NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY GEICO 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT APRIL 21, 2024

·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro ZL1 team collected their first top-five finish of the 2024 season at Talladega Superspeedway– leading Chevrolet to the finish with a fourth-place result in the NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500.  ·       For the second consecutive race, Chevrolet earned five top-10 finishes in the final running order – recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet organizations including JTG Daugherty Racing’s Stenhouse Jr. in fourth; Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman in fifth and William Byron in seventh; Beard Motorsports’ Anthony Alfredo in sixth; and Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric in ninth. ·       Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team continues to lead the NASCAR Cup Series’ driver points standings – leaving Talladega Superspeedway with a 15-point lead over second-place Martin Truex Jr.·       The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 28, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:  POS.   DRIVER4th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro ZL15th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL16th      Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Dude Wipes Camaro ZL17th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL19th      Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro ZL1Finished: 4th “Not a bad day, but it was somewhat frustrating every now and then just kind of being gridlocked there but you know our team we came in with a plan. We stuck to our plan and glad that it all worked out. I feel like we’ve been close all year with different things and you know just nothing seems to work out so for it all to come together for the Thomas Bagels and Philadelphia Cream Cheese Camaro feels really good and we’ve got a really good month of racing coming up for us at really good racetracks that we enjoy and run well at so hopefully this will be a boost to our season and and kind of a Kickstart to get us going and just see what happens.” Stenhouse Jr. on his first top-five finish of the season: “It feels really good. I feel like we’ve been better as of lately than where we’ve finished. A lot of things have contributed to some bad finishes, so it feels really good to come out of here with a top-five finish. We did a lot of preparation this week of strategy, and I felt like we played everything perfectly. We saved the most fuel just about all day long. Our No. 47 Boost/Thomas’/Philadelphia Camaro was really good. I wanted to be up there battling for the win, but at this point, a top-five finish is nice.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Finished: 5thHow did your day go here at Talladega Superspeedway? “Not amazing, honestly. Not that we didn’t have a good No. 48 Ally Camaro or good strategy, just kind of didn’t have the openings I needed at times. There was so much riding around saving fuel. And then when we finally all would go run around wide-open, there weren’t really many moves to make, and we were buried and stuck on the bottom. We just never had a hole to get up or do anything.  We ended up with a top-five finish. That’s great – obviously that’s great for the team. It wasn’t our best speedway race, but still a solid top-five.”  Anthony Alfredo, No. 62 Dude Wipes Camaro ZL1Finished: 6th“We had an awesome No. 62 Dude Wipes Chevrolet Camaro today. I’m really proud of Beard Motorsports and everyone on this team. They work really hard to come to a couple races a year, and when they do it, they do it right and they know they have a shot to win. So I take a lot of pride in being the one behind the wheel. I hope I can do a lot more with them.  We had an awesome Chevy today. We drove to the front and led some laps. At the end there, we were just kind of boxed-in. I couldn’t really do a whole lot, especially when that third lane formed. I wanted to join that party earlier, but I was just trapped on the bottom. I pushed as hard as I could. In typical Talladega superspeedway racing fashion, it got a little crazy coming to the line. I just yanked it hard left, flew through the grass and somehow opened my eyes and I crossed the line in sixth.” William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1Finished: 7th“Today was just a lot of strategy, so I felt like we were just constantly trying to play the fuel-savings. My No. 24 Liberty University Chevy team did a really good job getting us out front for the stage finishes to give us a shot at the stage wins. In Stage Two, we just botched that a little bit, and in the final stage, we just got caught up by the caution and we didn’t have the track position at the end.  Still happy to come home with a seventh-place finish. We’ll go to Dover (Motor Speedway) and have a really good Chevy there.” Daniel Hemric, No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1Finished: 9th“I’m really proud of how far we’ve come with this No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet from Daytona, as far as speed goes. It’s hard to make gains there with everyone being so close. We qualified right at about 30th in Daytona, and then we came here and qualified inside the top 20, which is a big deal as we saw today with fuel saving. You have to have a faster racecar that lets you save more fuel. I’m proud of this team and to have had a clean race.” Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Outdoors by Luke Byran Camaro ZL1Finished: 13th“Everything lined up OK there at the end. I wanted to be one more spot further forward – obviously one of those front couple of lanes on the bottom. We all just checked-up there. For me, I only know what happened from my seat, and I over-corrected big in the tri-oval. Hate that – we could have gotten across the line there in the top-five, but we had a shot. We’ll move onto Dover (Motor Speedway).” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1Finished: 27th “Just disappointing. I thought we were in a good position in the end pushing Ross there at the end but I’m not sure what happened and we were spun. We battled through some issues today and we were pretty good in the end. I can’t wait to get to Dover.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH STREETS OF LONG BEACH LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT APRIL 21, 2024 CHEVROLET FINISHES THE ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH WITH FIVE IN THE TOP-11 Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, led Team Chevy at the checkered flag in a tough Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, finishing fourth his 200th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES event and 149th with Chevrolet. The two-time series champion and defending Indianapolis 500 winner led for 19 of the 85-lap race.Will Power, Team Penske teammate to Newgarden and driver of the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet, finished sixth, after showing strength and pace all weekend. He started the race in second position, on the Streets of Long Beach. The former champion and Indianapolis 500 winner took the lead in the first corner and led the race for 15 laps.Rounding out the top-11 and representing Chevrolet, Romain Grosjean, driver of the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet, finished eight, and Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet finished 10th. Additionally, Théo Pourchaire, driving the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished 11th in his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race after starting 22nd.Pourchaire, the French rookie who was tapped to drive to fill in for injured David Malukas, had to opportunity to learn and prepare for Long Beach by spending a session in the Chevrolet simulator at the General Motors Tech Center in Charlotte.Josef Newgarden paced the morning warm-up session for Team Chevy, finishing the 30-minute practice third with his fastest lap of 01:07.1814 seconds. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 RACE RESULTS:4th    Josef Newgarden6th    Will Power8th    Romain Grosjean10th  Alexander Rossi

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“It was just unfortunate to finish back. I was thinking we were going to get a run on (Scott) Dixon there. Just couldn’t quite get him. The Hitachi Chevrolet team did a great job. I can’t be more proud of the work we did. Fast car, great pit stops. They were aces all around. It was a good team effort. Top-five, we’ll have to take that today.” On the incident with Colton Herta…“That seems pretty black and white to me, but I’d ask the question to everybody else. If it were in the reverse, I’d expect to be penalized.” A win and a pole are still pretty good so far. How do you feel on the progress so far this season?“Yes, great. The team did amazing. Just amazing.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Obviously very disappointing to DNF with an Odyssey Battery Chevy that was so fast. I got us off on the wrong foot by missing a key corner in qualifying, losing a couple of tenths a second. We were much better than an 11th-place car in qualifying. Then you look at the race and we were on the same strategy as (Scott) Dixon and looked to be in a good spot for a solid day. The gearbox issue that ended our day was just the final straw. Again, disappointing to say the least but we head to Barber next looking for a second win there.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Rough. We had an incredibly fast Verizon Chevy. Had a choice to take the yellow and take tires and have massive fuel save and go hard, but we made the most of what we had there. We didn’t have any green tires to run in those fuel save stints, so we didn’t have any defense against (Scott) Dixon. Otherwise, it would have been fine to do exactly what he did. Disappointing with how far we started up, but still a top-six. All you can do is maximize each day and move on to the next one.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“First, I’m sorry to the Arrow McLaren team. I limited our ability to push for strong results today – at least for two cars. I take full responsibility for a rough race, but it will be a quick turn to Barber where we’ll re-group and look to bounce back.” Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It was a crazy, crazy race. I enjoyed it. My first INDYCAR weekend is done now. We had a strong performance, so I’m super happy. I have to thank the onsemi Arrow McLaren Chevy team for the car. The car was awesome today. I was the biggest mover of the race, which is amazing from 22nd to 11th. Super happy with that. I have to thank the whole INDYCAR organization. The championship is amazing. The racing is here. Long Beach is a crazy good place, and I hope to be back in the future there. I learned much more in the race, it’s crazy. Every five laps in a row, many pit stops, out laps, in laps, saving fuel, overtaking cars, and I enjoyed it. The performance was great. It’s pure racing in INDYCAR. Physically, it’s tough. I’m quite tired right now, but it was a dream come true to do an INDYCAR race for me, with McLaren. Such a legendary brand and racing team. I’m quite emotional, but it’s amazing. I don’t realize it yet, but I’m super happy.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“We had a tough weekend dealing with some unique situations. We made some good steps overnight, into the warm-up and into the race. There will always be a check-up when you start that far back and, unfortunately, Pato (O’Ward) didn’t have anywhere to go. It was just one of those accordion moments. We shifted into recovery mode from there and the team did a good job to hang in and get us into the top 10.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“Yeah, it was tricky. I feel like we’ve had a good weekend so far. We’ve got up to speed quick in our practices. Not the qualifying we wanted, but the race was unfortunate. Tapped the wall out of (turn) 11. Thought the car was fine. My steering wheel was a little bit off, but I thought it was a bent toe link, but then when I went into (turn) four, I think it just completely snapped and it went around. Not how I wanted to end the day. I’m sorry to the boys, and it’s going to be a quick turnaround to Barber, but we’ll come back stronger.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“That was a tough race. We chose to start on the greens, and I hoped I could pass some guys. Then, I felt like the pace was pretty good on greens. Unfortunately, lost a bit of time on that first pit sequence. Then, couldn’t really hold on all the way throughout that second stint on greens, but still pretty good I’d say. Then, at the end, there were some guys where everybody was on different strategy. Hoped to make up some more ground, but I really struggled on the blacks. It was just pretty hard to drive at that point. Still moved up, but wished I could’ve made it into the top-12 in the No. 21 Chevy. Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“The race was what it was. We took a gamble with the pit stops. Everyone can always Monday quarterback, but we kind of figured we either end up in the top-10 or 21st. We ended up 21st. The Sexton Properties Chevrolet is in one piece, and we move on to Barber.” Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“We have concluded the Long Beach Grand Prix on somewhat of a high note. Really proud of the Sexton Properties Chevrolet team. We had some really good pit stops that were clean. We made up a few spots along the way on strategy and made up some spots in the end based off of that early racing stint and avoiding the attrition. Super proud of the team and super proud of the progress we made through the weekend. We needed a clean day, and today was that clean day. Now we can build momentum heading into Barber. I want to thank the Pray.com crew. We’re here pretty much on the front porch here in California, having them here with their support and cheers. We’re looking forward to the next one.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“P16 to P8, it was a great Long Beach Grand Prix for us. Agustin (Canapino) had a great race as well. It was a great race for us as a team. We can be proud of that. We improved a lot from St. Pete, and I’m happy that we were able to show such a strong outing on the track. Can’t wait for next weekend in Barber.”   Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Another 15th for us. We are really happy. The execution was really, really good. Unfortunately, the strategy wasn’t the best at the end. We had bad luck, honestly, with the strategy. The execution as perfect. Thanks to the whole team for the excellent pit stops. The pace was incredible. We finished 15th in a really difficult race. Very high level for everybody. Top-15, more points, and we are really happy. Hope for more in the next race.”

Weather main factor in seventh-, eighth-place finishes in wild Six Hours of Imola IMOLA, Italy (April 21, 2024) – TF Sport’s two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs finished in points-paying positions Sunday with seventh- and eighth-place LMTGT3 finishes in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola. It marked the second race in the FIA WEC for the first-year Corvette GT3 car and first trip to Imola for the Corvette program. In the end, the results were positive: TF Sport was one of two teams in the class to have both its cars finish in the top-10, and Chevrolet was one of two manufacturers to have multiple entries finish eighth or better.

