I am excited to announce that I was able to put Team GenRight / Falken Tires #4585
on the podium again this past weekend at the 2017 Ultra4 Nationals in our 4500 Modified
class Jeep!
The weekend was smooth with no major mechanical failures. The course was brutal and got
worse with every lap! As the track dried out on race day the dust got thick and drivers were
taking bigger risks than before. New rocks were getting dug up and kicked onto the track,
ready to end anyone’s day at any moment. I also got the chance to visit the Renown
Children’s Hospital in Reno on Friday with a few other top Ultra4 drivers. It was a great
weekend of racing! Continue reading GenRight–Ultra4 Nationals – Race Report
Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight relishes battling for 2017 Funny Car championship
Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight relishes
battling for 2017 Funny Car championship
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24) – Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight is relishing the battle for the 2017 Funny Car championship with his John Force Racing team.
Rather than worrying about the pressure of contending for a title, Hight is enjoying being in the position to fight for a championship. Hight, winner of the most recent race on the NHRA tour, sits in second place in the standings, a mere 24 points out of the lead. Continue reading Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight relishes battling for 2017 Funny Car championship
Defending Vegas fall race winner John Force hopes to deliver second straight victory
Defending Vegas fall race winner John Force
hopes to deliver second straight victory
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24) – Sixteen-time NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion John Force is confident he can compete for a second consecutive victory in the NHRA Nationals this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Force, who has four victories in the fall race at Las Vegas and six overall, won the fall race last year by defeating daughter Courtney Force in the finals. He showed strong in this year’s spring race as well, making it to the semifinals in the PEAK Coolant & Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS. Continue reading Defending Vegas fall race winner John Force hopes to deliver second straight victory
Winner of two Countdown races, Monster Energy driver Brittany Force takes title battle to Las Vegas
Winner of two Countdown races, Monster Energy driver Brittany Force takes title battle to Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24) – Fresh of her third victory of the season and her second in the Countdown to the Championship, Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster driver Brittany Force takes the battle for the 2017 title to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. Continue reading Winner of two Countdown races, Monster Energy driver Brittany Force takes title battle to Las Vegas
Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight relishes battling for 2017 Funny Car championship
Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight relishes
battling for 2017 Funny Car championship
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24) – Auto Club of Southern California driver Robert Hight is relishing the battle for the 2017 Funny Car championship with his John Force Racing team.
Rather than worrying about the pressure of contending for a title, Hight is enjoying being in the position to fight for a championship. Hight, winner of the most recent race on the NHRA tour, sits in second place in the standings, a mere 24 points out of the lead. Continue reading Auto Club Chevrolet driver Robert Hight relishes battling for 2017 Funny Car championship
Giovanni Scelzi Charges From 23rd to Ninth During First Career Trophy Cup A Main
Giovanni Scelzi Charges From 23rd to Ninth During First Career Trophy Cup A Main
Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2017) – Giovanni Scelzi had one of the fastest race cars last weekend during the 24th annual Trophy Cup at Thunderbowl Raceway.
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on his side during preliminary A Mains on Thursday and Friday.
The three-day event, which featured approximately 90 drivers, began with Scelzi and the Roth Motorsports team setting quick time during group qualifying on Thursday. Scelzi then powered from sixth to third place in a heat race to earn enough points to lock into the 10th starting position of the main event. Continue reading Giovanni Scelzi Charges From 23rd to Ninth During First Career Trophy Cup A Main
Jeg Coughlin Jr. hoping to celebrate a championship in Vegas, just not his own
Jeg Coughlin Jr. hoping to celebrate a championship in Vegas, just not his own
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 24) — Several times in the past, Pro Stock veteran Jeg Coughlin Jr. has arrived at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the annual NHRA Toyota Nationals with world championships hanging in the balance. That’s the case once again this time through, only rather than bagging another one for himself, six-time champ Coughlin is hoping to celebrate his brother Troy’s third title in the Pro Mod class.
“The Pro Stock championship is out of reach for us this year but Troy is leading the Pro Mod points with a great chance to wrap up his third title in the last six years this weekend,” Jeg said. “It’s a very exciting time for him and everyone on his team, as well as the 350-plus associates at JEGS and the rest of our extended family.
