chevy racing–nascar–bristol–corey lajoie

September 18, 2023 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY BASS PRO SHOPS NIGHT RACE TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 15, 2023

COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NEGU CAMARO ZL1, met with the media ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Bristol Motor Speedway. Media Availability Quotes:
YOU HAVE A SPECIAL PAINT SCHEME HONORING PEDIATRIC CANCER AWARENESS. WHY IS THAT CAUSE SPECIAL TO YOU?“The paint scheme is the same, it’s just the number to gold foil number. The gold ribbon signifies Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month which is September. We were at a Pediatric Cancer center giving out some joy jars, so it was fun doing that, interacting with the kids and giving out some stickers. Passing out some smiles. That was good stuff. It actually helps me, too, keeping in perspective how much of a blessing it is to do to what I do each weekend. We’ve got families with kids that are fighting for their lives. It’s a nice perspective adjustment before rolling into the racetrack for a race weekend.” LAST WEEK, YOU HAD YOUR 18TH LEAD LAP FINISH OF THE SEASON WHICH IS A NEW CAREER HIGH FOR YOU. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT YOU’VE BEEN RIGHT AT THE FINISH OF EVERY RACE THIS SEASON. THE WAY SPIRE IS GROWING, WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE STATUS OF THAT AS YOU APPROACH THE END OF THE SEASON?“It’s certainly something I’m proud of, being the only car so far, knock on wood, sitting here at Bristol where anything can happen in a split second. That was our biggest objective in the offseason leading into this season, where we ran only eighty-three percent of laps last year. That’s part driver mistake, a lot mechanical issues with the new car trying to figure out the weak links there. The growth of the small team, there’s a lot of growing pains there we’ve ironed out. We’ve got the right people in the right positions to negate all of those mechanical failures we had. If we continue that, keep executing, not putting ourselves in bad spots, I feel like I’ve been as focused as I’ve ever been in my career and getting more experience. We’ve had some decent pace over the last six or seven weeks, and we just need to do a better job of executing when we do have pace. I think that starts this weekend. If, for us, to be the only car so far 28 weeks in, we’re certainly proud of that as a team.” “It’s certainly not all that we’re looking for. We’re looking for some better runs, better qualifying efforts. I feel like a normal day for us right now should be top-20. If we execute, we have the pace to generally to finish between 16th and 18th, and that’s a big step from where we were the last couple of years. If we continue that trend in that direction, there’s a lot of growth to be had within Spire Motorsports and I’m excited to be a part of it.” THE NO. 77 HAS ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANT PACE THIS SEASON. HOW HAS THAT HELPED THE NO. 7 OUT?“It’s something I realize more so than ever, when I was getting a cup of coffee over at Hendrick (Motorsports) driving the No. 9, all four of those teams, the engineers, drivers and crew chiefs are consistently setting a higher watermark. When you’re in an environment like that where every team is pushing the entire team forward, that’s where the biggest growth and biggest development happens. I feel like, for us, the business model that Spire has had to have with part-time guys on the No. 77, it kind of slowed our rate of how much we collected data. It’s been nice to have a veteran guy like Ty (Dillon) and refine our baseline setup. I think that having more points of data over the course of the week and the course of a 20-minute practice session, you have to collect data fast and be efficient with applying it in your race car. That’s nice to be able to see improvements over the last two months.” YOU LOOK THROUGH A DIFFERENT LENSE BEING THE SON OF A CHAMPION. TALK ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO KNOW YOU’RE TRYING TO REACH A PINNACLE OF WHAT YOUR DAD REACHED. OR MAYBE NOT, MAYBE YOU JUST WANT TO BE COREY. CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?“It’s not like we’ve all sat around a campfire and sang Kumbaya and talked about it. But you look at certain guys, there are so many father and son relationships in this sport that have been prominent. The biggest one was Chase (Elliott) and the driver, son complex. I can relate somewhat, and even though Dad (Randy LaJoie) was voted in the top 75 greatest NASCAR drivers. Bill (Elliott) was known as ‘Million Dollar Bill.’ In my case, specifically in my opinion, no matter what I do in this sport, it’ll never be up to as good as my dad. My dad is my idol, my hero growing up. There’s a little bit of no matter what you achieve in this sport, you’re not going to be as good as your dad.” “I feel like that’s some of the things where Chase (Elliott) is the way he is, Ryan (Blaney) is the way he is. Dale (Earnhardt, Jr.) has been pretty vocal about that as well of his dad (Dale Earnhardt). I think as much as you’re under a microscope growing up as the son of a famous racecar driver, you still put that as much pressure and expectations on yourself to try to live up to what people expect you do being the son of somebody who has an established career. I’d be interested in hearing what those guys have to say on it, if it affects their psyche or not, but I think whether or not they acknowledge it, it shapes who you are and what kind of career you have.” THIS WEEKEND, EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM IS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PLAYOFF AND THE CUTOFF POINTS AND SO FORTH. YOU’RE KIND OF IN A BATTLE FOR 25TH. THAT’S NOT AS SEXY AS OTHERS, AND YOU’D LIKE TO BE HIGHER. HOW DO YOU VIEW WHAT THAT MEANS?“I don’t feel like our place is under any pressure. The guys we are in striking distance of shouldn’t be back there with us anyway. A lot of those guys get eaten up a spot, it’s more fire under their seat. I’ve challenged our team, even though we’re not in the top-16 and resetting those points for a championship, I challenge my guys to reset the points of those four or five guys in front of us and the couple behind us, and have our own little Playoff points structure and see if we can chip away at them with the time with 10 races left. I don’t know for certain, but there is a big monetary difference at the end of the year with points payoff between 25th and 26th. Our car, too, is in different spots as the No. 7 finished last at (World Wide Technology Raceway) when it broke a rotor, so it’s 20 points behind where I am in drivers’ points. So I naturally look at drivers’ points because that’s where I compare and see my name on it, but the one that pays is the one that I need to go get a little more effort and get 20 more spots throughout the year. There are certainly three cars in the crosshairs that I feel like, when we execute, we can beat each and every week and we’re going to have to, we can’t have any off weeks if we want to go get those guys.” BRISTOL DIRT IS NOT COMING BACK. WHAT DO YOU THINK?“Halleluiah.”
“I was at the Trackside Live stage earlier, and Alex Weaver mentioned that. It wasn’t the first time I’d heard it, but it was the first official announcement and there was a majority of fans were excited. I said ‘Guys, you guys have to come to the race or else they’ll put ice or gravel or some sort of funky substance to make it a flash in the pan. So the people who are clapping, you better be here in the spring with your butt in a seat so the race doesn’t move somewhere else or they don’t figure out some other substance to put (on the track).’”

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Thornton’s Last Lap Pass Nets Knoxville Preliminary Victory

September 18, 2023 ARP Trish

Thornton’s Last Lap Pass Nets Knoxville Preliminary Victory

KNOXVILLE, IA (September 14, 2023) – Ricky Thornton Jr. made a last lap pass for the win on Thursday night at Knoxville Raceway. Thornton, the current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Chase for the Championship leader went by Brandon Overton on the white flag lap and went on to score his 18th series win of the season. It was the first of three nights of racing that will conclude on Saturday night with the 19th Annual Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals paying $50,000 to win out of a $196,000 feature purse. The 25-lap preliminary night feature saw four different race leaders. Daulton Wilson, who led 19 laps, the most during the race, edged out Overton at the finish line for second. Overton was third followed by Devin Moran and 3-time Late Model Knoxville Nationals winner, Mike Marlar. Wilson powered to the lead at the start of the $7,000 to win preliminary feature and opened an advantage over Jonathan Davenport, the defending race winner. Those two ran first and second until Davenport went to the outside on lap 17 to take over the race lead. Unfortunately, Davenport got to high exiting turn four and got into the front stretch guardrail which sent him hard into the turn one wall ending his night. When the race resumed Wilson was back out in the lead and would hold the point until lap 21 when Overton, who had started 11th on the grid, moved to second. Overton was one of the fastest cars on the track as he moved by Wilson for the lead on lap 21. Overton looked to be on his way to his first Knoxville victory as he opened up a three to four car length lead, but Wilson and Thornton started to close the gap and as the trio took the white flag it would be a three-car battle for the win. Thornton would come from third to second on the white flag lap as then moments later he passed Overton to take his first and only lead of the race to win by 0.517 seconds over Wilson and 0.520 seconds ahead of Overton. Thornton, whose only previous win at Knoxville was in 2018 in a Harris Clash race for modifieds, went to Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 23rd time in his career. The victory was special for Thornton who lived a little over an hour away in Adel, Iowa for a few years. “It’s awesome to win here at Knoxville, whether it’s a prelim race or not all the best drivers are here so, to be able to do it from eighth, it’s like we never passed any cars. I think after tonight it should put us in a good position for Saturday. Hopefully we can do it. I have a lot of wins here in Iowa. I think it’s my second Knoxville win, so we want that big Knoxville win.” Wilson continues to get closer to his first career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory came home in second after leading the most laps. “We got up there in those lapped cars and when you are out front you really don’t know where the racetrack is at. I thought that middle looked like it was coming back around. You just can’t leave that bottom; we fell back and then I thought we had a chance for the lead coming to the white and I overshot the corner down there, but we’re hanging around the front, we are learning a lot, getting better, and if we keep putting ourselves in this position maybe we will be up there soon getting our picture taken.” Overton rounded out the Big River Steel Podium in third. “I went with a two compound on the right front and both of them had three’s on the right front. I just worked my right front way too hard to get around Daulton on the top. So, we’ll take it. I didn’t think I was going to get up that far. It was a good run for us. Shoot Ricky’s running good and so is Daulton so just to be up there with them, we’ll take it.” The winner’s Todd and Vickie Burns-owned, SSI Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Big River Steel, Hoker Trucking, Coltman Farms, Sub-Surface of Indiana, Dyno One Inc., West Side Tractor Sales Company, D&E Outside Services, Certified Inspection Service Company, Inc., Sunoco Race Fuels, Bilstein Shocks, Midwest Sheet Metal, Excel Floor Covering, and Murty Farms. Completing the top ten were Chris Ferguson, Tyler Erb, Ryan Gustin, Brandon Sheppard, and Earl Pearson Jr.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Knoxville Late Model Nationals | Prelim Night 1Thursday, September 14, 2023Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA
Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Mike Marlar | 17.109 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Ricky Thornton, Jr. | 17.396 seconds
Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 111B-Max Blair[3]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[5]; 3. 8S-Brian Shirley[4]; 4. 157-Mike Marlar[6]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[1]; 6. 32-Chris Simpson[2]; 7. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[8]; 8. 21M-Luke Merfeld[9]; 9. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[10]; 10. 99B-Boom Briggs[7]
Summit Racing Products Heat Race #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 22F-Chris Ferguson[6]; 2. 18-Chase Junghans[1]; 3. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 4. 4-Brandon Overton[4]; 5. 18D-Daulton Wilson[5]; 6. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 7. 7-Ross Robinson[9]; 8. 6-Al Humphrey[10]; 9. 21B-Rich Bell[8]; 10. (DNS) 22M-Charlie McKenna
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (12 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[5]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[6]; 4. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[4]; 5. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[2]; 6. 62-Justin Zeitner[7]; 7. 39-Tim McCreadie[8]; 8. 48-Tim Lance[9]; 9. 10W-Junior Coover[10]; 10. 7W-Ricky Weiss[1]
AP1 Insurance Heat Race #4 Finish (12 Laps, Top 5 Transfer): 1. 25-Chad Simpson[3]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[4]; 3. 19R-Ryan Gustin[2]; 4. 16-Tyler Bruening[1]; 5. 1H-Hudson O’Neal[6]; 6. 98-Cory Hedgecock[7]; 7. 51-Matt Furman[9]; 8. 30-Todd Cooney[5]; 9. 1X-Aaron Marrant[8]; 10. 17-Tim Simpson[10]
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 32-Chris Simpson[1]; 2. 21-Billy Moyer Sr[3]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[4]; 5. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[7]; 6. 99B-Boom Briggs[9]; 7. 6-Al Humphrey[6]; 8. 21M-Luke Merfeld[5]; 9. 22M-Charlie McKenna[10]; 10. (DNS) 21B-Rich Bell
UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (15 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[3]; 2. 48-Tim Lance[5]; 3. 30-Todd Cooney[6]; 4. 62-Justin Zeitner[1]; 5. 7W-Ricky Weiss[9]; 6. 51-Matt Furman[4]; 7. 98-Cory Hedgecock[2]; 8. 1X-Aaron Marrant[8]; 9. 17-Tim Simpson[10]; 10. 10W-Junior Coover[7]
Knoxville Late Model Nationals | Prelim Night 1 Feature Finish (25 Laps):

Race Statistics Entrants: 40Terminal Maintenance & Construction Pole Sitter: Daulton WilsonLap Leaders: Daulton Wilson (Laps 1-20); Brandon Overton (Laps 21-24); Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 25) Wieland Feature Winner: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.518 seconds Gorsuch Performance Solutions Cautions: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 17); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 22)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Daulton Wilson, Brandon OvertonPenske Shocks Top 5: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Daulton Wilson, Brandon Overton, Devin Moran, Mike MarlarTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Erb (Advanced 11 Positions) Wilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Tyler ErbDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Spencer HughesEarnhardt Technologies Most Laps Led: (Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr. O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Max Blair Etchberger Trucking Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 10 – 18.215 seconds) MD3 Tough Break of the Race: Jonathan DavenportOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Anthony Burroughs (Ricky Thornton, Jr.) ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Jonathan Davenport (17.484 seconds)Time of Race: 16 minutes 50 seconds
Knoxville Late Model Nationals Prelim Points Breakdown – Night 1:

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Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Heads into Final Stretch of 2023 Season Starting at Maple Grove Raceway

September 14, 2023 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2023) – With only four races left in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown 2023 NHRA season, competition amongst Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Mustang Cobra Jets and Dodge Mopar Challenger Drag Paks is at an all-time high heading into this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.