Charlie Eastwood, Tom Van Rompuy and Rui Andrade led the way for TF Sport with a seventh-place finish in the No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R, one spot ahead of the No. 82 Corvette of Daniel Juncadella, Hiro Koizumi and Sebastien Baud. The race featured seven full-course yellow periods – including two in the opening 40 minutes – and two safety car periods. There was chaos at the start with Van Rompuy getting the better of it by gaining four spots in his first two laps. He and Koizumi, who ran as high as ninth after starting 13th, drove nearly two hours at the start to firmly put both Corvettes inside the top-10 and eligible for points. Andrade and Baud were up next, although they had the worst of changing weather conditions just past the halfway point. Both kept their Z06 GT3.Rs on track throughout their stints in the challenging conditions – other teams weren’t as fortunate – before TF Sport elected to be the first LMGT3 team to opt for wet-weather tires. The team made the switch with two hours to go as Eastwood and Juncadella got in their respective Corvettes. Unfortunately the high level of grip in the track meant laptimes didn’t significantly differ between those cars that changed to wet tires and those who stayed on warm slick tires. The two Corvettes switched back to dry tires just outside the final hour but race traffic and a still-wet surface made challenging for the top-five too much to overcome. TF Sport’s next race in the FIA WEC is the Six Hours of Spa on Saturday, May 11.

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a very interesting race. Weather played a massive role in it. The TF guys did a great job in making the right calls. The track has such high grip that even when the guys were on slicks, they were still able to generate a lot of grip and temperature when we were on the wets. It balanced out basically the same although I probably had a nicer experience than they did. All in all, P7 in the end. Not what we want but it was a pretty solid race on our side. We know what we need to get closer to the front.”

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was quite a hectic start of the race. A couple of GTs touched each other but I managed to surf through all the dangers and pick up three positions on the first lap. On the second lap, I think I found another position. We had a really good first and second stint with no issues. I really also tried to pay attention to track limits and tried to save a bit on the car in case we needed to fight later on. So we have a really good feeling.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R:  “It was definitely difficult to the end. As a driver getting out soon, you have to give the team good information. It was so difficult because half the track was completely wet and half the track was completely dry. Those were very stressful last few moments in trying to decide what was the right tire to be on. We decided to go on wets but it was definitely tricky either way.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a bit of a wild race for sure. It’s a shame. We were looking very strong in the mixed conditions when the track was very difficult. I made up a lot of ground. We gambled on the strategy with an hour to go because we saw a car in the gravel and I pitted with 57 minutes left, and normally a stint is 45 minutes. So I had to cruise to the end and saved a lot of fuel to make it to the finish. It didn’t pay off this time, but it was good fun out there in these conditions. I enjoyed it and enjoyed driving the Corvette again.”

SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a crazy race. Our start with Hiro wasn’t too bad and we ran in the top-10. I felt really good in the first stint and I was happy with the car because I was fast. In my second stint, I was on the same tires with a full tank. It was much more difficult to push and I lost a little more time compared to my first stint. The feeling was very different because the car wasn’t the same driving with a full tank. Toward the end, we had a lot of rain in the last two corners but the first sector was dry. I had a little spin in the safety car queue but did not lose anything. But still it is not a mistake a good driver should make. I will continue to work with my engineer and my teammates to continue improving for the next race.”

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R advances two positions from qualifying to score first point

IMOLA, Italy (April 21, 2024) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R scored its first Hypercar point of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, advancing two positions from its qualifying spot to place 10th in the 6 Hours of Imola. A day after the sister No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R finished 1-2 in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship sprint race on the streets of Long Beach, California, Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber combined to drive another solid race by managing traffic and tires under difficult track conditions.Rain pelted sectors of the 3-mile (4.9 km), 21-turn Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit, with Race Control declaring the course wet with 2 hours, 18 minutes left. Lynn, who qualified seventh in the season-opening race last month at Qatar and was behind the wheel in the 12-minute qualifying at Imola, started the race and endured a damaged rear wing sustained at the green flag and a right-rear tire puncture from debris on his second stint that forced an unplanned pit stop. With 3 hours, 23 minutes left, Lynn handed off to Bamber, who regained positions and was running 12th when the course was declared wet and the Safety Car on track for an incident. After pitting for Michelin wet tires with 2 hours, 4 minutes left, Bamber proceeded to gain three spots with on-track moves over the next 45 minutes. Bamber would run on one set of wet tires for a total of 1 hours, 26 minutes until pitting for energy and used slick tires with 38 minutes remaining as the track dried and battles for position heated up. Toyota spoiled the party for the “home” Hypercar entries by winning in Italy for the second consecutive year. Former Cadillac Racing drivers Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi teamed with Nyck de Vries in the No. 7 Toyota GRD10 to win by 7 seconds in the race that covered 205 laps. The facility, which hosted its first race in 1953 and last Intercontinental Le Mans Cup — precursor of the WEC — race in 2011, replaced Monza on the WEC calendar this year as the latter is undergoing scheduled work. Download: Cadillac Racing on-track images for editorial use Cadillac Racing will prepare for its next WEC race – May 10-12 at Spa-Francorchamps, where the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fourth and finished fifth in 2023. The race weekend is concurrent with the IMSA race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande will look to make it two wins in a row in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and successfully defend their victory from last May at the California road course.

Alex Lynn: “The start of the race first corner was quite busy and we unfortunately got hit from behind that caused some damage. Other than that, the pace seemed really strong. We also got a right-rear puncture, which was a shame. But I think today was by far our best day race-wise, so pleased with how we turned our weekend around a bit. Looking forward to Spa.” Earl Bamber: “We had good pace and to get one point is a start to the championship after Qatar. The car was fantastic on the wet, and we made the most out of it. It’s always a gamble when you switch from wets to slicks when the forecast is uncertain and only sectors of the track are wet, so all the teams were challenged on what strategy to use. Thanks to the crew and everyone for their efforts. On to Spa.”

Fidani, Bell advance nine spots to finish season-best sixth in wild GTD battle LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 20, 2024) – AWA’s Orey Fidani and Matt Bell continued their upward momentum in the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R with their best finish of the season – a sixth-place GT Daytona (GTD) finish Saturday in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. The pairing advanced from 15th in class at the start of the third round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to knocking on the door of a top-five finish in a frantic and fraught 100-minute race around the Long Beach Street Circuit – the team’s first trip to the historic California circuit.

The gain of nine positions put a bow on a strong weekend for the AWA duo with Bell setting the fastest GTD time in Friday’s opening practice – the first for the first-year AWA and Corvette partnership. Fidani began Saturday 15th in class and drove the first 40 minutes for his first career action at Long Beach. He gained a position at the start and two more by the race’s first full-course yellow with just 12 minutes running. Despite falling back a couple of spots, Fidani’s laptimes continued to drop once the race went green again. The Corvette picked up another spot on the restart, and Fidani made AWA’s first pit stop just shy of the 40-minute mark. Bell rejoined in 14th and was immediately in the thick of a fight. He was hit from behind on his out-lap but managed to carry on and advance to 11th only a couple of laps later. Heads-up driving by Bell got the AWA Corvette firmly into the top-10 as the final turn on the Long Beach circuit was blocked by traffic and stalled cars. He came to a stop momentarily but drove through the chaos and into ninth place. Bell picked up three more spots to sixth before the race’s third and final full-course yellow with 15 minutes remaining bunched up the GTD field. The lead pack of six cars were single-file during the final eight minutes with the Corvette on the tail of the top-five. Bell and the Z06 GT3.R made solid gains through the corners and twisty parts of the circuit, which is notoriously difficult to make a pass. Nevertheless, the end result of sixth adds to the momentum heading into the team’s next race. AWA and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R program – including the two GTD PRO entries from Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports – will compete next in the Motul Course de Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, May 12.

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “The race went really well based from where we started. The car was mega and easy to drive. We got up to sixth, and we’ll take that. I’m really happy with the finish from where we started from.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “I’m really happy with that result. Our first effort at Long Beach as a team and pulling a top-six out of the bag is pretty strong. It was a great effort by the team. We executed the pit stop really well and jumped some cars. Unfortunately on cold tires on the out-lap, I gave a couple of those up. There was some rough racing from competitors but fair in the end, and I managed to get them back later on. The Corvette was absolutely glued to the track. I think we were the best car around the corners. We were lacking just a little bit of straight-line speed to challenge those top-five guys. But I’m really proud of the effort this week. It’s definitely our cleanest and best week in the AWA Corvette era. A big thanks to the team, big thanks to Corvette, General Motors and Pratt Miller. We’ll keep rolling into Laguna Seca.”

Cadillac V-Series.Rs go 1-2 for Cadillac’s sixth win on the circuit since 2017

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 20, 2024) – Does the expression third time’s a charm applies to motorsports? Cadillac Racing, which came away with runner-up finishes after earning the pole in the two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship marathon races, capitalized on a third pole start to win the sprint Saturday on the streets of Long Beach. Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, held off the sister No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R driven by pole-sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken by 0.564 of a second to secure Cadillac Racing’s sixth victory at Long Beach and 30th overall since joining the IMSA prototype class in 2017.

The victory is the fifth for Bourdais at Long Beach, who teamed with van der Zande to win on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in 2022. Every Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) race winner this season has started from the third spot on the grid. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, which registered its second runner-up finish, has qualified on pole in all three races. In addition to the race win, leading 60 of the 68 laps and pole position, Cadillac Racing hybrid racecars paced the GTP field in both practice sessions. “Congratulations to the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R team and drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for winning the hard-fought race on the streets of Long Beach. It was a strong effort all around with pole sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R earning their second runner-up finish in three races. A great day for Cadillac Racing at Long Beach,” said Mark Stielow, GM director of motorsports competition. Derani pitted from the lead for the lone time in the 100-minute race with 63 minutes left for energy and left-side tires and gave way to Aitken, who was making his debut on the circuit. Inheriting the lead from Derani, Bourdais brought in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R a lap later for service and switch to van der Zande. The Chip Ganassi Racing team decided not to change Michelin tires, and van der Zande was able to get the advantage on the out-lap over Aitken. They ran 1-2 the final 48 minutes. “Our tires were pretty old at the end. I was just hanging on at the end,” said van der Zande, who upped his IMSA victory total to 20 and has won at least one win in each of his 11 seasons. “This team is fantastic. Thanks to Chip, the guys, Mike O’Gara, my teammate Seb … this is how to win races, and I’m enjoying it.”

Bourdais and van der Zande, who teamed with six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon to finish second in the 12-hour race last month at Sebring, moved to 58 points out of the GTP points lead. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is third in points. A Cadillac DPi won five consecutive races at Long Beach through 2022 (no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), including podium sweeps in ‘22 and ’21, to extend GM’s victory streak to seven in the event. A Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2015 and ’16 races. Download: Cadillac Racing on-track photos for editorial use Cadillac Racing will look to successfully defend its victory May 12 in the 2-hour, 40-minute race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when Bourdais and van der Zande took the victory. Derani and Alexander Sims placed third.No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s special. It’s win number five here for me at Long Beach. I’m super happy. We’ve had so many hardships and things just not working out. Our last win was Laguna Seca last year, so it’s been almost a year. I’m super happy for Cadillac, for Chip Ganassi Racing and for the boys. They work so hard and it feels like we deserve more than that a lot of the time. Hopefully this is the start of a new cycle for us. We had an excellent car, so I was a little frustrated that we were not able to get a better lap in during qualifying, but the strategy was perfect during our pit stop. The team did a great job to get us out front and Renger did the rest by holding the 31 off and bringing the car home to victory lane. It sure felt good to get this win for everyone in the shop and everyone from GM.”

