Todd, Torrence Kick Off NHRA Season with Final Round Runs

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 12, 2023) – Two Toyota drivers made final round appearances in the season kickoff race for the NHRA at Gainesville Raceway. J.R. Todd drove his GR Supra Funny Car through three rounds against Blake Alexander, Robert Hight and Chad Green to make a final round appearance against race-winner Matt Hagan.

Toyota Top Fuel dragster driver Steve Torrence worked his way past Scott Palmer, Tony Schumacher and Doug Kalitta to make it into the final round against race-winner Mike Salinas.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Gainesville Raceway

Race 1 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Final Round	W. 3.689 vs. 3.871 (Palmer)W. 3.741 vs. 4.348 (Schumacher)W. 3.779 vs. 5.773 (Kalitta)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.646 vs. 3.804 (Massey)W. 3.716 vs. 7.799 (Brown)L. 5.773 vs. 3.779 (Torrence)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 2	W. 3.706 vs. 3.704 (Langdon)L. 7.799 vs. 3.716 (Kalitta)
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 3.754 vs. 3.669 (Salinas)
Shawn Langdon	CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 3.704 vs. 3.706 (Brown)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Final Round	W. 3.893 vs. 3.953 (Alexander)W. 3.913 vs. 23.626 (Hight)W. 3.903 vs. 3.967 (Green)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Semi-Finals	W. 3.900 vs. 8.424 (Pedregon)W. 3.931 vs. 9.617 (Capps)L. 3.912 vs. 3.896 (Hagan)
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round 2	W. 3.855 vs. 6.478 (Haddock)L. 9.617 vs. 3.931 (DeJoria)

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

Final Result: Final Round

How do you feel about your performance on this opening race weekend?

“Great weekend overall. Really a good way to start the season. Don’t know what it did, but we’ll keep working at it. This is a huge step in the right direction for the Capco Toyota dragster. I’m really excited and really optimistic about what’s in store because this thing just keeps getting better with every lap. We just need to figure out the game plan on it and our tune-up then I think we’re going to be a contender for certain.”

What did you feel on the last run?

“Just a good lap, but it was probably a little soft in the middle. Cloud cover coming and going, you don’t know what to do. Those guys (Scrappers Racing) have been pretty stout all day, but we just went up there and ran our own race and maybe it wasn’t enough.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Final Round

What happened on the final run?

“Running really well all day and then in the final round, it’s running really well again and didn’t see him (Matt Hagan) and spun the tires and stayed with it and it blew up.”

How do you feel about starting off the season with a final round appearance?

“Really good. We tested really well. The car is definitely more consistent than what we’ve had in years past. I feel like it responds to what the crew chiefs are telling it to. Definitely shows that it has a lot of potential so it definitely has me excited for the rest of the season. Starting out in the final round, it’s always nice to finish off a final round, but can’t really complain starting off the season like this compared to last year.”

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Finals

How was your race today overall and how do you feel about the start to your season?

“I was hoping to make it to the final for sure. The car was running strong all day and just super excited about the way things are going so far. Everyone is working together really well and the crew chiefs are really happy with what they’re seeing. Kind of the way it was in testing as well so I’m glad we were able to roll it into the first race. I don’t know what happened on that last run, but it was unfortunate to just smoke the tires. You know drag racing, it happens. Looking forward to getting to Phoenix.”

Your first round win was a career-best pass. Tell me about that run.

“That was a cool run. For whatever reason, I was trying to steer it to the middle and it was drifting to the center towards the end. I could tell I wasn’t going to go over or anything, but it was just one of those things where I knew this thing was really running. We really appreciate everything Toyota does for us and look forward to having a good season.”

Meseraull P16 following contact with Avedisian, McDermand runner-up from 12th

DU QUOIN, IL (March 11, 2023) – The winningest driver in Series history is back in Victory Lane. Jade Avedisian captured her third career Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota Feature win Saturday night in only her second career start in the Southern Illinois Center.

It didn’t take long for the young Californian to find success with her new team at Keith Kunz Motorsports, scoring the $5,000 check in her second race piloting KKM’s signature Mobil 1, Spike/Toyota #71. But en route to finding that near-instant success, Avedisian was tasked with going head-to-head with one of the most accomplished indoor racers – Thomas Meseraull.

Meseraull, the 42-year-old open wheel veteran and two-time winner in the Center, was the first to challenge 16-year-old Avedisian after she got out to the early lead from the pole. Meseraull gradually ascended from his fifth-place starting spot into third by Lap 10 and was immediately met with a chance to overtake both cars in front of him.

With a head full of steam as he crossed the stripe on Lap 11, Meseraull swept by Kyle Jones through Turns 1-2 on the top side and made a bee-line for Avedisian in 3-4. Using the same maneuver – right-rear tire against the cushion and throttle to the floor – Meseraull powered around Avedisian for the lead and began to set his own pace.

“Early on, I could see that the track was going to start moving up,” Meseraull said. “It was time to go. I was faster than the guys in front of me.”

“The first 10 laps, I was around the bottom, and I kinda felt like it was gonna go away; just wasn’t sure when,” Avedisian said about leading the opening laps. “I felt it [go away], and then [Meseraull] got by me. It was good to run his pace for a few laps.”

Though the opening laps were hectic, the race’s torrid pace was soon cooled by the first caution flag on Lap 14; Friday night winner Cannon McIntosh had rolled it over in Turn 3, retiring him to the pits with external damage from the wreck.

Meseraull handled his first two restarts well, keeping Avedisian at bay behind him. He soon opened up a large gap to the rest of the field, stretching the lead out to over a second-and-a-half at one point before the yellow was displayed again with 11-to-go. It was then that Avedisian executed her plan to retake the lead.

Avedisian got a great restart and stayed right with Meseraull as the laps dipped under 10-to-go. With six laps left, Meseraull bounced hard off the cushion in Turn 4, upsetting the car enough for Avedisian to close-in on his rear bumper.

“Once we got out there, me and T-Mez, I feel like we were about the same speed,” Avedisian said. “I had a really good restart, I think it was the third restart, I was able to chase him down a little bit and decided when to slide him.”

With a lapped car in the bottom lane directly in front of him, Meseraull swung it to the top side into Turn 1 and got over the lip of the cushion, sending him into the marbles and leaving the track beneath him open to Avedisian. She took full advantage of the room, bounced off the lip at the apex of the turn and got a great run out of Turn 2.

In an effort to power out of the cushion and get back in the groove, Meseraull stayed in the throttle, picking-up the front-end of the car into a wheelie out of Turn 2. When he came back down, Avedisian’s nose was there and the two made contact, sending Meseraull around on the backstretch.

“He got over the curb and I was already half-sliding him, trying to get by,” Avedisian said. “He came down, obviously to get out of the curb, and we just hit. It was just a racing deal on that one.”

“That was unfortunate,” Meseraull said. “Lapped traffic is tough here, and I was struggling to get by [Avedisian]. I picked up a little bit of a miss in the 7x, and so my entry speed was a little bit on-and-off, and I kinda got it in above the curb.

“The thing flew the nose [up] and Jade just shoved it in there, because that’s what you do in Midgets, apparently, and it damn near got me upside down. But hey, that’s part of racing.”

Meseraull was sent to the tail of the field under caution while Avedisian assumed the lead with three laps remaining. One solid restart and 12 corners later, Avedisian drove under the checkered flags to seal the victory.

“Just be patient, you only have three laps, and try to hit your marks,” Avedisian said of her mentality coming back to the green. “I definitely didn’t have the best restart. We think the tire got cold or something, and it didn’t fire-off as well. But it was good enough to keep us out front.”

Chase McDermand crossed the stripe in second, coming from 12th in the Mounce/Stout Motorsports #40 – a remarkable turnaround for the team that failed to qualify for the Feature Friday night. Kyle Jones came home third, staying in the top-five the entire distance and matched his best career finish with the Series.

UP NEXT

The Midgets now take three weeks off from Series competition before returning to action at Farmer City Raceway as part of the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models’ annual Illini 100 event, March 30-April 1.

Tickets are on sale now at XtremeOutlawSeries.com. If you can’t be there in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 71-Jade Avedisian[1]; 2. 40-Chase McDermand[12]; 3. 7U-Kyle Jones[3]; 4. 2X-Landon Brooks[8]; 5. 26-Chance Crum[4]; 6. 68-Mitchel Moles[18]; 7. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[7]; 8. 97-Gavin Miller[6]; 9. 25K-Taylor Reimer[11]; 10. 26R-Corbin Rueschenberg[9]; 11. 21K-Karter Sarff[15]; 12. 86-Shane Cottle[10]; 13. 41M-Howard Moore[16]; 14. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[19]; 15. 71E-Mariah Ede[20]; 16. 7X-Thomas Meseraull[5]; 17. 57A-Ronnie Gardner[13]; 18. 08-Cannon McIntosh[14]; 19. 5D-Zach Daum[17]; 20. 55-Nick Drake[2]