“We’ve come in here fighting from behind and we’ve also come in here in the lead trying to hold everyone off. Most of the time we’ve come out on top, and a few times we came up a little short, but certainly we know the magic of this racetrack and the importance it holds for drag racers. That’s especially true for Troy because Pro Mod finishes its season here, whereas the other pro categories have one more race to go after Vegas.” Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. hoping to celebrate a championship in Vegas, just not his own
Richard Childress Racing–First Data 500–Advance
Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history at Martinsville Speedway … In 162 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned four pole awards and posted seven victories with drivers Dale Earnhardt (five times), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Kevin Harvick (2011). RCR Chevrolet teams have earned 30 top-five and 62 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–First Data 500–Advance
Dominic Scelzi Achieves Goal by Entering Trophy Cup A Main as High-Points Driver
Dominic Scelzi Achieves Goal by Entering Trophy Cup A Main as High-Points Driver
Inside Line Promotions – TULARE, Calif. (Oct. 23, 2017) – Dominic Scelzi was exactly where he wanted to be entering the 24th annual Trophy Cup A Main on Saturday night at Thunderbowl Raceway.
Scelzi and his family owned, Roth Motorsports supported team ranked No. 1 out of approximately 90 drivers at the marquee event. That locked him into the main event that featured a 20-car inversion, which lined him up on the outside of the 10th row for the 50-lap showdown.
“To be the high-point guy was huge,” he said. “It was a dream come true and would have been a dream come true to win it, but overall we’ve come a long way.” Continue reading Dominic Scelzi Achieves Goal by Entering Trophy Cup A Main as High-Points Driver
St. Louis setback aside, Team JEGS racer Mike Coughlin still eyeing national title
St. Louis setback aside, Team JEGS racer
Mike Coughlin still eyeing national title
ST. LOUIS (Oct. 22) — This weekend’s All-American Hot Rod Showdown at Gateway Motorsports Park didn’t go as planned for Top Dragster title contender Mike Coughlin, but the always-upbeat drag racer hasn’t lost his desire or zest for winning this year’s Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series championship.
After qualifying a lofty third with a steady pass of 6.012 seconds at 227.11 mph, Coughlin suffered a mechanical issue in the first round of Saturday’s eliminations and lost to Jim Prevo. Continue reading St. Louis setback aside, Team JEGS racer Mike Coughlin still eyeing national title
David Pearson-Like Drive At Kansas Earns Blaney A Berth In The Round Of Eight
David Pearson-Like Drive At Kansas Earns Blaney A Berth In The Round Of Eight
October 22, 2017
With their playoff hopes seemingly on the ropes due to a penalty after qualifying, Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Omnicraft Auto Parts team turned in a near-perfect performance in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Blaney started 40th, drove his way to fourth place by the end of the first 80-lap Stage, finished eighth in the second then third in the race to secure a berth in the Round of Eight in the Monster Energy Cup playoffs.
Team co-owner Eddie Wood had great praise for the entire Omnicraft Auto Parts team and was especially impressed by Blaney’s poise under the pressure that comes with a cut-off race in the playoffs. Continue reading David Pearson-Like Drive At Kansas Earns Blaney A Berth In The Round Of Eight
Richard Childress Racing–Hollywood Casino 400
The Name of the Game is Recovery for Austin Dillon and the Dow Racing Team at Kansas Speedway
“It was a really good comeback by the Dow Racing team today. We fell behind a little bit after we had to come back down pit road to tighten lug nuts, which cost us some track position. For the rest of the race, the pit crew was on it and gained us spots pretty much every stop. We ended up with some front end damage in that big wreck, but luckily it didn’t end our day. We were just too tight at the end to gain any additional positions.”
– Austin Dillon
Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Hollywood Casino 400
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Post Race
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 22, 2017
TOP TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS:
POS. DRIVER
4TH CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVROLET SS
6TH CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 SCOTT PRODUCTS CHEVROLET SS
7TH DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
11TH JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
TOP FIVE FINISHERS:
POS. DRIVER
1ST Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Kurt Busch (Ford)
3rd Ryan Blaney (Ford)
4th Chase Elliott (Chevy)
5th Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
PLAYOFF PICTURE:
Chevy Driver’s Moving on to the Round of 8
Jimmie Johnson – 5thin Standings
Chase Elliott – 8th in Standings
The next stop on the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Martinsville Speedway for the First Data 500 on Sunday, October 29th. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Post Race
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Kyle Larson
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
OCTOBER 22, 2017
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CHEVROLET SS – Sidelined with engine failure on Lap 77
WHAT WAS THE FIRST INDICATION SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE?