Renger van der Zande: “We are very happy right now with the biggest trophy we could get — the first-place trophy. Chip Ganassi racing did a fantastic job again. Leading the race from the halfway point and making the right strategy call. We used only one set of tires and that was key to win this race. Our car has been fast all year so I am thrilled that we were finally able to bring home the win. The team deserves that. Our tires were pretty old at the end. Chip (Ganassi) asked me how were those tires, and I told him not so good. I was just hanging on at the end. This team is a fantastic team. Thanks to Chip, the guys, Mike O’Gara, my teammate Seb… this is how to win races, and I’m enjoying it.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “If you look overall, this championship comes down to a little at the end. To be our second time on the podium, three pole positions so far… you try to accumulate as much points as you can and carry it all the way to the end. Obviously we would have liked to win, especially starting at the front here. It’s just one of those things here at Long Beach. If the guy behind does the complete opposite to you, he might come out ahead and that’s what happened today. We’re happy that it’s a Cadillac 1-2. We wish it was the other way around but we did the best we could. We’ll take the points and keep pushing forward.”

Jack Aitken: “It was a really tough one because once they have track position on the circuit, like any street circuit, it’s extremely difficult to pass without taking a huge amount of risk. I think the couple of yellows we did have during the second half of the race just helped Renger (van der Zande) take care of those tires and they lasted surprisingly well. Better than I think anybody expected from the start this weekend coming here with the soft. I think we had a great car all weekend. I think we’ve been really, really strong on pace since the start of the season, and it’s a bit frustrating to miss out on a win up to this point. But we had really good points, but at least if we’re going to get beat, at least it’s the other Cadillac. I enjoyed my fight.”

Cadillac V-Series.Rs go 1-2 for Cadillac’s sixth win on the circuit since 2017

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 20, 2024) – Does the expression third time’s a charm applies to motorsports? Cadillac Racing, which came away with runner-up finishes after earning the pole in the two IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship marathon races, capitalized on a third pole start to win the sprint Saturday on the streets of Long Beach. Renger van der Zande and Sebastien Bourdais, driving the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, held off the sister No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R driven by pole-sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken by 0.564 of a second to secure Cadillac Racing’s sixth victory at Long Beach and 30th overall since joining the IMSA prototype class in 2017.

The victory is the fifth for Bourdais at Long Beach, who teamed with van der Zande to win on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit in 2022. Every Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) race winner this season has started from the third spot on the grid. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R, which registered its second runner-up finish, has qualified on pole in all three races. In addition to the race win, leading 60 of the 68 laps and pole position, Cadillac Racing hybrid racecars paced the GTP field in both practice sessions. “Congratulations to the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R team and drivers Sebastien Bourdais and Renger van der Zande for winning the hard-fought race on the streets of Long Beach. It was a strong effort all around with pole sitter Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken in the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R earning their second runner-up finish in three races. A great day for Cadillac Racing at Long Beach,” said Mark Stielow, GM director of motorsports competition. Derani pitted from the lead for the lone time in the 100-minute race with 63 minutes left for energy and left-side tires and gave way to Aitken, who was making his debut on the circuit. Inheriting the lead from Derani, Bourdais brought in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R a lap later for service and switch to van der Zande. The Chip Ganassi Racing team decided not to change Michelin tires, and van der Zande was able to get the advantage on the out-lap over Aitken. They ran 1-2 the final 48 minutes. “Our tires were pretty old at the end. I was just hanging on at the end,” said van der Zande, who upped his IMSA victory total to 20 and has won at least one win in each of his 11 seasons. “This team is fantastic. Thanks to Chip, the guys, Mike O’Gara, my teammate Seb … this is how to win races, and I’m enjoying it.”

Bourdais and van der Zande, who teamed with six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon to finish second in the 12-hour race last month at Sebring, moved to 58 points out of the GTP points lead. The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is third in points. A Cadillac DPi won five consecutive races at Long Beach through 2022 (no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), including podium sweeps in ‘22 and ’21, to extend GM’s victory streak to seven in the event. A Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2015 and ’16 races. Download: Cadillac Racing on-track photos for editorial use Cadillac Racing will look to successfully defend its victory May 12 in the 2-hour, 40-minute race at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when Bourdais and van der Zande took the victory. Derani and Alexander Sims placed third.No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s special. It’s win number five here for me at Long Beach. I’m super happy. We’ve had so many hardships and things just not working out. Our last win was Laguna Seca last year, so it’s been almost a year. I’m super happy for Cadillac, for Chip Ganassi Racing and for the boys. They work so hard and it feels like we deserve more than that a lot of the time. Hopefully this is the start of a new cycle for us. We had an excellent car, so I was a little frustrated that we were not able to get a better lap in during qualifying, but the strategy was perfect during our pit stop. The team did a great job to get us out front and Renger did the rest by holding the 31 off and bringing the car home to victory lane. It sure felt good to get this win for everyone in the shop and everyone from GM.”

Renger van der Zande: “We are very happy right now with the biggest trophy we could get — the first-place trophy. Chip Ganassi racing did a fantastic job again. Leading the race from the halfway point and making the right strategy call. We used only one set of tires and that was key to win this race. Our car has been fast all year so I am thrilled that we were finally able to bring home the win. The team deserves that. Our tires were pretty old at the end. Chip (Ganassi) asked me how were those tires, and I told him not so good. I was just hanging on at the end. This team is a fantastic team. Thanks to Chip, the guys, Mike O’Gara, my teammate Seb… this is how to win races, and I’m enjoying it.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “If you look overall, this championship comes down to a little at the end. To be our second time on the podium, three pole positions so far… you try to accumulate as much points as you can and carry it all the way to the end. Obviously we would have liked to win, especially starting at the front here. It’s just one of those things here at Long Beach. If the guy behind does the complete opposite to you, he might come out ahead and that’s what happened today. We’re happy that it’s a Cadillac 1-2. We wish it was the other way around but we did the best we could. We’ll take the points and keep pushing forward.”

Jack Aitken: “It was a really tough one because once they have track position on the circuit, like any street circuit, it’s extremely difficult to pass without taking a huge amount of risk. I think the couple of yellows we did have during the second half of the race just helped Renger (van der Zande) take care of those tires and they lasted surprisingly well. Better than I think anybody expected from the start this weekend coming here with the soft. I think we had a great car all weekend. I think we’ve been really, really strong on pace since the start of the season, and it’s a bit frustrating to miss out on a win up to this point. But we had really good points, but at least if we’re going to get beat, at least it’s the other Cadillac. I enjoyed my fight.”

April 20, 2024 — LONG BEACH, CA

• Felix Rosenqvist tops Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach qualifying for Honda, Meyer Shank Racing
• Sixth pole for Rosenqvist, first NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole for Meyer Shank Racing
• Honda drivers claim eight of the top-10 qualifying positions

Felix Rosenqvist returned to Honda power in the off-season, joining Meyer Shank Racing for the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, and has continued his impressive start to the 2024 season, scoring pole position for Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

The pole for Rosenqvist comes on the heels of a third-place result in the non-championship Thermal Million Dollar Challenge event last month, and seventh in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Colton Herta, race winner here in 2021, will start fourth in his Andretti Global Honda; with teammate Marcus Ericsson qualifying fifth, and defending series champion Alex Palou starting sixth for Chip Ganassi Racing. In all, Honda drivers and teams claimed eight of the top-10 starting positions for tomorrow’s 49th running of the iconic street race.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Honda Qualifying Results

1st Felix Rosenqvist	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Colton Herta	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
5th Marcus Ericsson	Andretti Global Honda
6th Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
7th Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
8th Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
9th Marcus Armstrong	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Global Honda
12th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Tom Blomqvist-R	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
17th Linus Lundqvist-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
19th Pietro Fittipaldi	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
23rd Jack Harvey	Dale Coyne Racing Honda
26th Kyffin Simpson-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
27th Nolan Siegel-R	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes
Felix Rosenqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) pole qualifier, his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES pole of 2024 and sixth career pole: “It was hard, man. Honestly, I didn’t think I had it as I did a massive ‘tank slapper’ coming out of Turn 5, but it worked out. What was the margin, four one-thousandths of a second? That’s INDYCAR man. Awesome power by Honda today and the whole Meyer Shank Racing team did a phenomenal job. Now let’s see what happens tomorrow.”
 
Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Global Honda) will start fourth: “Happy to be starting in the first two rows with Honda power, there’s a lot still in the car that we can build on for the race tomorrow.”

Marcus Ericsson (#28 Andretti Global Honda) qualified fifth: “That’s another Fast Six [final qualifying round] for us. The car felt good, good power today, and good driveability. We can definitely win from P5, so I’m excited for the race tomorrow. I can’t wait to go racing!”

Fast Facts

• This weekend’s return of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to Southern California marks the fifth year of Acura title sponsorship of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, and the 49th running of North America’s oldest and most successful street circuit event.
• The racing arm of American Honda, Honda Performance Development, was renamed Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) in January to reflect the new role of the company in Honda’s global racing efforts. With this change, HRC US will take on an increased role in Honda’s global motorsports activities.
• Honda-powered drivers and teams have won the Grand Prix of Long Beach 16 times in 23 appearances. This includes victories in nine of the last 14 races; and a seven-year victory streak in Championship Auto Racing Teams competition, against multi-manufacturer competition, from 1996-2002.
• Honda’s most recent Long Beach success was scored last year in a dominating performance from Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood, who recorded his career-first INDYCAR victory from the pole, leading 53 of the 85-lap contest.
• In addition to the featured Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Sunday, Acura teams will take part in today’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race. Wayne Taylor Racing will field a pair of electrified Acura ARX-06 prototypes contesting the overall victory in the premier GTP division; while Gradient Racing will field Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 in the GTD category.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH STREETS OF LONG BEACH LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT APRIL 20, 2024 WILL POWER AND TEAM PENSKE WILL START FROM THE FRONT ROW WITH CHEVROLET FOR SUNDAY’S ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, will start on the front row in second for Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.Just 0.0039 seconds separated the pole winner from Power in second, in what is the tightest front row on a street course in NTT INDYCAR SERIES history, dating back to 2008.Power, along with Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden represented Chevrolet in the Firestone Fast-Six Saturday.Scott McLaughlin (fourth) and Newgarden (sixth) finished in the top-six of Group 2, transferring to the fast twelve.Power finished fourth in Group 1, transferring to the fast twelve and representing Team Chevy.McLaughlin paced for Team Chevy during second practice with his fastest lap of 1:06.7359 in fifth.Chevrolet completed second practice Saturday morning with five drivers in the top-10, including McLaughlin, Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Romain Grosjean (seventh), Power (eighth), Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Agustin Canapino (ninth), and Arrow McLaren’s Alexander Rossi (10th).Sunday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach will mark Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden 200th NTT INDYCAR SERIES event, with 149 of those coming behind the wheel of a Chevrolet.Sunday sees Team Chevy take to the track for warm-up at noon ET on Peacock. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach takes the green flag at 3 p.m. ET for the 85-lap, 167.28-mile event on USA Network. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 QUALIFYING RESULTS:2nd    Will Power3rd     Josef Newgarden

