READING, PA (September 15, 2024) – The next to last Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown national event was filled with drama and incredible racing performances. For the second time in three races Scott Libersher raced to the winner’s circle, winning the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals today at Maple Grove Raceway. The veteran driver from Wilmington, Illinois won for the first time in his career at the Lucas Oil Nationals in Brainerd, Minnesota, and today he took the victory from the No. 6 qualifier position.   “I had full confidence that I would do well this weekend,” said Libersher. “I was kind of the silent guy sneaking up from the back. No one mentioned me much. I was getting a little irritated. I said I’m going to turn it up a little bit, and here we are.”  Scott Libersher and team celebrate in Flexjet winner’ circle at Maple Grove Raceway, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary NastaseThe final round was an incredibly close race with Libersher grabbing a nearly psychic .001 reaction time to leave the starting line first and he held off a charging Stephen Bell. Bell was racing in his sixth final round of the season and was denied his fourth win by a mere .055 seconds. Libersher’s winning elapsed time of 7.755 seconds bested Bell’s 7.797 seconds.   “I’ve been trying to be very consistent with everything I do, and that (reaction time) was me being a little amped up and just all the adrenaline sure,” said Libersher. “Stephen is a good friend of mine. We’ve congratulated each other on our wins. He was excited at Brainerd for me. We were coming around the corner, and (crew chief) David Barton was ready with the computer since they didn’t prep the track because they’re running late. We put our B tune in, and it worked out great. I drove hard and David tuned it up great.”   In the first round Libersher defeated Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals winner Ricky Hord in a classis Camaro versus Camaro match-up. In the quarterfinals he outran the No. 2 driver in the point standings Mark Pawuk beating him on a hole shot using his starting line reaction time advantage to give his Camaro enough power to win at the finish line. The win helped Libersher close the gap on the top three Flexjet teams.   The semifinal round featured three of the top four drivers in the point standings looking to either hold onto their point leader or make a move up the standings. In one of the closest races of the day Bell and his red COPO Camaro outran point leader David Janac and his Ford Mustang. Bell’s 7.830 second run got to the finish line before Janac’s 7.844 second pass. Janac was first off the starting line with a reaction time of .024 to Bell’s .036 and the margin of victory for Bell who moved into second place in the Flexjet point standings with the win was .0021 seconds.  Two-time Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series winner Scott Liberhserr, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary NastaseIn the first round Anthony Troyer turned on his win light and collected the $1,000 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series bounty on a solo run when his opponent Jason Dietsch did not run. In an unusual turn of events Toyota U.S. Nationals winner Kevin Skinner and U.S. Nationals runner-up Raymond Nash were unable to compete this weekend so by rule the $1,000 bounty transferred to Indy No. 1 qualifier Dietsch. On Saturday night Troyer ran 11.640 at 94.24 mph to pick up the round win and advance to the quarterfinals against Janac.    Leaving Maple Grove Raceway, the top four drivers are separated by only 45 points. Following the Toyota U. S. Nationals the NHRA technical department issued point penalties against several competitors for violating the rules pertaining to the Factory Stock Showdown supercharger pulley during a routine technical inspection. The results of those penalties tightened up the points race for the final two Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series races.   “I wouldn’t do anything else the world,” said Libersher. “My wife and my family are with me. I’ve got my grandson with me this weekend. It’s a family thing. St Louis will be great and this championship run will be a lot of fun.”   The Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series season will conclude, and the championship will be decided at World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis, September 27-29.   Flexjet Bounty Program Gatornationals (Gainesville, Fla.) $1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Norwalk winner)   Winternationals (Pomona, Calif.) $1,000 bounty collected by David Davies II, defeated Mark Pawuk (Gatornationals winner)   Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals (Las Vegas, Nev.) $1,000 bounty collected by Mark Pawuk, defeated Stephen Bell (Winternationals winner)   Route 66 Nationals (Chicago, Ill.) $1,000 bounty collected by Lee Hartman, defeated Ricky Hord (Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals)   Thunder Valley Nationals (Bristol, Tenn.) $1,000 bounty collected by David Janac, defeated Stephen Bell (Route 66 Nationals)   Summit Racing Nationals (Norwalk, Ohio) $1,000 bounty collected by Stephen Bell, defeated David Janac (Thunder Valley Nationals)   Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals (Brainerd, Minn.)  $1,000 bounty collected by David Janac, defeated Stephen Bell (Summit Racing Nationals)   Toyota NHRA U.S. Nationals (Indianapolis, Ind.) $1,000 bounty collected by Kevin Skinner, defeated Scott Libersher (Lucas Oil Nationals)   Pep Boys NHRA Nationals (Reading, Penn.) $1,000 bounty collected by Anthony Troyer, defeated Jason Dietsch (Toyota U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifier)   2024 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results Gainesville – Mark Pawuk, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up Pomona – Stephen Bell, winner; David Davies II, runner-up Las Vegas – Ricky Hord, winner; David Janac, runner-up Chicago – Stephen Bell, winner; Lee Hartman, runner-up Bristol – David Janac, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up Norwalk – Stephen Bell, winner; Mark Pawuk, runner-up Brainerd – Scott Libersher, winner; David Janac, runner-up Indianapolis – Kevin Skinner, winner; Raymond Nash, runner-up Reading – Scott Libersher, winner; Stephen Bell, runner-up   Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Point Standings 1. David Janac                  698 2. Stephen Bell                  672 3. Mark Pawuk                  660 4. Scott Libersher              653 5. Ricky Hord                    488 6. Anthony Troyer             380 7. Tony Scott Jr.                351 8. Lee Hartman                 323 9. David Davies III             303 10. Raymond Nash            294

READING, PA (September 15, 2024) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team are looking to finish the six race NHRA Countdown to the Championship with a strong performance to build momentum for the 2025 season and chase the 2024 world championship. Today as the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals his 2024 championship hopes took a blow with an early exit at Maple Grove Raceway. Hart entered the playoffs in eleventh place looking to make an immediate move into the Top Ten. After two days of qualifying Hart was the No. 9 qualifier and faced off in the first round with veteran Clay Millican, the most recent event winner.
 
“We were matched up against Millican again, who we lost a close race two weeks ago at the U.S. Nationals in the second round,” said Hart, a two-time national event winner. “Clay went on to win that race. We wanted to get the Countdown started with some good momentum, but we have never really had much good fortune at Maple Grove Raceway. The track is amazing and the Koretsky’s did a great job with the facility, but we just could deliver on race day.”
 

Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers launched off the starting line at Maple Grove Raceway,
photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase 

Hart and Millican were the first pair of Top Fuel dragsters to hit the cool and smooth Maple Grove Raceway track. Their qualifying times were only .001 second apart with Millican getting lane choice thanks to his 3.762 second run in front of Hart’s 3.763 second pass from Friday night. It looked like the track was set up for similar conditions on race day.
 
Hart and Millican staged their 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster and unfortunately Hart hit the throttle too early, jumping the starting line Christmas Tree. The early start earned an immediate disqualification and handed Millican a free run to the quarterfinals. It was a tough loss for Hart who is known as an excellent driver off the starting line with the second-best average reaction time in the class.
 
“That was my mistake and is really out of character,” said Hart. “I wasn’t trying to cut an amazing light I was just doing my routine. I knew this R+L Carriers dragster could compete with anyone. I hate it for the team and all our sponsors. The good news is I am putting this race in the rearview mirror and focusing on Charlotte in five days. You have to have a short memory in drag racing.”
 
There are five national events remaining in the playoffs and Hart did not slip too far behind the drivers around him in the point standings. The drivers sitting in ninth and tenth also lost in the first round. He is within three rounds of seventh place. The businessman from Ocala, Florida, is focused on taking his championship chase one race at time.

 Josh Hart getting his game face on at Maple Grove Raceway, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase

The team will be back on track at zMax Dragway starting Friday, September 20 with two qualifying sessions. Saturday, September 21 will feature two more sessions with the quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters racing for the iconic Wally trophy on Sunday, September 22. The race will be televised nationally on FS1.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 5.505 sec, 115.14 mph; Qual. 12
Q2: 3.763 sec, 328.78 mph; Qual. 8
Q3: 5.949 sec, 106.19 mph; Qual. 8
Q4: 4.000 sec, 239.10 mph; Qual. 9
Bonus Points: 0
 

Race Results

First Round

Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, (.071), 3.821 sec, 281.19 mph def. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, (-.115), 4.843 sec, 150.18 mph

Mission Foods Drag Racing Top Fuel standings – Championship Points
1. Justin Ashley           2181
2. Antron Brown         2180
3. Shawn Langdon      2175
4. Doug Kalitta             2148
5. Steve Torrence       2123
6. Clay Millican           2102
7. Tony Stewart          2087
8. Tony Schumacher   2085
9. Brittany Force         2048
10. Billy Torrence        2031
11. Josh Hart              2024
12. Shawn Reed          1990
 

 

READING, PA (September 15, 2024) — The six race NHRA Countdown to the Championship kicked off today at Maple Grove Raceway with Funny Car rookie Buddy Hull in the mix for the NHRA Mission Foods Funny Car world championship. Hull and his Jim Dunn Racing Lescure Funny Car entered the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals looking to race into the Top Ten and finish the season on a high note. Two weeks ago, Hull raced to the quarterfinals at the Toyota U.S. Nationals, and he continued his positive momentum securing his best qualifying position of the season after two days of qualifying.
 
Hull drove the Lescure Funny Car that also debuted support from Sunshine Energy drink on the rear wing to the No. 12 position in the tight 16-car Funny Car field. Nearly 20 Funny Cars were racing to get into the field and Hull was thrilled to get a chance to race today.

 Buddy Hull has best qualifying effort at Maple Grove Raceway for Pep Boys Nationals, photo credit Krista Zivcic

“This was such a great weekend for this Jim Dunn Racing and Lescure Funny Car,” said Hull. “We qualified No. 12, which is our best effort this season and we had Sunshine Energy drink on the car. This team has been working so hard. We had an issue with our rear end Saturday morning, and everyone pulled together and got us ready for race day.”
 
Facing No. 5 qualifier Ron Capps, Hull was hoping for another upset in the first round. The Lescure Funny Car rolled up beside Capps’ Funny Car and both 12,000-horspower nitro powered racecars and both drivers knew they needed to be prepared for tricky track conditions. Throughout the first round of Top Fuel and Funny Car both lanes were littered with tire-smoke filled passes. When Hull it the throttle his Lescure Funny Car took off and almost immediately smoked the tires in the left lane.
 
“We had a tough first round match-up but there were some upsets in Top Fuel and we felt like we had some momentum from our win in Indy,” said Hull. “This class is crazy tough and we were racing another Countdown competitor. We wanted to start the Countdown with a round win, but things didn’t go our way. The good news is we are going to get right back at it in a few days in Charlotte.”

 Buddy Hull is strong NHRA Countdown contender for the first time, photo credit NHRA/National Dragster

Throughout the weekend Hull and the Jim Dunn Racing team were surrounded by fan support. Saturday Maple Grove Raceway announced a sellout crowd and spectacular weather blessed the facility all three days. Fans spent time on the ropes at the Jim Dunn Racing pit area chatting with Hull as well as members of the Jim Dunn Racing team. The team also hosted several sponsors and some special guests including the friends and family of long-time supporter Rob DiPinto.
 
“I loved seeing all the fans all weekend,” said Hull. “They were everywhere, and I loved talking with them. The team also got to spend some time with Rob DiPinto’s friends and family to celebrate his life. He was a great supporter of our team and drag racing. The stands were packed on Saturday and today when I was pulling up to the starting line the pit side grandstands looked amazing. The Koretsky family has really done an awesome job with Maple Grove.”
 
The Countdown will continue from zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina, September 20-22, for the Carolina Nationals. Hull and the Lescure Funny Car will be back in action with two qualifying runs on Friday.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.501 sec, 200.71 mph; Qual. 9
Q2: 4.033 sec, 303.16 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 6.008 sec, 119.90 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: Did not run; Qual. 12
Bonus Points: 0
 
First Round
Ron Capps, Carlsbad, Calif., NAPA Toyota Supra, (.074), 3.989, 332.34 mph def.  Buddy Hull, Dallas, Tex., Lescure Dodge Charger, (.154), 13.461, 65.66 mph
 
 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – Funny Car Championship Points
1. Austin Prock                        2250
2. Bob Tasca III                         2164
3. John Force/Jack Beckman   2151
4. J.R. Todd                             2123
5. Matt Hagan                         2113
6. Ron Capps                           2108
7. Alexis DeJoria                     2082
8. Blake Alexander                  2068
9. Chad Green                         2067
10. Dan Wilkerson                  2056
11. Cruz Pedregon                  2043
12. Buddy Hull                        2012

READING, PA (September 15, 2024) – In just his second career start in the nitro Funny Car class on the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series Joe Morrison qualified his Right2Breathe Dodge Funny Car and almost posted the upset of the race in the opening round. Through two days of qualifying Morrison continued to get experience manhandling his 11,000-horsepower Right2Breathe Funny Car that is owned and tuned by veteran Paul Smith. Through four rounds of qualifying Morrison entered race day as the No. 12 Funny Car on the property and a head-to-head matchup with two-time world champion and John Force replacement driver Jack Beckman.
 
