority of the race. We seemed to keep restarting in the worst of the two lanes, which would shove us back in the field and force us to fight for positions in some of the tougher spots on the track. I was learning a lot out there about road course racing until we got collected in one of the late-race wrecks, cutting our day short. That was a tough one. I’m looking forward to getting back in this No. 2 Chevy in a couple weeks at Road America.”
– Ben Kennedy
Scott Lagasse Comes Back to Finish After a Spin in Closing Laps of Mid-Ohio Challenge
“It was a really challenging day in the SCREEN YOUR MACHINE/American Cancer Society Chevrolet today. These guys worked really hard to get our Camaro handling how we needed it to. It was tight on exit for most of the race, and we made adjustments each time we hit pit road to loosen it up. We were going to get a good run out of today until we just got punted with a few laps to go and spun off the track. I’m thankful for the effort from this team. I’m frustrated that I couldn’t get them the finish we deserved.”
– Scott Lagasse
Daniel Hemric Brings Home an impressive Second-Place Finish in Mid-Ohio
“The whole goal or our team coming to Mid-Ohio was to maximize our day in the Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet, put ourselves in a good position and run all of the laps. We were able to do all of that in what was only my fourth road-course race ever in a stock car. We had a pretty solid day from the start of the race, and we kept the fenders on it. As all road-course races go, people get more and more aggressive as the laps wind down. That’s fine if you start on the front row, but we restarted the third row back a couple of times, and that’s when you start to run into the accordion stack-up. We ran into that a couple of times but were fortunate enough to get out of it. I’m proud of our effort and that we were able to a real shot there at the end. My guys did a great day on pit road sending me out leading after the money stop that mattered to start the final segment. We battled hard with the 22 car all afternoon, and I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to make it happen in the end. I left everything that I had on the race track though, and this entire team should be proud of what we did today.”
– Daniel Hemric
Brandon Jones Avoids Road-Course Chaos to Finish 14th at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
“These road course races are some of the craziest races I’ve ever been in. Today was no different. Nick (Harrison, crew chief) put together a strategy for the No. 33 Bali / Menards Chevrolet team that had us pitting early to make it through the first two stages without any additional stops. We executed it well at the start of the day. Unfortunately, the tires didn’t hold as much grip as we thought they would, which forced us to change our game plan and pit more often than we wanted. There were a couple close calls for us on pit road, but my team never gave up. We kept our heads up, made it clean through the string of late-race cautions and came home with a top-15 finish.”
– Brandon Jones
Brendan Gaughan Makes Incredible Save to Finish Seventh at Mid-Ohio
“We had a really good shot at the win with our No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet today, but the No. 22 car took us out of it at the end there. I have to give my thanks to Shane (Wilson, crew chief) and the boys on putting together this awesome race car they gave me today, That last save was probably one of the most amazing saves I’ve ever had in my 20-plus year NASCAR career. Those are the kinds of saves we learn racing out in the desert, and it came in handy today. ”
– Brendan Gaughan
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Post Race
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
AUGUST 13, 2017
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER
ON THE RESTART
“I was running a few options through my head of what to do if I got a good jump, and that was one of them and it worked out perfect. I can’t believe that happened. We were struggling all day. We were definitely not as good as the last two times we won here, but we preserved and had a great restart at the end. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Post Race
EXTREME WEATHER CREATES INTENSE RACING CONDITIONS FOR F4 U.S. COMPETITORS
EXTREME WEATHER CREATES INTENSE RACING CONDITIONS FOR F4 U.S. COMPETITORS
Leitch and Robinson win big at Mid-Ohio Challenge
LEXINGTON, OHIO (Aug 12, 2017)- From three-wide battles to multiple lead changes in the rain, Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda delivered two dramatic rounds of racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, on Friday. Inclement weather dictated team strategy. Those who gambled with the conditions conquered the track, creating two new champions. Continue reading EXTREME WEATHER CREATES INTENSE RACING CONDITIONS FOR F4 U.S. COMPETITORS
Blaney Dominates Practice, First Two Rounds Of Qualifying At Michigan; Winds Up In 12th Place
Blaney Dominates Practice, First Two Rounds Of Qualifying At Michigan; Winds Up In 12th Place
August 11, 2017
Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/SKF team were a couple of bobbles away from sweeping the day on Friday at Michigan International Speedway.
