chevy racing–nascar–coca-cola 600–kyle busch

NASCAR CUP SERIES

CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

COCA-COLA 600

TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT

MAY 26, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Press Conference Quotes:  

INAUDIBLE..

“Yeah, it was fun. It was a really good time over at Boat Yard Eats. We had Fast Cars & Guitars with Matt Stell and Dee Jay Silver. It was just a fun night to get everybody together. Had a few industry people, as well as some KBM people and some outsiders that we met for the first time. Had some great sponsors for the event. It was really a great kick-off to the weekend. We had KBM fan day in the morning and then closed it out with the concert last night. So all around, great cause for the Bundle of Joy Fund and raising some money and awareness for the infertility issues, and what we’re able to help with Samantha (Busch) and myself. Samantha did a great job being able to orchestrate all of that and put it all together, so hopefully it was a good fundraiser for us.”

HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOU GUYS ARE STACKING UP RIGHT NOW VERSUS THE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AND JOE GIBBS RACING CARS? 

“I would say the 1.5-mile stuff, I feel like we’re really close. We’re right there. Kansas (Speedway) was a really good look for us. I felt like we had a good top-five, top-three speed. Anything can happen in the end of these races and you can contend for a win. Obviously our short-track program is a far miss right now and we’re all trying to figure out what exactly is going on there and why. We can look at all of the sheets and see all that stuff, and try to correlate it as close as we possibly can and copy, but it’s not relating to the race track in our cars at all. So there’s a disconnect there somewhere.”

WHEN YOU LOOKED AT THE SCHEDULE PREVIOUSLY, ESPECIALLY GOING INTO THE SUMMER, THERE ARE A LOT OF THE SIMILAR-TYPE TRACKS.. 1.5-MILE, INTERMEDIATE-TYPE TRACKS. NOW, IT’S ALL OVER THE BOARD WITH ROAD COURSES, SUPERSPEEDWAYS, ETC. IS IT HARD TO BUILD CONSISTENCY WITHIN A PROGRAM TO STRING TOGETHER GOOD CONSISTENT RESULTS BECAUSE IT’S SO DIFFERENT NOW ON A WEEK-TO-WEEK BASIS?

“Honestly, I kind of feel like it would be harder to build – like out of six weeks and you had four short-tracks, we wouldn’t have time to breathe because we’d be sucking so back. But when you have four out of six weeks with a 1.5-mile track, it would feel pretty good. We’d be excited about that, ready for that. I think it’s a matter of your program and how that’s looking for you in the particular moment. We kind of know our weaknesses and know that we need to get better on those and continue to evolve the whole organization.”

IF YOU DON’T GET ANY PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING, ARE YOU IN MORE OF A DISADVANTAGE IN THE FACT THAT YOU’VE NEVER RACED A RCR CAR HERE AT THIS TRACK? 

“Yeah, certainly that could kind of be a little bit of a stance. I would just hope that the simulator stuff that we did, as well as the sheets that we’re able to see and the notes that we’re able to see from the Hendrick Motorsports’ guys and whatnot – what they’ve done because Kyle (Larson) tested here. He tested here a few months ago or whenever it was for the tire test, so we kind of relied heavily on that and what those guys did, and through our key partner relationship with Chevrolet. If we don’t have any practice or anything like that, that’s what we would base off of.”

GATEWAY LAST YEAR WAS AN INAUGURAL EVENT AND EVERYBODY WAS UP ON THE WHEEL BECAUSE YOU WANT TO WIN THE FIRST ONE. BUT OTHER THAN THAT, WHY DO YOU THINK IT RACED MORE LIKE A SHORT-TRACK, WHERE IT WAS EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE, EVEN FOR A TRACK OF THAT SIZE?

“Yeah, I guess probably more so because of the shifting than anything. You’re able to go into the corner and downshift, and come out of the corner and have the torque, engine and everything else. If you kind of slip up or you bog the center of the corner down a little too much because your car is too tight, you’re going to lose that momentum and you’re not going to have that speed, so you’re just going to be slow. I feel like everybody can kind of bounce right back coming out of the turns in relation to their center of the corner speed. But overall, yeah I thought it was quite an interesting race. I feel like the line really moved around a lot. I could not run the bottom at either end of the race track – I was kind of a top guy. So that was kind of fun to see the place really have some character.”

SINCE YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH RCR AND THE WINERY, HAVE YOU BEEN DRAWN INTO THAT WORLD? HAS HE TAKEN YOU THERE AND MAYBE DONE SOME MEETING OR EVENTS?

“Well that was actually our first meeting that we had after Austin (Dillon) called me, and when it was time to have a discussion with Richard (Childress), that is where we met. That was pretty cool. It was my second time being there – my first time being there was for Dale Jr.’s wedding, and then that was my second time there. And then we’ve had a couple meetings since. I invited everybody from RCR’s management team and whatnot all out to dinner to do a dinner for them and I wanted to take them somewhere. Richard insisted that we went to the winery, so we ended up going back up there again for that function. It’s a super nice place. It’s really pretty up there. They’re doing some expansion right now, so he’s well-vested in that and it seems to be a really good business form.”

IT’S BEEN A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW SINCE THE ELIGIBILTY RULES CHANGED WITH TRUCK AND XFINITY. YOU’RE BACK IN THE XFINITY CAR THIS WEEKEND. WITH HOW MUCH WE KNOW YOU LOVE TO RACE, THESE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS BEING LIMITED SO MUCH, DO YOU STILL FEEL FULFILLED WITH THE RACING THAT YOU CAN DO, OR HOW MUCH DO YOU MISS NOT BEING ABLE TO RUN AS MUCH AS YOU WANT TO? 

“Yeah, definitely miss being able to run as much as I want to a lot. I would love to have way more Truck races, especially. I thought we started out strong and we were going to have a good year with winning at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway) with the KBM Chevrolet’s, but unfortunately we’ve been terrible since. We’re missing something somewhere and we’re trying to figure out why and what. We have an idea, but we haven’t necessarily conquered it yet. That would be one that I would really like to get back into would be the Truck Series and running my own stuff a little bit more.. having some more races to kind of just build the program and make sure that we are where we need to be with our younger drivers. Not necessarily having that experience to be able to dictate and tell exactly what’s wrong with our vehicle dynamic and stuff like that. 

The Xfinity side, I could take it or I could leave it. I enjoy racing anything as much as I can. Maybe because I haven’t done them as much lately, the triple in Vegas was a little bit much. But if you’re back to doing them again more periodically, your body gets used to it. That’s how I was early on when I first starting doing triple’s. It was hard and then I got used to it, and then it was easy. Now you’re kind of back out of it, so it’s no different than a workout regimen. You just have to get back in.”

ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, YOU’VE DONE MORE AWAY FROM NASCAR WITH THE DIRT STUFF.

“I have to.. what other choices do I have (laughs).”

HOW MUCH HAS THAT HELPED THAT YOU CAN AT LEAST STAY BUSY SOMEHOW, WHETHER IT’S WITH BREXTON OR TRYING DIFFERENT TYPES OF RACING? 

“Yeah, I mean that’s just kind of it, right? Like (Kyle) Larson, I think he’s going to run 100 shows this year, and that’s just insane. I think I’m only going to be about 20. But the key reason, or the main reason, why I do what I do on the dirt side is just with Brexton. He gets to go run his go-kart stuff or his junior sprint stuff, and I’ll run the micros. We’ll run on the same night, so we’ll be together. We have a big week next week coming up, where we’re going to go to St. Louis and run at Tri-Cities on Thursday, Doe Run on Friday and Wayne County on Saturday – him and me both. It’s going to be a lot of fun to be able to go up there and race those three tracks on three separate nights, and have a good time running, him and I.”

HAVE YOU DONE ANY SIM LAPS FOR THE CHICAGO RACE AT ALL YET? 

“No.. not in sim, but on iRacing. We did some stuff on iRacing.”

WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS? 

“Some of the corners were really, really tight. And how they have the walls coming out of the corners – on the sim, it had cones. You’re coming down this straightaway and there’s another straightaway there, but the ground, the road, is separated with a wall in the middle and there’s cones that are blocking off where they don’t want you to go. So I thought that was weird.. I’m like just extend the wall. But maybe they don’t want to extend the wall because they need areas for safety crews to get out. I’m not the scientist on that, but anyways it just seemed weird when you’re coming around a corner and you have to miss the end of a wall.”

JOHN H. NEMECHEK WAS IN HERE EARLIER AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE ASKING HIM WHAT HIS NEXT STEP IS AND IF IT WAS INVALUABLE FOR HIM TO GO BACK TO TRUCKS AND WORK HIS WAY BACK UP. IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT DOES HE NEED TO GET THAT NEXT STEP TO BE A FULL-TIME CUP DRIVER?

“This isn’t to be mean or rude or a bad word.. but he needs six million bucks and he’ll be in a JGR Cup car next year. That’s all he needs.”

INAUDIBLE..

“It’s not a success game anymore.. it’s a money game. So if he can find the cash, then there will be a seat for him I’m pretty sure.”

INAUDIBLE..

“Oh yeah. I mean we wouldn’t be racing the stuff that he’s racing right now, as much as he’s racing right now, if it wasn’t for the Serv-Pro sponsorship that we have on Brexton. There’s no question that you have to have funding behind you because these owners anymore – there’s not enough money in the sport that they’re making money that they’re willing to reinvest it into their talent pool, into their driver pool, and put it out there. I think Rick (Hendrick) is probably the only one with (Kyle) Larson. Everybody else is all sponsorship driven and fortunately for me, I’ve got some great sponsors this year behind me with RCR. Our program has been building and we’ve been continuing to expand forward on the sponsorship side, so that’s good.”

INAUDIBLE..

“Yeah, I mean I felt like he (John H. Nemechek) was really good at KBM. He was engaged. He did a good job. He was always reliable. We could ask him to do sim and he would be there. I feel like on the Xfinity side, he’s been running up front. He’s been fast and he’s been doing a good job. He’s arguably in the series’ best equipment, but when you’re able to excel in that and go out there and win races week in and week out, that gives you that chance or that notoriety to say – hey, I can move up to the next level.. I’m ready for it.”

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A COCA-COLA 600 WIN ON YOUR RESUME AND WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO ADD ONE MORE? 

“Yeah, I love this race. I remember watching this race as a kid when I was growing up. May or may not have fallen asleep during it, at least at some point.. it’s just really long (laughs). But it’s got the history of 600 miles and man versus machine and all that sort of stuff. Equipment in this day in age is entirely different than what equipment used to be, but it’s a cool chance for us to go out there and run the longest race of the year, and then also kind of feel what that’s like. There’s been a couple times here when you get to mile marker 500 and you’re like – damn, there’s still 100 more miles to go. It will wear on you, for sure, if you’re not made or it or ready for it. But this place is really, really rough over the years and has gotten a lot of character back into it since the repave in I think 2007 maybe, 2008. It’s pretty rough and bumpy, so the 600 miles around here will definitely wear on you.”

WHAT’S YOUR ATTITUDE COMING INTO THIS RACE AFTER COMING SO CLOSE LAST YEAR? ARE YOU STILL FIRED UP ABOUT THAT FINISH, AND WHAT’S YOUR MENTALITY?

“Yeah, we had a really good car early in the race, and then I spun and kind of ruined it. We had a bad race through the middle and we just missed all the wrecks and were in a good spot at the end. We got lucky to actually finish second. It would have been really fun, yet lucky, to win and beat out my teammate Denny (Hamlin) last year. His car was still in good shape and mine was not. Overall, yeah just want to get out on a 1.5-mile track again. Like I said, Kansas was a really good run for us. We got in a bad spot and we crashed, so it would be nice to come back out here and have a good, strong run. Get a top-five and some good points out of this race. There are four stages this week, so that’s going to be a big point reward. Hopefully we can do a good job.”

News from Abel Motorsports

ABEL Motorsports chief mechanic Greg Senerius celebrates after winning the Clint Brawner Mechanical Excellence AwardPhoto Courtesy Penske Entertainment: Dana Garrett
Veteran Chief Mechanic Greg Senerius Keeps May Momentum Rolling for ABEL, Earns Brawner Honor

(May 26, 2023) SPEEDWAY, In- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:


The roller-coaster ride of their first Indy 500 experience continues to reach new highs for upstart IndyCar team ABEL Motorsports of Louisville, KY and Speedway, IN.  Just six days after locking in to their first 500 start courtesy of a great four-lap qualifying run last Saturday by rookie driver RC Enerson of New Port Richey, FL, a key member of the ABEL team has claimed one of the month’s big prizes:   Crew Chief Greg Senerius has won the prestigious Clint Brawner Mechanical Excellence Award as the top Chief Mechanic at this year’s Indy 500. Senerius was selected as this year’s crew person who “best exemplifies the mechanical and scientific creativity, ingenuity, perseverance, dedication, enthusiasm and expertise of Clint Brawner”.   Brawner was chief mechanic for 51 National Championship (IndyCar) race victories including 17 by the legendary Jimmy Bryan and 29 by Mario Andretti, including Mario’s 1969 Indy 500 win. Team Manager John Brunner recruited Senerius two seasons ago to serve as Crew Chief on ABEL Motorsports’ flagship Indy NXT entry.  “This whole Indy effort, we’ve been so blessed.   The support of our team has been tremendous.  Greg was the first person I brought on when I joined ABEL in 2021.    The expression on his face was awesome when we told him he’d won.  He’s so deserving of the honor.   We know what we have in Greg, it’s the reason we brought him here.   He has worked a tremendous amount of IndyCar races, and to win this award with us is just very cool and very well earned.”  Team Principal Bill Abel says the Brawner award is a great honor for  Senerius.“For Greg to win that award, I’m so happy for him.  He’s the most unassuming, laid-back guy.   It’s his 18th Indy 500.  Now, for him to be recognized for all the talents we know he has is such a great honor.  Our car is good evidence of what he’s capable of.  It’s well deserved and we’re super proud of him.” This Sunday, May 28th, Senerius, Brunner and the rest of the ABEL Motorsports crew will roll the #50 Chevy/Dallara entry onto the grid for their first Indy 500 as a team.   Driver RC Enerson qualified the car 29th for the 107th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.   The green flag falls at 12:45 PM ET with live coverage on NBC TV, Peacock, and the IMS Radio Network.

chevy racing–indycar–practice report 5/26

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT MAY 26, 2023 TEAM CHEVY SHIFTS SIGHTS TO INDIANAPOLIS 500 RACE DAY AFTER FINAL PRACTICE Will Power of Team Penske led the Chevrolet drivers in the final practice session before Sunday’s 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, finishing third on the charts with his fastest speed of 226.953 MPH and turning a total of 82 laps.INDYCAR Series Rookie and Argentinian phenom Agustin Canapino finished the Carb Day practice session sixth with a fastest speed of 226.532 MPH.Team Chevy occupied four of the top-10 spots on the leaderboard.In the finals of the Carb Day Pit Stop Challenge, Team Penske driver Will Power finished second behind Scott Dixon.Carb Day fans were treated to an Ice Cream Social after practice by Chevrolet drivers, handing out 3,300 ice cream sandwiches provided by the American Dairy Association of Indiana.The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 will air live on NBC starting at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 28, 2023. Coverage can also be found on Peacock, and through both INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 160. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 PRACTICE RESULT:Pos. Driver3rd     Will Power6th     Agustin Canapino9th     Josef Newgarden10th   Scott McLaughlin WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”We spent the session just dialing in our race car. We ended pretty happy, so I’m pleased with the changes that we made and with how it’s feeling. Obviously, race day, you never know if it’s going to be identical to this or not, so I think it’s a good start for sure. We’re starting in the middle of the second row, so that’s a definitely a good position.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”I thought it was pretty much where we wanted to end. It was a smooth Carb Day. The car felt good in traffic and it felt good up front. We did a full run and it felt like we had a good car over the stint, so we said let’s not risk it. We parked it and did some pit stops and cut the session short a bit. So it’s a good feeling going into the big one.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“First of all, it’s amazing to see so many people turn out on a Friday morning for practice. The fan turnout the past two weeks has been amazing, so thanks to everyone. From our side, we got through our program. The car feels really nice, and I think we’re all cautiously optimistic about what we can accomplish on Sunday.”
Tony Kanaan, No. 66 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”We went through some pit stops and tried a couple things to fine-tune the car for Sunday. I think we’re happy and ready to go. “The crowd at Carb Day today was unbelievable, this is back to the old days. It’s amazing. We keep saying this, but we fought to grow this series to the way it used to be, and now it’s back.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“Well, that’s practice done. I think everyone finished in a pretty happy place. That’s what you want here. You want to be able to kind of put it away and go racing. We went through our program, tried a few different downforce levels, and got some hot stop practice with the crews for pit stops. So, let’s go.”
Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“It’s our final day of driving before the big race, the big event. Had to work a lot with the car. We it into a much better window, which is nice. It’s just tough we don’t have more running on track to get there. But looking good. Looking forward to it. Should be massive this year. Should be lots of people coming, the biggest since the 100th Running. But yeah, within the team looking good. Agustin (Canapino) is looking good, too. We’ll see.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We finished Carb Day P6. Really, really good day for us. Of course, we need to improve a lot our pace. We have some work to do on pit stops. But at the moment, really good. We are continuing our improvement, and we will do our best on Sunday.” JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, and TONY KANAAN, No. 66 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:Joined now by Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Shell Powering Progress Team Penske Chevrolet, who starts 17th on Sunday, finished ninth in today’s two-hour practice. What did you get done today?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: We just tried to sort of practice race, literally. Kind of seems self-explanatory, but I think everyone approaches this last session differently. We just try to do a dress rehearsal from our end and really get into the rhythm of what we’re going to do on Sunday, and I feel good about our car.I think the Shell car is quick. I think it feels comfortable. We got it really good at the end there. We’ve just got to be solid on race day as always. Can be no mistakes here, good execution. That’s what it’s going to take.
Q. Since you drive for Team Penske and with you also being sponsored by Shell, between now and race day, what will your week be like in terms of all the personal appearances and everything that you need to do not only for Roger and Tim but for Shell?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s been busy, but I wouldn’t say abnormally busy. It’s just always jam-packed today. Tomorrow is very jam-packed. But I will say one of the greatest things about driving for Team Penske is they don’t request anything from us on race day morning, which is lovely. I just think it’s fantastic. We get everything out of the way on Saturday. It’s a busy day, but then we can wake up for race day and be free and clear, just get ready for the race. That’s our only commitment.
Yeah, not a big deal from my end. It’s great to be here with Shell.
It’s fun to drive the Shell car because of what they’re doing. This is a big year for the series. Obviously we’re touting it Powering Progress, and the whole field is powered by Shell. We’re all running sustainable fuel, and with INDYCAR and its positioning on sustainability with Firestone and everyone else, I think Shell is doing a tremendous job, so it’s fun to be carrying that flag on race day.
THE MODERATOR: Also joined by Tony Kanaan, driver of the No. 66 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, who starts ninth on Sunday. 11th quick today. What did you get done today? Happy with it?
TONY KANAAN: Yeah, went through some pit stops and tried a couple different things that we’re just going to guess what we need to do Saturday night and Sunday morning, but yeah, fairly happy. I think it’s been a very smooth month. So time to go now.Q. How do you think you guys will perform on Sunday in traffic?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know that it’s going to look tremendously different to last year. I think it is easier to stay close, but in the train, everyone is kind of utilizing the tow. Until you get to the back half of a stint, there’s probably going to be a little bit of sitting, but certainly up front, it’s easy to make moves in that situation.So I think the race for the win will be exciting as always.
TONY KANAAN: The same, like he said.
THE MODERATOR: Alex Palou is joining us, who happens to start from the pole on Sunday – not to be rude – driver of the No. 10 the American Legion Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, starts from pole, fourth quick today. Your thoughts on that?
Q. For any of you but specifically Tony, you said on the radio on coming in, “It’s too crazy out here.” Was today’s session abnormally obnoxious?
TONY KANAAN: No, I mean — no. It’s been crazy. We saw what happened the other day. But when I saw three wide into Turn 1, 20 minutes to go, why do you want to do that? So I’m like, I’m out. I don’t need this.
Some of us are starting fairly in the front, so I said, all right, I’m not planning to have 20 cars in front of me; hopefully that’s not going to happen, so I’m not going to run out there in the back, and that’s exactly what happened. Somebody is trying to go to the back, and some of these guys are — I don’t know. It’s not a big deal, but I’m like, I don’t want any part of it.
Q. Did either of you think today’s practice was aggressive?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think there was parts of it, but you always get that on an aggressive end to a session when it’s like a Happy Hour or specifically today. Everyone was really racing today, and like Tony said, there was probably some moments where it was unnecessary.
But I think the intensity was up. Everyone was kind of race running today, trying to really practice what it was going to be like, which is good, but there’s probably a couple moments you just don’t want to insert yourself into.
Q. I asked Herta this, as well. Ganassi, McLaren, Penske, is there anyone that we’re overlooking that people are not really paying attention to? I can tell you who Herta said.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Who did he say?
Q. Canapino.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: All year, man, Canapino.
TONY KANAAN: Yeah, I think Santino can be fast if they all get it right in the pits and stuff. He finished up front here in the past, he ran up front, and he has a really good car, so I think he’s going to be tough.
Canapino maybe 20 laps to go, he’s going to get the welcome to Indianapolis.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you put Canapino in position at the end and, ooh, he would go for it.
TONY KANAAN: He would go for it.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: He’s got Argentina on his back, the whole country.No, he’s been impressive. I’m not knocking Canapino. He’s very, very impressive this year and people wrote him off before he even started. He’s done tremendously well for no experience. I can’t speak highly enough about it.
But to answer your question, I think it’s hard to really single anyone out these days. Obviously you have favorites and reasonably so. You’re mentioning the top teams. But INDYCAR is just so competitive nowadays, and we say it every year, but it is continually getting closer.
Anyone can win this race, genuinely. The strategy can flip on its head with 50 to go and all of a sudden the front runners are in the back and vice versa. You just don’t know how it’s going to shape up. It could be a normal day, it could be a crazy day. It’s always a guess when you come into these things. You have a plan, but you’ve got to be able to move from your plan.
Q. Josef, Alex was saying the other day that starting on pole, you can’t really control the race here (indiscernible) sort of rush to the front. Starting from 17th what’s your mindset? Is there more urgency to get in the mix and then know that things sort of unfold —
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, no, there’s no rush with 500 miles. I would say that. Certainly not in the first stint.
When there’s an opportunity to make passes to start the restart, those are your best opportunities so you’re going to try and maximize that. But there’s not a hurry, I think, starting 17th. I don’t think there would be a hurry if you’re starting 25th. You’ve just got to have a really good consistent day and march your way forward. We started pretty far back last year and had the same trajectory going that I think you need to have and then we had a bad pit stop in the middle of the race and it totally derailed the race for us.
No, I don’t think there’s urgency. I’d much prefer to start up front next to my pickleball teammate, but we are where we are, and we’ve got to make the most of it, and I think we’ve got plenty of time to get up there.
Q. Everybody has been talking about how tight this race is going to be, but does it have the potential to be a slugfest, lots of wild passing throughout the race?
TONY KANAAN: No. I think it’s going to be competitive, and just yeah, you can look at it both ways. You can say this is boring because nobody passes or I was inside or trying to set up a pass, and passes will be happening late if not, but I think it’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be easy.
I mean, if you’re not in the top 5 the ending of the race, I don’t think you have a chance.
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I agree with these guys. I just don’t think it’s going to be that different from last year outside of the very front. The first two cars, it is easier to follow. We have more downforce. But the effect behind the first two cars is sort of similar to where we’ve been, so I don’t think that’s going to be drastically different.
Q. Drivers have been saying that at the white flag they want to be second with the opportunity to make the pass on the last lap, but how can you position yourself to make sure you’re second?
JOSEF NEWGARDEN: You have to watch to find out.
TONY KANAAN: Same. Watch it. Different times. Last year I was third and I couldn’t do anything. Especially with the zigzag new model of racing that we created in the last two laps lately, it’s tough.
Q. TK, what’s your experience been now that we’ve got a big crowd today, big crowd tomorrow, big crowd Sunday, parade? We’ve talked to you about your race, we’ve talked to you about your own approach, but now that it’s getting real, what’s this like with the people?
TONY KANAAN: It’s awesome. It takes a lot longer for me to go from A to B. Everybody has something nice to say, and I’m just taking it in.
It’s really cool. I mean, I don’t think none of us here started racing to be famous or to be recognized by fans. We just race because we love. But then see the impact and how much people appreciate what I’ve done, it actually honestly feels quite nice.
I’m enjoying it. I have big moments of happiness and then I cry, and I’m happy again. But I knew that was going to happen from today on, tomorrow the parade, and I don’t know how I’m going to hold myself at drivers’ intro, but after that we’ll just go what we need to do. We’ll leave it all out there for one last time.

