POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 10, 2023) – Given the CD Racing team’s travails in practice – a bedeviling electrical gremlin that grounded Chris Dyson’s intended car for the weekend – the two-time and defending Trans Am by Pirelli champion counted himself fortunate to be standing on the second step of the Winners Circle podium following the checkered flag at Saturday’s 100-mile Trans Am race at Watkins Glen International with his substantial 2023 championship lead still largely intact. “We had a strong test last week here at the Glen,” Dyson said. “The work we’d done on the car in the two months since Elkhart Lake significantly improved its performance and we were optimistic about our chances this weekend.” But when his #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang experienced electrical system woes in the final pre-qualifying Practice session, the decision was made to replace it with the car raced most recently by Adam Andretti at Sebring in March. “It was fortunate we had the sister car as a backup,” Dyson said. “But it had not been run on track since early this year and we didn’t have the time to transfer over all the detailed tweaks we’d made to my primary car. All things considered, I felt fortunate to qualify third. Justin (Marks) had a strong car and drove well all weekend. He had some issues in practice as well, but they got them sorted for qualifying. I knew going into race day that it was going to be a tough race for us.” Near the halfway mark Dyson passed Boris Said for second place. “But I knew my only chance for a shot at Justin was if there was a full course yellow. I had a good lead on the rest of the field, so I made sure I took care of the car and the tires. But there was no yellow. Generally, it’s not satisfying finishing second, but this time I’m grateful. From a points perspective this was a pretty good result.” Next Up: Meet Me in St. Louis The Trans Am Series’ next event for the headline TA class is September 22-24 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis. “I’m confident we will be bringing a strong car to Gateway” Dyson said. “We’ve got about ten days to get everything sorted. I like scoring well and leading the championship, but I want some more race wins before this campaign wraps up. I am looking forward to a great race.” Watkins Glen Rebroadcast Schedule A 60-minute feature on the Watkins Glen race will be broadcast this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices. For more on Chris Dyson Racing, visit chrisdysonracing.com GYM WEED, PLANTS WITH BENEFITS GYM WEED, the hemp infused sports nutrition products to help take your workouts to a higher level.  GYM WEED is paired with the power of Hemp Extract and additional functional ingredients to enhance performance and support recovery.  GYM WEED products are third party lab tested and THC FREE to ensure safe, high-quality ingredients at the right dose. allgram Your Data is Yours! allgram is the next generation decentralized Peer to Peer secure communication platform hosted on the blockchain and developed with cyber and information security as the core elements of the solution. Leveraging Digital IDs you can communicate securely via chat, voice, video, & social media knowing that nobody is accessing your data. DIGITAL ID – Digital IDs are authenticated through the blockchain for true identity verification. CHAT – Peer to Peer communication via text, voice and video with no central servers. SCHEDULE CALLS – Send meeting invites using allgram calendar for business or personal use. SOCIAL MEDIA – Create private or public clubs and share posts securely with no targeted advertisements.

The Clovis, CA phenom leads all 40 laps for Gold Cup glory in home state

CHICO, CA (September 9, 2023) – The Sprint Car world knew a Corey Day breakthrough on the big stage was imminent. And the day arrived Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway’s California crown jewel event.

The Clovis, CA native has shined primarily on the west coast but also in other parts of the country over the past two years. Racking up wins against California’s toughest competition and impressing as he debuted at tracks in the Midwest suggested the kid was destined for stardom. And in Chico, CA, Day made the strongest testament to that path.

In the 69th running of the Curb Records Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by Riebes Auto Parts, Day started on the pole and drove a perfect race to claim his first career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victory. The 17-year-old led every circuit of the 40-lap finale to collect a $25,000 payday and a special triumph in his home state.

After the checkered flag flew, Day gassed the Jason Meyers Racing #14 around the quarter mile powered by emotion. After parking in Victory Lane, Day climbed completely atop the wing to a massive applause of the crowd happy to see one of their own take California’s biggest race.

“This is kind of where I got my start and really put myself on the map with my first breakout run,” Day said. “It’s unbelievable to be there. To do it in front of you fans is unreal. The amount of Corey Day shirts I’ve seen here this weekend is awesome. I appreciate you guys so much. I’m just at a loss for words. We’ve been close a couple times. We were close at Skagit, close at Perris and Bakersfield last year and couldn’t do it. This is a relief, for sure. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time.”

The win came in only Day’s 19th career Feature start with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He became the seventh different driver to notch their first Series win at Silver Dollar Speedway and only the third, joining Kyle Larson (2011) and Jonathan Allard (2014), to do so in the Gold Cup finale. Day became the second competitor to earn their first victory this year along with Brady Bacon. The World of Outlaws all-time win list now sits at 151 different drivers. He also followed the footsteps of his car owner as Jason Meyers is a former Gold Cup champ (2010 & 2013).

For Day, the win came as a culmination of a nearly perfect night. After locking in the Toyota Racing Dash through his Thursday prelim night, the teenager was able to rest easy early on while most of the others competed in four Heat Races. When the time came to draw for Dash starting spots, Day was the last one to draw, and the one was all that was left, putting him on the pole. After trading a few sliders and crossovers with Buddy Kofoid, Day went on to top the Dash.

In the Feature, the main challenge became navigating a bevy of restarts early in the night. A collection of cautions interrupted the flow in the opening laps. But Day never got rattled. Each time the green flag flew, he would pull ahead of Buddy Kofoid.

As the race neared the halfway mark, the action ramped up behind Day. Kofoid tripped up on the cushion on Lap 15, allowing Justin Sanders and Carson Macedo by to take spots two and three. Then three circuits later, Macedo slipped by Sanders to take over the runner-up position. 

Macedo looked to be closing on Day, but then disaster struck for the Lemoore, CA native on the 25th lap when he went over the cushion in Turn 2 and fell to 10th by the time he regained control, effectively ending his hopes. Sanders took over the second spot with Macedo’s misfortune.

As the laps faded, Day’s biggest challenge became traffic and getting smoothly through a part of the racetrack. He began to have problems exiting Turn 4 inside 10 laps to go allowing Sanders and Kofoid to close. The gap dwindled from over three seconds to less than two.

“I didn’t know if they (Sanders and Kofoid) were on me or if they weren’t,” Day admitted. “Honestly, I sucked on the bottom of (Turns) 3 and 4. I could not get off (Turn) 4 and get through the center to save my life. I’ve lost races by getting passed around the top at this place, and I’ve won doing the same thing, so I didn’t know where to be. I was just trying to get around lapped cars.”

But even with the trouble getting ahold of that part of the track, it wouldn’t matter in the end. Ultimately, Day maintained the speed he needed to take the checkered flag with more than a two-second lead and cement his name in the history books in front of his home crowd.

“It’s a dream come true,” Day said. “It’s been one of my goals for ever since I started racing. When you start racing, you want to be an Outlaw one day. To have my name on the list of winners is unreal.”

Claiming the second spot for the second night in a row was Justin Sanders. The result also marked Sanders’ second runner-up in the Gold Cup finale with the other coming in 2017. Overall, Sanders came away very satisfied with the effort of he and his Mittry 2X Racing team but did feel a tinge of disappointment with being a spot away.”

“This is awesome to run second at a big race like this,” Sanders said. “It’s kind of a bummer being just one spot short both nights. I would’ve liked to at least get one of them, but we’ll take it. Like I said, congrats to Corey. He’s going to win a lot of them. Hopefully we can get one one day.”

Completing the top three was Buddy Kofoid to give California natives a podium sweep every single night of this year’s Gold Cup. Like the two ahead of him, Kofoid landed on the podium both of his nights after topping Friday’s prelim. The Penngrove, CA native felt his Roth Motorsports #83 was strong enough to contend for the victory had circumstances presented him with the right opportunity.

“I felt like we had a really good car,” Kofoid said. “I moved up early to try the top, and it was just super dirty because the bottom was so good. I just tried to work it in and probably got tight a couple times and launched myself off and would fall back to fifth. I’d drive back to third, get second, fall back to fourth, and get back to second. So, I thought we had a really good car. I feel like even towards the end with Justin and I racing we were catching the leader a little bit. It would’ve been nice to have a yellow, or if the top would’ve come in a little bit better I feel like it would’ve created an even better race.

Dominic Scelzi and Brad Sweet rounded out the top five.

An 18th to ninth effort gave Chase Randall the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Spencer Bayston. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Dominic Scelzi, Carson Macedo, and Logan Schuchart.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars complete the west coast swing with two more nights in California. First up is Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA on Friday, September 15 for the $21,000-to-win Tom Tarlton Classic. The next night takes the tour up to Placerville Speedway for the Federated Auto Parts 49er Gold Rush Classic. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the racing live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 14-Corey Day[1]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders[3]; 3. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[2]; 4. 41S-Dominic Scelzi[7]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet[9]; 6. 17W-Shane Golobic[5]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]; 8. 5-Spencer Bayston[8]; 9. 57W-Chase Randall[18]; 10. 24X-Chase Johnson[12]; 11. 24-Rico Abreu[14]; 12. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[20]; 14. 17M-Kalib Henry[11]; 15. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[16]; 16. 2-David Gravel[10]; 17. 42X-Justyn Cox[24]; 18. 83-James McFadden[21]; 19. 20G-Noah Gass[15]; 20. (DNF) 18-Giovanni Scelzi[17]; 21. (DNF) 0-Jonathan Allard[23]; 22. (DNF) X1-Michael Faccinto[13]; 23. (DNF) 92-Andy Forsberg[19]; 24. (DNF) 22-Ryan Bernal[22]

ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 9, 2023) – For many years before strapping into a race car of his own, Hudson O’Neal came to Eldora Speedway and watched his father, Don O’Neal, compete in the world’s most prestigious Dirt Late Model race and come up empty-handed.

Now, at only 23 years old, Hudson has a globe of his own, bringing one of American motorsports’ most coveted trophies into the O’Neal home as victor of the 53rd World 100.

After a jubilant celebration in Victory Lane atop the Rocket1 Racing, Rocket/Durham #1, Hudson jumped down from the roof of his DIRTcar Late Model and immediately met Don – 2022 Class member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame – and shared a long, tearful embrace.

“[My dad] came so close so many times, leading and then would break, or had a chance and then cards didn’t play right and so on,” O’Neal said, recalling his days at the track as a child, watching his father race in the same event. “He came here, tried and tried and tried and just never could quite get it done.

