| WATKINS GLEN, NY (July 1, 2021) – Jordan Taylor put Corvette Racing on pole position Thursday for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Watkins Glen International. A winner with Antonio Garcia on Sunday in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, Taylor set a time of 1:43.821 in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. The time was a scant 0.224 seconds quicker than Nick Tandy in the No. 4 Corvette C8.R that he drives with Tommy Milner. Friday’s race will air live at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN and Trackpass via NBC Sports Gold. Live audio coverage of the race from IMSA Radio is available on IMSA.com, XM 202 and SiriusXM Online 992. |
All posts by ARP Trish
chevy racing–indycar–mid-ohio–rinus veekay
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY DRIVER CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT RINUS VEEKAY ZOOM TRANSCRIPT JULY 2-4 THE MODERATOR: It’s been a rather interesting couple weeks for Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay, from a top-3 starting positing at Detroit to deciding to ride to Road America on a bike, which didn’t exactly go as planned. Regardless, Rinus rejoins the NTT INDYCAR Series this weekend for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by the HPD Ridgeline, back in the No. 21 Sonex Autogeek Chevrolet as he continues his pursuit of an NTT INDYCAR Series championship, and Rinus joins us before traveling to central Ohio later today.
First off, Rinus, how are we feeling?
RINUS VEEKAY: I’m feeling good. Feeling strong. I got quite a good range of motion in my left shoulder again. No pain. I’ve been on the simulator and just felt great. No distractions from any weird feelings or pain.Yeah, ready to race and ready to win.
THE MODERATOR: We saw on social media yesterday you already spent some time in the sim. How did it go, and how about the wear and tear on the shoulder this week, and what do you expect?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I’m already in the gym like every day trying to use the arm and like strengthen the muscles. I think it’s not going to be an issue. Like the movement I need to turn the wheel is a movement that’s not painful to me. Luckily that’s all right for me.Yeah, I just feel very strong like on the simulator, we were I think four tenths faster than I was last year with the progression of the car and me driving a little bit better, I think.I think we keep improving, just like every race this season, so I’m ready.
THE MODERATOR: I know you’ve got good memories at Mid-Ohio. No one can forget the pass on the outside of Colton Herta in race 1 last year. What did you learn from Mid-Ohio last year that maybe you can use going into the weekend this year?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, it’s going to be very close. Hopefully it’s not going to be half wet in qualifying just like last year. But I think it’s going to be fine.Of course it was a double-header, which I’m not a huge fan of, because I like the buildup to just one race. So I think a single-header is going to be great for me.I like the track, and yeah, I think just like last year, you’ve got to stay out of trouble because it’s quite close. Like maybe the front three get away, and you want to be part of the front three and just fight it out there on track.
Q.I’m just wondering, the simulator, as you approached that, did you try to do a full race kind of like mode, or how did you approach it to make sure that you’re basically A-ok to drive a full race, if you follow my drift?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we did like all short stints just to get the car better, but I’ve been in the car like driving for 10 minutes and like a two-minute break in between for like two hours at a time, and I had no issues.We did take it easy with tightening the belts because normally I have my Hans device there which kind of takes a little bit of the pressure off the set of the belts just being directly over. Took it a little easy, didn’t take any risks, but I’m 100 percent confident that it’s going to be no issue.With all the heavy corners in Mid-Ohio, they all go left, so it’s not going to be an issue.
Q.Does the simulator give you — how does it give you the sensation of driving Mid-Ohio? Was that what you were doing? How does it figure in, factor in or throw in the physical nature of it, or can it do that?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I think Mid-Ohio on the simulator from Chevy, it’s one of the best correlated tracks. Like the whole feeling of oversteer you have is the actual feeling I have in the real car.You’re really working on that track. I always get out of the car super sweaty, so no, it’s not just driving on a simulator for fun, it’s definitely tough but also very, very good help to getting into the mode for that weekend and also going through some procedures you never have time for on the race weekend.
Q.Are you being forbidden from riding a bicycle by your team? Have they looked at the Tour de France crashes and gone, wait a minute, maybe you shouldn’t do this?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we haven’t really talked about it. I think it’s — I’ve got to build it up slowly. I might step on the bike again in the off-season when I have time to recover if something crazy happens, but this was just a stupid accident.Many of the other INDYCAR drivers, they’re on the bike, and it’s a good way to work out. I bought like a virtual rear wheel form of bike so I can ride on Zwift, which also many drivers do, and then I can ride inside without falling off.
Q.I kind of wanted you to walk me through what happened and what went through your mind when you went down? Did you know instantly you were hurt? And what part of your bike ride were you on and what was the decision to go from where you were to Chicago that day?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, so I was riding with my trainer Raun, and we were just side by side on a bike trail, very safe actually, nothing crazy. I don’t know what caused it. I think my steering wheel went sideways and threw me over the bike. I knew I fell hard, but then I was on the ground — actually no pain but just little shocks.And then I feel my shoulder and I feel the bone not being where it’s supposed to be. I immediately knew that was going to be a problem.But yeah, had no pain at all until I got to the hospital. Lucky and happy with that.And then yeah, we were going to ride from Indiana Dunes State Park, so we drove from Chicago to there. My parents dropped me off, and Raun, and then we would drive from there to our hotel in Chicago, which was going to be around 70 miles, and yeah, we crashed around mile 15.Didn’t even get a good workout in, but that’s not a problem. Good thing is I can be in the car this weekend.
Q.What were you doing during the race that you weren’t able to race, and was it hard for you? What was your role that weekend instead?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I just tried to be a part of the team, so be in the pit stand during the race and be at the pre-race meetings and just be around and learn from what the team was doing and use the opportunity to have eyes like from outside and look at things from another perspective.
Q.That race that you missed with Oliver filling in for you, I know you guys have been Road to Indy rivals I guess you would say for a couple years now, what was your impression of what he was able to do just hopping in and putting together a top-12 finish, and how did you guys’ relationship evolve over the weekend, being able to work together rather than against each other a little bit?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, I think he did really well. Of course it’s not easy to step into a brand new team, brand new car on Road America; it’s a hard track. But just like he told me, the car was very good to drive, so that made it a lot easier. You kind of have the same feeling in the car.Yeah, I think he did really well, and yeah, I think it was a great opportunity for him, and then in race weekend it was pretty cool working with him instead of against him.But yeah, he was doing well on the team and looked very professional. Also I think like everyone saw, we had some fun and some non-intended puns, but no, it was a lot of fun. Definitely could have been a lot worse missing a race.
Q.Looking forward now that you’re back in the car with seven races to go, I know missing out on a race certainly with Alex winning one isn’t ideal for your championship hunt. You’re a little bit more than 100 points back now. We’ve only seen a couple two-time race winners so far this year. It looks like for someone anywhere from fourth beyond who’s going to hope to make a championship run, you’re probably going to have to win two or three of these next seven races. With how tight we’ve seen the championship be this first half or so of the season, do you feel like a run like that is possible or doable either for you or anyone else beyond second or third place?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, we’ve seen Scott Dixon do it last year, so I think it’s definitely possible. You’ve got to be lucky yourself and other guys got to be a little unlucky.But I’m not really focused on that. I just want to get back in the top 5 in the championship and just do the best I can and show some great racing and of course try to win every weekend.You know, as much as — you can work as hard as possible, but it’s almost impossible.Yeah, it’s definitely going to be tough to catch up, but that’s not really any of my worries. I’m just going to give it all and see where I end up.
Q.Going from your rookie season to fighting to be top 5, maybe even top 3 in the championship by season’s end through eight races this year, in what way do you feel like you’ve made the biggest improvements from your rookie season to now?RINUS VEEKAY: I think just the teamwork. My way of working together with the team and just the whole atmosphere and I can just be myself, and I think now like my engineer Matt Barnes can really read what I am doing. Like he can really take everything out of my words and use it as a valuable change on the car, and every change we do is perfect.I feel like the whole car team has improved but also the whole teamwork, and of course I get more comfortable every day in the car.
Q.Obviously this weekend it’s a very kind of packed field with 26 drivers on the grid. How important is it to kind of roll off really well tomorrow?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s going to be important, just like my first race when we started off practices I think P3, P2. When you feel you’re right there when you start the weekend, you’re going to have a good weekend. Even the simulator it felt better than average.I think we can have a good start and go for a podium and hopefully win again. I think it’s definitely possible.Even though we have two practices now, which is very nice, it’s still going to be not that much time, so got to give it all.
Q.In terms of the track itself, is there any particular section of the track that you particularly enjoy, or is it just the whole thing in general?RINUS VEEKAY: I kind of enjoy Turn 9. It’s always a nice corner, turning in fully on the curve and then falling off the track where you’re always like fighting the oversteer. I think it’s definitely a very — yeah, a very sensational track. It just feels great to drive there, especially with a good car.