1 MONTH ALERT: Upper Midwest Swing Sets 4 Races in 5 Days for World of Outlaws Late Models

MASON CITY, IA – May 26, 2023 – Action is set to pick up for the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series come mid-season with visits to four tracks in five days.

The swing will kick off at Mason City Motor Speedway (Tuesday, June 27) before heading north to Red River Valley Speedway for the Titan Machinery Showdown (Wednesday, June 28). Then, the Series will take a day off on Thursday before returning to River Cities Speedway (Friday, June 30). The World of Outlaws will cap off the swing and bring in July with a trip to I-94 EMR Speedway (Saturday, July 1).

Payouts increase as the week goes on with the events at Mason City and Red River Valley paying $10,000 to win, then River Cities paying $12,000 to win and I-94 paying $15,000 to win.

The Series is making its debut at Mason City, returning to Red River for the first time since 2020, its 15th appearance at River Cities and first return to I-94 since 2021.

What you need to know:

MASON CITY, JUNE 27
Track:
1/3-mile track in Mason City, IA

Times (CT):
TBA

Tickets: Available at the track

RED RIVER VALLEY, JUNE 28 (Titan Machinery Showdown)
Track:
3/8-mile in West Fargo, ND

Times (CT):
TBA

Tickets: Available at the track

Previous winners:
2020- Darrell Lanigan
2019- Brandon Sheppard
2005 – Steve Francis on July 30; Steve Francis on July 29
2004 – Steve Francis on Aug. 7
1989 – Kevin Thompson on June 8

RIVER CITIES, JUNE 30
Track:
1/4-mile in Grand Forks, ND

Times (CT):
2 p.m. Pit Gates open
5 p.m. Grandstand Gates open
6:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Tickets: Available at the track

Previous winners:
2021 – Dennis Erb. Jr on July 16
2020 – Brandon Sheppard on July 19
2019 – Brandon Sheppard on July 12
2018 – Mike Marlar on July 13
2017 – Shane Clanton on July 14
2015 – Tim McCreadie on July 10
2014 – Tim Fuller on July 18
2012 – Darrell Lanigan on July 13
2011 – Tim McCreadie on July 15
2010 – Austin Hubbard on July 9
2009 – Josh Richards on 10
2008 – Brady Smith on July 11
2007 – Tim Fuller on June 12
2006 – Darrell Lanigan on May 30

I-94 EMR SPEEDWAY, JULY 1
Track:
3/8-mile in Fergus Fall, MN

Times (CT):
2 p.m. – Pit Gates Open
5 p.m. – Grandstand Gates Open
6:30 p.m. – Hot Laps/Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Tickets: Available HERE

Previous winners:
2021- Frank Heckenast Jr. on July 17

JOSH HART SET TO RACE CRUZ PEDREGON AT SNAP-ON SUPERSPEEDWAY EVENT

OCALA, FL (May 26, 2023) — NHRA Top Fuel championship contender Josh Hart will be squaring off with two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon on Monday, May 29, at Lucas Oil Raceway as part of the grand prize Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. Snap-on Tools will be hosting 24 VIP contest winners and their guests at the Indy 500 on Sunday and then at an all-day fully immersive day of drag racing that will include instruction in the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School culminating with a side-by-side exhibition race between Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster and Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Funny Car.

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Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“Cruz called and asked me if I would be interested in racing him in front of some of the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest winners and franchisees. I jumped at the chance,” said Hart, who has two Top Fuel national event titles to his credit. “I have never made a pass beside a nitro Funny Car and I can’t wait. This is a really cool event Snap-on Tools is hosting giving these winners the chance to check out the Indy 500 and then get a full day of drag racing.” 

The Snap-on Superspeedway event is the final chapter of the contest that has afforded Snap-on customers and franchisees the chance to win prizes ranging from tools to Traxxas radio-controlled cars to the grand prize event. Twelve customer winners plus a guest and twelve franchisee winners and a guest will be treated to an amazing two-day racing experience. On Monday, the winners will enjoy a full day of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School instruction and racing. There will also be an opportunity for them to take rides on a separate AutoCross course set up at the track. The Pedregon versus Hart side-by-side Funny Car versus Top Fuel dragster exhibition run will take place at 5 p.m. before the group enjoys hospitality at the track.

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Cruz Pedregon and the Snap-on Dodge Charger Funny Car, photo by NHRA/National Dragster

“Our race will be a nice 24,000-horsepower appetizer for the Snap-on Tools guests before they end the day with dinner and dessert,” said Hart. “I can’t thank Cruz enough for asking me to participate. He is an amazing competitor and great ambassador for Snap-on Tools. This will be a fun race.”

Hart and Pedregon will head from Indianapolis to Epping, New Hampshire at the end of the week for the NHRA New England Nationals from New England Dragway, June 2-4.

Davenport Returns to Lucas Oil Victory with Cowboy Classic Win

WHEATLAND, Mo. (May 25, 2023) – Jonathan Davenport led all 45 laps of the Cowboy Classic on Thursday night at Lucas Oil Speedway to kick off the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism weekend with the victory. The win was Davenport’s first since he captured the Lucas Oil MLRA Spring Nationals on April 1st. Davenport’s second Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season came as he held off a hard-charging Ricky Thornton Jr. in the final 10 laps to win by .967 seconds over the current Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP points leader. Thornton earned the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race with his tenth to second performance.  Tyler Bruening ran in second for the first half of the race until Thornton got by him. Bruening rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Tim McCreadie was fourth followed by Spencer Hughes who rounded out the top five drivers at the finish. Davenport was in control to the race from the start, but lapped traffic allowed Thornton to catch up to him after he had passed Bruening for second. Thornton pulled even with Davenport a handful of times and the two made slight contact in turn three racing for the lead. Davenport was able to hold off Thornton to score his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since January 30th at Bubba Raceway Park.  Davenport in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 67th time in his career was relieved to be back on top of the podium. “The racetrack was awesome for about the first 30 laps. They caught me before I moved up enough. Hats off to the track crew they did a great job, they don’t need to really overdo it for Saturday night. We have been off a little bit. It’s been a lot leading up this. We’ve learned a lot what not to do. We’ve learned somewhat what to do now to these race cars.” Davenport who won the Show-Me 100 in 2015 and was in contention for the win a year ago until a mishap with a lapped car is set on redemption in Saturday night’s $50,000 to win crown jewel. “I sure hope so it turns out better this year than last year’s race. I have had two or three races circled on my calendar from last year that I let get away that we should have won.” Thornton, who swept the two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races last weekend gave Davenport fits a few times in a race that went caution-free. “I thought for sure I was spinning him [Davenport] out down there. He moved off the bottom in three and I was trying to squeeze by him on the outside and I caught him with my left front flopper. I barely caught his quarter-panel, but I didn’t spin him around. We had a good car. I found the bottom there before anyone else and that’s how I got to second.”  Bruening rounded out the podium in third as he picked up some valuable points which set’s the lineup for Saturday night. “The car was really good tonight. We were just a spot or two short there. Jonathan was good, Ricky’s been good all year. Those guys are tough. They are at the top of their game. It’s good to have a Capital up front. You either quit or you keep working and keep trying. We are not going to quit. We are going to keep trying to get better. Eventually we will be a spot, or two better and we will get that first win.” The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Dyna Gro Seed, Lucas Oil Products, Bilstein Shocks, VP Fuels, Mark Martin Automotive, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, ASC Warranty, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Dillon McCowan, Chis Simpson, Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, and Jimmy Owens. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 10th Annual Cowboy ClassicThursday, May 25, 2023Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Garrett Alberson / 15.809 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport / 16.017 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 8-Dillon McCowan[2]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 4. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[7]; 5. 82-Jace Parmley[8]; 6. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 8. 93-Mason Oberkramer[5]; 9. 19M-Colby Moore[9]; 10. 15L-Payton Looney[10]
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 32-Chris Simpson[2]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[7]; 4. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[6]; 5. 96-Dalton Imhoff[5]; 6. USA1-Chris Hawkins[9]; 7. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 8. 11H-Jeff Herzog[4]; 9. 26-Glen Powell[8]; 10. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil 
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 15-Justin Duty[2]; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley[6]; 5. USA28-Kylan Garner[4]; 6. 45-Cole Wells[7]; 7. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[10]; 8. 15T-Matt Johnson[8]; 9. 1X-Aaron Marrant[5]; 10. 29-Chandler Moenning[9] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 4. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[5]; 5. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 6. 50-Kaeden Cornell[4]; 7. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 8. 11K-Jon Kirby[6]; 9. 1A-Bryon Allison[9]; 10. 14R-Jeff Roth[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 3. 51-Larry Ferris[2]; 4. 25C-Chad Simpson[4]; 5. 2-Tyler Stevens[6]; 6. 54-David Breazeale[3]; 7. 22F-Chris Ferguson[8]; 8. 3-Brennon Willard[7]; 9. 78S-Steve Stultz[9]; 10. 50C-Kayden Clatt[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 7W-Ricky Weiss[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 111B-Max Blair[2]; 4. 94-Austin Rettig[4]; 5. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[6]; 6. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[7]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 22H-Dustin Hodges[5]; 9. 36-Mark Daye[9] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 3. 82-Jace Parmley[3]; 4. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[1]; 5. 11H-Jeff Herzog[10]; 6. 7D-Dusty Leonard[7]; 7. 93-Mason Oberkramer[9]; 8. 96-Dalton Imhoff[4]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 10. USA1-Chris Hawkins[6]; 11. 19M-Colby Moore[11]; 12. 26-Glen Powell[12]; 13. (DNS) 15L-Payton Looney; 14. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil UNOH B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 2. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 14M-Morgan Bagley[1]; 4. 45-Cole Wells[5]; 5. 15T-Matt Johnson[9]; 6. USA28-Kylan Garner[3]; 7. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[7]; 8. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 9. 50-Kaeden Cornell[6]; 10. 11K-Jon Kirby[10]; 11. 1A-Bryon Allison[12]; 12. 14R-Jeff Roth[14]; 13. 29-Chandler Moenning[13]; 14. 1X-Aaron Marrant[11] MyRacePass B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 25C-Chad Simpson[1]; 2. 2-Tyler Stevens[3]; 3. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[4]; 4. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[6]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 6. 94-Austin Rettig[2]; 7. 22F-Chris Ferguson[7]; 8. 54-David Breazeale[5]; 9. 3-Brennon Willard[9]; 10. 22H-Dustin Hodges[10]; 11. 36-Mark Daye[12]; 12. 78S-Steve Stultz[11]; 13. 50C-Kayden Clatt[13]
10th Annual Cowboy Classic Feature Finish (45 Laps): 
Race Statistics Entrants: 59Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Dillon McCowanLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-45)Wieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.967 secondsGorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler BrueningPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler Bruening, Tim McCreadie, Spencer HughesTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Advanced 8 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Chris SimpsonDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Ricky WeissEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (45 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Max BlairEtchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Chad Simpson (Lap 44 – 16.166 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Tad Pospisil Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Devin Moran (15.229 seconds)Time of Race: 13 minutes 19 second

Davenport Returns to Lucas Oil Victory with Cowboy Classic Win

WHEATLAND, Mo. (May 25, 2023) – Jonathan Davenport led all 45 laps of the Cowboy Classic on Thursday night at Lucas Oil Speedway to kick off the 31st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism weekend with the victory. The win was Davenport’s first since he captured the Lucas Oil MLRA Spring Nationals on April 1st. Davenport’s second Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season came as he held off a hard-charging Ricky Thornton Jr. in the final 10 laps to win by .967 seconds over the current Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP points leader. Thornton earned the Todd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race with his tenth to second performance.  Tyler Bruening ran in second for the first half of the race until Thornton got by him. Bruening rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. Tim McCreadie was fourth followed by Spencer Hughes who rounded out the top five drivers at the finish. Davenport was in control to the race from the start, but lapped traffic allowed Thornton to catch up to him after he had passed Bruening for second. Thornton pulled even with Davenport a handful of times and the two made slight contact in turn three racing for the lead. Davenport was able to hold off Thornton to score his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since January 30th at Bubba Raceway Park.  Davenport in Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 67th time in his career was relieved to be back on top of the podium. “The racetrack was awesome for about the first 30 laps. They caught me before I moved up enough. Hats off to the track crew they did a great job, they don’t need to really overdo it for Saturday night. We have been off a little bit. It’s been a lot leading up this. We’ve learned a lot what not to do. We’ve learned somewhat what to do now to these race cars.” Davenport who won the Show-Me 100 in 2015 and was in contention for the win a year ago until a mishap with a lapped car is set on redemption in Saturday night’s $50,000 to win crown jewel. “I sure hope so it turns out better this year than last year’s race. I have had two or three races circled on my calendar from last year that I let get away that we should have won.” Thornton, who swept the two Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series races last weekend gave Davenport fits a few times in a race that went caution-free. “I thought for sure I was spinning him [Davenport] out down there. He moved off the bottom in three and I was trying to squeeze by him on the outside and I caught him with my left front flopper. I barely caught his quarter-panel, but I didn’t spin him around. We had a good car. I found the bottom there before anyone else and that’s how I got to second.”  Bruening rounded out the podium in third as he picked up some valuable points which set’s the lineup for Saturday night. “The car was really good tonight. We were just a spot or two short there. Jonathan was good, Ricky’s been good all year. Those guys are tough. They are at the top of their game. It’s good to have a Capital up front. You either quit or you keep working and keep trying. We are not going to quit. We are going to keep trying to get better. Eventually we will be a spot, or two better and we will get that first win.” The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Dyna Gro Seed, Lucas Oil Products, Bilstein Shocks, VP Fuels, Mark Martin Automotive, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, ASC Warranty, and Midwest Sheet Metal. Completing the top ten were Dillon McCowan, Chis Simpson, Devin Moran, Tyler Erb, and Jimmy Owens. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 10th Annual Cowboy ClassicThursday, May 25, 2023Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Garrett Alberson / 15.809 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Jonathan Davenport / 16.017 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 8-Dillon McCowan[2]; 2. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[1]; 4. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[7]; 5. 82-Jace Parmley[8]; 6. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[3]; 7. 7D-Dusty Leonard[6]; 8. 93-Mason Oberkramer[5]; 9. 19M-Colby Moore[9]; 10. 15L-Payton Looney[10]
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 32-Chris Simpson[2]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[7]; 4. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[6]; 5. 96-Dalton Imhoff[5]; 6. USA1-Chris Hawkins[9]; 7. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 8. 11H-Jeff Herzog[4]; 9. 26-Glen Powell[8]; 10. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil 
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 11-Spencer Hughes[1]; 2. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 3. 15-Justin Duty[2]; 4. 14M-Morgan Bagley[6]; 5. USA28-Kylan Garner[4]; 6. 45-Cole Wells[7]; 7. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[10]; 8. 15T-Matt Johnson[8]; 9. 1X-Aaron Marrant[5]; 10. 29-Chandler Moenning[9] AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[2]; 3. 20-Jimmy Owens[3]; 4. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[5]; 5. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 6. 50-Kaeden Cornell[4]; 7. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 8. 11K-Jon Kirby[6]; 9. 1A-Bryon Allison[9]; 10. 14R-Jeff Roth[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 3. 51-Larry Ferris[2]; 4. 25C-Chad Simpson[4]; 5. 2-Tyler Stevens[6]; 6. 54-David Breazeale[3]; 7. 22F-Chris Ferguson[8]; 8. 3-Brennon Willard[7]; 9. 78S-Steve Stultz[9]; 10. 50C-Kayden Clatt[10] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 (8 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 7W-Ricky Weiss[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 111B-Max Blair[2]; 4. 94-Austin Rettig[4]; 5. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[6]; 6. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[7]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 8. 22H-Dustin Hodges[5]; 9. 36-Mark Daye[9] Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 56JR-Tony Jackson Jr[2]; 2. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[5]; 3. 82-Jace Parmley[3]; 4. 1S-Jeremy Shaw[1]; 5. 11H-Jeff Herzog[10]; 6. 7D-Dusty Leonard[7]; 7. 93-Mason Oberkramer[9]; 8. 96-Dalton Imhoff[4]; 9. 99B-Boom Briggs[8]; 10. USA1-Chris Hawkins[6]; 11. 19M-Colby Moore[11]; 12. 26-Glen Powell[12]; 13. (DNS) 15L-Payton Looney; 14. (DNS) 04-Tad Pospisil UNOH B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 2. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 3. 14M-Morgan Bagley[1]; 4. 45-Cole Wells[5]; 5. 15T-Matt Johnson[9]; 6. USA28-Kylan Garner[3]; 7. 15V-Kolby Vandenbergh[7]; 8. 49J-Justin Wells[8]; 9. 50-Kaeden Cornell[6]; 10. 11K-Jon Kirby[10]; 11. 1A-Bryon Allison[12]; 12. 14R-Jeff Roth[14]; 13. 29-Chandler Moenning[13]; 14. 1X-Aaron Marrant[11] MyRacePass B-Main Race #2 (10 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 25C-Chad Simpson[1]; 2. 2-Tyler Stevens[3]; 3. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[4]; 4. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[6]; 5. 7-Ross Robinson[8]; 6. 94-Austin Rettig[2]; 7. 22F-Chris Ferguson[7]; 8. 54-David Breazeale[5]; 9. 3-Brennon Willard[9]; 10. 22H-Dustin Hodges[10]; 11. 36-Mark Daye[12]; 12. 78S-Steve Stultz[11]; 13. 50C-Kayden Clatt[13]
10th Annual Cowboy Classic Feature Finish (45 Laps): 
Race Statistics Entrants: 59Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Dillon McCowanLap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (Laps 1-45)Wieland Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportMargin of Victory: 0.967 secondsGorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler BrueningPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Tyler Bruening, Tim McCreadie, Spencer HughesTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Advanced 8 Positions)Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Chris SimpsonDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Ricky WeissEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (45 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr.O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Max BlairEtchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Chad Simpson (Lap 44 – 16.166 seconds)MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Tad Pospisil Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Devin Moran (15.229 seconds)Time of Race: 13 minutes 19 seconds

SHARON SMOKE: Chris Madden Dominates Opening Night of Sharon’s Battle at the Border

It’s the Gray Court, SC driver’s first Series win of 2023, and 34th overall

HARTFORD, OH – May 25, 2023  Chris Madden has been consistent with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series all season. But in 2023, a victory had eluded the Gray Court, SC driver.

That changed Thursday night at Sharon Speedway as Madden dominated the 25-lap Feature to score his first Series win of the season.

“Smokey” stormed by Drake Troutman on the opening lap, taking the lead in Turn 1 and quickly pulling away.

From there, some lap traffic and the race’s only caution didn’t faze the Series points leader as he cruised to the $6,000 win.

Madden said it was the best his Rocket Chassis had felt all season. 

“It’s the best it’s been all year,” Madden said. “We’ve just haven’t been able to put a finger on it and find it, but we’ve worked extremely hard, changed quite a few things, and I think we’re at least in the ballpark now. We have something we can work with.

“I’m just happy to have a balance I can feel and work off of again.”

The win is Madden’s 34th career World of Outlaws triumph, moving him to seventh on the all-time wins list.

He stated he’s grateful for everyone who’s stuck by him, despite struggling early in the year. 

“I just want to thank my sponsors and my guys for not giving up on me,” Madden said. “This is a tough, humbling sport. Everybody’s got to be tough, and your skin’s got to be thick to do this. You got to have good guys and good sponsors that stick with you through the toughness. We’re just thankful to have those.”

Madden’s win extends his points lead to 40 points over Ryan Gustin, who finished ninth. 

For a complete look at the points standings, CLICK HERE.

Bobby Pierce finished second, his third straight World of Outlaws top five, after electing to go to his backup car shortly before Hot Laps. 

The Oakwood, IL driver set fast time in Group B of Low-E Insulation Qualifying but finished second to Madden in the Heat Race. 

Pierce said he felt it might’ve been a different outcome in the Feature if he had won his heat.

“I think we could’ve possibly got the job done tonight if we would’ve beaten Madden in that Heat Race,” Pierce said. “We had a really good battle in the Heat Race, and for him to be the one who won the race, I guess it’s not too bad. That says we weren’t a bad second place.”

Mike Marlar, the 2018 Series champion, crossed the line third. 

The Winfield, TN driver said his tire choice and the race’s only caution, involving Gregg Satterlee, Breyton Santee, and Troutman, kept Marlar from rising further.