Coming off a monumental win at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park over Labor Day weekend, Jesse Alexandra and his Barton Engines COPO Camaro are more motivated than ever to close the 172-points gap between himself in fourth place and Aaron Stanfield in the lead.

Jesse Alexandra, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown U.S. Nationals winner, photo courtesy of Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I am still walking on a cloud for sure after that U.S. Nationals win. Surrounding myself with good people has really made this all happen. I am only the guy pushing on the go pedal but I’m very lucky to have great people around me,” Alexandra said. “We have been moving up the last few races for sure. There is a massive amount of talent in this class that can make a move forward at any time. We just have to keep working hard and do our best. Hopefully we get a little luck, too.”

Alexandra will also enter the weekend with a target in his back thanks to his most recent victory. With the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program, whoever defeats Alexandra in eliminations will earn a $1,000 bonus that can carryover from race to race and increases by $1,000 as it does. Alexandra is the most recent winner of the bounty after he defeated Stephen Bell in the finals. Bell was the Norwalk, Ohio event winner.

Hoping for some hometown luck to repeat as event champion is reigning world champion David Barton and his Retail Fixture / Sawmill Auto Chevy COPO. Barton is currently sitting 10th in the points standings, 272 behind Stanfield and looking for a late season surge to keep his chances of repeating his world title.

“This season we have been working on a number of things and I feel like we are making progress,” said Barton, a Robesonia, Pa. native. “I have been coming to Maple Grove Raceway since I was a little kid. Last year it was cool to have all our friends and family here as well as the employees from the shop when we won and basically clinched the championship. The competition is so fierce in this class. This year everyone has stepped up and we have four races to make a move.”

David Barton, 2022 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Pep Boys NHRA Nationals winner, photo courtesy of Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Point leader Aaron Stanfield is followed by Norwalk Nationals winner Stephen Bell as the tour heads to Maple Grove Raceway. Stanfield has been holding off a handful of drivers for the points leading including Alexandra and Barton, with two runner-up finishes to start the season and a win at the Thunder Valley Nationals. Bell will be looking for his second Wally trophy this weekend.

Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown action at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying Friday at 1:15 and 4:45 p.m. Eliminations will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. following a third round of qualifying at 11:45 a.m. Sunday will feature the final three rounds with the quarterfinals at 12:10 p.m., semifinals at 1:30 and finals at approximately 2:35 p.m.

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Chevy racing–NASCAR–Bristol advance

September 14, 2023 ARP Trish

CUE THE LIGHTS With all three NASCAR national series now officially in playoff competition, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will head to one of the most iconic short-tracks in motorsports – Bristol Motor Speedway. The first time this season competing on the track’s concrete surface, the 0.533-mile Tennessee oval holds an integral position on each series’ playoff schedule – opening the Round of Eight for the NCTS, the first race of the NXS playoffs and the first elimination race of the NCS playoffs.

Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway: Chevrolet is the winningest manufacturer across all three NASCAR national series at Bristol Motor Speedway – earning 46 NCS wins, 36 NXS wins and 10 NCTS wins. The manufacturer has been victorious in the past two NXS visits to the Tennessee short-track with Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in 2021 and, most recently, one year ago with JR Motorsports and Noah Gragson.

FIRST ELIMINATION RACE FOR THE NCS PLAYOFFSSaturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race will mark the first elimination race for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs – determining the 12 drivers that will continue in the championship title run. Only two drivers have solidified their spots into the Round of 12, including Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson, who claimed an early ticket to the next round with his win in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. The 31-year-old California native followed up the win with another strong run at Kansas Speedway – recording a stage win and leading a race-high 99 laps en route to his series-leading 12th top-five finish of the season. Larson was able to maintain the top position in the points standings, now holding a six-point lead over second. The current points standings sees four Team Chevy playoff contenders at a double-digit advantage over the playoff cutline. Despite suffering from a spin early in last Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, William Byron was able to rally back to a 15th-place finish – still holding the fourth position in the standings with a 41-point cushion above the cutline. Kyle Busch was also able to overcome early weekend struggles in the Midwest – starting from the rear of the field and driving to a seventh-place finish, leaving Kansas Speedway seventh in the standings and 24-points above the cutline. Rounding out the top-eight of the standings is Ross Chastain, entering this weekend’s elimination race 18-points above the playoff bubble.

A look at Team Chevy’s playoff contenders heading into the Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

A WINNING PERCENTAGEFor much of the 2023 season, Chevrolet has led the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series. Taking it one step further, the manufacturer currently holds a win count that is double its manufacturer competitors combined. Chevrolet sits at 14 wins in 28 NASCAR Cup Series points-paying races (Toyota – eight; Ford – six) and 13 wins in 26 NASCAR Xfinity Series races (Toyota – 10; Ford – three) – a winning percentage of 50 percent in each series. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Christian Eckes’ win at Kansas Speedway last weekend delivered the manufacturer to its 12th win in 19 races (Ford – five; Toyota – two), bringing its winning percentage to 63.2 percent in the series. The season’s success has kept Chevrolet consistently atop each manufacturer’s points standings, with the Bowtie brand inching closer to its fifth-ever manufacturer championship sweep across all three NASCAR national series.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Chevrolet will pace the field in the tripleheader race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Silverado RST lead the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in Thursday’s UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics; the Camaro SS 1LE will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Friday’s Food City 300; and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Saturday’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race.
·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Bristol Motor Speedway include:Kyle Busch – eight wins (2019, ’18, ’17, ’11, ’10, ’09 sweep, ’07)Kyle Larson – one win (2021)
·       Chevrolet has recorded a manufacturer-leading 46 NASCAR Cup Series wins at Bristol Motor Speedway. Chevrolet’s first win at the track came in July 1971 with Charlie Glotzbach, with the bowtie brand going on to win seven in a row.
·       Since the debut of the 16-driver playoff field and elimination rounds to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2014, at least five Chevrolet drivers were represented in the playoffs each season.
·       In 28 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (14), top-fives (61), top-10s (119), stage wins (20) and laps led (2,730). Chevrolet’s 2023 NCS win count is double its manufacturer competitors combined.
·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 14 victories in 28 NASCAR Cup Series races, 13 victories in 26 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 12 wins in 19 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of at least 50%.
·       With Kyle Larson’s win in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 299 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series – all recorded with Chevrolet.
·       Chevrolet’s series-leading 14 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).
·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 20 of the 56 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (eight; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (four), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).
·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 67 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 72 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 62 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
·       Chevrolet has swept the Manufacturer Championships across all three NASCAR national series in a single season four different times (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996).
·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 847 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS:· Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Bristol Motor Speedway. · Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Silverado 1500 ZR2, Silverado 2500HD High Country Diesel, Tahoe RST, Equinox Premier, Colorado Z71 2.7L, Corvette Coupe 3LT Z51, Camaro ZL1. · Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car.
Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Thursday, September 14• Nick Sanchez: 1 p.m. • Grant Enfinger, Rajah Caruth, Daniel Dye: 1:30 p.m. • Matt DiBenedetto: 2 p.m. • Christian Eckes & Jake Garcia: 2:15 p.m. • Carson Hocevar & Bayley Currey: 2:30 p.m. Friday, September 15• Austin Hill: 1 p.m. • Parker Kligerman: 4:45 p.m. • Chandler Smith: 5 p.m. • Sheldon Creed: 5:15 p.m. • Brandon Jones: 5:30 p.m. Saturday, September 16• Ross Chastain: 3:15 p.m. • Austin Dillon: 3:30 p.m. • Alex Bowman: 3:45 p.m. • Chase Elliott: 4 p.m. • Kyle Busch: 4:45 p.m. Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: • Thursday, September 14: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. • Friday, September 15: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. • Saturday, September 16: 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.

TUNE IN:NASCAR Cup Series: Bass Pro Shops Night Race Saturday, September 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Xfinity Series: Food City 300Friday, September 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET(USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: UNOH 200 presented by Ohio LogisticsThursday, September 14, at 9 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1What are some of the challenges with Bristol?“You can’t control much at Bristol other than your own car, most of the time. It’s happening so fast and you can’t see around the corner to the next straightaway. Something silly can happen. The cars are under immense stress and we as drivers are under stress. Its so loud for the crew chiefs and engineers, spotters and everything is so tightly packed in there. We aren’t as in control at Bristol as we are at some of the other tracks.”
Why do people like coming to Bristol so much?“It’s an awesome place. If I wasn’t driving in a Cup car, I would still be there because I went the Bristol night race before I ever raced. And then when I was running in the truck series, I would stay over for the Cup race because the race is so awesome. If I wasn’t racing in it, I would definitely be in the stands with friends.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:“The night race at Bristol (Motor Speedway) is one of my favorites. It’s such a prestigious track and race. The fans always show out there and it’s a great atmosphere. I’ve had some good runs on the concrete track, including a win in the Valvoline Chevy in 2021. Valvoline is back this weekend and it would be great to get another win before the round of 12!”

CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1Daniels on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:“Our team has great momentum right now. It’s been nice to have two good runs the past two weeks, but there is certainly a lot of racing left ahead in the playoffs. We’ve got to stay focused and stay grounded. We take every week as it comes and this week is at Bristol (Motor Speedway) which is just an amazing track. I love Bristol, Kyle loves Bristol. He’s always just super good at Bristol in anything that he drives. The team’s been executing well and hopefully we have a fast Chevy to be in contingency there at the end. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting race.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN / ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1Why is the Bristol pavement race your favorite?“Bristol concrete is my favorite track just because I’ve always enjoyed that racetrack. I’ve always enjoyed watching it as a kid on TV and seeing all the races there. And then it being a short track and high banked is cool and fun and reminds me of some tracks that raced at as a kid coming up through the ranks. I look forward to going there. Bristol is a challenging track. You’ve got to be on top of your game all the time. You can really push the car and try to get the most out of it on the bottom or on the top. I’ve always loved being on the bottom there and have found most of my wins from the bottom but still you’ve got to be agile and move around.”
Pitting at Bristol is unique with the frontstretch and backstretch pit roads. How difficult is that and how big of a challenge is that since this is the only time all year you do it? “Pitting at Bristol is unique because you have two pit roads, the frontstretch and the backstretch. Typically, you don’t really pit there under green a whole lot but if you did you have only one pit road, so you’ve got to remember if you’re on the backstretch or frontstretch where you would come off of the racetrack and get down to get to pit road. It’s not that big of a deal but I’ve always had my pit selection be on the backstretch just so there’s never any confusion so we’ll see if we can get that pit selection that I prefer.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA GOLD FILTERS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on the unique environment of Bristol: “My favorite (track), I would say, and probably my favorite race of the year. I just think that the environment up there is so unique and it’s so different. I love going (there). It’s close to home and up in the mountains of Tennessee. It’s just a cool deal from top to bottom. And they’ve always done a good job up there making that environment fun and energetic for the drivers and the fans. I think when that’s the case, everybody has more fun.”

ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA GOLD FILTERS CAMARO ZL1Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on the Next Gen car at Bristol and what to expect on Saturday night: “It’s hard to say. We’ve had one race there with this car and it seemed ok. The tire’s changing slightly for this race, so that’s always a bit of an unknown. We’ll see what that has in store for us and how it affects the racing. Hopefully, there’s multiple lanes. To me, when we have multiple lanes and the top comes in, the racing’s better and you have more opportunity to pass.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 BARGER PRECAST CAMARO ZL1“Bristol was a really good race for us last year. We had a really strong run, a top-10 finish, and I was very happy with the car. Over the last couple months, we’ve found more speed in our race cars, and I’m look forward to getting back to Bristol with the same aero package and everything as last year. I’m excited to get on track and hopefully have a strong run.”

CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1You’ve had two top-20 finishes in two weeks with the Club, so what has been the biggest factor in acclimating yourself with the NextGen car? Do you think the Truck Series race will help you prepare for 500 laps on Saturday?“The last two weeks has been a lot of fun, being able to now race a Cup car and truck on the same weekend have just helped myself become better and more in the rhythm lately. Super excited to run a lot of laps at Bristol, the truck isn’t too far away from the Cup car in terms of throttle points and the track stays the same, so looking for a good showing on Friday to get me as up to speed as I can for 500 laps on Saturday night with my No. 42 LEGACY M.C. group.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1“Bristol has always been fun for me. I’ve come so close there a couple of times to winning that night race and really would love to close that one out. It is always one of my favorite races. The Bristol night race is one that I tell people all the time, ‘If you haven’t been to a NASCAR race, try and make it out to that one.’ It is one of my favorites of the year and one that I have been really close to winning before, so hoping we can close it out.”

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SCOTT BRAND CAMARO ZL1“Going into Bristol, just survive. I feel like watching the Playoffs there last year, just surviving 500 laps really hits the nail on the head. There were so many parts failures and crashes in that race last year.
For me, Bristol is by far my favorite racetrack, and I’m going to not overthink or overdrive my favorite track. I’ll make sure I put myself in a good position all night. I’ve never run Bristol in the Playoffs. So, it will be the first time for me to race it in the Playoffs at the Colosseum.
It’s an intense racetrack. 15 second laps. You’re on edge all the time. You’re constantly pushing your car to its limits whether you run the bottom or top of the racetrack. You also have to look super far ahead. I’ve had a crash well in front of me take me out because you just can’t get slowed down in time. Every battle there is super intense and we’re ready for battle with our No. 47 SCOTT Brand Camaro.”

CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTEven though you didn’t get the result you wanted, does showing speed last week at Kansas build confidence?“I think some of the struggles I’ve had this year have been from some of my execution. We showed up for practice and we were fast in practice and the fastest one in qualifying and sat on the pole. Those are the kind of things that we’ve had to improve on, and we did a good job of that at Kansas. We’re hoping to bring that same pace and execution to Bristol.”
Do you enjoy racing at Bristol?“Yeah, it’s a really neat place to go race. We had a lot of speed this past weekend at Kansas and the weekend before at Milwaukee. We’re hoping to bring that same speed into Bristol, a high-banked short track, more of my wheelhouse. Like I’ve mentioned before, Kansas and Bristol are two of my favorites. I’m really excited to get there and get a little redemption after our weekend in Kansas and have a race where we execute as a team to our capability and reach our full potential. It seems like we are a little bit snake bitten with our luck and the weeks that our Bama Buggies Silverado is really fast we have something go wrong like it did last week with the loose wheel. I’m just excited to get to Bristol.”
What does it take to be fast at Bristol?“Well, if it’s anything like last year, I feel like the driver who qualifies up front and can wrap the bottom the best is going to be the one to beat there. It’s so hard to pass there, so qualifying is very crucial. Track position will be everything this weekend.”

CHRISTIAN ECKES, NO. 19 GATES HYDRAULICS SILVERADO RSTEckes on beginning the second round at Bristol with momentum:“We performed really well as a team in the first round, but we need to do it all over again now. Bristol is one of the most demanding tracks that we go to, but I have all the confidence in our Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet, Charles (Denike), and our entire team that we can keep this momentum going. Last week was a big moment for our team to win a playoff race at Kansas after running so well for the last couple months. We’re all focused on continuing to do the things that got us here and hopefully we can be one of the trucks to beat at the end of the night at Bristol.”

GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTHow much pressure, if any, are you putting on yourself in the Round of 8? Which race is going to be the most important to shine in?“Obviously this Round of 8 is tough, and we have three very different tracks in this round. Our GMS team puts a lot into every race, but we’ve put everything we have into Bristol. It’ll be important to have speed, but it’s just as important to have a truck that you can drive hard every lap. Everything happens so fast at Bristol so you have to be on your game all race long. GMS Racing has had a lot of success at Bristol in the past, and we are hoping to add to that on Thursday.”

RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTHas anyone given you any advice for preparing for a double duty weekend at a physically-demanding track like Bristol?“Double duty shouldn’t be too much of a challenge this weekend. I prepare just as diligently as I would for any other race weekend, and having had a few doubleheaders under my belt certainly helps. This weekend at Bristol, I feel a really good opportunity is in place for us at a track that both myself and Chad have a great track record at.”

JAKE GARCIA, NO. 35 QUANTA SERVICES SILVERADO RSTGarcia on his second start on Bristol’s concrete:“I love short track racing, so it’s always exciting when these races come up on the schedule. Bristol is such a different short track than most and everything happens so quickly. You really need to stay on your toes and be able to find a rhythm quickly once the green flag drops. Our Quanta Services Chevrolet has been really fast the last few weeks, but we need to execute through the whole race on Thursday. 200 laps goes by really fast at Bristol, but we’re looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we can be up front at the end of the night.”

DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 CHAMPION CONTAINER SILVERADO RSTYou’ve had the chance to race at Bristol a few times in the past, so do you like this track? What do you think is going to be the most important goal for you on Thursday night?“I like Bristol for the most part, for sure. Having two ARCA races under my belt is going to be helpful, I also ran fourth there in a Super Late Model as well a couple years ago, so I’ve got quite a few laps around that joint. Just looking forward to getting there with Champion Container on board. It’s their last race with us for this year, and it’s been a pleasure having them at the racetrack. I think one of the most important things will be track position. You hear that about a lot of places on our schedule, but Bristol is so tiny and fast, so we have to make sure that we can turn well enough to get under guys and pass them, but we also have to qualify good and maintain our track position.”

JACK WOOD, NO. 51 ROWDY MANUFACTURING SILVERADO RSTWhere does Bristol rank on your list of favorite tracks?“I’ve run there a couple times. It’s a pretty cool venue, it’s tough to race around, it’s tough to pass there. I think our trucks are going to be good. For me, I am just mentally preparing on how I’m going to run up front and what I want to do on restarts. Running both the truck race and ARCA race will be a long day for me running 400 laps. I’m just trying to get prepared to go out and have ourselves a good weekend.”
How beneficial will it be to you to run the ARCA race before the Truck Series race?“Hopefully it will be very beneficial. I think every time I’ve done it this year it has helped me knock the rust off, especially at a track that I haven’t been to since last year. Hopefully the ARCA car will be good, and we can go out and make laps and run up front the whole race. It’s really just to compliment what we’re doing in the truck and if it can help us just five percent than it’s more than worth it.”
What are your goals for the rest of the season?“I just want to put together four solid races to end the year on a high note. I think we just need to turn the tide. We’ve shown speed most weeks and there’s just things that have happened that have kept us from reaching our full potential with our finishes — some of it being my own doing and some of them random things that happen like a pit gun breaking in the middle of a stop last week.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007) 2023 STATISTICS: Wins: 14Poles: 8Laps Led: 2,730Top-five finishes: 61Top-10 finishes: 119Stage wins: 20· Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)· William Byron – 8 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte), (Watkins Glen)· Kyle Larson – 4 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono), (Kansas)· Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)· Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 847 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 742Laps led to date: 248, 274Top-five finishes to date: 4,282Top-10 finishes to date: 8,831 Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date: General Motors: 1,181 Chevrolet: 847 Pontiac: 154 Oldsmobile: 115 Buick: 65 Ford: 826 Ford: 726 Mercury: 96 Lincoln: 4 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467 Dodge: 217 Plymouth: 191 Chrysler: 59 Toyota: 178

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CAREER YEAR: Maturity, Strong Team Leading Rico Abreu to Remarkable 2023

September 14, 2023 ARP Trish

The Californian is enjoying home stretch during a year filled with victories all over the countryHANFORD, CA (September 14, 2023) – On Friday night at Kings Speedway’s Tom Tarlton Classic, Rico Abreu returns to where his Sprint Car career began amid the best season of his career.And not just where his career began, but with the same Series. Believe it or not, the St. Helena, CA native’s first race behind the wheel of one of the winged beasts was against the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. “March of 2011 at the Outlaw race in the spring was my first ever,” Abreu said. “We were actually going to rent the track on the day after. The Outlaws were going to Tulare the following day and started at Hanford. It was going to rain (the next day), so we just said we might as well buy a pit pass and go run laps. It was a pretty cool experience for me to have my first race be an Outlaw race.“I held off Donny Schatz in Hot Laps,” Abreu added with a laugh.Fast forward 12 years, and Abreu has come a long way. World of Outlaws victories. Chili Bowl triumphs. Wins all over the country from a career that blossomed in California. But with all of his accomplishments over more than a decade in a Sprint Car, no season can parallel his 2023 performance.Abreu has racked up 10 Sprint Car victories this season, half of which have come against The Greatest Show on Dirt. Entering this year, the 31-year-old owned nine Series victories and never tallied more than two in one season.In World of Outlaws competition, he’s making trips to Victory Lane at some of the toughest tracks to do so. Twice he’s topped battles against the Pennsylvania Posse including a night when a whopping 49 cars checked in at Lincoln Speedway. He bested a field of 41 at Eldora Speedway in May. The prestige of the Jason Johnson Classic also went to Abreu when he came out on top at 81 Speedway.And it’s not only that Abreu is winning at a high rate. His consistency is also as strong as ever. The Rico Abreu Racing #24 has been on the World of Outlaws podium 13 times in 2023. That’s enough to be tied for the fourth most even though he’s only competed in 63% of the races.“It’s definitely a career best year for me,” Abreu said. “The consistency and things I’ve learned as a race car driver developmental wise have just matured me and being able to process things while I’m racing and just focusing on not putting myself in bad positions on the race track and a little more give and take instead of forcing things to put us in bad spots.”That maturity has also extended beyond the racetrack itself for Abreu. While he’s normally running up front, he and the team value the down nights. Instead of being frustrated, they use them to learn for the next time.“Some nights you’re off a little bit, and there’s nothing to hang your head about those nights,” Abreu said. “They’re all just learning curves as a team. I think those nights are more important than the nights that you win because that’s what you learn the most from.”One of the largest contributors to Abreu’s success is Ricky Warner. The legendary crew chief joined his race team at the beginning of last year. The pairing began to gather momentum toward the end of 2022 before coming out of the gates hot this year and not slowing down. Listen to any of Abreu’s Victory Lane interviews this year, and he’s quick to credit Warner’s critical thinking abilities.“I think his attention to detail to little things throughout the race team when it comes to driver communication,” Abreu said of Warner’s qualities. “Ricky has a really good eye of seeing the balance of the race car where if I’m off a little bit on my communication side of setup to where I think we need to be. I think he just has a great system and gets along with everybody, which is a huge plus for the team. He’s just a good balance. I think he gets our car really close, but where he really excels is he keeps my confidence up as a race car driver. Confidence is so key in our sport.”With Warner leading the way, Zack Middlebrooks, and Brady Forbrook completing the trio working on the car, and Abreu behind the wheel, the #24 has become one of the fastest cars in the country this year.And now they head to the track where it all started for Abreu with as strong a shot as anyone at what would be a special win. He’s won at Kings Speedway three times with the Northern Auto Racing Club. He’s won there with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour. And now he hopes to top The Greatest Show on Dirt and pocket $21,000.“The unique thing about Hanford is I was really hot and cold there,” Abreu said. “And then over the years as I’ve been there we’ve gotten better and better with different crew chiefs and myself as a driver. It’s such a tricky track with no walls and a fast paced (Turns) 3 and 4 and a slower speed (Turns) 1 and 2. I’m just really looking forward to getting there. They’ve got great car counts in that central California area. They’ve got really passionate race fans.”For tickets to the Tom Tarlton Classic at Kings Speedway, CLICK HERE. Abreu will also make the trip to Placerville Speedway on Saturday night for the Federated Auto Parts 49er Gold Rush Classic. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.