Q.Back in Road America, you had made a comment that you had talked to Josef about sort of how it went for him when he had a similar situation when he was at ECR; have you been leaning on anybody else for advice during this time?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, yeah, I’ve talked with Josef a little bit, but yeah, also in the team, they know him very well, so everyone still has memories from how that went.He only drove, I think, nine days after surgery. I’m already way past, two weeks, so I’m not worried at all. I got a message on Instagram from a V8 Supercar driver Shane van Gisbergen about hyperbaric oxygen treatments that have really helped his clavicle recover. He drove eight days after surgery.I immediately searched for a clinic that did that, and I did three hours of hyperbaric chambers a day. Yeah, I think it really helped and like sped up the recovery process.
Q.What was some of Josef’s advice and what were some of the things you guys talked about?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, he told me it might feel good now after surgery because it’s super strong, but take it easy. You don’t want to hurt yourself even more. Yeah, just be responsible. That’s definitely good advice, but also he told me — yeah, when he was driving he had no pain, and they worked around with a few different Hans device pads to relieve the pressure that’s on there. We’ve done that last Monday, and we’ve found really good ones. I’m able to be in the car with belts super tight and have no pain.
Q.How has your training regimen changed with all of this, and do you foresee it getting back to normal in the near future, or are you sort of in a new mode for the rest of the season as far as training goes?RINUS VEEKAY: Well, I did a lot of like upper body like bench press, shoulder press, that kind of stuff, and now it’s tough, I’m still recovering. Yesterday I could finally do some push-ups, but overhead I’m still — it’s still very tough.With strength training, I’m building it up and doing lots of stretching, too. But then cardio-wise, yeah, no cycling of course right now, so trying to do a bit of running. I did a 5K run yesterday without pain, so that’s good. Possibly going to do a run while everyone is doing the track walk today.Trying to get some cardio in, but I think I’m ready for the race weekend.
Q.I just heard that you said that something that helped you this year was the connection with the team. What did you learn staying in the wall with the team the last race that you can improve your driving?RINUS VEEKAY: So I think definitely strategy-wise. Normally they just tell me, pit this lap, and they got to change the strategy when there’s a yellow or a red flag or anything. I just listened to them.But now when I was on the wall I learned — I got to see how they think and why they make certain decisions, so now I can think with them and possibly decline some of their strategies when they say something, because yeah, I learned some stuff that I definitely would have struggled with in the race.Yeah, it’s definitely good to learn that. Even makes me stronger for the future.
Q.I already heard what you said about all your training, all your process from healing. What do you think will be the challenge for this return for you, this middle sector with fast corners? Do you think it will be a problem from something specific or just you have to try?RINUS VEEKAY: I think it’s not going to be a problem. I feel confident. I was first a little bit worried about maybe my neck would be painful with the pressure, with the G-forces, but I’ve done some neck training and felt nothing, feel super strong. Definitely no worries, and as long as I don’t go overhead with my arms, it’s going to be fine. So if I cheer going past the checkered flag first, I’ve got to do it like — got to throw up my right hand instead of my left hand.
Q.I know you talked about what you did and how Oliver did, but how did you feel watching someone else drive the No. 21?RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s definitely weird to see your own car leave pit lane and you not being there in the car. That was weird, but no, I felt okay once I accepted it, of course.I tried to see everything from a positive perspective, and I think I really did well that weekend. Yeah, I’m very excited to be in the car again this week.
Q.Did you feel like left out when someone else was driving the No. 21?RINUS VEEKAY: I didn’t feel very left out. I was still in the meetings with the team and doing everything I normally do, just not driving. I still tried to be part of the team and not leave them alone, so I just tried to be with them and learn as much as possible and still give the team a good feeling that I’m still there.
Q.After Mid-Ohio we have a summer break of sorts. I was wondering what your plans were and if the injury changed what you were going to do over the next month?RINUS VEEKAY: No, I’m still going to do what I was supposed to do. I’m going to go to Curaçao, the Caribbean, after Mid-Ohio, where I’ll see my girlfriend for the first time since January 4th. Then she’s going to come to Nashville, so she’s going to stay for a long time.Yeah, just going to relax a little bit, and yeah, try to build up the recovery in my shoulder and try to build up all the workouts.
Q.Has your girlfriend been to an INDYCAR race before?RINUS VEEKAY: She has not. Unfortunately with COVID it’s hard to get her across from Europe, but right now if she stays 14 days in the Caribbean, she can get into the U.S.That’s our plan, and I think she’ll love it, definitely.
THE MODERATOR: Great to see you back up and at it and already training and ready to go this weekend. Thank you so much for doing this this morning, and safe travels to Ohio.
Minnesota Twin Bill Kicks off Northern Swing for World of Outlaws
| $30K is on the line between two Features at Jackson MotorplexJACKSON, MN– July 1, 2021 –The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models are one week away from kicking off a six race swing through three states. It starts when the Series visits Minnesota for the first time this season on July 9-10 at Jackson Motorplex in Jackson, MN.The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet will run two complete shows starting with a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature on Friday, July 9. Then, the Series returns to Jackson Motorplex on Saturday, July 10 for a $20,000-to-win 50-lap Feature.Fans can enjoy a pre-race party, including happy hour in the beer garden, music, cornhole, and a driver meet and greet on Saturday afternoon.TICKETS: https://bit.ly/3pxJSHjCamping is available to fans at the track with hundreds of hookups available.To reserve a camping spot: Call 507-849-7100.The Tri-State Late Models will join the Series on both nightsOnce the World of Outlaws finish their doubleheader at Jackson Motorplex, they’ll head north to Gondik Law Speedway in Superior, WI for their first midweek show of the season on Tuesday, July 13.The Northern swing finishes with a three-day weekend spanning three states.A trip to North Dakota starts the weekend on Friday, July 16 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks. Then, the Series heads back to Minnesota for a trip to I-94 Sure Step Speedway in Fergus Falls, MN on Saturday, July 17. The final race of the weekend is the Rumble at the Red Cedar at Red Cedar Speedway in Menomonie, WI on Sunday July 18.Brandon Sheppard’s quest for a fourth championship continues during the Northern swing, as he tries to fend off challenges from his biggest rival Chris Madden. The New Berlin, IL driver leads Madden by 58 points.Fans will also have a front row seat to the chase for Rookie of Year between Tyler Bruening and Ryan Gustin. Bruening is currently the top rookie—136 points ahead of Gustin. Both drivers are looking for their first World of Outlaws victory, as well.Brent Larson, of Lake Elmo, MN is another driver searching for his first Series triumph. He’ll have two chances to find Victory Lane in his home state during the six race swing.If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month. |
| The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws. |
chevy racing–nascar–road america advance
TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE JOCKEY MADE IN AMERICA 250 ROAD AMERICA ELKHART LAKE, WISCONSINJULY 4, 2021
RACE #20 – ROAD AMERICAChevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) return to road course competition this holiday weekend, looking to create fireworks at the 4.048-mile venerable circuit of Road America. Team Chevy, which has won seven of the past eight NCS races and sits atop the Manufacturer Standings, will aim for its 10th victory of the season in the Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip. The 62-lap race on the 14-turn multi-elevational road course is Sunday, July 4. It will be the NASCAR Cup Series first visit to Road America since the track’s inaugural season in 1956. In the first and only NCS race held at the Wisconsin road course, four Chevrolet drivers finished in the top-10 of the 63-lap race, led by Paul Goldsmith’s fourth place finish in a 1956 Chevy owned by Smokey Yunick. AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Kaulig Racing in the NCS event, has the distinction of visiting Victory Circle at Road America in two different series. He won the 51-lap Champ Car Series race in 2006 from the fifth starting spot; and in 2013, won the 50-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series race from the pole. Allmendinger, who will also drive the No. 16 Hyperice Camaro SS in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Henry 180 on Saturday, July 3, was runner-up in 2020 NXS race at Road America and started from the pole in 2019. Chevrolet has won seven of the 11 NXS races at Road America. Other Team Chevy drivers who have raced in NXS at Road America include Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, William Byron, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Tyler Reddick, Ryan Preece and James Davison. With a third-place finish, Justin Allgaier led three Team Chevy drivers in the top five in the June 27 NXS race at Pocono Raceway. Allmendinger, who finished fifth at Pocono, remains second in the Driver Standings. Chevrolet continues atop the Manufacturer Standings.
Chevrolet NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) drivers will next race in the 200-lap Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers on Friday, July 9, in Knoxville, Iowa. Team Chevy’s Zane Smith is fourth in the Driver Standings.
CHEVROLET REMAINS ATOP STANDINGSChevrolet is first in the NCS Manufacturer Standings. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson moved to just two points of the top of the Driver Standings following his second- and ninth-place finishes at Pocono Raceway.