“I was a touch harder on tires than any of the guys around me,” Marlar said. “I got into second, and then when I got into traffic, my tires started working, and I moved out into the middle of the track. I was making some gain on [Madden], and then we had that caution, and it kind of reset everything in a short race.

“I lost two spots, and then after a few laps, my tires came back alive again, and I got one of them back. It’s just one of them deals when everyone is so close in competition. A lot of times, tire choice can make a big difference.”

Four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard finished fourth, and Germfree Lab Rookie of the Year leader Nick Hoffman rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models return to Sharon Speedway on Friday, May 26 for night two of the Battle at the Border. Drivers will return for another 25-lap Feature paying $6,000-to-win.

chevy racing–indycar–indycar media day group 3

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

INDYCAR MEDIA DAY TRANSCRIPT – GROUP 3

May 25, 2023

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 CHEVROLET AT ED CARPENTER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT’S YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL LIKE COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND? 

“I’m very confident. Of course my best starting position yet for the race. But also the car feels really good in race trim, and I think I have just that bit of extra experience to challenge for a race win at the end tomorrow or on Sunday.”

CONOR (DALY) SAID HE THINKS THAT THE TWO OF YOU ARE IN THE GROUP OF LIKE LOW, (SCOTT) DIXON, PATO (O’WARD) AND FELIX (ROSENQVIST). DOES THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT?

“I feel like that, too, and how Conor charges forward like he always does in the 500, so we can work together like the other guys do. No, I definitely think we have our stuff together for the race. The team knows what they’re doing. I think the atmosphere in the team is also great.”  

DO YOU FEEL LIKE CHEVY HAS AN EDGE OVER THE HONDAS?

“I mean, in race trim, I haven’t really felt it. At least we have — we’ve made a big step in qualifying, so that’s very important. It means a lot to Chevy. In the race, I think it doesn’t really matter. I think it’s more driver based. One driver has a better package than the other does.  

No, I think there’s a few guys that are going to look out for during the race, but it’s not like I feel an advantage or disadvantage with the Chevy.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE AERO CHANGES? I’VE HEARD DRIVERS TAKE OPINIONS IN 360 DEGREES. 

“We get more grip. I think the racing might be a bit closer. Also, so far, we’ve only had one crash on Monday, but so far the whole month has been great.

I think the stability wickers that were put on the car, I think it calmed the car down quite a bit in qual trim. Hopefully that terrible Turn 2 will stop happening this year.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE TIRE WEAR MIGHT BE AN ISSUE FOR SOME PEOPLE? HOW IS YOUR CAR ON THAT?

“I think I’m on the good side of the tire wear. Depends on the track heat, too. I think Sunday, it looks like it’s going to be overcast, not too hot, so I think we’re going to be on the good side of it, but I know some guys, even when I got through tires at the end of a four-lap qual run. I think we have a really good car to save some tires for the end.”

SOME DRIVERS HAVE DIFFERENT APPROACHES ON HOW THEY HANDLE TRACK POSITION. WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU WANT TO BE CLOSE TO THE RACE? DO YOU WANT TO BE THE ONE IN FRONT AND DEFEND, OR DO YOU WANT TO BE THE ONE TO GO FOR IT?

“Tough one. It really depends on what position I get in. For the last 10 laps or five laps of the race, I’d like to be first or second at least, have to attack one car or only have to defend one car. But yeah, for me it doesn’t matter. I’m good at defending and attacking. As long as I’m in that shot to win the race.” 

HOT OFF THE LINE, ARE YOU GOING TO GO STRAIGHT THROUGH OR SAVE FUEL?

“I think I’m in a position to save fuel and stay behind Alex (Rossi). It’s nice to lead the race, but it’s the nicest in one particular lap. That’s what we go for, and I think saving that fuel might give us the opportunity if the race proceeds that way to go for an Alex Rossi 2016 style strategy.”  

INDY 500 FOR YOU HASN’T ALWAYS — YOU’VE HAD SOME TOUGH RESULTS THERE LIKE LAST YEAR, AND YOUR QUALIFYING HASN’T ALWAYS LED YOU UP TO THE TOP. HOW ARE YOU FEELING THIS TIME? DO YOU THINK YOUR BAD LUCK WILL RUN OUT?

“I think so. I feel good this year, and I think I’m more focused than I’ve ever been coming into this race. I’m feeling very confident, so does the team. That will help, and also I think I’m a bit more mature and experienced than last year, and I think that’s what I needed to stay in the race for such a long time and attack at the end.”

THERE USED TO BE THREE 500-MILE RACES IN INDYCAR, BUT THERE’S ONLY ONE 500-MILE RACE, AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT A WHOLE YEAR. I KNOW YOU HAVE THE TEST HERE, BUT HOW DOES THAT IMPACT YOU AND THE TEAM WITH ONLY ONE 500-MILE RACE?

“I mean, it’s different than other races. It’s definitely longer. But I mean, I like the challenge. I like what every race has to offer. I like the fast pace of the shorter races, and I like the different way of saving fuel and tires until the last part of the race in 500-mile races now. 

Everything has its up and down sides, but this one only has ups.” 

YOU’RE STARTING UP TOWARDS THE FRONT THERE; HOW DO YOU THINK THE RACE WILL PLAY OUT? DO YOU THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT OF PASSING? DO YOU THINK THERE WON’T BE?

“I think there will be a lot of passing. With the extra downforce we have now, I think that will be the case, but also, yeah, really depends. I think there will be a lot of passing from P5 and back. I think the top 5 are kind of going to be saving fuel, saving tires for the end, and not taking much risk just to stay in contention.”

HAS THERE BEEN A LOT OF TIRE DEG? HAVE YOU NOTICED A LOT OF TIRE DEG?

“Some guys do. There is some tire deg, but I think we are on the good side of the deg. I’m feeling pretty good in that case.” 

MARCO WAS SAYING THAT HE WISHES THERE WAS MORE TIRE DEG. 

“I mean, this place is already tricky enough. More tire deg, I mean, it will give different strategies to different — there’s going to be more excitement, I think, in that way, but also I cannot imagine having tires go off like Iowa on this track because that would be terrifying. I mean, we’re going at such high speeds and we have such little downforce, and if we go sideways once, there’s zero air on the wings.

I’m fine the way it is.”  

SEEING THE CRASH ON MONDAY, DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY CONCERNS, MAKE YOU MORE SCARED?

“I mean, we are still racing, and there’s been a new head rest that’s introduced to create more safety. A hit like that, there’s a SAFER barrier. Stefan is a tall guy, too. I think that might be one of the problems there.

I think if Takuma (Sato) was in the car, it might have ended differently. 

It’s part of the job. That’s what makes it even cooler to get through the whole race and actually qualify up front, too. I mean, the risk makes it cool, yeah.”

DO YOU HAVE ALREADY A PLAN FOR HOW DO YOU WANT TO GO — DO YOU HAVE A PROCESS THAT YOU WANT? 

I think I can come up with a thousand different scenarios and they’re not going to happen. That’s how tricky this race is. But I have a plan of just making sure I’m in the top 5, 6 all the way through the race, and whenever the fuel save goes out the window and we go, we turn up that switch, I’m up there with the fast guys.

I want to contend for that win, and to finish first, you’ve first got to finish, so that is for me something very important to stay in that front group.”

ON GETTING THE INDY 500 WIN…

“It’s a dream come true to be in INDYCAR. To already have a win under my belt, a few podiums and now qualifying like this in Indianapolis is just very special, and hopefully we can translate it into something even more crazy, and that’s an Indy 500 win.” 

SANTINO FERRUCCI, NO. 14 CHEVROLET AT AJ FOYT RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU FOUND OUT YOU’D BE WORKING WITH MIKE (CANNON) AGAIN?

“Well, I had actually told Mike, talked to Mike before I made my decision because he’s one of the people that I really trust in the paddock, so I just wanted to talk him through my options and listen to his feedback, and once his contract was up and he could start negotiating because I knew he was on for a year with Ganassi, once he was up I was calling him quite a bit just trying to get a feel for what he was going to do. Yeah, it was nice to convince him to come to Foyt with Larry’s help, of course, and I kind of knew in December that I think all of that was going to go our way.”

YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT THIS IS YOUR BEST START HERE. HOW DO YOU HOLD YOUR EXPECTATIONS AND WISHES AGAINST 200 LAPS OF RACING?

“I don’t really think it changes at all. I think it’s one of those things where it’s nice I get to start a race and not have to pass a ton of cars, but I’m basically in the same spot that I would have liked to have gotten to by like lap 50, let’s say. I’m just starting there.  

So all I have to do is basically just kind of maintain, just run around. It’s just going to be — I’m hoping for a very boring race for myself up until probably the last stint or two.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE BY THE END OF THE DAY YOU’RE GOING TO BE ONE OF THOSE GUYS WHO’S MADE THE RIGHT DECISIONS TO HAVE ONE OF THOSE THREE CARS? IT’S ALL DOWN TO ABOUT THREE CARS THAT ARE REALLY READY TO BATTLE IT OUT FOR THE WIN?

“I’d say right now there’s six cars that could probably win this race if everything goes the correct way. Now, the order of which those six finish, if you take a look at last year’s race, you have the man that never makes a mistake made a mistake, the 10 car under what I’ve probably never seen as worse circumstances for a yellow, timely yellow. 

So it’s just anything. I’m kind of expecting something to happen to us, as I am everybody else. That’s what 500 miles does. There’s no way that — you could be the fastest car on track, and I think my boss has proved this the best in the ’70s, he finished second, third, second. You could have this race going all day long and still not win this race. I’ve already sat in that seat once at Gateway.” 

ALL THOSE LITTLE DECISIONS THAT GO INTO MAKING YOUR CAR ONE OF THE TOP CARS AT THE END OF THE DAY, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE TOTALLY PREPARED TO —

“Yeah, we’re definitely one of the best cars. We’re probably one of the best racers. Just assuming that I do my job, we have clean pit stops, I don’t speed, I don’t make any mistakes on track, I keep my nose clean and I keep everything calm, cool and collected like I have done for the last four years, we’ll be there in the end. 

My philosophy of this race is it’s just like any other race. You can always come back from somewhere here. It’s not special. You have to finish this one, and if you’re there, you are there to win it.”

WHO ARE THE SIX? 

“The Fast Six. My opinion, cars that I’ve already been around and practiced with, yeah, those guys look good. Like the Fast 12 was tough and it was tight. The Fast Six, man, I mean, some good cars.”

GOOD IN RACE TRIM, THOUGH? 

“Even in race trim, yeah.”

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE SEVENTH FASTEST, ROSSI? 

“Fast Six is where it’s at. That’s all I’m going to say. He couldn’t pass us and we were the lead car and we were on pretty old tires, so I felt good about that, knowing it’s a McLaren. Pato ran me down right outside of 2, like right off of 2. We didn’t even hit the grass line yet.  

I think that he’s not quite as comfortable as his teammate. 

But yeah, I do know that, or at least I can see that.” 

IT SEEMS LIKE THE CONSENSUS IS THAT THE FIRST ONE, TWO, MAYBE THREE CARS ARE GOING TO BE SWAPPING POSITIONS PRETTY DARNED OFTEN THROUGHOUT THE RACE BUT THEN FIFTH AND FARTHER ON BACK IT’S GOING TO BE HARDER TO PULL OUT. IS THAT KIND OF WHAT YOU’VE FELT, AS WELL? 

“Well, it’s really hard to say, to be perfectly honest. You don’t really know what people have for fuel and for tires. When I was third in line I was able to pass, but I was also — the way that we were on fuel with tires, I’m not going to say that we were the best, but we were definitely not the worst, and when we put stickers on, I went to the back of the pack and I was passing cars all the way from the tail of the train. 

So I felt good about my car in traffic. I think I can pass from a few back if I get it right. Like I said, I don’t think there’s a lot of people that can do that right now. 

But I do think it’s going to be more racy this year than it has been the last two.” 

YOU LIKE THE AERODYNAMIC CHANGES, THE SETUP PACKAGE? 

“Yeah, I think that the series has actually done a really good job with the new pieces. They’ve done a good job with a little bit more adjustability for everybody because you’re now allowed to remove certain pieces and have certain configurations that are more efficient for downforce and drag.  

So I think the car is the best it’s been in a while. I’d still like to see it better. I think there’s definitely ways that we can make that happen, but they don’t want pack racing, and I guess I’m okay with that because I’ve never raced in pack racing, so I can’t comment.”

HOW DO YOU MANAGE — OKAY, YOU’RE SAYING YOU WANT TO BE THERE AT THE END, THERE’S GOING TO BE OPPORTUNITIES PASSING AND STUFF RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT EARLY IN THE RACE, LIKE THE RISK TAKING AND WHEN TO BE CONSERVATIVE OR NOT? 

“I think if there’s a pass given to you, say you’re running fifth in the train, fourth makes a mistake and you can pass him easily, you’re going to take that pass. Same thing if you’re second and you’re going back and forth with the leader and you’re leapfrogging in a sense, I think it depends on fuel. There’s definitely going to be a point on Sunday where I probably would like to lead just to get a sense of what we’re like leading. If I get that opportunity, yeah, if I can get into the lead I will gladly lead.  

You just have to be able to watch, your spotters have to watch, but at the end of the day, yeah, you’re kind of playing a game of chess, so not only do you have to run the race when you’re up front but you have to make notes of what everybody can do up front and kind of keep that in the back of your head for when you do get to the end, so you’ve got to be thinking about everything strategic.” 

WHEN YOU’VE WON RACES BEFORE, DO YOU FEEL CONFIDENT (INDISCERNIBLE)?

“I have won a lot of races before, too, so I like that spot a lot. Trust me, I was a little upset to not get pole, and that’s on me. And again, not be on the front row. We’ve got next year. But starting fourth, yeah, I like that a lot. I feel good about it. I feel really good about it.”

YOU MENTIONED LAST WEEK, YOU COULDN’T BE AS AGGRESSIVE AS YOU WOULD HAVE LIKED WITH THE TEAM. HOW DO YOU BALANCE WITH SUCH A GOOD CAR THIS YEAR NOT BEING OVERLY AGGRESSIVE WITH THIS CAR TRYING TO GET TO THAT FINAL STINT?

“Well, last year was a different position because I was kind of fighting for my life and career to survive. This year I’m just not. I’m just not in that position to where I feel really comfortable with where I’m at, feel comfortable with where my career is heading and the direction, especially with this team. 

The pressure is different. It’s not the same type of pressure. It’s one of those that’s fight or flight, so you have to make smart decisions, and you have to finish, versus here, you have to make smart decisions, yet you can actually go for winning this race. If we’re second going into the last lap and I make an attempt for the lead and we don’t make it, I’m going to sleep just fine Sunday night because there’s nothing worse than finishing second not knowing that there was a gap that you didn’t go for. That would crush me, and I think it would crush our team. 

I think that Sunday if we’re in that position — if you’re running third or fourth, yeah, you’re not risk championship, good points, all of the above. The only time that that’s okay to risk is when you’re running second and it’s there for the taking. That’s the only time. That’s the only time it makes sense.” 

WOULD YOU SAY THAT THIS TEAM FEELS MORE LIKE A HOME THAN THE OTHER PLACES YOU’VE BEEN SO FAR IN YOUR CAREER?

“Yeah. This has definitely been — it’s been a very different type of relationship for me and Larry. We were at the Kentucky Derby to start the month off. It was 72 hours of nothing but alcohol and betting. It was so much fun. It was so cool. I’ve never started off a May like that before, and I will tell you that there is no better way to kick off the month of May than the derby. I think that’s going to have to start to become tradition, considering how we’re running.”

I HAVEN’T LOOKED UP YOUR ODDS FOR SUNDAY. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE BY CHANCE?

“I do know that they are significantly better now, according to a couple of my friends that did put some money down on me that said, we can cash out now and make a lot of money. I was like, hold on a little bit here, let’s see how we do on Sunday.  

No, I think it’s cool to be the underdog, and for us to be as competitive as we’ve been all week, to know that, I think we’ve opened everybody’s eyes. I think everybody has opened their eyes to the 14 car, that we’re here to win this thing.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE RACE IS GOING TO GO ON SUNDAY AS FAR AS PASSING?

“I think it’ll be pretty good. I think it’ll be better than most years. Cars are pretty planted this year in my opinion. I don’t know, I think we might have a pretty green race like we did in 21, which will make things interesting.”

RC ENERSON, No. 50 CHEVROLET AT ABEL MOTORSPORTS, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE THIS YEAR?

“The car feels the same as it did before. When you’re by yourself in qualifying trim, it just feels super planted. Every time we trim out more and more it keeps creating speed even though we’re trimming past what other people are running at. I don’t know if it’s a floor thing or a chassis that’s better mechanically, but it’s felt really comfortable. The real speed gain was through uprights, gearbox, all these things that help free the car up on a speedway that we finally had the time to prep for. My lap one of ROP, which I thought was going to be well below 205 just because I was so tense in the car – I had been out of it for a year and a half, so everything feels weird – I crossed the line and I was 211. I didn’t even touch full throttle yet. That’s already a good sign. It was really confidence-inspiring to see the car with that kind of speed. By that point on I knew we had an amazing chance to be locked in on Saturday.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT COMPETING IN THE INDY 500, WHICH HAS BEEN YOUR GOAL?

“It’s still sinking in for me. Every day you wake up in the driver lot and I cannot believe that we’re in the race. Somebody did research and after this 500 there have only been 790-something people that have ever done the race. To be part of that is something special. I’m just excited to get going on Sunday.”

WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO PREP FOR SUNDAY IN PRACTICE TOMORROW?

“I think mine is going to be tools in traffic. There are so many tools now at my disposal. There is so much you’re changing lap to lap depending on how far you are from the car in front of you. Friday we’ll just have a chance to work with the tools and get more comfortable in the car. Pit stops, I don’t think we’re too worried. Our goal is to not rush anything. Just nice, steady, no-mistake pit stops. Making sure I’m not locking up any tires going into the pit box. I think Sunday is going to be the biggest learning curve because everybody is going to be on the same set of tires, fuel load instead of the craziness that you see on Monday and Friday where you have people coming out of the pits some on new tires, full tanks of fuel and some are on second-run tires.”

YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD MORE SPEED IF YOU NEEDED IN QUALIFYING?

“I think we had more speed, but we didn’t really want to risk having to go lane two for another run. Our goal is to be in the race and figure things out throughout the race. There is so much that can happen over 500 miles that I don’t think it matters too much where you start. It helps being up front but strategy can play into it so much, fuel mileage, yellows. We’re pretty confident in ourselves.”

CAN YOU GET TOP 15?

“I think for a top 15 we’d need a little luck. And luck comes down to strategy. If we hit the right fuel window with the proper yellow you can get shuffled up. The original plan is start the race, keep everything clean, run at a leaner fuel map and hang out with the pack. It’s a really long race and my longest race. I’m just excited to be doing it.”

BENJAMIN PEDERSEN, NO. 55 CHEVROLET AT AJ FOYT RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

AJ FOYT IS HERE AND THE CROWDS ARE BUILDING UP. ARE YOU GETTING THE REAL SENSE OF WHAT THE FOYT TEAM IS NOW THAT YOU ARE HERE?

“So special. Obviously, I am wearing the AJ Foyt tribute suit from the 80s, which has just been a huge favorite this month. It turned out really cool and the details are tremendous.  The whole month has just been so special to be a part of.  Super-fast, and we were the fastest rookie of all time for one lap speeds and second fastest on four lap average.  And to make it into the Fast 12 for a rookie is a great effort from the whole team. So, yeah, excited to experience Carb Day for the first time ever. Everything this month has been a first for me. Fast Friday was a first, qualifying was a first, so just taking it one day at a time and embracing every tradition. I milked a cow out here.”

YOU BROKE TONY STEWART’S RECORD FOR A ROOKIE FROM 1996. HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BREAK RECORDS LIKE THAT AS A ROOKIE?

“It’s been very humbling, and I had no idea that we had achieved it until after I got out of the car and was in a press conference or doing the interviews.  When they told me I was like, ‘holy cow’. That is a massive to have a record here in anything. So, just very humbling and special to be a part of.”

WHEN YOU ARE INTERVIEWED BACK HOME DO YOU HAVE TO EXPLAIN OVAL RACING VERSUS F1 AND SPORTS CARS?

“I haven’t had to explain too much because most people throughout the world are very familiar with the Indy 500, and they understand it in most regards. Obviously, the caliber of this event is like no other. Its just a really cool experience in being a rookie and being where I am and doing what we have achieved as a team.  More of it is just driving for a team like AJ Foyt that is so iconic here and to have two cars in the Fast 12. And bring little touches like the suit as a throwback….I tell you, he definitely has woken up a lot this weekend and his eyes started to not water, but he got emotional when he saw the suit. His smiles on pit lane when we made it into the Fast 12 were just really special to be a part of something like that.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT SUPERSPEEDWAY RACING THAT IS NATURAL TO YOU AND FITS YOUR DRIVING STYLE?

“Yeah, great question. I think there are two sides of it.  On the oval side, my experience from the Indy Lights days, for two years there racing at Gateway and Iowa – definitely helpful.  From a speed perspective, I think its very interesting.  I am the only rookie that feels……when I did my first race at Texas and first time on track, I think it was like 225 (mph). I came in and they were like, ‘how did it feel?’ and I was like ‘it felt good’. And they were like, ‘it was 225’, and I was like, ‘really?’. I was kind of underwhelmed and it is the same thing here.  As soon as we turned the boost up you can feel it on Fast Friday, but I have never had a sensation in this car, and maybe it’s because it makes so much grip, of being like ‘holy cow, its moving’. I haven’t experienced that once. So yes, I just find it very natural and oval racing is very feeling based and I am a very feeling-oriented driver.  More than most people. So, it just makes sense to me.”

CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 CHEVROLET AT JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

DO YOU FEEL LIKE WHILE SOME GUYS ARE GOING TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE AT THE START THAT YOU MIGHT TAKE A MORE CONSERVATIVE APPROACH?

“Obviously starting 27th there is a rush to get further forward, but you are not going to make ground that quickly. I think there is no reason to take unnecessary risks from that position. But yeah, honestly through the race I will be looking to tune the car with what we can and go from there.”