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) kicked off his 2023 Progressive American Flat Track championship campaign in near-perfect fashion, completing the second half of the season-opening double win with another sensational ride in Saturday night’s DAYTONA Short Track II presented by Daytona Dodge at the Flat Track at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Daniels was already a legitimate title contender as a rookie a year ago. Early indications suggest he’s that much stronger now with a year’s Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycleexperience under his belt. The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace got away off the line in third, running in close quarters behind early leader Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) and Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750), with Thursday runner-up Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) right in his tracks. Robinson made an early exit from the fight for the win, getting into the airfence and losing several positions in the process. Daniels slipped up the inside of Mees a little less than three minutes into the ten-minute-plus-two-lap Main to take over second, just as Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) closed in to make it four-rider fight at the front again. Daniels then spent the next four minutes stalking Vanderkooi, looking up the inside and around outside, while generally applying the sort of pressure that might just open a door straight through. He finally found the gap he was looking for with 3:30 minutes remaining on the clock, striking up the inside as the leaders encountered a wave of lapped riders. Daniels met little resistance once into the lead, stretching out an advantage that finalized as a 2.069-second margin of victory in the end. “It was tough – Jarod was running a really good race,” Daniels said. “He was being patient – he was really easy on the throttle and wasn’t making any mistakes. I had to search. I wanted to sit there for a little bit. After I got off the line, I was all right with where I was, and I was paying attention to everything. I wanted to stalk him for a while, but then it was time to go. “A double at Daytona is crazy. It’s unbelievable. A big thanks to the whole Estenson Monster Energy Yamaha team. We had a great year last year, and to start off the year with two wins in Daytona is insane.” Shortly after Daniels took over the lead, Fisher slashed his way past Mees to complete the “new guard” podium line-up in third, joining winner Daniels and second-placed Vanderkooi. Reigning champ Mees came away with his second fourth of the double-opener – a marked upgrade over how his prospects may have looked earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Daniels’ teammate, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), logged a second fifth. Robinson recovered well enough from his early drama to finish in sixth, one spot ahead of Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke), who was forced to claw his way up to seventh from outside the top ten. Four-time DAYTONA ST winner Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Martin Trucking/Castrol Yamaha MT-07), privateer Kayl Kolkman (No 98 B&L Plumbing/Rod Lake Yamaha MT-07), and Royal Enfield factory man Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) completed the top ten. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) doubled up in Daytona, delivering a second dose of domination on Saturday night. Clearly in a class of his own at the venue, Kopp pulled off another sweep, repeating his Thursday trick of topping practice, qualifying, his Heat, the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge, and most importantly, the Main Event. Kopp successfully weaved his way through the opening lap chaos to secure the lead three turns into the race. And while Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) did everything in his power to cling onto Kopp’s rear wheel, a little more than a minute in, the race for victory was effectively over. Kopp ultimately worked his advantage up to over five seconds before taking a drama-free checkered flag. “It’s just two for 18,” Kopp said. “We’ve got 16 more rounds, so there’s a lot more work to do. You can’t judge a season off two races at a track that really suits my style. I grew up riding a lot of indoors in the Pacific Northwest, and this was kinda like that. Thanks to my whole Red Bull KTM crew – this is a dream way to start the season for sure.” After losing touch with the leader, Saathoff was gradually reeled in by ‘22 championship runner-up Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who first had to fight his way past Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Justin Jones (No. 91 NRC Racing/Elder Trucking KTM 450 SX-F) to slide into third. Gauthier and Saathoff then swapped the second spot back and forth, squaring one another up in quick succession before the charging Gauthier finally stole the position away for good. Saathoff held on for the final spot on the box by a scant 0.084 seconds despite having to fend off a late challenge from new Turner Honda teammate Lowe. Kopp’s teammate, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), battled past the impressive Jones to complete the top five. Next Up: The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series makes its first-ever trip to Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia, for the inaugural Yamaha Senoia Short Track on Saturday, March 25. Visit https://www.tixr.com/promoters/americanflattrack to secure your tickets today. For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 from the DAYTONA Short Track I on March 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT) and DAYTONA Short Track II on March 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET (9:30 a.m. PT).

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 11, 2023) — For the seventh time in his career Aaron Stanfield and the Janac Brothers Chevrolet COPO Camaro earned the No.1 qualifying spot. The two-time Factory Stock Showdown world champ captured the top spot Saturday at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in front of a sellout crowd. He would run a 7.655-second pass at 179.49 mph before picking up two round wins in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown, a class that pits Chevrolet COPO Camaros, Ford Cobra Jets and Dodge Challenger Drag Paksagainst each other in heated competition.

Aaron Stanfield with Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown No. 1 qualifier hat, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“We only tested for a couple days so getting off to a good start was important for us,” said Stanfield, who still has the $1,000 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty program target on his back as the winner of the season-ending Texas NHRA FallNationals. “Friday we learned a few things on our runs and today it came together. This whole group is working really hard. We won the last race last year but that didn’t really give us momentum coming into this race. We just really put a lot of work in over the off-season and it looks like it has started to pay off this weekend, we’ll see how tomorrow goes.

Aaron Stanfield, Gatornationals No. 1 qualifier, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

In the first round, Stanfield would go 8.659-seconds at 175.73 mph to send Ingram home for the weekend. Stanfield followed up the victory with a 7.738 pass at 178.54 driving around Ricky Hord’s 8.016 at 167.24. Stanfield will have AJ Berge waiting for him on Sunday. 

Veteran tuner but first-time Flexjet Factory Stock competitor AJ Berge took two round wins today and will go into Sunday of the Gatornationals with growing confidence. Racing the iconic look RAMCHARGER Dodge Drag Pak Berge will be looking for three more win lights tomorrow.

“We’ve been struggling since we started testing here on Tuesday. Getting a hold of this tune-up has been a challenge but we’re starting to see the fruits of our labor and starting to get the bugs worked out. We had good power, and we have a good team. Winning any race for me is just such a huge accomplishment. It’s a very humbling experience for me to be out here.”

Another driver who is excited to be advancing to Sunday is David H. Davies, driver of the Save Our Allies Dodge Drag Pak. Davies started his own team this season after a season under the Don Schumacher Racing banner and the Kirtland, Ohio, resident is eager to try and earn his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national event.

“We came in here with a new team,” said Davies. “We’re going through the normal new team stuff, but everybody’s doing a great job we wrenched on the car before round two and it got where it needed to go. It’s the Gators so we’re happy to be running on Sunday.

“We have a little bit more work to do on the car. It’s been behaving great for two weeks. We’ve pretty much got this thing figured out, the ‘Gator air’ is causing us a little bit of grief along with everybody else in the class,” Davies continued. “If we figure out the ‘Gator air’ we will be in good shape.”

Sunday will feature the third round of the Gatornationals Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series with drivers hitting the track at 11:50 a.m. the final round should commence at 2:20 p.m. The Gatornationals will be broadcast live on FOX from noon – 3 p.m. ET.

Sunday Match-ups

Aaron Stanfield vs. AJ Berge

Jesse Alexandra vs. Joe Welch

Doug Hamp vs. David H. Davies

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 11, 2023) – In front of a sold-out crowd, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster earned the No. 1 qualifying position at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway on Saturday evening. John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS will start from No. 2 with Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Camaro in No. 3. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster will start their day from No. 12. For the 43rd time in her career, the second time at Gainesville Raceway, Force will start race day from No. 1 after her 3.699-second pass at 336.99 mph from a weather-ridden Friday held through Saturday’s two sessions. Force and her David Grubnic tuned hot rod would stay consistent in the final two qualifying runs with a 3.744 at 335.48 that also won her the first round of the Pep Boys All-Star NHRA Callout and earned the team three bonus points. In the Pep Boys Callout semifinals, after selecting to race against Josh Hart, the Monster Energy dragster would smoke the tires almost immediately. Force would watch Hart, the eventual Callout winner, drive around her as she coasted to an 8.884. Force would have redemption in the final qualifying session going 3.718 seconds at 336.15 mph, again the quickest of the session earning the Monster Energy team another three bonus points. “Overall, this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team got the No. 1. It was a bummer to lose out on the All-Star Callout. We felt good going strong going into it, we made it to the semis, but we got beat. Now the bigger focus is race day tomorrow. We put today behind us, and we start all over again going into race day and we’re at the top spot,” said Force who will race against Keith Murt in the first round of eliminations. “We were low of that last session and that’s outstanding, running in different conditions, and still being able to run low. Those runs are awesome, and we benefitted from getting that extra run for being in the Callout so it helps us out on race day.” John Force and the BlueDEF Camaro were consistent through qualifying. Already with a 3.898-second pass from Friday, crew chiefs Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi would string together a 3.936 run at 329.91 mph and a 3.878 run at 329.91 mph. Both would earn the legendary driver bonus points for a total of seven through the weekend. Force’s efforts would land him the No. 2 qualifying position. “I was riding on a high coming in here after the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. Then you get out here and you realize what your job really is and that was to get into the show,” said Force who matches up with Dave Richards first round. “Good two days of qualifying for this BlueDEF Chevy. We got in the show, did our job, we aren’t low but we got No. 2 so overall it’s good and we’ll see what happened tomorrow.” Coming into the day in No. 5, Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac Camaro shook things up on Saturday. They’d shake the tires in the first session for only a 5.564-second pass at 126.65 mph but it would be their final run that put them in the No. 3 spot. Hight would handle the Flav-R-Pac Chevy to an impressive 3.879 run at 333.99, the third-quickest pass of the session earning them a bonus point. “We were down on power that first run of qualifying then we had a little too much on it earlier today. That second run was good for this Flav-R-Pac team. We’re back. There’s still more out there, too,” said Hight who races against John Smith first round. “I’m not worried, feeling good about race day. If we had had one more run in those similar conditions today, we probably would have gone low. That’s good for tomorrow.” After a 3.779-second pass at 324.44 mph on Friday afternoon, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster would run into some trouble during Saturday qualifying. Prock would lose traction and have to shut it off to go only 4.564 at 164.89 which would also lose him the first round of the Pep Boys Callout to Hart. The final session would be more of the same for the Montana Brand team, smoking the tires early to go 7.915 at 112.36. “A little bit of a rough start on the weekend for this Montana Brand / RMT team. Missed on the power level on Friday but made a nice clean pass and luckily it got us in the show,” said Prock who will take on Clay Millican first round. “Going into the Callout we were pushing in the first run today. It did smoke the tires, but it was really close to going and if it would have went it would have ripped off low E.T. We looked a little more mixed up than we actually are. I’m not really worried about tomorrow. I know we have the best people upstairs in the lounge and one of the best crews out here. I’ll be on my game and I know they will and we’ll see how our cards fall.” The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway will continue with two eliminations on Sunday slated for a 10 a.m. start. Television coverage of the event continues with a dedicated Pep Boys All-Start Callout show at 10:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Sunday race day action will be at noon ET on FOX Broadcasting Network. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:12th; 3.779-seconds; 324.44 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.699-seconds; 336.99 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+9 (quickest Q1, Q3 & Q4) JOHN FORCE, 73, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:2nd; 3.898-seconds; 335.07 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +7 (second quickest Q1 & Q4, quickest Q3)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:5th; 3.911-seconds; 331.28 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q4)

Gainesville, FL (March 11, 2023) — Ocala, Florida resident and Top Fuel standout driver Josh Hart drove his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster to Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout victory and an $80,000 payday on Saturday at Gainesville Raceway. It was Hart’s first appearance in a big money specialty race and the 2021 Gatornationals winner took out Austin Prock, Brittany Force and Mike Salinas enroute to the win to start the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season.