Blaney was fastest in practice with a best lap at 203.591 miles per hour. Then in qualifying, he topped the first two rounds with laps at 201.686 mph in the first round and 203.120 mph in the second. Continue reading Blaney Dominates Practice, First Two Rounds Of Qualifying At Michigan; Winds Up In 12th Place
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Qualifying
TOP TEAM CHEVY QUALIFIERS:
POS. DRIVER
5TH CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVY SS
7TH JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVY SS
9TH KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVY SS
TOP FIVE QUALIFIERS:
POS. DRIVER
1ST Brad Keselowski (Ford)
2nd Joey Logano (Ford)
3rd Kevin Harvick (Ford)
4th Matt Kenseth (Toyota)
5TH Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
The Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway is scheduled to begin on Sunday August 13th. Live coverage can be found on NBC Sports Network, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 at 3:00 p.m. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Qualifying
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Kasey Kahne
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 11, 2017
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 LIFTMASTER CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed his reaction to the announcement that he will not return to the No. 5 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports in 2018, his thoughts on where he might race next season, the first practice session at Michigan and many other topics. Full Transcript:
HOW DO YOU FEEL THE DYNAMIC AND VIBE WAS WITHIN THE TEAM TODAY?
“Well, I think it was kind of interesting… the vibe was good. The team was good just pretty similar to always. It was the first time I had seen my guys since the news. A lot of them weren’t at the shop on Monday, so they were told by guys that were at the shop and I was gone at Knoxville this week. I talked to a couple over text or Snapchat, phone call, something like that, but that was really about it. So, today it was cool everybody seemed good. We just kind of went to work like always and hope to put together a really strong weekend.”
Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Kasey Kahne
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Kyle Larson
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
PURE MICHIGAN 400
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
AUGUST 11, 2017
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Michigan International Speedway and discussed racing sprint cars, how he is getting from Michigan to Knoxville to race tomorrow, regaining momentum heading into the playoffs and many other topics. Full Transcript:
BUSY WEEK FOR YOU KYLE, GREAT START AT KNOXVILLE AND NOW YOU ARE HERE AT THE SITE OF A RACE TRACK THAT YOU ARE PRETTY GOOD AT. COULD YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR MINDSET GOING INTO THIS WEEK?
“Yeah, it’s already been a good week. Monday, I ran Oskaloosa (Iowa) and ran third. Wednesday, we won at Knoxville and here we have been pretty decent in practice so far. Could use a little more speed. I feel like the handling is okay, but could use a little more speed. And then, yeah, it’s fun. Michigan is a great track for us. We have won the last two times here. We have had some good runs before that as well. We have been off a little bit the last couple of weeks, but excited to be back here at Michigan where we do have success and can hopefully run well and get that momentum back. Yeah, Chip (Ganassi, team owner) is allowing me to go to Knoxville tomorrow, which is great. So, I will get to go and compete in the A-main there and then come back and try and go for three in a row here. Cool weekend for me and really excited for it.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Michigan–Kyle Larson
Chevrolet Unveils 2018 Camaro ZL1 NASCAR Cup Race Car Performance icon expands Camaro’s motorsports reach into premier NASCAR series
Chevrolet Unveils 2018 Camaro ZL1 NASCAR Cup Race Car
Performance icon expands Camaro’s motorsports reach into premier NASCAR series
DETROIT — A new era in Chevrolet motorsports starts today with the introduction of the Camaro ZL1 as the new race car for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson — driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports — joined Mark Reuss, executive vice president of GM Global Product Development, to reveal the new race car at Chevrolet’s headquarters in Detroit. Continue reading Chevrolet Unveils 2018 Camaro ZL1 NASCAR Cup Race Car Performance icon expands Camaro’s motorsports reach into premier NASCAR series