Jeg Coughlin Jr. falls in battle of multi-time Pro Stock champs

Jeg Coughlin Jr. falls in battle of multi-time Pro Stock champs
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 20) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his Elite Motorsports team didn’t take a gator-sized bite out of the competition, but the five-time Pro Stock champion is still pleased with the progress of his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart after the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on Sunday at Gainesville Raceway.

Coughlin qualified a season-high No. 6, beat Chris McGaha in the first round, and scored a huge starting-line advantage on Greg Anderson in the second round before shaking the tires and falling out of the running.

“We took a small bite of their margin of performance advantage,” Coughlin said of the KB Racing-powered cars, each of which has won at the first two races. “I think the class itself is getting caught up a little bit by the looks of it. The Gray Motorsports cars are going faster, and we inched up on them a little bit more on the Mopar side. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. falls in battle of multi-time Pro Stock champs

Erica Enders–Gatornationals

Reigning champ Erica Enders nipped
by .01-second in Gainesville
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 20) — Back-to-back and reigning world Pro Stock champion Erica Enders went door-handle-to-door-handle with Allen Johnson in the opening round of eliminations at the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, ultimately losing by a hundredth of a second, her third straight first-round loss.

“We’re getting so close to where we want to be, and we knew making the switch to Mopar would take some adjustments, but it’s still frustrating when you lose a drag race,” Enders said, “especially when you consider all of the success we’ve had the last two seasons.

“I know we’ll be alright and the guys are upbeat and telling me not to get down, but I suppose I’ve gotten a little spoiled. At the same time, I know we have the best team, the best crew guys, the best tuners, the best engine builders in the world under this awning, so there’s no doubt we’ll be back to our winning ways very soon. We just have to be patient.” Continue reading Erica Enders–Gatornationals

Honda Sweeps North American Endurance Classics

Honda Sweeps North American Endurance Classics
• Honda, Tequila Patron ESM score a dramatic victory at the Twelve Hours of Sebring
• Win follows triumph in January at the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway
• First Honda overall victories in both American endurance racing classics

In an endurance racing contest that saw everything from sunny skies to pouring rain; long green-flag runs as well as a two-hour race stoppage due to heavy rain and lightning; Honda and the Tequila Patron ESM team once again proved to be an unstoppable force in the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship, winning the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in a thrilling multi-car battle that featured more than 30 lead changes and raged right to the checkered flags. Continue reading Honda Sweeps North American Endurance Classics

World of Outlaws–Schatz Scores Back-to-Back Victories at Stockton

Schatz Scores Back-to-Back Victories at Stockton
Completes sweep of FVP Western Spring Shootout double-header
STOCKTON, Calif. — March 19, 2016 — Seven-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz completed the sweep of the FVP Western Spring Shootout Saturday night, as he passed leader Joey Saldana with just five laps remaining en route to capturing his second win in as many nights at Stockton Dirt Track.

Schatz, who started the 30-lap feature in the sixth position, continued to rebound from the missed feature event exactly one week ago at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. Continue reading World of Outlaws–Schatz Scores Back-to-Back Victories at Stockton

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Second Straight Win for Corvette C7.R to Start 2016

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Second Straight Win for Corvette C7.R to Start 2016
Gavin, Milner, Fässler win again in No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R

10th class victory at Sebring for Corvette Racing
Team claims fifth straight Triple Crown victory
Action Express Racing Corvette DPs take two Prototype podium spots

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2016) – Corvette Racing’s Triple Crown streak continued Saturday with a 10th class victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. Oliver Gavin, Tommy Milner and Marcel Fässler in the No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R won their second straight race to open the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) season to go along with a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

It is the second straight victory at Sebring for Corvette Racing and the third in four years. Milner drove the final two hours and 50 minutes to win by 2.882 seconds. The team has won the last five of the world’s top endurance races – Daytona and Sebring in 2015 and 2016, plus the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2015.

“Great driving, teamwork and execution in the pits were keys to today’s GTLM class victory for the No. 4 Corvette C7.R team in the 12 Hours of Sebring,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “To come from two laps down and win in a field as competitive as the IMSA GTLM class is a true reflection of the never-give-up attitude of the Corvette Racing team.

Campbell added, “This win is special because it Corvette Racing’s second consecutive win at Sebring and follows win at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. The IMSA season is off to an exciting start.”

Milner drove the first two hours, 50 minutes in Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R and was third at the time of a red flag for lightning and track conditions. Milner had led the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class midway through the opening quarter thanks to a strong first pit stop by the Corvette Racing crew and being able to take on wet tires 90 minutes into the race just before the pit entry closed due to a crash on track.

Fässler got in the No. 4 Corvette not long after the two-hour, 15-minute stoppage and drove in some of the most challenging conditions. He switched from slick to wet and back to slick Michelin tires during his stint as the track surface and weather changed throughout with his pace improving as his stint wore on. Gavin then took over on a dry track with less than five hours to go. He drove two-plus hours and got the Corvette back on the GTLM lead lap before Milner drove to the end.