Larson has placed first or second in seven of the past eight points races in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 1LE, including three wins in a row. Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron remains third and reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott is sixth.
ROAD MASTERSChevrolet drivers have won two of the three NCS road course races this season and paced all manufacturers with 151 laps led of the 216 total. Kyle Larson won the Series’ most recent road course race at Sonoma Raceway; and Chase Elliott won in NASCAR’s debut at Circuit of The Americas, capturing Chevrolet’s 800th victory in NASCAR’s premier division. Elliott is seeking his seventh career road course victory. Career Chevrolet driver Jeff Gordon is the NASCAR Cup Series leader with nine, including five at Sonoma Raceway.
TAKING IT IN STAGESChevrolet drivers have amassed 17 stages wins, including a field-high 12 by Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville). Others contributing to the total are Chase Elliott (Daytona RC); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2) and Kurt Busch (Nashville, Pocono1). BOWTIE BULLETS· Chevrolet leads manufacturer with 804 NCS victories.· Chevrolet tied its 2020 win total of nine through only 19 races thus far this season.· Chevrolet leads manufacturers in laps led (2,182) of the 4,861 total and top-10 finishes with 87.· Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 1,441 laps led. His previous career best was 1,352 in the 36 races in 2017.· Austin Dillon is tied for most laps completed 99.92% (4,857).· Kurt Busch holds the final provisional Playoff spot. Tyler Reddick is one place above in 15th and Austin Dillion is 14th with seven races left in the NCS regular season. · Kyle Larson’s 12 stage wins are more than twice as many as any other driver.
TUNE INNBC will telecast both the NASCAR Cup Series Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 4, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180 live at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 3. Live coverage of the races can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSLARSON ON WHAT HE THINKS OF ROAD AMERICA: “I’ve raced there before in an Xfinity car in 2013. I remember it was a really fun racetrack – a really long racetrack. I’m definitely excited to get back there this weekend because it’s a really cool place. Whether on the simulator or iRacing, it’s good to get visuals of elevation changes ahead of time.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON HIS PREVIOUS ROAD AMERICA EXPERIENCE: “Kyle has raced there before and I did in Xfinity, as well, but there’s not much you can pull from those past experiences. It’s been such a long time, so we’re trying to take a fresh look at understanding the race. We’ll go back and watch some Xfinity races from the past couple of years to try to get a feel for what is important there, what do we need to attack and what we need to tune.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSBYRON ON RETURNING TO ROAD AMERICA: “I’m excited for this road course. I finished sixth there in the Xfinity Series in 2017. I had a good run and felt like it was one of my best road course races in that series overall. I expect more of the same this weekend in the Cup car. You just want to make sure that the car turns well and that you’re good in the braking zones. For us as a team, I think we will start off getting back to the basics of road course racing. We’ve had some bad luck recently but normally we’re really good at this style of racing. I’m excited that it’s another new track for the series and I think it will race really well for our cars.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON RETURNING TO ROAD COURSE RACING: “Honestly, this weekend we’re looking to set the reset button on our road course racing program for the No. 24 team. After Sonoma and how things ended and some misfortune at the DAYTONA Road Course, we really want to get back to the speed and execution we had at COTA. Even with suffering damage there, we were able to make it back through the field and on a strategy that set us up well for the end before the weather picked up. William feels like road course racing has become one of his strengths over the last couple years and we want to keep him confident in that. So, the plan is to have a nice, basic weekend of executing like we need to and having a solid plan should any misfortune arise. We know what we’re capable of – it’s just a matter of maximizing where we can and there’s potential for that this weekend.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGS“I’ve raced up at Road America a couple times in the Xfinity Series and I always really enjoyed going there. It’s a cool racetrack. There are a lot of race fans up there – a lot of people that enjoyed having us racing there. I’ve always felt very welcome and I don’t anticipate this weekend being any different. I am looking forward to getting back up there.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGS“The morale is obviously super high at Hendrick Motorsports. It’s really cool to see it that way. I think there’s not one thing. It’s each and every individual at Hendrick Motorsports from top to bottom in every department, it’s everybody at Chevrolet. Our engines are strong, bodies are great, chassis are great. The guys putting them together are doing a great job. Having Chad in a new role is really good. Mr. H and Jeff and everybody are giving us all the tools we need to put the parts and pieces together to go win races. Yeah, it’s not one thing. It’s a culmination of everybody’s hard work. It’s cool to be a part of it and be the guy that gets to drive ’em.”
“I am excited to get to Road America this weekend. I raced there in the Xfinity Series back in 2013, so getting back there is going to be a lot of fun. It is a long race track and really long lap times, but it is a fun place and really technical.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE“It was definitely odd to win and then have to get ready to race again the next day. Very thankful that we were able to have a good car again on Sunday and able to come home seventh. Saturday kind of was going as planned, obviously we knew that the No. 5 car had four tires and we had two tires. You never want to see your teammate have an issue like that, but we were in the position we needed to be in and it just worked out. On the last lap we were talking about what we needed for Sunday’s race to be better. So, when we crossed the line first, it was a roller coaster of emotion and a surprised celebration for me on the box.”
“It is definitely an advantage having track time at a place like Road America. The hardest part is probably only remembering the corners that were most prevalent. Hendrick has great cars right now and the power has been strong from the Hendrick engine shop, so I know that we can get another good finish this weekend.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 DOW SALUTES VETERANS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSTHE SPECIAL PAINT SCHEMES – THAT’S SOMETHING THAT RCR STARTED YEARS AGO WITH (DALE) EARNHARDT IN THE ALL-STAR RACE. “I think RCR does a great job of changing it up and bringing in different paint schemes. This No. 3 Dow Salutes Veterans Camaro ZL1 1LE and putting all the veterans on it, it’s really grown over the years that we’ve had it. I think six or seven years now that we’ve been doing this car. It started with 350 names and now it’s 1,900 names. It’s just a spiderweb effect of everyone that really enjoys seeing their name on the car. But more than anything, it’s for our veterans and the people that allow us to go race on the weekends that have made this country what it is today.” THE SEASON TO THIS POINT, YOU GUYS ARE ABOVE THE CUTLINE IN THE PLAYOFFS. ARE YOU PLEASED WITH WHERE YOU ARE? GIVE US A RECAP OF HOW YOU FEEL YOUR SEASON IS. “I’m pleased with the consistency. We show up each and every weekend and have strong, consistent cars that withstand the races. I think the next part of that evolution is just getting a little bit more speed. We would like to be where some of our other Chevy teammates are. Getting a win would be nice; that would lock us into the Playoffs. With seven races to go though, points-wise, it’s a pretty good position. You just can’t have another person win, so you’re always on edge. You want to be that person that locks yourself in.” ANOTHER ROAD COURSE RACE THIS WEEKEND. ANOTHER WILDCARD RACE? “Yeah, for sure. The road courses have turned into wildcard races. Taking care of your stuff, trying to make it to the end of these things becomes a demo-derby out there. This is going to be one of those ones that if you stay on track, you’re going to have a pretty good run.”
“Road America is just a big place. A lot can go on in one lap. You can have one good corner and be proud of it and then the next one could be really terrible. By the end of the lap, you haven’t put together anything. You really just have to be consistent, put yourself in a good position to capitalize on other peoples’ mistakes.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KALAHARI RESORTS AND CONVENTIONS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 13th IN STANDINGS“It’s nice going into the weekend with some experience that Cup veterans may not have since I’ve raced at Road America in the Xfinity Series. It makes me wish we weren’t having practice or qualifying so the Cup veterans could feel a little bit of what I felt heading into the Sonoma race weekend without turning a lap there! Regardless, this weekend is going to be a great opportunity for our team. I feel like the approach you have for Road America is similar to that of COTA, and I felt really good about where we were with our car on the dry at that track. We learned some things about our road course program at Sonoma Raceway a few weeks back too, but that course isn’t as similar to Road America as COTA is. Road America is all about attacking the entry and nailing the apex. You don’t have to worry about drive-off as much as you do at Sonoma. I’m excited about the opportunity for our team this weekend and know we are bringing a great No. 8 Kalahari Resorts and Conventions Chevrolet to the track.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON ROAD AMERICA? “I am thrilled with going to Road America. I have raced there a few times and looking forward to having some fun. It’s a very tricky race track. We won’t have to worry about rain delays this weekend since we will have rain tires.”