“He’s told me for years that he wants me to win it more than he wanted to win it. It was special, the moment that we had up there. I’m just so happy he was here to witness and be a part of it.”

The next person with whom he shared a big hug – his car owner, Mark Richards. For 50 years, the Rocket Chassis co-owner had come to Eldora Speedway with the vision of one day being able to watch a car of his own pushed onto the World 100 Victory Lane stage. For 50 years, he was forced to wait for that experience, watching his own team drivers and those that he crewed for – Rodney Combs, Davey Johnson, and son Josh Richards – denied of the spotlight in the World 100.

That, too, changed Saturday night, as O’Neal crossed the finish line first to give the Rocket Chassis house team its first World 100 triumph and become the first driver from the State of Indiana to win the famed event.

“It just shows the passion that they take in what they do and how long they’ve been coming here, trying to win this race,” O’Neal said about what the win meant to him and his crew members. “Mark told me on the podium – it had been 50 years this year, 50 years he’s been coming here trying to win this race.

“I’m just very blessed to be the one to deliver that to him.”

O’Neal, of Martinsville, IN, delivered in dramatic fashion, passing five-time globe winner Jonathan Davenport in a slide-job/crossover battle that ensued from Lap 90 to Lap 92, when O’Neal sealed the pass with one final slide-job through Turns 1-2.

“I didn’t realize he was coming when he threw that slider, it kinda surprised me,” Davenport said. “I threw one back, we went back-and-forth, but just wasn’t good enough to hang with him.”

Now with the lead and an expanding gap on Davenport, O’Neal appeared to be directly en route to victory as he clicked the laps down and rounded Turn 4 to collect the white flag, but the yellow flag was displayed. A slowing Kyle Strickler had drawn a caution period and restacked the field for one final restart in green-white-checkered fashion.

“I saw the five-to-go [signal] and my shoulders started getting wider and wider,” O’Neal said. “Then, the caution came out, and it crushed me in my seat.”

With Davenport and Friday night Prelim Feature winner Brian Shirley now right on his bumper, O’Neal hammered the throttle on the restart and drove away out of Turn 2, gapping Davenport and coming back around to collect the white flag.

Try as he may, however, Davenport – the veteran driver from Blairsville, GA – was unable to catch the young Indianan out front and settled for runner-up.

“He just got up there and got a little bit more that I didn’t know was there,” Davenport said. “[O’Neal] and one or two others are the best at running the fence. I just ain’t quite as good as they are, and I just wasn’t set up to do that, really.”

Davenport had taken the lead from O’Neal on Lap 52 after a restart, slipping underneath him into Turn 1 and driving off with the spot. For the next 40 circuits around the half-mile, Davenport showed the way, but O’Neal never let him out of his sights.

“I was running pretty hard and wasn’t pulling away from [O’Neal] any,” Davenport said. “Just trying to move around a little bit and find a little bit extra to get a gap there. He obviously just found a little bit more up on the top.”

A fellow veteran of the Dirt Late Model world, albeit with less history, Davenport expressed his admiration and respect for the man in charge of the car that bested him, having competed against Richards’ cars for the majority of his national Late Model career.

“If anybody else is deserving of a win in this thing, it’s definitely [Mark Richards] for how long he’s tried to win it and how much he’s put in the sport,” Davenport said. “He’s put his heart and soul into this sport going up and down the road with his company.”

2005 World 100 winner Dale McDowell, 57, of Chickamauga, GA, claimed the final podium spot after snagging the final transfer spot in B-Main #1, starting 27th on the Feature grid and advancing 24 spots of position to come home third. Multi-time DIRTcar Late Model national champion Brian Shirley, of Chatham, IL, crossed in fourth, while Tanner English rounded out the top-five from 25th on the grid in his first career World 100 main event start.

RESULTS

53rd Annual World 100 (100 Laps): 1. 1-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[5]; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell[27]; 4. 8S-Brian Shirley[9]; 5. 96V-Tanner English[25]; 6. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 7. 22-Chris Ferguson[3]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin[12]; 9. 1T-Tyler Erb[16]; 10. B5-Brandon Sheppard[18]; 11. 157-Mike Marlar[15]; 12. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[19]; 13. 9-Nick Hoffman[26]; 14. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 15. 8-Kyle Strickler[10]; 16. 25F-Jason Feger[6]; 17. 20-Jimmy Owens[11]; 18. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[29]; 19. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[17]; 20. 25-Shane Clanton[23]; 21. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 22. 4-Brandon Overton[24]; 23. 99-Devin Moran[7]; 24. 87-Chris Madden[8]; 25. 2S-Stormy Scott[22]; 26. 58-Garrett Alberson[28]; 27. 23-Cory Hedgecock[30]; 28. 18-Shannon Babb[14]; 29. 11R-Josh Rice[21]; 30. 12-Jason Jameson[20]

Engineering strategy, quick pit work help return Corvette to GTE Am podium OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Corvette Racing returned to the GTE Am podium on Sunday with a third-place finish for the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji. Drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone continued their historic run in this year’s championship with their fourth podium finish in six races. It adds to a phenomenal year in which they locked up the class Drivers and Teams titles in the previous round at Monza and took key victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

In its second appearance at Fuji – last year’s debut ended with a fifth-place finish in the GTE Pro category – the Corvette Racing team elected for an aggressive strategy of completing the race with only four pit stops compared to five for most of its competitors. That line of thinking appeared to be the winning call… were it not for two questionable in-race penalties that cost the Corvette team two minutes in the pitlane.

Keating began on pole in class following a stunning lap in Saturday’s qualifying session. He drove a pair of 70-minute stints while a majority of other GTE Am cars stopped 10-15 minutes earlier. His fuel economy with the Corvette’s flat-plane crank V8 engine put the team in prime position for a fourth victory of the season. Unfortunately toward the end of his stint, Keating was involved in side-to-side contact with the eventual race-winning Ferrari that resulted in a damaged right-hand door. The crew quickly repaired the hinge system and swapped out the door on the C8.R’s second pit stop as Keating handed over to Varrone. Adding insult to injury, though, Keating was judged by the race stewards to be responsible for the contact. The Corvette received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty, which Varrone served shortly after he got in the car at the two-and-a-half-hour mark.   The never-give-up spirit of Corvette Racing was evident once again as Varrone’s pace and fuel savings meant he was able to cycle back to the lead inside the final 90 minutes. However, the Corvette was assessed a 10-second pitlane penalty for contact with another GTE car toward the end of his stint. That left Catsburg to drive the final 65 minutes with aims of moving from third to second, but a late-race full-course yellow period hurt his chances and slowed his progress. Still, it was a satisfying result in the team’s return to Japan. Corvette Racing closes its season in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, November 4.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THRID IN GTE AM: “It’s nice to come out of here with a podium. But it was clear that we should have won the race. Without the penalties, we by far had the best strategy. Ben and Nico did an amazing job fuel-saving. We had, I would say, two questionable penalties and without those we would have won by a country mile. It’s a shame but those are part of it. At least we have won the championship already, so we can’t complain too much. Those races are part of it as well. And it’s nice for the Ferrari boys to win as well. It was a good weekend in terms of execution but a bit of bad luck. But it doesn’t matter. It was a really nice time that we had here at Fuji, and I’m looking forward to coming back.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THRID IN GTE AM: “I think everything went according to plan. We came into the race hoping to do only four stops but it was five because of the penalty. But I still think we did our job the way we exactly planned to do it. I did 2.5 hours in the car; us and the 86 were the only two cars to go on that strategy, and I think it was the right strategy.”The contact with the 54… I can understand why they (the race stewards) viewed it the way they did. To me, we came together. I was right up next to him (Thomas Flohr) and it was my intention to make his braking line tighter. As I went to get close to him, he came over to get into the braking line and the fact is that we came together. But because the normal line is to go out wide for the brake zone, they deemed I went into him more than he went into me. I felt like it was a racing incident. “All I care about is our race and how we finished. I was not happy with the retaliation, either. They turned him up and gave him some extra speed. Then he caught up to me and ran me off the track at the last turn. I don’t feel like that was the right way to go about a solution. I’m sure he’s mad at me, and I’m mad at him. It’s not the first time we’ve had this conversation. But I feel really good about the car and about our strategy.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THRID IN GTE AM: “It was a good stint and we managed to recover some time. Both stints were about saving fuel. I think we were doing good because as we saved fuel, we could start pushing and going for our target. We did a great job, and the car was very good. There were some penalties for Ben and me that we don’t agree with and I don’t think were fair. So that made us fall back. But I was really happy with the pace. The team was really, really good.”

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R overcomes issues to place 10th in the six-hour race

OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Spectators comprising record attendance of 54,700 for an FIA World Endurance Championship race at Fuji International Speedway were treated to an intriguing and dramatic six-hour race. It was much too dramatic in the eyes of the No 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team.

After qualifying in the top six of the Hypercar classification for the fourth time in six races, Alex Lynn was running in the top five through the lone safety car period of the race and the initial round of pit stops. Tire degradation late in Lynn’s second hour in the hybrid racecar on the 16-turn, 2.84-mile road course played a major factor in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R fading to eighth when he pitted and gave way to Richard Westbrook. Compounding the issue over the final 4 hours, 2 minutes were two drive-thru penalties for infractions and an eight-minute garage visit after the left-front wheel ring sheared off and the tire left the hub and out of harm’s way on the track. Earl Bamber brought the car to pit lane with 1 hour, 40 minutes left. After repairs, Bamber soldiered on for 10th place in class, tying the team’s lowest finish in the six races. The pole-sitting No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMH, featuring former Cadillac Racing endurance race drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway, won its home race. Media resource: Cadillac Racing high-resolution images for editorial use The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R is still one of only five Hypercars to be running at the finish of every race. Cadillac Racing’s initial WEC season concludes Nov. 4 with the Eight Hours of Bahrain at the 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit.This week, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R will look for victory in the penultimate race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.What they’re saying

Alex Lynn: “Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day for a few reasons, but we’ll learn a lot, regroup and go again in Bahrain.” Earl Bamber: “It was a disappointing race after a solid qualifying that put us in position to challenge for another podium. Being a completely new team in the WEC and the first time at the track with this car, we’re learning. We’ll take the lessons from Fuji and move on to Bahrain.” Richard Westbrook: “Tough race for us. We really turned things around after a difficult Friday. Alex did a fantastic job in qualifying. He gave us a lot of hope in the race, but we have a few headwinds. The car is just very difficult to drive over a double stint. We’ll learn, get better and look forward to Bahrain.”