REGARDING THE DECISION TO NOT CHANGE THE CAR…

“It’s a bit more complicated than that.  We changed a lot of things, but not the chassis.  We changed a lot of things from the previous car in the open test and there were some things that made more sense. What could have been statistically more of a problem, the chassis was brand new and was the stiffest chassis we had. So, on that side, there was no real issue visually and shouldn’t have had a problem. But with these things, it can be anything on that. Then it becomes a little bit too late. Because what we understood is that it was going to take a lot longer to change the chassis. But the guys did such a good job, that wasn’t the case, because it got changed very quickly. But the fact that I was going to miss a bit of the testing to change the chassis, the idea that there were other things to change along the way, that affected the decision. And we all sat there and there were all these reasons, and I agreed to these reasons, but yes, in hindsight we should have changed the chassis before we arrived. Or even the Wednesday night we had the rain days as well. It’s tough because you run out of time and the pressure increases.”

WHAT IS THE BEST SCENARIO FOR WHERE YOU ARE STARTING AT AND FOR THIS CAR LIKE IF IT GETS HOT AND SLICK?

“I cool personally.  Cool would give me the most downforce and confidence in the car. As the setup of the car is much like it was last year, we struggled when it was warmer, and it sent the car a bit outside of the window and we couldn’t really figure out how to get it back into that window. So, I think the cooler side would be better.”

ARE YOU GOING TO BE TESTING SOME NEW THINGS ON CARB DAY FOR SUNDAY?

“Yeah, I think that is normally the goal. Once we get the car in the window, we will be testing some things to make it better and more efficient.”

ARE YOU PREPARING LIKE SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN IN FRONT, SOMEONE MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM?

“Something always happens in this race. You just don’t know how many or how big. Of course you have to, but that is the thing about staying in the race.  Staying in the race and getting something that works and something you can work with is massively important.”

AGUSTIN CANAPINO, NO. 78 CHEVROLET AT JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

HOW’S YOUR CAR FOR THE RACE?

“At the moment, really good honestly. We had a decent qualifying. Maybe we could do better because our car is good. Maybe further up than 20th. We didn’t have big problems, but it wasn’t perfect. I think we have a car to do a decent race. Of course it’s my first Indy 500. It’s a long race and a difficult race. We will do our best to finish the race in the best position possible.”

ARE THERE STILL PEOPLE IN ARGENTINA WHO STILL TALK ABOUT JUAN MANUEL FANGIO?

“Yes, of course. In Argentina, he is our hero. He is our best driver in history. In my case, it’s a weird situation because I always drove touring cars. Now I have this opportunity and of course there is a huge difference. It is a big step but I am here trying to do my best.”

GRAHAM RAHAL, NO. 24 CHEVROLET AT DREYER & REINBOLD RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT — I REFLECT ON SOME THINGS WITH YOU BECAUSE YOU SAID HAVE BEEN MOST OF MY RACING CAREER WITH MY FATHER, AND I ALSO HAVE THIS SENSE OR THIS QUESTION FOR ME, WHAT WILL BE TO RACING IN ANOTHER TEAM WITH A DIFFERENT PERSON. I RELATE COMPLETELY WITH THAT FEELING. DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S — I DON’T KNOW, THE ENERGY, WHAT DO YOU FEEL NOW? 

“You know, it is certainly very different for me, even just doing 10 minutes out there. It’s a different — sitting in the car, seeing new faces. Obviously, the engine is different. The brakes feel different. The way the button — everything feels different. The buttons for your thumbs through the gloves is different. There’s a lot that goes into that. 

Look, as I said, I don’t want to overshadow what I think Stef has done and done very well at the last couple of weeks to get this team and the car to where it’s at. I also know Ryan has done an exceptional job, and having known Dennis for a long time and Don Cusick, who’s obviously put together the package to be here, it just felt right for me to step out. 

When the call first came, I won’t say that there wasn’t a part of me that thought it wasn’t right and that I was just going to accept that I wasn’t racing and I was going to move forward and move into kind of a different phase in my mental process and the way the rest of my week was going to be, but as I said the other day and I still mean it, that this felt like the right opportunity for me to do something, as well. 

So ultimately, I decided to jump back in, and yes, it is exciting to try something different. So we’ll see how the weekend goes. 

But so far, I’ve been very impressed. Not surprised but impressed with Dreyer & Reinbold and everything that they’ve done. I’ve been very impressed with Chase. I think Chase does an excellent job to rally the entire team. Paddy-O is the chief on the car. He and I worked together at Ganassi. So a lot of familiar faces there, two. Obviously the two engineers, Jeff on my car and Todd both worked at Rahal for a long time. Those are familiar faces. 

As I said out there, when you’re around as long as I’ve been around, there’s most of the same guys all the time. But yes, it’s exciting for me to try something different.”

DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO WHATEVER YOU WANT IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING? 

“No, I don’t look at it that way. I’m here to fill a big void for the weekend, and ultimately next week we return right back home and go race at Detroit. My job is to do Stef and to do Care Keepers and all the partners on this car, to do them proud and try to put together a great run and to go forward in the race.

These guys have done a great job. You remember Santino last year in this car was up front with 50 to go, so I feel — I’m excited. I do think it’ll be pretty strong.”

YOU SAID THE CAR, EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT. DO YOU FEEL PERSONALLY A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HONDA AND CHEVY ENGINE —

“With all due respect for the situation, I really don’t want to comment on any of that. Clearly they’re going to be different. They’re different manufacturers and all of that. But as I said before, to respect both manufacturers, I appreciate both of them giving me a chance to be here, and I certainly don’t want to get into much of that.” 

GOING BACK TO THE QUALIFYING SITUATION AND ALL THE PROBLEMS, COULD YOU IDENTIFY TOGETHER WITH YOUR ENGINEER WHAT WAS THE MAIN PROBLEM? 

“You know, we weren’t fast enough, period, all week. As I said –”

BUT THERE MUST BE A REASON.  

“If you can figure it out, let me know. Because if we knew, we would have fixed it. That’s been our problem. It’s not a problem of today. Last year we had two cars in the last row at RLL, so it’s not a problem of today, it’s a problem of the last few years, and even in 2021, Dad keeps saying to me, well, 2021 you should have won the race. Yeah, but I still started 24th. I wasn’t fast.”

A FEW DRIVERS SAID THE CARS ARE VERY WEATHER SENSITIVE —

“The cars are very weather sensitive and the cars are very wind sensitive. The cars are very ride height sensitive. They’re very — John and were talking about this. The cars of 10 years ago were so much easier to drive. These cars are not easy at all. I know it looks that way. It’s not. These cars have become animals to understand because of the mass and so many other things, but to understand what it takes to be good and how to care for the tire and all these things, so they are very sensitive to everything. 

But in lieu of that, you see like in Fast Six or top 12 qualifying, those teams could match their best pace of the morning, right, when they had the top 12 practice. We went out, we were 1.6 miles an hour slower, and I wish we knew.”

YOU HAVE TO WORK TO LOOK FOR A SOLUTION.  

“I think we know. I think on that side we know.”

IS IT FAIR TO SAY THAT YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE A DIFFERENT MENTALITY OF HOW YOU APPROACH THE RACE IN THIS CAR THAN YOU WOULD HAVE?

“For sure, yeah. Unfortunately, like Christian, I was of the frame of mind Monday afternoon that — like in that practice session, I bounced between the three cars to give input. I was in the frame of mind that that was now my role is to help, but now my role is to go beat them, so it changed like that. There’s no doubt I feel excited by the opportunity. I know they’ve had very strong cars. 

But the mentality is different. My job is turn from maybe a team leader to a guy that wants to go win this thing again. Not that that ever went away, but clearly I have a chance now whereas I didn’t Monday afternoon, so it is different for sure.”  

HAVE THE LAST TWO DAYS BEEN A SCRAMBLE FOR THE LITTLE DETAILS, EVERYTHING FROM SEAT FIT TO FIRE SUIT DETAILS, ALL THAT STUFF?

“You know, everybody at Dreyer & Reinbold and their partnership with Cusick Motorsports, everything so far has been really good, actually. It is very weird, and they will tell you that. I certainly know as little about my car and the engine as I’ve ever known about anything I’ve driven in my entire life, but it’s a race car, and ultimately you’re going to go out there tomorrow and try to get it better and try to go perform on Sunday. 

I think they did a great job. The steering wheel had a couple suggestions, hey, let’s put — the wheel was never going to be identical to mine, but hey, let’s put this button over here, just to try to stop me from making an error. Like for instance, their pit line speed button was right where my radio button is roughly. I certainly don’t want to hit those inadvertently. We did a few things like that, but the seat fit went really well. I thank the guys at RLL, too, like Josh. I know how hard this time is for them. But Josh and Sean Ford and those guys brought over right away, brought over my pedal faces, brought over my seat, gave them measurements for my steering wheel spacer, did a lot to make the transition a heck of a lot easier.” 

IS IT ENOUGH THAT YOU’RE GOING TO FEEL COMFORTABLE IN THE RACE?

“Yeah, I already felt comfortable there. I don’t foresee — the only thing I can’t do is change the steering wheel. So what I’m used to is going to be different than what I’m going to get. But we’ll make it work.”

I’M SURE IN PRACTICE, THE MONTH THEY HAD THAT CAR READY FOR STEF, HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO DIVE INTO SIMILARITIES BETWEEN WHAT THAT CAR HAD TO WHAT YOU LIKE? I KNOW YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ON TRACK –

“Honestly, I don’t know anything.”

IS THERE ANY INPUT YOU CAN HAVE — 

“I’ve asked some questions, but in respect to the situation, it’s not appropriate for me to push any harder. That’s why that 15 minutes was important. Yeah, I don’t necessarily need to go do a 30-minute session on my own and run around out there, but I did want to feel, how does the car turn into the corner. Some guys like it when you release the steering wheel the car naturally tracks into the corner on its own. I don’t. I’m a road racer at heart from my past, so I’ve never liked that. Some guys like it very right hand down. I remember Dan Wheldon, watching him, his steering wheel down the straight was like this, and when he’d get in the corner it was straight. That visually messed with me a lot, so I never liked that. But maybe Stef did. 

So you’re trying to understand some of that, but that’s why I think that 15 minutes right there was important, and it really all felt very similar, steering weight, caster wise, all that stuff. Very close.” 

IS THERE ANY BENEFIT TO THE FACT THAT IT IS SIMPLE BECAUSE THERE’S LESS INFORMATION AND LESS THINGS, IF THAT MAKES ANY SENSE?

“As I kind of said, in some ways it is nice that my job is to go out there and perform. I don’t have a whole lot else to do than that. Just focus on when I get in, is it comfortable for me, is it not, where is the car, how does it feel. And go race.”  

HOW INTEGRAL IS IT TO HAVE LIKE A SOLID CHASSIS FOR THE 500 BECAUSE FOR A WHILE I GATHER YOU WERE DEALING WITH A MUCH OLDER CHASSIS THAT’S DONE WELL IN THE PAST. 

“Yeah, it has done well. I was joking earlier that I’ve had like 10 drivers come up and tell me they drove this chassis, so she’s been used up a little bit. 

But the truth is, same at RLL, we’ve got chassis 23 running around out here. That thing has been running around — I think I won Mid-Ohio in 2015 in that car, and that thing has been run around for a million years.

Once you get a good one, it’s good.  

It’s a little bit different, I think, from what I’m understanding just on its strength and stuff like that, but there’s no issues at all with it. I think the guys have done an amazing job to prep that thing in a short period of time. 

As I said, tomorrow we’ll go out there and see how it is.” 

THE PIT STOP COMPETITION, DOES THAT GIVE YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH THIS NEW CREW?

“For sure, and it’s very different the way that they do a lot of stuff is very different, so I’m excited for that. We were talking about it coming over here, but I’ve only ever had the sign board on my nose cone, only, for 16 years. They do it off the left front tire, which a lot of people are doing nowadays. I’ve just never done it. To get more repetition and reps with that is important. 

But it’ll be nice, and those guys have done a great job. You look at historically, I think they were in the finals three years in a row, so they do a good job, and I’m excited. First round I think we got, what, Will Power, so not an ideal pick for round one, but we’ll see how it goes.”  

DO YOU GET TO PRACTICE BEFORE TOMORROW – 

“Just practice at Carb Day. The downside, the pit stop competition for a smaller team, and again, they’ve done great, but for a Dreyer & Reinbold is — most of the other teams will use backup cars, square cambers and set up like a road course car so it’s easier to stop, easier to do stuff. Clearly we’re going to be using the race car. But there’s no problem with that. We’re excited.” 

A FEW YEARS AGO I REMEMBER SEEING YOU AND COURTNEY LEAVING A SOCIAL EVENT OVER AT DALLARA AND SHE WAS DRIVING THE VETTE, YOU WERE DRIVING THE ACURA. WILL YOU BE ABLE TO SIT IN THE SAME CAR THIS YEAR, TAKE HER CAR?

“Yeah, she said — well, my father-in-law called me right away and of course his first comment was about being a part of the Chevy family now. 

My wife is like, oh, now I can wear my Team Chevy hat. I said, look, just pause for a minute. Again, in the spirit of relationship, I’ve had a wonderful relationship with Honda for 16, 17 years. I certainly don’t see that changing.”

A TECHNICAL QUESTION. EVERYBODY HAS GOT A DALLARA. YOU REMEMBER THE YEARS DRIVERS BROUGHT THEIR SEATS WITH THEM —

“Yeah.”

DID THEY HAVE TO EXTEND YOUR WHEEL BASE? 

“No, no. No, pretty much most teams I think run long wheel base here, but we can run any really. Not a whole lot put a seat in. Dr. Trammell, who’s done amazing work, the foam inserts have to be the same in every car, and then the seat basically sits inside of that foam. They’re all very, very close. Move the pedals a little bit, get the steering wheel up and down closer to you, whatever you want, the headrest is the same minus a little pad. It’s nice.”

SO YOU HAD NO PROBLEM SWITCHING? 

“Not that. I think we had one seatbelt adjustment, just to tighten things up a little bit. That’s it.” 

YOU AND STEF BEING TALLER DRIVERS, DOES THAT GIVE YOU ANY PAUSE, THE SAFETY OF THE CAR? 

“No, it doesn’t. But right away, I knew when I saw the accident, I said to the guys on my pit stand that I was worried about his low back because unfortunately being a taller driver, as Justin Wilson once told me, being tall in this sport, you’re never going to be comfortable, and it’s true.  

I knew when I saw what happened, I was worried right away about a compression just because you lack so much support in your low back, and to get low enough or to get to where they want you in the car, you end up rounding your back a lot, pushing yourself forward, and it just creates a very weak point. But look, I don’t know that that’s ever going to change. That’s the reality of it. 

I think the position that we’re in now with the chassis, this chassis hasn’t changed in a long time. I don’t know when it will next. 

When they do another car, it would be nice if they just made our life a little bit easier and made the thing a little bit bigger because there’s no reason they can’t. But we did that back in 2007 with the Panoz. The Panoz is very roomy. Justin was the mold, and it worked well. So I’m hoping the next one, the next time around, they take that into consideration.” 

I SEE YOU’VE GOT SOME OF YOUR SPONSORS ON YOUR SUIT.  

“Yeah, United Rentals and Fifth Third Bank will be with us. I don’t know what deal Dad worked out. I’ll let him speak to that. I don’t think it was any — well, I don’t believe there was any monetary. It was more just hey, do you want Graham, and here’s what we need.

But those guys, Dad and Dennis Reinbold are pros. They’ve been in this a long time, and Don Cusick was a part of it, and it literally happened in like five minutes. I was very, very surprised. 

As I’ve said all along, I’m very grateful. I’m very grateful to Honda and to Chevrolet for making it happen because I didn’t see this — legitimately I almost didn’t answer the phone because I thought it was just going to be wasting Dennis’s time, so to be here is a big surprise.” 

IT’S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO SHINE.  

“You know, it

Summit Racing Equipment Extends Modified Nationals Sponsorship, Several Long-term Partners Return to DIRTcar Summer Nationals

CONCORD, NC (May 25, 2023) – The DIRTcar Summer Nationals returns for a strong 38th season in 2023 with Summit Racing Equipment extending its sponsorship of the DIRTcar Modified Nationals and several long-term sponsors continuing their support.

The best DIRTcar Late Model drivers in the country will contest 28 races in 33 days, and the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals is set for 27 races – both starting the 2023 season at Peoria Speedway on Wednesday, June 14.

A true exemplary of loyalty, Summit Racing Equipment has been the title sponsor of the Modified Nationals since its inception in 2011 and signed a new deal to keep that partnership going for several more years.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with the DIRTcar Modified Nationals for many years to come as the series is a true testament of commitment, durability and stamina,” said Jim Greenleaf, Motorsports & Events Manager at Summit Racing Equipment. “There is no other tour like it and we’re proud to help elevate it for the fans and drivers.”

Further highlighting the reverence for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals, 15 other partners who were with the Series since its inception will also continue their sponsorship this year.

Arizona/Gotta Race

Bassett Racing Wheel

Beyea

Chevy Performance

COMP Cams

Fast Shafts

Fox Factory

Hoosier

Intercomp

KSE

MSD

Racing Electronics

Schoenfeld

VP Racing

Wieland

Several other partners have jumped on the Hell Tour along the way for multi-year deals, recognizing the value in the partnership. Those returning in 2023 include:

ARP (Automotive Racing Products)

BELL Helmets

Firebull

iRacing

Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service

MULTI Fire X

Swift Springs

Velocita

Wehrs Machine

Xceldyne

A new group of partners are set to join the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modifieds this year too. CASE No.1 Engine Oil and Lifeline are joining as contingency sponsors, and Simpson Performance Products joins the Modified Nationals as a Preferred Partner.

chevy racing–indycar–josef newgarden

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

INDYCAR MEDIA DAY TRANSCRIPT – GROUP 2

May 25, 2023

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 CHEVROLET AT TEAM PENSKE, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

“We were definitely just shy on speed. I don’t have an answer for you on why. I think we felt confident that we were going to make another step, and I think we were similar to last year in a lot of ways as far as our gapping to where we needed to be. 

So yeah, I don’t have an answer for you, but yeah, we were shy on speed. Just didn’t have it in the car.”

DID IT FEEL DIFFERENT TO PREVIOUS YEARS FOR THE RACE? 

“For the race? Yeah, I would say so. I think in race trim, the car feels like it has everything it needs to be successful. I think it feels quicker than last year’s car in race trim. That side of it, I feel really good. I think the race car is great.”

DOES IT FEEL TOO DIFFERENT FROM THE SPOT THAT YOU WERE LAST YEAR, STARTING TO WIN RACES AND BUILDING CONFIDENCE? 

“I think I feel confident in what we’re doing right now. I feel like the potential is super high, and our team, we’ve not realized the potential for the last couple events. I feel like if we’ve had five events, three of them were potential winners and we only won one of them, so we didn’t fully realize our potential up to this point, but it’s there, so that gives me a lot of confidence not only just for this weekend but for the rest of the year.”

THE NIGHT BEFORE THE RACE, DOES YOUR APPROACH CHANGE TO KEEP YOU BUSIER OR MAYBE HAVING A KID NOW KEEPS YOUR FOCUS? DOES THAT CHANGE AT ALL?

“Not really, no. Honestly, I don’t have a great answer for it. It’s not that different. My family was in Alabama, as well, and just the whole cadence or the flow up to the race day has not changed much. I feel like having the family is very similar. Very, very similar. Not a lot different.”

ARE YOU MAD (INDISCERNIBLE) DO YOU TAKE IT AS A COMPLIMENT THAT YOUR IDEA HAS BEEN SO CLOSELY FOLLOWED?

“I didn’t understand it. It felt like a layered joke that’s not fully played out is what it felt like. It also felt like a compliment, yeah. Like it was just a big Bus Bros promotion. Like should we just be thankful for that? Like we didn’t pay them to do it, so I didn’t know — I was confused by it more than anything. But maybe we owe them money. Maybe that’s what it is.”

CANAPINO HAS A GOOD PACE, BUT HE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PHYSICAL QUALITY, ABOUT THE TRAINING. WHY IS IT SO HARD — EXPLAIN TO THE FANS, WHY IS IT SO HARD TO DRIVE IN INDYCAR?

“They’re very physical cars. I think it’s been so impressive to see Canapino. He’s been one of the most impressive people this year. I think most people sort of wrote him off in the very beginning and said he wasn’t going to be worth anything in INDYCAR, and he’s been the exact opposite. He’s been fantastic. He’s never driven an open-wheel car from what I understand up until this year, so that’s one of the most impressive drivers I’ve ever seen, but physically very different to what he’s used to. He’s used to sort of a touring or a sports car which I’m assuming has power steering, which is very different to an INDYCAR. INDYCAR has no power steering, has a lot more downforce, so the physical loading that you’re susceptible to is probably twice whatever he was used to in the past. Just being able to drive the car at a high level and also physically being able to get used to it is a huge challenge, and for someone like Canapino, I’m so impressed, crazy impressed.”

WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE TRAINING OF YOUR BODY IN THE FIRST THREE OR FOUR MONTHS WHEN YOU ARRIVED TO INDYCAR? YOU RACED IN INDY LIGHTS —

“Yeah, in INDYCAR you have to get used to the amount of physical loading that the car is going to give you because it has so much downforce, it takes multiple races to get used to trusting how much load the car can make and actually using it. It’s one thing to feel the load, but then to keep going and driving through it is a totally different deal. A lot of people normally back off.

I think that’s what you feel when you first drive an INDYCAR, and to be able to get used to it so quickly is impressive.”

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR PARENTS, HOW THEY HANDLE YOU BEING A DRIVER, AND DO THEY SAY ANYTHING TO YOU BEFORE THE RACE THAT YOU CAN SHARE WITH US? 

“I can only imagine that they feel nervous when I race. Not having a son, I would feel the same way if my son was racing. I think if anything they’re just happy that I’m doing what I love, and they encourage me to be happy and content doing my passion.  

So yeah, they just try and — they’re just very supportive, very, very supportive parents. They don’t overstep. They’re not in my way at all. They’re here to enjoy and hope for the best. At the end of the day I think they always have concerns when I’m out there, but that’s racing. There’s always going to be a little risk there.” 

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR TIRES? DID YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM DURING PRACTICE, AND HOW IS THE RACE GOING TO BE?

“I didn’t have any big problems in practice, but Monday was tougher because the track temp was so high. I think the track temp is going to decide the complexity of the race. If it’s a cooler track temp, I think it’ll be a lot more congested, the field is going to be a lot tighter. If it’s as hot as it was on Monday at 125 degrees, you’re going to have more tire dropoff, and that’s not necessarily one axle or the other. I think it depends on the car. Some people are going to wear out rear tires, some are going to wear out fronts, but it will potentially string the field out a little bit more. 