SEASON SO FAR? “We are moving in the right direction. Seventh-place at Nashville was nice and we had two decent finishes in Pocono but we know we can do even better. We just have to keep working, keep communicating and eliminate the mistakes.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 SCAG POWER EQUIPMENT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 26th IN STANDINGSAT 4.048-MILES, ROAD AMERICA IS NOW THE LONGEST CUP SERIES COURSE ON THE SCHEDULE. HOW DOES THAT TRACK COMPARE TO OTHER ROAD COURSE CIRCUITS ON THE SCHEDULE?“Road America is tough. I have only been there twice with the NASCAR Xfinity Series and it is a tough place. It is such a big track. There are a lot of places to gain and lose time. You can really get behind on your laps pretty quickly. You have to be focused and really make sure you are executing every part of the race track; making the most lap time as you can that entire lap and there are always places that you can do better. It is challenging as a driver, but it is fun.
“Plus, it is an awesome location. I love going up there because the fans are always excited. I am excited to see what the turnout is going to be for the NASCAR Cup Series race.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DIAMOND CREEK WATER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“4th of July weekend at Road America will be a race you don’t want to miss. It will be my first time seeing this track, which is the longest one on the cup schedule, so it will be a steep learning curve. I’ve spent a bunch of time watching film and turning iRacing laps so hopefully it applies. The name of the game will be to stay on course, maintain some track position at the end of the race and bring home another solid finish in the Diamond Creek Water Chevy Camaro.”
chevy racing–indycar–mid-ohio advance
CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE IN LEXINGTON, OHIO TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE JULY 2-4 RACE 10 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON Chevrolet aiming to add to road course victory totalTeam Chevy welcomes VeeKay and Rosenqvist back to lineupDETROIT (July 1, 2021) – Team Chevy will be buoyed by the return of talented drivers Rinus VeeKay and Felix Rosenqvist for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. The 80-lap race on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is scheduled for Sunday, July 4. VeeKay was cleared by the INDYCAR medical staff to drive the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing. VeeKay, 20, who in May earned his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory and became the youngest front-row starter in the history of the Indianapolis 500, underwent outpatient surgery June 15 to repair a collarbone fracture sustained in a cycling accident June 14. “I am very excited to race this weekend at Mid-Ohio, especially after missing the last race at Road America,” VeeKay said. “I have been working incredibly hard on my recovery, doing all kinds of treatment. I feel I will be right back at the level I was before.” Rosenqvist was cleared by the INDYCAR medical team to drive the No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet after missing the past two races because of an on-track incident June 12 at Belle Isle. “I am fully ready to get out there and push to the limit again, and I really can’t wait,” he said. Said Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager Rob Buckner: “We are first and foremost thankful that Rinus and Felix have no lingering effects of their incidents and are cleared to compete for Team Chevy this weekend. They are important members of their respective teams, and we look forward to continuing the prosperous relationships we have built and supporting both drivers to the best of our abilities.” Rosenqvist’s teammate, Pato O’Ward, a two-time winner and two-time pole sitter this season in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, will look to retake the championship points lead at the venerable road course. Team Chevy has four wins, eight poles and 20 top-five finishes in the 10 races at Mid-Ohio since its return to manufacturer competition in 2012. Will Power won the first race of the 2020 doubleheader, and since 2012 the diver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet has accrued four pole starts and seven top-five finishes – including an agonizing three runner-up finishes. Teammate Josef Newgarden, who closely followed Power across the finish line in Race 1 last year, won in 2017. Both are looking for their first victory of the season. Mechanical issues at Detroit and Road America in June stymied strong runs for both NTT INDYCAR SERIES champions. “The good news is over the last few events is we’ve shown up with quick race cars,” Buckner said. “Having been involved in motorsports for such a long time, if you keep showing up with fast race cars, eventually it’s going to be your day. We’re so close to getting a win with them; it just seems like the last few events haven’t unfolded in our favor.” Newgarden, who will drive the No. 2 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, earned the NTT Pole Award and led the most laps in each of the past two races. On-track issues arising late in both races relegated the Tennessee resident to second- and 21st-place finishes. “I think we have fast cars; it’s just not working out right now. But now we will claw. We will claw our way back,” said Newgarden, who has collected three runner-up finishes this season. Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, placed third at Road America to buoy his spirits after an issue during a red flag period in Race 1 at Belle Isle negated the impressive drive to his 40th career victory. NBC will telecast the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio live at noon ET Sunday, July 4. The 80-lap/180.6-mile race will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice and qualifications will stream on Peacock.
Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt RacingSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt RacingArrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SPCarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher CarlinEd Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/AutogeekTeam PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 XPEL Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske
Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 20122021 – 3 wins, 4 poles in 9 racesWins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America).2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 racesWins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesDriver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesIndianapolis 500 win (Will Power)2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 20122014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)Total – 92 wins, 103 earned poles in 158 races
DUEL IN THE DAIRYLAND
| Pierce Capitalizes on Heckenast’s Misfortune to Win at Beaver DamSheppard runner-up in first Summer Nationals appearance of 2021 BEAVER DAM, WI – June 30, 2021 – Keeping pace with the leader, under half the race still to go, Bobby Pierce was unsure if he and his car had enough to make the move for the lead. Until a bit of good fortune bounced his way. Polesitter Frank Heckenast Jr. had led every lap around Beaver Dam Raceway to that point and appeared to be well on the way to his sixth career DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature win. But an ill-timed mechanical failure soon reared its ugly head and sent him slowing into Turn 3, giving up the lead to Pierce as he brought out the yellow and took his #99jr pit-side, out of the race. “I don’t know if I had enough to pass Heckenast,” Pierce said of the situation. “I saw something sparked out of his header right before that happened. I don’t know what happened with it, but it was probably electrical.” Indeed, it was an electrical issue. Back in the pits, a reported battery malfunction was the culprit, explaining the loud popping noise heard from Heckenast’s car before he slowed to bring out the caution. Now with the lead, Pierce opened up a small gap after the restart, just enough to relieve the instant pressure from behind, provided by none other than the 2013 Hell Tour champion, Brandon Sheppard. “It’s a bit nerve-wracking when you’ve got one of the best drivers right behind you,” Pierce, the three-time tour champion from Oakwood, IL, said. “Sometimes, being in that catbird seat is better. I was kinda confused on exactly where to go on the racetrack to get the best line.” Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, had been lurking in the top-five throughout the race and was ready to strike when Pierce slipped up. But that moment never came. Pierce held strong in traffic and led the field back to the checkers for his 30th career Summer Nationals Feature win. Pierce had not been to Victory Lane since the second race on the schedule at Peoria two weeks ago, and was relieved to be back on top, slowly increasing his points lead over Tanner English. “To get the win… it’s been a while, it feels like, since the first two races. So, it feels great,” Pierce said. In the end, it was a true heartbreaker for Heckenast, of Frankfort, IL, who ended up 18th in the final running order. The Summer Nationals veteran started off the night perfect, shattering his own track record in Qualifying by almost four-tenths, clocking in at 13.104 around the third-mile oval. A Heat Race win then set him up to redraw the pole for the Feature, where he led the first 23 laps before suffering the bitter fate. Ashton Winger, of Hampton, GA, posted his second consecutive third-place finish with a solid charge from eighth on the starting grid. Defending Summer Nationals champion Brian Shirley drove the Bob Cullen Racing #3s to a fourth-place finish, while Kentuckian Tanner English rounded out the top-five. UP NEXT The DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models are back in action Thursday night, July 1, with their first and only visit to the state of Iowa this season at the quarter-mile configuration of Davenport Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results) Feature (40 Laps) 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 3. 12-Ashton Winger[8]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[3]; 5. 81E-Tanner English[9]; 6. 74-Mitch McGrath[7]; 7. 48-Tim Lance[12]; 8. 10-Paul Parker[14]; 9. 21JR-Billy Moyer Jr[5]; 10. 25-Jason Feger[10]; 11. 16-Rusty Griffaw[16]; 12. 98-Jason Rauen[11]; 13. 10S-Taylor Scheffler[13]; 14. 14R-Jeff Roth[18]; 15. 14G- Joe Godsey[22]; 16. 97-Cade Dillard[6]; 17. 38-Thomas Hunziker[21]; 18. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[1]; 19. 9-Lyle Zanker[15]; 20. 8R-Bill Rezutek[19]; 21. 248-Brandon Lance[17]; 22. (DNS) 148-Tim Lance Jr. |
DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), FireAde, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, iRacing, Racing Electronics, SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Summit Racing Equipment, and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, Hoosier Racing Tire, MSD, Quarter Master, Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum).
Summit Modified Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including : Summit Racing Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), FireAde, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, iRacing, Racing Electronics, SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne.
THE CORCORAN CRUSH
Tyler Corcoran Outmuscles Janczuk, Rogers, and Reome for Can-Am Glory
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region round three at Can-Am Speedway goes to Tyler Corcoran followed by Matt Janczuk and David Rogers
LAFARGEVILLE, NY – Tyler Corcoran capitalized at Can-Am Speedway in the third round of the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region schedule. Corcoran, driver of the #64 Halmar car, worked by Central Region round two winner Matt Janczuk plus the driver who lead the most laps, David Rogers. Two other race contenders, Mike Fowler and Josh Reome finished fourth and fifth respectively after 40 laps of tooth and nail battling on track.