“I felt it drop a cylinder or something. So, it’s disappointing way to finish our race and probably our season, but we’ll be all right.”
THIS SCENARIO OF THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN TODAY WAS PROBABLY NOWHERE ON THE LIST FOR YOU. WILL YOU SIT AND WATCH THE POINTS AND SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT, OR WHAT?
“Yeah, obviously I’m going to watch and just cross my fingers and pray to anything I can pray to. But, I don’t think 29 points is enough. So, it’s disappointing, but we’ve had a good year. I’ve got to thank Credit One Bank and Target and everybody that’s been involved. It sucks to have the engine failure, but it is what it is.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Kyle Larson
Richard Childress Racing–Kansas Lottery 300
Austin Dillon Recovers from Challenges to Earn Sixth-Place Finish in Rheem Chevrolet
“We started off really fast today in the Rheem Chevrolet. I found grip early, and we were posting the fastest lap times of the field. Once the track started to rubber up, the rest of the field moved up to my line and caught up. Then, we got behind there with a tire that corded. We fought back and finished sixth. The car handled really well, and it was a good recovery for our team. It makes me excited for Texas. .”
– Austin Dillon
Ty Dillon Earns Top-10 Finish in the Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
“When we started the race, our Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet was just way too tight. My crew chief, Matt Swiderski, took a big swing at adjustments during the first stage break and got my balance how I needed it for the second stage. We used strategy to flip the stage during a caution before the final break, and we were able to restart in first for the final stage. I held on for a couple laps before people with fresher tires caught up. We knew that would happen, but it gave us the advantage that we needed to hold our track position in the top 10 to finish out the race.”
– Ty Dillon
Late-Race Pit Road Penalty Hurts Daniel Hemric and the Blue Gate Bank Team’s Day at Kansas Speedway
“I’ll take the blame on that one. I struggled getting into the pit box all day and getting the Blue Gate Bank Chevrolet pointed the right way. I put some rear brake into it and just got too aggressive. I was trying to get all I could get and overstepped it. It put us in a bad spot for the pit stop, and the car was over the line. The guys already had the right-front tire off the car and put the sticker tire on before we backed up. We got penalized a lap for that. It was not ideal. We fought through and passed a bunch of cars at the end, but we got trapped a lap down and never got the caution we needed. The name of the game is pressure, and you have to rise up. Today we didn’t do that. I did not do that. I’ve just got to do better, and we’ll be fine moving forward.”
– Daniel Hemric
Brandon Jones Overcomes Radio Issues to Finish 11th at Kansas Speedway in the American Ethanol/Casey’s General Store Chevrolet
“It’s always a challenge when radio issues happen during a race, but the No. 33 American Ethanol/ Casey’s General Store team really came together and managed to still get a great 11th-place finish out of the day. We fired off lacking rear grip at the start of the race, but that grip came in eventually. From there on out, I was just fighting a snug feeling all day. Having to communicate with hand signals back to my crew chief, Brandon Thomas, was tough but luckily we have a great spotter in Doug Campbell and he was able to relay to the team what I was feeling. It feels good to overcome an issue like that and still walk away with a solid finish.”
– Brandon Jones
Brendan Gaughan and the South Point/City Lights Shine Team Fight Back from Disappointing Qualifying Effort to Finish 13th at Kansas Speedway
“Today, it was about track position and considering we started 24th and got all the way up to 10th shows the quality of car we had. I cannot be more pleased with the pit crew. They were on point. They gained spots on pit road for me every time. We had a top-10 car and after the final stop, we were four laps short on fuel so we conserved a little and then went all out with about two laps to go. I brushed the wall trying to get 12th position and unfortunately that slowed us down a little. Considering where we started, I’m pretty pleased with our finish.”
– Brendan Gaughan
PEDERSEN CELEBRATES THIRD COTA WIN AT THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX DEBUT
PEDERSEN CELEBRATES THIRD COTA WIN AT THE UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX DEBUT
F4 U.S. Championship drivers Kyle Kirkwood and Dakota Dickerson complete podium
AUSTIN, TEXAS (October 21, 2017) – The Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda drivers showed Austin, Texas, and the rest of the world how exciting junior-open wheel racing can be with an action-packed race from start to finish. Thousands of fans were on their feet cheering as Benjamin Pedersen of Copenhagen, Denmark, passed pole-sitter and F4 U.S. National Champion Kyle Kirkwood of Jupiter, Florida, for the lead in the final moments of the race. The cheers and gasps continued as Dakota Dickerson, who had chased Braden Eves of Gahanna, Ohio, for most of the round, made a calculated sling-shot pass on the inside to claim the last spot on the podium.