“We were so excited to see this Right2Breathe Funny Car continue to make improvements on the track,” said Morrison, who has raced Top Fuel and fuel altered throughout his career. “I am getting more comfortable in the race car. These are not easy racecars to drive and with every run I learn something new. We came out and made some good runs on Friday and that gave the whole team confidence going into the weekend.”

Joe Morrison takes off the starting line at Maple Grove Raceway, photo credit Ron Lewis 

On race day Morrison knew he would have to be at his best if he was going to try and get the round win over Beckman. During the Top Fuel elimination round that preceded Funny Car there were several upsets and the track conditions proved to be tricky for all the crew chiefs. Beckman and Morrison launched and were charging towards the finish line side by side. Beckman began to haze his tires and Morrison was pulling away from the eventual Pep Boys runner-up when the Right2Breathe Funny Car began moving towards the center line. Morrison was furiously working to keep his Funny Car in his lane, but at the last second the nose of his Funny Car clipped a timing cone for a centerline disqualification.
 
“That was a tough loss,” said Morrison. “We were winning that race until we weren’t. I was turning that steering wheel as hard as I could. I stayed on the throttle as long as I could because I could hear Beckman beside me, so I knew he was close. Paul told me afterwards he was glad I stayed on the throttle, which means a lot. You want to have the fire and courage to win. It’s not easy. We didn’t hurt the car too bad, and we’ll learn from this.”
 
Throughout the weekend off the track Morrison was busy working with the Right2Breathe organization and two additional instrumental companies, the Temple Lung Center and Chiesi USA. All three groups will have a specific mission at Maple Grove Raceway with Morrison leading the charge as brand ambassador.
 
For Morrison, partnering with Right2Breathe has been a life-changing experience for him and for NHRA fans. One ongoing example of this partnership is the free onsite lung health evaluations Right2Breathe has provided fans giving them the chance to ‘Put Their Lungs on the Dyno.” As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Right2 Breathe is celebrating their 10-year anniversary in 2024, and they have provided lung screenings and lung health education at the Reading NHRA Nationals five times since 2017. Their mission is to provide free lung screening for people at risk for lung disease as well as provide education and support for people already living with lung disease.

 The Right2Breathe display was busy all weekend with Joe Morrison on the scene, photo credit Ron Lewis

Joining Right2Breathe at Maple Grove Raceway were a several medical professionals from the Temple Lung Center who provided free lung screenings, lung health education, and promoted their “Temple Healthy Chest Initiative” to help provide early diagnosis of lung disease to save lives.
 
“The Temple Healthy Chest Initiative is dedicated to bringing essential chest health screenings and personalized care directly to the community,” said Melissa Liverpool, BSN, RN
Supervisor, Nurse Navigator, Temple Healthy Chest Initiative. “We’re excited to partner with Right2Breathe at Maple Grove Raceway, allowing us to bring these vital services directly to NHRA fans, where early detection can truly make a difference.”
 
One of the other key supporters at this event was Chiesi USA. The company’s primary focus is on improving quality of life for patients, their families, their communities, and society through innovating new medicines and returning value to the communities in which it operates.
 
“At Chiesi USA, we recognize achieving better health outcomes begins with raising awareness in the communities where patients are. We must meet patients in the community alongside organizations like Right2Breathe to help raise awareness about lung health and promote access to care for all,” said Richard Smith, Vice President and Business Unit Head, US AIR, Chiesi USA. “Today will be a success if our efforts help even one person in need to connect with respiratory care resources that could help him or her on their journey.”
 
While the on-track results won’t be reflected in the wins and losses column Morrison knows that the impact from Funny Car performance will carry over from Maple Grove Raceway. The veteran driver has not ruled out a return to the track in 2024 but he for sure will return in 2025 to continue to develop his Funny Car driving skills.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: No Time; Qual. 16
Q2: 4.339 sec, 215.72 mph; Qual. 13
Q3: 4.257 sec, 230.96 mph; Qual. 14
Q4: No Time; Qual. 14
Bonus Points: 0
 
First Round
Jack Beckman, Yorba Linda, Calif., PEAK Chevrolet Camaro, (.083), No Time, def.  Joe Morrison, Flemington, NJ., Right2Breathe Dodge Charger, (.118), No Time, DNQ-Centerline

 
Mission Foods Drag Racing Series – Funny Car Championship Points
1. Austin Prock                        2250
2. Bob Tasca III                         2164
3. John Force/Jack Beckman   2151
4. J.R. Todd                             2123
5. Matt Hagan                         2113
6. Ron Capps                           2108
7. Alexis DeJoria                     2082
8. Blake Alexander                  2068
9. Chad Green                         2067
10. Dan Wilkerson                  2056
11. Cruz Pedregon                  2043
12. Buddy Hull                         2012
13. Dave Richards                   2001
 

Toyota earns 14th Top Fuel win in the last 16 races

MOHNTON, Pa. (Sept. 15, 2024) – Antron Brown had the perfect start to the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, capturing victory at Maple Grove Raceway on Sunday, propelling him to second in the Top Fuel points standings. The win is Brown’s fourth of the 2024 season and the 78th of his NHRA career, as well as Toyota’s 14th Top Fuel win in the last 16 races. Brown had to defeat Toyota teammate Shawn Langdon, who now takes over the Top Fuel points lead, in the final round Sunday afternoon to take home the Wally Trophy.

The finals appearances by Brown and Langdon mark 38 consecutive NHRA event final rounds now for Toyota in either Top Fuel and/or Funny Car.

Justin Ashley, the Top Fuel No. 1 qualifier coming into Sunday, advanced to the semifinals, falling to Langdon. Steve Torrence was the other Toyota dragster to get past round one.

In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria nearly missed making the final round Sunday afternoon, falling in a frantic semifinal after two great runs to begin the day. Her Team Toyota teammates, Ron Capps and J.R. Todd, both advanced to the second round, but went no further.

The NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series is right back in action next weekend at zMAX Dragway in Charlotte for the Carolina Nationals with eliminations next Sunday, September 22.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series

Maple Grove Raceway

Pep Boys NHRA Nationals

Race 15 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W (3.723) v. J. Salinas (4.338) W (3.881) v. T. Schumacher (4.711) W (4.268) v. D. Mercier (11.674) W (3.798) v. S. Langdon (3.803)
Shawn Langdon	Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finalist	W (3.753 – holeshot) v. I. Zetterstrom (3.745) W (4.076) v. T. Stewart (4.351) W (3.813) v. J. Ashley (5.348) L (3.803) v. A. Brown (3.798)
Justin Ashley	SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-finals	W (3.759) v. S. Smith (4.823) W (3.771) v. C. Millican (3.779) L (5.348) v. S. Langdon (3.813)
Steve Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W (5.987) v. B. Force (8.973) L (7.014) v. D. Mercier (5.291)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L (8.356) v. D. Mercier (3.931)
Billy Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L (6.302) v. T. Stewart (4.348)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero CaféToyota GR Supra Funny Car	Semi-finals	W (3.940) v. J. Campbell (4.886) W (4.748) v. C. Pedregon (6.140) L (6.723) v. J. Beckman (6.652)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Second Round	W (3.943 – holeshot) v. M. Hagan (3.934) L (3.947) v. J. Beckman (3.917)
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Care Army Tribute Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Second Round	W (3.898) v. B. Hull (13.461) L (3.915 – red light) v. B. Tasca III (5.236)

*= Non-Toyota driver

TOYOTA QUOTES

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

TF Final Result: Winner

How much of a boost does this win give your team to begin the Countdown?

“It’s a huge boost! Just making up the ground we needed to. This race is always monumental. Have to start off strong. Credit, (pause), our Matco Tools boys never gave up. We struggled a couple rounds in the middle, but the good Lord gets all the glory. We never stop and that’s what’s so potent about it. Here, to get two wins with (Angelle Sampey) and the Matco Tools car. Brian Corradi (co-crew chief), Mark (Oswald, co-crew chief), Brad (Mason, car chief), everybody, great job. And hey, here we come to Charlotte, baby! Thank you.”

ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero CaféToyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports

FC Final Result: Semifinals

How would you describe the weekend and start to the Countdown?

“Yeah, this race just continued our progression from Indianapolis. We’re super stoked. Went up to seventh in the points. Qualified well, got second, which helps on race day and we went rounds. The last one (semifinal run), thought we had it and just at the very end, I saw Jack (Beckman) (win), so we gave it our all and go into the next race with our heads held high. Can’t wait to see what happens next.”

2022 Pep Boys Top Fuel Champ Tries to Add a Funny Car Title in Cornwell Camaro

READING, Pa. (Sept. 11, 2024) – Even if he hadn’t won the pre-season PRO Superstar Shootout; even if he hadn’t won the Mission Foods regular season championship in runaway fashion; even if he hadn’t qualified the Cornwell Quality Tools Chevrolet No. 1 10 times in 14 events; and even if he hadn’t won the world’s biggest single drag race two weeks ago at Indianapolis, Ind., Austin Prock likely still would have been the Funny Car favorite in this week’s 39th Pep Boys Nationals. That’s because the team that manages the power on his blue-and-black Camaro is the same team that sent Robert Hight to the winners’ circle the last two years at Maple Grove Raceway. Furthermore, while Prock will be making his first Funny Car appearance in the Pep Boys Nationals, he already knows the way to the winners’ circle. Two years ago, he was the Top Fuel winner at Maple Grove, initiating an unprecedented Countdown run during which he improved his standing by a record-tying nine positions. This year, all he has to do is hold on to the spot from which he starts. “We’ve been hard at it in the race shop preparing for the Countdown,” said the 2019 Rookie-of-the-Year. “It’s been a great year so far and we’re looking to keep it up for this six-race dash. Our Cornwell Camaro has been hot all year long and (it) definitely feels good rolling into the playoffs off a win (in the Labor Day U.S. Nationals). “I really, truly enjoy drag racing,” gushed the 29-year-old who began racing in quarter midgets and sprint cars. “I loved running the Top Fuel car, but Funny Car is where I belong. I always dreamed of driving one like my grandpa (Tom Prock, a top tier 1970s Funny Car driver). “I love the challenge. I love sitting behind the engine; I love the body dropping (down) and, to top it off, I’m doing it with my family.” Prock’s dad, Jimmy, is crew chief and his brother, Thomas, is an assistant crew chief on the Chevy that carried him to a record six straight wins and the season championship in the Mission Foods 2Fast/2Tasty Challenge series within the series. “This is storybook stuff,” Prock said of his situation, made possible when Hight, the three-time former World Champ, took a leave of absence for medical reasons. “This is stuff they write for moves, but it’s actually happening in real life. It’s really special.” The challenge, now, is to stay on script.  “Our attention is ahead,” Prock said, “one moment at a time.”

COLCORD, OK (September 14, 2024) – Reigning American Sprint Car Series National Tour champion Jason Martin’s title defense has been nothing short of a nightmare – until Friday night at Arrowhead Speedway.

After a season that has included crashes, blown engines, mechanical gremlins and a missed race due to injury, Martin got back in Victory Lane for the first time in 2024 and pocketed $10,000 for his efforts in the Green Country Clash.

“You’ve just got to keep yourself motivated,” Martin said. “You’ve got people around you that support you and keep telling you that you can do it and giving you the confidence and faith that you can keep coming back. I’m probably the hardest on myself of anybody, but you just keep working at it.”

The Feature began with Seth Bergman and Brady Baker sharing the front row, with Baker grabbing the early lead after racing side-by-side with Bergman through the first two laps. Nearly the entire field migrated to the high side in the opening laps and ran single-file before Emilio Hoover and Danny Smith tangled in Turn 4 to bring out the first yellow flag of the race four laps in.

