Monthly Archives: June 2014

Honda Racing

Honda Racing–Pagenaud, Honda Head IndyCar Series Practice at Detroit

• Honda seeking fourth and fifth consecutive 2014 IndyCar victories
• Manufacturer defends sweep of both Detroit rounds in 2013
• Honda drivers claim five of top 10 positions in practice

Honda-powered drivers led the way in Verizon IndyCar Series practice Friday for the Dual at Detroit doubleheader race weekend, with Indianapolis 500 winner Ryan Hunter-Reay leading the morning practice session, and finishing the day fifth overall, while 2013 Detroit winner Simon Pagenaud paced the afternoon session and the day.

Honda drivers claimed five of the top 10 positions, with Takuma Sato seventh fastest for A.J. Foyt Racing, James Hinchcliffe eighth for Andretti Autosport, and Graham Rahal rounding out the top 10 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Simon Pagenaud(#77 Schmidt Peterson Hamilton Motorsports Honda) quickest in Friday practice:  “Detroit is a great track, I really love it.  You have to able to cope with the different track surfaces, asphalt and concrete, and be comfortable sliding the car.  It’s breathtaking after spending the last three weeks in Indianapolis.  [Winning here] last year was such a big day for us, the team really ‘went up a gear’ as a result and since then we’ve been competitive everywhere we go.”

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Schatz Battles Back to Win the NAPA Auto Parts Rumble at I-96 Speedway

Schatz Battles Back to Win the NAPA Auto Parts Rumble at I-96 Speedway
Schatz’s fifth win of the season helps propel him to an eight point lead in the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car championship standings
LAKE ODESSA, Mich. — May 31, 2014 — For the fifth time this season Donny Schatz found himself in victory lane after powering through traffic Saturday night to win the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars’ NAPA Auto Parts Rumble at I-96 Speedway.

Schatz, who started fifth, fell back to seventh at the start of the race. Through the next 20 laps he progressed his STP/Armor All car through the field, eventually catching leader Brad Sweet. On lap 21, after a restart two laps earlier, Schatz found the opportunity he needed.

“It just feels good to have a car that good,” Schatz said. “The track’s tricky… You’re always learning, always trying to find new ways around it. I’ve wanted to win here for a long time.”

This was Schatz’s first win at I-96 Speedway, his fifth win on the season and his 152nd career win. He is now just one win away from tying Mark Kinser for third on the Outlaws all-time win list.

In his quest for a sixth World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars championship, the win also gave Schatz an eight point lead over second place Daryn Pittman.

The green flag flew on the three-eighths mile I-96 Speedway with Sweet and Cody Darrah in the first row. Joey Saldana and Sammy Swindell rounded out the top four. Sweet jumped out to an early lead as the cars behind him battled for position.

By lap 10, Schatz was already beginning to make his move through the field, battling Paul McMahan, Pittman and Swindell.

The caution flag flew for the first time on lap 17 after Swindell had a tire cut down.

As the green flag again flew, Sweet led Cody Darrah, Schatz and Saldana. A good restart for Schatz moved him into the second position as the cars hit the front stretch.

A flat right rear tire for Darrah brought out another caution on lap 19. This restart proved pivotal for Schatz and David Gravel. As Schatz worked his way around Sweet for the lead, Gravel was able to advance four spots and eventually challenge Saldana for third.

In the closing laps, Gravel took third from Saldana. As Sweet and Schatz worked their way through lapped traffic, Sweet tried to reel Schatz in, but was not able to catch him.

“You always get worried when the 15 is next to you on a slick race track like this,” said Sweet, who has three wins so far this season. “We had a great car though. The SureTest guys worked really hard all night.”

“Donny did everything right. We just got beat by a better driver tonight. I felt like our car was capable of winning. I felt like we could keep up with him in lapped traffic – we had a chance back at it. So hats off to those guys.”

Sweet said his team continues to make progress every week and learn a little bit more. He said he looks forward to the month of June.

Gravel, who also has three wins on the season in his Roth Motorsports car, said the track conditions changed a lot over the course of the night. He credited his team with making good changes to his car.

“I’m glad we made the right adjustments. I had a really good restart on the last restart, got up to fourth and Joey messed up there on a few corners,” Gravel said. “To get on the podium is great. We’ve been struggling to get into the dash, and we finally got into the dash and it paid off.

“You’ve got to adjust as a driver as the race goes on and we made a lot of changes there before the feature and it was right choices.”

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Line No. 4 qualifier at conclusion of very fast day in Englishtown

Line No. 4 qualifier at conclusion of very fast day in Englishtown
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 31, 2014) – Pro Stock driver Jason Line powered his blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to one of the fastest runs in Pro Stock history at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park on Saturday at the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals. The quick and fast day of qualifying was one for the record books as seven of the top 10 fastest speeds in Pro Stock history were recorded.
 
Line raced to a quick and fast 6.516-second pass at 213.40 mph on Friday, the first day of qualifying, to claim a new track record for speed in Englishtown, and his Summit Racing Camaro was even quicker on the second day of the event. In the early session and in pleasing conditions, Line clocked a 6.491 at an eye-catching 214.83 mph that eclipsed his own previous personal best in terms of speed. However, that still wasn’t enough. The two-time NHRA Pro Stock world champion blasted to a remarkable 6.488 at 214.52 in the final round of qualifying.
 
“The Summit Racing Camaros are really improving,” said Line. “We went quicker each run with both my car and the Summit Camaro driven by my teammate, Greg Anderson, and I think we can go fast again tomorrow. That last run today was really good for a lot of drivers because we had a tail wind and the conditions were good, and hopefully tomorrow we will be the car that’s able to make four more good runs.”
 
Line, who has qualified in the top half at each event this season, will start from the No. 4 position. He enters raceday scheduled for a first round meeting with part-time runner John Gaydosh, who is starting 13th. It will be the first time Line and Gaydosh have raced this season.
 
If Line is able to defeat his first-round challenger and also move past the second round, he could meet up with Anderson in the semifinals, thereby assuring a Summit Racing Camaro reaches the final round in Englishtown. Eight times before a Summit Racing car has won the event at the venue known as Raceway Park.
 
“This has been a good track for us,” said Line, who has claimed three of the eight titles for the KB Racing team in Englishtown. “We have a good shot for tomorrow. We’re certainly in a good place.”

