Monthly Archives: July 2017

Gary Scelzi Motorsports

Scelzi Scores Eighth-Place Finish During Debut at Jackson Motorplex

Scelzi Scores Eighth-Place Finish During Debut at Jackson Motorplex

Inside Line Promotions – MASON CITY, Iowa (July 31, 2017) – Dominic Scelzi posted a top-10 finish during his debut at Jackson Motorplex last Friday.

The night began when the family owned, Roth Motorsports sponsored team qualified fourth quickest at the half-mile oval. Scelzi then finished where he started – fifth – in a heat race, which was one spot shy of making the feature inversion. He started the main event on the inside of the seventh row. Continue reading Scelzi Scores Eighth-Place Finish During Debut at Jackson Motorplex →

Megan Meyer

Megan Meyer Scores First Victory at Home Track in Topeka

Megan Meyer Scores First Victory at Home Track in Topeka
Megan Meyer and sister, Rachel Meyer, competed together in the Top Alcohol Dragster Class at Heartland Park Topeka July 27-31st with support from Meyer Truck Center Inc., Quality Structures Inc., and Up In Smoke BBQ Sauce. This was their second race this year racing side-by-side at their home track with the Randy Meyer Racing Team. Although Rachel claimed the runner-up finish at the NHRA National event, it was Megan who would take home the win at the Lucas Oil Regional race.

Rachel scored the number one qualifying spot with the quickest and fastest time of the three sessions, a 5.30 E.T. at 275 mph. Megan was not far behind in the third position with her 5.34 E.T. at 273 mph. With the two girls placed on opposite sides of the ladder, it was a perfect match for an all Meyer final round.

As the number one qualifier, Rachel faced Marty Thacker from Indiana for the opening round of eliminations. Unfortunately Rachel had a slow reaction time, as Marty shot off the starting line first and never trailed for the win with a 5.41 E.T. to Rachel’s 5.34 E.T. Megan was up against the sixth qualifier, David Brounkowski, who encountered tire smoke and Megan powered down the track for the win with a 5.37 E.T. at 273 mph.

Going into the second round, Megan had to take down the newcomer, Mike Edstrom, who had just received his Top Alcohol Dragster NHRA license the day before eliminations. Megan got off the starting line first, but Mike got ahead of her down the track. Megan powered through to cross the finish line first, by a mere .003 seconds, approximately 14 inches.

NHRA

NRHA Sonoma

Top Fuel — Steve Torrence, 3.784 seconds, 329.42 mph def. Antron Brown, 3.974 seconds, 281.83 mph.

Funny Car — J.R. Todd, Toyota Camry, 4.049, 323.27 def. Tim Wilkerson, Ford Mustang, 6.823, 100.26.

Pro Stock — Tanner Gray, Chevy Camaro, 6.572, 210.05 ARP Car def. Bo Butner, Camaro, 6.577, 210.93.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — LE Tonglet, Suzuki, 6.783, 197.02 def. Matt Smith, Victory, 6.790, 196.67.

Super Stock — Jody Lang, Chevy Malibu, 10.688, 123.20 def. Justin Lamb, Chevy Cobalt, 8.622, 155.52.

Stock Eliminator — Brian McClanahan, Chevy Camaro, 9.871, 129.54 def. Dwayne Scheitlin, Dodge Challenger, 10.116, 129.27.

Super Comp — Val Torres Jr., Dragster, 8.919, 176.84 def. Ryan McClanahan, Dragster, 8.920, 182.85.

Super Gas — Evan Kowalski, Chevy Corvette, 9.941, 160.14 def. Chris Cannon, Corvette, 9.903, 160.44.

Super Street — Chris Borges, Chevy Chevelle, 10.921, 137.06 def. Matt Blodgett, Chevy Vega, 10.898, 133.03.

Top Dragster presented by RacingRVs.com — Paul Nero, Dragster, 6.708, 199.32 def. Jeff Havens, Dragster, 6.736, 197.68.

Top Sportsman presented by RacingRVs.com — Bart Smith, Chevy Monte Carlo, 8.240, 124.11 def. Keith White, Ford Ranger, Foul – Red Light.