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA SALINAS, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 9,2023 COTT MCLAUGHLIN QUALIFIED SECOND MAKING ALL CHEVROLET FRONT ROW ·      With a lap of 1 mintute:06.6416 seconds/129.897 mph, Felix Rosenqvist powered his No. 6 Arrow McLaren NTT Chevrolet to the pole for Firestone GP of Montereyo  His NTT P1 Award winning lap around the newly repaved Weather Tech Raceway Laguna Seca was 4.9 seconds faster than the 2022 evento  It is second pole of 2023 for Rosenqvist, and the fifth of his career·      Scott McLaughlin will start alongside Rosenqvist in the No.3 XPEL Team Penske Chevroleto  This is the eighth front row starting position for McLaughin in 2023  MONTEREY, CALIF (September 9, 2023) – The newly re-paved 2.2-mile Weather Tech Raceway proved to be an exciting challenge with in the testing and practicing sessions leading up qualifying for the 95-lap race./ The change in the surface didn’t seem to bother Felix Rosenqvist at all.  He neatly navigated the course to post a record-setting time of 06.6416 seconds/129.897 mph as the next to the last car to take the checkered flag concluding the Fast Six. The last car to finish was Scott McLaughlin who was equally as quick,  but he had to settle for 1minute:06.653 seconds 120.88 mph to make it an all Chevrolet front row. Chevrolet remains in the thick of the battle for the Series’ Manufacturer Championship heading into tomorrow’s race just 15 points down to our competition. Sunday’s 95-lap, 212.61-mile race takes the green flag live on NBC at 3 p.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160. OTHER CHEVY FINISHERS4TH    Josef Newgarden8TH    Rinus VeeKay9TH     Will Power11th    Santino Ferrucci12th    Pato O’Ward13th    Agustin Canapino CHEVROLET AT LAGUNA SECA (V6 era), since INDYCAR’s 2019 return:·      Wins: 0·      Pole Awards: 1§ 2018: Will Power ·      Podiums at Laguna Seca by Team Chevy: 3, since the 2019 return to Laguna Seca ·      Laps Led at Laguna Seca by Team Chevy: 35 laps led since the 2019 return to Laguna Seca  WHAT THEY ARE SAYINGS: Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”Not the best qualifying for us. It was probably one of our worst all year. I’m not sure what made the balance shift so much in Q2 versus Q1 for me. I just couldn’t extract the lap time. But I’m happy for the team with Felix’s pole. Tomorrow we’ll have three cars with pace starting in three parts of the field, the front, middle and rear. We’re going to give it everything we have to finish our season strong.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”That was a killer lap. I had to wrestle my way to it, and there were some sketchy moments, but that made it so much more special. A big thanks to my Arrow McLaren crew, NTT DATA and Team Chevrolet. Tomorrow will be our last race together, so this is an awesome way to get that going. Track position is super important here, so we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity for a positive race.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”The car was great. There wasn’t much more we could do there once a red flag comes out and takes it away from you. It was the best car we’ve had through the weekend so to not break out of Round 1 is really disappointing. Colton Herta and I have had probably the strongest cars all weekend, and we’re starting in the back half of the field. It’s a shame, but I’m really happy for Felix on pole.” Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 EXPEL Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Really good day for the XPEL Chevrolet. That’s another front row for us. We’re killing those. Just barely missing the poles which is unfortunate. We’ve had a few where we’ve been barely close. Bummed for this one because this XPEL Chevrolet was really fast. We’ll just try to make the right decisions tomorrow and make good strategy choices, and hopefully find ourselves at the end of the race in Victory Lane.”  Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“We made some good gains yesterday, but I haven’t been able to find the grip and predictability I need from the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet yet. Unfortunately in qualifying, I just dropped the right rear into a little bit of sand and the car turned around and then stalled. We’ll start near the back, but hopefully go have a good race and move forward.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing: “I would have been more satisfied with a Fast 6 experience! We have had really good pace in practice so I would have loved to have done a little bit better. I just couldn’t get it 100% right. Starting 7th is decent and I think we are one of the fastest cars out there, especially on old tires. I am confident that we can do well in the race and move up some positions!” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing: “It’s honestly been a great week so far to start. Obviously we qualified P11 after a motor change, no install, really rushing and pushing is really impressive from the team’s side and yeah just kind of rewarding to qualify 11th. Probably could have gotten to tenth or ninth if I had just put in the perfect lap but we still have got to work away at it. We’re still missing something on the reds, but we definitely learned something from session one to session two from the team side. But we’ll see what we can do from the race starting 17th. “I think we’re better on the primary tires so that’s probably where we’ll live. It’s hard to pass so you’re kind of banking on people to make mistakes. It’s also the final race of the season so for sure, people are going to crash trying to pass. Just have to stay clean and try and bring home a top 10 or top 15. If we’re lucky and play our cards right, a top 10.”  Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“We’ll be rolling off P23. We lost a bit of relative pace compared to practice so we’re going to look into that as to why that was. But both cars will be starting pretty close to each other so looking to finish the year as strong as possible and go forward. It looks like it’s pretty challenging to pass so it will be interesting with strategy what we can come up with, but we’ll be definitely giving it everything we have tomorrow to finish the season strong.(asked Why is it so hard to pass?)  “I think it’s the nature of the track especially now with the new pavement and how much faster the cars are going. That makes it even harder to follow closely so I think it will be really interesting. I don’t think the tire deg is going to be bad either so I think for everyone its going to be a matter of not making any mistakes in the race.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“It was a pretty interesting day. I think we had a bit more potential than we showed.  It was a bit of a messy day. There’s a lot of, a lot on the track, guys running off the track and bringing it on. Just massive, massive. Trying to get the best I could unfortunately that was the 20 overall, so not so great, especially over the last year, the speed we had here. But yeah, tomorrow’s a new day. They should be good to get everything right and try and move forward. But yeah, we’ve we’ve got a new car, I think has been on the block so far today has been good. Just to get a bit more out of it.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“Really Happy. Our best qualification. P7 in his group, 13th for the race. Unfortunately I have to take a penalty and start 19th. Only four tenths off for my first time at Laguna Seca. Really proud of my team. Thanks to everyone for their hard work. Tomorrow we will go for our best result of the years, and why not rookie-of-the-year.”

September 9, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Menards/MasterForce Mustang are set to start 29th in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Burton took that spot with a lap at 175.473 miles per hour in qualifying on Saturday afternoon.

In practice prior to qualifying he was 33rd on the speed chart with a best lap at 173.986 mph, which came on the third of the 15 laps he ran in the session.

Sunday’s 400-mile, 267-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern) with Stage breaks planned for Laps 80 and 165. 

USA Network will carry the live TV coverage.

NASCAR CUP SERIES KANSAS SPEEDWAYHOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 QUALIFYING REPORT SEPTEMBER 9, 2023

Five Camaro ZL1’s Post Top-10 Qualifying Times

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER2nd     Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL14th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL16th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL18th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL19th      William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.  DRIVER1.        Christopher Bell (Toyota)2.        Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)3.        Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)4.        Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)5.        Tyler Reddick (Toyota)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Sept. 9, 2023) – Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson will take the green-flag from a front-row starting position in tomorrow’s Hollywood Casino 400. The 31-year-old California native posted the third-fastest lap in Round One of Group B qualifying, following up the performance with a lap-time of 30.029 seconds, at 179.826 mph, in the final round to take his No. 5 HendrickCars.comCamaro ZL1 to the second position on the speed chart. Already sealing his fate into the Round of Eight with his triumph at Darlington Raceway last weekend, Larson has added momentum heading into tomorrow’s race with the driver leading Chevrolet to a runner-up finish in the series’ spring appearance at the 1.5-mile Kansas oval.

The 20-minute practice session proved to be a challenge for a few of the Team Chevy playoff drivers. After climbing to the second position on the leaderboard in his practice session, William Byron brought his Chevrolet to pit road to diagnose a potential mechanical issue. The No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team was able to make repairs to post a qualifying lap, but will be forced to start at the tail of the field for tomorrow’s event. Byron still proved to have the speed to be a contender, taking his Chevrolet to the final round of qualifying and ultimately posting the eighth-fastest lap. “I was coming off of (turn) four coming down the front straightaway and the wheel just kind of jerked to the left and it felt like I unloaded the wheel, so I knew it was something steering-related,” said Byron. “Unfortunately at first, we couldn’t really find it, and then when we started messing with the wheel sitting on pit road, it was a broken right-front suspension piece. It’s a pretty substantial suspension component. We’ve never had that happen – probably just from running really fast around here. Our Raptor Chevrolet had a lot of pace there. I felt really good about our car.”

Joining Larson and Byron in the final round of qualifying included their Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate Chase Elliott, who took his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 to fourth-place qualifying effort. Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon qualified in the sixth and eighth positions, respectively, to give three Chevrolet teams spots in the top-10 of tomorrow’s starting lineup.  The Hollywood Casino 400 – race two of the Round of 16 – will take the green flag tomorrow, September 9, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the 400-mile race can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 8, 2023) – The Land of Lincoln had a night at Eldora Speedway.

Illinois racing favorites Bobby Pierce and Brian Shirley were triumphant in their respective World 100 preliminary Feature events Friday night – Pierce for the fourth time in his career and Shirley for the first.

The multi-time DIRTcar Late Model national champions bagged a couple $12,000 checks for their efforts and a maximum 300 points in the Every Lap Matters format, which, in part, determines Saturday’s Heat Race lineups before the $53,000-to-win main event.

Group A Prelim Feature – Bobby Pierce

While he had to come from sixth to win on Thursday, Pierce afforded himself a spot on the outside front row for the drop of the green on Friday. The 26-year-old from Oakwood, IL, took the lead on the opening lap but quickly encountered resistance from behind.

Thursday night Feature winner Hudson O’Neal ran Pierce down inside the first five laps and threw a big slide job on him entering Turn 1, completing the pass out of Turn 2 and driving off with the lead on Lap 5.

“He was right on me [the lap before],” Pierce said. “I felt like I was kinda holding him up, honestly.

“I didn’t expect that. It was all-of-a-sudden, and then I shot up [the track] to try to get the cushion and get some run on him, but I pushed and had to lift out of it.”

A restart slightly before the halfway point restacked the field and put Pierce on O’Neal’s bumper. O’Neal took off with the lead again, but only briefly. He went into Turn 1 at speed after completing Lap 12, but suddenly slowed and veered up the track toward the outside wall, bringing out the caution.