The top two went unchanged on the restart, but behind them Garrett Benson bounced up into the Turn 4 wall while running third, sending his car over and tumbling down the banking into the path of Roger Crockett and Matt Covington. Covington’s damage was light enough to continue without making repairs, but Benson and Crockett were done for the night.

Baker, Bergman and Covington made a beeline to the top once more to lock down the top three spots when the race resumed. Even after catching the rear of the field for the first time, Baker looked unaffected by the traffic as he continued to ride the cushion while maintaining a half-straightaway lead over Bergman.

Five-time Series champion Sam Hafertepe Jr. managed to wrestle the third spot away from Covington but only enjoyed it briefly, as on Lap 22 he jumped the cushion in Turn 4 and pounded the wall. The No. 15H team was able to fix the damage in the work area, but Hafertepe was only able to drive up to 13th by the checkers.

The ensuing restart was a mirror image of each prior one, as Baker instantly went to the cushion with Bergman in tow. But before he could build a gap, Brandon Anderson and Alex Sewell got together in Turns 3 and 4 to necessitate another red flag.

The final restart of the race was when Martin emerged as a contender for the victory. He had driven from 11th to fourth in the first 23 laps of the event and rode the bottom lane to clear Covington for third with six to go. The No. 36 remained on the low side in getting around Bergman two laps later, giving himself four laps to find a way around Baker.

After battling side-by-side for a lap with Baker on top and Martin hugging the tractor tires, Baker’s youth ended up being no match for Martin’s experience, as the Liberal, KS native drove away to the 14th National Tour win of his career.

Martin said he had already written off the 2024 season after all the misfortune he’s been through, but the five-figure payday makes him optimistic about his chances to close out the year in strong fashion and enter the 2025 season on a hot streak.

“Our season’s pretty much screwed,” Martin said. “We’ve had so much dumb stuff happen. I’m already preparing for next year, getting cars, parts and motors freshened and everything’s getting ready to go. We’re going to have an early start, so going to try and get healthy, stay mentally strong and just start 2025 on a different note.”

Although Baker didn’t have enough to hold off Martin in the final run to the finish, his ability to beat a driver of Bergman’s caliber time after time throughout the race solidified his status as a rising star in the Sprint Car universe.

“So many reds, the tires probably glazed over,” Baker said. “I’m proud of my guys, we showed a lot of speed here. My Mom, my Dad, Cash and Brandon, can’t thank them enough, they’ve been working their butts off.”

Bergman conceded that even if he found a way around Baker before the final restart, Martin’s late-race prowess would have likely still been too much to manage. Nevertheless, his third podium in as many nights this week further extended his advantage over Hafertepe to 111 markers with eight full-points events remaining in the season.

“I don’t know if anybody was really going to beat that,” Bergman said regarding Martin’s drive to victory in the closing laps. “I think maybe if I got around Baker, you never know, probably run second if Jason does that again. I tried the bottom early, it was still a little greasy and Baker drove around me, so I kind of abandoned the bottom thinking it was getting thin and slow.

“The run to the end there, Jason, he just found something, made it work, and he drove off and won the race.”

Hank Davis got around Covington late to finish fourth, while the No. 95 settled for fifth.

Andrew Deal started 22nd and passed 13 cars to end the night ninth and clinch the Hard Charger Award.

UP NEXT: The ASCS National Tour will join forces with the USCS for the two-night World Short Track Challenge at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR on Sept. 27-28. Can’t make it? Watch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 36-Jason Martin[11]; 2. 71-Brady Baker[3]; 3. 23-Seth Bergman[1]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[8]; 5. 95-Matt Covington[4]; 6. 1-Sean McClelland[9]; 7. 14-Jordon Mallett[14]; 8. 10-Landon Britt[13]; 9. 15D-Andrew Deal[22]; 10. 16G-Austyn Gossel[12]; 11. 45X-Kyler Johnson[17]; 12. 20-Noah Harris[16]; 13. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 14. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 15. 88-Terry Easum[23]; 16. 938-Bradley Fezard[20]; 17. 8-Alex Sewell[18]; 18. 5S-Danny Smith[15]; 19. 2B-Garrett Benson[2]; 20. 11-Roger Crockett[7]; 21. 29-Emilio Hoover[10]; 22. 2W-Whit Gastineau[5]; 23. (DQ) 55B-Brandon Anderson[19]

Tire puncture, contact deny pole-sitting No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R shot at podium

FUJI, Japan (Sept. 15, 2024) – Cadillac Racing will take its small victory in the Six Hours of Fuji and build for a larger prize in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season finale. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, which Alex Lynn drove to Cadillac Racing’s maiden Hypercar pole position Saturday for what he hailed as “quite a nice victory,” led the initial 1 hour, 9 minutes of the race Sunday on the 2.835-mile, 12-turn Fuji Speedway circuit with Earl Bamber at the wheel.

Bamber led 41 laps before pitting and giving way to Lynn for his initial stint. With fresh left-side tires on the hybrid racecar and running second in the 18-car order, Lynn’s charge was to stay in touch with the leader while closing the door on challengers – all of whom had taken four tires on their service stops – as the team engaged a strategy of saving new tires for a projected late-race battle for the victory. Lynn, who will mark his 31st birthday on Sept. 17, met the challenge and entered pit lane in second place after 1 hour, 19 minutes in the car covering 44 laps. But the race unraveled for the team 20 minutes into Bamber’s next stint when the No. 15 BMW M under pressure from Bamber made contact, puncturing the right-front tire of the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R. Bamber limped from Turn 1 to the pit box for the unscheduled tire change, which took the Cadillac Racing Hypercar entry out of podium contention but did not diminish the strong effort in the first half of the race.

The Chip Ganassi Racing-run team’s quick work in the pits kept the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R on the lead lap to recover and be running ninth and looking to score championship points with 30 minutes left before Bamber got caught out on the marbles, wiggled and nosed into the tire barrier. Bamber guided the damaged car back to the pit box, where it was retired. The No. 6 Porsche 963 won the 213-lap race. Pole position was the first for the program in 14 WEC races over two seasons and the 28th for Cadillac Racing in WEC/IMSA prototype competition since 2017. Cadillac is the fourth manufacturer this season to claim pole position in the seven races. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R’s previous best qualifying spot this season was second at Spa-Francorchamps and for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Media resources: Cadillac Racing photo gallery | ’24 WEC statisticsCadillac has qualified in the top four in five consecutive WEC races and will seek to extend that streak and earn a podium spot Nov. 2 in the Eight Hours of Bahrain. In 2023, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified third on the 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) Bahrain International Circuit that opened in 2004.

Driver quotes

Earl Bamber (after starting race and driving 1-hour, 9-minute stint): “Good opening stint. Led the race, which was a great start and was pretty comfortable. Lost a bit of tire grip toward the end and was a little unlucky with traffic.” Alex Lynn (after his first stint): “It was OK. Unfortunately, we were jumped on the stops by the No. 6 and then spent the whole time behind the No. 6 Porsche and trying to keep the other cars that stopped for new tires under Safety Car behind, which we managed to do. With the temperature, everybody is struggling with tire deg.”

The Californian bags fourth victory in the last five races with a perfect night at Merced

MERCED, CA (September 14, 2024) – Another day, another Michael “Buddy” Kofoid win.

The 22-year-old has quickly established himself as the hottest driver on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car tour with Roth Motorsports. And he delivered yet another piece of evidence at Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts Yosemite Showdown hosted by Merced Speedway. 

Kofoid flexed his muscle every time he hit the track on his way to a clean sweep. It started with his fifth Simpson Quick Time of the year, moved on to victories in NOS Energy Drink Heat One and the Toyota Racing Dash, and the punctuation mark was made with a commanding showing in the Feature.

The Penngrove, CA native started on the pole and led every circuit at the “Golden State” bullring. Thick traffic made things interesting on multiple occasions, but Kofoid made all the right moves on the path to yet another home state triumph.

“I feel like our car has just been exceptional,” Kofoid said. “It’s all those guys – Dylan (Buswell), Nate (Knotts), and Gage (Tyra). They work so hard. They’ve just got us rolling. They’ve got me really comfortable and confident. You’ve got to have confidence on the Outlaw tour and really any Series that you’re doing. I feel like I just have a ton of confidence and know exactly what I’m going to get.

“Happy to get another win. Just want to say thank you to Dennis and Teresa Roth. I can’t thank them enough for letting me live my dream on the Outlaw tour. Being this good is just a lot of fun right now.”

After earning four victories in his first 121 Feature starts with The Greatest Show on Dirt, Kofoid has now reeled off four more in the last five starts, elevating his career total to eight. Half of them have come in his home state of California. He’s now made three total trips to Merced Victory Lane to go along with USAC National Midget checkered flags in 2021 and 2022. The Roth team now hasn’t finished worse than fourth in the last nine races with an average finish of second over that span.

The pole position for the 35-lapper belonged to Kofoid after taming the Toyota Racing Dash. One the green was displayed he darted ahead to an early advantage. 

Some early yellows offered Kofoid a hand as they kept him out of lapped traffic throughout the early portion of the race with Tim Kaeding looking to pounce. A restart with 26 laps remaining nearly gave Kofoid a new challenger as Carson Macedo slid Kaeding for second, but another caution before the lap was complete returned the spot to “TK.”

That yellow proved to be the final one of the evening as the laps clicked away fast once the action resumed. Kofoid faced heavy traffic with a hungry Kaeding looking for his first Series win since 2015 right behind him.

A couple close calls nearly gave Kaeding the chance he needed as first Kofoid almost slipped over the cushion and off track in Turn 2, but he managed to keep the car within the banking. Then when he attempted to lap Landon Crawley, Kofoid slid sideways and nearly spun but managed to maintain control.

After the two near misses, Kofoid drove much smoother on his way to win number five in 2024 against the country’s best Sprint Car drivers.

This hot streak couldn’t come at a better time for Kofoid as the Series now steers toward one of the season’s biggest events that happens to honor Kofoid’s car owner – the Dennis Roth Classic. Next weekend’s two-night event at Tulare, CA’s Thunderbowl Raceway will send the winner home with a massive $83,000 payday as a nod to Roth’s iconic car number. With the great help of his crew chief Dylan Buswell, Kofoid is heading to Tulare having the most fun racing he’s ever had and with all the momentum in his corner.

“Dylan has helped me enjoy Sprint Car racing again,” Kofoid said. “There was a while where I wasn’t enjoying it and not questioning things, but I wasn’t in the best place I wanted to be in and should be in. Dylan, and of course Dennis and Teresa Roth and everyone involved, helped me find that drive again to just enjoy it. Obviously, you’ve got to have fun to enjoy it even at this professional level. Without Dylan, Nate, and Gage it wouldn’t be this fun. And obviously running good helps it become fun. Hopefully we can just keep this rolling and try to bring the Dennis Roth Classic back to the shop.”

Finishing second was San Jose, CA’s Tim Kaeding in the Williams Motorsports No. 0, marking his first appearance on the World of Outlaws podium since the 2019 Gold Cup opener at Silver Dollar Speedway. Kaeding has now finished second in four of the six Series races contested at Merced. He thought traffic might’ve given him a shot, but overall came away happy with the runner-up.

“He (Kofoid) kept trying to dive bomb some lapped cars there,” Kaeding said. “And I thought he was going to maybe slide across the racetrack and miss it a little bit, but he didn’t. Buddy is having the time of his life right now running for the Dennis Roth car. We just needed a little bit of luck there. I’m going to take second. That’s a win for us. We’ve struggled almost all year. We’ve had a fast race car, and it finally showed tonight.”

The final step of the podium belonged to Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing. The No. 41 has been within the top three in five of the last six outings as they continue to click away consistency. A 13th place run for David Gravel allowed Macedo to trim his point lead down to 86 markers.

“Ultimately, we’ve just got to keep putting good nights together,” Macedo said. “That’s what we’ve been able to do lately, and it’s paying off. Man, it was a wild race there. I felt like on that one restart I wish it would’ve went. We jumped up into second, but we didn’t quite go a lap so we ended up getting put back.”

D.J. Netto and Cole Macedo completed the top five.

A 24th to 14th run earned Shane Golobic the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

Buddy Kofoid claimed his fifth Simpson Quick Time of 2024 and the 10th of his career in Sea Foam Qualifying.

NOS Energy Drink Heats One, Three, and Four belonged to Buddy Kofoid, D.J. Netto, and Sheldon Haudenschild. Milton Hershey School Heat Two went to Carson Macedo.

Buddy Kofoid topped the Toyota Racing Dash.