Mopar Racing

Beckman Advances to Semifinals in Mopar Dodge Funny Car at NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Beckman Advances to Semifinals in Mopar Dodge Funny Car at NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Jack Beckman advances Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car to semifinals of 30th annual NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway
Two Mopar Dodge Funny Cars appear in second round
Leah Pritchett puts HEMI®-powered Top Fuel dragster in round two
Mopar claims top three points positions in Funny Car, holds third and fourth in Top Fuel standings
Dwayne Scheitlin takes ’71 Dodge Challenger to Stock Eliminator final
Scheitlin named Dodge Top Finisher in Stock, Jerry Jenkins takes Super Stock award
July 30, 2017, Sonoma, Calif. – Jack Beckman set the pace for Mopar this weekend, turning in a valiant effort in his Infinite Hero Dodge Charger R/T Funny Car with a semifinal appearance during the NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. Continue reading Beckman Advances to Semifinals in Mopar Dodge Funny Car at NHRA Sonoma Nationals →

Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP

SOD MAHLE/Clevite BLC Championship at ,Manistee County Fairgrounds Friday

ERIE, MI (July 31, 2017) – This Friday, August 4th, for the first time since July 18, 1999, Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP will be racing at the Manistee County Fairgrounds in Onekama, Michigan. The fifth and final race of the MAHLE/Clevite Beyond Limits Challenge will determine the 2017 BLC champion.

The Manistee County Fairgrounds, SOD’s northern most venue, will challenge racers with its large, d-shaped, almost circular track, unlike most configurations competitors have experience on.
anhimlkcflcdliai.jpg Continue reading SOD MAHLE/Clevite BLC Championship at ,Manistee County Fairgrounds Friday →

John Force Racing

Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet driver Courtney Force surges to Sonoma Nationals semis

Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet driver Courtney
Force surges to Sonoma Nationals semis

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) – Courtney Force took the Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car to the NHRA Sonoma Nationals semifinals on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, completing a solid weekend for Force and her John Force Racing team.

“It was a big turnaround weekend going to the semifinals for our Advance Auto Chevrolet team,” Force said. “I think we definitely learned some stuff about our cars this weekend. To go out there and qualify in the No. 4 spot, have a little bit of consistency, run a 3.90 in the first round – that was a killer run for us.” Continue reading Advance Auto Parts Chevrolet driver Courtney Force surges to Sonoma Nationals semis →

John Force Racing

Momentum building for John Force, PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Funny Car team after solid performance in Sonoma

Momentum building for John Force, PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Funny Car team after solid performance in Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) – The momentum continues to build for John Force and his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team. And it’s the right time of the year.

With two races left before the biggest race of the year – the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis – and three races before the start of the Countdown to the Championship, Force may be peaking at the right time.

At the NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Nationals, Force qualified No. 2 with the fastest speed in his glorious career (337.16 mph). On race day, he won his first-round matchup with Jeff Diehl before falling in the second round to eventual winner J.R. Todd. Continue reading Momentum building for John Force, PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil Funny Car team after solid performance in Sonoma →

John Force Racing

Auto Club driver Robert Hight leaves Sonoma with ninth top speed of season, quarterfinals appearance

Auto Club driver Robert Hight leaves Sonoma with
ninth top speed of season, quarterfinals appearance

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) – Robert Hight came away with his ninth fastest event speed of the season, the fastest speed in NHRA history, his third Funny Car No. 1 qualifier of the season and a quarterfinal finish in the Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, the latest stop on the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

Hight was coming off a victory at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo. and was seeking to becoming only the second driver in Funny Car history to sweep the annual Western Swing. The Alturas, Calif., native won his first-round matchup against No. 16 Tim Gibbons before falling to No. 8 Tim Wilkerson in the second round here.
Continue reading Auto Club driver Robert Hight leaves Sonoma with ninth top speed of season, quarterfinals appearance →

John Force Racing

Brittany Force takes Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster to Sonoma Nationals semifinals

Brittany Force takes Monster Energy Top Fuel
dragster to Sonoma Nationals semifinals

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) – Brittany Force advanced to the semifinals for the fifth time in the last seven NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series races, moving her inside the top five of the Top Fuel points standings following Sunday’s NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway.