The No. 3 Corvette C7.R of Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller also was a contender for a repeat victory at Sebring before the car suffered heavy damage when another GTLM competitor hit Magnussen at the entry to Turn One, which sent both cars hard into the outside tire barrier. Magnussen, part of the GTLM-winning effort with Garcia a year ago, had just taken the lead in class with less than a little less than five hours remaining in the race.

Magnussen was evaluated and released from the Sebring infield care center, but the car suffered significant damage to the driver’s side and rear internal components. The No. 3 Corvette Racing crew worked feverishly to repair the car, and it returned to the race less than 45 minutes after it arrived in the team’s paddock.

Despite the setback, the No. 3 Corvette completed enough laps for ninth-place points.

Action Express Racing Nets Two Podium Finishes
A year after claiming Chevrolet’s first overall victory at Sebring in 50 years, Action Express Racing again climbed the overall podium with both of its Corvette Daytona Prototypes. The No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP of Dane Cameron, Eric Curran and Scott Pruett placed second overall. The trio finished just 2.926 behind the race-winning Prototype.

“I am proud of how the Corvette DP teams and drivers raced at Sebring,” Campbell said. “They raced hard all day long and secured two podium positions at this challenging track.”

Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittipaldi, last year’s winners in the Action Express No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP, teamed with Felipe Albuquerque to finish third overall Saturday. Their Corvette DP led the most laps.

Marc Goossens, Ryan Dalziel and Ryan Hunter-Reay finished fifth in Visit Florida Racing’s No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP; Wayne Taylor Racing’s quartet of Jordan and Ricky Taylor, Max Angelelli and Rubens Barrichello placed 12th in class in their No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP.

The next event for Corvette Racing and the Corvette DPs is the Grand Prix of Long Beach on Saturday, April 16 from the Long Beach (California) street circuit.

CORVETTE RACING QUOTES
OLIVER GAVIN, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “The race started with us not knowing how much pace we were going to have compared to our competition. Then Tommy and Antonio were both marching up the order. Tommy got us into the lead with some great pit stops and some good strategy. Then of course the rain came and we had that big stoppage. It is hard to get yourself focused after that. But you do, you manage, you use your experience and you get going again. Then it was a case of us battling away with a few things – some bits and pieces – the weather; the track; the tires – generally the conditions. I got the car back onto the lead lap and got us into the top-three. Then I handed it over to Tommy and he did a great, great job. I knew we were in great position toward the end of my double-stint because I knew the car was good because it was underneath me. It had a little bit too much understeer hear and there, but the car was really strong. We got back on the lead lap and into the right spot. Tommy could then get it and run to the end. He had been on fire all day. I had to do exactly what he did at Daytona which was sit on the pit box and watch and fret and pace and stress about is there going to be another yellow. Or is this going to happen, or is that going to happen? Is the last pit stop going to go okay. The guys did a brilliant job with that. Once again the team had their stresses and strain through the day. Jan’s accident was huge and it just shows the quality of the car and the ability of the team to bounce back from that and get that car back out. It was just an exceptional day again. This is 60 hours of racing that we’ve won with the No. 4 with Le Mans, Daytona 24 Hours and now Sebring 12 Hours. That is just amazing that we have been able to do that in the last 12 months. I am very, very happy with the performance of the whole team.”

TOMMY MILNER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “What a race. We sort of had an up-and-down race. At the start of the race the car wasn’t super quick, but we weren’t bad by any means. We had a great pit stop there and got me to the lead. Then the rain came, and we weren’t super good in the wet for sure… third or fourth quick there for sure. But then when I got in at the end, I’ve NEVER had a race car that good. That Corvette was absolutely on rails and I could tell as soon as I left pit lane… I knew we had a fast race car. I just immediately knew – the car felt that good. We didn’t have the best car at the start; certainly not in the rain. But at the end we had THE best car – here we are P1. I’m super, super happy for these guys – for Oliver and Marcel. And for all the crew guys. They have worked super hard. Just fortunate to be in the car there at the end and get to have some fun like that.”

MARCEL FÄSSLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – GTLM RACE WINNER: “It’s an amazing day. Two events with Corvette Racing and two wins. I’m really, really happy and proud to be a part of this winning team. Looking back at my race, it was quite tough after the red flag for me. I had never driven this track in the wet, especially not in a GT car. It was difficult to find the right racing line early but after that I felt OK. On my last stop, I think we went a little too early on slick tires, and it was really tricky for me to stay on track. Unfortunately I went off and hit one of the banners. We had to stop because the engine was getting warm. So yes it was a tricky situation. We lost some laps but we were able to catch up. Oliver and Tommy did a really good job out there. It was great to watch them, especially Tommy. I think he did half the race which was really impressive and an unbelievable job. The team made no mistakes and the car was a rocket.”

ANTONIO GARCIA, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “When the rain came, it was a bit of a disaster. It looked from the outside like it was hero time for everybody wanting to take a risk. I wasn’t that keen on doing that. I stayed safe but aggressive. I stayed in touch with the leaders. But it was very, very difficult with the conditions. I don’t know how the 25 BMW and I didn’t crash at the end of the straight. We were literally navigating for half a straight not controlling the car at all. I was able to come to a full stop before the tire barriers. Luckily some other GT cars avoided me spinning, and I had a couple of cars going by sideways and backward. I avoided the wall but unfortunately the pits were closed at that time so we had to go back around on slick tires.”