Kraig Kinser won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

The Smith Titanium Brake Systems Break of the Race went to Chance Grasty.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars finalize the California swing in a big way with Thunderbowl Raceway’s (Tulare, CA) Dennis Roth Classic on Sept. 20-21 offering an $83,000 payday to the winner. Tickets will be available at the gate.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

FEATURE RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps): 1. 83-Michael Kofoid[1]; 2. O-Tim Kaeding[2]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 4. 88N-DJ Netto[3]; 5. 21-Cole Macedo[6]; 6. 17B-Bill Balog[8]; 7. 2X-Justin Sanders[16]; 8. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[14]; 9. 1S-Logan Schuchart[12]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz[18]; 11. 10-Dominic Gorden[15]; 12. 17AU-Jamie Veal[7]; 13. 2-David Gravel[17]; 14. 17W-Shane Golobic[24]; 15. 57W-Jock Goodyer[13]; 16. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[22]; 17. 83T-Tanner Carrick[23]; 18. 41S-Dominic Scelzi[10]; 19. 7S-Landon Crawley[19]; 20. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[5]; 21. 70-Kraig Kinser[21]; 22. X1-Chance Grasty[11]; 23. 45-Landon Brooks[9]; 24. 73-Ryan Bernal[20]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (September 14, 2024) – Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750) put the finishing touches on what may prove the final and most convincing argument in support of his claim as the greatest rider in the history of Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing: an unprecedented tenth Grand National Championship. 

Mees did exactly what he needed to – and then some – at Lake Ozark Speedway to secure this crowning achievement as the 2024 season came to its conclusion with the inaugural running of the Parts Plus Lake Ozark Short Track presented by Arrowhead Brass & Arby’s in Eldon, Missouri.

Racing before a packed house with some 125,000 motorcycle enthusiasts flooding the area for the 18th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Bikefest, the Mission AFT SuperTwins Main Event was loaded with talented riders motivated to end their respective ‘24 campaigns on a high note.

And yet still no one could compare to Mees on this night, just like so many other nights before it. Despite requiring just three points to clinch his record tenth title, the Indian Motorcycle hero grabbed the holeshot and battled it out over the race’s opening stages with second-ranked Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), the only rider retaining even the slimmest mathematical chance of stealing away the #1 plate.

But by the contest’s halfway point, Mees had shook free at the front, shifting the race’s epicenter of drama back to Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), whose season-long podium streak was in serious threat after the Estenson Racing ace found himself mired down in ninth.

However, Daniels systematically worked his way forward while Robinson duked it out with Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) for second. Daniels eventually made his way up to their scrap, displacing Robinson and then Vanderkooi, all the while drawing shockingly near to Mees as the contest reached its final circulation.

But that’s as far as Daniels’ charge would carry him. Mees held on to finish the season – and potentially his career – on top in practically every sense, winning the season finale by 0.423 seconds over his young rival.

Vanderkooi earned the final spot on the podium, with Robinson and Briar Bauman (No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) rounding out the top five. Rookie Declan Bender (No. 70 GOMR/BriggsAuto.com/Martin Trucking Indian FTR750) finished sixth, followed by Davis Fisher(No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), Sammy Halbert (No. 69 OnlyFans/Castrol/Kings Kustoms/LZ Racing Harley-Davidson XR750), Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing Indian FTR750), and Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing Mission Foods KTM 790 Duke) to complete the top ten.

Mees’ résumé is far too extensive to list here in full, but in brief, tonight’s championship triumph updates his Grand National Championship victory tally to now include 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. He also ranks first or second in the career wins rankings for Half-Miles, Short Tracks, Miles, and total GNC Main Event victories.

Mees, who elevated an already Hall-of-Fame-worthy career to stratospheric heights once he joined forces with Indian Motorcycle in 2017, sent the marque’s remarkable FTR750 out in appropriate fashion this season. Tonight’s championship secures the bike a perfect eight-for-eight record in Grand National Championship battles in what will go down as one of the most dominant eras the sport has ever witnessed from both man and machine.

In the end, Mees earned the 2024 Mission AFT SuperTwins title with 311 points, followed by Robinson at 280 and Daniels at 276.

After claiming an unprecedented tenth Grand National Championship, Mees said, “It was a goal. Everybody would say it was a dream, but it was a goal. I made my dream my goal and worked hard at it. It hasn’t even sunk in yet. I had a big points lead coming in here, but there was only one way to go out the way I want to go out, and that was by winning this damn race.

“I can’t say enough for my entire team. Kenny (Tolbert), Bubba (Bently), Jimmy (Wood), you guys have won me a lot of races and a lot of championships. I definitely wouldn’t be as successful without you three and all my sponsors. Indian Motorcycle – I took their very first win in 2017, I opened that book for them, and tonight I got to close it for them. I can’t say enough for that company…

“So many people contributed to my program over these years. I feel like I could have this microphone until tomorrow morning and talk about my career and all the people who were in it to make me successful. I just want to say thank you.”

Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

As if Mees’ record-breaking achievement wasn’t enough to secure the ‘24 finale’s place in the sport’s annals, Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) closed out the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER season by securing the 450cc equivalent.

Needing to merely avoid catastrophe, Kopp actually jumped out into the lead to open the decisive final contest. However, once Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R) and then Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) drove underneath him, Kopp seemed to reevaluate his strategy, dropping down to fifth before settling back in.

With Saathoff powering away out front, Kopp wicked his pace back up, pouncing on Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Evan Renshaw (No. 265 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) in rapid succession to slot back into a podium position.

He then carried that momentum past Lowe and began the difficult task of closing the gap to Saathoff when a red flag flew as a result of a Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F) fall with less than a minute remaining on the clock.

That development changed the complexion of the race completely, transforming it into a wild bar-to-bar affair to the flag. Lowe led initially before Saathoff and Drane took their season-long rivalry to the front of the pack. Kopp was again shuffled back to fifth where he could have easily stayed to collect his third #1 plate, but instead he made a final push to claim third ahead of Renshaw and Lowe.

Meanwhile, the season’s final victory went to Drane over Saathoff by 0.061 seconds, handing the Australian bragging rights for most wins on the season at seven in the process.

Drane said, “I was able to bounce back (after a bad start). That restart really helped me there at the end. I was able to fight back and had a good battle with Chase. It was good to finally get something back on him after all the stuff he’s done to me this year. I can’t thank my team enough for all their effort all year.”

Kopp ultimately took the crown with a grand total of 339 points to Drane’s 324 and Saathoff’s 318. And like Mees in the premier class, he now stands alone in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles record books. Following the completion of his third successive title run, the Rick Ware Racing star now owns more championships (three) and more race victories (22) than anyone in the category’s history, while also holding either sole possession or a share of first place all-time in terms of Short Track, Half-Mile, and single-season victories.

The conquering Kopp said, “I couldn’t be more proud of my Rick Ware Racing team. It’s been a dream season. I would have loved to get a win there, but those guys at the front were riding a little over the top, and I wasn’t going to play that game. We had a championship to win, and that was way more important… It’s a dream come true. Who knows what will be after three?”

Finally, Shasta L’Heureux (No. 67 Royal Enfield) completed the 2024 season for Royal Enfield’s successful and popular Build. Train. Race. (BTR) program by claiming her first-career victory in the class with perpetual frontrunners Kenzie Luker (No. 17 Royal Enfield) and Taia Little (No. 11 Royal Enfield) rounding out the podium.

Next Up:

For those who can’t catch the action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of the on-track action, from the first practice to the victory podium, at https://flosports.link/aft.

FOX Sports coverage of the Lake Ozark Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, September 22, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).

For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

Beckman, PEAK Start from No. 3; Brittany Faces Challenging First Round

READING, Pa. (Sept. 14, 2024) – Austin Prock will start the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS from the No. 1 qualifying position for the 11th time in 15 races Sunday when he carries a 46-point advantage into the first round of the 39th Pep Boys Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway, the opening event in the Mission Foods Series’ Countdown to the Championship. Prock’s Friday evening time of 3.849 seconds at a career best speed of 338.43 miles per hour withstood every challenge thrown at it in two final qualifying sessions on Saturday.  “It’s pretty nuts when you think about it,” Prock said of his No. 1 starts this year and the possibility of breaking the Funny Car record of 13 set in 1996 by boss and mentor John Force. “We haven’t done it yet, but if everything works out, it would be incredible.    “But, honestly, it’s all about the guys who give me an outstanding car every run,” said the 29-year-old who earned NHRA Rookie-of-the-Year honors in 2019 as a Top Fuel driver. “All I can do is not screw up in qualifying and I’ve been doing alright with that so far.” Teammate Jack Beckman, driving the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro for 16-time Funny Car World Champion John Force, will start from the No. 3 position, which sets up the potential for an all-JFR final round. Beckman, who won this race in 2019, earned qualifying bonus points in every round and, after a lengthy track clean-up, was quicker than everyone in Q3 in conditions that likely will mimic the mid-rounds on Sunday.    “I was on the starting line during that cleanup,” Beckman said. “Thank you to the fans and thank you to NHRA and the track crew for spending the time necessary to give the fans in the stands the best possible show. After that, for us to go out there and set low ET of the round (3.907 seconds) means that they did everything right.” The 2012 World Champion continued to marvel at the performance of the car in which Force won two times this year before his crash. “This hot rod? Oh, my God. John’s car. Holy moly. Thank you, John. Thank you, PEAK. Thank you, Chevy. We know we’re battling another Chevy and we know there are some tough Mopars and Fords out there as well,” said the 33-time Funny Car winner, “(but) I like our chances.” A disappointed Brittany Force failed to improve in the final two sessions at the wheel of her track record-holding Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster and, as the No. 11 qualifier, will face Steve Torrence in Sunday’s opening round. If there is a silver lining for the two-time World Champion, it is that she has beaten Torrence the two other times she has raced him in an opening round. Furthermore, after qualifying 12th here in 2016, the 16-time tour winner raced her way to the final round before losing to Antron Brown. “We are going to throw everything we have at it,” Force said. “We have nothing to lose. First round is at 10:30 a.m. and track conditions will be quite cooler. We will be running on a 110-degree track and we have many killer runs in those exact conditions from previous years. We plan to turn things around on race day.”

DeJoria leads the GR Supra contingent with a second-place starting spot in Funny Car

MOHNTON, Pa. (Sept. 14, 2024) – Justin Ashley picked a perfect time to earn his first No. 1 qualifying spot of the season as the New York-native will start from the number one seed tomorrow for final eliminations at Pennsylvania’s Maple Grove Raceway. It is Ashley’s sixth No. 1 qualifier of his career. Doug Kalitta rebounded after a tough U.S. Nationals to earn the third starting spot, with his teammate Shawn Langdon starting from fifth.

In Funny Car, Alexis DeJoria reset her career-best MPH with a 3.867 second, 336.4 mph pass in the Friday evening session to lead Toyota with a second-place starting position. Multi-time Funny Car world champion Ron Capps also has a strong starting spot as he is seeded in fifth going into race day. 

Tomorrow’s eliminations at Maple Grove Raceway begin at 10:30 a.m. EST with live TV coverage beginning at either 2 p.m. or 4:30 p.m. EST on FOX depending on your local listings.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series 

Maple Grove Raceway

Pep Boys NHRA Nationals

Race 15 of 20

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Justin Ashley	SCAG Power Equipment Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	1st (3.713)	S. Smith
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	3rd (3.736)	D. Mercier
Shawn Langdon	Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	5th (3.741)	S. Torrence
Steve Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6th (3.754)	B. Force
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7th (3.755)	J. Salinas
Billy Torrence	CAPCO Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	13th (3.779)	T. Stewart

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS  

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Austin Prock	Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro Funny Car	1st (3.849)	J. Campbell
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Café Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	2nd (3.867)	M. Smith
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Care Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	5th (3.890)	B. Hull
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	11th (3.984)	M. Hagan

*non-Toyota driver

September 14, 2024 — LEBANON, TN

• Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood scores second-career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position for season finale at Nashville Superspeedway
• Meyer Shank Racing pair of Felix Rosenqvist and David Malukas close out the year with top-six qualifying efforts
• Championship leader Alex Palou will have to fight from the back of the grid

Kyle Kirkwood scored his second-career NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole position in his #27 Andretti Global Honda to close out the 2024 season at Nashville Superspeedway. 

Kirkwood is the reigning winner at Nashville, winning last year on the downtown street circuit to take his second INDYCAR series win. It is his second career INDYCAR pole, following his pole run and victory at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2023, and his first on an oval.

The Meyer Shank Racing pair continued their strong form into the season finale, with Felix Rosenqvist qualifying third and teammate David Malukas slotting in sixth. 