“The fan support here at COTA has been amazing. I could hear the fans cheering through my helmet over my Honda engine,” said Pederson, who has won three of the last four races at COTA. “To hear the Danish national anthem play after my win was amazing and to be on the top spot of the F1 podium was even better.”
Pedersen shared the front row with Kirkwood. Kirkwood’s car launched from the F1-style standing start like a rocket ship, leaving Pedersen to play catch up. The pair zoomed around the red, white and blue COTA corners, creating more than a second gap between Eves, Brendon Leitch of Invercargill, New Zealand, and Dickerson. Finally, the Global Racing Group driver wore down Kirkwood and made a pass on the outside of Turn 5. Pedersen held off advances from Kirkwood until he took the checkered.
“Pedersen raced me clean the entire race,” said Kirkwood. “He’s extremely calm and has been the best driver to race against in the championship.”
Dickerson, who started P5, was patient most of the race, waiting for Eves to wear the rubber off his Pirelli PZero tires. After passing his Kiwi Motorsport teammate Leitch, Eves was next on Dickerson’s hitlist. Eves defended his racing line as Dickerson tried multiple overtakes, but one wide turn in T20 from the Jay Howard Motorsports Driver Development driver left just enough room for Dickerson to whip inside on the penultimate lap.
“I am so thankful for the opportunity that SCCA Pro Racing and F4 U.S. has given us,” Dickerson said. “Being on the F1 podium was unexpected and was a dream of mine my entire life. I will remember this moment forever and hopefully tomorrow the U.S. national anthem will be played as I collect my first win of the season.”
The win from Pedersen jolted him from fifth place in the national championship to third, respectively. Unofficially, Forcier still holds second with Dickerson in fourth. Jordan Sherratt of Durban, South Africa, dropped to fifth in standings but only trails Pedersen by 12 points and Dickerson by two.
The F4 U.S. field returns to COTA tomorrow at 11:20 a.m. CT for the season finale.
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Dale Earnhardt Jr.
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 21, 2017
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Kansas Speedway and discussed the news this week that he and Amy are expecting a baby girl, the toughness of the track at Kansas with the weather conditions this weekend and many other topics. Full Transcript:
Prior to his traditional media availability, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was presented with several gifts from Kansas Speedway including a contribution in his name of $8,800 to the University of Kansas Health Systems Pediatric Unit, a What to Expect When you are Expecting book for new fathers, a personal video from Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost and a special No. 3 jersey from the Kansas City Royals. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas–Dale Earnhardt Jr.
NINE DRIVERS BATTLE FOR F4 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AT UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX
NINE DRIVERS BATTLE FOR F4 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AT UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX
Global Racing Group adds last minute entry to challenge F4 U.S. field
AUSTIN, TEXAS (October 21, 2017) – The season finale of the Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda takes place on the largest world-stage its experienced to date, the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas Oct. 20-22. More than 300,000 fans are anticipated to fill the stands during the three-day event.
Thirty-one F4 U.S. drivers will share the same track as their F1- racing idols, but each have a different goal for the two-race weekend culmination. Frederik Vesti of Billund, Denmark, tests where he belongs in his first ever F4 U.S race, while, nine drivers fight for position for a national championship. Continue reading NINE DRIVERS BATTLE FOR F4 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AT UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX
Inspection Issue Sends Blaney To The Rear At Kansas
Inspection Issue Sends Blaney To The Rear At Kansas
October 20, 2017
Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Omnicraft Auto Parts team will have to come from the rear of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway after their third-place qualifying time was disallowed because the No. 21 Fusion failed a post-qualifying inspection.
Blaney, who enters the final race of the Monster Energy Cup playoff’s Round of 12 in seventh place, had been among the fastest drivers in practice and qualifying on Friday at Kansas.
Continue reading Inspection Issue Sends Blaney To The Rear At Kansas
Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas Qualifying
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
OCTOBER 20, 2017
TOP TEAM CHEVY QUALIFIERS:
* Current Team Chevy Playoff Contender
POS. DRIVER
9TH * JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVY SS
12TH AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW CHEVY SS
13TH * JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVY SS
14TH * KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVY SS
15TH * CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVY SS
Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kansas Qualifying