Monthly Archives: September 2016

Gary Scelzi Motorsports

Scelzi Inching Closer to First Win of Season Following Strong Outing at Petaluma

Scelzi Inching Closer to First Win of Season Following Strong Outing at Petaluma

Inside Line Promotions – PETALUMA, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2016) – Dominic Scelzi had another great opportunity to earn his first win of the season before misfortune struck last Saturday at Pelaluma Speedway.

Scelzi, who was driving for the Van Lare Family, kicked off the California Civil War Sprint Car Series event by qualifying sixth quickest.

“I haven’t raced at Petaluma very much and it’s been really different every time I’ve been there,” he said. “We went out and qualified pretty good. I didn’t put down the best laps. I think we had a little more speed in the car, but it was a solid time.” Continue reading Scelzi Inching Closer to First Win of Season Following Strong Outing at Petaluma →

NHRA

NRHA St. Louis

Top Fuel — Shawn Langdon, 3.798 seconds, 323.66 mph def. Tony Schumacher, 3.783 seconds, 317.49 mph.

Funny Car — Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.928, 324.51 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Charger, 4.185, 231.40.

Pro Stock — Alex Laughlin, Chevy Camaro, 6.611, 208.68 def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.637, 209.26.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.933, 189.36 def. Angelle Sampey, Buell, Foul – Red Light.

Pro Modified — Troy Coughlin, Chevy Corvette, 5.802, 253.85 def. Rickie Smith, Chevy Camaro, 5.830, 250.09.

Competition Eliminator — Terry Smith, Dragster, 6.547, 198.29 def. Fred Allen, Chevy Roadster, 7.387, 177.63.

Super Stock — Larry Cummings, Chevy Cavalier, 8.538, 157.65 def. Keith Lynch, Dodge Challenger, 9.713, 136.06.

Stock Eliminator — Jacob Pitt, Plymouth Barracuda, 10.524, 123.52 def. Chris Stephenson, Olds Apollo, 11.594, 111.96.

Super Comp — Christopher Dodd, Dragster, 8.895, 173.87 def. Bob Eaker, Nova, Foul – Red Light.

Super Gas — Koy Collier, Chevy Camaro, 9.910, 156.97 def. Jacob Elrod, Chevy Corvette, 9.925, 151.83.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — Matt Driskell, Dragster, 6.322, 212.23 def. Jeff Strickland, Dragster, 6.421, 199.85.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Tom Schmidt, Pontiac GXP, 6.892, 201.73 def. J.J. Heber, Ford Mustang, 6.669, 203.16.

Bigfoot

Congratulations BigFoot!

Sept. 26, 2016 (Pacific, MO) – For the second year in a row, Larry Swim and the Summit Racing/Lucas Oil/Firestone BIGFOOT is your 4-Wheel Jamboree Nationals Racing Champion! Just like every past year, the series was not decided until the final day. Larry Swim, Matt Dishman in Rammunition, and Vinny Venom in Snake Bite each had an equal chance. Venom was knocked out of contention when both Swim and Dishman made it to Round 2, which would be the round that would decide it all! The fierce competitors were pitted against each other AND tied in the Racing Points Standings at this point! Dishman and Rammunition went to the line pretty confident, as they had just won the previous 2 races, while Swim and BIGFOOT fought engine problems all day Saturday. Continue reading Congratulations BigFoot! →

Summit Racing

TEAM SUMMIT RACING LEAVES ST. LOUIS WITH CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD

TEAM SUMMIT RACING LEAVES ST. LOUIS WITH CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 25, 2016) – Team Summit Racing driver Jason Line maintains the Pro Stock points lead in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship following the AAA NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis this past weekend.

JASON LINE Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS
Jason Line qualified sixth with a 6.611 second, 209.43 MPH pass. He defeated defending Pro Stock Champion Erica Enders-Stevens in Round One of eliminations (6.609/209.43 to 6.699/206.35) and Summit Racing teammate Greg Anderson in Round Two Line (6.637/208.49 to 6.645/208.39). Continue reading TEAM SUMMIT RACING LEAVES ST. LOUIS WITH CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD →

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–New Hampshire

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Pumpkin Spice Cheerios Team Give it All They Have to Earn 16th-Place Finish in Second Chase Race of the Season

“Truthfully, that was a heck of a fight today by the No. 3 Pumpkin Spice Cheerios team. We didn’t have a car capable of doing anything all day but we stayed focused and that means more to me than anything because at times this year we haven’t. It wasn’t our day, but we made the best out of the day we had. We are only five points out of the Chase cut off going into Dover International Speedway next week. We struggled all weekend long, but we fought hard. I never gave in, I never gave up, and our team never gave up. They had a heck of a pit stop there to put us in a lucky dog position, which helped us gain some additional points. Now we go to Dover and we’ve given ourselves a shot. We just have to go run well there.”