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RUNNING WIDE OPEN: Cade Dillard Navigates Racing, Business In Busiest World of Outlaws Season

September 14, 2023 ARP Trish

The Robeline, LA driver is 11th in points entering the Outlaw Invasion at Atomic Speedway

CHILLICOTHE, OH – September 14, 2023 – The 2023 season isn’t Cade Dillard’s first full-time season with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series. But it’s been his busiest.

While many full-time drivers focus solely on racing, that isn’t true for the Robeline, LA Driver. He’s also balancing his time at the track with his business—CDR Race Cars. It’s one of his many challenges as the Series swings into fall at Atomic Speedway Sept. 29-30.

“It’s tough,” Dillard said. “It’s probably why you don’t see me run 100-plus races a year. I love racing and love what I do, but I’m lucky to be able to drive for someone like [Shane Sprinkle] who’s respectful of my time with my family and my business.

“We take a lot of pride in what we do with our modified program. We started this deal about a year and a half ago with the intention of building a handful for some of my closer customers, and it blew up way faster than I intended. We’re on car number 25 right now, and with a lot of deposits in, it’s going to get us well into next year.”

That wide-open approach to his business and racing comes amid a mid-season chassis change. Earlier this year, Dillard bought a Longhorn Chassis, and It didn’t take long for him to find success. He won a preliminary Feature at the Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway.

Since then, he’s been trying to find the right comfort level behind the wheel.

“It was good right out of the box,” Dillard said. “I got a win, and from then on out, it’s just been getting myself comfortable, what I like, and what adjustments I make throughout the night. I just kind of did all of my setup-related stuff on my own, so the main thing is getting myself comfortable, and in the last few weeks, I feel like we’ve made a lot of headway.

“We’ve had good speed early in the night in Qualifying and Heat Races. But I had to figure out where I was going wrong with the adjustments I made later in the night. Hopefully, it’ll lead to some more speed in the Feature.”

One factor that has eased the stress of balancing a chassis change and his business is the consistency of his crew. Donnie Pederson has been his crew chief since 2016, and the two have found plenty of success together—including Dillard’s four World of Outlaws victories. Pederson is also responsible for the team’s weekly maintenance, a vital part of racing on a national tour.

“We’ve obviously shared a lot of success together,” Dillard said. “He keeps our stuff very nice, and we never have mechanical failures because of something falling off. Some stuff is out of our hands that may cause a DNF, but anything related to his job we’ve never suffered a DNF for. That makes a big difference in running for points.

“He’s been a huge part of our success. For a while, it’s been just me and him.”

However, in 2023, it hasn’t been just Dillard and Pederson.

Colbey Richman joined the team in 2023, bringing experience to Dillard’s racing operation after working with four-time World of Outlaws champion Josh Richards. Dillard said the addition to his team has been a great asset.

“He’s a hard worker. He keeps our rig and everything looking nice and clean,” Dillard said. “Our tires. He’s always ahead of them. He’s always looking for ways to improve what he does. Everybody just gets along good, and everything is clicking pretty good right now.

“I just have a really good group of guys right now. It’s a plus to have them, and it definitely makes my life much easier.”

As the team builds momentum toward the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Nov. 1-4, Dillard isn’t satisfied with his 2023 results. However, he said he’s starting to feel more comfortable behind the wheel of his Longhorn, which has him looking ahead to 2024.

“It was a struggle swapping cars in the middle of the year,” Dillard said. “Before that, I felt like I’ve never been the best in Florida, so I always get behind there. Naturally, I’d like to have some better runs and more wins than we’ve had. My car owners deserve better results than we’re getting, but we’re working hard.

“Am I satisfied right now? No. But getting acquainted with a new car in the middle of the season just took me time to figure out what I needed. I wouldn’t give myself the best grade, but it’s definitely got me looking forward to next year. We’ve been building a notebook with these Longhorns, and I feel like we’ve found a lot of speed the last few weeks.”

Dillard is closing in on the end of his busiest season as a World of Outlaws CASE Late Models driver, with a chance to claim a top 10 spot in the final points standings. He trails 2015 Series champion Shane Clanton by 60 points with nine races remaining and has an opportunity to earn $40,000 at season’s end—a $3,000 bump from where he is now.

No matter where he finishes, though, he’ll work until that checkered flag flies at Charlotte.

We’re wide open all the time,” Dillard said.

Dillard and the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to action on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 29-30, for the Outlaw Invasion at Atomic Speedway. For Tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

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Dominic Scelzi Posts Top Fives in California and Top 10s in Washington During World of Outlaws West Coast Swing

September 14, 2023 ARP Trish

Inside Line Promotions – CHICO, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi has produced a pair of successful weekends with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series during its annual West Coast Swing.

Scelzi earned three top 10s in four races in Washington State before capturing back-to-back top fives last weekend in his home state of California.

Labor Day Weekend featured four races in a five-day span in The Evergreen State. Scelzi kicked off the Sage Fruit Skagit Nationals at Skagit Speedway in Alger by advancing from 14 ^th to ninth on Aug. 31. The following night he maneuvered from 12 ^th to seventh before ending the event with a 16^th-place finish during the finale on Sept. 2.

“The goal was to be in the top 10 every night,” he said. “The first night the track was really rough and hooked up. We moved forward and I could run pretty much anywhere on the track. We were running seventh and I was trying for a top five. We hit a hole wrong and fell back. Thursday night was our best night. It was really slick and wide and we got going on the bottom early. We drove up to seventh and I was really happy with that. The last night we were passing for a dash spot in a heat race and got run through the infield. That took us from possibly being in the dash to finishing fourth in our heat. We had to start 15 ^th in the feature and it was really hard to pass. We were ripping around the top and it was the same speed as the bottom.”

Scelzi headed to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma on Sept. 4. He capped the night with a 10^th-place result.

“In the main event we ran between seventh and 10 ^th the entire race,” he said. “We’d get going and get by some guys and then fade and get passed. We had a really good restart to get to seventh with about 10 laps to go. Then we had a restart at the end and I tried to make a hero move to get to sixth and wasn’t able to clear the slider. When I slid up to the cushion I didn’t get off the corner well and got passed by a few cars.”

The team headed to Silver Dollar Speedway last Friday for preliminary action of the Gold Cup Race of Champions. Scelzi timed in 12 ^th quickest and advanced a spot in a heat race to finish third, giving him the 10 ^th starting position in the A Main.

“We didn’t have the speed we needed in qualifying,” he said. “When you’re not up to full potential the Outlaws expose that. Going 12 ^th quickest wasn’t anything to be too upset with, but I felt we should have been better. I fell back to fifth on the start of the heat race and had to race my way to third. In the feature the track was slick and wide. We were really, really good. I was able to run the top and the bottom. We were really solid and had good speed. At the very end we were pretty much on the bumper on the leader and second. If things go a little different maybe we win. I just wish we could have started a little further forward to have put ourselves in a better position to compete for the win.”

The third-place outing ranked Scelzi as the top driver not locked into Saturday’s program, but that changed as he won a heat race to advance into the dash.

“We did what we needed to do in the prelim night,” he said. “We had great speed on Saturday and won the heat race to make the dash. The curb was really treacherous in the dash. We made a pass for fifth through turns one and two and then a yellow flag came out. We restarted sixth and didn’t get a great restart and fell to seventh. In the main event they reworked the track too much and it was one lane around the bottom. We had to be patient and wait for guys in front to move up. Once we got to fifth the top started to come into play and I was able to get back by Brad (Sweet). The last five or six laps me and Buddy (Kofoid) were racing pretty hard and (Justin) Sanders was right in front of us, but I wasn’t able to put Buddy away and we finished fourth.

“We weren’t stellar in Washington. In Chico we were really strong. It’s unfortunate we couldn’t maximize our speed. We were better than third on Friday and fourth on Saturday, but when you race with the best in the world you have to maximize your performance. It was my best Gold Cup finish and the best month of September I’ve had in many years so there’s a lot to be happy with.”

The World of Outlaws West Coast Swing concludes with races this Friday at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., for the Tom Tarlton Classic and Saturday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., for the World of Outlaws 49er Gold Rush Classic.

“We’re going to two places I have a lot of laps at,” he said. “I’m excited to get to Hanford and I’m really hoping we can continue the speed we’ve been having. Fingers crossed we can battle for at least a couple more top 10s.”

QUICK RESULTS –

Aug. 31 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 22; Heat race: 4 (6); Feature: 9 (14).

Sept. 1 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 7 (12).

Sept. 2 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 4 (4); Feature: 16 (15).

Sept. 4 – Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. – Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 10 (7).

Sept. 8 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Qualifying: 12; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 3 (10).

Sept. 9 – Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. – Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 7 (6); Feature: 4 (7).

SEASON STATS –

43 races, 11 wins, 29 top fives, 35 top 10s, 39 top 15s, 42 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., for the Tom Tarlton Classic and Saturday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., for the World of Outlaws 49er Gold Rush Classic with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Jacksonville, Highland, Red Hill to Set Stage for Championship Weekend

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

CONCORD, NC (Sept. 13, 2023) – A tripleheader weekend in Illinois will set the stage for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota as drivers march closer toward the end of the season and championship weekend in October.

A return to Jacksonville Speedway (Jacksonville, IL) will kick things off Friday, Sept. 15, followed by first-time Xtreme Outlaw Series events at Highland Speedway (Highland, IL) and Red Hill Raceway (Sumner, IL) on Saturday and Sunday. Each program will pay $4,000 to the winner, featuring 30-lap events Friday-Saturday and a 25-lap main event on Sunday.

The points battle has tightened between Cannon McIntosh and Jade Avedisian, who are separated by only seven points with third-place Gavin Miller and fourth-place Zach Daum both inside of 75 points back.

With six races left, this weekend’s races will be crucial in setting up everyone’s scenarios heading into the final weekend next month as the chase the 2023 title, worth $25,000.

Tickets for all three of this weekend’s races will be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to your favorite track, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch for and storylines to follow this weekend:

CLOSING IN – Only six races stand between Cannon McIntosh and his first career national Midget series championship. But his seat is getting warmer.

McIntosh holds the Series points lead by seven over Jade Avedisian coming into the weekend. That advantage once stood at 121 points over Gavin Miller prior to the summer break in June and has since been cut down as a result of only six top-five finishes and two podiums in the 13 races contested since then. Prior to the break, McIntosh had only two finishes outside the podium.

Despite he and Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports’ roller-coaster moments this season, they have plenty of reasons to be confident. In addition to winning a POWRi National Midget race at Jacksonville last year, McIntosh will finish-up the season in his home state of Oklahoma next month – a three-race swing that begins with his old home track Port City Raceway and ends with two races at I-44 Riverside Speedway, where he won on Friday night last year.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN – On Friday, Jade Avedisian returns to Jacksonville Speedway for the second time since her history-making first national Midget series Feature win in June of last year.

Since that night, the 16-year-old Californian has gone on to become the Series’ all-time winningest driver, compiling five Toyota Racing Feature wins this year to go with the two races she topped in 2022. Avedisian currently sits second in the Series points standings, only seven behind leader McIntosh.

She comes into the three-race weekend riding high on the momentum of a win in the last Series race at Paragon Speedway two weeks ago and will need to at least keep pace with McIntosh in all three races if she and Keith Kunz Motorsports are to have a shot as the points championship in Oklahoma next month.

BACK IN BLACK – For the first time since Appalachian Midget Week, Kyle Jones rejoins the Series roster Friday and Saturday night behind the wheel of the Dan Minear-owned, Spike/Stanton #16.