JAN MAGNUSSEN, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “It’s such a huge shame for everyone on the team really. The weather made it really difficult out there. The decision to go to slicks felt wrong, but we did it. After awhile I could see that times were coming down and I could build a little bit of temperature. I kept working at it. I don’t know how far back we were but we were a long way but caught everything up. We got into the lead there for a very short while and then it all went south. It’s a shame. (Kevin) Estre (911 driver) came and apologized. That’s nice enough but it doesn’t change the fact that we are in here building the car. I really, really feel bad for the crew because man we were fast.”

MIKE ROCKENFELLER, CORVETTE RACING NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – FINISHED NINTH IN GTLM: “Congrats to the No. 4 team. They did a great job. Like Daytona, we had a chance to win the race but it didn’t work out. The result for me was quite frustrating, but overall it was great to be with this team and to be part of it. I tried to everything I could. Two races… unfortunately not the results I was hoping for. But in Sebring we had all the chances. We had a car that could win especially in the dry. That is a positive.”

DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER: “Just when you think you’ve seen it all – with the tremendous wins at Le Mans and Daytona – Corvette Racing comes back from one of our cars being taken out and the other two laps down with six hours to go and standing here in Victory Lane… it’s a great team, great drivers, tremendous strategy and engineering, flawless execution on pit stops. It takes an effort like this to win in this race and in this series. We’re racing against the world’s best. And today we demonstrated why Corvette Racing is the world’s best GT racing team.”

CORVETTE DAYTONA PROTOTYPE QUOTES
SCOTT PRUETT, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “It would have been awesome to win. We felt like we could win. We went to a knife fight with a gun. The guys did a great job! Dane did a really nice job there at the end. Realistically this is probably my last Prototype race so it would have been nice to be on the top of the podium, but I couldn’t be happier with second place and this great group of guys. Everybody at Action Express has been a real pleasure and welcomed me in as part of the family. I had so much fun today racing hard and taking the lead in my stints. It was a great day!”
ERIC CURRAN, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “The day ended up great. The No. 31 was good and the Action Express guys kicked butt all day long. We ended up with a top-notch finish. It would have been nice to pull out a win there. He was pedaling hard to keep the thing out front, but he didn’t have anything for the Patron car. Dane did all the heavy lifting today to be honest. He drove almost half the race. Scott did a great job and I did my best to try and screw it up for everybody. We got back on track and Dane had a good car for the end. Hats off. It was a good day for us. I look forward to going to Long Beach here in a month or so.”
DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP: FINISHED SECOND IN PROTOTYPE: “It was a long day. I drove a lot and I am going to sleep very well. I am really proud of the effort we put forth today in the Whelen Action Express Corvette today. I really think that was an excellent effort for today. I think we can be quite proud all around for the effort – all the drivers, all the guys in the pits, spotters. Everybody was really really great today. We just didn’t quite have enough in the last couple of laps which is obviously very disappointing to come so close. It was a strong endurance race for us so we can push on toward the championship.”

JOAO BARBOSA, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “It was good to be back in race conditions. The team did a tremendous job today with our team being the only team fighting with the P2 cars to the end. We were definitely the class of the field as a team – no problems. The car ran flawlessly, no problems at all. The car ran great. We ran as fast as we could, as strong as we could without any mistakes but it wasn’t enough today. We definitely felt like we are in a gun fight with a knife, but we came up a little bit short. It is a little bit disappointing. A little bit frustrating. We did our best and still not up there even close enough to win. But we are looking ahead to the season and the championship. We have a strong team, even stronger than last year so the future looked really great.”
FELIPE ALBUQUERQUE, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “It was a hell of a day. Crazy weather for everyone. We survived everything. We led a lot of the race. I think Joao and Christian and the team did a great job, but in the end it was just strategy and place. The P2 car was same story as Daytona. He went way too quick. I could expect him to brake so late into Turn Seven. I was at my limit. I couldn’t even brake later. It’s like that and it is so frustrating to see last seven laps with the win so close but at the same time so far because the guy was pulling so much. It is what it is. P3 was what we had.”
CHRISTIAN FITTIPALDI, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 5 MUSTANG SAMPLING CORVETTE DP – FINISHED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “It was an awesome day for the whole team for Action Express to finish two and three. We definitely managed to get into the mix with the other cars. The P2s were definitely very, very strong in the race. I am very proud of everything we did this week. So close but no cigar. And unfortunately that’s the way it went today. I’m happy to collect the points we did today. Now we’ll turn the page and prepare for Long Beach.”

Pro Mod champ Troy Coughlin Sr. bounced in first round of Gatornationals

Pro Mod champ Troy Coughlin Sr. bounced in first round of Gatornationals
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19) — The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals on Saturday at Gainesville Raceway ended too soon for JEGS.com Pro Mod driver Troy Coughlin Sr., but the defending series champion is leaving Gainesville with a fast race car.

Coughlin qualified No. 7 and made one of the quickest passes in the first round of eliminations, but he lost against a .003-second reaction time.

“We made some decent runs here, and we tested pretty good in the off-season and made good strides,” Coughlin said. “We had a good race, but the guy was .003 on the Tree, and that’s what you’ve got to be to win.”