Championship leader Alex Palou will have a long climb to the front of the field, starting 24th for tomorrow’s race. Palou posted the 15th fastest qualifying speed, but will take a nine-position grid spot penalty for an engine change prior to the start of the race weekend. Going into tomorrow’s final race, Palou holds a 33-point advantage over rival Will Power. 

Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results

•  1st Kyle Kirkwood
•  3rd Felix Rosenqvist 
•  6th David Malukas 
• 10th Linus Lundqvist-R
• 11th Colton Herta 
• 13th Scott Dixon 
• 14th Marcus Armstrong
• 15th Alex Palou 
• 18th Marcus Ericsson
• 19th Pietro Fittipaldi 
• 21st Kyffin Simpson-R 
• 22nd Graham Rahal 
• 23rd Jack Harvey
• 24th Christian Lundgaard 
• 25th Katherine Legge

Andretti Global Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Andretti Global Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda   
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
Dale Coyne Racing Honda
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda   
Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes
Kyle Kirkwood (#27 Andretti Global Honda) pole qualifier, second career IndyCar pole, first oval track pole: “It’s huge for our season. I was a little upset that we hadn’t gotten a pole yet this season. This was our final chance and we got it done. Super happy. The #27 AutoNation Honda was absolutely on rails today. The Honda engine gave us great power, and we were good from the start. We were fast in practice. We rolled out of the trailer extremely well and made some minor changes for qualifying, and was super happy with the car’s performance.’

Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) qualified 3rd: “That was a pretty good run. I think we could’ve done a better one if we’d had a bit more practice running. Track conditions were a bit of a moving target, so we came into qualifying pretty much blind, making a last-minute trim as well. I did kinda run out of gear a little bit, so I wish we’d had a taller gear, but that was a pretty good lap. It was fun.”

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) championship points leader, qualified 15th, will start 24th due to an engine change penalty: “The first lap wasn’t too bad, but then the second lap was really, really bad. So not what we wanted or needed. It’s not making it any easier for sure, but tomorrow it will be time to see what we can do.”

Fast Facts

• The 2024 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix marks the return of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to the 1.33-mile Nashville Superspeedway, after three years racing on a downtown temporary street circuit. It also will the championship-determining finale to the 17-race 2024 INDYCAR SERIES season.
• Going into tomorrow’s 2024 championship finale, defending series champion Alex Palou holds a 33-point lead [525-492] over rival Will Power. Palou can clinch his second consecutive title – and third in the last four years – with a ninth-place or better result on Sunday.
• This weekend’s season-finale at Nashville will be the sixth oval track event in the Hybrid era of NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The system also has been employed this year at Iowa Speedway, World Wide Technology Raceway, the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, Portland and Milwaukee.

Where to Watch
Television coverage of Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix starts at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage for both races also will be available on the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 218).

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CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY LEBANON, TENNESSEE TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 14, 2024 JOSEF NEWGARDEN AND WILL POWER LEAD TEAM CHEVY IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES QUALIFYING AT NASHVILLEJosef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet, qualified second for Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at his hometown track of Nashville Superspeedway with his fastest two-lap average of 201.352 mph.NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Championship contender and Newgarden’s Team Penske teammate Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Business Chevrolet, qualified fourth for Sunday’s 206-lap, 267.8-mile race.Overall, Chevrolet finished Saturday’s qualifying session with six in the top 10, including Newgarden, Power, AJ Foyt Racing’s Santino Ferrucci (fifth), Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Conor Daly (seventh), Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward (eighth) and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin (ninth).Additionally, the Bowtie brand kicked off the race weekend with first practice Saturday morning at the 1.33-mile concrete D-shaped oval, finishing the session with five in the top 10 that included O’Ward (fourth), Power (sixth), McLaughlin (seventh), Ed Carpenter Racing rookie Christian Rasmussen (eighth), and Ferrucci (10th).The green flag for Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix from Middle Tennessee’s Nashville Superspeedway drops live at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Additional coverage of the 206-lap, 267.8-mile main event broadcast via Peacock, as well as INDYCAR Radio and SiriusXM Channel 218.TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULT:Pos.  Driver2nd    Josef Newgarden (201.352 mph)4th     Will Power (200.628 mph)5th     Santino Ferrucci (200.497 mph)7th     Conor Daly (200.393 mph)8th     Pato O’Ward (200.294 mph)9th     Scott McLaughlin (200.230 mph) TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 FIRST PRACTICE RESULT:Pos.   Driver4th     Pato O’Ward (199.180 mph)6th     Will Power (198.942 mph)7th     Scott McLaughlin (198.470 mph)8th     Christian Rasmussen (198.338 mph)10th   Santino Ferrucci (198.001 mph)

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Solid qualifying in the Sexton Properties Chevy. Pretty awesome to start fifth and slide the top five already — we’ve been on a roll! I think our keeping the momentum going is just huge. Obviously, we were disappointed with the qualifying results in Milwaukee. We kind of knew what we did wrong, so to improve on that, come here and end up where we did was pretty awesome — and there’s still a little bit more left in it. So we’ll see how we do in the final practice and in the race. “It was a great run, I had to crack the throttle one time, which I was a little annoyed about, but more for precautions than anything else. We had a really good run going and we didn’t want to ruin it by hitting the wall.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Lost fuel pressure, we don’t know why yet but the car is obviously very good and I’m very, very disappointed to end the year’s last qualifying like that because I think that we would have been running top 10 in no time. When you have to do that (start last) at a race like this where it’s going to probably be more single file it really matters how we start.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I’m a little underwhelmed, to be honest. Pretty keen to be flat, and I was. Pretty bummed we didn’t get more speed out of it. I don’t know if it was trim or just missing a bit of speed, but I think we can fight from there. I think we’ll be alright. I think the race is going to be pretty tough passing-wise, but I’m looking forward to it. (Nashville) is quick. It feels a bit like Texas, to be honest. It’s probably the closest one that I can think of that’s somewhat similar to what I think we have now. This is concrete. It’s a concrete superspeedway and it’s different. It’s different on the tire. It’s quite bumpy. There are a few bumps here and there that make it pretty gnarly, so you just have to stay on top of it and really have it in the window alone and in traffic. The car changes in traffic significantly.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“So far, so good. I think it’s been a good day so far. I’ve kind of taken to (Nashville) pretty quickly never having been here before. I think I got everything out of it I could on this run, and I think maybe we were a little bit conservative on the setup side of things. But you never know. We went more aggressive than practice, and you never really know how big of a step you need to take. In hindsight, we could’ve gone a little bit more, but overall, I think it was a pretty strong run for us.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I mean, it’s sketchy out here. Basically, in turn one and turn two it’s pretty easy flat. It’s that notorious bump in (turns) three and four. We drove a little bit less downforce than I kind of practiced with this morning. I hit that bump, and on the warmup lap and starting my first lap, I got a pretty big bump, so I had to get out of it for a brief moment. It cost us a little bit of time. I stayed flat for my two push laps. A lot faster than we were this morning. Still a great job by the No. 21 Chevy crew. Looking forward to tomorrow. We’re hanging in pretty decently. I’m confident.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“I think the team has grown a lot, and I’ve done a very decent job behind the wheel. Still mad at myself for Portland, but I think the rest of the year has been fantastic, so I’m proud of my guys, proud of my season, and excited for this weekend. It’s a first (racing on a concrete oval), but it’s a great place and happy to be here. I think, hopefully, the grandstands get more and more full during the weekend, but INDYCAR has for sure has had an amazing race season. It’s good to be here. There’s still a chance tomorrow (to race to victory lane). I feel good. I’m proud of Juncos Hollinger Racing. I’m proud of the work that’s been done by Chevy this year to give us all we had from simulator to reliability, to good power on track.” Conor Daly, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“(The track) is interesting. It’s a real challenge in turns three and four, but it reminds me of the INDYCAR racing I used to watch as a kid. Really cool high-intensity oval racing, but in (turns) three and four, the bump, I wish that wasn’t there. I feel like we could be a little bit more aggressive if we didn’t have that, but it’s kind of wild so far. You never know where you’re going to end up on the other side of it. Our car has definitely improved over the bumps. We’re definitely going to need to work on it over a long stint and heavy fuel load are going to be really tough, too.” Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Wish we could have been more aggressive there at the end, but you’re taking a guess at it. We all are. So, it was a good run. Our car was really solid. Just probably could have been more aggressive after doing it. The bump in turn three is going to be  part of the challenge, but I think we’ll have a good car underneath us. Team Chevy’s done a great job, and I love driving the Astemo car. I think it’s good looking on the track. The race is hard to 100% say just now. I’m hoping we get a lot of drop off with the tires. That’s going to make the show good.  “Excited to be home so for me, just for qualifying, is like some of the most people I’ve seen. Milwaukee was similar, so I think Big Machine has done a great job I think we’re going to have a good crowd here, so thanks to them. I’m excited to see what tomorrow looks like.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Not the best run, chassis-wise. We were probably a little bit aggressive on some aero and stuff like that. We’ll see what we’ve got. We’re starting a little bit further back than we want, but I feel like we’ve got a reasonable DEX Imaging Chevy and we’ll see what we’ve got.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“The lap, couldn’t have done anymore. That was as much as we had. It was as fast as we could go. Wasn’t quite good enough. It’s a different package (since last here in 2008), the car is ultimately just heavier now. The track I really like. It’s a really nice track. Really nice having a cement track. It’ll be interesting to see after practice how well it races. We have a high-line (practice), see if it’s nice in the high-line and rubber that in, make it a good race.”

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet – Front Row Press Conference:THE MODERATOR: Josef Newgarden joins us. He’ll be on the front row for tomorrow’s race, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, fourth front row start of the season, including the Indianapolis 500. Second straight going back to the Milwaukee race a couple weeks ago. Happy with that? Ready to start in the front row in your hometown? JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yes, I think it would be irresponsible not to be happy with it. I think it’s good. I’m a little disappointing. I wanted to preface it with we are happy, but I just think we — you can always look back at it after the fact and say we could have done this a little bit different. I think we had one limiter hit at the end of the second lap, and I think that second lap was actually going to be faster. It was trending faster after of Turn 2. Now that it’s all over and you look at it, you go, I wonder if that would have — I think it could have been the difference. The team did a great job. The car was really great to drive. Honestly, it was amazing. So comfortable and very simple to put the laps together. Probably could have been more aggressive, too. The track cooled off a lot, gained a significant amount of grip just from practice. So yeah, I think we’re happy with it. We’ve got at least a good field of view to start the race, which is fantastic, and now we get to go to work on the race car and try and figure that piece of the puzzle out. Team Chevy has done a good job for us so far this weekend and we’re going to go try to go get a win.Q. The option tires are the softer alternate tire. How do you think that’s going to influence strategy tomorrow?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it’ll be quite pivotal. It’s a very big difference to anything we’ve had before on the ovals. I think it’s going to be critical to understand what you like and what you want to run. It’s going to be almost the name of the game in a lot of ways. Q. Do you think there’s a chance to — where do you see this track in terms of has it improved with this compound or —JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know. We’ll probably have a better idea after tonight. Q. Josef, front of the grid, we’ve got Willy P going for a championship, yourself and everybody else looking to win a race, just go get a victory. Talk about balancing that mindset. Obviously there’s a team goal championship potential, but you, McLaughlin, Kirkwood, Rosenqvist, you’d all love to go home with that P1 guitar. Talk about balancing those initiatives.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, it’s a great question. I think for us, and I think I’ve answered this kind of a couple times in different iterations, but I think that it’s similar to Milwaukee. You’ve really got to run your program as normal as you can. You start trying to get too clever and orchestrate something, I think that’s when you get into trouble. The name of the game for us is to run a normal program, let’s try and do the best job in the 2 car. Of course the priority for us is if we’re in a position to win the championship, we need to try to seal that off, and we will all do that. We’re prepared to do what’s necessary to win a championship because we’re all in it together at the end of the day. But I think the way you get there is by running a normal race in a lot of respects. We’ve just got to go do our jobs, take care of each other, and hopefully the chips fall our way and we can button things up. If we can do that, it’ll be a good day for everybody. Q. Trouble spots on the racetrack, it seems like between 3 and 4 there were a couple INDY NXT cars and seemed kind of (indiscernible) out there. Is that kind of a place to worry about?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: The second lane so far was not friendly, just to be transparent. I got there pretty early once and it was tough to do a lot with it. It’s tough to see how that’s going to trend, but right now it was tough. Yeah, but I think the bump is definitely the overriding concern of everybody right now, and it’s kind of nice, it definitely has character. It’s not like all over the track, it’s just this one point, but you’ve got to make up for it, and some are setting the car up around it, too. It reminds me of Iowa in Turn 1, Turn 2 when you have huge big corner bump that everyone always had to account for, so it feels a little bit like that, but yeah, I think 3 and 4 will be the tougher spot. The second lane, it’s just hard to say right now. I don’t know if it’s going to come in. I really hope it does. Everyone does. Q. Qualifying second coming off — I presume is Milwaukee pretty much one you want to forget about? Is this a fresh start after what might be the worst weekend of your car?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Maybe so. That’s a good assessment. Things are going well so far. Let’s get through tomorrow and see what happens and then get to the off-season. Q. Josef, will the bump (indiscernible) create passing opportunities?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think you’re going to need deg to have a race, and that’s only one factor in if this thing will race well. The likelihood of the second lane coming in, transparently it seems low, but these things are so difficult to predict. Here’s what I will say. This is very true. It’s sometimes tough to get this package right in the first go. This is a new car from a long, long time ago when we used to run here. We put our best foot forward as a series. I think Firestone has done a good job trying to assess and bring us something that’s going to work here. If we don’t get it right this weekend, we will get it right in the future. You’ve seen that we can do this. Gateway was a great show, Milwaukee was a great show. It is very possible for us to figure out the formula, but it’s a difficult formula to work out because it requires something different every week. It’s not plug and play for each track. It’s a tricky way to find solutions. Let’s see; I don’t know exactly how — I don’t know of us know exactly how this is going to trend yet, but we’ll get some tire degradation and we’ll see how the marbles play out and if we can use that second lane or if we can just pass using the second lane. Q. I wanted to know what it’s like over 206 laps for tomorrow’s race because in watching the practice this morning, it wasn’t just the bump over the tunnel, it just seemed like the drivers’ heads were bobbing. Is it a rough track being cement and does that affect your body more because of the 14 degrees of banking?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It is a rough track. It’s quite wavy, if you think of it that way. It feels more like a street course surface throughout the whole thing. I don’t think it is more physical. You’re just kind of noticing the heaving motion of the car is different than what you typically get on an oval track, but it actually feels like it has pretty good grip on the surface. It’s more the second lane, does that have grip or not. But no, I don’t think it’s going to affect us.