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“The Hitachi Chevy was exactly where I needed it to be. It absolutely had pole-winning potential. I just did not nail the lap completely. Still, a great effort by Chevy and everyone on this No. 2 team. Felix (Rosenqvist), Will (Power) and I were so close in time; almost historically close. We can definitely make something happen in the race from the third position.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“As the race approaches, I’m focused on finding the right strategy to stay at the front. I’ll be sending the Odyssey Battery Chevrolet toward the front on the first lap and making sure we have good stops and in-and-out laps, make the right strategic moves at the right times. While luck and good fortune play a role, if we keep heads down and keep working to hopefully find themselves at the front of the race on Sunday. I’m optimistic about our chances for success.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“I’ll take a top-six. Just getting back into the Fast Six again is a big deal for me. Working hard on my qualifying, been quick all year in practice, so super stoked to transfer. Obviously, it’s a bit when you miss out by that much, but Felix (Rosenqvist) must have done a phenomenal lap. I couldn’t pick anywhere where I made a mistake. It was about as good as I could do, so it’s cool to get the Verizon car on the front row again. It’s been a long time. We can certainly win from there. You’ve just got to be smart. You can never predict what’s going to happen. We’ll try and get a good start. We’ll try and stay in second and go from there.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I wasn’t unhappy with it, to be honest. We’re just slow or not fast enough. No real explanation for that. I thought it was going to be fine, at least, to transfer, but I think we went the wrong way in P2 and went back to what we had yesterday, and I just think we missed the window a little bit. I wasn’t unhappy with the car at all, just not fast enough. The race is a different monster, so you try and get it as good as possible for what this race trends to be, which is usually fuel-save, sitting behind the leader kind of thing, unless it starts getting messy with yellows. We just need to focus on that tomorrow and make our way forward with pit stops and all that stuff. It’s a good thing we’ve got a fresh set of greens to use in the race tomorrow, I’d say. I’d be surprised if it’s a black (tires) race. If our race car is good, I can (win). We just need to make sure we get it at that position, and we get it in that window where I can really take advantage of the tools that I’ve got. For now, we just have to really dive in to see what, where we missed it, because it’s not a tenth, it’s three-tenths. It’s quite a chunk here.” Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“Of course, I’m disappointed because I’m a driver and I always want to do the best job possible. It was my first ever INDYCAR qualifying session. It was really fun. I pushed the limits. That’s not as bad as I thought. Not so far from Pato (O’Ward), and he’s a really good driver. I have to look at the data to understand where I can find some time on him, but overall, of course, it’s the first INDYCAR qualifying. That’s fine. We’ll work hard. We will improve. Tomorrow is the race, so it’s a completely new thing for me.” What goals do you have now?“Starting so far back like this, I will just try to complete the race, learn as much as possible on the strategy, on the tire degradation, on the fuel saving. It will be new for me. Hopefully we can grab some positions. I will try to do my best and I think finishing in the top-15 or close to the top-10, that can be a good goal. Let’s focus on the race now. I will work a little bit on the data to see where I can improve, but overall, that was fun and I enjoyed it.”   Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“We’ve had some moments where it was okay but struggling for grip. Not much we could do. It’s not there yet. We’ve been fighting the same problems since we rolled off, and we’ve had glimpses of it being better. It’s not just quite within the window that we need. We need to keep at it and see what we can do to make it better.” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet:“Tough day for everybody on the No. 14 crew. Just fighting some gremlins inside the car, and in this series, it’s tight. It’s hard to lose practice and then qualify competitively with how tight the field is. Overall, some valuable things were learned to move into warm up and then the race tomorrow. Without a doubt, we should be able to advance without any issues.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“Our balance on the black Firestone Firehawks was pretty good. When we switched to the green Firehawks, I couldn’t feel the car underneath me as well. It is unfortunate, we have had a strong weekend so far. We will focus on the positives and see what we can do about getting a little bit better on the greens. We’ll do our best to move forward during the race!” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I think everyone hoped to be up there a bit further! We were pretty good on the black Firestone Firehawks, but we expected a bit more from the green tires. We have made good decisions so far and have a good plan for the race tomorrow. I look forward to passing some guys!” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“I think qualifying didn’t really go the way we wanted. I think we had a little bit more pace than where we show on track. It was probably a little bit conservative in the first part of qualifying, and we finished eighth. It was tight, and we didn’t think it would be that tight. We made some set up changes that were not the right ones, but I still think we should have been through. A bit more work to do for the race.”   Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“We were in the worst group because I am only three tenths off on my fastest lap. I made a mistake on the last lap and I lost my fastest lap, but I only lost one position because the next lap was similar. I am three or four tenths off of the leaders. Not bad at all. I think our group is really competitive. We have good cars as we were ninth and 10th in practice. Not as good of a result in qualifying, but I think we have a chance to get good points tomorrow. Both Romain (Grosjean) and I have good cars, but in this INDYCAR it is so competitive.

WILL POWER, DRIVER OF THE NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – Qualifying Press Conference Transcript:THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up qualifying, we are joined by Will Power (indiscernible). WILL POWER: That’s been the story of the last two years. One of the data engineers said if we added up all the time you missed getting in the Fast Six, it would be 2/10ths. At St. Pete I missed the Fast Six by 21 thousandths. What was this one? THE MODERATOR: 39 10 thousandths. WILL POWER: One day I’m not going to be that far. We had a bunch of poles by 21 thousandths of a second. It ebbs and flows. That’s my experience over time. THE MODERATOR: Is there a section of the track… WILL POWER: There was not much left on the table. Like really, I know, every sector… The only thing I could say is a bit into 10 and the hairpin. You’re in the going to see a chunk anywhere. It’s going to be hundredths. That just shows how good of a lap Felix did, how tight it is in this series. THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions. Q. How long did it take for you to nail turn eight after what you went through this morning?WILL POWER: Pretty much my best on my last lap. Slowly got better and better and better and better. The last lap was the best. Q. Was the car completely back to normal after the repairs?WILL POWER: Yeah. All I was doing was damaging the toe link. I was so sideways, it bent the toe link. Done it three times. Just lights up out of there. It’s been (indiscernible). It’s much nicer. Used to have a big hump there. Now it’s really nice and smooth. A really cool corner. Yeah, not what the boys wanted to do. I felt bad, but yeah. Q. Obviously turn eight, the change to it, has made it a little bit different. How do you anticipate that affecting things tomorrow?WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s made it nicer. It just made it so you can get on the throttle earlier, so you have more power when you’re getting out near the wall. Yeah, I keep testing it. You should lift a little. You’ll crash otherwise. Q. We have seen continual opposite lock seemingly corner by corner practice and qualifying. You describe why we are getting so much of that. Is it tire, track, both?WILL POWER: I actually think it’s the right rear we have now. You can actually get away with being a little sideways and not lose time. It’s a more nimble car. You can hustle it more simply. Q. Will, you come in here clearly having more fun. How much is that a translation into your speed or are you having more fun because you’re faster?WILL POWER: I’m having more fun because I’m going faster, honestly. I’ve been quick all year, even in testing. Everywhere I have been quick. St. Pete qualifying I didn’t put it together. Went the wrong way on the setup. I have been quick. Super stoked to be in the top six. I’ve worked pretty hard in the off-season. I’ve continually worked hard my whole career. I’m still working extremely hard on all my driving details, constantly improving and evolving. It’s never ending for me. Enjoying it. Enjoying it. I love the competition. It’s tough extracting the most out of yourself. Yeah, you get to compete with different eras of guys. The young group will be around for another 20 year. Competing with the middle group, which is sort of Newgarden, Rossi. You have Dixon and myself. Q. (No microphone.)WILL POWER: I’m friends with all of them. I like ’em all. You do get pissed off with them at times. You just know that’s how it goes. It’s just tough competition. There isn’t a guy I dislike in the paddock. I feel privileged to race at this level with these guys. I feel like recently there’s a lot of respect on track. There’s a lot of respect for racing. Yeah, man, it’s a great situation to be in. You get paid to drive. Great community in INDYCAR. Very nice over here. Q. Seemed like in a sense you must feel fortunate to get into the Fast Six because there’s so much stacking up in the early sessions. Were there close calls for you? Did you feel like you were fortunate to get in because of the stacking up and traffic?WILL POWER: There wasn’t any in qualifying. You get a penalty if you do that. Yeah, in practice it’s always like that here. You just can’t get frustrated. It’s just going to be that way. I was in the pits most of the time (smiling). I didn’t have to deal with it. Kind of helped, I think. Q. You talked about the new changes to turn eight. Do you see that as a better opportunity to get a run and move going into nine?WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s hard to say. Will people make mistakes because it has a bit of a weird, like, grip transition? Maybe, yeah. It’s a very open entry. It can do like O’Ward does and just jam it in there, man, jam it in there. You’re going to have to deal with someone after. Yeah, it’s become a riskier corner to make a pass, to be honest. Used to have a curb there, so you had to slow it up and turn later. It’s a brave corner, I would say. That wasn’t your question, but I’m just putting that in there. Q. You talked about the difference in the weight of the car at the moment, waiting for the hybrid. Are we going to see some of that translate into the differences of the car for the 500 this year in terms of weight distribution?WILL POWER: The car we could say will be a long time at the 500 because they’re a bit lighter. Q. (No microphone.)WILL POWER: I think my pole will be like 236.5 will be my quickest lap. Averaging in the 35s. Yeah, that’s quick. Q. Will, what improvements do you feel you have made as a team and yourself in qualifying this year?WILL POWER: Yeah, it’s a couple of things. I think the engine’s better. I think Chevy did some really good work in the off-season. As a team, we’ve worked hard on street course setups and road course. Overall actually we were kind of disappointed with the season, even though the team won the 500. Yeah, we’re just stronger overall. I’ve personally worked hard. I’m sure the other two boys, they’re working hard as well. I think it’s all clicking well.

April 20, 2024

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang Dark Horse are set to start 16th in Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.

Burton earned that spot with a lap at 179.963 miles per hour during qualifying Saturday morning. There was no pre-race practice, per NASCAR rules for superspeedway events.

Sunday’s 500-mile, 188-lap is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. Central Time (3 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 60 and 120.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY GEICO 500TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTAPRIL 20, 2024