Steve Matusek’s .003 light gave him an advantage that Coughlin’s 5.822-second pass at 256.65 mph couldn’t overcome. Matusek’s run of 5.873 at 247.57 mph was enough to win by a little more than a hundredth of a second.

“We weren’t far behind, but we were enough behind to get beat by the difference between the .82 and the .87,” Coughlin said. “We’ve just got to get off the starting line a little better. That’s racing.”

Coughlin, though, knows his team is capable of rallying, just like it has done in the past. Led by talented crew chief Steve Petty, the JEGS.com team of Mike Rees and Kyle Pettis helped Coughlin make improvements through the three rounds of qualifying in Gainesville.

He made a top qualifying pass of 5.870 seconds at 255.24 mph and then went even quicker in the first round. That kind of improvement bodes well for a long Pro Mod season.

“In 2012, we got beat in the first round here, I think, and we still accumulated enough points to win the championship,” Coughlin said. “There’s a lot of racing left, and we’ve got a good hot rod and a good team. These guys work hard, I work hard. The other guy had a little better Tree, but we’ll keep kicking it.”

Mopar Racing–National Record Run by Beckman in Dodge Charger R/T to Earn Pole at NHRA Gatornationals

National Record Run by Beckman in Dodge Charger R/T to Earn Pole at NHRA Gatornationals;
Supercharged Mopar Challenger Drag Pak Makes Competition Debut

· Beckman drives DSR Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to national record 3.879 second run at 329.26 mph to grab pole at 47th annual NHRA Gatornationals
· Second No.1 qualifier position of the season for Beckman in three race events
· Jeg Coughlin Jr. paces the Mopars in Pro Stock qualifying by putting his Magneti Marelli Dodge Dart sixth overall
· Factory Stock Showdown features new supercharged Mopar Challenger Drag Pak driven by Jonathan Allegrucci
· Mopar and Don Garlits present the Pat Garlits Memorial Award at the annual International Hall of Fame banquet to Laurie Force for her contributions to the drag racing community

Gainesville, Florida (March 19, 2016) – For the second time in three events this season, Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) pilot Jack Beckman earned the No.1 qualifier position, only this time he did it by taking his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T for an impressive national record run at 47th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Gatornationals. With a 3.879-second elapsed time drive at a speed of 329.26 mph, both national records, Beckman earned his 17th career pole and his first at traditional East Coast opener for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series. Continue reading Mopar Racing–National Record Run by Beckman in Dodge Charger R/T to Earn Pole at NHRA Gatornationals

Richard Childress Racing–Auto Club 300

Austin Dillon and the Rheem Team Notch Their First Win of the 2016 Season In Spectacular, Last-Lap Fashion

“We were about a fourth or fifth-place car the entire race but we kept working very hard to make the Rheem Chevrolet better. It seems like we were a little better than the No. 19 car on the final run. Danny Stockman told me before the run that we needed to save about one lap’s worth of fuel so as soon as I felt like we had a little bit of a gap I started saving. The No. 6 car was behind us and he was keeping me pushing a little bit there. He came to me a few times during that run so I was saving a little bit and then picking up a little bit when I wanted to, but I felt like I saved a pretty good amount so when Stockman said I was good on fuel I went for it at the end of the race. ECR Engines provided good fuel mileage, I did my job, Stockman did his job and sometimes things just go your way and today it definitely did. It was a fun race and I hope the fans liked that last lap. That was exciting because a little bit of everything happened with tires flat, fuel running out and cars hitting the wall.”
– Austin Dillon

Ty Dillon Endures at Auto Club Speedway to Claim a 17th-Place Finish in the Bulwark/PAR Electric Chevrolet Camaro

“Today wasn’t the outcome I was expecting after how well we practiced on Friday. Nick Harrison and the guys kept pushing all day and never gave up on adjustments. We started out the race tight then the car got loose and we had to fight back from that. We raced all the way up to seventh an then I had some minor damage on the right rear from a brush with the wall, but we overcame that on pit road. I’m looking forward to a two-week reset and then getting back to it at Texas Motor Speedway.”

– Ty Dillon

Brandon Jones Perseveres To Earn Third Top-10 of Season at
Auto Club Speedway With Ninth-Place Finish

“Auto Club Speedway is probably the hardest track for me to have tackled in my rookie season. It’s like a combination of Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway. It has the rough characteristics of Atlanta with the seams and everything with the way you run over them and obviously it has the big feel to it like Daytona does. I think all and all, we had a great Nexteer Chevrolet the whole day. We kept improving on it through the whole weekend. In qualifying we got a second-and-a-half faster so this entire team is pretty pumped up about it. I think being able to come out of here with a top-10 finish is pretty awesome. This is a big eye opener for us that we can run in the top 10 at the hardest place I’ve been to so far. I think at some of these tracks where I get to see beforehand or return to, we’ll be even better.”

– Brandon Jones

Brendan Gaughan Excels on Restarts at Auto Club Speedway to Finish Seventh in the South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet

“I love fuel mileage racing. I think it’s fun and I like the drama. I’m really excited that Austin won. That’s great for RCR and ECR. We should have had a top-five so I’m disappointed about that. The guys were great on pit road all day. Shane Wilson had a strategy that really played out well with tires at the right times. Considering where we were off the truck, we made all the right changes and I’m happy with that finish.”