Jones, 29, of Kennedale, TX, has made 11 starts with the Series this season, compiling four top-fives and seven top-10 finishes in that span. He tied his best finish of the season on a national Midget tour on Aug. 9 at Action Track USA in Pennsylvania in a Ripper/PME #60x owned by North Carolinian John Levecque. That night, he led laps in the Feature and brought home a third-place finish.

The last time he drove the Minear #16, he led laps as well, spending most of the Toyota Racing Feature at Southern Illinois Raceway out front before Avedisian passed him on a late restart for the win. Though he did not get the result he was hoping for, the run showed his ability to be competitive in any car at any track – an attribute he’ll need to bring with him again this weekend as he shoots for his first career national Midget Series win.

HOME GAME – If there’s anything Zach Daum needs at this point in the season on his path to a possible repeat as Series champion, it’s a three-pack of races in his home state.

Daum, 32, of Pocahontas, IL, will get exactly that this weekend, piloting the Trifecta Motorsports #7U at a few tracks where he’s won before – Jacksonville and Highland. The open-wheel veteran won a POWRi Illinois Speedweek show at Jacksonville in 2016 and has notched multiple top-five finishes in Midget events there since. As for Highland, Daum once took the checkers in a local Micro Sprint event at the 1/4-mile oval nearly 10 years ago.

Lately, Daum has been on a remarkable surge, collecting six top-five finishes – including two wins – in the last seven Series events. These runs have been part of his larger, near season-long climb back up from the depths of the points standings, where he now sits fourth – 75 points out of the lead.

SHARK SIGHTING – Twenty-year-old Karter Sarff, of Mason City, IL, will join the Series roster this weekend, looking for a rebound from his last time out with the Xtreme Outlaws.

Sarff was victorious at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on Aug. 4, winning the Toyota Racing Feature over Daum and Avedisian for his third national Midget series victory. His next Xtreme Outlaw weekend outing was not as fruitful, posting finishes of 18th and ninth three weeks ago at Davenport Speedway.

Sarff is trying to regain the POWRi National Midget League points lead that he once had after McIntosh took it with his top-five runs in Davenport. Though POWRi is not in action this weekend, Sarff will be tuning-up his machine for the final POWRi shows, co-sanctioned with Xtreme Outlaw championship weekend in October.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

When and where
Friday, Sept. 15 at Jacksonville Speedway in Jacksonville, IL
Saturday, Sept. 16 at Highland Speedway in Highland, IL
Sunday, Sept. 17 at Red Hill Raceway in Sumner, IL

On the internet
Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota
Twitter – @Xtreme_Outlaw
Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw
Facebook – @XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG

Live broadcast
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com. Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month.

Current championship points standings (view full standings)

Cannon McIntosh: 4742 points | Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports #08
Jade Avedisian: 4735 points (-7) | Keith Kunz Motorsports #71
Gavin Miller: 4670 points (-72) | Keith Kunz Motorsports #97
Zach Daum: 4667 points (-75) | Trifecta Motorsports #7U
Chase McDermand: 4624 points (-118) | Mounce/Stout Motorsports #40
Taylor Reimer: 4486 points (-256) | Keith Kunz Motorsports #25K
Hayden Reinbold: 4063 points (-679) | Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports #19AZ
Austin Barnhill: 2999 points (-1743) | Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports #17B
Chance Crum: 2910 points (-1832) | Rudeen Racing #26
Ethan Mitchell: 2497 points (-2245) | Bundy Built Motorsports #19M

Toyota Feature winners (9 drivers)
5 wins – Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz Motorsports), Zach Daum (Trifecta Motorsports)
4 wins – Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports), Chase McDermand (Mounce/Stout Motorsports)
1 win – Jesse Love (Chad Boat Industries), Daniel Whitley (Abacus Racing), Karter Sarff (Sarff Racing), Daison Pursley (Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports), Gavin Miller (Keith Kunz Motorsports)

Toyota Feature laps led (16 drivers)
101 laps – Jade Avedisian
88 laps – Zach Daum
80 laps – Cannon McIntosh
73 laps – Chase McDermand
72 laps – Ryan Timms
59 laps – Daniel Whitley
41 laps – Karter Sarff
36 laps – Gavin Miller
33 laps – Kyle Jones
30 laps – Daison Pursley
26 laps – Thomas Meseraull
22 laps – Shane Cottle
21 laps – Ashton Torgerson
11 laps – Hayden Reinbold
4 laps – Jesse Love
1 lap – Nick Drake

Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Awards (14 drivers)
4 awards – Cannon McIntosh
2 awards – Ethan Mitchell, Daniel Whitley, Chase McDermand, Zach Daum, Ryan Timms, Taylor Reimer
1 award – Gavin Miller, Hayden Reinbold, Jesse Love, Kevin Thomas Jr, Joe B. Miller, Corbin Rueschenberg, Briggs Danner

Heat Race winners (21 drivers)
9 wins – Jade Avedisian, Chase McDermand
8 wins – Cannon McIntosh
6 wins – Zach Daum
5 wins – Hayden Reinbold
4 wins – Gavin Miller
3 wins – Ethan Mitchell, Daison Pursley
2 wins – Chance Crum, Nick Drake, Corbin Rueschenberg, Andrew Felker, Daniel Whitley, Ryan Timms
1 win – Austin Barnhill, Shane Cottle, Thomas Meseraull, Kyle Jones, Rico Abreu, Briggs Danner, Chase Johnson

High-points honors (15 drivers)
4 honors – Cannon McIntosh
3 honors – Chase McDermand
2 honors – Daniel Whitley, Jade Avedisian, Gavin Miller
1 honor – Chance Crum, Rico Abreu, Landon Brooks, Briggs Danner, Hayden Reinbold, Kyle Jones, Andrew Felker, Daison Pursley, Zach Daum, Ryan Timms

Last Chance Showdown wins (12 drivers)
2 wins – Kyle Jones
1 win – Landon Brooks, Karter Sarff, Howard Moore, Ryan Timms, Taylor Reimer, Henry Chambers, Chance Crum, Chase Briscoe, Mitchell Davis, Cannon McIntosh, Corbin Rueschenberg

DIRTVision Hard Charger Awards (18 drivers)
2 awards – Hayden Reinbold, Kyle Jones, Taylor Reimer, Zach Daum, Cannon McIntosh
1 award – Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Ryan Timms, Chance Crum, Gavan Boschele, Chase McDermand, Shane Cottle, Cooper Williams, Jerry Coons Jr, Jade Avedisian, Steve Buckwalter, Gavin Miller, Trevor Cline

Podium finishes (17 drivers)
11 podiums – Zach Daum
9 podiums – Chase McDermand, Cannon McIntosh, Jade Avedisian
8 podiums – Gavin Miller
5 podiums – Taylor Reimer
3 podiums – Daniel Whitley, Ryan Timms
2 podiums – Shane Cottle, Kyle Jones, Hayden Reinbold
1 podium – Thomas Meseraull, Ashton Torgerson, Landon Brooks, Jesse Love, Jerry Coons Jr, Karter Sarff, Daison Pursley

Top-10 finishes (45 drivers)
21 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Gavin Miller
20 top-10s – Jade Avedisian
19 top-10s – Chase McDermand, Zach Daum
15 top-10s – Taylor Reimer
9 top-10s – Chance Crum, Hayden Reinbold
7 top-10s – Kyle Jones, Ethan Mitchell
6 top-10s – Ryan Timms
5 top-10s – Landon Brooks, Daniel Whitley, Karter Sarff, Austin Barnhill
4 top-10s – Gavan Boschele, Thomas Meseraull, Corbin Rueschenberg
3 top-10s – Chase Johnson, Briggs Danner, Cooper Williams
2 top-10s – Shane Cottle, Chase Briscoe, Kevin Thomas Jr, Branigan Roark, Andrew Felker, Jerry Coons Jr, Mariah Ede, Daison Pursley, Tim Buckwalter, Mitchell Davis, Kyle Beilman, Trevor Cline
1 top-10 – Mitchel Moles, Daniel Adler, Sam Johnson, Rico Abreu, Ashton Torgerson, Don Droud Jr, Nick Drake, Jesse Love, Trey Marcham, Joe B. Miller, Preston Lattomus, Bryan Stanfill

2023 Schedule & Winners – Race No. Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Fri, March 10 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Cannon McIntosh (1)
2. Sat, March 11 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Jade Avedisian (1)
3. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Cannon McIntosh (2)
4. Fri, May 5 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS / Chase McDermand (1)
5. Sat, May 6 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Chase McDermand (2)
6. Tue, May 22 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Cannon McIntosh (3)
7. Wed, May 23 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Cannon McIntosh (4)
8. Thu, June 1 / Tri-City Speedway / Pontoon Beach, IL / Jesse Love (1)
9. Fri, June 2 / Wayne County Speedway / Wayne City, IL / Zach Daum (1)
10. Sat, June 3 / Wayne County Speedway / Wayne City, IL / Zach Daum (2)
11. Fri, July 21 / Doe Run Raceway / Doe Run, MO / Zach Daum (3)
12. Sat, July 22 / Southern Illinois Raceway / Marion, IL / Jade Avedisian (2)
13. Sat, July 29 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Jade Avedisian (3)
14. Sun, July 30 / Brushcreek Motorsports Complex / Peebles, OH / Daniel Whitley (1)
15. Fri, Aug. 4 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Karter Sarff (1)
16. Sat, Aug. 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Jade Avedisian (4)
17. Tue, Aug. 8 / Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway / Newmanstown, PA / Chase McDermand (3)
18. Wed, Aug. 9 / Action Track USA / Kutztown, PA / Chase McDermand (4)
19. Fri, Aug. 11 / Path Valley Speedway Park / Spring Run, PA / Daison Pursley (1)
20. Fri, Aug. 25 / Davenport Speedway / Davenport, IA / Zach Daum (4)
21. Sat, Aug. 26 / Davenport Speedway / Davenport, IA / Gavin Miller (1)
22. Fri, Sept. 1 / Paragon Speedway / Paragon, IN / Zach Daum (5)
23. Sat, Sept. 2 / Paragon Speedway / Paragon, IN / Jade Avedisian (5)

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AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND LOOKING FOR REPEAT VICTORY AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team will be looking for some of that same magic they found last year as they enter this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway and the start of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Prock is the defending champion at Maple Grove Raceway, an event he won last year from the No. 4 starting position and in which he beat Steve Torrence, Antron Brown and Justin Ashley, the top three starters in this year’s playoffs, in the final three rounds. Prock starts the Countdown from the No. 7 position, that’s five better than he started a year ago when he finished third, equaling the most positions gained in the history of the playoffs, matching Robert Hight’s jump from 10th to first in 2009. “There’s no better feeling than coming into a race as the defending champ, especially when it’s the first race of the Countdown. I’m looking forward to Friday and getting odd on a good foot at Maple Grove Raceway,” Prock said. “We had another successful pre-Countdown test session in Indy and I believe it will show this weekend. We’re focused and ready to make another championship run with this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team.” Prock earned the only Top Fuel win this season for John Force Racing when he doubled up alongside Robert Hight at the Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte. It was Prock and Hight who also doubled up last season at Maple Grove. This season, the Montana Brand team also made it to the finals of the Winternationals and earned a No. 1 qualifying position at the Sonoma Nationals Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying Friday at 3 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations will be run Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the first of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship events begins with qualifying shows Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will be covered by FOX Broadcasting Network with shows Sunday at either 4:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET, check your local listings.

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BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY READY TO START CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSE AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2023) – Brittany Force and her Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team aren’t letting their No. 5 points position put a damper on their shot at a second consecutive Top Fuel world championship as they kick off the NHRA Countdown to the Championship at this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
Force won her first championship starting the Countdown from the No. 6 position in 2017. In that same year, she picked up the victory at Maple Grove Raceway. The Monster Energy team will be looking for their third consecutive No. 1 qualifying position at the facility. Force was also No. 1 in 2015 and 2019, when she set the current NHRA Top Fuel elapsed time national record at 3.623 seconds.
“After a day of testing in Indy following the U.S. Nationals, our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is ready to head to the first race of Countdown at Maple Grove Raceway. We figured out some of our issues and it was a very successful test session. Our goals haven’t changed heading into Reading and the Countdown; we want to make four solid runs to qualify in the top 5 and go some rounds on race day. We’re ready to start chasing down that No. 1 points spot. Going in No. 5 wasn’t our plan but we’re up for the challenge.”
Force, who is one of only three women to win multiple Countdown to the Championship races, and the Monster Energy team are starting the Countdown on the hunt for their first win of the 2023 season. They earned their No. 5 starting spot with four No.1. qualifying positions, a runner-up finish at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kansas and four semifinal finishes.
Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying Friday at 3 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations will be run Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the first of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship events begins with qualifying shows Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will be covered by FOX Broadcasting Network with shows Sunday at either 4:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET, check your local listings.