– Austin Dillon

Paul Menard and the Libman / Menards Chevrolet Team Finish 25th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

“The Libman / Menards Chevrolet fired off decent here at New Hampshire. With that long green-flag run to start the race, I was having to really use the track bar to help the handling of the car. Danny (Stockman, crew chief) and the guys took big swings during our first three stops. The front end of this Chevy just did not feel right, compared to our practices, and we unfortunately went a lap down to the leader around lap 100. We had a plan to get that lap back but the cautions didn’t fall in our favor to see that plan through. This car was much better than a 25th-place result. We’ll keep fighting at Dover next weekend.”

– Paul Menard

Final Restarts Not Ideal for Ryan Newman Resulting in 20th-Place Finish at New Hampshire

“The last two restarts did not go in our favor and cost us valuable track position. I all but got turned around and we were lucky. Unfortunately that killed our momentum which cost us a decent finish. For the most part we were a top-13 car. We were missing a little something today and that’s a shame. We qualified third and was hoping to better our starting spot but we just didn’t have the handling to back it up.”

– Ryan Newman

Mopar Racing

All-Mopar Funny Car St. Louis Final Ends with Win for Dodge Charger Pilot Jack Beckman

All-Mopar Funny Car St. Louis Final Ends with Win for Dodge Charger Pilot Jack Beckman

· Mopar claims top honors at NHRA Midwest Nationals near St. Louis in seventh all-Mopar Funny Car final of 2016
· Jack Beckman wheels Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T to victory at Gateway Motorsports Park, scores second win of season
· Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger R/T driver Tommy Johnson Jr. powers to second consecutive final round in NHRA Countdown to the Championship
· Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) driver Beckman makes fifth, teammate Johnson makes fourth final of season for Mopar
· Beckman moves from No. 8 to No. 3; Johnson moves from No. 4 to No. 2 in the Funny Car championship points
· DSR Mopar Dodge Charger Funny Car campaigner Ron Capps reaches semifinals, retains points lead heading into third race of Countdown
· Tony Schumacher races to final round in driver’s seat of HEMI®-powered U.S. Army Top Fuel dragster, now No. 3 in points
· Mopar powers to victory in Sportsman categories at NHRA Midwest Nationals
· Reading’s Dodge NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway next on NHRA tour, third race of 2016 Countdown to the Championship Continue reading All-Mopar Funny Car St. Louis Final Ends with Win for Dodge Charger Pilot Jack Beckman →

John Force Racing

NHRA Drag Racer John Force Joins Al Hurvis/ADAMM Education Foundation to Fuel MATC Students’ Automotive and Technical Futures

NHRA Drag Racer John Force Joins Al Hurvis/ADAMM Education Foundation to Fuel MATC Students’ Automotive and Technical Futures

Together the foundation enlisted American NHRA drag racer and member of Old World Industries Team PEAK’s, John Force, to motivate and inspire MATC students with an automotive interest

NORTHBROOK, IL. – (September 27, 2016) – Old World Industries, the company behind its flagship brand PEAK, a producer of antifreeze & coolant, BlueDEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid and other automotive products, has partnered with the Al Hurvis/ADAMM Education Foundation, Inc. (Hurvis/ADAMM) to bring John Force, 16-time Funny Car champion and 18-time champion car owner, and his funny car to the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). The event will promote career opportunities for students in the automotive industry. Continue reading NHRA Drag Racer John Force Joins Al Hurvis/ADAMM Education Foundation to Fuel MATC Students’ Automotive and Technical Futures →

Wood Brothers

Bullins Looks To Build On New Hampshire Performance

Bullins Looks To Build On New Hampshire Performance

September 25, 2016

Ryan Blaney, his crew chief Jeremy Bullins and the entire Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are steadily building a reputation for being able to bounce back from mid-race adversity to record good finishes.