But it only took one slip from leader David Rogers for Tyler Corcoran to pounce.
“Rogers was running the top and he screwed up with traffic just once and I had to take full advantage,” said Corcoran of his race-winning move. “Once I made it around I never looked back. We want wins and good points finishes and we want to be racing with the top Series guys. To come out here to my Friday night track and win a Series race is pretty special.”
Corcoran showed veteran poise in the extra-distance 40-lap Series Feature.
“I was patient, “ noted Corcoran. “I waited and waited for my car to come in. Forty laps at Can-Am is a long race. It can really abuse your tires. Normally I push myself too hard here but tonight I just stayed back and let the track and race come to me.”
Besides the race-winning pass on Rogers, the #64 got around Matt Janczuk, who has had a lights-out 2021 season including a Series win at Brewerton Speedway.
“I was able to pick where I wanted to run on the track,” said Corcoran. “I was testing a lot of different lines out. When I caught up to Janczuk and lapped traffic I had to look everywhere. Lapped traffic is the toughest because when you are racing them and for position, you have to make sure you put the car in the right spots.”
Matt Janczuk may have been looking to flip on his police sirens when the #64 got by but he stayed patient despite falling to fourth with Mike Fowler all over him. Incredibly, he managed to make up those two spots on the final restart to finish in second, which was important for overall points.
“I think the right car won tonight,” said Janczuk. “We were a little bit off but we’ll take a second-place finish and add to our notes. We’ve been really consistent all year with a lot of wins. You can’t win them all. I felt like I was really good on entry to the middle but coming off I lost ground. We’ll keep working on it.”
Janczuk retains his points lead while Nick Guererri, who came into the event second in points, finished 20th. Guererri is still looking for a Can-Am set up he can find success with.
David Rogers picked up his first DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series podium after 40 laps of hard battling with the top drivers in the Series. He led the most laps in the race but just fell short.
“At the beginning, I drove around the bottom but it was too hard down there,” said Rogers. “Everyone was there. I drove up from fifth to the lead at the top and lead for over 30 laps. They got me at the end in lapped traffic. The track was really racy. It was just the lapped cars that used up the top on me and he got me on the bottom.”
The next DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region race is at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, NY on Tuesday, August 3 followed by Land of Legends Raceway the next night, Wednesday, August 4. Both races are paired with the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds.
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region – Can-Am Speedway Feature (40 laps) results
1. Tyler Corcoran (64) 2. Matt Janczuk (33x) 3. David Rogers (1r) 4. Mike Fowler (410) 5. Josh Reome (91) 6. Tyler Murray (34m) 7. Eric Nier (34n) 8. Chris Mackey (3) 9. Ryan Shanahan (32rs) 10. Zach Payne (7z) 11. Trevor Gibbons (621) 12. Dustin Hutton (7d) 13. Dustin Bradley (83) 14. Gavin Eisele (18e) 15. Jack Meeks (1m) 16. Dalton Rombough (41) 17. Ricky Thompson (1r) 18. Tyler Stevenson (ox28) 19. Kristan Smoke (9) 20. Nick Guererri (25g) 21. Ryan Dolbear (31b) 22. Mike Arnell (2x) 23. Bentley Gray (9s) 24. Remington Hamm (57h) 25. Fire Swamp (88) 26. Frank Sibley (92) DNF Brian Hudson (6) DNF Brent Joy (17j) DNF Justin Gadbaw (18g)
THE CORCORAN CRUSH
Tyler Corcoran Outmuscles Janczuk, Rogers, and Reome for Can-Am Glory
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region round three at Can-Am Speedway goes to Tyler Corcoran followed by Matt Janczuk and David Rogers
LAFARGEVILLE, NY – Tyler Corcoran capitalized at Can-Am Speedway in the third round of the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region schedule. Corcoran, driver of the #64 Halmar car, worked by Central Region round two winner Matt Janczuk plus the driver who lead the most laps, David Rogers. Two other race contenders, Mike Fowler and Josh Reome finished fourth and fifth respectively after 40 laps of tooth and nail battling on track.
But it only took one slip from leader David Rogers for Tyler Corcoran to pounce.
“Rogers was running the top and he screwed up with traffic just once and I had to take full advantage,” said Corcoran of his race-winning move. “Once I made it around I never looked back. We want wins and good points finishes and we want to be racing with the top Series guys. To come out here to my Friday night track and win a Series race is pretty special.”
Corcoran showed veteran poise in the extra-distance 40-lap Series Feature.
“I was patient, “ noted Corcoran. “I waited and waited for my car to come in. Forty laps at Can-Am is a long race. It can really abuse your tires. Normally I push myself too hard here but tonight I just stayed back and let the track and race come to me.”
Besides the race-winning pass on Rogers, the #64 got around Matt Janczuk, who has had a lights-out 2021 season including a Series win at Brewerton Speedway.
“I was able to pick where I wanted to run on the track,” said Corcoran. “I was testing a lot of different lines out. When I caught up to Janczuk and lapped traffic I had to look everywhere. Lapped traffic is the toughest because when you are racing them and for position, you have to make sure you put the car in the right spots.”
Matt Janczuk may have been looking to flip on his police sirens when the #64 got by but he stayed patient despite falling to fourth with Mike Fowler all over him. Incredibly, he managed to make up those two spots on the final restart to finish in second, which was important for overall points.
“I think the right car won tonight,” said Janczuk. “We were a little bit off but we’ll take a second-place finish and add to our notes. We’ve been really consistent all year with a lot of wins. You can’t win them all. I felt like I was really good on entry to the middle but coming off I lost ground. We’ll keep working on it.”
Janczuk retains his points lead while Nick Guererri, who came into the event second in points, finished 20th. Guererri is still looking for a Can-Am set up he can find success with.
David Rogers picked up his first DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series podium after 40 laps of hard battling with the top drivers in the Series. He led the most laps in the race but just fell short.
“At the beginning, I drove around the bottom but it was too hard down there,” said Rogers. “Everyone was there. I drove up from fifth to the lead at the top and lead for over 30 laps. They got me at the end in lapped traffic. The track was really racy. It was just the lapped cars that used up the top on me and he got me on the bottom.”
The next DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region race is at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Center Lisle, NY on Tuesday, August 3 followed by Land of Legends Raceway the next night, Wednesday, August 4. Both races are paired with the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds.
DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series Central Region – Can-Am Speedway Feature (40 laps) results
1. Tyler Corcoran (64) 2. Matt Janczuk (33x) 3. David Rogers (1r) 4. Mike Fowler (410) 5. Josh Reome (91) 6. Tyler Murray (34m) 7. Eric Nier (34n) 8. Chris Mackey (3) 9. Ryan Shanahan (32rs) 10. Zach Payne (7z) 11. Trevor Gibbons (621) 12. Dustin Hutton (7d) 13. Dustin Bradley (83) 14. Gavin Eisele (18e) 15. Jack Meeks (1m) 16. Dalton Rombough (41) 17. Ricky Thompson (1r) 18. Tyler Stevenson (ox28) 19. Kristan Smoke (9) 20. Nick Guererri (25g) 21. Ryan Dolbear (31b) 22. Mike Arnell (2x) 23. Bentley Gray (9s) 24. Remington Hamm (57h) 25. Fire Swamp (88) 26. Frank Sibley (92) DNF Brian Hudson (6) DNF Brent Joy (17j) DNF Justin Gadbaw (18g)
Menards/Dutch Boy Team Racing at Road America on the Fourth of July
June 30, 2021
NASCAR’s elite Cup Series is set to spend Independence Day weekend at an appropriately named track – Road America – where the Cup Series will be returning for the Jockey Made In America 250. It’s the first race at the Elkhart Lake, Wisc., track for NASCAR’s top circuit since a one-off event in 1956.
For Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team – and lots of others – there’s no better place to run on the Fourth of July. The track is the home venue for sponsor Menards, which is based in Eau Claire, and the 14-turn, 4.048-mile course is one where DiBenedetto has performed well in the past.
In 2019, driving in an Xfinity Series race for Joe Gibbs Racing, he started second, led the most laps and was running second and chasing down eventual winner Christopher Bell when he was taken out in an incident on the last lap. He also has three other Xfinity starts there.
“Road America is one of my favorite tracks in the country,” DiBenedetto said, adding that coming so close to a win there in 2019 is still on his mind. “We led a bunch and had trouble on pit road and other things going wrong that cost us the win.”
He said the track surface has changed significantly since his first Xfinity race there in June of 2010.
“I couldn’t believe how slick that track has gotten over the years,” he said. “It’s a blast to drive, very technical and the best part is how passionate the fans are out there.