Mopar Racing

Mopar Racing–Johnson Sets Track Record on Route to No.1 Qualifier Honors at NHRA Summernationals

Johnson Sets Track Record on Route to No.1 Qualifier Honors at NHRA Summernationals

·         Allen Johnson secures No.1 qualifier position at 45th annual NHRA Summernationals by setting track record and second quickest Pro Stock pass in history
·         Jeg Coughlin Jr. qualifies sixth with his second best career Pro Stock pass
·         Don Schumacher Racing’s Jack Beckman quickest in final Funny Car qualifying to start fifth on eliminations ladder

Englishtown, New Jersey (Saturday, May 31) – Picking up right where he left off last weekend with his Pro Stock title win at the Kansas Nationals, Allen Johnson drove his “Magneti Marelli Offered by Mopar” Dodge Dart to the top spot on both qualifying days at the 45th annual National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Summernationals to earn his 33rd career No.1 qualifier position.
 
With cool evening conditions on Friday, Johnson drove his HEMI®-powered Mopar to the provisional pole position by setting the track elapsed time record at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park with a 6.502 second / 213.00 mph pass. He followed up that performance by improving on it in the final session on Saturday with the second quickest pass in Pro Stock history to take his second No.1 qualifier honor of the season.
 
“This track is absolutely awesome when you have cloud cover and cool conditions especially that left lane so when we saw it coming, we went back and reset the car on kill and it worked,” said Johnson of his quickest career pass of 6.472 seconds (214.35 mph). “Right before our run, Erica (Enders-Stevens) and her crew chief told me not to do anything heroic and throw them a bone and I said “Nope”. It was exciting to go out and grab it from them. I’ve got a great crew and Jeg (Coughlin Jr.) is right there behind me and we have a good combination going into race day.”
 
Johnson, who finished runner-up last year at the Summernationals, will face Chris McGaha as his first round opponent in eliminations.
 
Mopar teammate and reigning champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. heads into elimination in sixth spot after posting a win and a runner-up finish in consecutive national events leading up to this weekend’s competition.
Coughlin posted his second best career e.t. run of 6.489-second (214.25 mph) in the JEGS.com Dodge Dart in Saturday’s early session to match-up against Kenny Delco in the opening round.
 
“We’re in the top half, and that’s what matters the most,” said Coughlin, who earned the win in Atlanta from the eighth spot on the eliminations ladder. “I think the left lane here is slightly better because it’s smoother and seems to have better traction from 60 feet to around 400 feet, which is an important area for Pro Stock cars.”
 
While the debut of the new Dodge Dart Pro Stock was celebrated with a win by Johnson at the Gatornationals in March, it took the HEMI-powered two–car Mopar team a few more events to get a good handle on the new combination. Their hard work, however, has most recently been rewarded with three consecutive final round appearances and two victories, including the all-Mopar final elimination showdown between the teammates last week in Topeka, which they are hoping to repeat on Sunday.
 
Fellow HEMI-powered Dodge Dart driver, V.Gaines qualified 14th with a 7.583-second e.t. and will face Shane Gray as his first round opponent.
 
Jack Beckman led the way for the Don Schumacher Racing contingent of Mopar Funny Cars with the quickest run in the final qualifying session by posting a 4.017-second (318.99 mph) to put him fifth on the eliminations ladder. He’ll see Chad Head as his first round competitor.
 
Also qualified in the top half of the ladder is Mopar teammate Tommy Johnson Jr., who drove his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T to an eighth place position and will face teammate Ron Capps in the opening round.
 
Last year’s Funny Car title winner at Englishtown, Matt Hagan is looking to rebound from a difficult start to the season and repeat last year’s performance after qualifying 13th with a best run of 4.080-seconds set in Friday’s first session.
“It’s been a tough weekend and it’s been a tough year,” said the Mopar Express Lane Dodge Charger R/T driver who will see John Force as his first elimination round opponent. “There’s no way around it. It’s just that we’re still fighting through some stuff that’s biting us. We did make a good run this weekend with that 4.08 and we have a tough battle first round tomorrow.”
 

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson resets career best speed to start from top half in Englishtown

Anderson resets career best speed to start from top half in Englishtown
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J., May 31, 2014 – Old Bridge Township Raceway Park has historically been a favored venue for Summit Racing Pro Stock driver Greg Anderson, and this weekend’s 45th annual Toyota Racing NHRA Summernationals is no exception. On Saturday in Englishtown, the 74-time NHRA national event victor and four time Pro Stock world champion returned to form and qualified in the top half of the field for the first time this year.
 
Anderson, who missed the first five races of the 2014 season of NHRA’s Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, struggled in qualifying for the first three events, but here in Englishtown he found the groove and qualified in the No. 8 position.
 
On the first day of the event and in a session where many drivers experienced tire shake just off the starting line, Anderson went right down the racetrack to clock to a 6.561 at 212.76 mph. The second day brought even better results as he wheeled the white Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro to a 6.505, 213.94 followed by a best time of 6.503 at a big speed of 214.31 mph that reset his career best.
 
“We made two consistent runs today, and they were both very smooth,” said Anderson, who will race rookie Jonathan Gray in the first round of eliminations on Sunday. “I think we could have been quicker; we were just a little too conservative, a little too safe, so we’re going to kick it a bit harder tomorrow. This car is acting like it wants to be more aggressive, and we like that. The other good news is that we are on the safe side right now, and we know it will do what it did today every time. Hopefully, the racetrack will be as good tomorrow as it was today. We will go after it harder tomorrow, though. That’s the plan.”
 
The strong desire to be ever quicker and faster is ingrained in Anderson, and on Saturday in Englishtown that hunger was somewhat rewarded by the career best speed recorded in the final session.
 
“It’s definitely fast out there, and that’s part of the reason why we love coming to Englishtown,” said Anderson. “It has often fallen in our hands here. These conditions that we had today were what we hope for every time we come to the races. This racetrack has been such a great place for this Summit Racing team, and the conditions today were so good. If I’m ever going to have a great chance to win, it will be here tomorrow.”
 
 

RCR

Richard Childress Racing–Buckle Up 200

NASCAR Nationwide Series
Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It Or Ticket
Dover International Speedway
Saturday, May 31, 2014
 
Race Highlights:
Brian Scott qualified third and was the top Richard Childress Racing starter for the Buckle Up 200 presented by Click It Or Ticket at Dover International Speedway. Brendan Gaughan qualified 10th, Ty Dillon 12th and Cale Conley started 18th.      
Brian Scott earned a seventh-place finish, with Ty Dillon, Brendan Gaughan and Cale Conley finishing eighth, 12th and 31st, respectively.
Ty Dillon currently leads the RCR teams in the Nationwide Series driver point standings in fifth, Brian Scott is sixth and Brendan Gaughan seventh.
Next up for the Nationwide Series is the Michigan 250 at Michigan International Speedway. Catch all the action live on Saturday, June 14th at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time on ESPN.
 