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Talladega Superspeedway.  Media Availability Quotes:  THERE’S ALWAYS THE EXPECTATION FOR THIS NO. 9 TEAM TO BE COMPETITVE AND BE WHERE YOU GUYS WERE LAST WEEK, BUT WHAT HAS THIS WEEK BEEN LIKE? HAS IT BEEN ANY DIFFERENT FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, JUST GETTING THE WIN AND BEING ABLE TO CELEBRATE THAT A LITTLE BIT MORE WHEN YOU HAVEN’T HAD THAT MOMENT IN OVER A YEAR? “Yeah, I mean I can’t say that our prep towards the next week was really any different at all. I certainly think it’s important to take a little time to enjoy those moments just because they’re hard to achieve, as I’ve said a lot. It’s just hard to win these races; put yourself in that position and be competitive the way that we expect ourselves to be. It just takes a lot of work; takes a lot of effort. So, whenever you are able to accomplish that as a group, I think it’s worth celebrating. It’s worth enjoying because we all work really hard at it.. not just me, but our whole team. We spend a lot of time traveling and on the road and whatnot, so yeah – I think you have to enjoy those moments. But certainly, when Monday or Tuesday rolls around, whether you like it or not, the next weekend is coming in a hurry and you have to make sure you’re ready to go the next weekend like you were last weekend when it went well.” ON THE LAST LAP, IF YOU’RE NEAR THE FRONT, DO YOU ASSUME THAT IT’S GOING TO GO TO THE FINISH AND THAT’S THE WAY YOU PLAN YOUR STRATEGY, OR DO YOU HAVE TO PLAN THAT THERE’S GOING TO BE, MORE THAN LIKELY, A WRECK ON THE BACKSTRETCH? “Yeah, that’s a $64 question.. I don’t know. I think for me personally, I look at it like it’s going to go to the finish and try to position yourself where you want to be when you get back to the start-finish line. I mean that’s a really hard thing to guess, like when a wreck is going to happen, if it’s going to happen.  So, I don’t know about someone else.. ask (Ryan) Blaney because I feel like he’s won about the last 15 races here and should have won about 14 Daytona 500’s, so whatever he does I feel like is the right thing. But for me personally, I look at it like we’re coming back to the checkered flag, if I’m up in the mix. If I’m leading, I’m obviously OK with it going either way, and I think if you’re anything past that, you certainly want it to go back to the line.” THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE NEXT GEN CAR IN 2022 AND 2023, ONE OF THE THINGS WE SAW WAS WE HAD A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT RACE TEAMS, A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, WINNING RACES. NINE RACES INTO THIS YEAR, HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS HAS WON FIVE RACES, JOE GIBBS RACING HAS WON THREE RACES, AND THAT’S ONLY LEFT ROOM FOR ONE OTHER TEAM TO WIN A RACE. HOW EXACTLY DID HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS GET SO FAR AHEAD OF EVERYONE, AND THEN DO YOU FEEL LIKE WE’RE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THIS AND A LITTLE LESS OF THE PARITY THAT WE SAW THE FIRST TWO YEARS? “Yeah, they’re all the same, right? Yeah, I just think it’s silly that we think that we’re going to keep the big teams and that type of power away from winning in the long haul. I think that’s just motorsports. The big teams and the resources behind them are always going to find the advantage, and whatever it is, no matter how small the advantage is or isn’t, I think that it’s always going to be extracted and extracted first by those groups. I think that’s just racing and I don’t think it matters how hard we try to make everything the same.. it’s never going to be the same exactly. I think we are certainly fighting for smaller increments now than we ever have before, but there are still details that you have to push for, search for and everything else to be better than the next guy, and those big teams are always, in my view, going to nine times out of 10 find that first.  I think the first year, nobody knew what was right and what was wrong, so there were a lot of different paths, and I think you could find success in different ways. You might back into a little bit of success not knowing what you didn’t know at that point in time, but everybody has been learning this car for a couple of years now. Everybody is learning what makes it goes fast, and from there, I think you’ll see more of what you’ve seen for the last however many years.”  WHEN YOU HAVE THOSE ADVANTAGES AS A RACE TEAM, HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT ADVANTAGE? WHEN YOU’RE IN THE GARAGE AREA, HOW DO YOU START TO GET AN INKLING THAT – OH, THE REST OF THE COMPETITION MIGHT BE CATCHING UP TO US.. WE’VE GOT TO DO ‘XYZ’ IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN WHAT WE’VE GOT? “Yeah, I don’t think you do. I don’t think you ever can. I think that this sport goes in cycles, and it goes in ups-and-downs. I’ve been around it long enough to see that. Certain manufacturers will have advantages for a certain period of time, and then it will swing a different direction and vice versa. I think that’s just the way it works, and I’m not sure that you can do anything to combat that. I just think that you look at the timeline of when bodies are submitted and not submitted by other manufacturers. Some people, when you get behind, you probably work a little harder in certain areas to make it better, and I think it just creates this natural flow of manufacturers being good and struggling and you just have to ride that wave. I don’t think you can ever stop that.” ALAN (GUSTAFSON) TALKED A LOT THIS WEEK ABOUT THE POSITIVITY, THE TEAM HAD BEEN POSITIVE. HE HAD CONTINUED TO FEEL THE POSITIVITY IN YOU AND KNEW YOU WERE CLOSE TO THAT BREAKTHROUGH WIN. DID YOU FEEL THE SAME WAY THROUGHOUT THE LAST YEAR OR SO WITH THE WINLESS STREAK AS ALAN, EVEN LEADING INTO TEXAS LAST WEEKEND? “Yeah, I think he’s probably referencing more this year and just the work that we’ve done this season; the gains that we’ve made towards the end of last year and certainly the first part of this year. I’ve been fortunate to experience it a couple of times throughout my career – where you just have a really good group of people that are working really well together, and I feel like we have that right now. We’ve had it at other times, too. It just becomes really important to try and take advantage of that because people are going to move on; have other opportunities, take new jobs, get promotions at other teams.. who knows, right? Those things just don’t last forever, so yeah I certainly feel that way about our group. I think we work really well together. Everybody is driven to work for and with each other and push one another to be better. That’s a special thing and it’s really fun to be a part of. I hope that we can all stay together for a long time, but unfortunately that’s just not how it works. But what’s cool about it is that we do have a really good group right now and I think we’re all really driven to make the very most of that while things are clicking.” ALAN (GUSTAFSON) WAS KIND OF EMPATHETIC, SAYING THAT YOU GUYS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN WINNING, BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THE STATS, YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT THERE WITH THE BEST. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, DID YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS WERE IN THAT BALLPARK, AND THEN AFTER THIS WIN, HOW DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS STACK UP AGAINST THE LARSON’S, THE BYRON’S, THE HAMLIN’S, THE GUYS WE KIND OF TALK ABOUT AS THE ‘CHAMPIONSHIP FAVORITES’?“Yeah, I definitely think there’s still room for improvement, for sure. I’m not naïve to the end of the race and the improvements that I feel like we needed to have, or I needed to do a little better to make our car last on those long runs. I mean Denny (Hamlin) passed me under that green-flag run, and in a lot of scenarios, the race would have likely been over unless we would have had those late-race cautions. So, like I know these things.. I’ve been doing it for a while. But I also felt like we were right there in the mix though, too.. much closer than we had been, and we were just like a tiny little fraction of an adjustment, if any, away from being able to get the lead in that scenario and control the race to the finish under a green-flag circumstance. I feel like we’re as close as we’ve been, probably since this car kind of took a different direction in the later part of 2022. I think our balance and how we come to the racetrack and the things that we’re talking about is exactly right. And then I think a lot of it from there is just how I manage a run and making sure I can make it last. It’s really hard to explain some of these things, but I think a lot of it kind of falls in my hands. I think the balance of our car last week was in a really, really good position. I have absolutely nothing to complain about, and I told them the same thing in our meetings post-race.” WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET FROM THIS PAST SEASON GOING INTO THIS SEASON? “My greatest regret.. I really don’t know. I can’t change any of it, so what’s it matter?” WAS THERE ANY SORT OF RELIEF OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE PRESSURE IS OFF OF YOU NOW THAT YOU HAVE A WIN, OR ARE YOU JUST FOCUSED ON STATUS QUO? “I feel like – I mean like I’ve referenced at the beginning of being in here, I think it’s nice to win, for sure. It’s nice to get a victory, and I think those things you have to celebrate because they’re really hard to achieve, for sure. But for me, it’s always just about being competitive and just being in the mix. I said it after Martinsville (Speedway), like yeah – it sucked to lose the race on a late-race restart. Not that we lost, but we didn’t win. I mean William (Byron) was controlling the race right and we ran second. But also at the same time, were competitive and on the front-row for the last restart. Like that stuff is fun for me.. a lot more fun than getting to the last restart and trying to figure out whether or not you’re going to run 15th or 18th, you know? At that point, it’s like we’re back here just fighting like crazy for what, you know? I think it’s really always been about that for me; just being competitive and being in the mix. Some days are going to go your way and some days aren’t, if you’re around and if you’re upfront. That part has been fun and that’s always been the goal I think – just getting back to that type of position and feeling like we’re among the ones that have a shot each week.”  LAST WEEKEND, TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY TOOK DOWN THE SCORING PYLON AND EVERYONE WAS SURPRISED THAT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY TOOK THEIRS DOWN TOO. ARE YOU A FAN OF THAT? DO YOU USE THE SCORING PYLON WHEN YOU’RE RACING? DO YOU THINK THAT HAS AS MUCH OF AN EFFECT THAT IT’S BEEN MADE OUT TO BE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? “I honestly didn’t notice that it was gone at Texas (Motor Speedway). Is it gone here, too? That’s interesting.. why?”  NO MIC. “Was it not functioning? It worked, right?” NO MIC. “They were old? Yeah, I don’t know on that one. That one’s above me, I’m afraid. But I don’t see where it was hurting anything. I mean surely it wouldn’t make the power bill that much higher, right?”  WE SAW IN DAYTONA THAT FUEL SAVING WAS PRETTY AGGRESSIVE AND IT SLOWED THE PACE OF THE RACE DOWN. SHOULD WE EXPECT MORE OF THAT TOMORROW, ALONG THOSE SAME LINES OF HOW AGGRESSIVE IT WAS IN FEBRUARY? “I would say so. You know, you’re just trying to limit your time on pit road for the last stop to a stage or the last stop to the race. Two things have happened – one, the pit stops have gotten really fast because we have one lug nut, so you’re talking sub-10 second stops, and more people are getting in the sub-10 second stop range. So even on a racetrack that we change tires, the amount of fuel you have to take for four, you’re still waiting on gas if you’re all the way out. So you see that at stage ends at race tracks that we would take four tires and then certainly at speedways where we don’t take tires on those green-flag cycles that get you to the stage. It’s all about time on pit road, so how are you going to limit your time on pit road? You’re going to figure out how to save gas. And that’s why you see like – say at Texas or something last weekend, Richmond or wherever.. somewhere that we would take tires, right? A guy comes in, gets off cycle during a run.. maybe has a problem or something and they end up pitting earlier, so they have more fuel at the stage and they can take advantage of their fast pit stop. That’s why you see some people jump like eight spots at a stage or something.. likely because A) they had a good pit stop and B) they didn’t have to fill all the way up from being out.” WINNING TAKES CARE OF A LOT OF THINGS WHEN IT COMES TO THE POINTS AND ALL OF THAT. BUT HOW CLOSELY DO YOU PAY ATTENTION TO STAGE POINTS OR PLAYOFF POINTS THAT THE NO. 9 TEAM IS CHASING? “I think it’s a really big deal. To me, the best example that I can give myself is our year in 2022, I think it was. We had a really good summer stretch; won a few races and won some stages. When the playoffs started, we had like.. I can’t remember, it was somewhere in the high 30s, maybe close to 40 points. Someone could maybe tell me or not, but it was a bunch. We ran horrendously through the last 10 races and made the final four and that was why. So, I think that in itself tells you everything that you need to know about how important those playoff points are because it can take a really average final 10 and give you a shot in those last three or four weeks. That’s worth its weight in gold, so I think it’s important to rack up as many as you can while the regular season is going on.”

TF Sport Corvettes seek to make their way through GT3 field after qualifying IMOLA, Italy (April 20, 2024) – TF Sport and its two Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs will look to race their way through the LMGT3 field following Saturday’s qualifying session ahead of the Six Hours of Imola for the World Endurance Championship.

Tom Van Rompuy led the TF Sport qualifying results with the 11th-fastest class time in the No. 81 Corvette that he will share with Rui Andrade and Corvette factory driver Charlie Eastwood.  Van Rompuy’s best lap of 1:43.897 (105.695 mph) was less 0.2 seconds from making the 10-car Hyperpole session to set the first five rows of the grid. He was the pole-winner for the season-opening race in Qatar. Teammate Hiroshi Koizumi will start the No. 82 Corvette Z06 GT3.R directly behind Van Rompuy in 13th after his best lap of 1:44.108 (105.509 mph). He will drive with Sebastien Baud and factory driver Daniel Juncadella – the trio having finished 10th after 10 hours at Qatar. TF Sport tested at Imola in the weeks leading up to this weekend’s event at the 3.05-mile, 19-turn circuit. The Corvettes were 1-2 in Friday’s two practice sessions, but changing temperatures and track conditions Saturday swung the momentum away from the TF Sport entries.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available throughout the IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach and FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola.  Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

The FIA WEC’s Six Hours of Imola is set for 1 p.m. Central European Time / 7 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, April 21. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage of the race, as will the FIA WEC app and the MAX app in the U.S. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of the race.