“It’s a huge, huge accomplishment for our team, we have prepared like no other through December, January and February,” said Hart, in the Norm Froscher media center. “To go right out and win a specialty race right off the trailer is awesome. This R+L Carriers crew are the ones that should be sitting in the seat talking about this win. I’m just the jockey that gets to hit the gas. All the credit goes to the team. This is obviously off the charts awesome. But you have to not take anything like this for granted because it can go away just like that. Savor the moment.”

Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout winner Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

 “I’ll just say that nice guys don’t finish last,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “When you go up against Prock, you gotta be deadly on the tree and I was off my game a little bit in that first round. It was my first competitive pass with this R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster. I was kind of nervous about staging. (Crew chief) Ron Douglas and the team saved me on that one.”

“In round two against Force when she called me out, I think everybody was expecting that. That becomes a kill them with kindness type of situation. I left on her with a 40 light. With Salinas you know, he’s run some crazy numbers in testing and you always have that in the back of your mind, but I’m just glad that left on him. Ron and team again get the credit.”

With the Gatornationals looming tomorrow, Hart, the No. 7 qualifier, will face eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher in the first round. The third-year professional has a 1-1 record against the five-time Gatornationals Top Fuel winner. Last year during the NHRA Countdown Hart outran Schumacher at the betway Nationals in Charlotte in the first round. Heading into race day Hart does not feel additional pressure to win his second Gatornationals.

“No pressure, but I am 100% more relaxed because again, once you have the confidence and you’ve taken your sled down the track a couple of times you’re like, ‘I got this,’” said Hart. “It’s when things are going sideways and crazy and you’re pedaling and then you start psyching yourself out. So those guys on my team, they’re awesome. Like I said, they were the ones that should be sitting right here, not me.”

Race week started on Wednesday night for Hart and his R+L Carriers and Burnyzz Speed Shop team as he hosted the first Gatornationals FanFest at his shop in Ocala, Florida, sixty minutes from Gainesville Raceway. Nearly two dozen NHRA competitors joined Hart and NHRA legend ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits for a free autograph session along with a huge car show and live music. An estimated 5,000-7,000 fans attended the first time event. The support Hart has received from his local community has not been lost on the Huntington, Indiana, transplant.

“Ocala has been amazing to me not just from the business support, but with the racing community,” said Hart, who started his first business with $300 and a dream. “We planned on having 75 people in our hospitality and this is our first time doing hospitality and I counted 200 plus. The local support is off the charts. I’ve never seen anything like not only here at the racetrack but people that are now stopping into the shop just for merchandise or just to you know, meet me and I’m like, man, I’m a janitor if you want me to clean up the messes around here. Just awesome support locally.”

The first round of eliminations will begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. ET and Hart will have his R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster ready to take on one of the toughest fields in Gatornationals history. The sixteen qualified drivers are members of multi-car, multi-million dollar operations. Hart has fastidiously built his racing operation on his own until last year when he brought on partner fellow Floridian Chris Armstrong. The influx of financial support and business acumen has helped Hart take his program to the next level.

“We partnered with Chris Armstrong of Armstrong Homes and this car does not want for anything. We will do whatever it takes to make sure this thing is equivalent to all the multi-million dollar teams. The confidence comes from what happened to me last year. I took it for granted and I was like ‘Hey, I’m gonna come out and have some fun,’ but it’s not fun. It’s a business, so this year, when I show up, I want to start trying to enjoy every single moment.”

Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout Results

First Round

Josh Hart (.084) 3.765, 331.77 mph def. Austin Prock (.063) 4.564, 164.89 mph

Brittany Force (.049) 3.744, 335.48 mph def. Clay Millican (.067) 5.247, 128.69 mph

Mike Salinas (.074) 3.751, 333.41 mph def. Justin Ashley (.033) 3.870, 299.06 mph

Doug Kalitta (.073) 3.753, 330.88 mph def. Steve Torrence (.099) 3.774, 331.28 mph

Semifinals

Mike Salinas (.068) 3.763, 330.63 mph def. Doug Kalitta (.072) 7.924, 101.35 mph

Josh Hart (.041) 3.757, 330.88 mph def. Brittany Force (.075) 8.884, 74.07 mph

Final 

Josh Hart (.052) 3.748, 33`1.53 mph def. Mike Salinas (.077) 10.235, 74.57 mph

CHEVROLET IN NHRA AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY SATURDAY QUALIFYING REPORT March 11, 2023 CHEVROLET SHOWS STRENGTH IN SEASON-OPENING NHRA GATORNATIONALS QUALIFYING AT GAINESVILLE GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (March 11, 2023) – Qualifying for the 2023 season-opening AMALIE Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals has been completed, setting the ladders for Sunday’s eliminations at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida. Team Chevy led the way in Top Fuel, with Brittany Force setting the stage as the No. 1 qualifier, her 43rd in NHRA, and facing Keith Murt No. 16 in Round 1. Qualifying No. 12, Austin Prock will take on No. 5 Clay Millican in the first round on race day. In Funny Car, 16-time champion John Force qualified No. 2 with his pass of 3.878 ET at 332.59 MPH. Teammate Robert Hight was right behind Force in the No. 3 spot, going 3.879 ET at 333.99 MPH. Pro Stock saw Troy Coughlin, Jr. besting Elite Motorsports teammate Erica Enders with his Q3 run, taking the top spot in qualifying with his pass of 6.515 ET at 212.29 MPH. He will face No. 16 qualifier Larry Morgan in Round 1 tomorrow morning, while last year’s champion Enders will take on No. 15’s Jerry Tucker. In FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown, Aaron Stanfield led the way in his COPO Camaro after qualifying No. 1 with a run at 7.655 ET at 179.49 MPH. Pairing down the field from 24 cars qualified to 12 in Round 1, then to six in Round 2 Saturday afternoon, the remaining challengers will compete for the Gatornationals Wally in eliminations Sunday. “It’s pretty cool to be able to accomplish that with your team,” notes Force on her 43rd No. 1 qualifier in 213 races. “No. 1 qualifiers are always great as long as we deliver on Sunday. That’s the main thing. We struggled with that in the past; we’d have all these No. 1 qualifier hats. We’d grab points, but then we would struggle so bad on race day. The game plan coming into the last few seasons is we wanted to do both, and we definitely turned things around last season where we ended up with the championship. So same game plan coming into this season, and we’ll have to deliver tomorrow.” “We’re just getting started,” stated Coughlin Jr. “We hope we can build off of it. It’s a testament to the boys in the engine shop. They’ve worked hard on the dyno. It’s a long, seven days a week job for those guys. They work hard, a lot of research and development, a lot of hours that go into that. My family had a similar deal with that with Coughlin Brothers Racing. So we have an idea of the time that it takes and the effort that it takes. Big kudos to them. To have a pole right off the bat, that’s a huge honor.” Today’s Gatornationals qualifying from Gainesville will be broadcast Sunday morning on FS1 at 9 a.m. ET, leading into race day eliminations starting at noon ET on FOX.

Toyota Dragsters Qualify Second and Third in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 12, 2023) – Ron Capps picked up where he left off last season by claiming the number one qualifier spot for Sunday’s NHRA season kickoff race at Gainesville Raceway. The reigning 2022 Funny Car Champion ran his quick lap of qualifying in the final round on Saturday with a pass at 3.874 seconds. Toyota teammates J.R. Todd (sixth) and Alexis DeJoria (ninth) will also start amongst the top-10 qualifiers.

In Top Fuel, Steve Torrence (second) and Doug Kalitta (third) both posted times of 3.723 in their Toyota dragsters. Antron Brown (sixth), Justin Ashley (ninth) and Shawn Langdon (11th) will line-up to start the 2023 season Sunday morning.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Gainesville Raceway

Race 1 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Brittany Force*	Monster Energy Top Fuel Dragster	1st (3.699)	Massey
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	2nd (3.723)	Palmer
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	3rd (3.723)	Massey
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6th (3.734)	Langdon
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	9th (3.768)	Salinas
Shawn Langdon	CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	11th (3.776)	Brown

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	1st (3.874)	Haddock
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	6th (3.900)	Alexander
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	9th (3.954)	Pedregon

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 1st

What does it mean to start the season off with the P1 qualifying spot?

“Obviously after last year to get the pole in Pomona and to win the championship was great, but to start the season off, we had a plan in testing and Guido and the guys on this 2023 GR Supra body, you just want to come out and do okay. To come out here and make a statement. It’s very tight in qualifying. The speed was up. I can’t say enough about our Toyota people and all the help we get with our NAPA folks – just a team effort.”

How do you feel going into tomorrow’s race?

“You never want to be cocky about tomorrow. It’s nice to have the number one spot and have the choice. The yellow hats are great for number one qualifier, but those trophies at the end of Sunday are more important. You sleep better on Saturday night for sure.”

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

TF Qualifying Result: 2nd

How do you feel about your car’s performance in qualifying and chances for tomorrow’s race?