   
 
Brian Scott Finishes Seventh at The Monster Mile of Dover
 
Brian Scott followed up two great practice sessions on Friday with a third-place qualifying effort on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway later that afternoon. When the green flag waved, Scott and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet lined up in the third position and quickly took advantage of being up front by running in the top-five through the first 75, of 200, laps. During the team’s three pit stops, all under caution, the Phil Gould-led team made several adjustments to help alleviate a tight-handling condition around the one-mile oval. After dropping to seventh during a lap 79 restart, Scott would remain in the top-10 to finish in seventh place. As a result, he and the No. 2 Shore Lodge Chevrolet team remain sixth in the driver point standings.
 
            Start – 3rd        Finish – 7th                  Laps Led – 0              Points – 6th
 
BRIAN SCOTT QUOTE:
“We had two great practice sessions and did pretty well in qualifying to start third. Once the race started, we ran in the top-five for the early part of the race. We kind of got screwed up there on that one restart and it cost us some positions, be we managed to remain in the top-10 until the checkered flag waved. We should have, and could have, had a better finish at Dover, but we’ll take another top-10 and maintain our points position.”
 
 
 
Ty Dillon Finishes Eighth in the Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Speedway
 
Ty Dillon drove the No. 3 Airgas/Bulwark Chevrolet Camaro to an eighth-place finish Saturday afternoon at the Monster Mile, recording the team’s ninth top-10 finish of the season. Dillon, who qualified 11th earlier in the day, nestled in the top-10 on the race’s green flag and remained there for the remainder of the 200-lap race. Crew chief Danny Stockman and the 22-year-old rookie driver discussed necessary adjustments to the No. 3 Airgas/Bulwark Camaro as Dillon reported a tight-handling race car while exiting the corners. The No. 3 team came in four times for near flawless pit stops, improving the car’s handling and putting on four new Goodyear tires. The final restart came on lap 159 and Dillon held on to eighth place. He was the second Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate to cross the finish line and remained fifth in the driver point standings.
 
Start – 12th    Finish – 8th   Laps Led – 0      Points -5th
 
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“I thought we had a pretty good day today. The guys made four really good pit stops, Danny made the right calls on our adjustments, and I think we are all getting comfortable with one another on this No. 3 team. I can’t thank Airgas, Bulwark, and VF Imagewear enough, they have been a great partner to this team.”
 
 
 
 

Late Race Incident Ends Cale Conley’s Day Early at Dover International Speedway, Finishes 31st
 
Cale Conley was on tap for a solid finish at Dover International Speedway until a late-race accident ended his day in the NASCAR Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200. Conley took the green flag from the 18th-position and used the opening segment to get into his rhythm. The first caution flag of the day flew on lap 17, Conley reported to crew chief Nick Harrison he was extremely free into the corner. The crew went to work on pit road changing four tires, fuel and making a chassis adjustment. On the ensuing run, Conley worked various grooves to move forward. Trouble came on lap 148 as two competitors got together and tagged the West Virginia native sending him into the wall and relegating his run to a 31st-place-finish.
 
Start: 18th        Finish: 31st      Laps Led: 0      Points: N/A
 
CALE CONLEY QUOTE:
“It was definitely a tough day, we just kind of tried to chip our way through the field. We had really strong speed on the long runs. I tried to go low to miss the wreck and kind of got into it trying to get by them. Nick Harrison and the crew worked hard all weekend in the garage and on pit road. I want to thank IAVA for being on board, we’ll come back strong.”
 
 

 
 
Brendan Gaughan Finishes 12th in the Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Speedway
 
Brendan Gaughan and the No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino team qualified 10th for the NASCAR Nationwide Series Buckle Up 200 at Dover International Raceway on Saturday. When the first caution fell on lap 17, Gaughan reported his Chevrolet Camaro was free on entry. On the exit of the first pit stop, the No. 62 Chevrolet made contact with another car that was entering their pit stall, causing damage to the right front fender. Crew chief Shane Wilson called Gaughan back to pit road to repair any damage, restarting the Las Vegas-native in the 28th position. Gaughan and the No. 62 RCR team used the remainder of the race to gain as many track positions as possible to finish 12th at the Monster Mile. The South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet Camaro remains seventh in the driver point standings.
 
Start – 10th       Finish – 12th    Laps Led – 0     Points – 7th
                                                  
BRENDAN GAUGHAN QUOTE:
“Richard Childress Racing gave me a great car today. It is a shame we had a little contact on pit road with the No. 44, but that is racing. The No. 62 guys and I did all we could to work back through the field and gain as much track position possible. I am proud of my team and everything they do.”
 

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit

Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Will Power delivered Chevrolet’s first victory at The Raceway at Belle Isle behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power capitalized on a restart with 10 laps to go to claim the lead, and score his second win of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  Power is credited with leading three times for 21 laps on the way to Victory Lane for Race One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.
 
He took the lead for the final time on lap 60, overtaking fellow Team Chevy driver Ryan Briscoe in turn eight. The win pulled him within three points of the overall lead in the Series point standings. This is Power’s 23rd career IndyCar win.
 
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Energizer Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished third to give the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 two drivers on the podium.
 
“Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, had an incredible qualifying run on this 2.3-mile Belle Isle track,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “And the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar team delivered a great comb ination of strategy, quick pit stops and great driving by Will Power to clinch the win.  It was great to see Tony Kanaan in the No. 10 Energizer Chevrolet with a podium finish.”
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, today’s pole winner, finished fifth to give Chevrolet-power three of the top-five finishers.  The strong finish keeps Castroneves third in the standings.
 
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finish ninth, his third top-10 of the season.
 
Graham Rahal (Honda) completed the podium, and Justin Wilson (Honda) filled out the top-five.
 
Campbell added: “”This was a very exciting day for both Chevrolet and Cadillac at Belle Isle with Johnny O’Connell and the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V team winning the first World Challenge race, followed by Ricky and Jordan Taylor bringing home the victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic driving the No. 10 Corvette Daytona Prototype. Will Power capped off the day with the win in the first Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.”
 
Race Two of the Chevrolet Indy Dual at Detroit is scheduled for Sunday, June 1 with the green flag set to fly at 3:50 p.m.  Live television coverage of the 70-lap/164.22-mile Race Two Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31 on ABC TV.  Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 209, and IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit

Will Power Puts Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Power on Top of the Victory Podium in Race one of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Will Power delivered Chevrolet’s first victory at The Raceway at Belle Isle behind the wheel of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Power capitalized on a restart with 10 laps to go to claim the lead, and score his second win of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season.  Power is credited with leading three times for 21 laps on the way to Victory Lane for Race One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.
 