TOM VAN ROMPUY, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED 11TH IN LMGT3: “This weekend, we didn’t have the package to go for pole. But let’s hope we can have a package for good race pace. It’s a bit of the opposite from last time (Qatar) where we had good qualifying pace but not such a good race pace and some technical issues. We have done quite a bit of work with some small changes or updates from Qatar. One is working better than the other, but we need to keep putting some work on it. For now we are missing a bit of top speed but we will do the best we can as drivers and as a team to make a good effort and try to put a good result together.”

CHARLIE EASTWOOD, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Yesterday was amazing. We came here testing and hit the ground running pretty nice. We’re working through a few things on our end so maybe it looked slightly better on paper than it really was. Final practice was a little struggle, but as a team we are learning this new Corvette with every session. The track changed quite a bit today with a lot more rubber down and temperatures increased. We’re adapting with that. Once we start to do more running and get a better picture, we’ll be able to adapt having that experience in this scenario again for the races later in the year. There are a few bits to work on for the long stuff but there is still a lot to play for.”

RUI ANDRADE, NO. 81 TF SPORT CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “There have been some ups and downs. Yesterday we were quite strong, and I think today we took a slight step back with the balance. Besides that, I think we have a strong car and we showed it all day long Friday. I think we have a good package for the race after our testing here. It’s only the second race of the season and the second race for the team with this car, so we are finding things all the time. If we put everything together, we can have a strong race.”

HIROSHI KOIZUMI, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED 13TH IN LMGT3: “The feeling of the car isn’t that bad at all. I couldn’t quite get my best lap in during qualifying. But I’m not giving up for the race and I’ll try to get the best position I can in the race. Rather than the car being one that can put in one really fast lap, it’s a car that has good pace over a longer run, so I think we can have a good finishing position tomorrow.”

DANI JUNCADELLA, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “Today was a bit harder. We’re still sorting out some little hiccups here and there. We’re working on the driveability of the engine and still developing further things. We’re getting close to the limits of the power levels. We are still learning. It’s been a difficult weekend for sure because with the curb striking and so on, the torque is very inconsistent but that is the same for everybody. Other than that, everything else feels great. The car balance is very good in the corners and the Corvette is very nice to drive.”

SEBASTIEN BAUD, NO. 82 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R: “It was a good couple of free practices yesterday. I drove a lot and we all improved. I’m happy because the car is very good and the setup is good for this track. This is my first race in Europe for the WEC, and I really like this track. There are a lot of sponsors and partners here with me. On the track, it’s very difficult because we have a lot of traffic for a track as short as Imola. For the race, it will be very important to be careful in the traffic with both Hypercars and the LMGT3 cars. The car is very good and very fast. The goal for the race is a top-five and I hope the podium.”

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R making progress on technical circuit in heart of Italy

IMOLA, Italy (April 20, 2024) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R will start on the sixth row Sunday for the 6 Hours of Imola.Alex Lynn, who will co-drive the Cadillac Racing Hypercar, in the second race of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season, recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 31.397 seconds in the 12-minute qualifying session on the 3-mile (4.9 km), 21-turn (12 left) Autodromo Internazionale Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit.The facility, which hosted its first race in 1953 and last Intercontinental Le Mans Cup — precursor of the WEC — race in 2011, replaced Monza on the WEC calendar this year as the latter is undergoing scheduled work. Lynn, who qualified seventh in the season-opening race last month at Qatar, improved by 1.5 seconds upon the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R’s best lap time in the three free practice sessions. Antonio Fuoco, driving the No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse in its home race, earned the pole with a lap of 1:29.456 in the 10-minuite Hyperpole session reserved for the top 10 cars from the first session. The field will take the green flag at 1 p.m. Central European Time / 7 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sunday, April 21. MotorTrend, Max, discorvery+ and the FIA WEC app will provide coverage of the race in the U.S. Radio Le Mans will broadcast the race.

Ride alongWatch the race from the drivers’ perspective in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R HERE. Media resources* Drivers CV: About Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn* ’24 WEC statistics* ’23 WEC statistics

EVENT RECAP: Round 1 [Long Beach]

It feels great to be competing in Formula Drift again! RAD Industries race program has a few new partners that have come on board since our previous 2022 season in Formula Drift. We are happy to welcome SUNEX Tools, LOCTITE, AMSOIL and Fluidampr to the team! We showed up to Round 1 in Long Beach recharged and hungrier than ever knowing that we needed to accumulate points, especially with the new implemented ranking system. The new system eliminated the traditional qualifying, so going into Round 1 was based heavily on standing points from 2023. Dan battled through the Top 16 Seeding Bracket on Friday finishing 4th place which matched him up with Aasbo for the Top 32 on Saturday. The combination of Dan’s additional seat time in 2023 and the Supra being the most competitive it has ever been was evident in Dan’s performance. Dan was like a magnet to Aasbo’s car in chase until he found himself in the tire BB’s where he lost traction out of the 3rd outer zone giving Aasbo the win. Dan stood out through practice, warm up, seeding battles and Top 32 earning compliments from the judges on his comeback and his exciting, aggresive driving style throughout the race weekend! We are pumped for a great season ahead, next stop will be ROUND 2 on May 9-11 in Braselton, Georgia.

CHATHAM, LA (April 19, 2024) – When Seth Bergman got the call from former ASCS National champion Wayne Johnson to come and drive the TwoC Racing ride, he knew he had to make an impact right away.

Consider the impact made. The Snohomish, WA-racer scored the win in the 2024 ASCS National Tour opener at Super Bee Speedway Friday night, leading all but one lap en route to his 19th career National Tour victory in his first start with the Oklahoma-based team.

“I think I was able to gel as quick as I did just because I’ve been friends with Wayne for a long time,” Bergman said. “I was able to come into a team being familiar with the guy in charge.

“I just felt instantly a level of comfort and ease; I didn’t feel like they were down my back to do anything. I felt like they had a great team here with a lot of pieces in place to perform well.”

Johnson, the 2000 ASCS National champion from Oklahoma City, OK, was injured in a crash during an event in Texas last weekend, rendering him unable to race while he navigates his recovery process. He soon phoned Bergman – a longtime friend and fellow competitor – and asked him to fill the seat in his absence. Bergman accepted the offer and wasted no time in representing of the nation’s most accomplished Winged 360 Sprint Car drivers, winning in his first night out.

“Getting an opportunity like this – it feels great to put the hard work in and be noticed and have the phone ring for an opportunity like this,” Bergman said. “The phone rang too because I’ve known Wayne for a really long time. We’re friends. Part of this sport is about networking and who you know.

“It’s very unfortunate to see what happened to Wayne. I honestly get a little emotional thinking about it. He’s a friend, and seeing him in the condition he’s in and not knowing when he’s gonna return, if he is, is a lot to wrap your head around.”

While he led most of the race, Bergman’s second lap was most notable. He charged into Turn 1 with a full head of steam and got underneath Andrew Deal to take second, then powered around the outside of polesitter Brady Baker for the lead out of Turn 4.

“I knew from the warmup lap, I was gonna be sporty early,” Bergman said. “Just experience. Andrew’s very experienced too, but he kinda got snookered on the start – Baker looked like he came up and got into [Deal], so he was maybe feeling his car out for a lap or two after that. I was able to pounce on opportunities quick.”

From there on out, it was smooth sailing for Bergman and the No. 2C. He fended off all challenges from Deal and Baker on restarts and cruised to the $4,000 payday.

After chasing Bergman nearly the entire race, Deal crossed the stripe second – a new career-best finish on the National Tour. The Rookie of the Year contender from Caney, KS, challenged for the lead around the halfway point but was unable to get close enough to make a move in the end.

“It was kinda sketchy first lap – polesitter got a little wide on the get-go and put us in the fence, so it took me 3-to-4 laps to recover from that just to make sure nothing was torn up,” Deal said. “After a big hit like that, you don’t really go into the next turn too terribly hard.”

After battling back-and-forth with Deal for the runner-up spot in the first half of the event, Baker crossed the stripe third. Deal wrestled the spot away for good on Lap 8, and then came a hard-charging Koty Adams who raced from eighth on the grid and passed Baker for third on Lap 22. Adams later blew a tire on Lap 27, ruining his podium run and handing the spot back to Baker, who drove it home with his first Tour podium finish of the season.

“The car was just really loose the whole race,” Baker said. “Ran the wing about as far back as it would go and was still way free. But all-in-all, I think we had a good night.”

Reigning ASCS National champion Jason Martin finished fourth and captured the night’s Hard Charger honors in his drive up from 22nd on the starting grid. Oklahoma racer Brandon Anderson completed the top five from 11th on the grid.

UP NEXT

ASCS National Tour racing continues Saturday, April 20, at Super Bee Speedway in Chatham, LA. Tickets will be on sale at the gate; streaming available on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 2C-Seth Bergman[4]; 2. 15D-Andrew Deal[2]; 3. 71-Brady Baker[1]; 4. 36-Jason Martin[22]; 5. 55B-Brandon Anderson[11]; 6. 95-Matt Covington[5]; 7. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[7]; 8. 71T-Channin Tankersley[23]; 9. 10-Landon Britt[17]; 10. 45X-Kyler Johnson[19]; 11. 88-Terry Easum[3]; 12. 2J-Zach Blurton[18]; 13. 91-Michael Day[12]; 14. 88K-Jordan Knight[16]; 15. 2-Brekton Crouch[13]; 16. 6G-Bryan Gossel[20]; 17. 88B-Brandon Blenden[24]; 18. 26-Jacob Harris[10]; 19. 6-Koty Adams[8]; 20. 14-Jordon Mallett[21]; 21. 24-Tyler Harris[9]; 22. 9-Josh McCord[15]; 23. 9L-Lane Whittington[6]; 24. 121-Jan Howard[14]

Knowles, Overton, Mills, McLaughlin, Thornton, and Seawright among the drivers to lock their way into Saturday’s finale at Talladega Short Track

TALLADEGA, AL (April 19, 2024) – Two first-time winners in the same night opened the Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track Friday night. 

With the night split into two 25-lap Prelim Features, Dylan Knowles and Max McLaughlin each scored a prelim victory – their first time in Victory Lane with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models. 

The top-three finishers in each race also locked into Saturday’s 75-lap, $35,000-to-win Alabama Gang 100 finale, which includes Brandon Overton, Trey Mills, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Sam Seawright. 

Feature 1 – Dylan Knowles

Throughout Friday’s program, Lanett, AL native Dylan Knowles controlled the night from the top spot. He started by winning the Dirt King Simulator Hottest Hot Lap of the Night, then followed up with his first Simpson Quick Time Award. 

Rolling off from the pole, Knowles commanded the duration of Feature 1 with ease – keeping reigning Alabama Gang 100 winner Brandon Overton at bay to claim the win.

“I knew Brandon was back there,” Knowles said. “I said to myself that I’m not getting off this bottom and I’ve been known to hit the Yuke tires. I never been in a situation leading like this before, so I feel really confident heading into tomorrow night.”

Overton finished second to Knowles after attempting each lane possible to get by the #66K of Knowles. With the result, Overton places himself in contention to go back-to-back at the 3/8-mile “Hornet’s Nest.”

Locking into his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Feature on Saturday night with a third place finish is St. Augustine, FL driver Trey Mills. The 15-year-old driver managed to keep in line with the two in front of him while managing to fend against the veterans to lock in the final spot in Feature 1.

Gray Court, SC driver Chris Madden finished fourth and Hyndman, PA driver Drake Troutman completed the Feature’s top five.