READING, PA (September 14, 2024) —- Mark Pawuk and the Empaco Don Schumacher Memorial Dodge Drag Pak posted the quickest time in qualifying, 7.433 seconds, at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals from Maple Grove Raceway to grab his sixth career No. 1 qualifier. It was Pawuk’s second No. 1 of the season. Pawuk is followed by Jason Dietsch and Stephen Bell to round out the top three race cars. All three manufacturers are represented with Pawuk’s Dodge, Dietsch’s Mustang and Bell’s Camaro making quick runs all weekend in qualifying. Pawuk will face Doug Hamp in the first round with the winner facing either Scott Libersher or Ricky Hord.   “Right now, every point matters for this Flexjet championship,” said Pawuk. “Every round of eliminations means a lot. I need to go rounds here and rounds in St Louis. David Janac, Stephen Bell have been very tough competitors all year, and you even put Libersher in the mix. Nobody’s out of it (the championship). I have to have a couple good races and hope that things fall my way, so I have a shot at the championship. I’ve never won a championship. It’s always been in my dreams. And all can do is go out and do the best the I can.”   In the final qualifying session Pawuk jumped the tree and did not have a quality pass to close out qualifying. In the opening qualifying session point leader Pawuk ran his Empaco Don Schumacher memorial Dodge Drag Pak to the top spot with a strong 7.743 second, 173.07 mph pass. Dietsch, 7.753 seconds, and Bell, 7.799 seconds, landed right behind Pawuk in the No. 2 and No. 3 provisional qualifying spots in their Mustang and Camaro, respectively.  Mark Pawuk raced to his second Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 of the season at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, photo credit Auto Imagery/Gary Nastase“I didn’t get down this last session, it was driver error,” said Pawuk. “That’s going to affect what we do here for first and or the second round. I just have to go out and race my race. Hopefully the win lights come out in my lane.”   The biggest jump of the second qualifying session was championship contender Janac jumping up to the No. 5 spot from the bottom of the field. His second run of 7.818 seconds at 175.30 mph put his Mustang Cobra Jet in the top half of the field. Throughout the day on Saturday in front packed grandstands Pawuk and the rest of the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series competitors made solid runs but did not shuffle the field.   “This was always one of my favorite places to race back in the day when the Lewis family owned it, and now, obviously, with the Koretskys,” said Pawuk. “The fans up this way love these factory stock cars. They love Pro Stock. They always have. I never got a Wally from here.”   “This race has been great because you see the fans fill the grandstands and the support that we had from sponsors like Ohio CAD, Mr. Heater, Summit Racing, and Red Line Oil. This the home of Barton Racing Engines and David Barton who works on this car,” added Pawuk.   The elimination ladder is set and Jason Dietsch, the U.S. Nationals No. 1 qualifier will carry the Flexjet $1,000 Bounty. The two U.S. Nationals finalists Kevin Skinner and Raymond Nash were not able to attend the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals due to car issues following the biggest face of the season. Dietsch will face Anthony Troyer in the first round looking to hold onto the Flexjet Bounty.   First Round Match-ups No. 1 Mark Pawuk vs. No. 12 Doug Hamp No. 2 Jason Dietsch vs. 11 Anthony Troyer No. 3 Stephen Bell vs. No. 10 Pete Gasko Jr. No. 4 Jonathan Allegrucci vs. No. 9 Lee Hartman No. 5 David Janac vs. No. 8 AJ Berge No. 6 Scott Libersher vs. No. 7 Ricky Hord   2024 FLEXJET NHRA FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN SCHEDULE Sept. 27-29                  13th annual NHRA Midwest Nationals, St. Louis

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

Chastain Claims First Pole Win of the Season at Watkins Glen

·       Ross Chastain, driver of the No. 1 Busch Light Camaro ZL1, laid down a best-lap of 72.130 seconds, at 122.279 mph, around the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International to claim his first pole win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season.  ·       Chastain’s pole – his second in NASCAR’s top division – marks Chevrolet’s eighth pole of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season; the manufacturer’s 17th pole at Watkins Glen International; and its 751st all-time in the division.  ·       Five drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations earned top-10 qualifying efforts, with Chastain leading Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen in third and AJ Allmendinger in sixth; Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in fourth; and Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing teammate, Daniel Suarez, in eighth.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER1st      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Camaro ZL13rd      Shane van Gisbergen, No. 16 WeatherTech Camaro ZL14th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL16th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 13 Go Bowling Camaro ZL18th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1  Ross Chastain, No. 1 Busch Light Camaro ZL1 – Pole Win QuoteWhat are the emotions you’re feeling right now? “So many. So much work has gone into this. Turning right seems simple, but it’s been something that’s been such a challenge for me. I’ve gone to Skip Barber’s Driving School to learn how to turn right. I’ve leaned on Josh Wise and Scott Speed so much. Chevrolet has taken us out to Spring Mountain and has done schooling with Ron Fellows and the instructors there. It wasn’t any one thing, it was just so many years of trying to learn how to do this.  For our No. 1 Busch Light Chevy team, it’s just a career moment, a lifetime achievement, to go faster than everyone in the Cup Series. It just unbelievable for Trackhouse Racing and myself.”

ERIC WARREN, Executive Director, Global Motorsports Competition at General Motors, met with members of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES media to discuss Chevrolet’s ninth Manufacturers Championship in the series since 2012 — Press Conference Transcript: THE MODERATOR: Good morning. Welcome to the Nashville Superspeedway and the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Presented by Gainbridge. We’re celebrating champions this weekend. We wanted to start by celebrating Chevrolet as the 2024 manufacturer champion. Their third consecutive manufacturers championship in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, their ninth since they returned to INDYCAR in 2012. Of course, with one race remaining, they lead the series with 11 wins, eight NTT P1 awards. Here to talk about that is Eric Warren, executive director for general motorsports competition. Very successful season for you. Tell us how you guys did it. ERIC WARREN: Thanks, Dave. You took some of the stats there away from me (smiling). The manufacturers championship really comes down to performance and reliability. If you look at last year, we won the manufacturers championship by 12 points. As we sit here today, we’re up 150 points with still a race left. If you look at that, it really comes down to the quality of our teams, the performance of our teams. As we looked at this year and any year, manufacturer’s goals are to win the Indy 500, which we did with a great performance there; to win a manufacturers championship, which we’ve done. We got one goal left with the drivers, and the race is tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll have some good fortune there. The important part is looking at our teams. Really, if you go back to that important race in the month of May, the performance there of sweeping the Fast Six, we swept the podium at three different events. I think what’s really important is all of our teams, Team Penske, Arrow McLaren, Ed Carpenter, Juncos Hollinger, AJ Foyt, they’ve contributed to the manufacturers points. The strength of our teams, what we’ve been able to accomplish on the racetrack, has been the big difference this year. THE MODERATOR: Obviously INDYCAR is hugely competitive. We saw a record number of passing in Milwaukee. What does it take to succeed at this level certainly on a consistent basis like you have done this year? ERIC WARREN: Again, I think it’s our teams, our drivers, our ownership. We really invest a lot in those relationships. At the end of the day it’s about people and performing in the moment. Last year we really spent a lot of time as Chevrolet meeting with each of our teams and our drivers, really digging into the details of where we lost performance or where we needed to improve. If we look at our partners, our great engine partner with Ilmor, really the work that they did along with the propulsion group at GM, we closed that gap down where you could see it from the first race. Look at our road course performance this year compared to last year. That was a big part of it. It’s also deeper than that. We’ve invested a lot in our own personnel inside of GM and Chevrolet, engineering, the relationships with the teams. If you look at what it takes to win, as competitive as this series is, from different aerodynamic configurations and tweaks and simulation, all the things that modern racing requires with investment in simulators, it really comes down to the relationships between the teams and manufacturers, how we can support them in what they need, engineering, give the drivers the confidence to execute and the teams to make good decisions during races. THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions. Q. Not only did you have a decisive season, but midway through you had a new formula with the hybrid engine. How proud are you of the effort with the motor generator unit, which was the part that General Motors was responsible for? I haven’t heard any issues that have happened with that unit.ERIC WARREN: Of course, I couldn’t be more proud, the fact we’ve won seven out of eight since that started. Again, the relationship with Ilmor, our engineering at Chevrolet, so much time was spent on that, again, in parallel with the engine development for the rest of the season. A lot of interaction with the series, INDYCAR, Honda and GM. As you look at this package, successful as it has been, it’s really that collaboration. It really comes down to not just Chevrolet, but Honda and INDYCAR, how we work together.I think as we look towards the future, that collaboration between that group and the industry as a whole is really what allows it to be successful and keep the competition as it is. But certainly the success of the hybrid, our performance, it was a big factor. I hesitate to call it a fear, but a focus of where we put our effort. Seeing the successful performance is because of our efforts. Q. (No microphone.)ERIC WARREN: No, I think I would say without any issue you get into the details. As an engineer you always look at it it’s not perfect. It has performed great. It’s a whole system. Certainly the MGU and the super capacitors and the whole package has really been flawless, if you look at it. Q. About the hybrid, so much was made of that in the pre-season, changing engine formulas halfway through. Can you expand on that? Was that a result of your preparation? Did we make too much of it, it wasn’t as big of a switchover as you thought it would be?ERIC WARREN: I think if you look at the amount of effort that the series put in in testing, making a decision to make sure it was all ready before we implemented was key to that, right? There was a lot of push early on to say, Let’s get it the beginning of the year. We really took our time, did it correctly. The amount of hours that were spent on dynos between all of us, Honda, Chevrolet, all the partners. There’s a lot of work that went on behind the scenes to make sure the package was ready. Then to actually perform better requires a lot, how do you implement the tools, teach the drivers, the teams learn how to use it. All that has to come together to be successful. I think everybody really did their homework and the results show it. Q. The communication with the teams, at St. Pete when Chevrolet had such a great start, Pato O’Ward talked about there was a meeting with McLaren. Is that something that continued throughout the year with all the teams? Was there an emphasis put on having that line of communication be more open this year?ERIC WARREN: I think our program across the board, we’ve really been investing in more engineering capabilities. Our Charlotte technical center, what we’ve done across all our series at GM races, we want to race with the teams, be there with them. We did have big meetings. Why are we losing? We don’t want to lose. Having that relationship and getting into where we can technically contribute really came down to quite a few items that we needed to be better at. The way we invested our effort, with the right areas, we had learned. Even you look at the Indy 500 from ’22 to ’23, we made the big step. We kind of learned. Again, you look at what we did this year, continued with that. It really comes down to making sure we’re giving the teams what they need and maximizing our resources. It is a lot of different pieces. Fuel mileage. A lot of strategic things the year before that Honda and some of the teams showed a big difference on fuel economy for the same horsepower, focused on that. Our road course performance, how we deploy the torque, how we get off the corner setups. It’s all of it together. I mean, I think the teams obviously are the ones that have to execute. They’ve done a great job. We just try to listen and help where we can. Q. Obviously this is great winning the championship. Still have a NASCAR championship, IMSA. You had the announcement with Cadillac on the IMSA side. Any updates there? Any updates on the Formula 1 side as you look forward?ERIC WARREN: Sports car, it’s great seeing sports car, all the manufacturers coming in. We talk about golden eras of racing. There’s a lot of excitement around sports car. Cadillac, what’s great about that vehicle is there’s a lot of elements where you can see the different styling and design, fans. Of course, the sound of it is very unique. It’s been an exciting program. The level of competition in there is something that requires continuous work. We’re not where we want to be certainly. Chasing the Porsches and Acura on the IMSA side, we’ve been competitive. Got a lot of work to do in the WEC series and continue to invest. On the pole in Fuji this weekend. Excited about making that progress. We have to keep investing in that to be competitive. We got into it globally to expand the Cadillac brand. We want to compete. We’ll continue to invest in that, both people, technology, team, drivers. Until we’re winning, we’re not going to stop. On the F1 side, been working on it two years. It’s a process. We’re developing heavily a power unit. We’re developing heavily the car. We will continue to go through the process. Had some positive meetings this past week. We’re not giving up on that one. We’ve made a commitment to enter. One way or another we’re going to be there. Q. Looking ahead to next year, there’s going to be a couple more Chevrolet-powered teams. Can you expand on how close to the limit maybe Chevrolet is on resources to supply that, but also trying to maintain this level of performance.ERIC WARREN: Anytime we get an opportunity to add a quality team, we want to take a hard look at it. With Prima, one of the things as we looked at them coming from Europe, the success they had in some of the lower series, their access to drivers, experience with drivers, is something that we felt like will add to the mix. It is difficult as we add teams because, again, as much as we as Chevrolet want the teams to work totally together for Chevrolet, they’re still racing each other and still competitive. It creates more mouths to feed, information. We see that as a positive. The more we can learn, more we can try different things. But there’s a limit of we don’t want to spread our resources out too thin and not be able to compete. Q. (No microphone.)ERIC WARREN: I always say we’re over the limit. Certainly I get told that by our finance people (smiling). But we keep pushing. We’re maxed out. Again, it’s important to us that the series is successful. Sometimes just the attrition of people and teams and everything, we have to keep investing in it. We try to look at each situation individually and whether we can handle it. I think we’re okay. Q. In terms of development, you never focus on one thing, what would be the key aims for next season where you’re focusing to improve?ERIC WARREN: I still think we have to improve on some of the road courses. When you look at the consistency of Palou, obviously he’s leading, we want to be leading. I think we understand that more. We still have work to do. I think, again, continuing working that with our teams, trying to figure out where to raise those deficiencies, I think we’ll continue to push. Q. Talks seem to be going pretty well for a new car. From your standpoint, how important would it be to maybe readjust the weight so the extra weight of the hybrid assist is more towards the center of the car? How much are the engine manufacturers offering ideas?ERIC WARREN: I think as an engine manufacturer, certainly we have involvement there. But we’re also, as Chevrolet, really partners in the series. Again, I think as we talked about the hybrid, as we look towards the future, what have we learned there? How do you improve the efficiency of the engine is really what we’re about on the engine side. How do we transfer technology to the production side? As we get opportunities to talk about that, it’s important that we all work together. There’s elements such as the weight, but it’s a whole system and whole package that we’re still working on. We’re excited to be a part of it. I think when we all work together, great things can happen. THE MODERATOR: It’s been a championship season. Congratulations. A chance this weekend to pad the stats a little bit. ERIC WARREN: Thank you.