He took the lead for the final time on lap 60, overtaking fellow Team Chevy driver Ryan Briscoe in turn eight. The win pulled him within three points of the overall lead in the Series point standings. This is Power’s 23rd career IndyCar win.
 
Tony Kanaan, No. 10 Energizer Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finished third to give the Chevrolet IndyCar V6 two drivers on the podium.
 
“Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, had an incredible qualifying run on this 2.3-mile Belle Isle track,” said Jim Campbell, U.S. Vice President Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “And the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar team delivered a great comb ination of strategy, quick pit stops and great driving by Will Power to clinch the win.  It was great to see Tony Kanaan in the No. 10 Energizer Chevrolet with a podium finish.”
 
Helio Castroneves, No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, today’s pole winner, finished fifth to give Chevrolet-power three of the top-five finishers.  The strong finish keeps Castroneves third in the standings.
 
Charlie Kimball, No. 83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, finish ninth, his third top-10 of the season.
 
Graham Rahal (Honda) completed the podium, and Justin Wilson (Honda) filled out the top-five.
 
Campbell added: “”This was a very exciting day for both Chevrolet and Cadillac at Belle Isle with Johnny O’Connell and the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V team winning the first World Challenge race, followed by Ricky and Jordan Taylor bringing home the victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic driving the No. 10 Corvette Daytona Prototype. Will Power capped off the day with the win in the first Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.”
 
Race Two of the Chevrolet Indy Dual at Detroit is scheduled for Sunday, June 1 with the green flag set to fly at 3:50 p.m.  Live television coverage of the 70-lap/164.22-mile Race Two Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 31 on ABC TV.  Live radio coverage will be on XM Radio Channel 209, and IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 213. In addition, IndyCar live timing and scoring with the radio broadcast can be found at

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–JFR FIRED UP FOR SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS IN ENGLISHTOWN

JFR FIRED UP FOR SUNDAY ELIMINATIONS IN ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – After two days of qualifying at historic Old Bridge Township Raceway Park the four drivers from John Force Racing are ready to take on the tough competition that awaits them on race day. Led in qualifying by Mello Yello points leader and Summernationals No. 3 qualifier in Funny Car Robert Hight the trio of JFR Ford Mustang Funny Cars will all have the all-important lane choice in the first round. Castrol-backed John Force will have his pick of lanes as the No. 4 qualifier and most recent winner Courtney Force and the Traxxas Funny Car will also be able to select her path to hopeful victory as the No. 7 qualifier. In Top Fuel Brittany Force and the Castrol EDGE dragster continued to impress with a strong No. 5 qualifying effort on the heels of her No. 1 effort last weekend in Topeka.

Brittany Force, the 2013 Auto Club Rookie of the Year, made a two solid qualifying runs and is poised to claim the first Top Fuel win for Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing.

“I think the Castrol EDGE Team is definitely on a roll. My crew guys led by Todd Smith and Dean Antonelli have really put an awesome race car together. We ran that 3.77 last night and to come back today and run that 3.78 on our last qualifying past is impressive. I actually had to back pedal my car a little bit as it was starting to spin the tires on the top end. I know we can run even better so I’m pumped and excited for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force

Earlier during today’s first session, the track couldn’t handle the 10,000 horsepower the BOSS 500 engine was pumping out. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster smoked the tires down the track and could only manage to run a 4.571 second run at 159.70 mph. This didn’t discourage her or the crew as they quickly regrouped and made the necessary adjustments to the clutch on other components on the dragster.

“Our first run wasn’t that good my dragster smoked tires 400 feet out. It obviously wasn’t what we were looking for but my guys got it figured out before the last session,” said Brittany Force

On her fourth and finally qualifying session today, Brittany was in the tricky right lane that had surface issues at the 700-foot mark. It had been throwing the other Top Fuel teams curve balls but crew chief Todd Smith had a handle on it. Brittany’s Castrol EDGE Dragster went right down the groove and lit scoreboard up with a strong 3.78 second pass at 313.66 mph. Even though she didn’t improve from her Friday run of 3.777 seconds, she showed the competitors her race car is consistent and ready for Sunday’s eliminations.

“The car almost made it down the track but there’s a bump near the finish line and it’s a little tricky to drive through this rough section of the track. I was going around 300 mph when I felt the car jump and take a right turn so I had to wrestle the steering wheel and it felt like it the tires were going up in smoke so I lifted early before the finish line. Still, it ran a good number and we’ll be ready for tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

Brittany Force will face Spencer Massey in round one on race day. She is 2–5 against Massey in prior match ups and she’ll be looking to avenge her semi-final loss to Massey during last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals.

“We’ll have lane choice over Spencer Massey for round one tomorrow and I think the left lane might be better but that call is ultimately up to my crew chief. I’m looking forward to going rounds so we’ll see what happens tomorrow,” said Brittany Force.

Robert Hight and the Auto Club team will be racing for their first victory at the Summernationals and he will have to face fellow Blue Oval race Bob Tasca III in the first round. Hight posted the third quickest qualifying run of the event a blistering 4.014 second pass on Friday night.

“That run on Friday was great but we wanted to get down the track twice today to get ready for Sunday. Our first run was good and in the last session I think we were just a little too aggressive. I am not worried. Mike Neff will set this Auto Club Ford Mustang up great,” said Hight.

In the opening session today Hight was running beside Tim Wilkerson and ran 4.093 seconds which was only one of six runs that session in the 4.0 range.

John Force was looking to improve during today’s qualifying sessions but tricky track conditions and mechanical gremlins prevented him from improving from yesterday’s 4.015 second run. Despite having two opportunities to move up in qualifying, the Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang will start Sunday eliminations from the fourth position.

“Right now we can’t seem to repeat and conditions tomorrow could possible make it a one-lane race track, especially if the sun comes out. That right lane could be a problem but we’ll see what happens,” said John Force. 

Even with mild temperatures and partly cloudy skies shielding some sunlight from hitting and heating up the temperamental track surface of Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, John Force continued to struggle in getting his Funny Car’s performance consistent and repeatable.

“We’ll take it one run at a time and see if we can’t get past Hagan in round one. Like always, we’re excited as Brittany, Courtney and Robert all ran well and we’re all in the show. I’m excited to see if Brittany can get her first tomorrow so we’re going to keep on trucking and put some hot rods in the finals,” said John Force.