So we’ll have to see. I haven’t had any big problems. I was pretty happy with my tire degradation on Monday. I wasn’t happy with the balance of the car, but had I degradation was very good. 

So if it’s a hot day or if it’s a cool day, I don’t mind, but it will change the race depending on what you get.”

THAT MAKES EVERYBODY COME INTO THE PITS EARLIER THAN — 

“I don’t think so. I think everyone — if other people were telling you that, that’s a surprise. I didn’t realize it was that bad for some others. Man, maybe it should be hot then because we could go a whole stint no problem.”

IT LEADS TO UNDERCUTTING AND (INDISCERNIBLE) — 

“It normally doesn’t. Typically the overcut is stronger here. I mean, never say never; we’re always ready to change on the fly if something is looking better, but typically the overcut is stronger here. If you can have good degradation on your tires and you can burn the fuel in the car and then run fast at the end — typically that’s what happens. If you have good degradation, once the fuel burns off, the car can run much quicker flat out catching the tow, so you typically want to go as far as you can and get the overcut advantage. That’s been historically better here. I think that’ll still be the same unless something peculiar happens.”

DO YOU THINK THAT PASSING WILL BE HARD IN THE RACE? 

“It depends on the temperature. Yeah. Like if it’s 100 degrees track temp it’s going to be pretty easy to pass. But if it’s 125 like last Monday — it’s not that it’s hard to pass, but it will be tougher. It won’t be as easy as maybe people thought.”

I ONCE ASKED TONY KANAAN, AFTER HIS HEARTBREAKS, DOES THIS PLACE OWE YOU ONE, AND OF COURSE HE HAD A CLASSIC ANSWER: NO, INDY DON’T OWE ANYBODY ANYTHING. DO YOU HAVE THE SAME APPROACH?

“Oh, 100 percent. 100 percent. This place doesn’t owe anybody anything.”

WHAT HAVE YOU FIGURED OUT ABOUT THIS PLACE THAT HAS TO HAPPEN SUNDAY BESIDES FITNESS FIRST? WHAT IS IT THAT’S THE MAGIC?

“I’d like to think I understand the process of it. I know what needs to be done. We were on our way to doing that last year.

It’s sort of the same simple ingredients. You have to have a good consistent car. You’ve got to make good decisions, pit stops got to be excellent, can’t have any mistakes, and then it’s building to be in the conversation on that last stint. You put yourself in position, and then when it comes down to executing, you’ve got to execute if you’ve given yourself an opportunity. That’s sort of how it flows. 

I’ve had that a couple times. I’ve been in that conversation I would say twice, and then there’s a couple other years where we probably could have been in the conversation, but for one reason or the other we just weren’t. 

But it’s the same formula, and you’ve just got to keep trying. You’ve got to keep trying.”

IT FEELS LIKE YOU ARE GETTING SOMETHING ABOUT THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A RACE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE IT’S A THING OF PROCESS, THAT YOU HAVE TO DO THAT IN ORDER TO WIN A RACE, OR IT’S JUST FLOWING IN THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THE TRACK?

“No, I find it very much to be a process. There’s a way that you construct the race that can realize a victory. It’s not always the same thing. Also you can have a plan for what that construction is going to look like, and then maybe it’s got to change midway through the race because things are different than what you maybe proscribed them to be, but for me it’s very much a process, and I love that. I love that it takes putting it all together to realize victory, and that’s not just here at Indy but every race. Every race Sunday you’ve got to put everything together and construct it, and to me that’s the most fun challenge.”

WILL POWER, NO. 12 CHEVROLET AT TEAM PENSKE, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

HOW DO YOU FEEL AROUND YOUR RACECAR FOR SUNDAY AND WILL THERE BE PASSING?

“I think there will be a lot of passing. The aero bits that they’ve allowed teams to have on the floor have made a big difference. They are very efficient bits, so everyone is running them. Provides quite a chunk of downforce, so, for me, the last 20 laps will be just back and forth. That will be the case all race; at the beginning there will be people sitting back and saving fuel, but you can pass a lot easier. The tires do degrade, some do get vibrations so that will play into the fact that some cars will be good, some with be bad, some will come through and some will go back. I think it’s a good package.”

COMPARED TO THE LAST FEW YEARS, DO YOU THINK YOUR ODDS LOOK MORE FAVORABLE?

“The car is good. When I look through the field, there are so many good drivers and cars. You have to spend that first half trying not to make any mistakes, get in a good position with pit stops and see where you stack up. My car in particular, I feel really good about so far.”

DO YOU THINK ABOUT HOW THE RACE MAY GO, ANTICIPATE WHAT TO EXPECT?“

I do. It’s just natural to think about how the race will play out at the end. I just envision it’s going to be a back and forth, back and forth dogfight. It’s hard to envision how is it going to be, how are you going to pass someone coming to the white, how is that going to play out?”

WOULD YOU RATHER BE LEADING GOING INTO THE WHITE FLAG?

“The way I feel, if you’re leading at the white flag, the guy will get you on the backstraight. The question is would you get him back by the line. So where do you place yourself? What do you do? It’s a tough one.”

WILL WINNING HERE ON SUNDAY BE EVEN MORE GRATIFYING WITH THE CHALLENGES YOU’VE HAD PERSONALLY?“

I just think it’s the pressure of this event and the lead-up to it. My wife has certainly had a rough time. I feel like we’re lucky honestly. Some people have had it way worse. Luck that she’s recovered well and I feel fortunate in that respect. I try to switch all that stuff out when I’m in the car anyway. I think it will be emotional for all the reasons this race is. It’s so big and means so much.”

IS THERE ANY INTERNAL COMPETITION BETWEEN YOU THREE TO GIVE THE BOSS HIS FIRST INDY 500 WIN SINCE HE’S HAD THE KEYS TO THIS PLACE?

“You kidding me? We all want to beat each other badly; probably more than anyone else in the field. If the other two say otherwise, they’re lying. I would be happy for Roger (Penske) though to get a win if it wasn’t from me.”

WHY IS IT THAT DRIVERS ALWAYS WANT TO BEAT THEIR TEAMMATES? BRAGGING RIGHTS?

“The reason drivers want to beat their teammate is they have exactly the same equipment that you have and you are judged off that. But it’s probably a bit more than that. Obviously, it’s always hierarchy. Who’s on top in the team. It’s ingrained in us. That’s why we’re competing.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 CHEVROLET AT TEAM PENSKE, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT ARE YOUR EMOTIONS LIKE ON RACE MORNING FOR THIS RACE WITH ALL THE FANS HERE?

“It’s exciting.  It is the one race of the year where it’s like….its our Super Bowl and that is the analogy that everybody uses, but that is exactly what it feels like. When you walk out through Gasoline Alley it’s like a stadium and it’s such a cool feel. Driving the car, you can see people, you can’t really hear them.  But Indy is one of those places where you can feel the energy of the crowd, you can hear them before you get in the car, and then you are in the car, and they sing ‘Back Home Again in Indiana’ and its pretty awesome. It’s definitely one of the most emotional pre-race grids. For me, I have said this a number of times, I am a guy that wants to be a U.S. citizen, and my wife a U.S. citizen, and I find it a very patriotic day. It’s quite emotional and I love that. I enjoy that. So, it’s an awesome thing.”

HOW MANY LAPS DOES IT TAKE HERE TO KIND OF SETTLE IN AND SAY TO YOURSELF, OKAY, IT’S JUST ANOTHER RACE?

“Yeah, the first stint takes some time to get used to and learn some stuff, but once you get going and go through the motions, it definitely takes some time for the nerves and anticipation to wear off. Basically, on the first lap you have got to really get a lot of that out of your system or you can find yourself in trouble.”

IS CHEVY A LITTLE CLOSER THIS YEAR THAN IN THE PAST?

“I don’t think we have been far away the last couple of years, I think it’s just been a couple of little things that the teams have done specifically. But I definitely think that Chevy has upped their game, for sure. Especially on the oval side, it has been noticeable for sure.  That definitely makes you feel good to be in a Chevy for sure.”

IS IT TRUE THAT IT TAKES THREE TO FOUR MONTHS TO TRAIN YOUR BODY TO RACE IN INDYCAR?

“Yeah, it’s difficult. I feel like it’s only been this year that I felt like I am fit enough to race in INDYCAR. Your body takes some time to get used to it, your neck exercises, and your shoulders. I definitely feel better than I ever have in INDYCAR, but it does take time.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING WITH THE FANS IN NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRAILIA WHEN YOU RACE?

“A lot of Kiwis and New Zealanders are getting up and watching the race. In New Zealand, its early for them. It’s like 5 am and 7 am where they get up and watch on a Monday morning. They love it. Particularly not only with me, but with Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong.  For a country that only has 5 to 10 million people, we definitely punch above our weight for sure.”

DO YOU THINK NOW AFTER A COUPLE OF INDY 500S THAT YOU NOW HAVE IT FIGURED OUT AS FAR AS THE MENTAL GAME?

“Yeah, for sure. I understand the cadence of the race a lot more and that is a big deal for me. That’s something that I have had to learn as it’s gone on. I am very grateful, and touch wood so it doesn’t happen again, but I am grateful that I have crashed. Because I think having to feel how the car talks to me before, I didn’t realize how close I was to the limit before I crashed last year. It sounds stupid, but it legitimately is a thing. So, I am in a good spot in that regard.”

YOUR LIVERY IS PROBABLY THE MOST EPIC AT THIS PLACE, RIGHT DOWN TO THE HELMET. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH RICK MEARS HAS INFLUENCED AND IMPACTED YOUR CAREER?

“He has been a huge influence.  Particularly on ovals. But it’s a very proud moment for me to run that livery and it would mean the most in my career if I could bring that scheme, that livery, and that helmet to victory lane.  Again, not only for Rick, but for Roger (Penske) too. And for Rick, although he has been out of the saddle for a long time now, he is still someone that you can talk to about lines and the way the race develops and where I am going with the race car. It’s a lot of fun doing that, and I cherish it because he is a legend and he is a guy that is stuck in the garage because if he moves outside he is swamped because he is a celebrity basically.  To have that guy just a text away or a phone call away is pretty awesome.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 CHEVROLET AT ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

CAN YOU GO THROUGH WHAT YOUR EXPECTATIONS ARE FOR THE RACE ON SUNDAY?

“I’m looking forward to a dogfight. I think the race is going to be tougher than ever. There’s a lot of very competitive race cars. We hope to be one of them and have a shot in it at the end.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MAKES YOU GO SO WELL AT OVAL RACING IN GENERAL? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU DO DIFFERENTLY THAN OTHER GUYS? 

“Comfort, I guess. You’ve got to be comfortable in ovals. You’ve just got to work really hard with the engineer and understand each other. They’ve got to know what you like and what you need from the race car to extract everything out of it.”

YOU’VE BEEN KNOCKING AT THE DOOR ALL SEASON TRYING TO GET THAT FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON, OBVIOUSLY FIGHTING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. WHAT MAKES YOU DETERMINED OR HUNGRY KNOWING THAT YOU’VE COME CLOSE AND YOU HAVE A GOOD CHANCE AT WINNING THAT 500, THAT WOULD BE NOT JUST BIG FOR YOU BUT FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY? 

“Oh, it would be one of the proudest moments of my life to be able to give this very special team at Arrow McLaren their first 500 win. I’d love to be the one that gives them that. 

We’ve been on this journey for four years now, and we just keep on building. 

I READ A STORY WHERE YOU WANTED ZAK’S WATCH BUT THEN LOOKED UP THE PRICE —

“Well, why do you think it’s a bet, bro? Yeah, beautiful watch, and he’s just got it. He walked in the engineering office, showed that thing off, and I was like, dude, you shouldn’t have done that.”

I UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU GO TO TEXAS YOU’VE GOT A GROUP OF FANS, BUT EVEN ONE-ON-ONE YOU’RE VERY INTERACTIVE WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO BUILD THAT FAN BASE. WHY DO YOU WANT TO INVEST IN FANS ON THAT LEVEL?

“You know, I just — we’re humans, like everybody else. We’re not freaks of nature. We’re just another human being. When people are around and they might be your fan — like I’m a fan. I’m a fan of many people. 

You definitely leave the situation a lot different if you had like just a couple of exchange of words with your favorite race car driver or rider or whatever it might be versus if you don’t. You might leave kind of like, oh, kinda bummed. You can make someone’s year by two minutes.  

So I just try — I treat people like I’d like to be treated. I can have a bad day just like anybody else. It’s impossible to be on all the time. 

But I try and do so as much as I can.”  

EVERY MONTH OF MAY, EVEN THOUGH THE FIELD IS SO TIGHT, THERE’S ALWAYS ONE DRIVER THAT SEEMS TO SEPARATE A LITTLE BIT AND ALL YOU GUYS KIND OF RECOGNIZE HIM AS THAT’S THE GUY THAT’S IN A SWEET SPOT. ROSSI JUST SAID YOU’RE THAT GUY. 

“Really?”

IF YOU ARE DON’T THINK YOU’RE THAT GUY, WHO DO YOU THINK IS?

“I don’t like to get too ahead of myself. I’m trying to make my race car the best it can be in traffic and be comfortable. Everybody saw what can happen when I’m comfortable in a race car in Texas. That’s the best thing I can do for myself.

On race day, we’ll see what we’ve got.”

WHO WOULD YOU PUT IN THAT SWEET SPOT? 

“I’m focused on my stuff right now. I haven’t really paid attention too much on other people.”

IF YOU’RE IN CONTENTION FOR FIRST LIKE LAST YEAR, ARE YOU JUST GOING TO SEND IT?

“Yeah, we’ve got a sixth, a fourth and a second, so there’s really no other — there’s not another spot to get.”

WHAT IS IT ABOUT ARROW MCLAREN THAT’S MADE YOU GUYS SO CONSISTENT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS? HAVE YOUR CARS JUST BEEN SO GOOD AT SPEEDWAYS?

“Ever since I joined the team, we have a very strong oval package, not just superspeedways but short ovals. Indy is a different beast in itself. The closest to Indy would probably be Texas, but it’s not. They’re two very different animals.  

But we have had a lot of success. I’ve had very strong results at all the ovals. 

I don’t know what it is. I just think the car is good. Like the car, the package that we have has been good ever since I’ve joined, and I just keep molding it a little bit to what I like, and we keep getting stronger and stronger.” 

WHAT’S GOING TO BE THE PRISTINE CONDITION FOR YOU TO KNOW THE CAR IS GOING TO BE UP — SOME PEOPLE PREFER WARMER CONDITIONS AND WARMER GRIP ON THE TRACK?

“I want a good car in traffic. That’s what I want. I don’t care if it’s hot or cold.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL MENTALLY GOING INTO THE RACE? I KNOW THIS YEAR HAS BEEN QUITE — MAYBE DIFFICULT IS NOT THE RIGHT WORD, BUT IT’S BEEN A LONG YEAR, AND MAYBE YOU’VE HAD TO HAVE A THINK ABOUT THIS ONE, AND YOUR MENTAL APPROACH GOING IN?

“We’re flowing, man. I feel so much better now that you’re here. (Laughter).

But there’s so much stuff that leads up to the race, and it’s like, damn, the race is next. Well, Carb Day is next, then it’s the race. But we’re right there. We’re four days away. 

We don’t have to change much of what we’ve done. We just have to run our own race, focus on our things, and have a shot at it in the end. That’s ultimately what we want. That’s the position that you want to put yourself in and have a fast enough race car to get it.” 

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 6 CHEVROLET AT ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

“Was really exceptional in that regard last year, but it’s also been closer this year, but I think we’re one of the better ones for sure in our team. But I don’t see any outliers out there. 

I feel we all at Arrow McLaren look good, all Ganassis look good, I think the Penskes look really good. There’s some random selected ones on top of that. There’s a lot of good drivers, and getting it right on the day is also the biggest thing. Yeah, we’ll see.”

DOES THIS PUT MORE PRESSURE, MOTIVATION?  

“I mean, I think we know that we have a good shot. We have an awesome starting position. We have a good car, good engine.”

So you know that those chances — if you look at Penske, for example, they’ve had a lot of years that they know pretty much that they can’t win the race. Things can always happen. But they haven’t had the perfect opportunity, and I feel like we have that. Obviously going to grab that opportunity with both hands, and you just have to be 110 percent on race day, and then if the luck and everything is with you, it is, and if it’s not, you have to try again next year.”

WHAT YOU LEARNED ABOUT THAT FINAL STINT LAST YEAR, WHAT WAS THE MAIN LESSON FOR YOU?

“I think it was good experience to be up front because you never really know what that’s like until you’re there, and we spent half the race last year in the top 3 and ultimately leading the final stint after the pit sequence. 

I think the lesson there was if you want to win the race, you need a car that is quick in clean air, not only in traffic because as soon as you’re leading you just get passed again, and that’s kind of what happened to us. You learn also that the further up you go, man, the harder it is to stay — like it’s just more competitive. The drivers are better, the cars are better, and to hang on to that position gets multiplied very quickly like how difficult it is.

But it was an awesome experience for both me and Pato, and I feel like that really gained us more confidence going into this year.”

IS IT SAFE TO SAY THAT LAST YEAR IS WHEN YOU MADE THE MOST GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT ON WHAT IT’S GOING TO TAKE TO GET THE JOB DONE IN THE INDY 500 VERSUS YOUR OTHER STARTS HERE?

“For sure. I think every year you come here you learn so much, but last year was the first time I came here and we executed pretty much a perfect race, good pit stops, mega car. I felt confident. I was right in the window balance where you need to be to pass other cars and to be sporty.

That’s the most important thing to have in the pack, like how did that feel and how can you take it even further.

Yeah, that’s invaluable for sure, that experience.”

THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR WITH MCLAREN. FEELS LIKE YOU GUYS ARE REALLY ON A HIGH RIGHT NOW. IS THIS THE BEST IT’S FELT WITH MCLAREN SO FAR GOING INTO RACE DAY ON SUNDAY, ACROSS THE BOARD FOR THE WHOLE TEAM?

“Yes, I think for sure. I think honestly, we’ve always had a really good race car here. Even the first year I was with the team, we had I’d say probably a top-5 car. 

But yeah, I feel like we just have the whole package in a different way. Obviously we’re starting higher, which makes it easier. We have our pit crews are better. I think Chevy has brought their A game this year, which is awesome. It’s just all the little details working a little bit more in our favor, so I think would be fair to have a bit more confidence going into this one. 

But at the same time, everyone else is just better, as well, because the whole series is going like this. It’s not only our team. Maybe we’ve been growing quicker and we’ve become a bit better more rapidly than some other teams, but man, we’re still fighting against some giants, and they will not be easy to take on race day.”

WHEN YOU CAME HERE IN 2019, FAST FORWARD TO NOW, DID YOU EVER THINK, TELLING YOURSELF IN 2019 THAT YOU WOULD HAVE FELT BITTERSWEET, DISAPPOINTED THAT YOU’D BE ON THE FRONT ROW A FEW YEARS LATER, GOING 233 MILES PER HOUR AROUND THIS PLACE?

“Yes and no. I think we’re all the same. When you have the opportunity, you always feel a bit disappointed if you don’t get it. It doesn’t matter which team, what the circumstances are. If you have the chance to grab the pole or a win, you’re always going to be a bit bummed if you don’t get it.  

But yeah, it’s a good problem to have. It’s awesome. That’s kind of where we’ve gone as a team now, as well, where a couple of years ago we were stoked when we had podiums and top 5, and now it’s like we’re pretty disappointed when we’re not winning or on pole between our teammates.  

I feel also we are one of the teams that always seem to have at least one bullet at the front in every race, so yeah, hopefully will be one of us taking it home.” 

WITH THE ARROW MCLAREN BEING ONE OF THE HOTTEST SEATS IN THE SERIES RIGHT NOW, THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION FOR IT. DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE TO GET GOOD RESULTS EVERY WEEK JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU STAY IN THE SPOT THAT YOU’RE IN?  

“I mean, you always have to deliver, no matter where you are. I don’t think anyone is sitting coasting and collecting in INDYCAR. You have to fight for it every weekend. 

I don’t really — I feel like a lot of people ask me that, like do you feel like you need to prove yourself. Yes and no, I think. I think I need maybe some good results. We feel like they’re coming. We’ve been on the front row three times this year, on the GP, in Texas and here.  

It’s really coming together well. But yeah, you need the results to back it up. I feel like the rest of the season is looking pretty bright for us. So I’m not really worried about it, I just try to jump in the car and do my thing, and everything else will work itself out.” 

OUTSIDE OF THE FRONT ROW GOING INTO TURN 1, GREEN FLAG WAVES, IT GETS TIGHT IN TURN 1, ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO ALEX AND RINUS TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MANAGE THE START A LITTLE BIT? 

“We’re going to have a meeting tomorrow with Kyle Novak, our race director, and he’ll kind of go through what he expects from us. Obviously, we’re racing, but I think we’ll maybe have a better idea at that point. 

I haven’t really planned out yet what I’m trying to do, but it’s pretty nice to be on the outside because the first lap if it gets swept you can clearly use the outside. It’s almost better to be there than in the middle where you can get pinched between two cars, so I’m pretty happy where I’m at, and if I come out in P1 or P3 or P4, it’s all going to be pretty irrelevant, I think.” 

YEARS PAST YOU KIND OF WANTED TO HIT A FUEL NUMBER, KIND OF RIDE IN, BUT IT’S ALSO EASIER TO PASS UP FRONT. DO YOU PLAY THE CAT-AND-MOUSE GAME OF SWAPPING? DO YOU SETTLE IN? WHAT’S YOUR PHILOSOPHY ON THAT?

“I think you get a feel for it. I think you have to try a little bit what it’s like to lead. You have to feel the car out because that’s a problem if you’re just leading. Eventually you’ll end up lapping cars or be in traffic after a pit sequence, and then you need the car to be sharp when you’re like five or ten cars back. 

I think my plan will probably be to feel — if you can, feel the car out as much as possible, try to get an idea exactly where you want your tools to be, leading and not leading, and you just have to feel it out. You never really know what people have until race day, and for sure there will be some insanely strong cars out there. Yeah, just trying to get an idea how you can get around them.”

DOUG SAID THIS MORNING WE’RE PROBABLY ABOUT 5,000 TICKETS FROM THIS PLACE BEING SOLD OUT. EVERY DAY YOU CAN FEEL THE MOMENTUM BUILDING, MORE AND MORE BIGGER CROWDS. DO YOU FEEL THAT AS A DRIVER? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING INTO ALMOST A SOLD-OUT RACE ON SUNDAY? 