“I can’t even imagine how crazy it’s going to be with those passionate fans and it being the Fourth of July weekend, which is extremely special.”
DiBenedetto and the Menards/Dutch Boy team will get a chance to tune on their No. 21 Mustang during a practice session Saturday at 11:35 a.m. (12:35 Eastern Time).
Qualifying will be held Sunday at 10:05 a.m. (11:05 Eastern), and the Jockey Made In America 250 is set to get the green flag just after 1:30 p.m. (2:30 Eastern) with TV coverage on NBC.
The 62-lap race will have Stage breaks at Laps 14 and 29.
chevy racing–nascar–trackhouse/ganassi announcement
NASCAR CUP SERIES TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT JUNE 30, 2021
Justin Marks, Founder, Trackhouse Entertainment Group; Chip Ganassi, CEO Chip Ganassi Racing; Ty Norris, President, Trackhouse Racing – Press Conference Transcript: NOTE: On June 30, 2021, Justin Marks, Founder of Trackhouse Entertainment Group, announced the purchase of Chip Ganassi Racing’s NASCAR operation. The transfer of all CGR NASCAR assets to Trackhouse Racing will take place following the NASCAR Cup Series final race of the 2021 season on November 7, 2021. Trackhouse Racing will field two full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries in 2022. Daniel Suarez, driver of the Trackhouse Racing No. 99 Chevrolet, will continue with the organization, with the second driver to be named at a later date.
PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for taking your time out today. My name is Ty Norris. I’m the president of Trackhouse Racing. We know we pulled this together very late, so thank you so much for the time to come out here and hear what we have to say. Pretty landmark day for Trackhouse Racing. We’d like to welcome the viewers watching on NASCAR.com‘s live stream. Also, to the listeners who are listening live on Sirius XM radio. As you see up here with me, I have the CEO of Chip Ganassi Racing, Chip Ganassi, and the founder and co‑owner of Trackhouse Racing, Justin Marks. Our friend Pitbull is in Miami and he sends his regards. We would have loved to have him here. He brings some energy. We are proud to announce that Trackhouse Entertainment Group and Trackhouse Racing has purchased the NASCAR operation of Chip Ganassi Racing. Trackhouse has acquired all of the NASCAR assets of Ganassi Racing, including all equipment and its two charters. Trackhouse will take ownership of the assets at the conclusion of the 2021 racing season. Daniel Suárez, who is a current driver for Trackhouse Racing in the No. 99 Chevrolet, will continue as one of our drivers, and we will be discussing a second driver at a later date, which is a confirmation that Trackhouse Racing will be fielding two full‑time NASCAR Cup Series entries starting in 2022 and moving deep into the future. All financial terms ‑‑ no financial terms will be discussed. It is a private business transaction. So appreciate all the questions that may be coming about that, but these will not be addressed today. I want to turn it over first to Mr. Ganassi for his comments. CHIP GANASSI: Thanks, Ty. Good morning. It’s nice to see all of you here. I must say our team was not for sale. Justin simply came to me with a great offer and even a better vision for racing. There’s a lot of new blood in NASCAR, as you’ve heard or read of recent, people like Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, the Spire people, Kaulig Racing, a lot of new blood, and they all seem to be bringing a new perspective, and more importantly a new vision. The sport I think needs people with vision, and today NASCAR continues to build on its successes and by most accounts continues to grow. There’s much to be excited about, I think, if you’re involved in NASCAR. I actually owe a lot of thanks to some of the NASCAR leadership because I’ve felt they’ve been some of my greatest mentors, people like Jim France and Bill France Jr., Mike Helton and some of these people have become even better friends of mine over the years. If I was trying to sell my team, I would have talked to everybody that was looking for a charter or looking for a team or looking to get involved in the sport. I did not. I talked to one person, and that’s this guy right here. I didn’t talk to anybody else. I want you to know I’m still dedicated to motorsports and the sport of auto racing. In my opinion it’s the greatest sport in the world, and it still seems to be on an upward trajectory. We will still be involved ‑‑ I’m not getting out of racing. I still have three other teams in the INDYCAR series, IMSA, sports cars and Extreme E. So our days by no means are getting out of racing. I wish Justin well in this business. I’m here to help him at any time. With that, I want to turn it over to Justin Marks. Thank you. JUSTIN MARKS: All right, big day. I want to thank the media that showed up, everybody tuning in. I want to thank NASCAR for their help in putting all this together and all the fans that are tuning in right now, some here in person and others over the internet. I want to thank Chip, his executive team in working with professionalism and candor and diligence through this whole process, which has happened pretty quickly, but it’s been the honor of my professional career to work with them through this process. This is obviously a great day for Trackhouse, but we’re going to be in the news for a long time to come. We’re going to be able to talk about races and sponsors, we’re going to be able to talk about drivers and everything for years and years and hopefully decades to come. I think today is about honoring the legacy and the contributions that Chip has made to NASCAR over the last 20 years. Over 1,300 Cup races, won every marquee event in the sport, helped launch the careers, stock car careers of drivers like Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ross Chastain, a number of others, and they’ve executed numerous groundbreaking partnership programs, companies like Havoline, Target, Bass Pro Shops, Miller Coors, McDonald’s and more, and all that hard work and legacy, everything that has been built at CGR over the past two decades, that will serve as the foundation for the Trackhouse vision moving forward. I can’t think of anybody better than Chip to go through that process. CGR has been a big part of my life and a big part of my career. I remember standing on the hill ‑‑ and I’ve told Chip all this so it’s a little redundant, but I remember standing on the hill at Laguna Seca at the INDYCAR race in 1996 with my father watching Alex Zanardi make that amazing pass in the corkscrew to win on a day when Jimmy Vasser won the INDYCAR championship. I remember being in my college weight room with my best friend doing a workout watching Jamie McMurray win at Charlotte in his second ever start. When I started racing myself for BMW in the Rolex Sports Car Series every weekend, I watched Chip’s prototypes win races, win championships. One of my best friends in racing that I’ve ever met, Joey Hand, I watched him race for Chip and reach the pinnacle of his career, winning in the Ford GT at Le Mans, and the highlight of my personal driving career was winning my Xfinity Series race at Mid‑Ohio in 2016 in Chip’s No. 42 car. Being at this moment right now, it truly does just feel like another part of a great motorsports story. There’s lots of work to do for us at Trackhouse, but there’s also a lot of enthusiasm to do that work. I want to thank, again, everybody that helped make this come together on this project. I want to congratulate Chip on the indelible mark that you’ve made in the sport. TY NORRIS: I’m glad you clapped. I was hoping somebody would. That was great. We’re going to open it up to questions now to some of the members of the media who are here.
Q&A’s:Q. Chip, I’m sure this was a heartfelt decision for you; even though you have lots of racing, you are all about racing all the time. What was the difficult part of this and what was the part that just made perfect sense? You alluded to it a little bit, but go to the heart of it if you would.
CHIP GANASSI: Well, like I said, the team wasn’t for sale. Justin called me up one day, and I think I probably turned him off after the first phone call or something; I said leave me alone or something. You know, I just ‑‑ he came back with an offer that required my attention, I guess, and so I think I had to take a look at it. Like I said, I didn’t talk to anybody else. I didn’t call anybody else. I didn’t call anybody. It just came together very fast. It was very easy. Obviously as you know we’ve worked with Justin in the past, and it seemed like a good fit, and his vision for going forward seemed to match ours, I think whether it was watching out for the current employees or just what he wanted to do in racing going forward. Like I said, there’s a lot of new blood coming into the sport right now, and it’s time for someone else to take over. I’ve been doing this for 20 years, going every weekend, every weekend, every weekend for 20 years. This will give me an opportunity to turn the RPM down a little bit and take a look at it from another perspective and help make this ‑‑ help Justin with his vision. Q. Was there a part of this that was hard? CHIP GANASSI: Well, it’s somewhat bittersweet when you look back on 20 years of your life of something you’ve been doing, but it’s time for new blood and time for a change. I’ve always accepted change with a positive attitude. Q. When did Justin come to you? CHIP GANASSI: Less than a month ago. Yeah, I would say ‑‑ it seems to be less than a month ago. JUSTIN MARKS: I think it was about two months but it went fast. Q. What was it about this offer? Was it the financial component? Was it not interested in continuing as a NASCAR owner that made this an intriguing proposition for you?
CHIP GANASSI: No, I don’t think the financial component was nearly as important as just his vision about where he wanted to go, what he wanted to do, how he wanted to handle it, how he wanted to do a deal or how ‑‑ just basically the way he wanted to do it I think was maybe more compelling than the financial component. Q. Justin, you’ve talked about wanting to get more charters, those kind of things. We know the cost of those is going up. Did it reach a point where you look at what the cost of a charter was and you said, wait a second, why don’t I maybe shift gears and look at an existing team instead if I’m going to spend the money?