“Great day for the Capco Toyota dragster. We went out and we were a little too conservative in the Callout first round. Went up there this round and really made some improvements. I still think there’s a lot of room to improve, just looking at the time slip, but we’ll go from there. I’m excited going into race day – I feel like we have a really good car. Better than I’ve had in a year. Confident and moral and everything is really high over hee on the team and we’re ready to go.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500 TEAM CHEVY POLE WIN PRESS CONF. MARCH 11, 2023

KYLE LARSON TAKES POLE POSITION AT PHOENIX RACEWAYFive drivers from four Chevrolet teams qualify in top-10

·       After topping the speed chart in yesterday’s practice session, Kyle Larson (No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1) posted a lap of 27.642 seconds, at 130.237 mph, to take the pole position for tomorrow’s NASCAR Cup Series United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway.  ·       The pole win marks his first NASCAR Cup Series pole of 2023; his second NCS pole at Phoenix Raceway; and his 15th career pole in 299 NCS starts.  ·       Larson delivered Chevrolet its second NASCAR Cup Series pole of 2023; its manufacturer-leading 20th NCS pole at Phoenix Raceway; and its manufacturer-leading 736th all-time in NCS competition.  ·       Five drivers from four different Chevrolet teams qualified in the top-10 including: Larson (pole winner – Hendrick Motorsports), William Byron (third – Hendrick Motorsports), Ross Chastain (sixth – Trackhouse Racing), Kyle Busch (ninth – Richard Childress Racing) and Erik Jones (10th – LEGACY MOTOR CLUB). ·       FOX will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series United Rentals Work United 500 on Sunday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on the MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL13rd      William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Camaro ZL16th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL19th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Camaro ZL110th    Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)2nd     Denny Hamlin (Toyota)3rd     William Byron (Chevrolet)4th      Brad Keselowski (Ford)5th      Christopher Bell (Toyota)KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Win Press Conference Transcript Larson on the importance of qualifying well at Phoenix Raceway: “It means a lot. Qualifying is really important here. We got the pole in 2021 and that really helped us win the championship race. Joey (Logano) had an extremely fast car in the fall last year, but he got the pole as well and won. So I think that number one pit stall means a lot.  Happy to be quick this weekend; quick in practice and have it translate to qualifying.” Talking to Brad Keselowski, he said it’s not a surprise that you’re on the pole position and you’ve been fast this weekend. Cars are really slipping and sliding in the corners. Does that play into your dirt background, or is it just that you have a fast race car this weekend? “Honestly, I think we’re all so good at this level that once you get to this level, I don’t think it really matters what your background is. And two, I think our team brought a really good car because I can’t honestly tell the difference in aero packages. I think that just shows how they did their homework and brought a great car here. I felt like William (Byron) was really good yesterday in practice, as well, and he qualified third. I look at him as being one of the guys to beat, along with (Kevin) Harvick. I would say maybe with him (Kevin Harvick); he was always good here with the lower downforce stuff, and the last few years, he hasn’t been as dominant. He showed in practice yesterday that he was really good.  Maybe there’s something to it, but I don’t really feel any different, so I think it’s more just that my car is good.” Just as you were progressing through qualifying there, how confident were you that you were going to be on the pole? “Well, I didn’t expect to lay down the lap that I did on the first round. I felt like we were going to have a good shot for the top-five in Group B. All those guys ran 60’s, and I was like ‘Man, it’s tight. I’ve got to put a good lap down here’. We were able to go like three-tenths quicker or something. So then I was really confident going into the next round. But then you get talking to yourself and you’re like ‘Man, did I overuse the tires there in the first round? Am I going to have enough for the next round? I’m in Group B versus Group A and their tires are cooler’. So you’re trying to talk yourself out of it. It was obviously much closer of a gap. I lost those three-tenths that I had in the first round. You can feel that time. I got a little bit loose going into (turn) one and had to wait a little bit longer than I wanted to on the throttle. I didn’t hit the chip long down the backstretch like I did the first time. I over-slowed into (turn) three. I got a good exit, and then you’re just staring at your lap time on the dash waiting for it to pop up a good lap. I saw the 60 and I knew that we got the pole. But yeah, you’re trying to talk yourself out of it a little bit while you’re sitting pit road.” Where do you think your advantage is? You led practice and you led both rounds in qualifying. Where do you think you’re beating everybody else? “Looking at SMT, I felt like my ability to roll some center-corner speed in (turns) one and two kind of gave me a little bit of an advantage. There’s definitely some cars that are better than me in (turns) three and four, but we’re all so competitive over there too. I feel like there’s a lot of room behind the wheel to get a lot better in (turns) three and four. I think my car is fine.. I think I just need to do some things different and get even better in (turns) three and four and then we should be really good.” You said you expected no difference from yesterday, so I assume it felt just like it did yesterday for the most part? “Qualifying trim, I feel like you always have more grip. My first round especially felt very, very good. The next round, I lost grip and was kind of slipping and sliding a little bit more, but I also did in the fall. First round to second round, I slipped more.” Your organization wasn’t part of the test here in January. Denny (Hamlin) didn’t test, but his organization did and most of the teams in the top-10, except for maybe one, had somebody here at the test. Were you concerned at all coming in that you guys not being part of the test would put you behind by a tick? “I can’t speak for Cliff (Daniels, crew chief) and everybody, but me personally, yes. I was concerned because I had heard that the lower downforce hurt the Chevy’s more aero-dynamically than the other manufacturers. Ross (Chastain), from what everybody told me, was terrible once they went to this low downforce stuff – or something similar to this – at the test. Ross was really good here in the fall. Honestly, Ross was great everywhere last year and great here both races.  So yes, I was concerned. I didn’t expect to be top of the charts both days. But after the long run that we made in the first run of practice, I was like – OK our times look really good all throughout the 30 laps that I ran. So yeah, I think that kind of changes your opinion pretty quickly after you look at the lap-tracker. Obviously, I knew I was quickest, but one lap doesn’t really matter in practice. I’m just happy that our team obviously did some good homework and prepared a great setup car.” With your dirt track background and how many fans came over with you, talk about the F1 drivers coming over and racing at COTA. Is that exciting for you to see them come over and does that light your fuse for your future? “I wouldn’t say it lights my fuse for my future, but it’s really exciting to have guys of that caliber resume come and compete in the NASCAR Cup Series. It’s great for our sport.  And two, I think it’s going to showcase our tough our sport is. I don’t know who Jenson (Button) is running for, but Kimi (Räikkönen) in a Trackhouse car. They won two road course races last year, so there’s no arguing that he’s not in great equipment. So if he does good, average or whatever, I think it shows the competition level of our sport, which I believe is the toughest in the world.  Yeah, it’s exciting to have them. Having guys like Conor Daly, Travis Pastrana, Jonathan Davenport – it’s more than just the Formula 1 drivers. I think it just showcases how diverse our sport is and how diverse this car has allowed our sport to be. It’s neat.  And yes, it’s not what they grew up doing; racing a heavy stock car. But for us, you can kind of measure yourself a little bit and you can learn a lot. We have a lot of data to look at that we can study a guy who strictly grew up open-wheel road course racing and see kind of how their driving style is different and how we can apply some of what they do to our style.” Kyle, now that you live out here part of the time, does it give you any more connection to the track? “I mean, maybe. Yeah, I guess.. I got to sleep in my own bed last night and tonight.  I’ve always liked coming here, even before I owned a house here. I don’t feel more connected I guess, but it’s just nice having somewhere to go. But we would typically always rent a house. Denny (Hamlin) usually rents a house and we would split the costs and stay with him. I always look forward to this race because of that. It’s kind of a vacation, in a way, and now it’s like we’re snowbirds I guess (laughs).  It’s been good. Enjoy it and the kids love it. I’ve got my family here, so it’s great.”

March 11, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang are set to start Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500 at Phoenix Raceway from 27th place.

The Phoenix weekend is the first using NASCAR’s new lower-downforce aero package for oval tracks one mile or shorter and for road courses.

Burton and the team adapted quickly to the new package, posting the eighth-fastest time in Friday’s practice session on their third lap on the track. Burton’s best lap was at 130.147 mph. He was 15^th fastest among drivers who ran 10 consecutive laps in practice. He averaged 128.160 mph over the first 10 laps he ran out of a total of 57 in the 50-minute session.

Sunday’s 312-lap, 500-kilometer race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 12:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m. Eastern Time) with TV coverage on FOX.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 60 and 185.

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 11, 2023

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Phoenix Raceway. Press Conference Transcript:

We interviewed you last week in Las Vegas and you told us there were some details that your car needed, although your car was pretty fast. “I feel like the car yesterday was good; not great and not bad. Just good. Probably the best we’ve had a car in a while. We’re one more step in the right direction. I think the positive is that we know what we need and I feel like we’re in the ballpark. Right now, yesterday, we didn’t have a winning car but we had a car that in my opinion can have the potential for it.  We’ll see. We made some adjustments for today and hopefully we get it.” You are established in NASCAR now. Have you planned a long term future to help young talents in Mexico to come over and do the same like you did?“Well, maybe one day. I try to help as much as I can every day. But I’m not looking for the talent, right. I’m just helping whoever comes and asks me for help. I wish I had somebody like that when I was coming here. I didn’t have anyone that I was able to ask for advice or help in my early days in the United States.  I’m always very, very open to help. We’ll see what happens in the future, but for now, my main focus is my career. Win more races and championships and continue to grow.  But yeah, I enjoy seeing more diversity in the sport. I’m a big part of that and I’ve been able to help a handful of drivers – at least 10 drivers – come in from different countries. So that’s great and I’ll continue to do that.” Going to COTA in a couple of weeks; the site of Trackhouse Racing’s first win. What has allowed Trackhouse to stay near the front over the last year since that last win? “That’s a very good question. I think it’s a combination of many things, starting with our people. We have great people; great engineers, good pit crews. I think that if we look back to one year ago.. one year ago we were a team that was very promising. I feel like right now, Trackhouse is a reality. I think we have shown that we’re here to stay and to be competitive. Last year was a very good year and this year, so far, has gone in a very good way.  We have to continue to work; not feel comfortable and not stay still because everyone is working very hard. I feel like that has been one of the keys of Trackhouse to continue to evolve and continue to move forward.” You’re driving with the new package yesterday. What differences did you notice and how did you personally have to adjust in the car? “The car has way less grip. It’s almost like when you have new tires, it’s almost like you have 10-lap tires with the previous package. So the car is quite different. The main goal of this package was to make the racing better and make the car drive better in traffic. I don’t really know where we’re at when it comes to that because we haven’t raced with it yet. I guess we’re going to find that out tomorrow. For sure, the car is more difficult to drive and for sure we’re going to have to move around more. But to what extent, I don’t really know yet. We’re going to find out tomorrow.” You had a really strong start to the regular-season with top-10s in every single race. Phoenix (Raceway) obviously hasn’t been your best track overall. What are you going to need to do this weekend to continue that top-10 streak? “I think that my car has another top-10 in it. We have worked really hard in Phoenix just because, like you mentioned, it’s been a tough place to us in the last two years. Before that actually, I was pretty good here. We have worked very hard. We have put a lot of effort and time into this place, and I think that’s showing a little bit. We’re not quite there yet, but I think we’re moving in the right direction.” In just the growth of Trackhouse Racing – as you have the growth of your team, you have more success. Obviously there are different people that are leaders, but certainly the drivers are looked at as a leadership position. How have you evolved or how are you trying to evolve your role as a leader in the organization or with your No. 99 team? “That’s another very good question. I feel like I’ve learned a lot in how to be a better leader. I’m very tough to myself when it comes to my performance; the way I work, my discipline and stuff like that. Sometimes that was making me also be tough with other people. Maybe sometimes knowing the smart way. Sometimes being ambitious and really wanting something bad is a good thing, but if you’re not smart about it, it can be a bad thing. So I feel like I’ve grown a lot in the last 12 months about how to be better; how to be a better leader for my group. If we want to achieve this goal to get here, how we’re going to get here in a smart way and everyone pushing the train forward. So I have learned a lot to that. I give a lot of credit to Josh Wise and a lot of people that have helped me in our group to be better. And I feel like it’s a continuous process. I don’t feel like I’m perfect right now, but I can guarantee you that I’m better than I was a year ago, and I hope that I’m going to be better in a few months than I am right now.  But yeah, I think myself, Travis Mack (crew chief), Tony Lunders (competition director) and many leaders at Trackhouse – I feel like we are continuing to get better and continuing to move forward. Like I said, we have great people. My pit crew – last year in the first half of the season, we struggled a lot. And then in the second half, we had a lot of speed, but we were super inconsistent. Really my pit crew for this year is exactly the same group of guys and I feel like right now, I probably have one of the fastest pit crews out there. It’s everything about training, working together and making sure that everyone knows that we have each other’s backs.  I’m very happy where we’re at right now and I think we’re moving in the right direction.” As you alluded to, it takes many, many people to have success with an organization. But one person you mentioned was Josh Wise. From your perspective, how has he been able to unlock certain things out of you or open certain elements of you to help you grow in ways that you hadn’t before? What kind of difference would it have made had you run into him five years earlier? “Josh (Wise) is a race car driver. He’s a very smart guy, to start with. And also, he has a degree in psychology, so he understands how the mind works better than the average person. I have known him for a long time, but when I started working with him a little bit closer, I feel like I was able to understand it a little bit better. How to approach things as one of the leaders of my team. He has helped me a lot and like I said, it’s a continuous process. I don’t think I am where I want to be. It’s always a ‘going up the mountain’ kind of battle. But I feel like I’m definitely in a way better position than what I was 12 months ago and for that, I’m very, very thankful. I think that because of him, I’ve been able to also help a lot of individuals in my team to continue to move forward.”