“Yeah, I feel like we’ve felt it everywhere this year, before the 500 even. The GP was really impressive to see. I think that was definitely the highest numbers I’ve seen since I came over here, and also during practice and qualifying, it’s been — yeah, there’s a lot of people around.  

That’s fun to see. It’s on an upward trajectory, the whole series, the race. I think what they’re doing with the whole “100 Days to Indy” is awesome and everything is just pointing in the right direction for the series, so we’re glad to be part of it, and it makes these races way more special. 

CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG, BUT AFTER THE PARADE ON SATURDAY, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’RE DOING PROMOTION-WISE OR IS THAT IT FOR YOU FOR THE WEEK?

“We have some little stuff like meets-and-greets, partner things, but we try to have a pretty chill race day because if you haven’t noticed, as a team we’re doing quite a lot of activation on the side. So yeah, race day is pretty sacred for us, and we just try to eat, sleep, hang out with the family maybe and just take it easy.”

LIKE SATURDAY NIGHT, DO YOU TRY AND SETTLE DOWN FROM EVERYTHING THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN THE NEXT DAY, OR WHAT’S THE PROCEDURE OF JUST TRYING TO CHILL OUT A LITTLE BIT?

“Yeah, I mean, I stay here at the track. Normally I go home, but I just try to avoid the traffic, so I’ll stay here on race day, just kind of try to isolate yourself a bit from the race, not think too much about it, watch a movie, eat something good. Yeah, it’s simple really. There’s no magic to it, you just have to sleep, and that’s it.”

ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE PENSKE GUYS, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THIS IS A MCLAREN-VERSUS-GANASSI SHOWDOWN. IS IT IN YOUR EYES, AND IS THERE A RIVALRY THAT’S STARTING BETWEEN YOU TWO? 

“I think it’s too early to say if there’s a Penske and McLaren battle right now. Penske is Penske, and they won the championship recently, and they’re always strong. We’re getting there. We’re getting closer. I think that’s been consistent. We’re crawling closer and closer to being up there every race, and I think that’s the right trajectory. There’s no magic to it. It’s just hard work, and yeah, step by step, I think we’ll be there.”

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 CHEVROLET AT ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR SUNDAY?

“The racecar is great and the team has had an amazing month so far. I’m excited about Sunday. I don’t know if you can predict anything at IMS and the Indy 500, but certainly I think we have an amazing shot with four very good racecars. We’ll just have to go through the process and see if Sunday is our day.”

ARE THERE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ANDRETTI AUTOSPORT AND ARROW MCLAREN IN APPROACH TO THE SEASON?

“There are probably more similarities than there are differences. I came from a very good team and joined a very good team. The one thing that Arrow McLaren kind of prides itself on is the atmosphere and the people that are there are excited every day to show up and for the opportunity to compete, to win races and fight for pole positions. It is an amazing team dynamic inside the garage, outside the garage and everyone is just pumped to wear papaya and represent the team the best way we can.”

YOU HAVE RECENT EXPERIENCE OF A CHEVY ENGINE VERSUS A HONDA AROUND IMS. ARE THERE DIFFERENCES?

“There are certainly differences and I think that’s been a positive thing that myself and Tony (Kanaan) have been able to bring to the table when talking to Chevy and the team. We can clearly point out strengths and weaknesses of the package and work to improve it to make it better. So, I think that’s been a good asset this month and certainly for the rest of the year.” 

WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE THIS MONTH WORKING WITH TONY KANAAN?

“It’s been great. Tony is an amazing person, a fantastic racecar driver, a wonderful person and great ambassador for the sport. He’s a legend at this place. He and Helio (Castroneves) are the two that command the loudest ovations, so to share in his proverbial last 500 is pretty awesome and we’ve been enjoying it. He’s been ingrained with the team since St. Pete and he has really helped with everyone sort of merging together as a cohesive unit with three full-time cars. So he’s played a big role in that and now he’s on track with us for the past couple of weeks as well. It’s been an honor and he’ll be around for quite some time with the organization. To share his last 500 with him has been an honor.”

IN 2016, DID IT HIT YOU AS YOU WERE LEAVING THE TRACK THAT YOU WON THE INDY 500?

“For me, I think it came when I came back in 2017. When I came in in 2016, no one knew who I was – nor should they known who I was – and I was this invisible person who wound up somehow winning the race. And coming back in 2017 as the defending winner was a very different experience. That’s when it hit me the magnitude of winning this race and what it can do for a driver’s career. Hopefully we can add to that resume.”

WHAT ARE THREE WORDS YOU WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE THE INDIANAPOLIS 500?

“It’s not three words, but it’s the best race in the world and there’s nothing like it.”

TONY KANAAN, NO. 66 CHEVROLET AT ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:

A LOT OF GREAT MEMORIES FROM HIS INDY 500 WIN.

“It’s funny because it was the best experience of my life. The other day, for some reason, I watched the podium. Roger never actually told me but they changed the podium procedure after my win because it was a mess! You guys probably don’t know this, but we had to drink two milks because I spilled the milk before it was time because someone gave it to me! I was impressed with how many people I hugged that I have no idea who they were! And I still don’t! That’s what stands out the most.”

HOW TRICKY WILL IT BE MANAGING YOUR EMOTIONS SUNDAY?

“It’s going to be a mess. It will stop when I put my helmet on but up until then, I’m going to be a wreck, for sure. From the green room to the driver intros… It’s one of the times that I’ve enjoyed the most in the past. I just know… your nerves are up there. Every single driver that is in that green room, we’re ready to go. We’ve done all this, and the emotions are high. Then you’re going to add that this is the last one and everybody is trying to make it feel good. I’m going to have to drink a couple of extra bottles of water. That’s how much crying I’m going to do.”

IT’LL ALSO BE THE LAST TIME SHARING THE TRACK WITH HELIO (CASTRONEVES)…

“In INDYCAR. We have other plans (laughs). It will be the last time we are sharing the track with a lot of these guys. But that is not a sad thing. That was my decision. I’m not leaving because I couldn’t find a job. The most asked question I got… and if you ask (Scott) Dixon and some of those guys, they still say yes I’m coming back. I’m going out on my own terms.”

DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS OF STAYING IN INDYCAR IN SOME CAPACITY AS A DRIVER COACH OR BROADCASTER?

“I don’t think I’d be a good coach, to be honest. I think Dario (Franchitti) has a much better approach. But yes, I’ve been coming to all the races with Arrow McLaren this year. I have the intentions of continuing doing that. We haven’t talked. The deal with Zak and the team, Gavin (Ward, Racing Director) was like, ‘Let’s go try to win this thing. On Monday.’ I said not on Monday. Next Wednesday after we win the race and we do all the media, we’ll talk about the future. But I have no intentions of leaving INDYCAR in any way shape or form. This is where I belong.”

ON PAST COMPETITORS AND THE SUPPORT SYSTEM IN PLACE.

“You talk about every era. I think mine is an end of an era if you put names together of people who I’ve raced. I was part of Bobby Rahal’s last year. When Michael (Andretti) retired, I was the guy he chose to replace him. Look at the teams that I’ve raced for. I’ve raced for Andretti. I’ve raced for Foyt. I raced for Ganassi. Now for Arrow McLaren. Somebody told me that if I lead a lap this weekend, I’ll be the only driver who has led laps for seven different teams here. Back to the drivers, you look at the legacy of those guys. I feel very honored. It wasn’t a very easy era.”

A FAVORITE INDY 500 TRADITION?

“I think the parade is probably one of the things that I enjoy the most. I get yelled at all the time when I get out of the car and jump out of the car and hug people. Every year they tell me I can’t do that. So this year, who cares? What are they going to do? Fire me? (laughs)”

INAUDIBLE.

“I decided it was the final time three years ago. And we came back here and there was nobody in the stands. I’m like, ‘I can’t do that.’ So we worked really hard and Jimmie (Johnson) and I got together and Jimmie is like, ‘I cannot do only one year. Can we do two?’ I said, ‘Jimmie, we are going to do one year, we’re going to share a car, you’re going to come watch the Indy 500 and the next year you’re going to kick me out of the car.’ Sure enough… he didn’t kick me out of the car but we raced together. Chip (Ganassi) made an extra car and I was fine. Last year, I didn’t mention anything. I finished the race and I was convinced it was my last one. I was done. I was not going to announce because I’m tired of Dario, Dixon and all of them making fun of me saying, ‘Hey, do you think you’re Tom Brady?’ And then Zak called. Racing is about performance. A team like this, with the history that they have, they finished second and fourth (in 2022)… I know I still have it. I’m not giving up because I don’t think I have it. I just proved it again. I was like, ‘OK, I’m not going to say no.’ But this will be the last time. Honestly when I announced, I couldn’t celebrate with anyone. You what I think will be fun for me, fun for my kids, fun for my family, I have 70 friends coming from Brazil just to watch this.”

DID ANYONE TRY TO TALK YOU OUT OF IT?

“Everybody including my wife. But it was good enough that we announced Kyle Larson on the car next year. Unless Mr. (Rick) Hendrick tells him he can’t and I need to sub. Then it won’t be my fault!”

DID YOU HAVE ANY SECOND THOUGHTS?

“No. My point is if I’m going to be back here, I wanted to be back here in a competitive car. No disrespect to a bunch of the teams, but some of the teams are not. To be back and just to be a number and suffer through it and go away like that, I didn’t want to. Chip gave me an opportunity. Zak came. If Roger (Penske) called next year, I don’t know what I’d do! But it’s not going to happen. I’ve been around long enough that I know the opportunities are coming less and less.”

YOUR LAST RACE…HOW ARE YOU GOING TO RACE?

“Like it’s the last race of my life! I’m going to leave it all out there. That’s the intention. The start, I don’t know. But if the opportunity is there, we will do a Tony Kanaan start, for sure. I’m going to race like I have no friends. I’ll apologize later.”

ON THE AERO CHANGES FOR THIS YEAR.

“We added more. I’m not sure if it’s going to be a better race. But what are we going to call a better race? It’s a matter of opinion. They call a lot of the races between 2013 and 2015 the best race because you had a lot of passes and this and that. I don’t think that’s going to happen this year. It will be more strategy. But it’s more difficult. It was a lot more unpredictable in the past. But I think those changes are the right changes. The cars are more where we can race closer, but by racing closer doesn’t mean you can pass all the time.”

THE NAME SENNA IS SYNONYMOUS WITH EXCELLENCE. AS A YOUNG MAN GROWING UP IN BRAZIL AND GOING INTO A RACING CAREER OF YOUR OWN…

“Nowadays, Formula One is more popular in America. I came here 25 years ago, and me, Rubens (Barrichello) and (Michael) Schumacher were walking in Orlando and someone stopped the two of them and gave them a camera to take a picture with me because they had no clue! It was the coolest thing that had ever happened to me!

“For me, it’s even more special. I had the history with Senna. When I was in Europe in my last year, I was out of job in Hockenheim and we were racing at the same weekend at Formula One. He went to my boss at the time and basically told my boss that I was better than him and that I should be able to finish the championship. That same guy gave me a job for two more years. It’s not just the history. It’s not just McLaren and Senna – me growing up and seeing him winning three championships in that Marlboro car. It is what he did for me. He was my hero. I had the pleasure to meet my hero, and my hero changed my life.”

Chevy Racing–Indycar–indianapolis 500 media day

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA INDYCAR MEDIA DAY TRANSCRIPT – GROUP 1May 25, 2023 CONOR DALY, NO. 20 CHEVROLET AT ED CARPENTER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript: CHANGES TO THE AERO MAP OF THE CAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE RACE FOR PASSING – IS IT GOING TO BE HARD?“I read Pato’s (O’Ward) comments last week. He says things aggressively, which is good, I like that. And I think he was pretty accurate. It seemed like at first in the test, the passing and racing – you could run a little bit closer. But I don’t know if that’s actually what it’s going to be like. I think the first two cars can pass each other every straight if they wanted to. But if you’re the third car back, fourth car back, it is really, really hard.. it doesn’t matter how good you feel or how heroic you are. If you look in practice, you had two Ganassi cars and then all of a sudden, you’d have a Foyt car or whoever – it didn’t matter who it was, the line doesn’t change until something else happens. So I think the most interesting thing will be the end of the stint because cars seem to be burning off tires more than others and that will be the most interesting part. I think like lap 18 to 28 of the stint is going to be more telling than the beginning. It will be exciting for the first couple of laps, and then I think you’re going to see a lull. And then it could be like people have vibrations so bad they can’t see or they’re like burning off the tire. You always get vibrations here because the tires get old and you’re pushing them to the limit. It’s not a Firestone problem.. I think we’re pushing the cars faster than we’ve gone in the last literally 30 years – 1996 or whatever it is. So I think that’s the thing.” IF YOU’RE COMING TO THE WHITE FLAG, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE SITTING?“Yeah, you want to be second (laughs). But it depends on the raw speed. I would say that if you can follow really close in (turn) four, maybe you can make that move before the start-finish. It depends how well you toe-up. Some cars toe-up better than others. Like I’d see some cars that really have to pop late, but if you can stay really locked-in behind the car in front of you, you can probably make a move before the start-finish. Yeah, it just depends on everything, but I would rather be second – well no, I’d rather be first heading into (turn) three on the last lap. But definitely make the move before you get there. Hypothetically, I’d like to lead all of the time (laughs). I think the goal is just to lead whenever you can, especially on that last stint. Anything can happen, as you said. People are literally going to have to be on the verge of crashing to make a pass because you just have to trust that if you can get a little bit of air to that left-front corner of the wing, you’re going to get a little bit of grip and enough to launch yourself around the car in front of you.” INAUDIBLE..“That’s actually interesting.. I hadn’t really thought about that. I think no matter what, everybody’s going to be aggressive here. It doesn’t matter if this race is worth a million points or zero points – you’ll still be fighting for everything that you’ve got. I don’t think anybody is thinking championship here.” DOES YOUR RACECAR FEEL MORE LIKE IT DID IN 2021 OR 2022?“Oh man, 2021 is hard to beat. That car was a really, really good one. I would say I would feel more confident this year than I did last year, and last year I ended up being pretty good. I think we just have to end up using the last two weeks of experience and kind of just formulate the right situation. We have a few things we want to run through at Carb Day, too. There is more aero stuff that you can do.. I mean there’s a lot more aero stuff that you can do, so it’s just a matter of figuring out what is enough grip, but also not dragging. You really have to be able to create a run. One run could change your whole race – like if you happen to get by someone that is really struggling to hold everyone up. But yeah, we’ll see.” WHAT’S YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL RIGHT NOW?“Honestly, I would say we’re in a region of four to six cars that have been probably quite strong every day of practice, when it comes to running in race trim. Like if I’m going to list them, it’s Pato (O’Ward), Felix (Rosenqvist), (Scott) Dixon, (Alex) Palou and I would say me and Rinus (VeeKay) are probably in that arena, too. Ed (Carpenter) hasn’t been bad, as well. Other than that, I haven’t seen a ton of cars – like Josef (Newgarden) looked like he was having a difficult time. He was pitted right in front of me on Monday. But those guys always show up.. it’s not like they’re not going to be good. But those are the cars I’ve seen, more often than not, look like they’re quite strong. We’ll see.. we’ll see. But I definitely don’t feel like we’re not in the game, like when it comes to cycling our way forward. We have good tire life. We have not struggling with burning tires off. I would say we’re in better shape than a lot of other people when it comes to tire life.” THE NAMES YOU MENTIONED, A LOT OF CHEVY’S IN THERE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE CHEVY HAS BROUGHT AN IMPROVED PACKAGE FROM LAST YEAR?“Yeah, Chevy has done a great job. Both manufacturers, when you look at it, I think this year is closer than ever. Yeah, there’s a Honda on the pole, but there’s two Chevy’s on the front row, as well. I would say this year, more than ever, you don’t really know. Last year, it was like – alright, it looked like one was stronger than the other. But Chevy has done a great job I would say at getting us right into the game. They want to win this race I think more than anyone, too. It’s going to be cool.” ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 CHEVROLET AT ED CARPENTER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript: HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR MONTH HAS BEEN GOING?“I think it’s been a pretty successful month, so far. I didn’t qualify ultimately as high as I had hoped, but at the same time I’ve been really happy with the racecar the whole time I’ve been here. I think the race runs have been strong. Looking forward to Sunday. Obviously, I have a bit of work to do from 13th to get up into the lead group, but I believe I have the car and team to do it.” LOOKING BACK AT YOUR FIRST YEAR, WHAT WAS THAT ‘WELCOME TO THE INDY 500’ MOMENT?“I think the first one is always the big one. You don’t know what to expect the whole way through – from the qualifying format, through the race. My first one was tough, too; we had a rain delay in the middle of it and I didn’t last too long after the rain delay. It’s great to get the first one out of the way. You learn things the whole way through. It’s a hard month, it’s a grind going through qualifying and even race week when we’re not in the car and on the track as much there are still so many things going on. When you’re young and haven’t experienced that you have to figure out how to manage your time and how to manage your energy and focus because things ramp up and ramp down and we’re pulled in a lot of different directions. I think the older you get you learn how to manage all that beyond just knowing what you need out of your racecar on the days you are in it.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT RINUS (VEEKAY) MANAGING TO PUT THE CAR ON THE FRONT ROW?“He has always been comfortable here. I think his driving style suits the track really well. To be fast here, whether you have a fast car or now, you have to be willing to put it to the limit, and he certainly puts himself in the right head space and has the ability to do that. I’m really proud to have him as part of the team.” HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM ABOUT THE START OF THE RACE?“Not necessarily about the start. He’s been up in that area, so he knows what it’s going to be like. All of our conversations, whether it’s between teammates or the whole engineering room, has been what we need out of the cars. We have two hours tomorrow to zero in on those last little adjustments.” HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR RACECAR FOR THIS SUNDAY?“I feel strong. I feel we’ve made improvements from last year beyond just the improvements the series gave us with extra downforce. I think we were OK last year. I think we could have been better; we maybe didn’t make the best decisions going into the race. I think we’ve taken a pretty decent step forward this year. Our cars were pretty similar in ’21 and ’22, and I think we’ve found some things and all three of us a pretty confident. Looking forward to Sunday to see if that holds true and how we stack up with the competition.” YOU’VE COME CLOSE TO WINNING; WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN?“We’ve led a lot of laps here; I’ve finished second and top five a couple of times. It’s just a very hard race to win. I think we have all the tools to do it with Chevrolet, we have a great partner in Bitnile.com that gives us everything we need, so it’s just going to come down to execution from myself and our other drivers and the pit crew. I think we’re stronger now than we’ve ever been, and we have a great opportunity in front of us.” ANY CLUES YET ON FUEL MILEAGE FROM YOUR RACE RUNS AND WILL IT BE A FACTOR?“It’s always a factor. We know where we are, but I don’t know if you truly know where everyone is at until race day and see what people are doing. I know we’re going to have what we need to get the job done. Chevrolet has brought a lot this month. I think they took a pretty good step forward in all aspects of the engine – from power to economy – so I’m looking forward to it.” WHERE ARE YOU ON THE RACE CAR COMPARED TO 2021 AND 2022? IN 2021, YOU WERE HAPPY, LAST YEAR, LESS SO.“I think we were okay last year. I think we probably could’ve been better. We could’ve just maybe didn’t make the best decisions going into the race. I think we’ve taken a pretty decent step forward this year. Our cars were pretty similar in 2021 and 2022, kind of year over year, and I think we kind of found some things. That’s probably the most different our race package has been in the past couple of years, and all three of us feel pretty confident that we’ve made improvements. Looking forward to Sunday to see if that holds true and how we stack up to the competition.” AS A DRIVER, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEW AERO CHANGES?“I mean, I think it’s good. It’s interesting. I don’t think there is total consensus across the field which is cool. That’s the nice thing about having options. From practice on Monday, I think there is still people trying to come to a final conclusion on how they want to run their car. I think we are pretty confident with the configuration that we will be in. It just now comes down to the exact amount of downforce that we’ll choose for the day given what the temperature and conditions, the track temp, etc. I think INDYCAR made the right choice in bringing us some more options. I think it’s going to be good for the show.” ARE CHEVY AND HONDA CLOSE TO THE SAME HERE?“It seems pretty close. I think Chevrolet has done a fantastic job this year. We won’t truly know, well we’ll maybe get a sense tomorrow, but on race day, qualifying specs and race specs are a little different, and everyone’s just now putting their race engines in. To be determined exactly who’s got an edge come Sunday.” RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 23 CHEVROLET AT DREYER & REINBOLD RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript:
WHAT HAS GRAHAM (RAHAL) BROUGHT TO THE TABLE ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE?“He’s a pro, right. He knows what he’s doing. He’s one of the best INDYCAR drivers out there, and he’s current. He’s got a great relationship with the Wilson family; good relationship with Dennis Reinbold and the team. He’s one of my good friends. I think when you put all the factors together, it was the perfect fit to fill in for Stefan (Wilson).” WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE BACK AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?“It’s great to be back – it’s awesome, love it. Loving every day on track. It’s been a lot of fun with the team and I really enjoy it. It’s a smaller program than I’m used to; a smaller effort than I’m used to. It’s really interesting to see the difference with a team that focuses just on Indy, as opposed to the other programs that are really in the midst of a grind – a full season grind. It’s a quite a bit different atmosphere. Everybody has big smiles on their faces when they show up to work in the morning and that’s important.” CAN YOU RELAY A LITTLE BIT OF THE EMOTIONS THAT GRAHAM (RAHAL) WENT THROUGH BECAUSE YOU WENT THROUGH THAT YOURSELF BACK IN 2010 OR 2011, WHEN YOU DIDN’T GET IN?“Yeah, its tough because you’re basically going to another garage, right. In that scenario in ’11, I was on my way home. The team called up and basically the partners said – why are we in INDYCAR if we’re not going to be in the biggest race. So I certainly understood that. But it wasn’t straightforward. You have to go into another team’s garage – get in there and meet all new people. Everything is new – a different car, different steering wheel. It’s a lot to get done within a short amount of time. It’s anything but straightforward.” FROM GRAHAM’S (RAHAL) POSITION, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE PROCESS OF CHANGING MANUFACTURERS AND CHANGING TEAMS?“I just made kind of a similar switch, right. I was with Honda for many years and now I’m back with Chevy. I won the championship with Chevy, so I’ve got a great relationship with them. Really happy to be back with them. I can give him some tips on the nuances of the drivability of the Chevy versus a Honda. Some of the details of pit lane – launching out of the pit box is a little bit different. So just helping him get up to speed on that stuff so it’s not a surprise. But Graham (Rahal) is a pro, he knows what to do. It’s an INDYCAR and he knows his way around this place, around IMS. Like I said earlier, I spent some time with him, discussing what I thought would be the major points that would help him get acclimated quicker. I’m an open book to anything that he needs. I think he’s going to like the car.” WHAT’S THE FEELING FROM THE TIME THAT YOU WERE OUT OF THE SERIES TO NOW. ARE YOU FEELING BACK HOME?“Yeah, I was here last year in a consulting role and I really enjoyed it. After being in INDYCAR, generally let’s call it, for 20 years, it was nice to take a step back for a moment and try some new things. I raced in IMSA and I did SRX, as well. To be at this event last year, from the outside looking in so to speak, I think it was good for me in a lot of ways. Like I’ve said before, it allowed me to come back a bit reenergized and focused. Getting some perspective is sometimes important on that. We’re so deep in the trenches at times when you go from year-to-year-to-year, especially for me in the same program for 12 years and more than half of my career. But yeah, it was good to take a step back for a second and just kind of look at everything. I got to do a lot of things with my kids that I would have never had the opportunity to do, like coaching their sports teams and things like that. Being there for them – they’re at such an impressionable age, so that’s very important. I wouldn’t have done anything different.” YOU SAID THE TEAM WILL TELL HIM TO GO TO ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR?“Correct. He’s not getting a lot of information. Basically, it one is a different map based on fuel, maybe drivability, all this other stuff. The extent of the information that he’s being given is – we are going to tell you which map to go into and that’s all the information you’re getting. And I get it. I mean he’s coming over for one weekend and next weekend, he’s going to be back with the competition again, which is Honda. I get it – it’s a sensitive situation and big props to both manufacturers for making it happen because quite honestly, that seems like that might have been the biggest hurdle.”