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Watkins Glen International.  Media Availability Quotes:  How has your team been preparing for the new tire that you guys are going to have this weekend? I know you haven’t been on track yet, but how have you guys been preparing for what could be three seconds of falloff? “Yeah, it’s a little bit tricky. I was fortunate enough to be here for the tire test a couple months ago, and I believe – I’m not 100 percent sure, but I’m 90 percent sure that all three drivers that were here, including myself, all spun out with this tire because the falloff was pretty big. But it’s going to create good racing. Obviously at the time during the tire test, we didn’t know what air pressures this tire likes. Since then, we’ve made some adjustments in the car to better. But overall, the tire is going to falloff more, which is going to create a better strategy when it comes to the stages and things like that. So yeah, we believe that we’re very well prepared. We’ll see where we stack up with everyone else.” Juan Pablo Montoya is going Cup racing this weekend. How much are you looking forward to being on the same track as him? “Yeah, I had an opportunity to meet Juan a long time ago. He’s an amazing racecar driver. Something I like about him is how versatile he is. He drives everything, or he used to drive everything.. from Formula 1, to NASCAR, to Prototypes.. things like that. He’s an amazing talent. I’m very happy to have him back. I had the opportunity to talk to him yesterday at the airport. But yeah, he’s excited. Obviously a lot has changed since he was here.. a lot. Not just in the cars, but with the drivers. So I’m really looking forward to see how it goes this weekend.” Where did you meet him? “I can’t remember.. probably at a race track somewhere. Yeah, probably at a race track when he was running full-time and I was just coming up through the series. At the time, I didn’t speak English and luckily he spoke Spanish to me (laughs).” Where did you guys spin out during the test? “I can’t remember where (Austin) Cindric spun out. I spun out entering the carousel and right at the entry of the bus stop with this particular tire. There were two tires that were very soft and they had a lot of falloff, and this was one of them. Yeah, after 10 or 15 laps, there was a big falloff. With that being said, maybe the cambers were not correct for these tires. Maybe the air pressure was not correct for these tires. So I’m pretty sure we’re going to be much better now. But still, a softer tire is going to falloff more. I think that’s a good thing. I like that.. a big falloff, I think, creates better racing.” Had the track changes been made before the test, with the recessed rumble strips in turn one and the different bus stop? “It did.. only like 20 percent of them. The reason why they increased them so much more is because we had those conversations at the time, that the two lanes weren’t doing anything. We were just going across them and it was exactly the same thing. So we had a conversation at the time a couple months ago, that if you really want to stop us, you have to do the entire thing. That’s what they did, and I felt like that was the right thing to do. So yeah, I believe that the ARCA guys and the Xfinity guys maybe have a shot to use it a little bit more than we will because they’ll have more tire and a harder tire. But I feel like in the Cup stuff, we’re going to pay a bigger penalty. That’s what I think.. we’ll find out in a couple of hours.” How do you imagine that it changes going into turn one, since you can’t get out as wide and you’re not able to use as much of the track? How does that change your entry and approach to everything in that corner? “Well now, it’s going to be a real corner, you know? Now, you actually have to slow down to make the corner and make an apex. Before, if you watch the restarts – and I spent a lot of time this week trying to watch and understand the restart trends – well, everything is going to be different now. Before, if you guys remember when (Kyle) Larson won here a couple years ago; he just overdrove the entry into turn one, and then both cars just went super wide. Well now, that won’t be an option.. or I don’t think it’ll be an option. We’ll see. But if it is an option, you’re going to pay a bigger penalty than before. I just think that now, you’re going to have to really slow down to make the apex of the corner. Which before, if you didn’t make the apex of the corner, it didn’t matter because you could reshape it somewhere in the Pennsylvania and then come back (laughs).” You’ve had a great start to your playoffs and you’re coming to a road course. How encouraged are you by everything, and what do you think about the weekend?“Yeah, obviously it was a good start at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). It was what we were hoping for. You always want a little bit more when you’re in that situation, but besides a win, I felt like it went as good as it could have been. It was a good start. But with that being said, we have another nine races. That was just week one of the playoffs, so we have to continue to stay focused; continue to move forward. We have to continue to learn what we could have done better as a group; myself, the team, everyone. And yeah, then come here to a road course, which obviously I enjoy and do well. I believe that we’re going to be hopefully contending upfront and hopefully we can have another shot at it.” There will be two Latinos starting in this race. What can you tell us about the diversity and inclusion in the sport? “Yeah, of course. Obviously being a Latino in NASCAR, for me, is a huge privilege. And also, it’s a huge responsibility. When you were asking the question, I was trying to think about the last time we had more than one Latino in the race. I mean obviously we had Aric Almirola, which is a descendant of Cuba. Juan Pablo Montoya, he speaks Spanish fluently. He grew up in Columbia, so it’s a little bit different. Yeah, I feel very, very fortunate to be one of the Latinos, and be the one that’s been here for a little while. It’s been a huge responsibility and a huge privilege. The Spanish Heritage Month coming up, that’s one of the months that for me personally, is the most fun of the year. As you can imagine, I feel very blessed that here in the United States, we get to celebrate Spanish Heritage Month every single year. It’s amazing. Obviously some of my sponsors, they’ve given me an opportunity to do different things on and off the track. Last week, I don’t know if you saw, but we had a super cool design on my Quaker State racecar. It was actually designed by a Mexican artist. So things like that. I know that last week wasn’t during Spanish Heritage Month, but it was thinking ahead, right? So just feel very, very proud to be here, and I’m very proud to be recognized during Spanish Heritage Month.” No mic…“Oh, of course. And really, NASCAR has been welcoming diversity and inclusion for many, many years. The only thing is that now – it always takes somebody to start breaking the mold, you know? Juan Pablo Montoya did an amazing job 10 years ago. It just takes a few people – drivers, mechanics, engineers, pit crew members – to start breaking that mold. For me, I feel very, very proud every time I go to the garage and I see my friends that work at Front Row, 23XI, all these guys are Hispanic and we communicate in Spanish. So for me, they’re not part of my team, but I consider them friends because we are together on this journey of the Latinos and Hispanics in NASCAR. It’s very special. We definitely have an interesting connection, even though we are on different teams, and I hope that just continues to grow. Obviously in the last five to seven years that I’ve been here, it’s definitely grown a lot.” You come into today 22 points above the cutline. Not knowing how much the tire will falloff, how will that effect your overall strategy?“Yeah, I mean honestly, the points situation – I’m not trying to really pay too much attention to that. I’m just trying to do the best race that I could possibly do here at Watkins Glen this weekend. And then, in my mind, everything else is going to take care of itself. Am I going to take major risks? Probably not.. I’m not in the position that I have to win the race to be able to advance. I have to be smart, but I also have to do my race. I cannot be thinking about the points because that’s not the best way to race, in my opinion. But yeah, definitely we’re in a good position with the points, but I’m just trying to focus on the race; focus in the car and how I can maximize the potential of our weekend. If that’s enough for a top-five, great. If that’s enough for a win, we’ll take it.  So we’ll see.. we’ll see where we stack up with everyone else.” Speaking of the points, I get you don’t really look at that or approach the race because of that. But given that you finished so well last weekend, does that impact how you guys decide to attack this race? Do you guys go through what your strategy is before the race, or is it more so you just do whatever your crew chief tells you to do and you trust him? “I honestly believe – I mean we had a conversation, but I believe that whether we’re plus-22 points or minus-15 points.. to me, we have to attack the race the same way. It doesn’t change anything because you have to continue to maximize what you have. Continue to maximize your points. Continue to maximize your finish. And you still have one more race to go. So it’s not like everything is on this race. If this was the last race.. if this was next weekend, probably you have to look at it as ‘all or nothing’. But we’re not there, you know? A lot of things can happen in two races, as you very well know. We just have to go out there and execute our race; maximize the potential of our racecar. I’m pretty sure that’s going to be pretty good. In the past, this has been a pretty good track for us. We’ve been good here in the past.. we’ve never been great. So hopefully we can be great this weekend.” We go to Bristol next weekend and that’s been a hard track for you. How many points above the elimination line would you feel comfortable with going into there? “Like 75 points.. so I can stay in the motorhome (laughs). No, honestly Bristol is one of my favorite race tracks. Every time people ask me, Bristol is one of my favorite race tracks. I wasn’t a fan of the dirt race there, but for whatever reason, I was good at it. We were always good.. better on the dirt than the concrete. But Bristol is one of my favorite race tracks. A few years ago, we were actually very strong there. And for some reason, the last few years have been a struggle. It’s been a struggle with the balance; tires, with this, with that. We’ve put a lot of effort this time around in Bristol, to be able to be better. We know that’s a little bit of a weakness that we have, and we’ve had as a team at Trackhouse for a couple of years. Hopefully we can be better. But when it comes to points, man honestly, I don’t know.. definitely more than 30 points, just to feel comfortable. But if we’re able to improve our package for Bristol and we can run top-15, we’re going to be plenty good, I think.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