PLANO, Texas (March 8, 2023) – Toyota continues to make its mark on the NHRA after more than 20 years competing professionally in the series with the collaboration effort to unveil the new Jr. Roadster. In support of NHRA, Half Scale and Antron Brown to establish this new class, Toyota and TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) engineers developed the GR Supra Jr. Roadster as the first of its kind. The addition to the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League hopes to encourage families interested in getting their kids involved in drag racing at a young age to look at this as an additional option to the popular Jr. Dragster class.

“The motivation behind developing the GR Supra Jr. Roadster nearly two years ago was primarily around the concept of giving families an alternative to the already-popular Jr. Dragster class within NHRA,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager, Toyota Racing. “With the Jr. Roadster, it has a shorter wheelbase compared to the dragster and therefore can ideally fit in the bed of a Tundra and taken to the racetrack. Our TRD engineers have worked closely with Antron Brown, who fields Jr. Dragsters, to ensure that the new Jr. Roadster is ready for a class of its own and we hope that our other OEM partners in NHRA will design their own bodies for the cars and we can see them all competing very soon.”

The GR Supra body was unveiled in November 2021 for the Funny Cars of J.R. Todd and Alexis DeJoria. Both competed with the new body for the 2022 season and were joined by Ron Capps who went on to win the championship. Using the GR Supra as the look for the new Jr. Roadster was only logical based on the excitement and fan reaction that’s been seen since the GR Supra Funny Car took to the track. The GR Supra Jr. Roadster body was built by Riggeal Fiberglass in Pennsylvania.

“It’s truly thrilling to see a new vision like the GR Supra Jr. Roadster from Toyota and have that be a future option for young racers,” NHRA President Glen Cromwell said. “The GR Supra delivered an impressively innovative body style into the Funny Car ranks last year, and for our young competitors in the Jr. Dragster ranks to have the chance to match their favorite racers is a great opportunity. Toyota continues to show its strong commitment to drag racing and the importance of providing exciting options to our young racers and the future of NHRA drag racing.”

NHRA’s Jr. Dragster class started in 1992 and has proven a popular launching point for young racers looking to start their careers in drag racing. The class currently competes at over 130 NHRA member tracks across the country on any given week. Some current Toyota Top Fuel and Funny Car drivers got their start behind the wheel of a Jr. Dragster including J.R. Todd, Shawn Langdon and Justin Ashley. With the new Jr. Roadster class, the hope will be that future generations can have yet another option to compete on the drag strip.

“The Jr. Dragster class has really been a pivotal piece of NHRA since its inception,” said Antron Brown, Toyota Top Fuel driver. “My kids have raced them and several of my competitors got their start racing them or have kids or family members of their own competing. The addition of the Jr. Roadster class is important for so many reasons, but the primary objective for all of us that have been involved in its development was to give families an option that doesn’t require a trailer or additional costs to bring the car to the track and these will give them that opportunity.”

There is currently no designated time frame from NHRA as to when the Jr. Roadster class will begin competing, but GR Supra Jr. Roadsters will be available for purchase through Half Scale (HalfScale.com). 

Cottle gets first Xtreme Outlaw Midget podium in second; Avedisian fourth in KKM debut

DU QUOIN, IL (March 10, 2023) – Cannon McIntosh has quickly become one of the most skilled indoor Midget racers in the nation and showed the Du Quoin crowd exactly why with a victory in the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota season opener Friday night at the Southern Illinois Center.

McIntosh, 20, of Bixby, OK, took advantage of his Row 2 starting spot, racing with the top-five through the first half of the event and making the pass for the lead inside the final 10 laps en route to his second career Xtreme Outlaw Feature win over Shane Cottle and Thomas Meseraull.

“Can’t do any better than that,” McIntosh said on winning the season opener. “Stating off with a win, we’re just gonna take it one race at a time.”

Though he finished the night hoisting the $4,000 winner’s check in Victory Lane, McIntosh’s night was not all smooth sailing out front. After bagging the Whitz RC Racing Products Fast Time Award in Qualifying, he rolled off fourth on the grid of his Heat Race but quickly brought out caution after a miscue on Lap 1.

“Just made a mistake on the first lap going into Turn 3,” McIntosh said. “Brakes are touchy at this little place, and I stalled the engine pretty quick.”

Forced to come from the tail of the field, McIntosh drove the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports, GearWrench #08 from dead last to second in eight laps, using every lane his competitors left open in front of him to complete the comeback and earn himself a fourth-place Feature starting spot.

At the drop of the green in the Feature, McIntosh stayed patient while polesitter Shane Cottle paced the field out front. Though the leaders refused to show their hands through first green-flag stretch of 12 laps, the urgency picked up over the next 18.

Mitchel Moles, the 23-year-old open wheel regular from Raisin City, CA, making his debut for Keith Kunz Motorsports, was the first to get aggressive up front, powering his new LynK Chassis around the outside of teammate Jade Avedisian for second on Lap 17. The outside lane eventually got the best of Moles, however, as he drove it hard into Turn 3 looking for the lead on Cottle, got on the brakes and stalled the engine at the top of the track, bringing out the yellow again and sending him to the tail.

That incident ended up being a clue for McIntosh, now riding third for the ensuing restart.

“Moles kinda showed the top in Turns 3-4, and I still felt like the bottom was better in 1-2, and then he stalled it,” McIntosh said. “From there, I just knew what to do and got to the front.”

With only two cars in front of him and the laps winding down, McIntosh tried the top on the restart and made it stick, overtaking Avedisian for second on Lap 21, and eventually, Cottle for the lead after the final restart on Lap 23.

From there, it was all McIntosh out front, as he pulled away from the field and crossed under the checkers to collect his second career victory in the Southern Illinois Center. The indoor venues are his bread-and-butter, and always seem to have been since his rookie Midget days racing around his native Oklahoma and its most famed racing event.

“When I finally got the chance to do it at Chili Bowl, I did well and just felt comfortable,” McIntosh said. “Any indoor track, especially when I come here, I just love the vibe being under the lights. It’s just a good feeling, and I have confidence when I walk into Du Quoin or Tulsa at Chili Bowl.”

Leading the first 22 laps, Cottle crossed the line second and bagged his first career Xtreme Outlaw podium finish. He said he felt most comfortable riding the bottom lane all the way around the track, which left McIntosh the lane to get by on the top.

“We led most of the Feature until the top came-in down there in Turns 3-4 and Cannon got around us,” Cottle said. “When you’re out front, you’re just a sitting duck. That’s just part of it.”

Thomas Meseraull, of San Jose, CA, rounded out the podium in his Series debut with the RMS Racing #7x. Like McIntosh, he stayed patient as well throughout the event, but scooped-up the third spot with two-to-go after an aggressive move to the inside of Avedisian in Turn 3.

“It’s a tight track; there’s not a whole lot of room,” Meseraull said. “She kinda was changing lines, and I felt like she was going to the top and was gonna be held up by the car in front of her, so I just kinda bombed it in there.”

Avedisian, 16, of Clovis, CA, settled for fourth in her debut for KKM, while defending Series champion Zach Daum completed the top-five in the first night out for his new King Chassis operation.

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget action continues with the second night of racing at the Southern Illinois Center Saturday night, March 11, with a 40-lap, $5,000-to-win main event. Tickets will be sold at the door. If you can’t be there to watch, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 08-Cannon McIntosh[4]; 2. 86-Shane Cottle[1]; 3. 7X-Thomas Meseraull[5]; 4. 71-Jade Avedisian[2]; 5. 5D-Zach Daum[8]; 6. 31B-Chase Johnson[17]; 7. 2X-Landon Brooks[16]; 8. 7U-Kyle Jones[15]; 9. 97-Gavin Miller[6]; 10. 17B-Austin Barnhill[7]; 11. 68-Mitchel Moles[3]; 12. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[20]; 13. 26-Chance Crum[19]; 14. 71E-Mariah Ede[13]; 15. 50-Daniel Adler[9]; 16. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[11]; 17. 25K-Taylor Reimer[18]; 18. 72J-Sam Johnson[12]; 19. 6B-Andy Baugh[14]; 20. 21K-Karter Sarff[10]

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY UNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-PRACTICE MARCH 10, 2023

KYLE LARSON TOPS LEADERBOARD IN NASCAR CUP SERIES PRACTICE AT PHOENIX AVONDALE, Ariz. (March 10, 2023) – The NASCAR Cup Series’ (NCS) western swing concludes this weekend as the series takes on the one-mile tri-oval of Phoenix Raceway. The trip to the Avondale, Arizona, venue marks the first short-track race of 2023, which will also feature the debut of the new aerodynamic package that will be run on the series’ short ovals and road courses this season. Teams were given increased practice time for this weekend’s event, with NASCAR’s premier series hitting the track for a 50-minute practice session Friday afternoon. Upon completion of practice, teams are allowed to make adjustments before going through technical inspection, which will take place on Saturday prior to the qualifying session that will set the lineup for Sunday’s United Rentals Work United 500.  Kyle Larson topped the leaderboard at the conclusion of practice, driving his No. 5 HendrickCars.comCamaro ZL1 to a fastest lap of 27.427 seconds. Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman (No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1) was third-fastest, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (No. 47 Thomas’ Camaro ZL1) was seventh-fastest overall to round the Team Chevy top-10.  Drivers in the top-10 of the NCS driver points standings were made available to the media following the series’ practice session, including Chevrolet drivers Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman, who sit in the first and second positions, respectively, in the standings heading into the Phoenix race weekend.

ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 KUBOTA CAMARO ZL1: Post-Practice QuotesHow different did this feel this year compared to what you had here last November? “We’re at a large loss of grip, I think even compared to the field. We missed it a bit.” You were obviously in the simulator; you knew there was going to be less grip. Was it about what you felt in the simulator and others were better, or did you feel a lot worse than what you felt in the simulator? “I haven’t really had enough time to really dissect what everyone else has. We had less grip than what we were projecting. Our balance is off.. the car is disconnected front to back. I feel like – the grip they have, my grip starts on their lap 10. Like I have 10 lap old tires when I have fresh tires.” Do you have a tough time getting through all the corners, or was one area worse than another? “We’re pretty loose on entry, so I can’t charge the corner like I want to. I felt like I was going to crash there a couple of times. Really, just a four-wheel slide, both rear and front. So I’m loose entering the corner and exiting, and it never really grips at the center of the corner. It’s not like one glaring thing.. it’s just a lack of grip. We’re a couple of tenths off at fire-off, like on a fast lap. And then even once we get into the run, they start to come back to us, but it’s too late and we’re still off at the end of it.” How did the car feel in traffic and were you able to setup a pass the way your car felt? “I was the one getting passed (laughs). As they were passing me, it looked easier for them than it would have been last fall, for sure.” Any idea with this package whether there is the ability to find grip between now and qualifying? “We’re changing springs, shocks and settings all over the car, so I don’t really have an answer. It’s so new.. I probably won’t have an answer until probably, realistically, Sunday night or in the race to see if it feels different. I just haven’t ran enough to really confidently tell you.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY BEST FRIENDS CAMARO ZL1: Post-Practice Quotes“I feel like our No. 48 Ally Camaro is pretty decent. Cool to have Best Friends on board this week and overall, it was a solid practice for us.” Did it feel any different than what you drove here last year, as far as just downforce and handling? “I think all of the cars are definitely slipping and sliding a little bit more. I don’t think a race car has ever really felt great at this place. I mean even when I’ve been really strong here, the race car never feels great. So yeah, a lot of slipping and sliding around.  I will say, it felt like dirty air was as bad or worse than it’s ever been here, so we’ll have to see how the race goes. That was one car behind another, so maybe it will be different in the race. But yeah, still the same stuff.” You hear grip a lot.. people are talking about grip.“Yeah, I mean when you take downforce off the race car, you have less grip. So that’s just how it’s going to be. I think as a whole, like behind other people, you can physically see people slipping and sliding more, so that’s just going to be part of it.” The aero issue, are you further way in experiencing that or can you get closer to the car before you get that aero issue? “For me, which I don’t know I haven’t talked to anybody else yet, so I don’t really know what everybody else felt… but it just felt like I lost even more grip behind another car from a pretty big distance back. We’ll have to wait and see. That was with pretty new tires and not equal tires between the cars, so a little different scenario than the race will actually be.” Did you try the apron at all, as far as cutting the dog-leg? “I didn’t. I mean we all did last year in the race and it was fine, so I think we’ll all be down there tomorrow for qualifying.” Were you excited to get the extra practice at COTA, as well? “I was excited to run the truck race and everybody else only had 20 minutes of practice. But yeah, I think if we unload and we’re not great, I’m going to be excited to have extra practice. If we unload and our car is amazing and we don’t make it any better, I’m going to be like ‘man, we didn’t need that’. So it’ll be a selfish race car driver thing, one way or another.” Do you feel like this package will fit your driving style after this practice session? “Yeah, I don’t know. I mean I feel like this place has been hard for me and I ask for the wrong things out of the race car in certain areas of this racetrack. So just trying to do the right things and Blake (Harris, crew chief) is really good about helping me lap-to-lap to try to do better things at some of these places. But yeah, hopefully it suits me. We’ll see on Sunday.” 

JOSH BERRY, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1: Post-Practice QuotesHow excited or nervous are you? Can you take me through Monday and Tuesday until they told you that you were definitely going to do it? What type of emotions or conversations did you have? “Well, to be fair, really before I got home from Vegas, I had a pretty good idea that I was racing. So that eased my mind a little bit and let us focus on this week. We were able to start preparing really as soon as we got home. Monday afternoon, I was at HMS; and in the afternoon, I was at Chevrolet (Technical Center) running laps (on the simulator). It’s been a busy week.  Really thankful to be doing this. It’s a weird opportunity obviously.. we’re all thinking about Chase (Elliott). We want him to get healthy and get back. But thankful for the meantime, I’ll get to run some races.” What does it mean to you to know you’ll be able to be in four or five races and maybe not just one race to try and prove yourself? “Yeah, I think that definitely helps knowing that I at least have a couple of them. We don’t know how many that’s going to be. Like I said before, I’ll be available as long as this group needs me. It’s giving me a great opportunity to learn and grow. I’m just excited to keep going.” Just having the extra time, last week everything was just kind of thrown together. You’re kind of finding your comfort zone now that you’ve had time to work with these guys. “Yeah, I mean I think from my side of things, it’s hard to set expectations. We’ve seen this Next Gen car be a challenge for everybody. Everybody in the industry is having to adapt to that. I’m just trying to control two things.. and that’s my attitude and my effort towards this. Staying positive, working hard and working with this group, and doing everything I can to be prepared. Work with these guys, work with Chase (Elliott) and everybody back at the shop to just try to continue to do better. It’s just one lap at a time and I think if we keep doing that, we’ll be able to get some solid finishes.”

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 10, 2023) – Picking up right where they left off, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet dragster team were quickest of the session Friday at the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway. John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car sit No. 2, Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Camaro are No. 5 and Austin Prock has the Montana Brand / RMT dragster in seventh. Inclement weather would cut the day short before a second session could be completed. Brittany Force and her Monster Energy team came out of the box to lay down an impressive 3.699-second pass at 336.99 mph. The speed landed in the top five fastest runs in NHRA Top Fuel history. The David Grubnic tuned dragster earned three bonus points for being the quickest of the session. “It felt really good just to come out here first race, first run, and go to the top. It’s pretty incredible,” said Force who picked Clay Millican as her first-round opponent in the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout being contested during Saturday qualifying. “That’s David Grubnic, though, and all these guys. We spent a lot of hours testing, a lot of days testing but it looks like we picked up right where we left off. We’re in that same groove and we have the same team and it’s a good start. That run motivated us not just for this weekend but for the whole season. We always want to improve, get more wins and ultimately end the season with another championship. Not that we’ve all done it together, we know what it feels like, and we want to do it again.” Newly inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, John Force handled the BlueDEF PLATINUM Camaro to a 3.898-second run at 335.07 mph in their first try at the Gatornationals to earn two bonus points. Force will start the second day of qualifying from the No. 2 spot. Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac Camaro landed in the fifth spot after going 3.911 seconds at 331.28 mph. Hight will look for improvement with two more qualifying sessions on Saturday. Entering the year with a new crew chief combination of Chris Cunningham and Joe Barlam, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team went 3.779 at 324.44 mph putting them in the top half of the field. Prock will take on Josh Hart in the Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Callout. The Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway will continue with two qualifying sessions Saturday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. with the Pep Boys Call-Out taking place throughout qualifying Saturday. Eliminations on Sunday are slated for 10 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins with a qualifying show Saturday at 11 a.m. ET and a dedicated Pep Boys All-Start Callout show on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Sunday race day action will be at noon ET on FOX Broadcasting Network. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:7th; 3.779-seconds; 324.44 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.699-seconds; 336.99 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+3 (quickest Q1) JOHN FORCE, 73, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:2nd; 3.898-seconds; 335.07 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +2 (second quickest Q1)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:5th; 3.911-seconds; 331.28 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAYUNITED RENTALS WORK UNITED 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 10, 2023

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 CHEDDAR’S SCRATCH KITCHEN CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice session at Phoenix Raceway. Press Conference Transcript:

With the new aerodynamic package, can you describe what the behavior of the car is like? “Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the ones that got to test this package, or a similar package to what we’re racing this weekend. But from my understanding from what I heard is – yes, it’s a little bit more difficult to drive by itself. It will be a little bit of a looser feeling in the back of the car; less rear downforce, less overall downforce. But it should – we hope – that it will be a little bit better in traffic where you won’t be effected as much by trailing the car in front of you and the wake that the car in front of you puts off.” How would you assess the effectiveness of the length of the longer restart zone? Do you feel like it gives you any more of an advantage or any more of an ability to dictate the way things go? “No.. I think all it’s done is cause that wreck at California (Auto Club Speedway). So in my opinion, it’s done nothing different; nothing on the positive end. It’s only added a negative end to it because at California, Joey (Logano) was just maintaining his speed and everyone was gaining, gaining, gaining, gaining and closing up their gaps because they were all trying to lay back and then time the run. So he just waited for everybody to run into everybody and then went at the end of the zone. So the later you make that zone, the more anticipation everyone has and the more of an accordion effect that you’ll get. I knew that going in and I was not a proponent of lengthening that zone, but nobody tends to listen to me a whole lot.” How relieved are you just the simple fact that Chevrolet just seems to be on top of their game to start this season? “Yeah, it’s all the KB effect.. everything right here. Got them all tuned into the right pages and we’re rolling (laughs).  But no seriously, I’m going to give a huge props to Eric Warren (Chevrolet’s Director of NASCAR Programs), his group, his team and everybody at the Chevy Tech Center. They have been doing a really good job and a lot of stuff behind the scenes has kind of been happening. I’ve been involved in a little bit of that, especially on the truck side with our guys at KBM, but also some of the Cup stuff. Just trying to work on some of the processes and things that they do. But they’ve come out and done a nice job so far, so that’s positive for our start to the season.” NASCAR has added a 50-minute practice at COTA. Can you address how helpful that is when you’re starting with a new team like you are? “Yeah, well we tested there in January, so I was one of the ones that was like ‘we don’t need the practice, we’re good’. I don’t want to give anybody else anymore added track time. We had plenty when we were there. We ran close to 200 laps and I was smoked after that one. So I didn’t need anymore track time.  But we got that I guess, so we’ll work on what we need to work on with the reduced downforce and the changes that they made to the car. We felt like we had a really good test. We have really good notes on what we had there. We tested with last year’s stuff, not this current one, and so it’s going to be a lot different I’m sure. I don’t know – just with the amount of stuff that you can do in sim, I feel like it would be fine for us if we didn’t have practice. But we’ll take the 50 minutes and go.”  As somebody new coming in, even with what you’ve been able to do and accomplish, how did you take going into those team meetings? How forceful – I don’t know if that’s the right word – but in bringing things up and opening ideas? What is the dynamic of those meetings and how is that maybe different from previous experiences?“Certainly there was a big discussion on that; just on how they’ve (RCR) done things, how I’ve done things. We had a whole roundtable discussion of the key people that we needed. This was early January, so we kind of hammered through a bunch of stuff and I brought up a lot of different topics. I still don’t have all of what I want accomplished yet. Most of that is data-driven and stuff you get after practice or after qualifying and things, so still pushing on much of that. We don’t have all of that how I want it yet.  But everything else, the team meetings have gone well. I feel like they’ve been a little bit productive. Hopefully those that are with us in those meetings feel the same way, so it’s been a good sense. I know Austin (Dillon) and I have really liked the way that it is and how we got it setup, so it’s been useful for us.” With your homework and studying in essence and all the work you do for each event, have you had to do anything new in learning more about this group or seeing how they do things to be able to kind of bring up ‘hey, I know you did this here, but here is another example of a way to do potentially better’.. how does that impact how you study? “Yeah, I mean last week, we struggled at Las Vegas (Motor Speedway).. let’s be honest. Last year at Vegas, we were really good with the Toyota bunch and the Toyota bunch showed decent speed there as well too. I wasn’t privy to those setup sheets, so I wasn’t able to just hand that over and say ‘here, this is what we need to do.. this is where we need to go and start from’. But we’ve been working a lot from their stuff that they’ve been accustomed to and what they’ve been running. Obviously Fontana was a huge success for us; that really worked. Vegas, I thought was going to be better than what it was. We’re still working on some of those answers as to what happened there, but here last year, the No. 8 team ran second and third there towards the later stages of the race and had a good run. Austin (Dillon) was in the top-10 before I think the last-lap crash that we was in. So again, you try to rely on what they did last year and improve it as much as you can with the tools that you have right now. But until you go out there and run these races, really that’s the learning.. is what happens in the race. And then being able to go back and really dissect each and every piece of the car, the race, strategy, pit calls, changes you make, all of that stuff. So these meetings last quite a while.” This package is supposed to put it more in the drivers’ hands and make it more difficult to drive the cars. You have so much experience, so do you feel like that benefits you? “Yeah, I mean you would say that – yes, you want it to be more in the driver’s hands. Although last year, I think I set a new record for the amount of times you can spin out during the season. I was about backwards in every race, so that was not fun.  I think that just kind of goes to show that some guys, they’ll run on the way up the mountain and then they won’t get over peak and go down peak. Where I feel like when I race, I get up to peak and I try to teeter on the front side and the back side of that before completely losing it. So I’m always just maybe a little bit closer to that edge, so that’s some of my issue of spinning or having issues sometimes. But trying to get the most out of everything you’ve got, so having a little bit something that you have to finesse and feel, it just takes a little bit of learning that. Hopefully we got more grip than all the rest.” What is your reaction to having two prominent F1 drivers like Kimi Räikkönen and Jenson Button coming to NASCAR? “Yeah, I mean I hope Kimi (Räikkönen) gets a better opportunity than he had his last time out; going out there and running a full race. But I think it’s fun. I think it’s great that they have that opportunity. Trackhouse won that race last year, so you know they’ll be a force to be reckoned with. The SHR guys I think are doing the No. 15 ride for Jenson (Button). It’s cool to see the diversity of different backgrounds of drivers and where they come from. I’m not excited, but it’s going to be cool to have them out there and be a part of our show. They’re not used to the full contact sport of what NASCAR is. I’m sure Kimi’s eyes were opened quite a bit on how all that went down at Watkins Glen. But he’s more ready and more prepared this time around.” What about William Byron getting back in a KBM truck?“Yeah, that’s going to be great for us. Really good to have William (Byron) – a KBM alum – to come back and work with us again and being a part of the Chevy team. Excited that HendrickCars.com, Rick (Hendrick), Jeff (Gordon) and everybody there at HMS partnered with us on this and got William three races. Those were the ones he chose. He stole one of mine actually. I’m still bummed I don’t get to run at North Wilkesboro, but it will be nice to have an experienced driver again that can come over and continue to help evaluate and it not just be me. We’ve got a lot of new people over there. Brian Pattie and that whole group, the majority of that group is new, so it will be nice to get another set of eyes on it, if you will.” Randall Burnett – three wins last year, so you knew you were getting a good crew chief. What have you learned about him? What are some of the things that you didn’t expect, maybe better than you expected? What are some of the qualities that he brings that you lean on with each other? “Yeah, I was excited about my chance to work with him (Randall Burnett) last year when all of this kind of started to come up. And then just spending some time with him and getting to know him. My wife and his wife, all four us, go out to dinner every once in a while, so that’s been super helpful to just kind of build that relationship and that friendship. Essentially, a driver and a crew chief is like a marriage. You’re going to have your good days and you’re going to have your bad days. How you go about all of that is how you will best come out on top when it’s all said and done.  Randall has been super fun to work with and very receptive to a lot of my ideas. I’ve been trying to just kind of come into his playbook of how he kind of does stuff, and then just kind of throw in little pieces of what my playbook has kind of looked like for the last 15 years or whatever.  Very similar tendencies. He’s really a go-getter. At Fontana, he asked if I was OK because I was so quite over the radio, and I’m like I’m not one that just spouts off all day on the radio. I have my ‘Kyle Busch top greatest hits moments’, yes.. but besides that, there’s not much said on the radio. That was a little bit for him to get accustomed to, but when you’ve got a good driving car, you don’t really talk a whole lot. You go to work.” Regarding Räikkönen and Button racing at COTA – last year, I think (Denny) Hamlin used the word ‘novelty’ having Räikkönen at the race. Can those guys compete, as well as Jordan Taylor, and even (Jonathan) Davenport at the Bristol dirt race. Are they going to be competitive?“Yeah, I mean I would say that there’s opportunity for them to be competitive. I think it all kind of depends on how much work and behind the scenes stuff that they do. Räikkönen last year I thought was respectable. He really didn’t get to show a full race, so we didn’t get a good sense of that. But being with Trackhouse, I would like to think that he’s probably got the best opportunity let’s say.  But these cars are so different than anything that these guys are used to driving. They’re different than what anything I’ve ever been used to driving, so we’re all still trying to feel that out and figure that out. I mean last year, we had 19 different winners and this year, we’re already at three. So it can go the same way again this year. It’s whenever you get the luck of the draw on a pit stop, get out front or whatever it might be. But me jumping in a dirt late model and going to compete against Jonathan Davenport – I failed successfully at that at Bristol last year when I ran the dirt late model, or two years ago. So him coming over and thinking he’s going to jump in and go win a Cup race right out of the gate, I think you have another thing coming. But it’s just a matter of doing the experience, learning from it, having fun with it and getting better at it.” You said last week that you had texted Chase (Elliott). I’m curious if you were able to have a conversation with him, and if so, how are his spirits and everything? “I have not.. no.”

CHEVROLET IN NHRA

AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA

TEAM CHEVY FRIDAY QUALIFYING REPORT

March 10, 2023

TEAM CHEVY TAKES THREE PROVISIONAL NO. 1 QUALIFIERS IN TOP FUEL, PRO STOCK, AND FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA (March 10, 2023) – The 2023 NHRA season kicked off at Gainesville Raceway in strong fashion, with Chevrolet topping the charts with three provisional No. 1 qualifiers. Starting the year where she left off, Brittany Force powered her Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster to the top of the charts with her 3.699 ET at 336.99 MPH in Q1 after a rain-shortened evening.

In Pro Stock, Erica Enders also picked up where she left off, racing her Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro SS to the top of the leaderboard with her 6.538 ET at 208.84 MPH run.

FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown saw 2022 champion David Barton also occupied the top spot in his COPO Camaro after Q2, crossing the finish line with his 7.738 ET pass at 177.30 MPH and setting low ET in both sessions.

“It felt really good just to come out at the first race of the season, first run, and to go to the top. Pretty incredible,” noted Force. “David Grubnic and all these guys, we spent a lot of hours testing, a lot of days testing, to get us here but it looks like we picked up where we were last season and we’re already moving right into this season. We have the same groove, the same team, the same group of guys, and it’s a good start. To get that run just motivated us all for the weekend, but not just for the weekend, but also the season.”

“It is definitely huge to start off on the right foot,” said Enders. “I was thinking while I was sitting in the car that was only my fourth run since November of last year. We did not do any off-season testing. We made two hits at Bradenton before coming here. We spent the winter in the shop working on the engines looking for more horsepower. We didn’t have a great first run. Decent, but I had a couple of mishaps, and our tune was just a little bit off. We came back, fixed everything up, and wanted to do really well for that night session. We were able to put our JHG car on top, and that’s all that matters to me.”

NHRA is back in action Saturday, March 11 with Q3 and Q4 as well as the Pep Boys NHRA All-Start Top Fuel Callout, broadcasted Sunday, March 12 at 9 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1, leading into Sunday’s eliminations on FOX at noon ET.