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Five DIRTcar Hoosier Weekly Champions Crowned; Multiple First-timers

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

Season-long battles at tracks across the northeast have led to five new DIRTcar Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly champions.

Marc Johnson (DIRTcar Big Block Modified), Lance Willix II (DIRTcar 358 Modified), Andrew Buff (DIRTcar Sportman) Luke Horning (DIRTcar Pro Stock) and Daniel Joubert (DIRTcar 4-Cylinders) were declared the 2023 champions in their respective divisions.

Johnson trailed leader Peter Britten by 10 points going into the final weekend of competition. The Guilderland, NY driver clinched his first Hoosier title with the Feature win on Sept. 1 at his home track Albany-Saratoga Speedway, giving him an eight-point advantage over Britten who was sidelined with a hand injury.

“We’ve been consistent,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a lot of seconds, and a lot of top-fives.”

The former full-time Series driver acknowledged the significance of his crew and their hard work helping him persevere through a challenging season.

“My core guys stuck by me, and we plugged along,” Johnson said. “We were still consistent. I still know how to drive a race car. My guys still know how to work on cars. We were just spread a little thin this year.”

Lance Willix II was the victor in the DIRTcar 358 Modified division, after winning a tight battle over runner-up Jordan McCreadie. It’s also the first Hoosier title for the Theresa, NY driver.

“It means all the years of not running so good have finally paid off,” Willix II said. “This year I felt like we were more consistent, and it paid off. We were fast almost every night, and the end results show it.”

His Hoosier season saw success from the beginning, landing several victories early in the season. He finished with eight wins, 20 top-fives, and 24 top-10s in 31 starts.

“We started the season off fast right out of the box, which is always good,” Willix II said. “We got wins at Can-Am, Airborne, and our home track Glen Ridge right off the bat. We had wins right there on opening night of each of them. We’re just trying to stay consistent. We had a few hiccups during the season of part failures, but we just tried to stay consistent and ended up getting the championship.”

Willix II has now switched his focus to preparing his equipment for Super DIRT Week 51, Oct. 2-8, at Oswego Speedway. He’ll look to continue extending his impressive resume by battling for his first Salute to the Troops 150 title.

Andrew Buff, of Latham, NY, edged out his younger brother Zach for the title in the DIRTcarSportsman. The 25-year-old delivered one of the most consistent seasons in the division, notching 34 top-five finishes in 42 starts. He also recorded nine wins.

“Everybody in the northeast is involved in the (Hoosier title),” Buff said. “It’s basically who has the most consistent year…it’s awesome. The more racing you do, the better it helps. But it’s pretty cool to win it two times.”

One of his favorite moments of the Hoosier season was when he and younger brother Zach scored wins on Sept. 2 at Fulton Speedway. The elder Buff won the makeup Feature, and the younger Buff took the checkers in the regularly scheduled Feature.

“That was pretty cool that we were able to be on the front stretch down there together,” Buff said.

Transitioning towards the end of the year, Buff remains confident in his equipment and momentum going into the end of the year events like the Chevrolet Performance 75 at Super DIRT Week 51.

“Knowing what a good race car we have together going into all the big races at the end of the year is definitely a confidence booster.”

Over in the DIRTcar Pro Stock competition, “Cousin Luke” Horning took the title, defeating defending champion Chad Jeseo. Horning also saw a consistent season, finishing his Hoosier season with 10 wins and 17 top-five finishes in 25 starts. The Gloversville, NY driver was supported by a dominant run of six wins in a row at his home track Glen Ridge Motorsports Park.

“Glen Ridge really helped me out a lot,” Horning said. “We’re really strong there. It’s been our home track for years. We have a lot of experience up there. We’re the all-time winner up there. We have six (wins) in a row right now, plus, we won three earlier in the season. So, we have a total of nine up there. That helped a lot with the Hoosier points. It’s a big deal. It’s a nice payout and a nice bonus.”

Even though he came out on top, there were moments throughout the competition he wasn’t sure if he would. He said he felt the demands of the grind of the race season and how it affected his ability to compete up to his potential. But with a relentless attitude and a dash of luck at opportune moments, Horning was able to stay in the fight.

“It seems like everything went well when we needed it to go well,” Horning said. “When we fell a little bit behind at Glen Ridge, the season turned around. We had someone buy us 10 tires. When things started to slow down a little bit, something came along to right the ship and get us in the right direction.”

Securing the title has a significant meaning to Horning. It wasn’t just a race against local competitors. It was a race against the best DIRTcar Pro Stock drivers in the entire region.

“I really like (the Hoosier) title,” Horning said. “It’s the best of 16 races. You didn’t just beat your guys at Glen Ridge or (Albany-Saratoga). You beat the guys that run all the DIRT Series stuff and all their home tracks, even the places we don’t get to. It’s good to get your name out there a little more, too.”

Along with finishing out DIRTcar Pro Stock Series action, Horning will also be preparing for another showing at Oswego Speedway for Super DIRT Week 51 to battle for his first DIRTcarPro Stock 50 title.

Daniel Joubert took the 4-Cylinders title, edging out runner-up Alex Riley by a mere three points. He finished with one win, nine top-fives, and 20 top-10’s in 20 starts.

To see Johnson, Willix, Buff and Horning compete in Super DIRT Week 51 at Oswego Speedway, CLICK HERE to get your tickets today.

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ROBERT HIGHT AND CORNWELL TOOLS LOOK TO DEFEND WIN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team are well positioned sitting No. 3 in the points standings as they head into the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first event in the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship. Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy return to Maple Grove Raceway as the defending Funny Car event champions. Hight had a commanding performance in 2022 with wire-to-wire success winning from the No.1 position. Hight also at Maple Grove in 2011 and qualified No. 1 in 2015 and 2017. The Cornwell Tools Camaro No. 3 points positioning comes off the strength of two wins at the Arizona Nationals and Charlotte Four-Wide events. He also has four No.1. qualifiers from the Route 66 Nationals, Thunder Valley Nationals, Heartland Nationals, and the most recent event, the U.S. Nationals where he also picked up a win in the All-Star Callout and had a semifinal finish. “I’m ready to get this Countdown going. This Cornwell Tools team is coming around at the right moment. We’ve found some consistency, the combination that Jimmy Prock is using, it’s responding to what he and Thomas Prock and Nathan Hildahl are doing,” Hight said. “It’s slight adjustments and it’s running well, the progress is showing and it’s perfect timing. Everything has reset and we’re sitting in a good spot to really take a swing at this fourth championship. I’m excited to get started.” Hight is looking to ride a No. 3 start to a fourth series championship that would put him in very select company. Only three Funny Car drivers have won as many as four championships – John Force, Don Prudhomme and Kenny Bernstein. Hight has won the opening event in the Countdown four times and twice has won the championship after doing so, both when the opening event was held in Charlotte in 2009, and 2017. Hight has won more Countdown races than any other Funny Car driver with 14 and he is the only driver in any category to have won the championship from a last-place start (No. 10 in 2009) and No. 1 (2019). He also won from No. 2 in 2017. Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying Friday at 3 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations will be run Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the first of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship events begins with qualifying shows Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will be covered by FOX Broadcasting Network with shows Sunday at either 4:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET, check your local listings.

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JIANNA EVARISTO FOCUSED ON CONSISTENCY IN FIRST COUNTDOWN APPEARANCE

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

JIANNA EVARISTO FOCUSED ON CONSISTENCY IN FIRST COUNTDOWN APPEARANCE

MIKE SALINAS AIMS TO BE HOT WHEN IT COUNTS IN THE COUNTDOWN

Event:

Pep Boys NHRA Nationals

Maple Grove Raceway; Reading, Pennsylvania

Scrappers Racing Competitors:

Mike Salinas, Top Fuel

Jianna Evaristo, Pro Stock Motorcycle

READING, Penn. (Sept. 13, 2023) – This weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway marks the kickoff to the 2023 NHRA Countdown to the Championship. For Scrappers Racing, it will be the fifth appearance in the post-season by Mike Salinas in the Top Fuel ranks. But for Jianna Evaristo, it will be her first quest at the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship in the post-season.

Evaristo has shown consistency during the 2023 season riding her Matt Smith Racing-powered Scrappers Racing Suzuki. The 26-year-old daughter of Top Fuel driver, Mike Salinas, has made two semi-final appearances this season including the season-opening race at Gainesville Raceway and then mid-season at Summit Raceway Park in Norwalk. While Evaristo is focused on her championship quest, maintaining that season-long consistency is the priority.

“I’m definitely excited about my first season competing in the Countdown,” said Evaristo. “But much of that excitement comes from earning my way into the Countdown this season. We’ve experienced a few hiccups this season too which have hindered our capability to go rounds like we know we can, but we feel we have those issues handled so we shouldn’t see those problems moving forward. This weekend’s event at Maple Grove really should be good if the weather forecast holds true with cool temperatures and low humidity. There will be some fast passes for sure if that’s the case. My main focus for this weekend and the races through the Countdown is really not the championship. Of course, I’ll be aware of it, but I need to focus on what I need to do to maintain my consistency and do what I need to do each time I go down the track.”

For the Scrappers Racing Top Fuel team and Salinas, this year’s Countdown is hopefully coming at a time where the team has been showcasing speed each time they take to the track. Salinas started the season with a win at the season-opening race at Gainesville as well as claiming the All-Star Top Fuel victory. From there, the team has acquired two number one qualifier spots at Chicago and Seattle, but a second win as eluded the organization after earning five victories in 2022.

But speed is something the team has certainly found and that was not showcased more than in Brainerd a few weeks ago when Salinas posted the fastest speed in history at the facility and third overall in Top Fuel in NHRA history with a speed of 338.26 mph. Salinas and crew chief, Rob Flynn look to use that speed to capitalize within the Countdown and contend for this year’s championship.

“We know we have the speed in our car and we’ve shown that in recent weeks,” said Salinas. “There have been some things we’ve worked on to get all the pieces working together with the speed that we’ve found and sometimes that results in tire shake or other issues and that’s what we’ve been working to rectify before we get into the Countdown. As a team, we know we can contend for this championship and that will all kickoff this weekend in Maple Grove. Of course, cool temperatures that are predicted would definitely be beneficial, but it would also help our competitors. Striking at the right time is key in this sport and we know we’re poised to get hot when we need to – hopefully starting this weekend!”

The Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway will kick off on Friday afternoon with the first round of pro stock qualifying at 2:00 PM ET followed by the first round of nitro qualifying at 3:00 PM ET.

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JOHN FORCE AND PEAK CHEVY READY TO KICK OFF COUNTDOWN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2023) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the first race of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, sitting No. 9 in the points standings after the points reset and Force’s five championship bonus points were added.
Sitting only 99 points back from the lead, Force’s No. 9 position is the lowest he’s ever begun the six-race playoffs, matching his start from 2018 when he eventually went on to finish fourth. Force is among only five Funny Car drivers who have qualified for every Countdown, teammate Robert Hight is among the group. Force enters the Countdown looking for his first win of the season after the regular season delivered a runner-up finish at the rain-delayed New England Nationals in New Hampshire and a No. 1 qualifying spot at the Northwest Nationals near Seattle.
“It’s Countdown time, it’s exciting, everything resets. It’s like a fresh start. I know we’ve got some work to do, but it’s coming around. These last six races, we could make it. Daniel Hood, Tim Fabrisi, all these PEAK guys, I’ve got faith in them,” Force said. “Maple Grove Raceway has history, and its new owners have really put their heart into the facility. I’m excited to get back there, excited to get this Countdown started. I’m going for 17, that’s why I’m out here.”
Force has had considerable success at Maple Grove Raceway winning seven times across three different decades (1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2013). Most recently, Force and the PEAK Chevy finished runner-up in 2021 and 2019. The 16-time champion has earned eight No. 1 qualifying positions at the facility and picked up wins from the top spot in 1990, 1994,2001 and 2013.
Competition at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway begins with qualifying Friday at 3 and 6 p.m. and Saturday at 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. Eliminations will be run Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the first of six NHRA Countdown to the Championship events begins with qualifying shows Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will be covered by FOX Broadcasting Network with shows Sunday at either 4:30 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. ET, check your local listings.