– Brendan Gaughan

C. FORCE, HIGHT LEAD JFR INTO RACEDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

C. FORCE, HIGHT LEAD JFR INTO RACEDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL – Mother Nature cooperated with the Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and in spite of a dire forecast all the pro classes were able to make four qualifying runs in advance of the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals. The final two sessions today were delayed but once the race cars took to the track Courtney Force and Robert Hight made strong efforts to put themselves in contention for victory as the No. 2 and No. 3 qualifiers, respectively. Seven-time Gatornationals winner John Force will go into race day as the No. 9 qualifier and Brittany Force will have her best starting position, No. 5 in Top Fuel. Continue reading C. FORCE, HIGHT LEAD JFR INTO RACEDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Chevrolet Well-Positioned Heading into Eliminations of Gatornationals

Chevrolet Well-Positioned Heading into Eliminations of Gatornationals
· Jason Line leads Chevrolet top-three sweep in Pro Stock qualifications
· Courtney Force qualifies second in Funny Car for second consecutive event
· Robert Hight sets Funny Car track record with 327.43 mph pass
· Brittany Force qualifies fifth in Top Fuel

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19, 2016) – Chevrolet swept the top three positions in Pro Stock qualifications for the third consecutive event of the young National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) season, and Courtney Force recorded a career-best pass to qualify second in Funny Car for the second consecutive event heading into eliminations of the 47th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.

Jason Line (Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS) will lead a Pro Stock field into Sunday’s eliminations for the 42nd time in his career. Line, who will have a first-round bye, recorded passes of 6.584 seconds in the third round of qualifications and 210.44 mph in the fourth round — the best elapsed time and fastest speed to date with the new Pro Stock technical package. He is a four-time Gatornationals winner. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Chevrolet Well-Positioned Heading into Eliminations of Gatornationals

Erica Enders Racing–Gatornationals

Reigning world champion
Erica Enders progressing nicely
with her new Mopar hot rod
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19) — Two and a half races into her newest era of racing, back-to-back and reigning Pro Stock champion Erica Enders is pleased with the progress of her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge Dart. Through four rounds of qualifying at the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, Enders qualified 10th with a steady pass of 6.636 seconds at 208.33 mph.

“It’s no secret that we’ve struggled a bit the first two races with an extremely new program, but it’s just a matter of having more time to make more runs with this Dodge Dart and the Hemi powerplant,” Enders said. “We’re going to get better every race; I believe that wholeheartedly. My guys are so smart. They want it more than anything. We just have to be patient.

“Our test in Tulsa (Okla.) this week was certainly encouraging. We’ve improved so much since we got our first motor in February, for sure. Knowing what we found in Tulsa and applying it here to all four of the cars on this team was our first goal and we all came out okay. I think our four cars ended up fifth, sixth, ninth, and 10th, so that’s pretty good.”

Enders’ 6.636 pits her against good friend Allen Johnson when elimination action begins at noon ET on Sunday. Johnson’s best pass was a seventh-place 6.628 at 207.91 mph.

“I don’t think that where we qualified is indicative of what happened on the track because on our run of record I had something go wrong and it certainly cost us a few hundredths of a second,” Enders said. “We could have at least run a 6.62, so that’s extremely encouraging.

“We certainly weren’t looking for a bottom-half qualifying effort, but we will get our act together before tomorrow, and Jeg (Coughlin Jr., teammate) has proved over and over that you can win from any position on the qualifying sheet, so we’ll treat tomorrow like a brand-new day. I feel really confident.

“We’ve all got a little extra pep in our step after today. I know things are for sure headed in the right direction.”

Jegs Racing–Pro Stock star Jeg Coughlin Jr. dreaming of a third Gatornationals title

Pro Stock star Jeg Coughlin Jr. dreaming of a third Gatornationals title
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 19) — The progress five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. and his Elite Motorsports teammates have made from the first pass of the season to this point have the 58-time national event winner dreaming of a third Gatornationals title.

“For the first time all year we only needed to fine-tune our car between rounds of racing, and the results speak for themselves,” Coughlin said. “It’s a big step for this brand-new program, and to see our Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart qualified sixth in this very tough field is a testament to a lot of hard work.

“After what I would call just an okay opening day, we went out there in Q3 earlier today and even though I did a lot more driving than I needed to we got to the other end and the guys came on the radio and said we ran a 6.651. I immediately told them we have at least a 6.62 in the car because I’d lost a least a few hundredths with my driving, and sure enough we came right back out and went 6.627 at 208.30 mph.”

The strong finishing effort earned Coughlin lane choice over No. 11 qualifier Chris McGaha when elimination action begins at noon ET on Sunday. McGaha topped out with a best pass of 6.644 seconds at 208.46 mph.

“It’s been a couple of mixed-emotion days with Mother Nature and what seemed to be a crazy forecast, but somehow we came out on the good side and got all four qualifying runs in,” said Coughlin, who won this event in 2001 and 2008. “I’ll be real honest and tell you the truth, we needed all four runs.