JUSTIN MARKS: Look, this is so much more than a charter acquisition, this is an investment in an entire enterprise. For Trackhouse, it was always the vision of Trackhouse to go through this process of establishing itself in the sport in a responsible way. That’s why this year we’re working with RCR the way that we’re working and being very intelligent about our capital outlay and about the investments that we make, and this was an opportunity to be able to make an investment in something that can be a foundation for decades to come. Multiple car teams, Chip has amassed a great set of assets at that shop that can be applied to the Next‑Gen car in a way that we can start doing more and more on our own at Trackhouse, and there’s a lot of processes and IP and things in place over there that have been developed for a long time that are going to be really, really valuable to us. So it’s a very sort of wholistic deal. It’s just kind of looking at everything and asking ourselves, what is Trackhouse’s best move that we can make to set up intelligently and responsibly for the future, and this was it. Q. Just kind of curious, Justin, will you continue to have a satellite in Charlotte and the main deal in Nashville, and do you plan on using the current Chip Ganassi Racing place in Concord for your base?
JUSTIN MARKS: The Trackhouse Entertainment Group, which is the parent company of our race team, is based and always will be based in Nashville. We’ve had discussions about having race operations based out of there would look like. There’s no plans in place at the moment to do that. I think there’s a lot of really valuable infrastructure that’s been built in Concord at Chip’s building that we want to take advantage of it, so the plan right now is to operate out of that building in 2022, and we’ll start looking to the future after that. Q. How frustrating was it just the struggles that your two cars have gone through the last couple of years where you’ve been extremely more successful on the INDYCAR and IMSA side, and then there’s always been NASCAR, and you’ve just never really reached that level of success that you’ve enjoyed in the other –
CHIP GANASSI: Yeah, I don’t know that I would characterize it as a struggle. I mean, it’s just the normal ins and outs of racing, whether it was pandemic driven or driver issues or sponsor issues, so sort of the stuff that goes along with the sport that you get. Hey, I think we did well. We’ve been in the playoffs every year, and once you get in the playoffs, it’s a jump ball, so I’m very proud of our team and what we’ve accomplished. Q. Justin, it was a year ago you started Trackhouse. Was getting involved with an established team ‑‑ how did you formulate that? Was it suddenly or was this your long‑term plan all along? JUSTIN MARKS: Well, that’s an interesting question. I mean, it definitely happened ‑‑ we got to this point quicker than I thought we would be. We’re 19 races into Trackhouse’s history, and this is obviously a monumental moment already for the company. It’s happened very quickly, but I think that a transaction like this or getting to this kind of moment was certainly probably always in the plan, and when you’re talking about ‑‑ obviously to solidify your future in the sport, the charter is an important thing. When Ty and I were constantly auditing the charter landscape, the conversation started going, is there something bigger or something more meaningful to look at out there. Let’s not lose sight of our plank a little bit and just take a bigger look at the entire industry, and in those conversations I just immediately went to Chip. I’ve raced for him, obviously, for a number of years. I know a lot of the great people there, and I just ‑‑ he was the first person I could call to have a conversation with.I think our first conversation went great. So, I guess it was a very pleasurable experience, but to answer your question, it’s a big moment very quickly in the life of Trackhouse, but I build companies to try to do great things. Q. Chip, how will you spend your spare time now?
CHIP GANASSI: Well, it’ll give us an opportunity to focus on our other racing operations in IMSA and INDYCARs and Extreme E, so I don’t have many weekends off still. Not too many. Q. Justin, a question for you. Trackhouse tweeted out a picture with you, Pitbull, Tony Robbins before this announcement. Has there been a recent infusion of new ownership interest or investment to make this possible? JUSTIN MARKS: There hasn’t. Tony came to visit us in Charlotte. Armando has obviously a big network of people, and as he’s gotten to learn more and more about NASCAR and he’s become more and more involved in our team, he’s kind of spreading that message in his network. Him and Tony are close, and Tony came to visit us in Charlotte. I think Tony wants to get involved at some level, but this is not the result of any new equity infusion or new ownership or anything like that. We will continue on our trajectory on that ownership and marketing and business development side like we have and then obviously on the competition side this just gives us a lot of support and a lot of big foundation for the future. Q. Was there any alternative ‑‑ in terms of acquiring a charter in any other way besides basically doing this deal? JUSTIN MARKS: No. No. I mean, I made the decision to pursue this with Chip, and if it didn’t get to a place that worked for both of us, then at that point I was just going to pivot and see what else is out there, but I was all in on this from day one. It was the only thing I was focused on. Every time we talked we had great conversations. I felt like momentum pushed forward, and there wasn’t really any point during this process where I thought I was going to need a backup plan or anything like that. Q. You’ve spoken of Chip in glowing terms and how much respect you have for him and all he’s meant to you. Is there a sense of pressure that you’re carrying on his legacy now with this and trying to build upon the foundation that he has laid down and try to, for lack of a better description, make Chip proud of what you’re going to do forward? JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, I think some people, pressure can also be thought of as opportunity, and I think that’s kind of how I view it personally. There is a legacy there, but that’s a tremendous opportunity for Trackhouse. That’s a tremendous opportunity for the future, and so I welcome that pressure. I welcome those expectations. We’re in the business of putting great people together and letting them do their jobs to achieve great things. That’s not going to change.I think at any point ‑‑ when you get to this level of this business, there’s going to be a lot of pressure involved in anything that you do, but you have to be willing to look yourself in the mirror and charge full ahead into that, and we at Trackhouse are. Q. Justin, Daniel really seems to have grasped what you guys are doing, both on and off the track. What kind of driver do you think will accentuate his gifts and help make Trackhouse stronger as a whole?
JUSTIN MARKS: That’s a great question, and that’s an exercise that we have to go through. We have kept this very, very quiet through this process with respect to Chip and with respect to everybody that’s working at both organizations to try to limit any kind of distractions or anything through this process. As we start thinking about what the future looks like, that question will be one of the first ones we have to ask ourselves and we have to go through that process.At this point this whole process has been about getting to this moment and this announcement, and like I said earlier, that’s just one element of a lot of work ahead of us this summer. Do I have a short list? I do have a short list, yeah. TY NORRIS: No driver list is ever long. It’s always short. Q. Chip, what do you take away from NASCAR right now? What did you feel as being a part of NASCAR? And what is the situation for owners in NASCAR right now? What advice would you have for Justin Marks? You’ve been doing this a long time, been successful. What’s the state of the affair, do you know?
CHIP GANASSI: Yeah, I think it’s an on uptick. I look at my 20 years and I say, hey, I’m 63 years old; what am I going to do? Am I going to do this for 10 more years or something? I just think ‑‑ we seem to be in a period of time here where there’s some movement going on and some new fresh young blood coming in, and like I said, our team wasn’t for sale, I wasn’t planning on selling it. Quite frankly no one ever offered to buy it in 20 years, so I was just ‑‑ I thought it was something I should listen to. I think it’s an on uptick. I have a lot of friends in NASCAR, a lot of friends in the garage area, I’ve got a lot of friends in management at NASCAR, and I’m not going away from racing. I’ll be around. TY NORRIS: Just a couple comments sort of off the list here, but when we started all this, I owe a personal thank you from Justin and myself to TJ Puchyr and the guys at Spire for helping us land the charter to be able to race this year. That was a very important moment for us. And Richard Childress Racing and Andy Petree and Dr. Eric Warren when he was at RCR, they were first believers in us. Those people were very, very important to get us here, as is Daniel and some of the sponsors that came on board with us with CommScope, with Coca‑Cola, Freeway Insurance, Camping World and the iFLY Group. Those were all early believers in what we were doing and the process through coming into the sport, the way NASCAR has approached it with us, from Mr. France all the way through the system, has been remarkable. This is my 30th year in the sport. I’ve never seen it better. I’ve never seen them communicate better. I’m very proud to be a part of this organization going forward. We do want to send a sincere apology to some of the media folks who had other commitments today. We just could not, out of respect for the partners and the employees and all the businesses, we had to keep this under wraps until today for that reason we will make Justin and Chip available for Zoom calls.
RACE REPORT: Rad Dan Burkett 2021 (Rd. 3)
Round 3 was Formula Drift’s big debut at Englishtown, New Jersey. The new track layout was specifically designed for drifting and did not disappoint! Although it is smaller and slower than the majority of Formula Drift tracks, it definitely presented its challenges when running a high horsepower drift car on it. This made for a lot of fun to tandem with other drifters and really push the limits of proximity on the tight track. As we entered Top 32 battles, the track was wet and it continued to rain into the competition. Dan had great, aggressive entries and managed to fill the zones but he had some trouble keeping the car from over-rotating out of the slick, first outer zone. He saved it, but the correction resulted in an “unchaseable lead” giving his opponent the win. Team RAD was reaching for much better results in New Jersey but we are taking that and bringing it to our next round in Pennsylvania NEXT WEEK!