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Randy Meyer Racing–Meet our NEWEST driver!

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

We’re pleased to announce that Mike Lewis will be the RMR team’s newest driver for the NHRA Reading, PA and Charlotte, NC nationals

next race: Sept. 15-17 Pep Boys NHRA Nationals

Location: Reading, PA | Drivers: Fiona Crisp and Mike Lewis Friday: Q1 12:30pm, Q2 4:00pmSaturday: Q3 10:45am, E1 2:30pm, E2 5:45pmSunday: R3 12:00pm, Finals 2:50pm

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Burton, Bullins Looking For Some Good Luck At Bristol

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

September 13, 2023

In the two weeks they’ve been paired as driver and crew chief, Harrison Burton and Jeremy Bullins seem to be making progress getting speed from the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang only to see potential good finishes derailed by crashes.

Bullins figures it’s just a matter of time before Lady Luck smiles on the No. 21 team and the finishes will better reflect their performance.

“It would be easy to be disappointed with our finishes the last two weeks, but the reality is we had two solid races going that both ended in getting caught up with other cars and crashing,” Bullins said. “Once we get that bad luck behind us, I feel like we are ready to string together some good finishes.”

He’s hoping the change will begin this weekend in the 500-lap Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Bristol Motor Speedway’s high-banked, concrete, .533-mile oval.

“Bristol has always been a favorite track for me, and I was lucky to be there with the 21 team when they won back in 2001,” he said. “This race will be wild as a Playoff cut-off race, but hopefully we can make some good set-up decisions and good strategy calls and get ourselves in contention this week.”

Practice for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race is set for Friday at 4:35 p.m. Eastern Time to be followed by qualifying at 5:20.

Saturday’s 500-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 7:30 p.m. with Stage breaks at Laps 125 and 250.

USA Network will carry the live TV coverage all weekend.

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AFTER SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH DRAG RACE BRACKET BONANZA READY TO GIVE FANS WHAT THEY WANT DURING COUNTDOWN

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

DALLAS, TX (September 13, 2023) — After a successful launch during the 69th U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in Indianapolis Drag Race Bracket Bonanza, the first dynamic bracket competition for drag racing fans, will be back in action this weekend during the Reading Nationals from Maple Grove Raceway. Fans will once again be able to fill out the complete competition brackets for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle when qualifying concludes on Saturday evening. Brackets can be filled out until the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters fire up for the first round of eliminations at 10:30 a.m. ET.

“We had hundreds of drag racing fans fill out brackets for the U.S. Nationals from across the country and around the world. We had people playing in Europe and Australia showing how broad the interest and passion is for drag racing and the competition at the U.S. Nationals,” said Elon Werner, creator of Drag Race Bracket Bonanza. “It was great to see people talking about and sharing their brackets on social media before and during the race. Drag Race Bracket Bonanza brought another level of fan engagement to one of the most exciting and fan-friendly motorsports.”

Antron Brown, Ron Capps, Matt Hartford and Matt Smith all took home wins at the biggest drag race of the season and the fans playing Drag Race Bracket Bonanza were able to provide some interesting insight on the outcome of the race thanks to the data generation capabilities of the site. Once the brackets closed on Monday morning data showed that only two percent of the fans playing picked Brown, the No. 15 qualifier, to take the Top Fuel victory. Fans felt that Top Fuel point leader Justin Ashley was the favorite with 34 percent picking him to win his first U.S. Nationals title. Robert Hight was picked by 40.1 percent of the fans to win with eventual winner Capps garnering 19.2 percent of the fan picks. A whopping 75.3 percent of the players tabbed Gaige Herrera to get the win with eventual winner Matt Smith having a 5.2 percent chance. Finally, Erica Enders was the fans’ choice to win with 32.6 percent of the picks going her way and Hartford was a close second with 22.1 percent.

“I think what is going to be neat moving forward is seeing how fans’ confidence levels and personal feelings for drivers sways their picks,” said Werner. “Just like in all fantasy sports there are fans picking with their heads and fans picking with their hearts. We have seen more and more non-fans making picks with their own system. I love that people are excited about picking their brackets and earning some bragging rights. We had winners from all over the country and I hope we see the same diversity in winners following the Reading Nationals.”

The fan winners included overall winner Bob C. from Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Top Fuel winner DeMarcus R. from Dallas, Texas; Funny Car winner Jerry C. from Austin, Indiana; Pro Stock winner David G. from Kaufman, Texas and Pro Stock Motorcycle winner Brian H. from Williamstown, New Jersey. Each winner received their one-of-a-kind Drag Race Bracket Bonanza plaque signed by the U.S. Nationals winner in their respective category. The overall winner’s plaque was signed by all four winners as well as NHRA legend Don Prudhomme who was being celebrated by Funny Car winner Ron Capps. They also each received a sampling of beef jerky from Beef Jerky Unlimited and the overall winner received an autographed copy of Bob Wilber’s new book The Lost Manuscript, available for pre-sale now on Amazon.

DRBB Top Fuel U.S. Nationals winner Demarcus R. hold his Antron Brown signed plaque

Drag Race Bracket Bonanza will continue through the final six playoff races with event winners being recognized at each race and, at the end of the season, an overall countdown winner and runner-up will receive Drag Race Bracket Bonanza championship belts. For additional information fans can visit www.dragracebracketbonanza.com. Fans can follow Drag Race Bracket Bonanza social media for stats, updates, and info on Twitter/X at @dragracebb or Instagram and Facebook, @DragRaceBracketBonanza.

About Drag Race Bracket Bonanza
Drag Race Bracket Bonanza is the first dynamic bracket competition for drag racing fans. During the remaining 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series events fans will be able to fill out brackets for all four professional categories at the conclusion of professional qualifying. Developed and owned by Werner Communications, Drag Race Bracket Bonanza is the first fan-centric offering from the Dallas-based public relations and media services company.

About Werner Communications
Founded in 2022 by Elon Werner, Werner Communications is a full-service public relations and media services company focusing primarily on motorsports. A familiar face in the motorsports world and 30-year veteran of sports media relations, Werner oversees a host of clients on speedways across the country, including Maynard Ashley Racing, Josh Hart Racing, Caruso Family Racing, Buddy Hull Racing, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, the Texas Motorplex, and TMS Titanium. In 2014 Werner received the Jim Chapman Award, considered by many in the industry as the highest honor in racing public relations, for excellence in motorsports public relations. In 2023 he was recognized by National Dragster as one of 25 NHRA Movers, Shakers and Deal Makers.

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ELITE MOTORSPORTS IS GEARED UP FOR COUNTDOWN COMPETITION

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

READING, Pa. (September 13, 2023) – The Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team is red-hot and ready for action as they enter the first race of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s version of the playoffs, at this week’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway. The competition in Pro Stock has been outstanding this year as six different drivers claimed victories in the 12 events contested through the regular season.
All eight of the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock pilots are in contention for the championship. Points reset coming into the Countdown which means it’s anybody’s game now and the largest professional team in drag racing is hitting their stride at the right time. Now is the time to amp up the momentum and make every run count. The Elite Motorsports team plans to eagerly and earnestly vie for every possible point as they power through the final stretch of the season with renewed vigor.
All eyes are on reigning and five-time Pro Stock world champion Erica Enders, who is looking for a repeat triumph after winning this event in Reading, Pa. last year. At the midpoint of the season, she was 15th in the points standings, but she and her powerful Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage / Melling Performance / SCAG Power Equipment Camaro catapulted to third by the time they completed the regular season two weeks ago in Indianapolis. Now, with only 32 points separating her from the lead, Enders is ready to do what she does best – embrace the pressure and race to victory.
With two wins and one No. 1 qualifier to his credit this season, Troy Coughlin Jr. enters the Countdown from the fourth spot, only 41 points behind the first. There’s nowhere Coughlin would rather be than behind the wheel of his JEGS / White Castle Camaro, tearing up the track. Coughlin has proven his on-track aptitude time and time again, across multiple categories, and he plans to make some big moves this weekend.
Aaron Stanfield knows what it takes to win and he is poised to pursue his first victory of the season in his Janac Bros / Melling Engine Parts / J3 Energy Camaro. He was recently crowned the overall Pro Stock winner of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge, a specialty event that provided semifinalists a rematch at the next event. That winning momentum will serve him well as he enters the Countdown from the No. 6 spot.
Rounding out the Elite Motorsports drivers currently in the Top Ten is Cristian Cuadra, who is ranked tenth in the Countdown standings. He’s been diligently testing in his Corral Boots Mustang to find additional power. His natural ability on the tree gives him a competitive advantage against whoever may be in the lane beside him, even (or perhaps especially) if it’s his brother or father.
Bo Butner claimed the Pro Stock world championship in 2017 and he would like nothing more than to land his Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro in the winners circle this weekend. While he is currently ranked 11th in the standings, Butner knows how to compete strategically thanks to years of experience competing in sportsman categories.
Coming off of the first final round of his career at the prestigious U.S. Nationals two weeks ago, Fernando Cuadra Jr. is voracious in his resolve to elevate his position in the Countdown and finish the season on a high note. The talented driver wants to be the first Mexican-born driver to achieve a victory in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and with a new combination including the Camaro formerly piloted by multi-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr., he knows it’s coming soon.
Pro Stock Rookie Jerry Tucker has experienced a stellar season, one that most rookie drivers would love to have. He’s qualified at every event and has defeated some of the best drivers in the category. As he enters the Countdown from the No. 13 position, Tucker knows that now is the time to amp things up in his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer Camaro.
Elite Motorsports driver and patriarch of the Cuadra family, Fernando Cuadra Sr., has experienced a few bumps in his Pro Stock journey this season but that hasn’t stopped him from enjoying every minute of it. Getting to compete alongside his sons makes it all worth it. That said, he’s been looking for the right combination in his Corral Boots Mustang and the team feels they are on the right path.
In the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, David Cuadra will once again be competing in the Top Sportsman category. With stellar reaction times and a powerful machine underneath him, D. Cuadra has made a big statement among the sportsman ranks and he’s aiming to finish the season on a high note.
NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series qualifying for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals will feature two rounds at 2 and 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 15, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 17.
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Driver Quotes