While this may present challenges for some teams, the Castrol GTX High Mileage brain trust of crew chief Jimmy Prock, assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro and the rest of the crew member will have John’s 8000-horsepower Mustang ready for Sunday.

“We went back to the old clutch disc we had been running two races ago. Unfortunately, it was engaging a little harder than we wanted it on that first qualifying pass. With the changing conditions in the afternoon, we were shooting for a 4.0 run on the second session but we just miscalculated,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro.

On Sunday, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Champion will face Matt Hagan in the opening round. These two have squared off against each other a total of 18 times with each driver claiming nine wins. He last faced Matt at the season opener NHRA Winternationals where John defeated him in the final round.

Tomorrow, John will be focused on one thing, driving his Castrol GTX High-Mileage Mustang to the winner’s circle for his 140th career victory and ending his 13 year NHRA Summernationals drought at Englishtown, New Jersey. 

Courtney Force posted a stout 4.030 during Friday’s night session to take her into today’s qualifying passes. The Traxxas Ford Mustang followed up with two great passes today to put the team in the No. 7 spot for Sunday’s eliminations.

“It’s exciting coming out to Old Bridge Township Raceway Park here in Englishtown, New Jersey and to have this Traxxas team go out and make some consistent runs. That’s exactly how we wanted this weekend to start before going into race day on Sunday,” said Force.

In the third qualifying session, Force posted a 4.080 ET at 306.33 mph, followed by a 4.045 ET at 319.14 mph in the fourth and final session. The Traxxas team’s 4.045 was second-quickest of that session, awarding the team two qualifying bonus points.

“We went out and laid down some 4.0s and it took us to the top half of the field. We finished off qualifying with a 4.04 to pick up two bonus points for being the second-quickest car in that session,” said Force.

The 25-year-old will have lane choice over Tim Wilkerson in the opening round. Force is 7-1 against Wilkerson in previous match-ups.

“It feels good having a consistent race car going into race day. We’ll be matched up against Tim

Wilkerson, so we’ll do the best we can. We’re feeling confident right now and we’ll see what we can lay down tomorrow,” said Forc
e.

Extreme Speed Motorsports

Extreme Speed Motorsports–Challenging Day for ESM Patrón at Detroit

DETROIT, Mich., –  May 31, 2014 – The Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) team had high – yet realistic – expectations heading into this weekend’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic presented by the Metro Detroit Chevy Dealers, the fifth race of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race. Those expectations were confirmed Saturday afternoon when both Tequila Patrón-sponsored machines earned top-10 finishes.
 
Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel finished fifth in the No. 1 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) while Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek finished seventh in the No. 2 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD).
 
Due to the tight nature of the track, ESM battled its competition and tires throughout the 100-minute sprint race. During the two practice sessions and qualifying on Friday, the team struggled in generating enough heat in the Continental Tires in comparison to the Daytona Prototypes (DP). Since the DPs are 200 pounds heavier than the ESM prototypes, the DPs are able to reach ideal tire temperature faster and are able to run quicker times.
 
Knowing the variable in the tire capabilities, ESM sought to have a clean race and gain as many points as possible. That task was completed since both cars finished the race and earned valuable points in the driver and team championship points standings.
 
Sharp started the race for the No. 1 team and dropped from the outside pole to fifth place. He kept his top-five run while battling the prototype and GT Daytona race traffic. Sharp turned the race car over to Dalziel after a 39-minute stint.

Dalziel ran the balance of the race trying to chase down the competition and battled tire temperatures similar to Sharp. In the end, Dalziel crossed the finish line in fifth position.
 
Brown started the race for the No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD team and attempted a different pit stop and fuel strategy. Brown went a lap down and remained on track during the first caution period of the race at the 32-minute mark.  Brown then pitted with 47 minutes complete and van Overbeek started his stint.
 
Van Overbeek challenged the competition but struggled with the tires in a similar fashion to Sharp and Dalziel. At the end of the 100-minute race, van Overbeek finished in seventh position.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–Ricky and Jordan Taylor Give Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype the Win in the Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge in Detroit

Ricky and Jordan Taylor Give Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype the Win in the Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge in Detroit
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Ricky Taylor held off a last-lap challenge from fellow Team Chevy driver Richard Westbrook to score the win for Chevrolet  and the Corvette Daytona Prototype in the Chevrolet Sports Car Challenge on the Raceway at Belle Isle Park. It was the first win for the “Brothers Taylor” as season-long teammates in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.
 
Jordan started the race and maintained position in the top-three during his stint.  Ricky took over and got the lead due to great pit work by the team, and brought it to the checkered flag in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Prototype class 100-minute race in the shadows of Chevrolet’s world headquarters in Detroit. The win propelled the pair into the lead in the Series’ driver point standing.
 
“That was a tremendous one-two Chevrolet finish for Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype and Richard Westbrook in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype,” said Mark Kent, Director of Chevrolet Racing.  “This is an important weekend for Chevrolet here at Belle Isle, so a win in the shadow of our world headquarters is very special. Also, congratulations to Ricky and Jordan Taylor on their first win as teammates.  Based on their outstanding performance today, it should be the first of many to come!”
 
This is Jordan’s third consecutive victory at Belle Isle. In 2013, teamed with Max Angelelli, Jordan also was on the top-step of the podium. In 2012, he was victorious in a Camaro GT.R in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series.
 
Westbrook, the pole winner for today’s race, made a hard charge in the final laps behind the wheel of the No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Spirit of Daytona Corvette DP,  but had to settle for the runner-up finishing position in round five of the  11-race season.
 
Michael Valiante took the green flag in the No. 90 Corvette DP, and like J. Taylor, maintained a strong presence at the front of the field, in position to make a run at the end.
 
After a strong run, the No. 5 Action Express Corvette DP piloted by Joao Barbosa and Christian Fittapaldi had to settle for sixth in class as a result of on-track contact causing a flat rear tire.
 
Mechanical woes forced an early exit for the No. 31 Marsh Racing Corvette DP driven by Eric Curran and Boris Said.
 
Next on the schedule for the Chevrolet Corvette Daytona Prototype teams will be the Sahlen’s Six Hour of The Glen, Watkins Glen International (New York) June 27-29, 2014,
 
DRIVER QUOTES:
RICKY TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP: YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE RACE AND VICTORY TODAY: “Great race and I have to put it up to the guys and our Corvette DP was a great car today.  I just had to keep it up there and defend like mad but I couldn’t have been out there if not for the guys, Corvette and everybody that supports the team.  And now we might be leading the championship and that’s what we want.”
 