HAUD’S HOME: Sheldon Haudenschild’s Comfort in Ohio

The Wooster native hopes for more home state success this weekend at AtomicCHILLICOTHE, OH (May 25, 2023) – A group of race fans gather around the back of the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing hauler on a Friday afternoon at Attica Raceway Park.They’re waiting to get a word or take a photo with their home state hero — Sheldon Haudenschild. He’s the kid who thrilled them early in his career on the Ohio ovals on his way to Sprint Car stardom. He’s the son of the legendary Jac Haudenschild, who also left an impression on these same fans with his courage behind the wheel. He’s the man who receives a warm applause everytime his name is announced in “The Buckeye State.”Haudenschild cut his teeth in Ohio, racing near his hometown of Wooster. He followed in his father’s footsteps — perfecting the “Haud line” and racking up checkered flags at tracks like Attica, Wayne County Speedway, Waynesfield Raceway Park, and more. And it’s because of those reasons Haudenschild is so admired in the community.The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are halfway through a four-race stretch in Haudenschild’s homeland. The final two nights are set for this weekend (May 26-27) at Chillicothe’s Atomic Speedway, a little over an hour south of Ohio’s capital of Columbus. As the 29-year-old navigates his seventh season with The Greatest Show on Dirt, trips home become more and more welcome.“It’s always good to be home a little bit and kind of get your mind off things for a minute,” Haudenschild said. “And then show up to tracks that we’ve raced in the past and kind of grew up racing — especially Attica and Chillicothe, kind of where me and (crew chief Kyle) Ripper got our start, just places where you adapt to quick once you get back there and kind of feel like you never left.”Haudenschild’s 2023 campaign to this point has been one of peaks and valleys. After beginning the season with four top 10s in the first five races, he missed the top 10 in three of the next five. The highlight of his year is a victory at U.S. 36 Raceway in early April. He’s reached the podium on three other occasions, including a runner-up at Tri-State Speedway on a night when he led 16 laps of the Feature. After 21 races, he sits sixth in points.The performance aboard the NOS Energy Drink #17 has left Haudenschild with mixed feelings. The comfort in the car is there, but he wishes that comfort led to slightly better results.“I feel like it’s just kind of OK,” Haudenschild said to describe his season. “I feel good in the car, and I’m happy car-wise, just kind of not on paper where we want to be. Obviously, we’d like a couple more wins and feel like we’ve had some good runs going that maybe didn’t go our way, but that’s all part of it. You’ve got to enjoy the lows and the highs.”Fortunately for him, the most recent weekend of racing yielded his most consistent pair of races so far. In front of hometown fans, Haudenschild finished fourth on Friday at Attica and came home third on Saturday at Sharon after charging from 11th.History suggests Haudenschild should continue building momentum this weekend at Atomic. He’s the most recent World of Outlaws winner at the 3/8ths mile, and during his most recent All-Star Circuit of Champions visit to the Chillicothe facility in 2016, he won. In five of his past six Sprint Car starts at Atomic, Haudenschild has finished on the podium.Haudenschild’s success on home turf isn’t merely due to the number of laps. It’s as if the Ohio racetracks are built for his style. High-banked. Slick. A big cushion to rip. Those characteristics create a track right in Haudenschild’s wheelhouse.“I think they (the tracks) definitely get a lot slicker than some of the places we go,” Haudenschild explained. “I think it’s having laps and being comfortable and knowing how the track plays out through the night from being here in the past is helpful. It’s a comfort level.”The Ohioan will carry that comfort level into this weekend’s two-night tilt at Atomic looking to add to his history of home state success. But no matter the results, the fans will support him all the same. They’ll take photos. They’ll get autographs. They’ll watch proudly as one of their own continues to cement himself as one of the most talented and exciting drivers to ever wheel a Sprint Car.“It’s just stress free being home,” Haudenschild said. “And I’m just enjoying it.”For tickets to Atomic Speedway this weekend, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action on DIRTVision

Voting Open for Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver Contest

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 25, 2023) – The voting is now open for the Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver Contest. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Most Popular Driver Contest is based solely on the fan votes.  The winner of the Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver award will be announced during the annual Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Awards Banquet on December 8, 2023. The Most Popular Driver will receive a $500 cash bonus and product certificate from Deatherage Opticians. Voting will continue through December 1, 2023. Fans can vote for their favorite driver by visiting https://www.lucasdirt.com/most-popular-driver. There will also be a Deatherage QR code sign in the midway at series events that fans can scan that will take them to the voting page as well. To be eligible for the 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series – Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver Award, a driver must maintain 100% attendance on the tour. Fans may vote for one (1) eligible Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series driver per ballot submission. Voting is limited to one (1) vote per person. Deatherage Opticians is a family-owned business for over 38 years founded by Terry Deatherage, now owned and run by his son Greg Deatherage. Greg is an avid dirt late model fan and has helped several dirt late model drivers with their personal eyewear. For all your eyewear needs visit www.deatherageopticians.com For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com

Team Chevy advance–coca-cola 600

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE
Coca-Cola 600Charlotte Motor SpeedwayConcord, North CarolinaMay 28, 2023
NASCAR AT ‘HOME’ FOR TRIPLEHEADERWith the return of NASCAR’s Memorial Day tradition, NASCAR’s three national series will come together for a tripleheader race weekend at one of the most historic venues in the sport’s history – Charlotte Motor Speedway. ‘America’s Home for Racing’, the 1.5-mile oval holds one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ (NCS) oldest and most prestigious races – the Coca-Cola 600. A crown jewel event, Sunday’s 400-lap, 600-mile race marks the longest race on the series’ schedule to close out the day famously known as the ‘Greatest Day in Motorsports’.    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will drop the green flag on the tripleheader race weekend in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Chevrolet will look to keep its hot streak alive with the manufacturer heading into the race weekend looking for its fourth-consecutive NCTS victory this season. Returning from an off-weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ (NXS) season continues with Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 – marking the series’ halfway point in the 2023 regular-season.
‘GREATEST DAY IN MOTORSPORTS’ HITS HOME FOR CHEVROLETThe Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has historically been considered the ‘Greatest Day in Motorsports’. Packed with three of the most iconic races in motorsports, the day kicks-off with the Monaco Grand Prix (Formula One), followed by the Indianapolis 500 (INDYCAR) and the Coca-Cola 600 (NASCAR). Unique to its competitors, Chevrolet is the only manufacturer that competes in the two U.S.-based marquee events.  Along with its series-leading 25 all-time Coca-Cola 600 victories, Chevrolet also has a history of success in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ – registering 11 all-time Indianapolis 500 victories. General Motors brand Oldsmobile has also accounted for five wins in the prestigious event. 
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet2021 Coca-Cola 600May 30, 2021Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet2019 Indianapolis 500 WinnerMay 26, 2019
LEADING THE WAYWith more than six decades of history in NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted 124 races for NASCAR’s premier series – the fourth most of any circuit in series’ history. Chevrolet planted early roots in the sport’s legacy at the 1.50-mile North Carolina venue with Joe Lee Johnson driving Chevrolet to the victory in the series’ inaugural 600-mile race (June 19, 1960). 
Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 47 all-time NCS wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The most recent of those triumphs came in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 by Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team. Setting up to what turned into a career season for the 30-year-old California native, Larson’s triumph delivered the Bowtie brand its 25th trip to victory lane in the crown jewel event – a manufacturer-leading feat. 
CONQUERING IN CROWN JEWELContested in the epicenter of NASCAR, the Coca-Cola 600 is a crown jewel victory that holds a special place on the resume of some of the sport’s greatest drivers. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series with five career Coca-Cola 600 victories – all recorded in a Chevrolet-powered machine. Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson sits next on that list with four triumphs in the event. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will have the chance to tie Waltrip’s all-time win record this weekend as the 47-year-old California native is slated to make his next start behind the wheel of the No. 84 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s event. 
GOING THE DISTANCEOn the horizon of the longest race of the year, Team Chevy drivers have proven success in the NASCAR Cup Series’ endurance-based events. Since the debut of the Next Gen vehicles at the beginning of the 2022 season, there have been nine races that have a scheduled distance of 500 miles or more, with Team Chevy drivers accounting for triumphs in seven of those events. In fact, the manufacturer has taken the victory in the series’ past five consecutive long-distance races – each recorded by a different Team Chevy driver: 
–        Talladega Superspeedway (521 miles; April 23, 2023): Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 –        Daytona International Speedway (530 miles; Feb. 19, 2023): Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1-        Talladega Superspeedway (500 miles; Oct. 2, 2022): Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1-        Texas Motor Speedway (501 miles; Sept. 25, 2022): Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1-        Darlington Raceway (501 miles; Sept. 4, 2022): Erik Jones, No. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camaro ZL1
CHASING BACK-TO-BACK AT CHARLOTTE Chevrolet heads into the weekend not only as the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ most recent winner, but also the series’ defending winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Looking for his first win of the season, Josh Berry and the No. 8 JR Motorsports Camaro SS team will look to repeat their 2022 performance at the 1.5-mile North Carolina oval and make it back-to-back trips to victory lane in Saturday’s 200-lap event. The NXS made its debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1982. Chevrolet’s first triumph in the series at the track came in 1991 – recorded by Dale Earnhardt Sr. In the series’ 77-race history at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has amassed 22 all-time NXS wins at the track. Josh Berry, No. 8 JR Motorsports Camaro SSCharlotte Motor Speedway – May 28, 2022
THREE-IN-A-ROW AND COUNTINGThe Bowtie brand has hit a stride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series unlike its manufacturer competitors with Kyle Larson’s triumph at North Wilkesboro Speedway marking the third consecutive victory for the Silverado RST this season. The manufacturer sits at an impressive winning percentage of 60 percent with five different Team Chevy drivers winning a combined six of the series’ 10 races this season. In 20 NCTS appearances at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has found victory lane a series-leading 11 times – most recently one year ago with NCS regular Ross Chastain driving the No. 41 Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports to the win.  Ross Chastain, No. 41 Niece Motorsports Silverado RSTCharlotte Motor Speedway – May 27, 2022


BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson – eight (series-leading; 2016, 2014, 2009, 2005 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2003)Kyle Larson – one (2021)Chase Elliott – one (2020)Kyle Busch – one (2018)Austin Dillon – one (2017)
·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 25 all-time Coca-Cola 600 victories, most recently by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (May 2021). 
·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series with five career Coca-Cola 600 victories. Currently sitting second on event’s all-time wins list with four triumphs, Jimmie Johnson could potentially tie Waltrip’s win record in Sunday’s 600-mile race. 
·       10 drivers in series’ history recorded their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway – most recently by Team Chevy’s Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600. 
·       Only three drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are repeat winners this season, all coming from Team Chevy (William Byron – Las Vegas, Phoenix & Darlington; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega). 
·       In 13 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (eight), top-fives (30), top-10s (55), stage wins (14) and laps led (1,748).
·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with eight victories in 13 NASCAR Cup Series races, seven victories in 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and six wins in 10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of more than 50%.
·       With Grant Enfinger’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Kansas Speedway, GMS Racing is tied with Kevin Harvick Incorporated as the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS history with 43 all-time wins. 
·       Chevrolet’s series-leading eight NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from three different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports).
·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 14 of the 26 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (six; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (two) and Chase Elliott (one). 
·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 38 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 36 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 30 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. 
·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 841 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.  
TUNE IN: ·       NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. ET(FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
·       NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300Saturday, May 27, at 1 p.m. ET(FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
·       NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200Friday, May 26, at 8:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 How do you prepare for the Coke 600?“This is the longest race of the year and preparation begins well before the weekend to hydrate and be able to sustain a solid pace for such a long race. It’s so easy to think this is just another race weekend but you have to always have in your mind that there is a fourth stage and you still want to be as focused in that stage as you were in the first. It’s actually a really important race to have something to snack on in the car during the race. I typically have some sort of protein bar that I can eat during a stage break just to try and keep my stamina up. The weather plays a big role in the race too. Sometimes it’s really hot and it’s a lot easier to get worn out and other times the temperature is pretty mild.”
What would it mean to win at Charlotte?“We led a bunch of laps last year at this race and I hope to repeat the same this year. Phil Surgen and the guys continue to bring me fast cars and my pit crew is very consistent and helps me out on pit road. It would be awesome to go to victory lane at Charlotte for the 600 mile race because it’s so close to the shop and it’s one of the marquee events of the year.”

AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1 “My two favorite races of the year are the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Charlotte is a body killer. It’s a rough track. 600 miles there is a grind and I really love that race. I was able to win the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017 and very close last year to getting another win. Hopefully, Charlotte Motor Speedway owes us one more and we can go and get it done. You just know after years of being in the 600 and being able to win that race you are in for the long haul, it’s a grind because it’s so long, and mentally you must stay in it to have a chance to win. It all comes down to that last 100 miles. It’s probably the most challenging 100 miles we race all year. Leading up to 600 miles you have to be flawless. It’s a mental and physical task. The Coca-Cola 600 is a great race to be a part of.”
You think about the cool trophies NASCAR has, how does the Coca-Cola machine you won in 2017 Rank up there?“It’s an awesome trophy. It’s a throwback with that fridge. Coca-Cola does such a great job of bringing something unique to us drivers to win. I’m proud that I have one and I want to win another.”
What does it mean to you to be able to do things with Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway and to be a winner of the Coca-Cola 600? “It’s a special weekend for the Coca-Cola racing family, obviously, I’m always carrying the red label and Coca-Cola. It’s a fight to see who wins it from the Coke family and hopefully, the No. 3 Chevrolet takes it home for them.”
You’ve found success at Charlotte Motor Speedway, what is it about that track that suits your driving style?“I had a test one year there and I felt good about my arch in turn 3. I think the biggest thing as a kid was, I always sat in the condo in turn 1 and watched Jimmie Johnson win a lot of races there. I know where the car needs to be, and car placement is key there.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1Your victory in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 was one of the most dominating performances of your career. How special is that win? “To me the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 is one of the most dominant performances of my career and I think it’s a very special one. I say that because we led so much of that race and had such a fast car, a dominating car, and our team did everything perfectly. During that race they had PJ-1 sprayed down and a lot of guys were running in the PJ-1 to make time. Our stuff was good and we were so fast that we didn’t even have to use it and run in it. We could beat everybody outside of it and that really helped our tire life and our long run speed where people would wear their tires out in the glue and just take life out of their tires by having to run up there. That was a really cool win and that was the final track that I needed to get a points-paying win at that was still on the schedule. I accomplished winning at every single venue on the schedule at that point and time and it was really cool to have that honor.”
Since there is only one race each season on the Charlotte oval, does that make it extra special when you perform well?“With only going to the oval once I think it just makes it extra special and because it’s the Coca-Cola 600. You still look at that race as one of the bucket list races of the season, one of the crown jewels, and so you definitely want to win that one. I think that race really means a lot, especially on Memorial Day weekend.”
You will recognize fallen service member Jack William Roper at the Coca-Cola 600. Mr. Roper is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah and during World War II he served as a radio technician second class aboard the USS Mahan (DD 364), a destroyer that played a pivotal role in the Pacific theater. What does it mean to you to honor men like Mr. Roper each year?“I enjoy the fallen service member program that NASCAR does by putting the name to recognize a fallen service member on the windshield. I feel as though when you win that’s extra special to the families that are there. You get a chance to honor them and celebrate with them and have them be in victory lane with you. That’s really, really fun. We did that in 2018 and it was super cool. It’s not that easy to win, so you’d love to be able to reward those families, but you also tell them how appreciative you are. This year we get a chance to work with Jack William Roper family who is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s going to be really cool to honor him and his family.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1Elliott on looking ahead to the longest race of the season: “It is a long race, but it doesn’t necessarily feel much different to me. Don’t get me wrong, it is a long race. It can certainly drag on. I just feel like when you are in the heat of the moment, racing and focused and set on a goal, it doesn’t really seem a lot different. Winning the Coca-Cola 600 is certainly a box I’d like to check and we’ve come close once or twice. I think we have as good a shot as anyone this weekend.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on preparing for the longest race of the year: “All of the components in the car are pretty standard, so you just want to make sure you have it all in good condition and dot all your i’s and cross your t’s. There’s not much we can do to the car itself. I think the biggest thing is just the opportunity you have over the course of the event. There’s more pit stops, there’s more restarts, there’s more strategy calls and there’s more laps. There’s more everything. Preparing for that and being able to keep yourself in good position. Not making mistakes or get yourself behind or get yourself in trouble. Mentally you need to be ready for how long that race really is and how much focus it takes, I think it’s pretty crucial, not only from the team side, but for Chase (Elliott) and for the pit crew.”
Gustafson on the team’s second mile-and-a-half start with Elliott behind the wheel this season: “Kansas (Speedway) was an important race for us because it just took us a while to kind of get back in the flow (after Chase’s return). Kansas was one of the first races I feel like that we got to where we needed to be and focused on the right things. We executed the race for the most part, we were competitive and towards the front. I feel like from there on, you need to continue to perform at higher levels. So, I think we need to be better yet. Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is a good place to be able to do that and build off of our Kansas performance.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1 “Memorial Day weekend is always a special weekend at the track. What we are representing is bigger than the race and we’ll take a lot of pride in having our patriotic No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet on track this weekend to honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. This is the longest race we have so it’s a mental and physical challenge, but it’s also a race that can be very enjoyable as well if it goes well. I’m excited to be back to run the 600.”

NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY CAMARO ZL1 “This is a special weekend for everyone. The Coca-Cola 600 is a great race for the fans and it’s a ‘home’ race for the team. We have a special tribute on the car with Gunnery Sgt. Menusa which has special meaning to everyone at Black Rifle Coffee Company. I am thankful to all who have served and to meet the Gold Star families who are guests of our team this weekend. My family will be in town too, so I’m looking forward to the 600. We have had great cars on these types of tracks, it’s a long race and we plan to go the distance.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1“Charlotte will be fun, the Coke 600 is one of my favorite races of the year for a couple of reasons, honoring the troops on Memorial Day weekend and to be able to represent the life of Major Del Bagno is something that is hard to put into words. Having a sponsor as important as the United States Air Force representing our Chevrolet is something that not a lot of people have the opportunity to do, and I have been very appreciative of the relationships we have developed over the years and hope to continue that. The 600 miles endurance race is fun and always a good time, we ran well last year, and we usually run well in Charlotte, but this is considered one of the “Crown Jewels” for us drivers, last year was intense and was over a five-hour race, it was one of, if not the longest Coke 600 in history. I am excited for that whole week, memorial day weekend is one of my favorite parts of the year and I am honored to have legacy of Major Del Bagno on our Camaro.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COCA-COLA CAMARO ZL1“We remember those who answered the call of duty with immeasurable selflessness and the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day weekend, and we humbly unite to remember them with reverence. 
I ran my first ever Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and it’s a track I’ve always ran well at. Last year, we had a competitive race car. We would love to have a shot at winning this crown jewel of the sport. We have a good shot based on how we ran at Dover (Motor Speedway) and Darlington (Raceway). We feel like that will translate to Charlotte.”

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CLUB WYNDHAM CAMARO ZL1“It is great being back in Charlotte, it’s been a while. I’ve had so much success over the years at this track, it’s so special to me. This weekend is so important to so many, and I always treasure the time we get to spend with the families of the fallen soldiers who are on our race cars. I hope to have a good solid race this weekend, as last time out (COTA) I didn’t even get to take a lap. Happy to have Club Wyndham on the car this weekend and as soon as we are finished in Charlotte I will be heading to France and fulfilling another bucket list item – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1Did you gain momentum at North Wilkesboro?“The No. 99 team has had a lot of speed lately, but we haven’t had the execution and the results. We’ve been very tough on ourselves. It was good to go to North Wilkesboro, get the pole with the pit crew, win our heat race, lead a bunch of laps and have a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can keep it going this weekend in the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday.”
What is the key to success in such a long race as the Coca-Cola 600?“As a driver, your goal is to be as fresh at the end of the race as you are at the beginning. That’s important. It isn’t about making it to the end of the race. It’s about being at your best at the end and taking advantage of other drivers who are tired.”
How do you prepare for Sunday?“As a human being you try and perform at 100 percent the entire time, but when you’re running a marathon, you’re not going to be as strong in the last 30 minutes. That’s normal. Fatigue is setting in, your muscles are tired, you’re running out of fluid, and you’re hungry. Racing is the same way, especially in the Coca-Cola 600. We start running out of energy and you’re mind gets tired after four hours of racing. But I look to this race as a marathon, and you have to be on top of your game for the last part of this race. So, I always try to keep that in my mind when I’m in the car. This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTWhat makes Charlotte Motor Speedway such a challenging racetrack?“Charlotte is a pretty unique mile-and-a-half racetrack considering how bumpy it is. I guess it’s because the track was built on a landfill; but there are just so many violent bumps around that place, especially going off into turn 3. You’ve gotta have a truck good enough to be able to maneuver through those and still be able to get to the bottom if you need to. The past few years, we’ve had the track compound which has given us more of an outside groove there than what we’ve had in years past.
In order to win the race, you’ve got to be able to run well on the bottom of the track as well as up on the top. I feel like Charlotte is probably one of the trickiest tracks on the schedule in terms of how much the weather conditions from the daytime practice to the nighttime race change the handling characteristics for us. It’s a really fun place when you’re dialed in, but it is easy to miss the setup there and have a long night. Hensley and I have worked hard at this place and I’m sure we will unload our Champion Power Equipment Chevy with a good package. We’re taking the same truck that we won Kansas with, so hopefully we can go out there and contend for another win with it on Friday night.”

RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTThis will be your third time pulling double duty with the Truck and Xfinity car, how much of a benefit has that been for you in the past?“Running double duty in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Xfinity Series is going to be a big help especially when it comes to having the extra track time. I’ve been to Charlotte before, both in the ARCA Menards Series last season and in testing the Xfinity car earlier this year. To be the first one on the racetrack and know where I need to place the vehicle as well as knowing what parts of the surface have the grip and where it’s going to be optimal to run for lap time will be very beneficial. I feel good about getting a good result for everyone at the Wendell Scott Foundation and all the men and woman on my No. 24 Chevy team. We’ve had really good pace the past few weeks but have only had one decent result to show for it, so we’ll just keep it going and give it our all this weekend.”

DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 RACETOSTOPSUICIDE.COM SILVERADO RSTSince you’ve raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway before, what are some of the unique characteristics of this track that separates it from most intermediates?“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to getting to Charlotte since I’ve raced there before and already have a couple of mile-and-a-half races under my belt in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Charlotte is different compared to a lot of these other places because it’s very bumpy and rough. I know the GMS Racing team has had some success there in the past, and based off of what we were able to learn in Kansas a few weeks ago I think Blake and the rest of our No. 43 crew guys will bring us a fast truck to compete with.”

CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RST You’ve had three top-10 finishes on mile-and-half tracks this year. Are you looking forward to Friday?“I’m excited to get to Charlotte and the chance to race on another mile-and-a-half track. We’ve shown a lot of speed and we’ve had some good runs on those types of tracks this year. Our most recent one, I thought we had a truck capable of winning and just some unfortunate things happened. Hoping to change some of that luck around and have a good weekend!”
Is the Charlotte race one of the bigger races on the Truck Series schedule?“Charlotte is always a big one because everyone wants to win at home. This race is in everybody’s back yard and to win this one it would be really special. It makes a statement to go out and win in front of everybody in your back yard. I’ll have a lot of family and friends at the track so this will be a big weekend for us.”
Does the first race of the Triple Truck Challenge make it an even bigger race?“Obviously everybody wants to make as much money as they can on a normal weekend but since this is one of the Triple Truck Challenge races it definitely ups the stakes a little bit. I’m going to approach the weekend like it’s a normal race, go out there and try to put everything together and win. Our trucks are fast enough to do it, we just need to limit our mistakes.”

JACK WOOD, NO. 51 EBERLESTOCK SILVERADO RSTAre you looking forward to getting back behind the wheel at Charlotte after recently having a break in your Truck Series schedule?“Yeah, I’m looking forward to Charlotte. I think more so than any place that I’ve raced at this year it is more of a driver’s race track — it’s easier to gain and lose track position. It should be a better race for us. Having this break on my schedule since Texas I’ve been able to take advantage of being behind the scenes and seeing how the crew chief and the team operate and I think that will help improve our communication moving forward. We’ll be better now than we were before and I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a busy day Friday as I’m doing double duty running the ARCA Race as well. With being out of the truck for a while running that race will help me knock some of the rust off and I’ll have more track time than most of the guys in the Truck Series. I’m just going to have to be on point with understanding the two different balances of the vehicles and not getting the driving styles mixed up between the two of them.”
Talk about the paint scheme you are running as part of NASCAR Salutes.“It’s exciting to have Eberlestock back on the truck for a second time this year, this time with the Green Beret Foundation as well as Montana Knife Company as associate partners. The paint scheme turned out really cool. This weekend is a big one for our country and especially the sport of NASCAR. It’ll be exciting to have them there and to honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice. My helmet also has a special scheme — stay tuned to my social channels as we are going to be doing a special giveaway and some other cool stuff.”
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 8Poles: 4Laps Led: 1,748Top-five finishes: 30Top-10 finishes: 55Stage wins: 14·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)·       William Byron – 6 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover)·       Kyle Larson – 2 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt)·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 841 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 738Laps led to date: 247,292Top-five finishes to date: 4,251Top-10 finishes to date: 8,767                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,175           Chevrolet: 841           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 821                                                                      Ford: 721           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 174

ANTE UP: McIntosh Sweeps Double Down Showdown at Millbridge

Reimer charges to second from 12th, McDermand with fourth-straight podium in P3

SALISBURY, NC (May 24, 2023) – Since moving to North Carolina from Oklahoma over the offseason, Cannon McIntosh has made Millbridge Speedway his new home-away-from-home. He faced 22 other invaders at his weekly race place Wednesday night and expelled every one for the second-straight night, winning the DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown in a sweep of the week’s events.

With eight wins in weekly Micro Sprint competition already this season, McIntosh was among the most prepared drivers in the field for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota’s return to the 1/6-mile speedway. It came at exactly the right time after he was bested by Chase McDermand in back-to-back races three weeks ago in Kansas.

But this week, McIntosh was simply not going to be denied. Not in his own backyard.

“It’s definitely rewarding after running second a couple weekends,” McIntosh said. “Being able to come back here and show resilience and show what the team’s about.”

He and the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports team showed what they were about early, turning in a fastest Qualifying lap of 9.884 to snag the Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Award. From there, a fourth-to-second run in Heat #3 put him fifth on the starting grid for the Toyota Racing Feature.

McIntosh, 20, of Bixby, OK, immediately jumped to his preferred lane on the outside, right up against the wall at the drop of the green and began picking off his forward opponents. By Lap 10, he reached the rear bumper of his most formidable foe – Chase McDermand – and wasted no time in getting by with a big slide job in Turns 3-4 to take the lead.

“I kinda just went off of feel and when I could feel the car load-up, and then get back to the throttle,” McIntosh said. “We’d get really good runs on guys there. I just started making moves, and it started clicking once I got by the first car. I got into a rhythm, and we were really good in traffic.”

McIntosh was strong in traffic, having zero issues getting through multiple waves of slower cars and maintaining his gap on the field until a handful of caution periods slowed the race’s pace down after the halfway point.

Further back in the field, Taylor Reimer was mounting a big charge to the front from her 12th-place spot on the starting grid. She had advanced her Keith Kunz Motorsports #25K all the way to fourth before the halfway point and was hot on the tail for a podium spot as the race dipped under 10-to-go.

“I just ripped through the middle, honestly,” Reimer said. “There were a couple guys on the bottom, a lot were trying the top. From the Micro race, I knew there really wasn’t anything on the top. It was fine for the Micros, but I knew once it got to the Midgets with all the horsepower we have, it was gonna be tough to run up there.”

Reimer, 23, of Tulsa, OK, was one of the few drivers in the field also piloting a Micro Sprint over the two-day stretch and used the extra seat time to her advantage. After getting by her KKM teammate Gavan Boschele for third, she set her sights on McDermand in second.

One final restart with three circuits remaining put Reimer right on McDermand’s bumper. The two battled for the spot relentlessly until McDermand’s slide job attempt forced contact between them in Turn 3, shooting McDermand way up the track in Turn 4 and allowing Reimer to grab the spot from underneath him.

“She came all the way up to the wall that time, so I just had to throw it down underneath of her,” McDermand said. “I realized at the last second that I probably wasn’t going to clear, so I tried to throw it sideways and that’s when my right-rear hit her.”

“He slid me because he had so much momentum; he wasn’t just going to let off,” Reimer said. “I was ripping through the middle, he slid me, and we made contact there. It pushed him up the track, thankfully it didn’t wreck either of us and we were able to continue on.”

Back out front, McIntosh was on cruise control as he crossed underneath the checkered flags unchallenged to bag the $5,000 grand prize.

“We were able to stay out of trouble and keep our nose clean,” McIntosh said. “That was our key to being able to win this week. I felt like we had the speed all week, it was just a matter of staying out of trouble and keeping this thing in one piece.”

Reimer was able to gather her car back up after the contact with McDermand and crossed the line in second, notching her best Series finish of the year thus far.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit; my guys always give me a great car and I just felt like I haven’t delivered yet,” Reimer said. “To get this for them is really important to me. I’m still chasing that win. I know if I just keep doing well and finishing top-fives, top-threes, the win will come.”

McDermand crossed in third for the second night in-a-row, making for his fourth-straight podium in his last four Series starts. Though he lost some ground in the points standings to McIntosh, he’s still confident in what’s to come this season.

“There’s a lot of tracks left to go,” McDermand said. “I feel like maybe the bigger tracks are more in my wheelhouse, so hopefully that’ll kinda turn the tides back toward us.”

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota jumps back into action next weekend at Tri-City Speedway (June 1) and Wayne County Speedway (June 2-3) in Illinois.

Tickets will be on sale at the gates on race day. If you can’t be at the tracks, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (35 Laps): 1. 08-Cannon McIntosh[5]; 2. 25K-Taylor Reimer[12]; 3. 40-Chase McDermand[1]; 4. 5G-Gavan Boschele[4]; 5. 97-Gavin Miller[3]; 6. 71-Jade Avedisian[8]; 7. 67-Ryan Timms[2]; 8. 98-Briggs Danner[6]; 9. 55D-Nick Drake[10]; 10. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[7]; 11. 71E-Mariah Ede[14]; 12. 26-Chance Crum[15]; 13. 55-Trevor Cline[9]; 14. 7U-Kyle Jones[11]; 15. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[19]; 16. 71M-Jake Andreotti[13]; 17. 5LK-Kyle Strickler[21]; 18. 97K-Carson Hocevar[17]; 19. 17B-Austin Barnhill[20]; 20. 2X-Landon Brooks[16]; 21. 5D-Zach Daum[18]

Max Blair Contends for O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 24, 2023) – Centerville, Pennsylvania native, Max Blair will follow the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time in 2023, with his sights set on the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year title. Blair comes from an accomplished racing family. His father, Rob Blair started his racing career at the age of 14 and over the years, his commitment to racing and driving ability have won him numerous racing titles and awards. Since 1996, his rookie season in the late model division, Rob has won over 180 races, including 43 sanctioned events. Rob has also accumulated 4 series championships, and 9 track championships to add to his resume.   Blair started his career in 2005, also at the age of 14. Since then, Max has accumulated over 75 career victories. To add to his win total, Blair has also won 17 championships, including multiple Zimmer’s United Late Model Series, RUSH Late Model Series, FASTRAK Northeast Regional Series, and FASTRAK National Weekly Series titles. “So far we’ve really enjoyed racing with Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, I’m looking forward to a great year with the tour,” Blair said. “The goal is to be competitive and win the Rookie of the Year title. I’m able to race close to home a little more. I’m looking forward to the Firecracker. Raceway 7, a place I grew up racing, I’m really looking forward to that.” Max Blair has enjoyed a noteworthy start to his maiden season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. In 18 completed A-Mains, Blair has registered eight top ten performances, including two Big River Steel podium appearances. Blair also has a pair of heat race wins to his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series resume. Blair’s Briggs Transport, Inc.-owned, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Excess Storage, Murphy’s Logging, Creekside Auto Sales, Valvoline, Penske Racing Shocks, C and J Dairy, Corner Stone Builders LLC, Previty’s Auto Wrecking Inc, Meridien Hardwoods of PA Inc, Three Rivers Karting & Axe Throwing, Northeast Paving & Sealcoat, CJ’s Auto Transport, Bulldog Rear Ends, Wilwood, Keyser Manufacturing, Simpson, XS Power, Fast Shafts, MWB Designs, Performance Bodies, BRINN, Sweet Manufacturing, TruForm Race Products, Swift Springs, Beyea Headers, STAKT Products, Accu-Force Dynos, Gotta Race, Wieland, Allstar Performance, Colonial Metal Products Inc, and VP Racing Fuels. To learn more about Team Blair Racing, visit them online at www.teamblairracing.com.  The O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year will pay an industry record $20,000 to the winner in 2023. Additionally, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year will receive multiple product awards from various motorsports manufacturers, valued at over $10,000. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com.

RMR Prepares for ‘Chaotic’ Weekend at Eddyville Raceway for Chaos In The Cornfield

May 24, 2023 | Featured, Pre-Race Releases, Special Announcements

As the Funny Car Chaos and Nitro Chaos series settle into Eddyville Raceway Park for a double event this weekend, May 26-28, Randy Meyer Racing is bringing all four cars in its stable to chase victories in both series. With three nitro-injected A/Fuel dragsters in Nitro Chaos and one A/Fuel Funny Car in Funny Car Chaos competition, “Chaos in the Cornfield” will be the team’s first time fielding four cars in one weekend. 

Sisters Megan and Rachel Meyer will drive the team’s pair of GUNK-branded dragsters, with Rachel making her return to driving for the first time since 2021. Julie Nataas, who usually fields one of the RMR dragsters to compete for an NHRA Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol Dragster world championship, will drive the A/Fuel Funny Car. Matt Sackman will return to the driver’s seat for his first Nitro Chaos appearance in the team’s third A/Fuel dragster. 

“We want to try to put on the best show that we can for the fans that are coming up to Iowa for the Chaos races, so we decided to bring all four cars to try to maximize our experience and chances of winning,” said team owner and tuner Randy Meyer. “This is a first for our team and we’ve got our best crew guys coming in to put on a good show.”

Megan, a two-time NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champion, leads the charge with her GUNK dragster, which she’s running in the full Nitro Chaos series to contend for a championship. She started the season by qualifying No. 1 at the Edgewater race in early May, though she lost in the second round due to a red light. 

“It felt great to get back behind the wheel at Edgewater for the first Nitro Chaos race, and it was a good reminder for me to understand how difficult racing can be,” Megan said. “I wasn’t 100% prepared in the second round, and to be a winning drag racer you need to be on your game at all times. It’s knowing when and how to react and not letting what other people say and do affect your outcome, and I did not perform at my best which, resulted in the red light, naturally. So I’ve been preparing mentally and physically to be at my very best for the Eddyville Nitro Chaos race because I know there is going to be a lot of tough competition, including my own teammates, and I want to show off the skills that my crew and this Gunk nitro dragster have.”

Rachel, the 2021 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champion, is making her Nitro Chaos debut behind the wheel of the second GUNK dragster. She served as Megan’s crew chief at the Nitro Chaos season opener, and this weekend will be her first event back in competition since her championship-winning run at the end of the 2021 season. 

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous just because it’s been so long since I drove,” Rachel said. “Thankfully, I’m gonna go down Friday and hopefully I can get a test pass in just to get the rhythm back down of how to drive. I really did enjoy being the starter for Megan and helping try to tune her car because I still really enjoy that aspect of it, but I’m pretty excited to drive again.”

Nataas currently leads the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster national points with one national event win and two regional event wins. She’ll make her second Funny Car Chaos appearance of the season driving RMR’s A/Fuel Funny Car. At the first race of the season, she qualified third out of 51 cars and reached the semifinals of the A-field. 

“We made some great progress (and passes) in the Funny Car both in testing and at our last Funny Car Chaos event in Texas,” Nataas said. “It’s not perfect yet, so I look forward to working on it and seeing how much more progress we can make this weekend.”

The RMR A/Fuel Funny Car first hit the track last season. It’s a unique learning opportunity for Nataas as a driver and Meyer as a longtime tuner of nitro-fueled dragsters. Though they’re not competing for the Funny Car Chaos championship, Nataas and her team still take their handful of appearances in the series seriously. 

“The FCC races and the Funny Car is a fun project for the driver, crew chief, and team, so we are probably more relaxed at the races,” Nataas said, “and right now we are happy with making progress every pass. With that being said: we might say we are relaxed, but I’m a competitive person and the whole team is the same. We want to win no matter what or where we are racing, so that’s our goal in the Funny Car too.”

Rounding out the RMR lineup at Chaos in the Cornfield is Matt Sackman, who previously drove this season at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. He’s also worked as a crew member on the RMR cars at several races, though he’s eager to get back to driving this weekend. He’ll drive the OTG dragster typically driven by Nataas. 

“I’m looking forward to hitting the gas,” Sackman said. “Sometimes the opportunities to hit the gas in an injected nitro car are few and far between. This is kind of a last-minute deal. I was pretty disappointed after I red-lighted in the first round in Vegas, and I wasn’t sure when I’d get to drive one of Randy’s cars again. This is a great opportunity to try to redeem my mistakes there in Vegas and just have some fun this weekend. I have some really good friends that work on a few nitro teams in Indy, and they’re coming over to Eddyville to help work on Randy’s cars. Randy has one of the best operations out there, and I’m sure we won’t have any issues running all four cars.”

The four RMR drivers will get two qualifying sessions on Saturday, with a final third session set for Sunday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Fans who can’t make it out to Eddyville Raceway Park for Chaos in the Cornfield can watch the race live on FloRacing.com

CHEVROLET LOOKS TO ADD TO HISTORY AT THE 107TH RUNNING OF THE INDIANAPOLIS 500

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE

MAY 24, 2023

DETROIT (May 24, 2023) – The month of May, as well as the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season, has already shaped up to showcase the tight competition and excitement both have to offer. As Chevrolet enters the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, 17 Chevy-powered drivers and teams eye capturing the famed Borg-Warner Trophy for the 11th time in manufacturer history.

Starting with Rick Mears in 1988 and continuing with nine drivers over the next 11 victories, Chevrolet eyes to add a 12th for the Bowtie brand, in addition to six prestigious pole awards during that time. The last to capture victory for Chevrolet was Simon Pagenaud in 2019, winning from the pole that year and adding a fourth victory in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injection era.

Additionally, Chevrolet will once again bring the famed field off 33 to the green flag on Sunday, pacing the Indianapolis 500 field in the beautiful Red Mist Metallic 2023 Corvette Z06 hardtop convertible. The first generation of the Corvette to offer a hardtop convertible, the pace car features two-tone Jet Black and Sky Cool Gray with Torch Red accents, as well as Spider-designed forged aluminum wheels finished in Tech Bronze for a race-ready look. This year’s honorary Pace Car driver is Indiana Pacers player Tyrese Haliburton.

“First, we all send our very best wishes to Stefan Wilson for a speedy recovery, said Rob Buckner, IndyCar Program Manager at General Motors. “After the intensity of two days of qualifying, we have forward focused on Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

We will maximize our final practice to fine-tune our Chevy-powered cars to be race-ready. Winning the Indianapolis 500 is one of our primary goals at the beginning of the season. Our Chevrolet engineers have worked tirelessly with our teams to give all 17 of our drivers their best opportunity to win the biggest race in the world. The Borg Warner Trophy is the one we want to award to a Chevrolet driver, not to mention the Corvette pace car. We are well prepared and ready for Drivers Start Your Engines on Sunday.”

The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge takes the green flag live on NBC at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 28, 2023.

2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:

291: NTT INDYCAR SERIES podiums as a V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.

187: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR. 

108: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 

121: Earned poles since 2012. 

11: Indianapolis 500 victories, historically.

7: NTT INDYCAR SERIES by Chevrolet drivers in 2023 so far.

7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012. 

7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012. 

6: Indianapolis 500 Pole Awards since 2012.

4: Indianapolis 500 victories since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injection era.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 VICTORIES BY CHEVROLET:

1988: Rick Mears

1989: Emerson Fittipaldi

1990: Arie Luyendyk

1991: Rick Mears

1992: Al Unser, Jr.

1993: Emerson Fittipaldi

2002: Helio Castroneves

2013: Tony Kanaan*

2015: Juan Pablo Montoya*

2018: Will Power*

2019: Simon Pagenaud*

*V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injection era.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 POLE AWARDS (SINCE 2012):

2012: Ryan Briscoe

2013: Ed Carpenter

2014: Ed Carpenter

2015: Scott Dixon

2018: Ed Carpenter

2019: Simon Pagenaud

DEX Imaging Team To Honor the Late Sgt. Shawn Dunkin at Charlotte


May 24, 2023


Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed into the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a dual mission. They’re hoping for a strong run in Sunday’s race, the longest race, distance-wise, on the Cup Series schedule. And they intend to honor a fallen servicemember as part of the track’s annual 600 Miles of Remembrance.

Crew chief Brian Wilson said he and the other members of the DEX Imaging team, like people across the country this weekend, will be remembering those who gave their lives in service of their country.

“Heading into Memorial Day weekend, everyone on the No. 21 Ford is thinking about those who served, and currently serve our country,” Wilson said, adding that he has family members for whom Memorial Day has an extra special meaning. “Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, and both of my brothers-in- law were also in the Armed Forces.”

This weekend, Wilson will be a part of paying tribute to a young soldier who gave his life for his country.

“The DEX Mustang will proudly honor Sgt. Shawn M. Dunkin, who served in the Army,” Wilson said. “We’re planning to host members of his family this weekend and hope to make them proud with our performance.”

Sgt. Dunkin, who lived in Columbia, S.C., joined the Army in 2001. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq on Feb. 19, 2007, when he died from injuries suffered when his vehicle was struck by a bomb. Two of his fellow soldiers, Matthew Bowe and Adare Cleveland, also were killed.

At that time Dunkin was serving as a calvary scout leader with B Troop, 1st Squadron, 89th Calvary Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10thMountain Division out of Ft. Drum, Ky.
He was 25 years old. 

His military decorations include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

In interviews after Sgt. Dunkin’s death his family members told reporters stories they’d heard about him, including his giving the family Bible to a fellow servicemember who was struggling. And they learned that at the time of his death, Sgt. Dunkin had given up his leave so a younger soldier could return to the States and see his newborn child.

In another interview, Michael Dunkin described his son as “an All-American boy” who loved hunting, fishing and just being outside.

Having the Dunkin family in their pit area this weekend at Charlotte and having Sgt. Dunkin’s name on the No. 21 DEX Mustang gives the Wood Brothers team added motivation to build on the speed they’ve shown in recent races on intermediate-length tracks like Charlotte.

“We believe we hit on a setup in Kansas that Harrison liked and which produced very competitive lap times,” Wilson said. “We took those same setup ideas to Darlington, where we came away with one of our most competitive weekends this season. 

“We’ll head to Charlotte with a building notebook and hopes of improving on our competitiveness.”

Practice for the Coca-Cola 600 is set for Saturday at 7 p.m., and will be followed by qualifying at 7:45. 

Sunday’s 400-lap, 600-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 100, 200 and 300.

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