The Rocket1 Racing machine had blown a right-front tire. O’Neal came to the work area to change it, and did return for the restart, but was only able to get back to 13th by the checkered.

Now armed with the lead and a fast car underneath him, Pierce led the rest of the way unchallenged for his fourth World 100 prelim Feature win.

“Hudson – he was getting through them corners pretty well; he was a little better than us,” Pierce said. “We had the luck on our side, for sure. We just happened to be that car that was there in the right place.”

Feature – Group A (25 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 22-Chris Ferguson[7]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[5]; 4. 1W-Daulton Wilson[11]; 5. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[15]; 6. 18-Shannon Babb[6]; 7. 9-Nick Hoffman[20]; 8. 58-Garrett Alberson[18]; 9. 10-Joseph Joiner[13]; 10. 1T-Tyler Erb[23]; 11. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[21]; 12. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[24]; 13. 1-Hudson O’Neal[4]; 14. 17M-Dale McDowell[9]; 15. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 16. 111-Steven Roberts[12]; 17. 12-Jason Jameson[8]; 18. 25B-Mike Benedum[1]; 19. 11H-Spencer Hughes[16]; 20. 22S-Gregg Satterlee[22]; 21. 42-Matt Sheppard[14]; 22. 4G-Kody Evans[17]; 23. 3-Austin Neely[19]; 24. 39-Tim McCreadie[10]

Group B Prelim Feature – Brian Shirley

Fifteen-plus years of chasing Eldora crown jewel Feature wins, but no big trophies for Brian Shirley. That drought ended Friday night, when the four-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion finally broke through to Victory Lane in dramatic fashion.

Shirley, 42, of Chatham, IL, took the lead from outside polesitter Ricky Thornton Jr. on Lap 2 and paced the field around through Lap 14, when the race’s final caution flag was displayed. Shirley got a solid restart, but Thornton did not go away.

After winding up the momentum on the top side, Thornton pulled the trigger on Lap 19 with a big slide job on Shirley in Turns 1-2 and made it stick, securing the lead down the backstretch. He kept the lead in-tact through Lap 23, but coming to the white flag with lapped traffic directly in his path, Thornton’s gap shrank to nothing with Shirley pedaling hard behind him.

“I wasn’t for sure, but I saw that [Thornton] didn’t go to the top of [the lapped cars], so I knew he was gonna get slowed down,” Shirley said. “I felt like I knew how much better I was on that bottom.”

Shirley used his bottom-groove momentum to drag race Thornton down the backstretch and pulled even with him getting into Turn 3. Thornton slid up to the top while Shirley stuck to the bottom with a lapped car right in front of him. The two drag raced to the line, and in a photo finish, Shirley had inched ahead of Thornton by .057 seconds to win the race and his first career Eldora crown jewel Feature of any kind.

“I thought that lapped car was gonna be in the way because of how much speed I was getting off the corner,” Shirley said. “I just said we gotta try and get as close as we can to that lapped car without wrecking him, and then when I looked up to that board and saw that we were in first, I was just in shock. Couldn’t believe it.”

Reflecting on all his years of taking bi-annual trips to Rossburg, OH, for Eldora’s biggest events and coming up empty handed for so long, Shirley thanks and points to his crew members at Bob Cullen Racing who worked so hard to be the difference he needed to finally break through to the iconic Victory Lane stage for the first time in his career.

“It’s a little bit of relief for all the hard work,” Shirley said. “People don’t see… there’s three of us. Me, Devin and Aaron – we work just as hard as anybody else. I’m not saying we’re any better or any less than anybody. But I promise you, as far as effort, our effort goes in just as hard as anybody.”

Feature – Group B (25 Laps): 1. 8S-Brian Shirley[3]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[2]; 3. 87-Chris Madden[4]; 4. B5-Brandon Sheppard[9]; 5. 2S-Stormy Scott[7]; 6. 19R-Ryan Gustin[13]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton[12]; 8. 88-Trent Ivey[5]; 9. 157-Mike Marlar[8]; 10. 25F-Jason Feger[10]; 11. 79-Donald McIntosh[6]; 12. 10S-Garrett Smith[23]; 13. 4-Brandon Overton[16]; 14. 7R-Kent Robinson[22]; 15. S21-Seth Daniels[19]; 16. 22R-Will Roland[15]; 17. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[11]; 18. 187-David McCoy[14]; 19. 214-Haiden Cowan[1]; 20. 24D-Michael Brown[18]; 21. 6-Tyler Nicely[21]; 22. 5-Ross Bailes[24]; 23. 1N-Casey Noonan[20]; 24. 40B-Kyle Bronson[17]

UP NEXT

The 53rd running of the World 100 reaches its boiling point Saturday, Sept. 9, when the DIRTcar Late Models take on the half-mile one final time in 2023, fighting for the iconic globe trophy and a shot at the $53,000 grand prize. Heat Races and Last Chance Showdowns will take the final cars into the lineup before the 100-lap main event goes green.

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R impresses with another start in top half of Hypercar field

OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 9, 2023) – The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R will start the Six Hours of Fuji – the sixth round of its inaugural season in the FIA World Endurance Championship — from the third row following qualifications at Fuji International Speedway. Alex Lynn recorded a best lap of 1 minute, 28.770 seconds on the 16-turn, 2.84-mile (4.563-kilometer) road course declared wet for the 15-minute session and held the provisional pole midway through the stint. He returned to pit lane with 3 minutes left and seven laps in the books as rain intensified.

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R qualified fifth for the second consecutive race and fourth time this season. Cadillac Racing has qualified in the top half of the Hypercar field four times. Lynn, who also drove the hybrid racecar in qualifying in the last WEC outing at Monza, was .053 of a second behind the fourth-place car. His best lap was more than 2 seconds quicker than any of the 120 total laps in the three free practice sessions. “I think the team operationally has been fantastic. The result at Le Mans suggests the team is working very well,” team manager Stephen Mitas said. “Monza, operationally, was fantastic. The result does not reflect what was going on in the background. Every weekend the team is getting better and the car is getting better, and we’ll keep pushing forward.”

Fuji International Speedway* 2.84 miles/4.563 kilometers, 16 turns (10 right, six left)* Round 6 of 7* Cadillac to start on inside of Row 3 Different view: Watch the six-hour race via the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R in-car camera Media resourcesFuji guide: Bios, statistics, inside the Hypercar, moreDid you know?: Cadillac Racing event notesPhotos: Cadillac on track

The No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing, with former Cadillac Racing DPi endurance race driver Kamui Kobayashi behind the wheel, earned its second pole award in a row and fourth of the season with a lap of 1:27.794. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R will aim for its second podium finish of the season. The reliability of the racecar with the distinctive sound of its 5.5-liter V8 naturally aspirated engine has led to four top-five finishes. It is one of only five Hypercars to be running at the finish of every race. Cadillac Racing is third in the Hypercar Manufacturer Championship standings. The Six Hours of Fuji for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. JST Sunday /10 p.m. ET today. The race will air live in the U.S. on MotorTrend with live streaming coverage of the race and qualifying on the MotorTrend Plus app. Radio Le Mans will broadcast the race.

Alex Lynn, who made his FIA WEC debut at Fuji International Speedway in 2016, drove in qualifying: “The session started with mixed conditions. After we got some heat in the tires, the pace picked up and by the fourth lap I was able to get a gap and post the qualifying lap. With weather moving across the circuit, there wasn’t much to be gained in the closing minutes. We’ve shown in previous races that starting fifth in not a detriment, so we’ll continue to work on the car and hopefully be in position at the end for another podium.”

OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 9, 2023) – Corvette Racing’s Ben Keating put the team’s No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R on the GTE Am pole position Saturday ahead of Sunday’s Six Hours of Fuji – the sixth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. Keating, who is teaming with Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone, set a best lap of 1:38.338 (103.769 mph) in the championship-winning C8.R. Corvette Racing clinched the GTE Am Drivers and Teams titles in the last WEC round at Monza, Italy and is seeking its fourth victory of the season.

On Saturday, Keating was just 0.035 seconds clear of Sarah Bovy in the No. 85 Porsche of the Iron Dames team. The top half of the class was very close with the six fastest GTE Am cars separated by just 0.673 seconds around the 2.84-mile, 16-turn circuit at the base of Mount Fuji. Keating claimed his third pole position of the season and eighth in the class since the start of 2021 – more than any other GTE Am driver. It was difficult for the full field of 36 cars to get a read on the track during the three practice sessions. Friday’s opening practice and Saturday’s final practice were in mixed conditions with periods of rain and dry weather. That left Friday’s second practice as the only fully dry running ahead of qualifying. Still, Corvette Racing engineers made good use of each session with the conditions uncertain heading into qualifying with a variety of tuning and chassis changes in hopes of finding a good balance in the Corvette for not just the 15 minutes but also Sunday’s six-hour race. As in previous races, the C8.R will race at Fuji with a level of rewards weight due to its successes earlier this year: 15 kilograms for winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 15 kilograms for leading the championship, plus 10 extra kilograms added to the car’s minimum weight ahead of the previous round at Monza for a total of 40 kilograms – 10 less than at the Italian round.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of the FIA WEC’s Six Hours of Fuji. Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Racing racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

The Six Hours of Fuji is scheduled for 11 a.m. JST on Sunday / 10 p.m. ET on Saturday. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage, as will the FIA WEC app. Radio Le Mans also will stream audio coverage Sunday’s race.