HOW HARD WERE THOSE LAST FEW LAPS ON YOU?: “It’s used up the last bit of life I had to hold him off.  He made it really hard and he was really good but putting us in the wall like that was a little uncalled for.  But we were racing for the win and I will take it.”
 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP: TELL US ABOUT WATCHING THOSE LAST FEW LAPS: “I was trying to not listen or watch anything because it was so stressful but we had the right guy in the car at the end.  Ricky was awesome.  Couple years ago we had to finish there against Garcia where Ricky held him off for an hour.  So we knew we had the right guy in the car and although I don’t think we had the fastest Corvette, we had the strongest guys in the pits and the right guys in the car in traffic.  So we can’t really complain and it got a little aggressive unnecessarily at some points in the race but thankfully Ricky brought it home for the win.”
 
DURING YOUR STINT YOU MADE SOME FORWARD PROGRESS IN A BIG WAY: “Yeah, it was obviously a great start as we went from 5th to the lead in my stint, so I couldn’t have asked for much more.  Then the guys in the pits and then Ricky obviously doing a great job in the end.  So it’s still a team effort.”
 
WAYNE TAYLOR, TEAM OWNER NO. 10 KONICA MINOLTA WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP: DID YOUR HEART JUST SINK WHEN YOU SAW HIM GET IN THE WALL THERE? “You know, my initial thought was, ‘that was a disgraceful move’.   You know, it’s fine to challenge and put yourself inside but to push somebody into the wall…..they got what they deserved.  It was incredibly disappointing to have competitors that operate like that.  They are certainly a team that should be better than that, it’s a disgrace.   Anyway, we beat them and we beat everybody.  Of course for Ricky, Jordon and me as a family – I cannot put into words what this means.”
 
YOU NOW HAVE TWO STRAIGHT HERE: “Yeah, I mean think about it.  Jordon won in a Camaro here, and now he has won in this Corvette here, and now he and Ricky have won.   The great thing was that Ricky finished the race.  Confidence-wise for them it was really, really good but they are totally interchangeable.  I keep thinking and hoping everyone is watching these two and recognizing what they can do.  I can’t be doing this the rest of my career and they should be in big places.   We have Konica Minolta here and I can’t thank them enough for what they have done for me.  We got them a win and I think we are leading the championship.”

RICHARD WESTBROOK, NO. 90 VISIT FLORIDA SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP: WAS THAT EXCITING FOR YOU? “No.  I mean it’s great to be back on the podium and I think we deserve it, but it’s just frustrating to have such a fast car and just can’t get any temperature in the tires after the restart.   It took several laps to come in and when it did it was spot on like in qualifying.  Unfortunately when you have a half-an-hour sprint at the end you need more weaponry than that.   So it’s something to work on and Rome wasn’t built in a day and we have come from a long way down.  To get second is a good result.  Especially in Detroit.”
 
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS COULD BE A TURNING POINT? “Yes, definitely.  We have a pacey car and we just have to fine tune now.   Had there not been another yellow, I think it could have been our day.   We just have to work on that tire issue, but we will get there.”
 
MICHAEL VALIANTE, NO. 90 VISIT FLORIDA SPIRIT OF DAYTONA RACING CORVETTE DP:  THAT WAS AN EXCITING FINISH THERE AT THE END? “These races are so close and you never know what is going to happen.  Unfortunately I got caught up in traffic, lost a couple of positions, and that is pretty much what determined the outcome of the race here.  So it’s great that the car has the pace, Richard is doing a great job, and we just want to keep the momentum going.  We have had some bad luck the last couple of rounds when we should have been on the podium if not won.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–IndyCar–Belle Isle–Race One Qualifying

CHEVROLET INDYCAR V6
VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
CHEVROLET INDY DUAL IN DETROIT
RACE ONE QUALIFYING
THE RACEWAY AT BELLE ISLE
 
DETROIT (May 31, 2014) – Helio Castroneves put his Chevrolet IndyCar V6 powered No. 3 Hitachi Team Penske Dallara on the pole for Race One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit with a lap of one minute, 17.5362 seconds.  It is the first 2014 Verizon P1 Award for Castroneves.
 
That was a great job for the entire Team Penske. They did a heck of a job,” said an elated Castroneves.  “It was great. The car is spectacular – even brushing the wall a little bit, Montoya style, it was great, man. The car is on rails, man. It’s awesome.”
 
Other Team Chevy drivers in the Firestone Fast Six around the 13-turn, 2.36-mile temporary street course named The Raceway at Belle Isle Park were: Mike Conway, No. 20 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet – 4th; Ryan Briscoe, No. 8 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet – 5th and Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet – 6th.
 
James Hinchcliffe (Honda) and Jack Hawksworth (Honda) completed the Firestone Fast Six for Race No. One of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit.

World of Outlaws

World of Outlaws–Dale Blaney Battles to Win the Kistler Engines Classic at Attica Raceway Park

Dale Blaney Battles to Win the Kistler Engines Classic at Attica Raceway Park
Blaney’s win makes him the 15th different World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars winner this season
ATTICA, OHIO — May 30, 2014 — In front of a full house at Attica Raceway Park Friday night, Dale Blaney battled from a fifth place starting position to capture the Kistler Engines Classic and lead an all Ohio podium.

“It’s special to win here, especially being an Outlaw race,” said Blaney, a Hartford, Ohio native. “I’ve won an all-star race here, and a regular show here and now an Outlaw race here. We’ve always run good here… It’s funny, I won this race in 2009 and I started in the fifth spot and I started fifth tonight – I told the guys back there fifth was a good spot for us.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this race for two years now,” Blaney said. “It was a beautiful day, and as I said we just put ourselves in position and that’s all I wanted to do coming in.”

Blaney credited a good draw earlier in the day that allowed him to qualify 13th out of 46 cars. He said that early time helped him eventually come out on top of qualifying.

A little good luck helped him along the way too, Blaney said. Early on in the race he had fallen back and was battling Daryn Pittman for sixth. Pittman got around Blaney, but immediately afterward the caution flew and Blaney was moved back into the sixth position. Blaney said that restarting on the third row gave him the opportunity he needed to start the charge to the front.

“If we had restarted seventh who knows where I could have ended up,” Blaney said. “So actually that yellow coming out at that time probably won me that race even though it was on lap six.”

Blaney, the 1998 World of Outlaws STP Sprint Cars Rookie of the Year, became the 15th different winner of the season. This is the ninth Outlaws win of his career.

Dean Jacobs, a native of Wooster, Ohio, led the field to the start in his Northwest Ohio Towing car with Joey Saldana, Cody Darrah and Brad Sweet following.