Photos

Pre-Race Notes

Elite Motorsports: Pre-race notesPep Boys NHRA NationalsMaple Grove RacewayReading, Pa. (Sept. 15-17)
The Elite Motorsports team, the largest team in professional drag racing, has expanded for 2023 and will field a total of eight entries for this weekend’s Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, Pa.
At this event, the Elite Pro Stock team will feature eight Pro Stock drivers including reigning and five-time world champion Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian, as well as newcomer Jerry Tucker.
During her professional career, Enders has accumulated 45 wins in 76 final rounds and has a round-win record of 455-250 for a .645 win percentage. Enders also has a win in Super Gas (2004 Houston) bringing her career total to 46 national event victories.
Enders won two events this season in Bristol and Topeka. She defeated Deric Kramer in the Bristol final and more recently, topped Greg Anderson in Topeka. She currently has a 16-10 record in elimination rounds this season.
The Reading event marks the start of the Countdown to the Championship and all eight Elite Pro Stock drivers are eligible to win the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock title. Enders is ranked No. 3 and is just 32 points behind leader Dallas Glenn and 7 points behind No. 2 Matt Hartford.
Enders has won at least one Pro Stock event at 17 different NHRA venues including Maple Grove Raceway. She is the defending event champion, having defeated teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. in the finals last year. Enders was also a Reading finalist in 2021, giving her a round-win record of 7-1 over the last two seasons.
Enders currently holds both the elapsed time and speed records for the NHRA Pro Stock class with bests of 6.450-seconds and 215.55 mph. The elapsed time record was set at the 2022 Gatornationals.
If Enders wins one more event this season, she will surpass three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey as the sport’s winningest female driver. Sampey currently has 46 wins while Enders has 45 professional wins and one sportsman win, tying her with Sampey.
Troy Coughlin Jr., the driver of the JEGS / White Castle Chevrolet Camaro, heads to Reading as the No. 4 ranked driver in the championship points standings after posting wins at the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals and the Dodge Power Brokers Mile-High Nationals in Denver to go with a runner-up at the Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. Coughlin has a 16-10 record in elimination rounds this season. He is just 41 points out of first place.
Earlier this season at the NHRA Arizona Nationals near Phoenix, Coughlin became the first winner of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. He defeated Greg Anderson in the final with an elapsed time of 6.57, compared to Anderson’s 6.60, to capture the inaugural event victory.
In addition to his four career Pro Stock victories, the multi-faceted Coughlin has additional wins in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp and Super Gas. He captured back-to-back Top Alcohol Dragster titles in Reading in 2018 and 2019.
Coughlin’s father, Troy Sr., is a 15-time national event winner in Pro Stock, Pro Mod and Super Gas. Including his uncles, John, Mike, and Jeg Jr., the Coughlin family has combined to win 133 national event titles.
Coughlin’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.515-seconds and 212.29 mph, set earlier this year at the season opener in Gainesville.
Aaron Stanfield has also returned to the Elite team for another season behind the wheel of the Janac Bros / Melling Engine Parts / JC3 Energy Camaro. Stanfield, the son of five-time Super Stock world champ Greg Stanfield, is coming off a season where he was the third-ranked driver in Pro Stock.
So far this season, Stanfield has four semifinal and six quarterfinal finishes to his credit and he’s the No. 6 ranked driver in the class, 60 points out of the lead. Stanfield has also qualified a season-best of No. 2 at the race in Bristol.
Stanfield was recently named the overall season Pro Stock winner of the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge, a specialty event that featured a rematch between the semifinalists from the previous event.
Stanfield won back-to-back titles in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown class in 2020 and 2021, and he is the current championship leader in that class, which will be contested at Maple Grove Raceway.
All told Stanfield has 22 career wins in Pro Stock, Factory Stock, Super Stock, and Top Dragster.
Stanfield’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.457-seconds and 213.47 mph, both set in Gainesville 2022.
Bo Butner is a two-time NHRA world champion in Pro Stock (2017) and Comp Eliminator (2006). He joined the Elite team last season as the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro.
Earlier this season in Phoenix, Butner drove to a runner-up finish in Pro Stock, reaching the final for the first time since the 2019 Richmond event. Butner defeated Erica Enders, Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Kyle Koretsky to reach his 26th career Pro Stock final.
Two weeks ago, Butner won his 30th national event title when he claimed the Super Gas victory at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. Butner also won the Super Gas title at Indy in 2022 and won again in Reading, so he enters this event as the defending champion.
Butner has 30 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street. Additionally, Butner has enjoyed success as a big-money bracket racer with a victory at the K&N Spring Fling Million in Las Vegas in 2021.
Butner has won at least one national event title at 14 different venues including Maple Grove Raceway. He won the Super Gas title last year and also won in Pro Stock in 2017, defeating Greg Anderson in the final.
Butner’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.475-seconds and 214.28 mph, set in Dallas (2015) and Gainesville (2017), respectively.
The Cuadra family includes Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian. The Cuadra family is backed by Corral Handcrafted Boots and will continue to race.
Fernando Sr. and Cristian will continue to race Ford Mustangs under the Elite banner while Fernando Jr. recently made the switch to a Chevy Camaro. Fernando Jr. is driving an Elite entry previously raced by five-time world champion Jeg Coughlin Jr.
Fernando Sr. is a two-time national event runner-up with final-round appearances at the 2019 races in Reading and Pomona.
Fernando Jr. enters Reading on a high note after racing to the final round of the prestigious U.S. Nationals two weeks ago. Cuadra Jr. is the sport’s No. 12 ranked Pro Stock driver and enters the Countdown 128 points behind the leader.
Cristian Cuadra was also the runner-up to Enders at the 2022 four-wide event in Las Vegas and he was a semifinalist earlier this year at the Bristol race. He comes into this weekend as the No. 10 ranked driver in Pro Stock, facing a 108-point deficit.
Earlier this season in Phoenix, Cristian Cuadra became the first Mexican-born NHRA racer to qualify No. 1 in a pro category when he drove his Elite-powered Corral Handcrafted Boots Mustang to a 6.552 pass. C. Cuadra is one of just 11 non-U.S.-born drivers to qualify No. 1 in a professional NHRA class and the only one to accomplish the feat in Pro Stock.
The third Cuadra brother, David, will be racing in the Right Trailers Top Sportsman class this weekend in his new Mustang. David has raced in both Pro Stock and Top Sportsman this season. He made his Pro Stock debut in Charlotte and also competed in Chicago, Bristol, Topeka, and Brainerd.
The Cuadra family has career-best elapsed times of 6.515 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.), 6.527 (Cristian) and 6.578 (David). Their career-best speeds are 212.13 (Fernando Sr.), 211.43 (Cristian), 210.73 (Fernando Jr.) and 209.39 (David).
New to the Elite Pro Stock team this year is Jerry Tucker, who enjoyed a memorable debut in Gainesville. Tucker qualified his Outlaw Mile Hi Light Beer / Elite Motorsports Camaro in the No. 15 spot with a 6.573 and won the first round after teammate Enders encountered a mechanical issue. Tucker has a semifinal finish from Chicago and is No. 12 in the standings, just 138 points out of the lead.
Tucker, of Lindsay, Okla., has spent the last 30 years racing everything from Sprint cars to Midgets and has also enjoyed success in drag racing. Tucker previously raced in the Top Sportsman class. Tucker is one of the leading contenders for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award.
Collectively, the eight current team Elite drivers have combined to win 109 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 67 in the Pro Stock class.

Media Contacts:Jessica Hatcher – Imagination 9 jessica@imagination9.com
Scott Woodruff – Elite Motorsportswoody@elitemotorsportsllc.com
Courtney Enders – Elite Motorsportscourtneyenders@icloud.com

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DIRTcar Fall Nationals Registration Opened, Competitor/Fan Guide Available

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

LINCOLN, IL (Sept. 12, 2023) – The DIRTcar Fall Nationals returns to Lincoln Speedway in Lincoln, IL, in two weeks’ time – Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 28-30 – where national and regional points champions will be celebrated in the final event of DIRTcar Racing’s 40th anniversary season.

COMPETITOR GUIDE, REGISTRATION

DIRTcar Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models, Pro Modifieds and Stock Cars are scheduled to compete in this three-day event, which begins with a practice session for all five divisions Thursday evening, Sept. 28. Friday night features a full racing program for the DIRTcar Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Pro Modifieds and Stock Cars.

The Crate-engine DIRTcar Pro Late Models will join the Super Late Models, UMP Modifieds and Pro Modifieds on the docket for Saturday night in the second full night of racing, which serves as the final points night for each of the four divisions.

After competing at Lincoln on Friday, the DIRTcar Stock Cars will head south to Charleston Speedway in Charleston, IL, on Saturday and join the DIRTcar Factory Stocks and Sport Compacts in the track’s annual DIRTcar Street Stock Fall Nationals event, where the divisions’ regional and national champions will be decided.

Late Model, Pro Late Model, UMP Modified and Pro Modified teams who pre-enter for the DIRTcar Fall Nationals by Sept. 27 will receive a discount on their entry fee. Application form is attached to the event guide but online registration is available at https://www.myracepass.com/series/2056/registrations/8428.

Tickets and pit passes will be available at the track upon arrival on race day. Pit pass, general admission and camping pricing can be found below.

Pits Pits Pits (11 & under) Grandstand Kids (11 & under)

Thursday $30 $10* FREE FREE**

Friday $40 $20* $25 FREE**

Saturday $40 $20* $25 FREE**

3-Day Pit Combo: $90
2-Day Pit Combo: $70
2-Day Grandstand Combo: $45

3-Day Camping with electricity – $75 (includes 30 amp electric)

3-Day Camping, no hookup – $50

For more camping info and to reserve a spot, contact: 217-764-3200

Hampton by Hilton and Comfort Inn & Suites of Lincoln, IL are the official host hotels of Lincoln Speedway. Call the Hampton by Hilton at (217) 732-6729 or Comfort Inn & Suites at (217) 735-5800. Mention Lincoln Speedway to receive the discounted rate.

Updates throughout the weekend can be found on the DIRTcar Racing social media channels; Facebook @DIRTcar, Twitter @DIRTcarRacing and Instagram @dirtcar_official.

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Ida Zetterström and Team RFMotorsport Double Up at Santa Pod Raceway

September 13, 2023 ARP Trish

ALAND ISLANDS, FINLAND (September 12, 2023) — Ida Zetterström and team RFMotorsport doubled up at Santa Pod Raceway, taking home the event win at the final FIA Top Fuel race of the year and securing the 2023 European Championship title with a 120-point lead over runner-up Susanne Callin. The event win was Zetterström’s fourth of the season, three of them being FIA events.

“We just doubled up in the Edelbrock Performance Top Fuel at Santa Pod Raceway by winning the European Finals with a 3.91 in the dark and taking home the European Championship title,” said Zetterström. “I am incredibly proud of my RFMotorsports team and the performance we have shown this year, losing only one round all year, earning numerous No. 1 qualifiers, running consistently, and taking home the European records for both speed and ET as well as the overall Championship. Thank you to all our partners for an incredible year and now we’re going celebrate this championship.”

Ida Zetterström during Santa Pod Raceway final race of 2023 European race season

Zetterström and her team were consistently strong and showed their pace straight from the start by setting two new European records at the first event of the season with a 3.77 second ET record and a new European speed record of 321.01 mph. The finals were delayed Sunday night after bad weather found its way to the track in the afternoon and pushed the last rounds of racing up by several hours. Zetterström and her team were able to maintain their focus and take another win and the championship.

ARP Racing News

Monthly Archives: September 2023

chevy racing–nascar–bristol–corey lajoie

Thornton’s Last Lap Pass Nets Knoxville Preliminary Victory

Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Heads into Final Stretch of 2023 Season Starting at Maple Grove Raceway

Jesse Alexandra, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown U.S. Nationals winner, photo courtesy of Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

David Barton, 2022 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Pep Boys NHRA Nationals winner, photo courtesy of Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Chevy racing–NASCAR–Bristol advance

CAREER YEAR: Maturity, Strong Team Leading Rico Abreu to Remarkable 2023

RUNNING WIDE OPEN: Cade Dillard Navigates Racing, Business In Busiest World of Outlaws Season

Dominic Scelzi Posts Top Fives in California and Top 10s in Washington During World of Outlaws West Coast Swing

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Jacksonville, Highland, Red Hill to Set Stage for Championship Weekend

AUSTIN PROCK AND MONTANA BRAND LOOKING FOR REPEAT VICTORY AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

BRITTANY FORCE AND MONSTER ENERGY READY TO START CHAMPIONSHIP DEFENSE AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

Five DIRTcar Hoosier Weekly Champions Crowned; Multiple First-timers

ROBERT HIGHT AND CORNWELL TOOLS LOOK TO DEFEND WIN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

JIANNA EVARISTO FOCUSED ON CONSISTENCY IN FIRST COUNTDOWN APPEARANCE

JOHN FORCE AND PEAK CHEVY READY TO KICK OFF COUNTDOWN AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY

Randy Meyer Racing–Meet our NEWEST driver!

Burton, Bullins Looking For Some Good Luck At Bristol

September 13, 2023

AFTER SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH DRAG RACE BRACKET BONANZA READY TO GIVE FANS WHAT THEY WANT DURING COUNTDOWN

DRBB Top Fuel U.S. Nationals winner Demarcus R. hold his Antron Brown signed plaque

ELITE MOTORSPORTS IS GEARED UP FOR COUNTDOWN COMPETITION

DIRTcar Fall Nationals Registration Opened, Competitor/Fan Guide Available

Ida Zetterström and Team RFMotorsport Double Up at Santa Pod Raceway

Ida Zetterström during Santa Pod Raceway final race of 2023 European race season

Racer News and Results