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – POLE-WINNER: “I don’t know why (race engineer) Tyler Neff has to wait until qualifying to give us the really good setup! I went more than two seconds per lap faster in qualifying today than I have at any other time this weekend. It’s because the setup is that much better. It was so confidence-inspiring. I could really push the car without losing grip, even on a damp track. I don’t know what they did, but the car was really nice to drive. I wasn’t expecting to be on the pole. It’s always so much fun to be that close with Sarah. She did a good job. I thought I had a pretty good lap and then the team said she did a 1:38.3, and I came across the line at a 38.3 and not knowing who was going to be in front. It was super, super close. Last year being with TF Sport and being teammates with Satoshi Hoshino in the Aston Martin… this is his home track and where he lives. I’m really happy for him to come in P3. It was a little bit of a reunion at tech after qualifying seeing Sarah and Hoshino down there. It’s a lot of fun. This season continues to be a fairy-tale season. Every time you think it can’t get any better, it keeps getting better. I’m just trying to soak up and enjoy every last minute.“It was exciting before we left. They asked me what I thought, and I thought it would be the best thing to go out on a drying wet tire. To me, the frontstraight looked wet. We watched every car around me put on slicks, and so the engineers made the decision to go with slicks from the get-go. When I got around on the back half of the track, it was a lot drier than it was on the frontstraight. I came on the radio and congratulated them on making the right call. It was a matter of bringing them up to temperature slowly and not over-driving in the damp conditions. But you only have a 15-minute window to get them up to temperature and take advantage of the peak of the tire to get those extra few tenths.“We made some big sweeping changes on the car. We had been chasing it a little bit. I give the engineers such a hard time because it seems like it’s the same at every race we go to! We’re not exactly sure where we are, but when we get to qualifying I have a really, really strong setup on the car. We made some really big changes and they got it really right. The car felt really good. I felt like I could really attack the corners without feeling like I’m walking on eggshells. Especially in Sector Three, you have to be able to have confidence going through there if you’re going to be fast. It’s the first time I’ve felt that here, and the car felt really good.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “As always, it was Ben and Sarah putting on a good show. We had to wait until her last lap to be finished, and Ben did an amazing job. To be fair, I didn’t predict him to be on pole because we were struggling quite a bit in the mixed conditions, but he once again delivered! I’m super happy with that.“It’s always nice in Fuji. The location at Mount Fuji is an awesome place and Japan is one of my favorite places to go. So I always love coming to Fuji, and we’re looking forward to racing here. We’ve been struggling a little bit with the weather conditions as everyone else has. It’s always in between… wet-dry-wet-dry… We haven’t really gotten any valuable data yet, so it will be interesting in the race. You’re right below the mountain and right on the edge of where it starts. It wasn’t supposed to rain today and it’s been wet the whole day because the clouds just keep sitting here. It’s weird and difficult to prepare for this. You go with certain predictions and they just do whatever they want.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “This is really cool. Being in Japan for the first time, the people are great and the culture is so different. I’m really enjoying it and getting used to it. The track is really fun to drive. It’s really tricky; almost all the last sector is difficult to find where the lines are, so it is tough. But it is better than I expected. We have a great car and we worked through all the sessions. And now Ben has taken pole! It’s been really good so far, and we’re all very happy.”

2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am (After five of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 1452. Michelle Gatting/Rahel Frey/Sarah Bovy – 673. Ahmad Al Harthy/Charlie Eastwood/Michael Dinan – 654. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 605. Benjamin Barker/Michael Wainwright/Riccardo Pera – 54 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 1452. No. 85 Iron Dames – 673. No. 25 ORT by TF – 654. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 605. No. 86 GR Racing – 54 CORVETTE RACING AT Fuji: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette• 3: Number of GTE Am wins in four FIA WEC races this season for Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone with the No. 33 Corvette C8.R• 13: Hours difference between Fuji and Detroit in the Eastern Time Zone. That means the race will begin Sunday morning in Japan but late Saturday night Eastern Time• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 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• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship• 40: Kilograms of success ballast for the Corvette C8.R at Fuji – 15 for winning Le Mans, 15 for leading the GTE Am championship and 10 additional kilograms added to the car’s minimum weight by the organizers• 127: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC• 280: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 359,884.24: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. 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. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Fuji (wins in bold)2022No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 5th in GTE Pro

Kofoid outduels fellow Californian – Justin Sanders – in the final laps to top final Gold Cup prelim

CHICO, CA (September 8, 2023) – Silver Dollar Speedway delivered yet again.

The northern California bullring is known for providing some of the most intense, wheel-to-wheel battles in Sprint Car racing. And that’s exactly what the Chico, CA quarter mile offered on Friday night.

The second and final prelim of the Curb Records Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by Riebes Auto Parts gave the fans a battle they’ll not soon forget. Two California heavyweights trading blows. A race coming down to the wire. And the outcome not being decided until the final lap.

When the dust settled at Silver Dollar Friday night, Buddy Kofoid arose triumphant after a fierce duel with Justin Sanders. After losing the lead coming to the white flag, Kofoid ripped back by Sanders on the final circuit to secure a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victory in his home state. The grandstands erupted as one of their own climbed atop the wing of the California-based Roth Motorsports machine following a classic finish.

For the Penngrove native who has always held Gold Cup close to his heart, the victory brought out emotion amid the celebration.

“I grew up coming to the Gold Cup as a kid,” Kofoid said. “It was a family tradition for us to take the week off work and the week off school. We would stay here when I was four, five, six, seven, eight years old, so this race is super special to me. And to do it in the Dennis and Teresa Roth-owned #83JR is pretty damn cool.”

When the green flag flew, the war commenced right away between Kofoid and Sanders. Pole-sitter Chase Randall slipped back on the initial lap while Kofoid and Sanders traded the top spot multiple times. On the second circuit Kofoid looked under Sanders in Turns 1 and 2, but the yellow flag flew as they were side by side for a spinning Jonathan Allard.

On the restart Sanders was able to inch ahead, but Kofoid never let the Mittry Racing #2X leave his sights. Another caution on Lap 8 set up a pivotal restart.

Sanders maintained his advantage exiting Turn 2, but it was Spencer Bayston who stuck the bottom perfectly to get a massive launch down the back straightaway. Bayston slipped ahead of both of the top two and went high in Turns 3 and 4. Kofoid responded by throwing a huge slide job on the two to grab the top spot.

Once he took over the lead, Kofoid began to put some distance between himself and Bayston. Meanwhile, Sanders stalked the CJB Motorsports #5 in search of an opportunity to move back into the runner-up spot.

On Lap 22, the gap he needed opened as Sanders utilized a big run out of Turn 2 to slip by Bayston heading into the next set of corners. From there, the pursuit of Kofoid was on.

Sanders quickly began to cut into the lead little by little. A tenth or two was trimmed each lap as the duo navigated traffic until Sanders was on the tail tank of the Roth #83JR. 

On Lap 29, Sanders gave the top in Turns 1 and 2 a try and was able to pull alongside Kofoid on corner exit before Kofoid nosed ahead as they roared into the next set of corners with the white flag in sight. Sanders again committed to the top and was able to clear Kofoid to take the lead as he raced across the line for the white flag.

Heading into Turn 1, Sanders had to dive under a lapped car and slipped up slightly off the bottom at the apex of the corner. Kofoid, who had been running the bottom every lap on that end of the racetrack, fully sent his machine at the cushion and nailed it perfectly to rip by Sanders off of Turn 2.

With the lead secured, Kofoid protected in the final set of corners to earn his first trip to World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Victory Lane since joining the legendary Roth Motorsports that’s long called Fresno, CA home.

“When we got to traffic, there were a couple guys that were just good enough that I couldn’t spring in front of them and put them away,” Kofoid explained. “Then I heard Justin, but I didn’t want to get off the bottom. I tried it once and didn’t feel good at all and moved right back down. I was content with the middle-top in (Turns) 3 and 4 because I could feel it cleaning off. Then I heard him and saw him, and then I saw the white (flag) and thought just my luck. Then I sent it on the top and that was the best it felt on the top all day. I kind of got lucky but also just had a really good car and great people working on it that allowed me to maneuver last minute and to pick him back off.”

On top of the victory, Kofoid also earned enough points to secure one of the two remaining spots for Saturday’s important Toyota Racing Dash.

Sanders came home with a bittersweet runner-up. The Aromas, CA native was three-quarters of a lap away from his first trip to World of Outlaws Victory Lane, and the defeat was a tough pill to swallow. But on the bright side, he snagged the final lock-in to the Dash for the finale to position himself strongly for a chance at $25,000 on Saturday.

“I still don’t know if I would’ve went to the top on that last lap going into (Turn) 1,” Sanders said. “Honestly, when I ripped around those guys and got in front of Jonathan (Allard), I thought I was going to be clear. Buddy just kicked it into another gear and ripped around us coming off of (Turn) 2.”

Dominic Scelzi came home third to complete a second consecutive all California native podium sweep. The Fresno, CA pilot wheeled the Scelzi Motorsports #41 from 10th to earn a strong result in his home state.

“We were good. We were really good actually,” Scelzi said. “We’ve got to figure out the first half of the night. We’ve got to qualify better. I don’t know what I was doing in the Heat Race. I tried to be a hero on the start and missed the slider. I think I was just trying a little too hard. Jimmy (Carr) gave me an awesome race car tonight, especially in the Feature. The way the racetrack played out, we just kept getting better and better.”

Spencer Bayston and Rico Abreu rounded out the top five.

Abreu also earned the KSE Racing Hard Charger as he drove from 21st to fifth.

Tanner Carrick came out on top of Low-E Insulation Qualifying to claim Simpson Performance Products QuickTime honors.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Chase Randall. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Justyn Cox, Ryan Bernal, and Justin Sanders.

Rico Abreu won the Micro-Lite Last Chance Showdown.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars return to Silver Dollar Speedway for the $25,000-to-win, $2,000-to-start finale of the 69th Gold Cup Race of Champions on Saturday, September 9. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the racing live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[3]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders[2]; 3. 41S-Dominic Scelzi[10]; 4. 5-Spencer Bayston[4]; 5. 24-Rico Abreu[21]; 6. X1-Michael Faccinto[12]; 7. 22-Ryan Bernal[16]; 8. 2-David Gravel[6]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz[9]; 10. 5V-Colby Copeland[11]; 11. 57W-Chase Randall[1]; 12. 88N-DJ Netto[13]; 13. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[7]; 14. 42X-Justyn Cox[17]; 15. 1T-Tanner Holmes[23]; 16. 9-Kasey Kahne[22]; 17. 83T-Tanner Carrick[8]; 18. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[14]; 19. 51-Shane Hopkins[24]; 20. 0-Jonathan Allard[5]; 21. 46JR-Joel Myers Jr[19]; 22. 7-Ashton Torgerson[15]; 23. 115-Nick Parker[18]; 24. 25S-Seth Standley[20]

LA FARGEVILLE, NY (SEPT. 8, 2023) – In a field laden with heavy talent, Tim Fuller used decades of experience and driving intuition to navigate through the competition and score the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win at Can-Am Speedway Friday night.

At the start, defending DIRTcar 358 Modified Series champion Dave Marcuccilli led the way, followed by Jordan McCreadie.  Lance Willix II and Matt Caprara were in an immediate battled for third place.