But being able to pull off a comeback at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a tall order, given the relative shortness of the races there.

In Sunday’s 300-mile run, which ran caution-free for the first 124 laps, Blaney, who started 16th, fell a lap behind the leaders during the long green-flag run.

He, Bullins and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team spent the next several runs working to get in position to rejoin the lead lap.

Finally, on a caution period at Lap 241 for a spin by Michael Annett, Blaney was running 17th and in position to claim the “Lucky Dog” free pass.

From that point on, Blaney steadily moved forward and wound up with a 12th-place finish, his 12th top-12 finish of his rookie season.

Despite the successful recovery, Bullins had mixed emotions about the team’s finish.

“Obviously we didn’t quite have the handling we were looking for and needed some speed,” Bullins said. “At the same time I couldn’t be prouder of the fight and determination to keep working on our car, making it better, getting the lucky dog and salvaging a solid finish.”

Bullins said the experience gained in Sunday’s comeback will pay dividends down the road.

“We learned some things with our last couple of adjustments that woke our car up and got us going a little bit,” he said. “Ryan and the team kept digging all day, and to walk away with another good finish is something we can be proud of.”

“We have a lot of positive things happening right now and need to take advantage of them the next eight weeks.”

Blaney, Bullins and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team return to the track next Sunday at Dover International Speedway for the Citizen Soldier 400.

Jegs Racing

Troy Coughlin Sr. wins St. Louis race from No. 15 qualifying spot

Troy Coughlin Sr. wins St. Louis race from No. 15 qualifying spot
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 25) — The final round of the NHRA J&A Service NHRA Pro Mod Series race presented by Precision Turbo & Engine at the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sunday at Gateway Motorsports Park was a race for the ages.

In the left lane was two-time Pro Mod champion Troy Coughlin Sr. in his JEGS.com Corvette while two-time champ Rickie Smith raced in the right lane. Continue reading Troy Coughlin Sr. wins St. Louis race from No. 15 qualifying spot →

Erica Enders

Erica Enders exits in first round of St. Louis national event

Erica Enders exits in first round of
St. Louis national event
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 25) — Erica Enders raced to the Pro Stock final at Gateway Motorsports Park as part of her run to the 2015 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series championship.

There likely will be no such similar run this season after Enders was knocked out in the first round of the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals. In her first season running the Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge, Enders has struggled to maintain her stellar performance from 2014-15, when she swept to back-to-back titles.

“We are absolutely doing the best that we can with what we have,” Enders said. “It’s unfortunate that we are this far behind, but it’s just part of it. Our goal at this point is to finish the season with class and put a game plan together moving forward. We will get all of our ducks in a row and continue to work hard and things will swing back our way.”

Enders ripped off a .011-second reaction time in her first-round match with Jason Line, but the Pro Stock points leader was good, too, with a .009 light. Line then powered to the win light with a pass of 6.609 seconds at 209.43 mph while Enders made a run of 6.699 seconds at 206.35 mph.

Enders is 10th in the Pro Stock points standings, two races into the six-race Countdown to the Championship.

Enders did enjoy the support of her fans in St. Louis, where she won in 2012 and 2013. As her team broke down their pit area at Gateway, Enders signed numerous autographs and spent time with fans, including a young Jr. Dragster driver who gave Enders her hero card.

“The fans are always great,” Enders said. “They continue to stand behind us through the adversity that we are facing and offer up words of encouragement, which is definitely good to hear from time to time.

“We’ll get back to where we belong. It’s just not in the cards for this season.”

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gateway Motorsports Park Post Race

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AAAINSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK AT MADISON, ILLINOIS
SEPT. 25, 2016

Chevrolet Records 250th Victory in National Hot Rod Association Pro Stock Competition

• 21-time NHRA Manufacturers Cup winner reaches milestone at St. Louis
• Alex Laughlin earns maiden Pro Stock national victory in Gas Monkey Energy Camaro
• Bo Butner is runner-up for fifth time this season in Pro Stock
• John Force Racing’s Robert Hight is No. 1 Funny Car qualifier, reaches quarterfinals

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 25, 2016) – A first-time winner provided Chevrolet with a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) milestone. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gateway Motorsports Park Post Race →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire–Team Chevy Press Conference

CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 2 OF 10
BAD BOY OFF ROAD 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

CHEVROLET’S KEVIN HARVICK WINS AT LOUDON

LOUDON, N.H. (September 25, 2016) – Kevin Harvick took the victory in the Bad Boy Off Road 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his No. 4 ditech Chevy SS. The win was Harvick’s 34th Cup career victory, his third of the 2016 season and second at the ‘Magic Mile’ in Loudon, New Hampshire. It also earned the Chase contender a position in the next segment of the 10-race championship elimination-style format called the ‘Round of 12’. The victory was the 761st win for Chevrolet in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing and the brand’s 19th win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire–Team Chevy Press Conference →

John Force Racing

JFR QUICK AND CONFIDENT LEAVING ST. LOUIS

JFR QUICK AND CONFIDENT LEAVING ST. LOUIS

ST LOUIS — Coming into race day at the 5th annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals the four John Force Racing race cars were confident they could make a move up the Mello Yello point standings. Robert Hight driving the AAA Insurance Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car was the No. 1 qualifier and raced to the quarterfinals where he lost a close race by .007 seconds to eventual runner-up Tommy Johnson Jr. Continue reading JFR QUICK AND CONFIDENT LEAVING ST. LOUIS →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire Post Race

CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 2 OF 10
BAD BOY OFF ROAD 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 DITECH CHEVROLET SS – RACE WINNER
HOW DID YOU GET BY THE NO. 20 OF MATT KENSETH?
‘I just want to thank all our sponsors and everyone at the shop who works on the Stewart-Haas Racing cars. Man, that worked out really good. The car was pretty good on the restarts. Once we got clean air there at the end, it wound up being really good up front. I’m just really proud of our team. They did a great job.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire Post Race →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gateway Motorsports Park

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
AAA INSURANCE NHRA MIDWEST NATIONALS
GATEWAY MOTORSPORTS PARK AT MADISON, ILLINOIS
POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
SEPT. 25, 2016

QUICK QUOTE FROM FIRST TIME PRO STOCK WINNER ALEX LAUGHLIN, GAS MONKEY ENERGY CHEVROLET CAMARO SS:

Q: CAN YOU EVEN PUT INTO WORDS WHAT THIS DAY MEANS TO YOU?

ALEX LAUGHLIN: “We had a really good feeling about it all day and had a great car all weekend. I’m speechless.”

Q: YOU’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER ST. LOUIS

ALEX LAUGHLIN: “I definitely was nervous; everything the past few hours is a blur. I just can’t thank enough the guys at Gray Motorsports who give us our power, my dad – I wouldn’t be here without him – Gas Monkey Energy, all our sponsors, and Chevrolet. I’m just ecstatic.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Gateway Motorsports Park →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire–Race Notes

CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP
ROUND 2 OF 10
BAD BOY OFF ROAD 300
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES & QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 25, 2016

KEVIN HARVICK, NO. 4 DITECH CHEVROLET SS – Race Winner
HOW DID YOU GET BY THE NO. 20 OF MATT KENSETH?
‘I just want to thank all our sponsors and everyone at the shop who works on the Stewart-Haas Racing cars. Man, that worked out really good. The car was pretty good on the restarts. Once we got clean air there at the end, it wound up being really good up front. I’m just really proud of our team. They did a great job.”

DID VOICING YOUR OPINION ABOUT THE PREVIOUS RESTARTS MOTIVATE YOU AT THE END TO GET THAT BEST ONE?
“We talk about that stuff all the time. For me, it was just a smooth restart. I just didn’t want to spin the tires. I don’t know what happened to him, or if I just timed it right. It worked out good when we got to Turn 1.”

FROM HAVING A BAD DAY LAST WEEK, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO COME TO VICTORY LANE HERE?
“Yeah, that was a game of inches last week. We wound up getting a lap down there and I had a good car. I had a fifth of sixth place car, and just wound up not being where we needed to be. But all in all, we wound up where we should have been last year, this year.”

YEAH, YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO DO DOVER AND WIN THIS TIME. WHAT DOES THAT FEEL LIKE?
“Oh, it’s definitely going to be nice. One of our main goals this year was to not stretch ourselves out so bad. I feel like the performance of the car and the things that we’re doing are good enough to be competitive, and we just need to not make mistakes and go from there.”