“We basically started out by mimicking the efforts my teammate Erica (Enders) had in testing earlier this week and went from there. That tune-up didn’t exactly agree with what the track wanted to give us yesterday, and we ran a 6.71 and a 6.69 in those first two runs. We all knew there was a bunch more in there.

“It’s exciting because both cars are coming around, and even though it’s taking a little time we’re really blown away by how far we’ve come since mid-February.”

Allen Johnson Racing–Gatornationals Qualifying

ALLEN JOHNSON
MARATHON PETROLEUM CO./J&J RACING DODGE DART
QUALIFYING REPORT: 47TH ANNUAL AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS
GAINESVILLE RACEWAY
March 18-20, 2016

Marathon Petroleum’s Allen Johnson Enters Gatornationals Raceday in Top Half

Gainesville, Florida (March 19, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Pro Stock racer Allen Johnson continued his consistency in the Pro Stock category with repeated 6.66-second passes throughout qualifying but really shined in the final run before raceday when he jumped up the ladder with a 6.628-second pass at 207.91 mph landing him in the No. 7 spot. Still learning new ways to advance their ET with the fuel injection, Johnson and his Dodge Dart GT are on an upward motion to conquering the new rule changes in the class.

Battling the threat of weather all of Friday, Johnson knew they needed to capitalize on the runs they did get when weather permitted. In Friday’s first session, Johnson drove to a conservative 6.702-second pass at 206.13 mph. Friday’s night session, he powered his Marathon Dodge Dart to an improved 6.662, 206.29.

Mother Nature tried her best to suspend qualifying on Saturday with a constant drizzle but by the afternoon, the track was dry and Pro Stock jumped into action. Johnson ran another consistent 6.669, 206.73. In the final round of qualifying, Johnson and the team made huge gains when they ran a 6.628, 207.91 to move them up to the top half of the field.

“If we would’ve started there, it’s hard telling how good we would’ve been at the end of qualifying,” said Johnson. “We’re just really happy to get on it and make a good run in the last run as we go into eliminations tomorrow.”

Johnson finished qualifying in the No. 7 spot and will have lane choice over Erica Enders-Stevens in the first round.

“I just have to do my job as a driver and that’s the way it is every raceday,” admitted Johnson. “If I don’t do my job, she’s likely to kick my butt so I’m going to go out there and do my job.”

Chevy Racing–CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Red Flag Halts Race Near Three-Hour Mark

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Red Flag Halts Race Near Three-Hour Mark
Corvette C7.Rs, Corvette DPs in the hunt for repeat victories

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2016) – Corvette Racing and four Corvette Daytona Prototypes are in contention for their respective class victories today as a red flag for unsafe weather brought a halt to the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. The event was stopped near the three-hour mark with the cars brought to pit lane until the threat of lightning and standing water passed as the race clock continued to run.

Tommy Milner drove the first two hours, 50 minutes in Corvette Racing’s No. 4 Chevrolet Corvette C7.R and was third at the time of the stoppage. Milner had led the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class midway through the opening quarter thanks to a strong first pit stop by the Corvette Racing crew and being able to take on wet tires 90 minutes into the race just before the pit entry closed due to a crash on track. Continue reading Chevy Racing–CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Red Flag Halts Race Near Three-Hour Mark

World of Outlaws–Schatz Scores Win on Opening Night of FVP Western Spring Shootout

Schatz Scores Win on Opening Night of FVP Western Spring Shootout
Returns to victory lane less than a week after missing feature
STOCKTON, Calif. — March 18, 2016 — After missing the feature at Thunderbowl Raceway less than a week ago, seven-time World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz returned to victory lane Friday night, winning the opening night of the FVP Western Spring Shootout double-header at Stockton Dirt Track.

Schatz picked up his third victory of the season, which is his first win since winning on the second night at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4. Schatz’s third win ties him with current point’s leader Brad Sweet with most victories of the season. Continue reading World of Outlaws–Schatz Scores Win on Opening Night of FVP Western Spring Shootout

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Auto Club Speedway–Austin Dillon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
MARCH 18, 2016

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CHEVROLET SS – POLE WINNER
YOU WERE DAYTONA 500 POLE WINNER TWO YEARS AGO, YOU HADN’T HAD A POLE SINCE WHAT DOES THIS ONE MEAN TO YOU?
“It means everything. That is what I said down the backstretch. A Daytona 500 pole sitter, now I got a pole somewhere else. To do it at a drivers race track like this at Fontana it means a lot to me. Just proud of this American Ethanol team we’ve had fast cars all year long. I knew going into that third session if I didn’t make mistakes I would have a shot. I just stayed with it off of (Turn) 4. I kept my locker locked as much as I could with the gas just keeping as much fuel to the car as I could. It worked out for us.”

YOU WEREN’T THE FASTEST CAR IN THE FIRST OR SECOND ROUND HOW MUCH STRATEGY WENT INTO TAKING CARE OF THOSE TIRES SO YOU HAD IT WHEN IT COUNTED IN THE THIRD ROUND?
“Well me and my engineers just talked about it. We wanted to be from 13th to 24th in that first one. We were 13th on the front side of that. On the second run I was a little tight. We just kept freeing the car up a little bit there to help ourselves in that third run and it all worked out.”