After the first restart on Lap 5 of the 50-lap matchup, the competitors returned to their same positions, with Caprara applying heavy pressure to McCreadie for second place. As the focal point stayed on the battle for second, defending track champion Tim Fuller was steadily making his way up the ranks. By Lap 6, he had climbed his way into fourth place, lying in wait for any potential mistakes by those in front.

Marcuccilli lengthened his lead to a straight away by Lap 12, chipping away at the hopes of other drivers for a potential challenge as the race wore on. But Fuller was not to be dissuaded, as he ran tight on the inside of Caprara, passing him for third around Turn 1.

He didn’t stop there. As  second place McCreadie ran high and wide off Turn 4, Fuller’s #19 machine did not skip a beat. He staying tight to the inside and passed the 2023 Glen Ridge Motorsports track champion to move up another spot. Then, the yellow lights came on as Willix II unexpectedly came to a stop off Turn 2, bringing Marcuccilli’s commanding lead to a temporary halt.

When the green flag dropped once more, Fuller started right where he left off, aggressively challenging Marcuccilli and forcing him to make a move. He planted himself on the inside lane that had worked for him up until that point, while Marcuccilli moved up running high and wide. It was too generous of a gesture to the veteran driver, as Fuller passed into the lead on Lap 29.

He did not waver for the next 10 laps, continuing with his winning formula. On Lap 38, he clipped an implement tire lining the track, shaving a small distance off of his lead. But that was the only error that Fuller committed, as he navigated his way through lapped traffic. Marcuccilli valiantly pursued him through the field, but did not have enough speed to close the gap.

The Watertown, NY resident crossed the finish line first, capturing the $4,500 payday. It was his his eighth career DIRTcar 358 Modified Series win.

”(Dave) Marcuccilli set quite a pace there,” Fuller said. “I just kept picking them off. I knew it would come later as the race went on…it worked out. It’s really tough to make up that kind of time. I knew lapped traffic was going to play a part. I’m just very fortunate.”

Marcuccilli held on behind him, recording the runner-up finish.

“It just took a couple laps for me to get going,” Marcuccilli said. “I missed the bottom down there when I was racing with (Fuller)…he runs really good here. I was lucky enough to start up front. We’ll take it.”

Super DIRTcar Series rookie Felix Roy continued showing the marked improvement that has emerged over the course of the season. After starting in 12th, he charged his way up to seventh place by Lap 26. After he fired hard on the last restart of the race, he rocketed up four positions to third where he eventually finished.

“It was tough,” Roy said. “I started 12th and I slowly gained position. I got a good final restart. At the end, I had something for Dave (Marcuccilli), but in lapped traffic he started to gain some space on me. I’m happy with third.”

Erick Rudolph finished in fourth and Zach Payne finished in fifth.

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar 358 Modified Series heads to Weedsport Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 9, for the 75-lap, $5,000-to-win, Cavalcade Cup Weekend.

DIRTcar 358 Series Feature 50 Laps 

1. 19-Tim Fuller[8]; 2. M1-Dave Marcuccilli[1]; 3. 91-Felix Roy[12]; 4. 25R-Erick Rudolph[17]; 5. 7Z-Zachary Payne[11]; 6. 49-Billy Dunn[14]; 7. 29-Matt Caprara[5]; 8. 39-Ryan Bartlett[19]; 9. 6M-Mat Williamson[27]; 10. 01-Chris Raabe[20]; 11. 35-Mike Mahaney[10]; 12. 28-Jordan McCreadie[2]; 13. 21C-Taylor Caprara[7]; 14. 38J-Jarrett Herbison[23]; 15. 66X-Carey Terrance[6]; 16. 18W-Scott Webb[18]; 17. 45R-Preston Forbes[16]; 18. 3-Chris Mackey[25]; 19. 31-Lance Willix[3]; 20. 55-Matt Woodruff[22]; 21. 7S-Shaun Shaw[9]; 22. 3RS-Dalton Slack[24]; 23. B2-Bob Henry Jr[26]; 24. 9-Tyler Meeks[15]; 25. 66W-Derek Webb[30]; 26. 21-Andrew Howard[13]; 27. 117-CJ Castelletti[29]; 28. R70-Ryan Arbuthnot[4]; 29. (DNF) 60-Jackson Gill[21]; 30. (DNF) 5-Amy Holland[28]

LA FARGEVILLE, NY (SEPT. 8, 2023) – Hometown racer David Rogers stood victorious in the Can-Am Victory Lane after capturing his second DIRTcar Sportsman Series win at the track in less than a month.

From the drop of the green flag, the race was a battle for positions with nothing given away easily. Starting on the pole for the night’s 30-lap, $2,000-to-win, John Burr Memorial Feature, Rogers shot out in front to pace the field. He was followed closely by outside pole sitter Xavier Andrews with Cedric Gauvreau in third behind them.

The two front runners ran tightly together before Rogers cleared Andrews after Lap 3, giving himself distance from the field. Gauvreau and Andrews then began a battle of their own for second place that lasted for a handful of laps. Gauvreau won the battle moving into second, seemingly gunning for Rogers next.

Unbeknownst to them, Jessica Power had started a run of her own behind them. After Gauvreau pulled into the pits with mechanical issues on Lap 15, the Kingston, ON driver was bumped into third behind Andrews. She then immediately hammered down on the inside lane, running it as tight as possible, pulling even with him coming off Turn 4. After a burst of speed down the front stretch, she edged by the #0 machine, taking over second with 12 laps remaining.

Power continued forward full throttle, immediately challenging Roger’s lead. After running less than a car length behind him, still hugging the inside lane tight as possible, she clipped an implement tire lining the racetrack, sending her front left tire clear off the track.

The mishap gave Rogers breathing room as she retained control of her vehicle and the race stayed under green. But she relentlessly pursued the race leader, coming within half a car length on Lap 24 on another attempt to pass him on the inside of Turn 2. Rogers played defense and blocked her attempt, passing down low to the inside to do so.

As the last five laps ticked off the counter, Rogers ran the track without error, navigating through lapped traffic. He crossed the finish line first, scoring his second DIRTcar Sportsman Series victory at Can-Am this season and third overall.

“I could hear (Power) a couple times, but I was just a little tight,” Rogers said. “Earlier, we weren’t any good. So, we took all the shocks and springs and changed them. I moved the front end, I moved the rear end, and I told (my crew guy) we’re going wholesale changes here.”

Power finished in second, falling just shy of her first DIRTcar Sportsman Series victory.

“We threw everything we had at Dave (Rogers),” Power said. “He did a great job. The car was a rocket tonight. It was the fastest it’s been all year, so, I can’t complain.”

Andrews finished in third to round out the podium, recording one of his best finishes at the track. He had not seen a competition at Can-Am since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We didn’t really know what to expect here,” Andrews said. “I don’t think we’re the best right now, but we ran pretty good and I’m happy with it…there’s some tough competition here. We put a really good night together.”

Gavin Eisele finished in fourth and Mike Fowler finished in fifth to round out the top five.

Chris Corbett was the recipient of a free Hoosier Tire.

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series will next travel to Weedsport Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 9 for the Sportsman Classic.

DIRTcar Sportsman Series (30 Laps): 1. 44-David Rogers[1]; 2. 52-Jessica Power[4]; 3. 0-Xavier Andrews[2]; 4. 18-Gavin Eisele[3]; 5. 410-Mike Fowler[6]; 6. 92-Andrew Buff[9]; 7. 35B-Brennan Moore[12]; 8. 64-Tyler Corcoran[11]; 9. 57H-Remington Hamm[8]; 10. 38-Zach Sobotka[19]; 11. 31B-Ryan Dolbear[16]; 12. 34-Eric Nier[7]; 13. 63M-Franklin Mackin[21]; 14. 30-Nick Root[23]; 15. FOX28-Tyler Stevenson[22]; 16. 34K-Keegan Nier[14]; 17. 03-Joshua Jock[10]; 18. 66B-Jason Bruno[27]; 19. 95-Kearra Backus[29]; 20. (DNF) 98-Chris Corbett[28]; 21. (DNF) 2-Taylor Doxtater[26]; 22. (DNF) 38JR-Jason Parkhurst Jr[25]; 23. (DNF) 6-Brian Hudson[13]; 24. (DNF) 01-Zach Buff[24]; 25. (DNF) 22-Cedric Gauvreau[5]; 26. (DNF) 1D-Paul DeRuyter[20]; 27. (DNF) 32RS-Ryan Shanahan[17]; 28. (DNF) 29-Nick Heywood[15]; 29. (DNF) 99R-Anthony Rasmussen[18]

Over 30 real-life Midget drivers included with 2023 Season Update of World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing

CONCORD, NC (Sept. 8, 2023) – Most people can only dream of seeing themselves immortalized behind screens in a digital world of video game pixels.

Today, the stars of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota and their competitors live out that dream as part of the 2023 Season Update to World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing on Xbox and PlayStation.

The 2023 Season Update, made available for purchase on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on Aug. 15, includes each of the full-time drivers on the Xtreme Outlaw Series plus several other national Midget series racers and a few extra surprises. The full roster of drivers included with the update is listed below.

Several drivers on the full-time Xtreme Outlaw Series roster have taken time since the update’s release to try the game out for themselves and expressed their appreciation in being involved.

The Series’ all-time winningest driver – 16-year-old Jade Avedisian of Clovis, CA – said the outpouring of support from her friends and fans racing with her virtual Mobil 1, LynK/Toyota #71 for Keith Kunz Motorsports in the game has been constant.

“I get a few DMs a week about how good the game is and that they picked me to play,” Avedisian said. “To be on a video game is really cool; I would have never expected to be on a video game.”

Like Avedisian, defending Series champion Zach Daum noted the experience of being repeatedly recognized in a new digital world of motorsports entertainment.

“As soon as it was released, I was getting pictures sent to me from people I didn’t even know,” Daum, 32, of Pocahontas, IL, said. “Like, ‘Hey I’m racing you!’

“That’s cool, don’t crash. Hopefully, you win.”

While he’s not the gamer he used to be, Daum recalls his more youthful days in motorsports playing the fan-favorite World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars 2002 title and hopes to pass the fun of gaming on to his own kids.

“I remember being a kid playing that – we’d be at Quarter Midget races, grand national races where you’d be there all week and somebody had it set up at their trailer and you’d play all week,” Daum said. “That was really fun.

“Hopefully in the next couple years, I can get my boy Remy – he’ll play it. I don’t want him playing a bunch of video games, but I wouldn’t mind it if he played racing games.”

Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports teammates Cannon McIntosh and Austin Barnhill have long been avid players of racing video games and were thrilled with the opportunity to have their own place in the newest and most advanced dirt motorsports game to date.

“It’s cool to not only see us, but other competitors we’ve raced with,” McIntosh, 20, of Bixby, OK, said. “It’s a different deal when you’re in it. Seeing kids online that enjoy it and get to play as you, it’s a cool feeling.”

“Growing up playing NASCAR games and Sprint Car games, it’s kinda shocking that Midgets just now came into the video game side of things,” Barnhill, 23, of Mooresville, NC, said. “On an actual console game, it’s really cool to see it finally take off, especially while [McIntosh] and I are in the middle of running the Series. Getting to be in it makes it that much cooler.”

While the drivers agree the game plays great in their hands, World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing is a hit with the younger fanbase – one that will eventually fill the seats of future Midget rides in real life.

“If that draws in 10 kids to the races now because they play us on their Xbox or PlayStation, that’s cool,” Daum said. “It can only help grow the sport.”

“A little kid that plays and races their favorite car on there, and then they want to be able to watch it on TV, and they tell their parents about It – I feel like you get so many more people involved with the sport of Midget racing,” McIntosh said.

For more information about World of Outlaws: Dirt Racing and the 2023 Season Update, and to purchase your copy of the game, visit WorldofOutlawsGame.com.

Midget Driver Roster

Zach Daum
Jade Avedisian
Cannon McIntosh

Chase McDermand

Taylor Reimer
Gavin Miller

Hayden Reinbold
Austin Barnhill
Mitchel Moles

Kyle Jones

Corbin Rueschenberg

Tyler Robbins

Chance Crum

Ethan Mitchell

Thomas Meseraull

Mariah Ede

Kyle Bielman

Cooper Williams

Daison Pursley

Logan Seavey

Laci Ferno

Daniel Whitley

Bryant Wiedeman

Andrew Felker

Casey Shuman

Gary Taylor

Chase Johnson

Brad Loyet

Rip Jetson

Ryan Timms

Buddy Kofoid

Concludes at Port Royal in OctoberPORT ROYAL, PA (Sept. 8, 2023) – Port Royal Speedway will host the final round of the World of Outlaws versus PA Posse battle this year during the Nittany Showdown doubleheader, Oct. 6-7.World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series stars will face the best local talent from around Pennsylvania for two straight nights with Friday night’s race paying $10,000 to win and Saturday’s finale paying $15,000 to win.Pennsylvania’s Anthony Marci led the PA Posse charge at the Nittany Showdown last year, sweeping the weekend – his first two World of Outlaws victories. He’s also the only PA Posse driver to have won a World of Outlaws race this year with his win at Lincoln Speedway in May. However, Marci won’t be behind the wheel of his family’s #39M car at Port Royal for his repeat attempt.Ten-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz has the most World of Outlaws victories at the track with four (2004, 2017, 2018, 2019). Kyle Larson is the closest behind him with three, including his win at the track in July of 2022.The World of Outlaws have the upper hand on the PA Posse this year, having won three of the Pennsylvania events (Brad Sweet at Williams Grove Speedway in May, David Gravel at BAPS Motor Speedway in July and Logan Schuchart at Williams Grove in July).What you need to know: More Event InfoTrack: 1/2 mile in Port Royal, PA Track Record: 14.868 seconds by Brian Brown on Oct. 10, 2018Times (ET): Friday 4 p.m. Pit and Grandstand Gates Open 6:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying -Racing to followSaturday 1 p.m. Pit and Grandstand Gates Open 5:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying -Racing to follow *Times subject to change with Flex ScheduleTickets: Available HERELast Race Video Recap (8/8/22): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G76IHXUn38Previous Winners: 2022 –Kyle Larson on July 20, Anthony Macri on Oct. 7 & Oct. 8 2021 – Kerry Madsen on Oct. 8, Spencer Bayston on Oct. 9 2020 – Kyle Larson on Oct. 9, Kyle Larson on Oct. 10 2019 – Donny Schatz on Oct. 25 2018 – Donny Schatz on Oct. 28 2017 – Donny Schatz on Oct. 14 2016 – Logan Schuchart on Oct. 15 2015 – Brad Sweet on Oct. 24 2014 – Ryan Smith on Oct. 25 2004 – Donny Schatz on Sept. 29 2003 – Jason Meyers on Oct. 2 2002 – Brad Furr on Sept. 29 2001 – Danny Wood on Sept. 27 1987 – Doug Wolfgang on May 27 1986 – Don Kreitz, Jr., on May 28 1979 – Lynn Paxton on July 25If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA SALINAS, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE SEPTEMBER 8-10, 2023 CHEVROLET LOOKS TO WRAP THE 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON IN LAGUNA SECA DETROIT (September 7, 2023) – The final race of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Season wraps up a wild and competitive year at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca where Chevrolet has seen one NTT P1 Pole Award but still seeks a victory since the series return after in 2019. With three podium finishes and 35 laps led in the three events in four years the Bowtie brand has competed in, Team Chevy looks to end the season, and 95-lap, 212.61-mile race in Victory Lane. INDYCAR returned in 2019, the V6 2.2-liter liter twin-turbo injected era of Chevrolet has competed at Laguna Seca three times in four years at the legendary natural terrain road course and facility. With five Chevrolet-powered Indy cars finishing in the top-10 of 2022’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, including Josef Newgarden (second), Will Power (third), and Scott McLaughlin (sixth) of Team Penske, as well as Arrow McLaren INDYCAR’s Felix Rosenqvist (fourth) and Pato O’Ward (eighth). Reflecting back on the event, O’Ward said of Laguna Seca, “It’s an enjoyable track to drive, even though I haven’t had the result there in the NTT INDYCAR Series that I’ve been hoping for the last couple of years. Hopefully, this time is the charm. The track is repaved, so I’m looking forward to that new challenge and making it a good one for all of us on the team.” Wrapping up the season with five wins and five earned pole awards heading into this weekend’s race at Laguna Seca, in addition to 1,212 laps led and 23 podiums in 2023, Chevrolet caps off the season after earning the Bowtie brand’s fifth Indianapolis 500 victory in the V6 era, and 12th in manufacturer history. Overall, Chevrolet holds 111 race wins in the V6 era since 2012, and 126 earned pole awards in addition to five Indianapolis 500 victories. The Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey from WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca kicks off the weekend with first practice on Friday, Sept. 8 at 5:30 p.m. ET. A second practice opens Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, with qualifications and the Firestone Fast Six following at 5 p.m. ET. Sunday’s 95-lap, 212.61-mile race takes the green flag live on NBC at 3 p.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“One last rodeo for the 2023 season. It’s an enjoyable track to drive, even though I haven’t had the result there in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES that I’ve been hoping for the last couple of years. Hopefully, this time is the charm. The track is repaved, so I’m looking forward to that new challenge and making it a good one for all of us on the team.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”I’m pumped for the last race of the season. Laguna is a place where I’ve enjoyed a lot of success, and coming off a strong result in Portland, the only aim for me will be to try and get that first win of the season for Arrow McLaren.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”I can’t believe the end of the year is already here. It seems like just yesterday was my first day with the team. While there have been ups and downs, I’m happy with what we’ve accomplished and hope to get a win before we head into what will be an intense offseason.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“We’re heading into the final race weekend of 2023 with our heads held high. It was good to get Felix (Rosenqvist) and the No. 6 team on the podium last weekend, marking the 10th podium for Arrow McLaren this season. We’ll start this week testing out the new surface at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and then hopefully wrap up on a high note come race day.” Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca has always been one of those tracks at the top of my list. Even though I really enjoyed the low-grip old surface, I look forward to the challenge ahead with the repaved surface. We’ll need to work through finding a new approach, both on car setup and from behind the wheel.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“I am excited to go back to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca! It’s going to be very nice to be back in the car, especially coming off a weekend like we did in Portland. I love the track and I am looking forward to experiencing the repave! It’s something no one is really accustomed to yet, so it’s great that we have a day of testing as well. It’s a good time to have another good race and hopefully get a top-five – we were pretty close last weekend! Last race of the season, let’s make it a good one!” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“This is definitely a very challenging track to drive, (and) testing here is going to be very helpful for me. The last time I was here I was testing and that was in 2021. That was also on the old track, so I’m excited to see what the repave is like. I think the best passing zone is either the last corner or the first corner. Other than that, someone needs to make a mistake or you just need to be outright a lot faster to make a pass. I will say that if you make a pass in the Corkscrew, it is incredibly rewarding! It’s just incredibly difficult.” Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“This track has been here for a very long time. The nature of Monterey is very special with the elevation change at the track, which makes it very challenging. The new pavement changes will be very exciting for everyone because it’s new and fresh. The degradation of the tires is going to be a completely different topic. …With how much deg there is with the low grip track, it’s usually very hard on tires, but with the new surface, I think that resets that. I think it will be very similar to Road America in regards to surface and degradation, but we will see here with the upcoming test and race weekend. “Into Turn 2 is a pretty decent passing area and the top of the corkscrew can be very good. Otherwise, I think being on different strategies and fresh tires is what makes being able to pass easier.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“This weekend will be my third race at Laguna Seca. The last time here we were having a great run; I started second and was battling inside the top-five before an unfortunate mechanical failure. That shows we’ve had great speed at this track before. “There has been a resurfacing of the track which will make it alittle bit of a challenge to get to grips with the set-up of the car this weekend, but luckily we have the test day on Thursday to work with that. “It’s an exciting track, it should be super fast and hopefully we can match that with a super fast car.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“As it’s the last race of the season this weekend, I’m really proud to look back on my first year in INDYCAR. Thank you to everybody in the team for all of their hard work this season, and especially to Ricardo and Brad for giving me this opportunity. “We want to end the season strongly and will battle hard to finish within the Leaders Circle. Despite different situations costing us points during the year, we have shown the pace to end with a Leaders Circle spot. I’ll try my best this weekend to try and achieve this goal, and will give 100% as always. “Laguna Seca is another new circuit for me which will be tough, especially as it’s a really tricky track. But I will prepare well to end the season in the best possible way.”