Force took the Monster Energy dragster to a pair of elimination round wins before falling in the semis to points leader Steve Torrence, the eventual winner. It made up for a tough qualifying effort Saturday, in which she failed to make a full pass. Still, her No. 2 qualifying effort put her in position to vie for the victory at Sonoma, one of her favorite tracks and the second of three races on the annual Western Swing. Continue reading Brittany Force takes Monster Energy Top Fuel dragster to Sonoma Nationals semifinals →

Chevrolet Racing

Fender Bender Spoils Pocono Run For Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team

Fender Bender Spoils Pocono Run For Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team

July 30, 2017

Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team got off to a fast start on Sunday at the Pocono Raceway. Blaney qualified fifth for the 400-mile run, then finished the first 50-lap Stage in fifth place, earning six bonus points.

But 10 laps into Stage Two, Blaney was involved in a fender-bender just after a restart. The damage to the right front of the No. 21 Fusion wasn’t race-ending, but it did require two trips to pit road for repairs. Continue reading Fender Bender Spoils Pocono Run For Blaney, Motorcraft/Quick Lane Team →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevrolet Stomps on Competition in Sonoma Wine Country

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
TOYOTA NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
SONOMA RACEWAY AT SONOMA, CALIFORNIA
SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

Chevrolet Stomps on Competition in Sonoma Wine Country

• Rookie Tanner Gray scores third Pro Stock victory, extends Chevy streak
• Brittany Force sets Top Fuel track speed record on way to semifinals
• Robert Hight becomes first to surpass 339 mph in any NHRA pro category
• No. 4 qualifier Courtney Force advances to Funny Car semifinals

SONOMA, Calif. (July 30, 2017) – Tanner Gray looks more comfortable in the winner’s circle with the confetti flying, champagne spraying and fans wildly applauding.
Continue reading Chevrolet Stomps on Competition in Sonoma Wine Country →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Mid-Ohio–Recap

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE AT LEXINGTON, OHIO
TEAM CHEVY RACE RECAP
JULY 30, 2017

Josef Newgarden Wins at Mid-Ohio to Score Seventh Chevy Win
Team Penske Driver Takes Points Lead with Third Victory of Season

LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 30, 2017) – Josef Newgarden was a young man on a mission at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The 26-year-old led 73 of the 90-lap Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio to score his third win of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season and deliver Chevrolet’s seventh victory in 13 races. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Mid-Ohio–Recap →

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Pennsylvania 400

Austin Dillon Races to a 21st-Place Finish Despite Getting Caught Up in Crash on Lap 1 at Pocono Raceway

“We got off on the wrong foot today that’s for sure. It’s one of those situations where we were at the wrong place at the wrong time. We got hit from behind on Lap 1. I hate if for our American Ethanol team but they pulled together and worked hard to make the repairs so we didn’t lose any laps. This weekend was a challenge from the get-go, but we are by no means giving up. We keep improving on our cars and it’s just a matter of time before we start seeing better results.”
Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Pennsylvania 400 →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Mid-Ohio

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY 200 OF MID-OHIO
MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER POST RACE NOTES QUOTES
JULY 30, 2017

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG AUTOMOTIVE REFINISHTEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, RACE WINNER: WE ARE USED TO SEEING PEOPLE STRUGGLE IN THEIR SEASON WITH TEAM PENSKE, BUT NOT YOU: “Well, I’ve got a great crew. When they give me a car like this, I don’t want to say it’s easy, but it’s easier at least. I think we’ve been hitting on all four cylinders, no pun intended, but these guys were awesome this weekend. We had good stops. It was just a really fast car. Reds or blacks, it didn’t matter. The car was fast. So, I just tried to do my job. I think everyone is going to want to drive this PPG car. I’m pretty sure it was lucky for (Simon) Pagenaud last year and I think it’s lucky for us. So, we’re going to probably be fighting over this car.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Mid-Ohio →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–NHRA–Sonoma–Tanner Gray

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
TOYOTA NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS
SONOMA RACEWAY AT SONOMA, CALIFORNIA
POST-RACE DRIVER QUOTES
SUNDAY, JULY 30, 2017

An interview with Pro Stock winner TANNER GRAY, GRAY MOTORSPORTS, GRAY MOTORSPORTS VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO SS (No. 5 qualifier; third victory of rookie season; also defeated Bo Butner in Las Vegas final for first Pro Stock victory):