ON WINNING THE POLE:
“Very cool just huge for RCR. We’ve wanted to get our cars back to this moment in time to put ourselves in a shot to win a race. We’ve got fast cars this year and I’m proud of our guys, they just keep working hard. Hopefully, we can turn this into something on Sunday.”

WHAT WAS THE FINAL QUALIFYING LAP LIKE?
“Well just kept talking to my engineers about driving style and what I needed to do on that last run. I entered really hard the run before in (Turns) 1 and 2 and I think it hurt me. I just lifted and pumped the brakes a little bit earlier and coasted into 1 and it really got to the gas good. When it came to (Turns) 3 and 4 I just tried to keep my gas foot in it as much as I could and use the whole track. I felt like we had a good pull to the start/finish line. It felt like it kicked up and was running well. Just proud to put that No. 3 back where it needs to be. Hopefully, we can do this a few more times this year.”

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 JIMMY JOHN’S CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 2nd
DID YOU CHANGE YOUR LINE DURING THE THREE ROUNDS?
“Well each round was a little bit different. The second round I had a little traffic getting onto the race track. The first round was pretty clean. I didn’t really change anything. I think I caught the inside of that seam with the right-side tires a little more than I wanted to through (Turns) 1 and 2 and it just started to step out and I had to pedal it three or four times down there because it was loose. Pretty good through (Turns) 3 and 4, but all-in-all a good day for our Jimmy John’s/Busch team and hopefully we can cap that off with a win when we get done on Sunday.”

ON HIS CHANCES SUNDAY:
“Yeah, this is the first qualifying/practice and then going from practice to qualifying that I think we have all felt like the car did exactly what we thought it was going to do. Our goal was to run the same lap time all three rounds usually that is going to put you in a spot to have a chance, but all-in-all it’s been a good start to the weekend and really looking forward to the race on Sunday.”

BRIAN VICKERS, NO. 14 JANSSEN ARNIE’S ARMY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION CHEVROLET SS – Qualified 24th
WHAT WERE YOU LACKING IN THAT SECOND ROUND?
“We just got really tight. It’s funny we fought loose in qualifying practice and just got really tight out of (Turn) 2 in qualifying there. We didn’t really see that coming, didn’t expect it, so we are going to go back and look at everything. I felt really good about the car in race trim this morning. I think we were faster in race trim than qualifying trim. I’m not worried about it at all tomorrow or the race we’ve got a little work cut out for us, but it’s easy to pass here. It’s a great race track, a lot of fun. It’s a special weekend for me being back on the race track after everything that happened last year, especially being here with Treatmyclot.com and raising awareness about blood clots. It’s blood clot history month so, it’s an important month for me and then having Arnie’s Army on the car. How cool is that? Mr. Palmer he is a legend. So being partners with him is great.”

John Force Racing–BRITTANY FORCE A MONSTER ON FRIDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

BRITTANY FORCE A MONSTER ON FRIDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster and racer Brittany Force continued to turn heads with another day of exceptional qualifying. On Friday of the 47th annual Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals Force picked up four qualifying bonus points and secured the provisional pole position with a 3.745 second run at a pedestrian 309.56 mph.

“To be able to come out here and run well was great. We didn’t know what we could expect with the weather conditions. We were hoping to get one good run in and we did that first round. We really stepped it up on the second run. When I got out of the dragster at the top end and they told we what we ran I was blown away,” said Force, who has four career No. 1 qualifiers. “It felt like an awesome run early on but at the end of the run I pulled my foot up early because I thought it was getting into trouble. I am excited and proud of this Monster Energy team. We made quite a few changes and we are starting to see that on the race track.” Continue reading John Force Racing–BRITTANY FORCE A MONSTER ON FRIDAY AT GATORNATIONALS

Honda Sweeps Front Row in Sebring Qualifying

Honda Sweeps Front Row in Sebring Qualifying
• Olivier Pla, Michael Shank Racing claim first pole of 2016 for Honda
• Pipo Derani, Tequila Patron ESM to start on the outside front row
• Pole-winning team rebounds from crash the previous night

In a stirring duel between two Honda-powered drivers, Olivier Pla and Michael Shank Racing edged the similar Tequila Patron ESM machine of Luis Felipe “Pipo” Derani at Sebring International Raceway on Friday to claim the pole for Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring endurance sports car race.

Pla and Derani battled fiercely throughout the 15-minute prototype qualifying session, both drivers extracting maximum performance from their Ligier JS P2 Hondas, with Pla finally prevailing by just 18 hundredths of a second. It was Pla’s third career IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship pole and second consecutive pole at Sebring. Continue reading Honda Sweeps Front Row in Sebring Qualifying

Chevy Racing–CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Corvette C7.Rs in the Thick of GTLM Fight

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Corvette C7.Rs in the Thick of GTLM Fight
Saturday victory would be 10th in class at Sebring for Corvette Racing

Garcia fifth, Milner sixth in ultra-tight GTLM qualifying
Corvette Racing going for fifth consecutive Triple Crown victory
Action Express Racing Corvette DPs fill out second row of Prototype grid

SEBRING, Fla. (March 18, 2016) – Corvette Racing will find itself right in the middle of another victory in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida on Saturday following GT Le Mans qualifying session. After finishing 1-2 in class to open the 2016 season in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, the team’s two Chevrolet Corvette C7.Rs were part of a tight fight in the class Friday with all 10 cars within 0.768 seconds.