Feature 1 (25 Laps): 1. 66K-Dylan Knowles[1]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[3]; 3. 14JR-Trey Mills[2]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[12]; 5. 7-Drake Troutman[7]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell[9]; 7. B5-Brandon Sheppard[11]; 8. 19M-Spencer Hughes[8]; 9. 9-Nick Hoffman[17]; 10. 19-Dustin Sorensen[16]; 11. 3S-Brian Shirley[18]; 12. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[10]; 13. 11-Cruz Skinner[20]; 14. 78-Matthew Brocato[14]; 15. B1-Brent Larson[15]; 16. 157-Mike Marlar[13]; 17. 96-Tanner English[4]; 18. 25-Tim Roszell[23]; 19. 6JR-Parker Martin[21]; 20. 18X-Michael Page[5]; 21. 54-David Breazeale[6]; 22. 31-Tyler Millwood[22]; 23. 17-Justin Hammett[24]; 24. 30-Todd Cooney[19]

Feature 2 – Max McLaughlin

Looking to solidify his place in the ranks of the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models, Mooresville, NC driver Max McLaughlin took it one step closer with his performance in Feature 2.

Starting on the outside of the front row, McLaughlin quickly took over the top spot from Newport, TN driver Jimmy Owens on Lap One and never relinquished the lead – despite constant attempts from Martinsville, IN driver Ricky Thornton Jr. to get by the GR Smith-owned #22*.

Rain around the Talladega area made its presence known in Feature 2, as the race was called due to the weather that had impacted the track.

With the win, McLaughlin will roll off from his best start in a dirt Late Model in Saturday night’s 75-lap Feature.

“This is only my fifth or sixth time in a Late Model,” McLaughlin said. “It’s been an up-and-down year, but I gotta learn. It’s a different world here and I gotta get up to speed as fast as I can. We got a great race team and a great race car makes the driver’s job a lot easier. It makes me excited for the rest of the year.”

Thornton finished the Feature in second, keeping his #20RT in contention to win throughout the race while making any attempt in any lane around the track to overtake McLaughlin.

Fort Payne, AL driver Sam Seawright completed the Feature podium after racing his #16S into the final transfer position to lock in for his chance at a first Series win on Saturday night.

Reigning Series champion Bobby Pierce finished fourth by climbing up five positions by using the high line of the track. Owens came home to finish fifth.

Feature 2 (25 Laps): 1. 22*-Max McLaughlin[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 3. 16S-Sam Seawright[5]; 4. 32-Bobby Pierce[9]; 5. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 6. 6-Kyle Larson[6]; 7. C6-Oakley Johns[12]; 8. 97C-Cody Overton[15]; 9. 12-Ashton Winger[11]; 10. 19R-Ryan Gustin[7]; 11. 40B-Kyle Bronson[10]; 12. 05-TJ Brittain[18]; 13. 22F-Chris Ferguson[24]; 14. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[22]; 15. 187-David McCoy[16]; 16. 5-Chase Oliver[17]; 17. 99-JR Moseley[13]; 18. 11S-Austin Smith[23]; 19. 38-Dillon Tidmore[20]; 20. 14W-Dustin Walker[21]; 21. 16-Tyler Bruening[4]; 22. 97-Cade Dillard[8]; 23. 4-Ryan Wilson[19]; 24. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[14]

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models race for one more night at the Talladega Short Track to close out the Alabama Gang 100 weekend on Saturday, April 20. The 75-lap Feature will provide a race of attrition as one driver goes home with $35,000 in the bank. For more information and tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model race live on DIRTVision.

Derani drives No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R to top at Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2024) – The No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R earned its third consecutive pole position to start the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) season. Reigning GTP champion Pipo Derani guided the hybrid Cadillac racecar to a best lap of 1 minute, 11.388 seconds on the tight 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary downtown street circuit to top the 10-car field for the 100-minute race Saturday.

Cadillac has earned four poles and an additional five front row starts at Long Beach since joining the IMSA prototype class in 2017. Cadillac Racing will seek its sixth victory in seven races at Long Beach. “I put in the lap in early and it was enough, apparently,” said Derani, who has driven to the pole in each race and upped his career IMSA record to 12. “Today the car was on rails. The Whelen Engineering Cadillac was fantastic. We took it off rails a little bit on the last flying lap but came back to it. It’s great to be on pole.” Sebastien Bourdais qualified third in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R with a best lap of 1:11.411. Bourdais, a four-time winner at Long Beach, was limited to five laps because of a hybrid system issue at the start of the 15-minute session. Bourdais and van der Zande started on the front row at Daytona and Sebring. Both Cadillac Racing entries topped the time chart in the two pre-qualifying practice sessions.

“Congratulations to the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R team for their efforts in winning the important pole position for the sprint race,” said Mark Stielow, GM director of motorsports competition. “Pipo Derani drove another great qualifying session on an exceptionally technical street course. We’re looking forward to Cadillac Racing teams being in contention for the victory tomorrow.” Both the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R (Rolex 24 At Daytona) and No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R (Mobil1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Present3ed by Cadillac) have recorded runner-up finishes this season. A Cadillac DPi won five consecutive races at Long Beach through 2022 (no event in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), including podium sweeps in ‘22 and ’21, to extend GM’s victory streak to seven in the event. A Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2015 and ’16 races. Bourdais and Renger van der Zande, who will co-drive Saturday, won in 2022. Derani will share the seat with Jack Aitken. USA and Peacock will have flag-to-flag action starting at 4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 20. Peacock and IMSA.tv will stream qualifications at 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, April 19. All sessions will be broadcast on IMSA.com and RadioLeMans.com. SiriusXM will also broadcast the race (Sirius 211, XM 206, Web/App 996).No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Sebastien Bourdais: “It’s a testament to the car. I think we were on the money. Just obviously had a hybrid fault and couldn’t start the car. The guys managed to find a default position that disabled something and managed to get us going. I got impeded on two of those three laps that we had, and particularly the quick lap. It’s a shame but at the same time it’s mixed feelings. For most of the time I was in the car, I thought that we weren’t going to get going. Starting P3 is a lot better than not putting a lap in and starting P10. We still have a chance to do something tomorrow. We have a quick car, so hopefully we can put one in the bank for Cadillac.”

No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R

Pipo Derani: “I put in the lap in early and it was enough, apparently. On that last flying lap, I didn’t have any information from the team; I actually requested them not to talk too much over the radio. I was going a little bit quicker, so I said I was going to try it to make sure I have an extra gap in case it’s necessary. We always know that at the end of qualifying, things start to get a little bit quicker. Then I just locked up and went straight into the barriers. I knew I needed to come off the barriers quite quickly because of a red flag. I quickly reminded myself how to get it done. Nevertheless, we knew how important it was to be on pole here for this race. We can swap the nose but in a race here it is important to start on pole, so I’m happy with that.”Being on pole for a 100-minute race: “This race can have it turn upside-down quite quickly with a yellow. But if it’s a clean race, if you start from the front, it can win you the race. We knew coming here that it would be important to start up front. We saw last year what happened into Turn One. It’s always complicated here to pass. We don’t have as many cars as the first two races, so it makes it even harder for you to try and find your way by somebody with less traffic. Today the car was on rails. The Whelen Engineering Cadillac was fantastic. We took it off rails a little bit on the last flying lap but came back to it. It’s great to be on pole.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH STREETS OF LONG BEACH LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT APRIL 19, 2024 CHEVROLET STARTS OUT STRONG ON THE STREETS OF LONG BEACH WITH SIX FINISHING IN THE TOP-10 AFTER FIRST PRACTICE Continuing the trend established in St. Petersburg, Chevrolet occupied the first three positions on the leaderboard after first NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, with six of the top-10 representing Team Chevy.Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, led first practice with his fastest lap of 1:06.6875 seconds.  All three Team Penske Chevrolets finished in the top-five, with Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet, finishing second, Scott McLaughlin, driver of the No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet, finishing third, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, finishing fifth.Christian Rasmussen, driver of the No. 20 Ed Carpenter Chevrolet, finishing his first practice session on the Streets of Long Beach 10th, with his fastest lap of 1:07.2773 seconds.Saturday sees Team Chevy take to the track for second practice at 11:25 a.m. ET, as well as qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six at 2:25 p.m. ET for Sunday’s race on the Streets of Long Beach. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 FIRST PRACTICE RESULTS:1st      Pato O’Ward2nd    Will Power3rd     Scott McLaughlin5th     Josef Newgarden8th     Alexander Rossi10th   Christian Rasmussen

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet:“It was a good first session. I felt like we had good speed right away, which is positive for a Friday. But the track is going to change a lot tomorrow. It’s going to build a lot of grip, but feeling in the mix in qualifying, which is going to be critical for the race. Qualifying up front here is always critical. I got a lot of confidence in the Hitachi crew, and Team Chevy has really brought us something good to work with. All around, I think we’re really encouraged for the weekend.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet:“Pretty good day for the No. 3 Odyssey Battery Chevy team. We rolled out of the truck really strong and that makes the whole day heaps easier. We are in a really good spot for the weekend. Obviously, we showed a lot of pace at St. Pete to start the year. Street circuits were a big focus of ours in the off season so it’s nice to see that work paying off. The goal is to continue building on that, qualify well tomorrow and be up front on Sunday when it matters.” Will Power, No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet:“It was a good Friday at Long Beach. Very happy with the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet. We certainly can improve in some areas, driving-wise. I think we are right in the window. Now we have to take that base that we had in practice and apply it in qualifying because that has been an issue. We are really focused on that.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“I think there’s been some track progression. I think it’s a solid half-second at least. The car is in the window, and we’ve been making small tweaks here and there. Some things worked; some things didn’t work. (We’ll) debrief and see where we want to be for P2 tomorrow.” Théo Pourchaire, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It felt incredible. I’m super happy to be back driving. The car felt great. Pato (O’Ward) did the fastest lap. I was pretty good on the alternative tires. Unfortunately, I didn’t complete any laps due to traffic, so it’s alright. I’m learning. I think it could have been a good position at the end. It’s good, track is great. The track is really bumpy. It’s really hard physically as well, so I’m really happy.” You mentioned on the radio you felt your driving getting better, grip improving. Is that a big deal for you?“Yes, sure. It’s super important for me lap after lap to understand everything. I also pushed the limits a bit, I did one small mistake in Turn 8. It’s good to be able to feel the limits. I love the street course. I enjoy it so much, and I feel like tomorrow is going to be a better day, again as I’m learning quick. I’m happy. The team is helping me a lot. Without the traffic, I think it could have been a great position the end. It doesn’t really matter at the moment, I’m just trying to learn, but I’m super happy. You can tell on my face, I’m smiling all the time.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet:“It’s good to be back in Long Beach. The car is in the window; I just think we need to fine-tune a couple things to find a little bit of speed. But overall, that was a really good start, and I’m just happy to be back here. I can’t wait to get back out tomorrow and see what we can do in qualifying.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“That was a good and very productive session. It’s great to see Pato put up a good time on the Firestone Alternate tires, but you have to take that with a grain of salt in a busy, crowded session like that. It’s still a good reference point for the other guys to learn off of, which is always nice. We have a couple things to figure out to unlock a touch more speed out of Alexander, but I think he’s in the mix. I’m really impressed with Théo’s approach through the session. He just kept building up to it. There are a couple corners where I think he’s going to improve on as we keep going, but I’m very encouraged with his approach. There’s a lot for him to learn today, and I told him to just enjoy it, find a rhythm and just keep building. I think he did that.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet:“I feel great about it. First top-10 is very nice, especially on a track I haven’t been to before. I think we rolled out strong. I feel like I got up to speed quick. I got comfortable quick. Thanks to all the time we’ve spend in the Chevy sim. The prep has been good for this weekend, and I think it pays off. I think just having one weekend under my belt, a lot of the firsts are out of the way. My first practice session on an official weekend, my first race, all of that stuff, that kind of takes some of the nerves away. Love being here, love the track, and obviously we were decently quick.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“The car felt okay (in Long Beach practice one) in the beginning. We had a mechanical issue towards the end so we didn’t get to run the green tires at the end, but I think we have a decent balance to start the weekend, and I’m excited for tomorrow.”    Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet:“Much better, much better. This track honestly is really, really tricky. I remember last year the session on Friday, it was complicated, honestly. I’ve been enjoying it a lot. This tricky track because the braking zones are very demanding and you have the wall in front of you, waiting for you. It’s a good track, and we were really good. We were P12 with the blacks. My lap wasn’t good, honestly, with the greens. I can get two or three-tenths more. I’m really happy with the start of the weekend. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – First Practice Press Conference Transcript:THE MODERATOR: Wrapping up day one, practice today. Joined by Pato O’Ward, P1 at practice session. Pato, your thoughts on day one today. PATO O’WARD: Really solid start for us in the 5 car. I wouldn’t say it’s quite different to last year. We were really, really strong. Just every other INDYCAR weekend, you have to execute every single session. Every opportunity you have, you have to really see what way you want to go. There’s quite a bit of track evolution, I’d say. Although the times were quicker than I thought. Q. Pato has said he’s very happy to see the start of the season that you’ve gotten off to, Felix. Now you’re competing against each other, but you always had that bond. How important is that, to be able to share that relationship?FELIX ROSENQVIST: I think it’s pretty simple. We’re always competing against each other. I think still, like if he does a good lap, I can kind of read into it. Like, I know his strengths and weaknesses in a way. Yeah, like he did his lap today. It’s kind of a good benchmark, when I’m in another team, how you want to set the car up, those kind of things. Yeah, it’s pretty straightforward: you go out there, you try to beat them. PATO O’WARD: No, I mean, what he said. I think it’s important to have competitors that have mutual respect for each other. I wish I could say the same for everybody, but it’s clearly not (smiling). Yeah, he’s one of the good ones. Q. Pato, you were quickest first session last year, this year as well. Is there any particular style of track where you have found you can make time over your teammates? Is there a spot to attack?PATO O’WARD: Honestly… FELIX ROSENQVIST: Turn eight. That’s the corner. PATO O’WARD: Did you like turn eight? You’ve been watching telemetry.There used to be a bump there last year. You have to wait after the hump, then come into power. Now that the hump is gone, it’s a lot quicker. That is definitely somewhere where I found quite a bit of lap time compared to last year. I don’t know, man. I feel like I approach every corner the same. I’m always just kind of flirting with the limit of the car. I mean, I went over it significant amount of times in practice. You have to explore. If you never get there, you leave it to qualifying, there’s more chances for you to screw your lap. You don’t want to be doing that in qualifying.