The caution flew before the first lap could be put into the books. A four car wreck out of turn three ended the nights of Travis Philo and Cap Henry.

The early battle for the lead had Joey Saldana trying different lines through turns one and two and three and four, attempting to reel in Jacobs.

Another caution flag on lap six for James McFadden gave Blaney the chance he needed. When the green flag flew again he took fifth and set his sights on Darrah in fourth. By lap nine, Blaney found his way around Darrah and began making moves forward.

He battled Kerry Madsen and then Madsen and Saldana, who were running third and second at the time. On lap 24, as Madsen found his way around Saldana, Blaney found an opening and got around both drivers on the front stretch to take over the second position.

On lap 29, as lapped traffic came into play, Blaney got the opportunity he needed to get around leader Jacobs.

Three more cautions and a late surging Mintz were not enough to stop Blaney. He took the checkered flag with Mintz in second and Jacobs in third.

Mintz, a native of Gibsonburg, Ohio, who started 13th in his Ti22/Real-Geese car, said staying out of the wrecks and balancing the demands of a longer race helped him advance forward.

“You know it got to the point where I just tried to be patient as much as I could,” Mintz said. “Forty laps is a long time around this place. But with the quality of the cars we’re racing against, you’ve got to get going.”

“We started passing racecars, we got into some clean air, got into sixth, seventh and I could feel we were pretty good – and then the cautions late helped out too,” Mintz said. “We just try to pick them off one by one and we missed it by one.”

Jacobs, who led laps one through 29, complimented his competition.

“It’s nice to know who’s behind you because the guys I race with, I usually know what they’re going to do,” Jacobs said. “I was really shocked to see Craig [Mintz] pass me on the outside. That’s not him. He did a good job. Dale went in there and I’m trying to protect the bottom and Dale was running that thing in the middle and go by me like I wasn’t there. I’m OK – I’d been able to run second and then someone spun down here and I ended up third. That ain’t bad.”

John Force Racing

John Force Racing–JFR FLEXES MUSCLES ON FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

JFR FLEXES MUSCLES ON FRIDAY AT ENGLISHTOWN

ENGLISHTOWN, NJ – John Force Racing did not waste excellent track conditions at the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals on Friday night. In qualifying the team was led by second year driver Brittany Force who posted the second quickest time in Top Fuel equal to Texan Steve Torrence whose speed was a hair faster and secured him the No. 2 spot while Force settled into the No. 3 spot. In Funny Car it was Robert Hight No. 3 (4.014), John Force No. 4 (4.015) and Courtney Force No. 6 (4.030) at the top of the field behind Cruz Pedregon’s 3.959 second pass which was the quickest pass in Funny Car history.

Brittany Force showed her fellow Top Fuel competitors that her number one qualifying performance from last weekend’s NHRA Kansas Nationals was no fluke. In the second session at today’s Toyota NHRA Summernationals, her Castrol EDGE Dragster rocketed to a 3.777 second pass at 324.44 mph that solidly placed her in the third qualifying spot. She was also awarded one NHRA Mello Yello bonus point for that run. This is Force’s best back-to-back qualifying performance in her Top Fuel driving career and it’s looking like it won’t be her last. 

“It’s excited to come out and be qualified third. The Castrol EDGE team is super pumped about it and that fact we were number one qualifier last weekend in Topeka says a lot about the hard work my guys have put into this dragster,” said Brittany Force.

Day one for Brittany at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals didn’t start very well. On her first run out of the box, her race car ran a lack luster 4.506 second run at a lazy 158.89 mph.

“On my first pass, the car just went out there and smoked the tires around 400 feet. I felt it in the seat and it threw me forward. The car was also very sluggish and felt like it wasn’t making any power. I was going to pedal it to see if it would hook up but I didn’t see the point as it was the first run and we could have broken some parts,” said Brittany Force.

On the second qualifying run, it was a whole different story as the Castrol EDGE team found their mojo from Topeka. Brittany was lined up against Steve Torrence and on the first flicker of green from the Christmas Tree; both dragsters rocketed down the track with matching 3.777 second times and nearly identical speeds. Steve Torrance just barely nudged Brittany out of the number two spot by running 324.51 mph verses Brittany’s 324.44 mph.

“On that pass, the Castrol EDGE Dragster went right down the track. There’s a little bump down there were the NHRA officials made some changes trying to fix the track surface. It felt like the car was starting to spin and that was my concern at the 700 foot mark on the drag strip. However, it drove right through it and the car went a 3.77 and I’m pumped about that. We’ll do our same routine tomorrow and see if we can get the number one spot and pick up some more bonus points,” said Brittany.

The Castrol EDGE team is also getting their groove on as crew chief Todd Smith and the guys have really dialed in Brittany’s new dragster. They have become a formidable threat to some of the other teams and are primed to bring Castrol EDGE and John Force Racing their first NHRA Top Fuel win.

“It’s a contribution by everyone on this team and taking the time, effort and runs to get it there. It’s been showing promise for the last few races and we’re finally getting to that point that the Castrol EDGE Dragster has its full potential,” said crew chief Todd Smith. 

The Auto Club team played it smart in the Friday night session posting an aggressive but not excessive 4.014 second elapsed time. The Ford Mustang Funny Car smoked the tires in the first session and opted to not risk smoking the tires going into Saturday.

“We wanted to be smart out there. There was no real reward but a lot of risk to being super aggressive. We needed to get a time and be at the top of the field. Mike Neff did that and we are in great shape going into Saturday. Tomorrow we will work on a race day tune-up and also try and get some of those qualifying bonus points. We picked up one tonight,” said Hight.

Hight’s Auto Club Funny Car has been the picture of consistency on race day and Hight is looking to bring some of that consistency to qualifying. On race day going back to the final three rounds of Atlanta where the Auto Club Ford Mustang got its 33rd win running 4.053, 4.074 and 4.049 it has averaged 4.053 seconds on it last seven runs down the track on Sunday.

John Force is looking to end his Toyota NHRA Summernationals drought. The 16-time NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car champion hasn’t parked his Castrol GTX High Mileage Mustang in the winner’s circle at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park since 1999. Despite a runner-up appearance in 2004, he’d like to claim his 140th career win this weekend.

To get there, the team is looking to get the car consistent and repeatable on each run but with 8,000 horsepower at John Force’s command and tricky track conditions, it can be difficult. However, crew chief Jimmy Prock and assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro got the set up right today as John Force ran a 4.015 second pass at 310.48 mph to seize the fourth qualifying spot during the second session.