SO, HOW IS THE HEART RIGHT NOW?
“I’m just excited. I was content with where we were. But, once you get up there in the front like that, you’ve got to take a chance to try to win.”

Jegs Racing

Two-time St. Louis winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. stumbles in first round

Two-time St. Louis winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. stumbles in first round
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 25) — Jeg Coughlin Jr. won the Pro Stock race here in 2002 and 2009, but he couldn’t cure his seven-year itch at the 2016 AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Sunday at Gateway Motorsports Park.

Coughlin fell to Chris McGaha in a winnable first-round race Sunday with the Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart. Neither driver was very good on the Christmas Tree, but McGaha was a tick better on the racetrack: 6.632 seconds at 208.46 mph to 6.667 at 206.70 mph. Those passes came after McGaha had a .054-second reaction time, edging Coughlin’s .065 light. Continue reading Two-time St. Louis winner Jeg Coughlin Jr. stumbles in first round →

Jegs Racing

Five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. building momentum in Pro Stock

Five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. building momentum in Pro Stock
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 24) — Progress in the NHRA Pro Stock class can be painstakingly slow, so when it is made, it is relished.

Five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. is relishing the progress made by his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart team. He qualified No. 10 for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park as his Elite Motorsports team continued to make gains with its Mopar program.

“We’ve been building a little bit of momentum quietly with our Magneti Marelli Dodge, and it feels good to make a little bit of an impact,” Coughlin said. “(Friday) night, we were probably as close as we have been in a while to the No. 1 car when we ran the .64.” Continue reading Five-time champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. building momentum in Pro Stock →

Red Horse Racing

Red Horse Racing–New Hampshire

RACE REPORT
UNOH 175
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
September 24, 2016

Red Horse Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams headed to Loudon, New Hampshire for the first race of the inaugural Chase for the NCWTS Championship. On Friday, during two practice sessions on the one-mile oval, Timothy Peters was 13th-fastest in the first and seventh-fastest on the board in final practice in the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra, while Brett Moffitt was 11th and eighth fastest in the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra. In three rounds of knockout group qualifying on Saturday morning, Peters earned the second starting spot, while Moffitt began the 175-lap race in sixth place. Peters would fight the balance on his Tundra all day, but salvage a fifth-place finish, while Moffitt would earn an eighth-place result.
Continue reading Red Horse Racing–New Hampshire →

Erica Enders

Pro Stock champion Erica Enders rebounds to qualify No. 11 in St. Louis

Pro Stock champion Erica Enders rebounds to qualify No. 11 in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 24) — There’s no quit in Erica Enders and her Elite Motorsports/Mopar Dodge team.

Despite missing the race in Charlotte last week, the two-time Pro Stock champions battled back to qualify No. 11 for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals on Saturday at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“They are amazing,” Enders said. “They work really hard. It’s frustrating and disheartening to see how hard they work and not have it translate to the scoreboard. At this point, this year is a letdown and we will just focus on getting our ducks in a row for 2017.

“It’s unfortunate to follow up back-to-back championships with the performance we have had this year, but you know, it goes in cycles and that’s part of it. This sport will humble you in a heartbeat, and I’ve learned that the hard way many times, but having said all of that, I’ve been through a lot worse than this, so we’ll be fine.”

Enders’ best lap this weekend was 6.663 seconds at 207.08 mph, and she made four decent
passes in qualifying here after a myriad of issues forced a DNQ in Charlotte last weekend.

“The struggle continues with our Elite Motorsports Dodge Dart, but all we can do is continue to pick away at it and work on it,” Enders said. “Hopefully we’ll turn a corner at some point, but until that happens, the results are the results.”

Enders will face No. 6 qualifier Jason Line in the first round Sunday. Line’s best run of the weekend was 6.611 seconds at 209.43 mph.

Enders is a two-time St. Louis winner who enjoys spending time with the Gateway fans.

“I always enjoy racing in St. Louis,” Enders said. “I have a lot of great memories here from the time I was racing Super Comp and Super Gas, so it’s definitely fun to come back here.”

Pro Stock eliminations start at noon, Sunday, and will air live from 1 to 4 p.m. on FOX Sports 1. (All times listed in CT).