Q: WHAT HAS BEEN THE SECRET FOR YOU IN YOUR ROOKIE YEAR?
TANNER GRAY: Just a lot of practice. I have a great group of guys. I want to dedicate this (Wally) to my aunt (Terry Chandler), who we lost a couple of weeks ago. I just want to thank Gray Motorsports, Valvoline, Chevy, and just everybody who makes this thing happen. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NHRA–Sonoma–Tanner Gray →

Honda Racing

Podium Finish for Hometown Hero Rahal at Mid-Ohio

Podium Finish for Hometown Hero Rahal at Mid-Ohio
• Graham Rahal runs third at Honda Indy 200
• Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato finishes fifth
• Alexander Rossi rounds out top six finishers

LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 30, 2017) – Ohio native son Graham Rahal led the Honda attack Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, finishing third at the Honda Indy 200 to continue an impressive streak of results in the second half of the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

A large crowd, including nearly 10,000 Honda associates from multiple central Ohio Honda facilities, filled the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio road circuit on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Starting fourth, Rahal battled fellow Honda driver and Indianapolis 500 champion Takuma Sato in the early part of the 90-lap contest. Moving ahead of Sato after the first round of scheduled pit stops, Rahal then spent the remainder of the day fighting with Will Power for second, as eventual race winner Josef Newgarden pulled out a comfortable lead at the front of the field. Continue reading Podium Finish for Hometown Hero Rahal at Mid-Ohio →

Jegs Racing

JEGS.com pro Jeg Coughlin Jr. tripped up by No. 1 qualifier in Sonoma quarterfinals

JEGS.com pro Jeg Coughlin Jr. tripped up
by No. 1 qualifier in Sonoma quarterfinals
SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) — After recording a first-round upset at the 30th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, five-time Pro Stock world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. was topped by No. 1 qualifier Drew Skillman in the second round of eliminations to end his race day two rounds early. Even so, Coughlin was pleased that changes made to his JEGS.com/Elite Performance Chevrolet Camaro were beginning to bear fruit.

“We made quite a few changes coming into today on the horsepower side of things and a few more minor changes to the car itself,” Coughlin said. “We had a little luck in Round 1 and got past A.J. (Allen Johnson), changed a few things to make the car better for Round 2, and gave it a shot. We just didn’t quite have enough for Drew.”
Continue reading JEGS.com pro Jeg Coughlin Jr. tripped up by No. 1 qualifier in Sonoma quarterfinals →

Chevrolet Racing

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERTON’S 400

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
OVERTON’S 400
POCONO RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
JULY 30, 2017

TOP TEAM CHEVY FINISHERS:
POS. DRIVER
10TH CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVY
11TH KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS/SHARK WEEK CHEVY SS
12TH DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVY SS
14TH RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 CATERPILLAR CHEVY SS Continue reading MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES OVERTON’S 400 →

Erica Enders

Despite her best run of the weekend, Erica Enders edged in Sonoma’s opening round

Despite her best run of the weekend, Erica Enders edged in Sonoma’s opening round
SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) — A late night in the Elite Motorsports pit produced a massive turnaround for two-time Pro Stock champion Erica Enders, who had struggled mightily through two days of qualifying for this weekend’s 30th annual Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Unfortunately, despite posting her best run of the meet by far, Enders came up just short in her first-round race with three-time 2017 winner Bo Butner. Continue reading Despite her best run of the weekend, Erica Enders edged in Sonoma’s opening round →

Honda Racing

RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 Earns Three Top-10s at Mid-Ohio

RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 Earns Three Top-10s at Mid-Ohio
• Peter Kox led a double top-10 finish in front of home crowd in Sunday’s race
• Ryan Eversley scores pair of top-10 finishes on Ohio doubleheader weekend
• Eversley solidifies hold on top-10 berth in 2017 standings

LEXINGTON, Ohio (July 30, 2017) – The RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3s found progress hard to come by this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but the driving duo of Peter Kox and Ryan Eversley did a strong job of maximizing opportunities during Rounds 6-7 of the Pirelli World Challenge campaign. Continue reading RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3 Earns Three Top-10s at Mid-Ohio →