CHEVROLET AT LAGUNA SECA (V6 era), since INDYCAR’s 2019 return:Wins: 0 Pole Awards: 12018: Will Power Podiums at Laguna Seca by Team Chevy: 3, since the 2019 return to Laguna Seca Laps Led at Laguna Seca by Team Chevy: 35 laps led since the 2019 return to Laguna Seca

2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:198: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.  111: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.  126: Earned poles since 2012.  7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.  7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.  12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.  14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including the past 11 with Chevrolet power.  9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.  46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

September 7, 2023

After an encouraging, but ultimately disappointing Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Menards/MasterForce team are headed to Kansas Speedway hoping to continue improving their team, now headed by crew chief Jeremy Bullins.

“Even though Darlington didn’t end like we wanted it to, there were still a lot of positives to take away from the weekend,” Bullins said. “We had a solid practice, and even though qualifying didn’t go like we needed it to, we dug out of the hole in the race and had ourselves solidly in the top 15 before we got caught up in a wreck.”

Bullins said he’s looking forward to taking another step forward with the team as they compete in the Hollywood Casino 400. 

“Kansas will be a great opportunity to work with Harrison and learn what he likes to feel at the intermediate-style race tracks as we look to improve our overall performance,” he said. “With the Playoffs in full swing teams are bringing out their best, so it gives us a good chance to judge where we stack up and figure out what we need to work on to get better.”

Also this weekend, Burton and the Menards/MasterForceteam are honoring a Cancer Hero, the late Karen Morgan of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

The Honor A Cancer Hero program is put on by the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation and AdventHealth. Last year the program raised more than $110,000 to be used to support integrative therapies for women and children undergoing cancer treatments.

In January of 2019, Morgan, who retired early from her job as an insurance agent to care for her parents, went to the doctor for what initially appeared to be minor symptoms but was soon diagnosed with Grade 4 Glioblastoma, the worst brain cancer. She continued to try to be a caregiver for her father even as she needed care herself.

She passed away on May 28, 2020 at the age of 55.

Mrs. Morgan was nominated for the Cancer Hero program by her husband Wayne Morgan, who chose Harrison Burton and the Wood Brothers team to represent her.

“She would have been proud to have her name on such an iconic car,” Mr. Morgan wrote of his wife, who was a NASCAR fan and followed the sport as long as she was able.

Practice for the Hollywood Casino 400 is set for Saturday at 11 a.m. (noon Eastern Time) to be immediately followed by qualifying.

Sunday’s 267-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. (3 p.m. Eastern) with Stage breaks planned for Laps 80 and 165.

USA Network will carry the TV coverage all weekend.

Official Release: Koretsky Motorsports | Michael Waltrip Brewing Company | Maple Grove Raceway

September 7, 2023

MOHNTON, PENNSYLVANIA | BRISTOL, VIRGINIA (September 7, 2023) – Kyle Koretsky wants to go fast and is ready to “Shake & Bake” his way to victory to start the NHRA Countdown to the Championship at Maple Grove Raceway.

Koretsky, along with Michael Waltrip Brewing Company’s CEO/President Bryan Sperber & Chief Fun Officer Michael Waltrip announced today a new partnership that will kick off at the upcoming Pep Boys NHRA Nationals and continue later this month at the betway NHRA Carolina Nationals.

Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. recently announced the distribution of their beer in Pennsylvania with Stockertown Beverage and all involved agree this is the perfect way to introduce the NHRA fans to Talladega Light, along with being less frightening than driving with a live cougar in the car

“We are so thrilled to be partnering with Kyle and his team to help announce our newest beer, Talladega Light,” said Michael Waltrip. “I love watching the intense action that is drag racing. Green light, hammer down, hold on. And I love participating in the enjoyment of Talladega Light. Pop a top, take a sip and relax.  Both sound fantastic. Let’s go Kyle! Shake and Bake our way to victory in Maple Grove and Charlotte.”

Along with partnering on Koretsky’s Pro Stock entry, the pairing hopes to soon announce additional collaborations including a music festival at Maple Grove Raceway. 

“We are so proud to be able to support and partner with Kyle and his family,” said Bryan R. Sperber. “They are racers like Michael and having our brand on Kyle’s Pro Stock car at Maple Grove and zMAX is really special. This is a big moment for our company and we can’t wait to see our Talladega Light brand in the Winner’s Circle.”

Koretsky is looking forward to big things both on and off the track.  After making it to the final in Brainerd and the semi-finals in Indianapolis, Kyle believes a win is coming soon as he comes up on the 2-year anniversary of his first Pro Stock victory at zMAX Dragway.

“I am really excited to work with Bryan, Michael and everyone at MWB,” said Kyle Koretsky. “Adding a great brand and helping to bring Talladega Light to the great fans at Maple Grove is awesome. I have some of the greatest partners in the sport like Lucas Oil and another recent addition of Ace Aero and this is a perfect fit.”

MWBC’s, Talladega Light will be available along with Bristol Sunshine at both Maple Grove Raceway & zMAX Dragway.

“I’m just a big hairy American winning machine. If you ain’t first, you’re last.” Koretsky added. “It’s time to start collecting Wally’s and show what this car and this team is capable of.”

About Michael Waltrip Brewing Company:

Michael Waltrip Brewing Company, was founded in 2020, as a premium beer company that celebrates creating memories with family and friends in the fun-loving style of its founder, iconic motorsports champion Michael Waltrip. Since its inception, the company has grown into a multi-faceted lifestyle brand with operations in beer, hospitality, live entertainment, and licensed products.

The Michael Waltrip Brewing Co. line up of beers, now distributed in 10 states, include Talladega Light lager and Bristol Sunshine Tangerine Ale.  MWBC is distributed in Pennsylvania by Stockertown Beverage.

The Company operates its signature brewery and taproom in historic downtown Bristol, VA, and recently announced a partnership to expand the Michael Waltrip Taproom concept to 100 locations with the first store opening in Concord, NC in 2023.

For more information, visit MichaelWaltripBrewing.com or follow on Facebook @MWBCo and Instagram and Twitter via @WaltripBrewing.

Invest in MWB – https://www.startengine.com/offering/michaelwaltripbrewingcompany

Sep 5, 2023 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results

The Randy Meyer Racing (RMR) Top Alcohol Dragster team raced to a runner-up finish at the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals and leave Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and claimed back the Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster National Championship Points lead with drivers Julie Nataas and Hunter Green.

Nataas entered eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier with a 5.247-second pass at 374.61 mph and Green as the No. 4 qualifier with a 5.263 ET at 274.89 mph. Nataas matched-up against Jasmine Salinas in the first round on Sunday. Nataas would have the win before leaving the starting line with Salinas going red by .116 seconds. Unfortunately Green was knocked out in the first round losing to Karen Stalba on a holeshot.

Nataas won the first round with a 5.274-second run at 274.78 mph to earn lane choice over Tony Stewart in the second round. Nataas and the OTG dragster left the starting line first and steadily pulled away to run the team’s best pass of the weekend at 5.206-seconds and 283.73 mph to defeat Stewart who also ran his best of the weekend at 5.259 at 270.97. Her win along with Shawn Cowie’s first-round loss would put RMR and Nataas back in the national championship points lead.

In the semifinals on Monday afternoon, Nataas took on John Paul Gutierrez. Gutierrez would leave the line first but Nataas would chase him down with a 5.249-second pass at 283.61 mph bettering Gutierrez’s 5.318 at 270.86.

In only the second an all-female U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster final round, Nataas faced off against Madison Payne. It was the first time Nataas had seen Payne in a final round but the fourth time the pair have raced against each other. Nataas had a disappointing redlight start of .211 seconds to hand Payne the victory. For the record, Nataas crossed the finish line at 5.566-seconds and 219.08 mph while Payne smoked the tires and slowed to a 10.073 pass at 85.76 for the win.

“My foot left before my head wanted to in the finals. It’s one of those things you can’t explain. It Just happens,” said Nataas who has reached the U.S. Nationals final round for two consecutive years. “I wish we could have gotten the extra points for winning, but we did leave with the points lead after a really important win over Tony Stewart second round I’m sure we are going to have a lot more of those races before the season is over. It’s exciting.”

RMR will continue their championship campaign at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, PA with the Aussie Fiona Crisp and newcomer Mike Lewis after competing at the NHRA Lucas Oil Division 5 drag race in Earlville, IA with Fiona Crisp in the OTG nitro machine.

Sep 5, 2023 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results

The Randy Meyer Racing (RMR) Top Alcohol Dragster team raced to a runner-up finish at the 2023 Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals and leave Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and claimed back the Lucas Oil Top Alcohol Dragster National Championship Points lead with drivers Julie Nataas and Hunter Green.

Nataas entered eliminations as the No. 3 qualifier with a 5.247-second pass at 374.61 mph and Green as the No. 4 qualifier with a 5.263 ET at 274.89 mph. Nataas matched-up against Jasmine Salinas in the first round on Sunday. Nataas would have the win before leaving the starting line with Salinas going red by .116 seconds. Unfortunately Green was knocked out in the first round losing to Karen Stalba on a holeshot.

Nataas won the first round with a 5.274-second run at 274.78 mph to earn lane choice over Tony Stewart in the second round. Nataas and the OTG dragster left the starting line first and steadily pulled away to run the team’s best pass of the weekend at 5.206-seconds and 283.73 mph to defeat Stewart who also ran his best of the weekend at 5.259 at 270.97. Her win along with Shawn Cowie’s first-round loss would put RMR and Nataas back in the national championship points lead.

In the semifinals on Monday afternoon, Nataas took on John Paul Gutierrez. Gutierrez would leave the line first but Nataas would chase him down with a 5.249-second pass at 283.61 mph bettering Gutierrez’s 5.318 at 270.86.

In only the second an all-female U.S. Nationals Top Alcohol Dragster final round, Nataas faced off against Madison Payne. It was the first time Nataas had seen Payne in a final round but the fourth time the pair have raced against each other. Nataas had a disappointing redlight start of .211 seconds to hand Payne the victory. For the record, Nataas crossed the finish line at 5.566-seconds and 219.08 mph while Payne smoked the tires and slowed to a 10.073 pass at 85.76 for the win.

“My foot left before my head wanted to in the finals. It’s one of those things you can’t explain. It Just happens,” said Nataas who has reached the U.S. Nationals final round for two consecutive years. “I wish we could have gotten the extra points for winning, but we did leave with the points lead after a really important win over Tony Stewart second round I’m sure we are going to have a lot more of those races before the season is over. It’s exciting.”

RMR will continue their championship campaign at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals in Reading, PA with the Aussie Fiona Crisp and newcomer Mike Lewis after competing at the NHRA Lucas Oil Division 5 drag race in Earlville, IA with Fiona Crisp in the OTG nitro machine.