WILLIAM BYRON, DRIVER OF THE NO. 24 LIBERITY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 AND THE NO. 17 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO SS, met with the media in advance of racing double duty in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series at Watkins Glen International.  Media Availability Quotes:  Do you have any idea what the changes in the track will be like now that you’ve had a chance to look at them and how it could impact how you drive the track?“Yeah, I mean it looks like, from the ARCA race; it looked like they used kind of that six feet of excess, between the curb and the rumbles. So I feel like that’s probably what it will do, especially starting out, and then we’ll kind of see from there. It looked pretty dirty within the rumbles that they cut in the track. It looked like there was a lot of residual dirt and dust. I mean yeah, we’ll just see. I think we’ll be still using some runoff, but obviously not to the level we were, probably.” Today, Connor Zilisch will make his Xfinity Series debut. Is there a lot of interest about him from the Cup guys, or are you not worried about someone like him yet until he starts running Cup? “Well, no – I mean I think he’s been really impressive. He’s doing all the right things and making a lot of speed out there. It’s hard to judge when you’re in an ARCA race, per say. But yeah, I feel like he’ll get out there today and I’ll be up against him, so I’m excited to see how he does.” I think you were the first one a few years ago to note that you can only get 40 points at a road course race with the stages the way they are, and now that there are two of those situations in the playoffs this year. With the situation you’re in, are you thinking more stage points or are you thinking more about going for the win? Do you know how you’re going to play it yet? “Yeah, I mean I hope there’s kind of a combination of both that works. I feel like for us, if we’re in position to win, we’re probably going to go for that because that’s going to mean more for us hopefully down the road. But yeah, hopefully with this tire, there could be a position where you can get Stage One points and still compete for the win, like we saw maybe way back when the stages kind of first came along. You could pit and then still get seventh or eighth place stage points and still kind of tally them up that way. Hopefully it’s not like a 40-point max day because that would be tough, for sure.” What is it about Bristol and you that you’re either hit or miss.. podium finishes or wrecking out? Is it simply because it’s racing and unpredictable, and what can you do to help your odds when we go there next weekend? “Yeah, I mean I don’t really feel like we’ve ever been the dominant car there. So that’s the goal; try to inch up on that and figure out what we need to be more competitive there. But yeah, we’ve had some really good runs.. like top-three’s, but never like leading laps. So yeah, I think going to Bristol, there’s definitely going to be a lot of studying this week to figure out what it is that we need to be a little bit better yet. And then you have the tire, so you’re not really sure what that’s going to do. For us, it would be nice to be under less pressure going there and hopefully have a buffer and cushion of who knows how many points or a win. So it would be nice just to race freely there. The spring was just a fluke situation. We got put into the wall there and broke the toe link. That was tough. But yeah, I think we’re usually pretty solid there. We’re usually like a top-10 car, we just have to figure out what it takes to have winning speed.” Hendrick Motorsports has won the last five races here. Why do you feel like it’s such a good track for the organization? “Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I think we’ve had pretty good road course stuff for like a little less than a decade, and I feel like it just builds on itself, even though there was a car change. We actually did struggle with this car on the road courses initially.. like quite a bit. And then once we figured out what it needed; we have smart drivers and smart crew chiefs and we all contribute and get a package that we like, and then we go from there. I think that’s what it took with this car. And then yeah, Watkins Glen is just a faster place, so it takes a little bit of everything. The engine is really important, and we always have great engines. So I feel like we’ve been able to make the straightaways good; get through the braking zones and everything.” Being a little bit more seasoned now in the playoffs, do you find yourself approaching the 10 weeks any differently? Approaching each race any differently? Is it truly just business-as-usual, like the first 26 weeks? “Yeah, I’ve really just learned not to expect or let my guard now. I think last year, with all the bonus points that we had, I think we had 36.. I guess 41 by the time we got to the Round of Eight. But it was easy to feel like – man, we can kind of just point our way through this deal. And then you get to the Round of Eight and guys start to win, and it all really goes out the window. So I feel like for me, it’s learning from that; not letting my guard down and just really trying to show up each week and have winning speed.” This is Rudy’s (Fugle) home race. Do you notice anything different, in terms of his preparation, his attention, stuff like that, or is it also business-as-usual? “No, I mean it was a little bit last year. He had more family and things here. But this year, I feel like he’s just locked-in on what we need to do for the playoffs. So it’s probably, I don’t know his routine or anything like that, but he’s just focused on what we need to do, especially today. Try to qualify well.. that’s going to be important. And then see what the strategy is; see what the falloff is.”  Years ago, when we showed up at Watkins Glen, there were maybe four drivers that were going to win the race. Now, it’s so much deeper. Did you start focusing on becoming a good road course racer at the beginning of career, or is that something you’ve seen in recent years? “Yeah, I feel like it was kind of engrained in me from early on, K&N Series level. Like we’d go do tests with that, and then go race my cart at GoPro Motorplex, and I feel like it was just engrained in me pretty early on. I don’t really feel like at the time that there were that many road courses, but by the time I got to the Cup Series, it was two. And then like the next year, it was three with the ROVAL. No.. it was three the first year, and then yeah, it just kind of kept going and expanding. So it just fit the fact that I was ready for it, but I don’t think I really did it from a young age or anything, but definitely started to up my game when I was 16 or 17 years old.” You haven’t been on track yet, but how have you and your team been preparing for this weekend, knowing that you have a new tire that could have three seconds of falloff per lap? Are you expecting some chaos from that? Are you expecting what we saw at Bristol in the spring, or more like a Richmond situation? “Yeah, I think the tire is going to definitely falloff more, but we’re interested to see if that curb from the test flattens out a little bit because typically it does when you get rubber on the race track.. more cars get the right tire pressures, all those things. So yeah, I think there will still be a lot of falloff and it’ll just be interesting to see if that effects qualifying, if we’re not able to re-run. Or if in the race, like I said, maybe flip the stages because you need tires. It could shakeup the way that you strategize the race, for sure, because typically you’re just trying to strategize based on fuel.” This is the last race for Hendrick Motorsports’ Xfinity Series program. How important for you is it to run that race today, given the track adjustments for tomorrow’s Cup race? Is it going to be beneficial for you to run this race? “Yeah, I mean I love running here, so it was just really a place where I wanted to come run. And also, more laps on a road course are always great. The last one we had was Chicago, which is very unique, so it’s just nice to have 20 minutes of practice and a full race going into tomorrow. Hopefully it’s fun and hopefully we can compete for the win and be up there with Shane (van Gisbergen) and whoever else is upfront.”  Talking about last year, Martinsville Speedway was such a struggle. We saw at Darlington, another driver have a struggle, with Tyler Reddick staying in the car with his situation. I think we can all relate to a sense of feeling uncomfortable when we’re on a drive, but we can pull off. What is that like? When you look back at Martinsville, was that the hardest day in your career and how does somebody get through that? “Yeah, I mean you just have to distract yourself with what the task is. Tyler (Reddick) and I’s situations were different, for sure. But for me personally, as hot as I was, I was just thinking about – how do I get the next spot on the race track. If I could do that, I felt like I was going to advance. I think I had to get like seven or eight spots in the last stage, and I was running 22nd. I think we ended up finishing 13th because a couple guys pitted. It was just about getting the next position and trying to distract myself with that and not think about how I’m feeling. If I thought about how I was feeling, I was probably going to slow down.” No mic..“Not since maybe like late models, when I was like out of shape (laughs).”  Juan Pablo Montoya is coming back to race this weekend. Are you looking forward to being on the same track with someone as successful as he has been in his racing career? “Yeah, I mean he was the man when I was growing up. He was really good here. He was good everywhere, just didn’t maybe win the oval races that he could have or should have. But yeah, it’ll be nice to be on the track with him. Hopefully he’s nice and respectful of the playoff guys (laughs).”

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R tops Hyperpole field for the Six Hours of Fuji

FUJI, Japan (Sept. 14, 2024) – The plush mallard duck perched on the roof of the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R in the garage at Fuji Speedway is an object lesson and team mantra – maintain a calm, businesslike approach while paddling furiously. That is what Cadillac Racing has done in its 14-race FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) program spanning two seasons — maintain focus and determination through ups and downs, highs and lows to extract the best from the racecar and individuals. A milestone nearly as tall as nearby Mount Fuji was attained Saturday as Alex Lynn drove the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R to the team’s first WEC pole position. “Congratulations to the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R on securing pole position in qualifying for the Six Hours of Fuji,” said John Roth, global vice president of Cadillac. “We are excited to get back on the track and compete for the overall win tomorrow.”

Lynn recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 28.901 seconds on the 2.835-mile, 12-turn circuit with 55 seconds left in the 10-minute Hyperpole session. He advanced to the 10-car shootout by topping the lap time chart in the 12-minute Hypercar qualifying of the assembly of 18 cars. The Hyperpole field was separated by .688 of a second. “It feels so good. Honestly, we’ve tried so hard all year,” Lynn said. “I have to say this car is amazing on one lap. Massive congrats to Cadillac. I just wanted to give the team a pole position this year. We came so close so many times and I’m so proud to have finally done it.” It is the fifth consecutive race that the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R powered by the purpose-built 5.5-liter V8 engine has qualified in the top four and third time this season that it has qualified on the front row, though second for the 24 Hours of Le Mans was met with a grid penalty. P3 at Bahrain was the highest qualifying effort in the inaugural season of the Cadillac LMDh platform. Lynn and Earl Bamber are coming off a season-high fourth-place finish after qualifying third two weeks ago at Circuit of the Americas and will be aiming to match the qualifying spot in the race.

About the raceGreen flag is at 11 a.m. Japanese Standard Time Sunday/10 p.m. ET Saturday. MotorTrend TV’s live coverage (in U.S.) is from 9:30-11 p.m. Saturday and 3-4:30 a.m. Sunday. Full live streaming coverage will be on the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. RadioLeMans.com will stream the full race. For a different perspectiveWatch the Six Hours of Fuji from the perspective of No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R drivers Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn at 10 p.m. ET Saturday. WATCH Media resources: Cadillac Racing photo gallery | ’24 WEC statistics

Qualifying quotes

Alex Lynn: “It feels so good. Honestly, we’ve tried so hard all year. I have to say this car is amazing on one lap. Massive congrats to Cadillac. I just wanted to give the team a pole position this year. We came so close so many times and I’m so proud to have finally done it. I still have nightmares of that Le Mans night, missing it by a tenth. Nothing is given for free. If you can start up front in these races, it’s a big advantage. The tire preparation has been a big part of extracting the maximum over one lap. It’s a fantastic racecar that Cadillac has built us. We’re still trying to figure out how to make it just as fast over six hours or even 24. We know how to make it fast, it’s just getting it to do that for the whole time, being at that speed for the whole time. I feel confident that we should be finding some good points tomorrow. We haven’t changed our mentality. We know we’re quite good in qualifying, but 99 percent of our focus has been on the race. Hopefully, all that work we’ve put in will stand us in good stead tomorrow when the lights go out. The track is pretty good. It’s quite hot out here this year, so that’s always a challenge trying to set the car up for multiple temperatures throughout tomorrow’s race.” Earl Bamber: “Alex has been doing a fantastic job the last 18 months in quali. He’s put us in the best possible position tomorrow. I’m going to take the start and hopefully we can get through Turn 1 and start a good race. It’s been building with this program. We’ve been working really hard, chipping away at the details and we’re slowly getting into the window. COTA was a great race for us, so hopefully we can continue that momentum. (about two drivers in six-hour races): We think it’s an advantage. We get a lot more track time during the weekend. COTA was really tough because of the heat but I think we both did a good job. Tomorrow will be a humid one, but I think we can manage it.” Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager: “I could not be prouder of the team and drivers with all the effort they’ve put in to getting us to Hyperpole here at Fuji. We are so excited to take the green tomorrow and will be shooting to finish in the same position we started.” Stephen Mitas, team manager: “Wonderful result today for the team. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been an interesting two years as we built up to this. Alex was mega, team was mega, so looking forward to a great race tomorrow.”