“Well, I wish we had gone down the track earlier as Robert and I could have pushed it harder but we had to get in tonight. My car spun and it probably would have run in the 3.90 second range but it spun at the bad spot down on the track. ” said John Force.

After dealing with mechanical issues and a first round loss last weekend at Topeka, the 16-time NHRA Mello Yello World Champion is still looking to improve his qualifying spot and get some extra NHRA Mello Yello bonus points. If the team can get a handle on the clutch gremlins that send the massive Goodyear slicks up in smoke, they’ll start to rounds on race day.

“We’re learning and every day is a learning process. But I’m excited to be here with Castrol and we’ve been having a ball for 28 years,” said John Force.

John’s lively spirits can be attributed to his team working out the kinks in his Castrol EDGE Machine and improving on its early run of 5.810 seconds at 123.71. It was on this pass that John’s Mustang got out of shape early in the run and he had to shut the car down early.

“We’ve been struggling with the clutch set up this year and haven’t been able to run like we did late last year. Our set up is quite conservative compared to last year but the car still puts up good numbers. For the two sessions tomorrow we’ll be going after consistency than trying to experiment with the set out with hope a picking up a little. The weather conditions will change so we just want to get the car so it will go rounds on Sunday,” said assistant crew chief Danny DeGennaro.

Courtney Force, driver of the Traxxas Ford Mustang Funny Car, came out today No. 5 in the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car point standings. Force’s hot rod smoked the tires in the opening session today, but recovered in the last run of the day with a stout pass for the No. 6 spot. The 25-year-old driver posted a 4.030 ET at over 319 mph.

“In the night session we were able to go out and lay down a 4.03. It put us No. 6 in qualifying so we’re excited about that. We have a fast car out there and it makes us feel good to start on a good note. We’re excited to go into tomorrow and see if we can get some clean, consistent runs down this race track here in Englishtown,” said Force.

Force picked up the 100th pro win for women in the NHRA last weekend in Topeka, Kansas. The Traxxas Ford Mustang team has two sessions tomorrow to try to pick up some bonus points and move up the ladder to prepare for race day.

“Coming off a win, we’re excited to run in the low 4.0s, but there are a lot of teams out there that are doing the same thing. There are so many great women racers out here right now. It could have been any one of us to get tha
t No. 100.  I’m very proud of my Traxxas Ford Mustang team and we’re showing some strong performance so far this weekend so I’m looking forward to the rest of it,” said Force.

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Line claims track record for speed on first day of Englishtown qualifying

Line claims track record for speed on first day of Englishtown qualifying
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (May 30, 2014) – The first day of qualifying for the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park was a short affair for the Pro Stock crowd, but it came with exceptional results for the Summit Racing team. Jason Line, driving the blue Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro, clocked a furiously swift 6.516-second pass at 213.40 mph to claim a new track record for speed in Englishtown.
 
A problem with the racing surface down-track in the right lane prevented the Pro Stock cars from participating in the first qualifying session, and with just one run in which to collect data, crew chiefs came to the session knowing they couldn’t throw everything they had at it and shoot for the moon, despite conditions with the potential to allow record setting runs.
 
Forced to make a somewhat conservative run without previous data to work off of, Line’s team knew they really had their hands full – but in true Summit Racing fashion, they pulled off the incredible by sending both of their cars cleanly and quickly down the right lane and claiming the track record with Line’s Camaro.
 
“I don’t know if that run was spectacular, but for that lane it apparently was,” said Line, who was piloting one of just three cars able to go from A to B under power on that particular side of the racetrack. His teammate Greg Anderson wheeled the white Summit Racing Camaro to a 6.561 at 212.76 to move into the No. 7 position. “There were some good calls being made on that run for our cars, and the Summit Racing team did a great job today. Hopefully, there will be more of that tomorrow.”
 
Line, currently No. 3 in the qualifying order, arrived in Englishtown in possession of the track record for elapsed time. His 213.40 track record is perhaps a bit of a consolation for losing grasp of the e.t. record.
 
“It’s a good thing to have the speed record,” agreed Line. “We broke a record that’s been in place for quite awhile. It’s definitely not a great trade off, but I would say we are happy about it. All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with the Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro. There is more left; there is always more left. But it’s a good place to start.”
 

Summit Racing

Summit Racing–Anderson in the top half on day one in Englishtown

Anderson in the top half on day one in Englishtown
 
ENGLISHTOWN, N.J., May 30, 2014 – Greg Anderson was in total control as he wheeled his Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaro down the racetrack on the first day of qualifying at the 45th annual Toyota NHRA Summernationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown. Although many drivers experienced harsh tire shake just off the starting line, Anderson handled the right lane like a pro in his Rob Downing-tuned Camaro and raced to a 6.561 at 212.76 mph that shot him up to the top half of the field.
 
Unlike what has occurred during qualifying at recent events, weather was not a deciding factor when qualifying was abbreviated to just one run for the day for the Pro Stock competitors; instead, it was trouble down track with the right lane. The first session of Pro Stock was canceled and NHRA’s Safety Safari worked to repair the problem, and after much effort and a good layer of rubber laid down by the nitro cars, the factory hot rods were able to finally make a pass.
 
As the evening pressed on the air was cool and dry, allowing the naturally aspirated engines to thrive as the sun dipped. Anderson and teammate Jason line were two of three cars that were able to get down the right lane, and Line reset the track record for speed with a 213.40 mph blast. For Anderson, the No. 7 position is an improvement heading into the second day of the event – in each of the three events in which he has raced this season since returning to the series following heart surgery, Anderson has – surprisingly – started from the bottom of the field.
 
“This is the deepest starting position I’ve had in a while,” said Anderson. “It was a good start today, and we definitely got some data to work with, which doesn’t always happen when you’re the second pair out there. It sure looks like we’re doing something right with our Summit Racing Chevrolet Camaros here. We didn’t set the world on fire, but we know we can run a whole lot faster, and we have the data while a lot of other cars don’t. We should get two clean runs tomorrow and hopefully be able to move up in the pack. I don’t have to be first or second pair out for the first time since I’ve been back driving, and I’m deep in the pack this time so I have no excuses. I should be able to run fast and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
 
Losing the first run on Friday wasn’t ideal, but Anderson did not have concern that the loss of the run would be a major issue when the final qualifying order was set.
 
“Well, we like to go down the racetrack as much as we can – we’d go down the racetrack 100 times in a weekend if we could – but one is better than none,” said Anderson. “It was a good day today, and we made fairly good use of the one run we had. We really did all we could do, and we look forward to tomorrow and climbing up the ladder.”