Antonio Garcia, part of last year’s Sebring-winning lineup in the No. 3 Corvette C7.R, qualified fifth with a best lap of 1:58.856 (113.280 mph). Right behind was Tommy Milner with a 1:58.878 (113.259 mph) in the No. 4 Corvette C7.R, which was the class-winning car at the Rolex 24.

Corvette Racing is aiming for its 10th class win at Sebring and third in four seasons. The team also has won four straight events as part of sports car racing’s Triple Crown: the 2015 Rolex 24, Sebring 12 Hours and 24 Hours of Le Mans plus this year at Daytona.

Milner, Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fässler are back together after winning the Rolex 24 by 0.034 seconds in a 1-2 finish for Corvette Racing. Garcia, Jan Magnussen and Mike Rockenfeller are sharing the sister Corvette. Things remain razor-thin between the two Corvettes with only 0.022 seconds separating them on their best qualifying laps.

Between the six Corvette Racing drivers, the group has 13 class victories. Gavin has five wins, Magnussen four, Garcia two, and Milner and Fässler one each; the latter’s was an overall win 2013. Magnussen and Garcia were part of the winning lineup a year ago.

The Corvette brand has long been a force at Sebring since its racing debut 60 years ago. Of Chevrolet’s 27 class victories in America’s oldest sports car race, 22 have been by a production-based Corvette including nine for Corvette Racing since 2001. In all, Corvette Racing has 98 victories worldwide.

Cameron Leads Corvette DP Qualifying Efforts
Action Express Racing paced the Corvette Daytona Prototype contingent in Prototype qualifying Friday as Chevrolet power goes for its second straight overall Sebring victory. Dane Cameron qualified third at 1:51.943 (120.275 mph) in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering/Team Fox Corvette DP that he will drive with Eric Curran and Scott Pruett.

Cameron was 0.262 seconds quicker than reigning Sebring co-champion Christian Fittipaldi in the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Corvette DP. He set a lap of 1:52.205 (119.995 mph) in the Corvette DP he will share with Joao Barbosa (with whom he won Sebring in 2015), Felipe Albuquerque and Pruett.

Marc Goossens will start behind Fittipaldi in Visit Florida Racing’s No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP after a 1:53.185 (118.956 mph), with Rubens Barrichello lining up behind Goossens in Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Konica Minolta Corvette DP.

The 64th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is set for 10:40 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 19. It will air on FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Sports Go. Live audio coverage from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED FIFTH IN GTLM: “(The times in qualifying) open up the race for everybody. We are all in six or seven tenths, at least the majority of us. Except for the first two cars, the rest of us are within three tenths. It is a classic, tight GTLM grid. It was difficult to judge what the track would be like in qualifying. It’s way different from this morning definitely. Based on how everything went in practice and how the car was, I think we are in good shape. I wouldn’t say I had a clean run at all, so looking back at how we did in practice and how the car behaved there, we just need to look at how good the car will be in the race. We just need to look and analyze how the car is and see if we can get anything toward the race, but if not, I still think we are pretty good.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 CHEVROLET CORVETTE C7.R – QUALIFIED SIXTH IN GTLM: “That is kind of where we sort of expected to be. From testing here we thought we had good race cars. We made some changes since we’ve been here this week. The conditions are different so we have adjusted to that, and you see that the two cars are within a couple hundredths of each other. We are all pretty equal. I think coming in here we kind of knew we weren’t going to get on pole, but we always have great race cars. This track is really rough. There are lots of new cars in the class. We just need to keep our nose clean and just be there at the end. We will come away with good points no matter what. If it rains, everything else might change.”

DANE CAMERON, ACTION EXPRESS RACING NO. 31 WHELEN ENGINEERING/TEAM FOX CORVETTE DP – QUALFIED THIRD IN PROTOTYPE: “Some days all you do is be the best of what you are. That is what we did today and we are quite happy with that. I think we have a really good race car. Track conditions at Sebring change so fast with the weather and the amount of cars in other series that are running here. After the Continental Tire race the track was really different so I wasn’t quite as happy with the car as I was in the morning…but the car is still very good, and very well-prepared for the race. We are starting in third, up near the front and down on the inside so it will be a good view going into Turn One. It is going to be a long 12 hours tomorrow but the Action Express boys have us well prepared.”

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Auto Club Speedway–Austin Dillon

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AUTO CLUB 400
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 18, 2016

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed the team’s positive progress this year, the new race package, and more. Full Transcript:

YOU’VE HAD A GOOD START TO THE SEASON WITH THREE TOP 10’S AND AN 11TH PLACE IN THE FIRST FOUR RACES. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND’S RACE IN FONTANA?
‘The biggest thing is to just to keep it rolling. We did that this first practice. I was proud of the guys. We kept getting better every run. I’m excited. We’ve got a really fast car. Hopefully we can back it up this evening in Qualifying.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Auto Club Speedway–Austin Dillon

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