Bell, Fidani showing pace, potential of No. 13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R LONG BEACH, Calif. (April 19, 2024) – AWA’s No. 13 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R is set to make its debut at the famed Long Beach Street Circuit after Friday’s qualifying session for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Orey Fidani piloted the Corvette that he will share with Matt Bell to the eighth row of the GT Daytona (GTD) grid for Saturday’s 100-minute race.

This is the first race on a street circuit for AWA and the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, and the first time at Long Beach for Bell and Fidani, whose best lap in qualifying was a 1:20.072 (88.480 mph). Friday began well for AWA as Bell set the fastest GTD lap in the opening practice – a 1:18.911 (89.782 mph) lap, good enough to put AWA on the top of the time sheets for the first time with Corvette. Bell backed that up with the fourth-fastest time in the afternoon’s final practice. The AWA duo is coming off ninth-place class finish in last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Cadillac. This time around it’s an all-out sprint race for the No. 13 Corvette with close-quarters racing the norm between the concrete barriers along the 1.968-mile, 11-turn Long Beach street circuit. Chevrolet and the Corvette brand have been a fixture at Long Beach since the Corvette Racing program first visited Long Beach in 2007. In 15 visits, Corvette GT cars have captured eight victories with two others in the Corvette DP era.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of the IMSA Grand Prix of Long Beach and FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Imola.  Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Z06 GT3.R racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

Combined with results from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet boasts a total of 22 victories in the Grand Prix’s two premier events.The Grand Prix of Long Beach for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is scheduled for 4:35 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 20. The race will air live on USA Network starting at 4:30 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage also on Peacock. IMSA Radio will have coverage of the race at IMSA.com with Sirius 211, XM 206, SiriusXM Online 996 also providing radio coverage of the race.

OREY FIDANI, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R – QUALIFIED 15TH IN GTD: “It was a challenging but overall positive day on the demanding streets of Long Beach. I feel like every corner tests the limits of our car. Qualifying was tough but it sets us up for a day of fighting hard, learning and pushing forward. We’re ready to take on the challenges of this iconic urban track. From here, the only way is upwards, and we’re excited to show what we can do in the race tomorrow.”

MATT BELL, NO. 13 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 GT3.R (after Practice 1): “The team’s first P1 in the Corvette era, so I’m really happy with that. It’s nice to roll out very competitive. The Corvette Racing guys have given us a lot of help coming into here. They’ve passed on a little bit of their knowledge of this place onto us. They’ve been very successful here in the past, and we’ve rolled out pretty good. I wasn’t expecting that in my first time here. I have heard a lot of stories about how daunting this place is, and on my first couple of laps I was in 100 percent in agreement! But I got a clear lap later on and the car was hooked up and I could put something together. Hopefully we can continue in the vein and find another couple of tenths yet.”

2024 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship PointsGTD Drivers Standings1. Indy Dontje/Philip Ellis/Russell Ward – 7252. Antonio Fuoco/Giorgio Sernagiotto/Roberto Lacorte – 5893. Adam Adelson/Elliott Skeer/Jan Heylen – 5704. Albert Costa Balboa/Cedric Sbirrazzuoli/Manny Franco – 5455. Francois Heriau/Miguel Molina/Simon Mann – 48519. Lars Kern/Matthew Bell/Orey Fidani – 347 GTD Teams Standings1. No. 57 Windward Racing – 7252. No. 47 Cetilar Racing – 5893. No. 120 Wright Motorsports – 5704. No. 34 Conquest Racing – 5455. No. 21 AF Corse – 48518. No. 13 AWA – 347 GTD Manufacturers Standings1. Mercedes-AMG – 7512. Porsche – 6343. Lamborghini – 6164. McLaren – 5505. Lexus – 5277. Chevrolet – 505 CORVETTE RACING BY THE NUMBERS: Long Beach• 3: Corvette Z06 GT3.Rs in competition this weekend – No. 13 of AWA at Long Beach, No. 81 and No. 82 of TF Sport at Imola• 4: Generations of Corvette ZR1 (C3, C4, C6 and C7). The eighth-generation Corvette ZR1 will be revealed this summer• 6: Iterations of Corvette GT entries at Long Beach since 2007 – Corvette C6.R GT1 (2007-09, Corvette C6.R GT2/GT (2010-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019), Corvette C8.R GTE (2021), Corvette C8.R GTD (2022-2023) and now the Corvette Z06 GT3.R• 8: Number of drivers who have competed at Long Beach for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. That list grows this year with addition of Orey Fidani and Matt Bell in the No. 13 AWA Corvette Z06 GT3.R• 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 15 appearances for the Corvette Racing program• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22 victories in the event’s two premier races.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 45: Number of drivers in Corvette Racing entries since 1999. Rui Andrade, Sebastien Baud, Hiroshi Koizumi and Tom Van Rompuy joined the list at Qatar to open the WEC season• 71: Years since Corvette was introduced to the world on Jan. 17, 1953 in New York City. A total of 300 cars were produced that year• 127: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC• 287: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 4,225.27: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 15 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,147 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.• 371,612.71: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing entries since 1999. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles Corvette Racing at Long Beach (wins in bold)2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole) 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap) 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM 2022No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO (Taylor pole) 2023No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTD PRO

CONCORD, NC (April 19, 2024) – First wins are memorable. Especially when they make a statement like the one Ashton Torgerson’s did.

In only his ninth career start, the 17-year-old from Glendale, AZ, scored his first career Feature win with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota last Saturday at Farmer City Raceway. A performance that displayed the progress he’s made only one month into his rookie season on the national Midget scene, Torgerson led all but one lap and held off Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) teammates Cannon McIntosh and Ryan Timms to capture the checkered flag.

But that win did much more than just add another trophy to his collection – it established him as a serious contender in the national Midget ranks, and more prominently, took a big step in changing the way he’s viewed in the motorsports world.

In January 2023, Torgerson was competing in his first Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, OK. A 16-year-old newcomer to Midget racing at the time, he was involved in a rollover incident that ejected him from his car during a race event which sent him to the hospital to be treated for injuries. While he made a full recovery in the following weeks, the incident became increasingly more attached to his name over the next several months.

“It’s an incident that I don’t think anyone wants to ever witness and something I don’t want to go through again,” Torgerson said. “Everyone thinks they know what happened and everything, but I’ve just gotta keep my head [on straight], keep moving forward. That’s in the past.

“Racing is just racing for me, so I’m just going to keep chasing those wins and see what I can do.”

Now, he’s a two-time national Midget Feature winner. Less than 10 starts into his new partnership with KKM – the defending Xtreme Outlaw Series championship team from Columbus, IN – Torgerson has the win with Xtreme and one with the POWRi National Midget League, taking the checkers during the tour’s season-opening weekend in March.

All of this he’s done while the negative comments and speculation about the cause of his accident continue to fly around the internet. But Torgerson knows – the more times he goes to Victory Lane, the quieter those voices get.

“It really doesn’t bother me with the hate or the vulgar comments,” he said. “If it makes them feel good to talk about a 17-year-old – if that’s what they want to do, they can do it. It’s not gonna bother be or stop me from racing or anything. It just adds fuel to the fire.”

Standing behind him are some of the best mechanical talents on one of the most decorated teams in open-wheel dirt track racing history. KKM has built a modern-day dynasty of winning national Midget championships, taking some of the country’s most undiscovered racing talents and giving them a platform to develop and showcase their skills.

Torgerson is one of the next up-and-comers in the open-wheel world. He garnered the biggest win of his career in December at the Tulsa Shootout, winning the ‘A’ Class division Feature as part of the famed Micro Sprint event, and proved he was ready to jump up the ladder into Midgets where he now receives coaching from the best KKM has to offer.

“KKM, Keith and Beau [Binder, crew chief] – they’re just such a great team to work with and I’m beyond glad I’m with them,” Torgerson said. “The experience that I’m getting with them helps me out so much.”

With multiple Micro Sprint championships to his name but less than 15 Midget races in his career, Torgerson has leaned on his leaders for ways to improve and adapted quickly to his new motorsports discipline.

“Working with Beau, I’m able to learn how much more I can drive the car or where to set the car at,” Torgerson said. “I’ll say it’s different from a Micro, so the feeling of the car is kind of what I’ve been learning the most.”

Despite his rapid success, Torgerson’s road hasn’t been easy. He missed the first Feature of the season in March, falling short of a transfer spot in a Last Chance Showdown event. But in the five races since then, he’s ascended all the way from 29th in the points standings up to fourth, where he now sits 133 points behind the leader.

“I look back at that quite a bit and realized that if I could have done better that race, it could be different for the points standings,” Torgerson said. “Each time I get on the track, I learn more and more. After driving the first time, I knew I definitely had to step-up my game.”

The season is still early, but Torgerson is ready to step-up his game more than ever in pursuit of his first national Midget series championship.

His season continues with the next Xtreme Outlaw Series events – Friday, May 10 at Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, KS, and Saturday, May 11 at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS.

Tickets for both events will be on sale at the track on race day. If you can’t be there to watch in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.