CONCORD, NC (March 10, 2023) – There’s never been a more exciting time for the World of Outlaws and Super DIRTcar Series with the continued support of key partners and the introduction of several new ones.

Multiple sponsors will continue a more than 10-year sponsorship, while others have extended or signed multi-year agreements, establishing their own milestones – which for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series brings its overall contingency awards package to more than $1 million.

NOS Energy Drink continues to get after it, entering its fifth year as the title sponsor of the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars – currently the second longest running sponsor of the Series. And after a successful debut season, CASE Construction Equipment continues its multi-year deal as title sponsor of the World of Outlaws Late Models and as the Official Construction Equipment company for the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Super DIRTcar Series with exciting new initiatives planned for 2023.

CASE is also expanding its brand’s presence across the three series in 2023 with CASE No.1 Engine Oil becoming the Official Engine Oil of each series and sponsoring Heat Race #1 in each series at every race.

Toyota is set to take the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series and Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota to new places in 2023, becoming the Official Vehicle for each series and providing a pace truck for each. Toyota is also sponsoring the World of Outlaws Sprint Car’s Dash.

Also looking to expand its footprint in dirt racing, Federated Auto Parts joined as a new sponsor this year in a multi-year deal to serve as title sponsor of DIRTcar Nationals – along with four other to-be-determined World of Outlaws Sprint Car events – and Federated Car Care is sponsoring the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Work Zone at each event.

Germfree, which is already serving as the Official BioTech partner of Volusia Speedway Park, has joined the World of Outlaws in 2023, sponsoring the World of Outlaws Late Model Rookie of the Year program, giving $10,000 to the top rookie, $3,000 to the second highest finisher and $2,000 to the third highest.

Low-E Insulation has expanded its sponsorship with the organization this year, sponsoring Qualifying for both World of Outlaws series and the Super DIRTcar Series. The company is also sponsoring the six-race Low-E Insulation Spring Showdown (from March 5 at Volusia Speedway Park to March 18 at Lincoln Speedway) with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, where $10,000 will be paid to the highest points earner in that period, $6,000 to the second highest and $4,000 to the third highest.

In a sweet deal to give its students more opportunities for hands-on experience with World of Outlaws Sprint Car teams, while further educating fans about their initiatives, Milton Hershey School has increased its involvement with the Series in 2023. Along with fans getting some of Hershey’s fan-favorite chocolate and candies at several events throughout the year, multiple students will get the chance to work with Sprint Car teams on race nights.

Other new exciting sponsors include Lifeline USA with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, and DIG Race Products and SRI Performance/Stock Car Steel & Aluminum with the Super DIRTcar Series. SRI and Stock Car Steel will award $100 to the driver that draws the #1 pill in the Re-Draw each race.

Returning sponsors that have been with a series for 10 or more years include Chevrolet Performance – the Official Vehicle of DIRTcar and DIRTcar Northeast and one of the longest running sponsors – ASI, Arizona/Gotta Race, Cometic Gaskets, COMP Cams and VP Racing Fuels.

Fan-favorite Whiskey Myers returns for its second season with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, continuing its presenting sponsorship of the “4-Wide Salute to the Fans” and expanding its support by also contributing to the Series’ lucrative contingency program.

To keep up with the 2023 season for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models, CLICK HERE. And to keep up with the 2023 season for the Super DIRTcar Series, CLICK HERE.

PLAINVIEW, NY (March 10, 2023) – Justin Ashley Racing today announced a partnership with National Debt Relief, the country’s largest debt relief company. The partnership will begin with the season opening NHRA Gatornationals, March 9-12, at Gainesville Raceway and continue throughout the first three races of the 2023 NHRA season. National Debt Relief will have branding on Ashley’s 12,000-horsepower Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster on the top and sides of the rear wing, mud flaps and injectors. Ashley will be focused on the communication and promotion of National Debt Relief’s messaging through various media outlets and during the Pep Boys All-Star Callout specialty race which will be contested during the Gatornationals.

“National Debt Relief’s willingness to go above and beyond to ensure the best outcome for their clients is invaluable and I am very grateful for the opportunity to partner with their powerful team,” said Ashley, a multiple time Top Fuel national event winner. “Just as our team works tirelessly to win races, National Debt Relief does the same to help their clients effectively settle their debt and get back to the life they deserve. Although some of our fans have benefited from National Debt Relief, I look forward to formally introducing National Debt Relief to the NHRA community – offering the brand as a resource and helping to provide those that need it the peace of mind that comes with debt relief.”

National Debt Relief has helped hundreds of thousands of people – including NHRA fans – resolve unsecured debt and achieve financial independence over the past decade – bringing consumers back to living their lives and away from focusing on debt. To proactively drive the conversation about debt relief and inspire people to take control, National Debt Relief has partnered with Justin Ashley to expand their awareness with NHRA fans.

“We are looking forward to working with Justin and spreading the message of how National Debt Relief can change people’s lives for the better,” said Jeff Biesman, National Debt Relief’s Chief Marketing Officer.  “We are committed to helping our clients get their lives back, and since 2009, we’ve successfully helped more than 400,000 people get out of debt. This is more important now than ever before – as Americans are relying on credit cards more than ever, prices remain inflated, people are having trouble making payments on time, and credit card balances are at an all-time high.” 

The program will kick off in Gainesville, Florida, at the season opening NHRA Gatornationals on March 9, 2023. Racing action will include four qualifying sessions and final eliminations on Sunday, March 12, which will be televised nationally on FS1 and FOX. 

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About National Debt Relief:

National Debt Relief (NDR) is a BBB A+ Accredited business that helps empower consumers on their financial journey. NDR’s mission is to provide people with human-centered debt relief that help make them feel financially and emotionally whole again. While other brands are transactional, NDR is transformational. At NDR, we treat our clients like real people. Our purpose is to elevate, empower, and transform lives – bringing consumers back to living their lives and away from focusing on debt. NDR offers a successful alternative to bankruptcy, credit counseling, or taking on new loans. As a top-rated debt relief company in the U.S., NDR is proud to have positively impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of people on their journey to become debt-free. Founded in 2009, NDR is values-centric; built on integrity, growth and connection. For more information, please visit: www.nationaldebtrelief.com. 

About Justin Ashley Racing
Justin Ashley Racing in partnership with Davis Motorsports fields the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Ashley has finished in the Top Five the past two seasons winning five Top Fuel national events and raced to eleven final rounds. During his Top Fuel rookie season in 2020 Justin won the NHRA Summer nationals, finished in the Top Ten and was recognized as the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year.  Prior to his professional debut Ashley had three wins in Top Alcohol Dragster on the Lucas Oil Series. He is the son of multi-time NHRA national event winner Mike Ashley. In 2017, he was named to the Drag Illustrated magazine’s 30 under 30 list, highlighting some of racing’s most promising young individuals on and off the racetrack. To learn more about Justin Ashley Racing, visit JustinAshley.com.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 10, 2023) – Ahead of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, 16-time NHRA world champion John Force, who drives the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, applied one more exclamation point to a career punctuated by superlatives Thursday when he was inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame as part of a 2023 class. Founded in 1990 by “Big Daddy” Don Garlits and his late wife, Pat, and housed at the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in nearby Ocala, the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame recognizes the most accomplished straight-line racers in the world with inductees from North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. “All of the inductees, even in the past and those to come, I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Force who was introduced by his long-time friend, confidant, and former publicist David Densmore. “When I got the call from Don, well It made me emotional. To be included in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, to be in Don Garlits’ house here, it means a lot.” Thursday’s induction at the Hilton Convention Center completed a Hall of Fame Grand Slam for the 73-year-old Force who was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega, Ala., in 2008, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, now housed at Daytona Beach, Fla., in 2012, the Texas Motorsports Hall of Fame at Fort Worth in 2011, the California Sports Hall of Fame at Alta Loma in 2017 and the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame at Darlington, S.C., in 2019. “I didn’t race to make money, I raced because I loved it,” Force said. “Growing up in a trailer park you found the first thing with wheels that could get you out of there. I fell in love with drag racing, why am I still doing it, at this age? Because I still love it. My kids and grandkids, they help me find the little kid inside, find the fire inside to compete, to be a part of it, to win. “I want to thank everybody, the people who got me here, Steve Plueger, my brother Louie, Austin Coil, Bernie Fedderly, I wouldn’t be standing here without them because I was a real loser,” Force continued. “The people we have now, Robert Hight, Jimmy Prock, David Grubnic, Chris Cunningham, Joe Barlam, my son-in-law Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, and then my kids, watching my kids compete and now watching my grandkids. My wife Laurie, she’s stood by my side, and I really do love her and appreciate her, if it wasn’t for her, I’d be lost, she’s my Mother Teresa, God protects me because of her.” The NHRA record holder in almost every imaginable professional category including championships (16), final rounds (264), race wins (155), round wins (1421) and No. 1 qualifying positions (165), Force has won at least once in 34 of the last 35 NHRA campaigns, a streak that includes a wire-to-wire triumph in last year’s 4Wide Nationals at Charlotte. Voted No. 2 drag racer in the NHRA’s first 50 years behind only Garlits, Force won 10 straight Funny Car titles from 1993 through 2002 highlighted by a 1996 season in which he won 13 of 19 events and was named Driver of the Year for all American motorsports, the first drag racer ever so honored. Despite all the records and accolades, many consider Force’s greatest achievements to be his 2007 comebacks from the tragic death of teammate Eric Medlen in a testing accident and his own serious injuries in a 300 mph crash later the same season at the Texas Motorplex in Dallas. Subjected to six hours of reconstructive surgery after being airlifted to a Dallas hospital and told by doctors he likely would not race again, Force defied the odds, was back in a car to start 2008 and, after winning two championships with Austin Coil and 12 more with Coil and Bernie Fedderly, he won his 15th with Mike Neff as crew chief in 2010 and his 16th with Jimmy Prock making the tune-up calls in 2013. When qualifying begins Friday in the 54th annual Amalie Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway, a race he won five straight times from 1992 through 1996, Force will begin his 47th year on the NHRA pro tour. The season-opening event in the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series, kicks-off with four qualifying sessions Friday at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m., and Saturday at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Eliminations on Sunday are slated for 10 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins with a qualifying show Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Sunday race day action will be at noon ET on FOX Broadcasting Network.