Rachel Meyer Clinches First No. 1 Qualifier at Norwalk Nationals
Jun 29, 2021 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results, Rachel Meyer
Rachel Meyer led the Randy Meyer Racing Team with the top qualifying position and semifinal appearance in her NTK Sensors Top Alcohol Dragster at the 14th annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals this past weekend. RMR teammate Julie Nataas inked a quarterfinal appearance at the Norwalk,Ohio-based racetrack in her OTG Dragster.
After battling Mother Nature on several occasions throughout Friday and Saturday’s qualifying, both Randy Meyer Racing dragsters qualified in the top half of the Top Alcohol Dragster category, with Julie in the No. 6 position and Rachel taking the coveted No. 1 qualifier spot with a stout 5.236 ET at 279.56 mph.
In the first round, Rachel used an outstanding .018-second reaction time against Dan Dietrich to turn on the win light with a 5.314, 274.16 to Dietrich’s 5.429, 265.53; this was the first time the duo had ever raced in competition. Similarly in her matchup, Julie staged her dragster up against Mick Steele for the first time in an elimination round. Nataas had a slight advantage on the tree over Steele and never trailed for the win with a 5.341, 268.38 to Steele’s 5.366, 268.81.
Second round, Rachel’s beast was tuned up for a stellar run against John Paul Gutierrez. Gutierrez had a small starting line advantage over Rachel, but she quickly blazed by him in her Randy Meyer-tuned dragster and took the win with a 5.248, 269.46 to his 5.772, 207.27.
Julie had a second round matchup against Jackie Fricke and came into the round with a 3-0 advantage over Fricke. Nataas and Fricke left together on the starting line, but Julie was up in tire smoke just after the 60-foot mark with a too aggressive tune-up. Julie coasted to a 14.492, 52.86 while Fricke’s 5.294, 282.01 advanced to the semifinals.
In her semifinal matchup, Rachel faced Matt Cummings. Rachel had a record of 1 – 0 in eliminations prior to this round. She had the starting line advantage but clocked in with a solid 5.379, 268.12 with some unlit cylinders at the finish line. Cummings’ 5.269, 274.66 barely edged out Rachel to take the round win and the Norwalk Nationals event win.
The RMR Team will attend the Cavalcade of Stars Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event this upcoming weekend in Norwalk with Julie Nataas.
Dominic Scelzi Adds ‘Dirt Cup Champion’ and ‘ASCS National Tour Winner’ to His Résumé
Inside Line Promotions – ALGER, Wash. (June 30, 2021) – An impressive season continued last weekend for Dominic Scelzi, who captured a Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup preliminary night as well as the $15,000-to-win finale.
The pair of wins give him a dozen through the first half of the season and are the first two Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour victories of his career.
The event began on Thursday with Scelzi finishing second in a heat race. A charge from fourth to win a qualifier ranked Scelzi second in overall points out of more than 45 drivers. That lined him up on the outside of the front row for the main event.
“We were really good all night long,” he said. “In the feature we struggled with the engine not taking off on restart. We had yellows every five or six laps. Every time we got going we just couldn’t get to the leader. We’d get rolling and by the time we’d reel in the leader another caution would come out.”
Scelzi maintained second place throughout the feature and he continued to run up front on Friday. He advanced from seventh to fourth place in a heat race and from third to second in a qualifier. This time he sat fourth in points to garner the fourth starting position for the feature.
“We went from fourth into the lead pretty quick,” he said. “Once we got into the lead we went unchallenged. It was pretty cool to get our first ASCS National Tour victory.”
Scelzi’s win combined with the second-place showing on Thursday made him the high-points driver entering Saturday’s finale. That put him on the pole for the 40-lap main event.
“We got the jump on the start,” he said. “When we first got to traffic I was really good. As the race got going it got really hard to get by guys. I’d run the top and a lapped car would slide across the track. I’d go to the bottom and someone would turn down.”
Scelzi led the first 22 laps before falling to second in traffic. However, he regained the top spot when the leader was involved in a crash with eight laps remaining. Scelzi maintained the position until the checkered flag was waved.
“Blake (Hahn) got by us just after the midpoint of the race,” he said. “We stayed close and then with about eight laps to go I saw someone start to crash in front of us. I was able to turn away and Blake got collected. We led the rest of the race.
“It’s right up there with anything I’ve done in my life. It’s a huge win. There’s so much history and prestige behind it. Many guys only dream of winning it so for us to go up there in our first Dirt Cup and get the win, as well as my first two ASCS National Tour wins back to back, was truly unbelievable.”
Scelzi kicked off last week with a trio of races at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D., where he drove for Mark Dobmeier during the first three nights of THE SHOWDOWN at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. The best outing was a runner-up result during the Chuck Zitterich Tribute on June 20.
“I was very thankful for the opportunity from the Dobmeier team and bummed we couldn’t get the win on Sunday night,” he said. “The following two nights we battled some things that we just couldn’t seem to overcome with the Outlaws. We weren’t able to qualify strong and that put us behind the eight ball. We just weren’t able to dig ourselves out of it.”
The next event for Scelzi is Saturday at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif., with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour.
QUICK RESULTS –
June 20 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 2 (2); Feature: 2 (2).
June 21 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 15; Heat race: 7 (8); B Main: 10 (7).
June 22 – Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, S.D. – Qualifying: 18; Heat race: 9 (9); B Main: 7 (15).
June 24 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Heat race: 2 (2); Qualifier: 1 (4); Feature: 2 (2).
June 25 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Heat race: 4 (7); Qualifier: 2 (3); Feature: 1 (4).
June 26 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Feature: 1 (1).
SEASON STATS –
33 races, 12 wins, 24 top fives, 28 top 10s, 29 top 15s, 29 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Stockton Dirt Track in Stockton, Calif., with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41
Celebrate Freedom, Family, and Racing This Weekend in Ohio
| Batavia, OH (June 30, 2021) – Celebrate freedom, family, and racing this weekend with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. Teams will once again enjoy Independence Day celebrations in the Buckeye state at Portsmouth Raceway Park and Muskingum County Speedway. On Friday, July 2nd, Portsmouth Raceway Park will host the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the annual Independence 50 presented by Able Air with a complete program of: Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event. The Modifieds and Limited Late Models will serve as support divisions on Friday. The pit gate will open at 2:00 PM at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The general admission gates will open at 4:00 PM, with on-track action beginning at 7:00 PM. Saturday’s annual July 3rd event at Muskingum County Speedway will see the pit gate open at 2:00 PM. The general admission gates open at 2:00 PM for those with advance purchase tickets and 3:00 PM with an onsite purchase. Order tickets in advance for Muskingum County Speedway at https://market.myracepass.com/store/tickets/?i=1253121&store=26259&fbclid=IwAR3YMyJuo2N7ilEJxHg–lXpvfd1QYAeYC69zN0s2gXwSsFs2PhQroZmO8o The Prime Solutions 50 will be the largest payday in Muskingum County Speedway history. In addition to the edge of your seat action produced by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Saturday will also feature Open Wheel Modifieds, Sport Mods, and Four Cylinders, with hot laps beginning at 6:30 PM. Muskingum County Speedway will also have the largest display of fireworks the area has to offer. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will have a full show of: Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $15,000-to-win Main event. Heading into the weekend, Tim McCreadie continues to hold a narrow 30 point lead over Hudson O’Neal, while Jonathan Davenport sits in third, trailing by 120 points. Kyle Bronson holds down the fourth position, 110 points out of third. With only 80 points separating fourth through tenth in standings, Mike Marlar hangs onto the fifth position followed by Josh Richards, Shane Clanton, Ricky Thornton Jr, Tyler Erb, and Jimmy Owens. Track and Event Information:Portsmouth Raceway ParkPhone Number: 740-354-3278Location: 25648 State Route 73, West Portsmouth, OH 45663Directions: 0.5 mile south of US 52 on SR 73, then right just before bridgeWebsite: www.portsraceway.com Muskingum County SpeedwayPhone Number: 740-754-9199Location: 7985 Frazeysburg Road, Dresden, OH 43821Directions: I-70 to exit 155, then 10.1 miles north on SR 60 (WSR)Website: www.muskingumcountyspeedway.com Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Weekend Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (29.0) 1425 NRM, (29.0) 1425 NRMW*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain startingposition. Event Purses:Friday’s Independence 50 $12,000 to win- 1. $12,000, 2. $6,000, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,800, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,100, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $52,800 Saturday’s Prime Solutions 50 $15,000 to win- 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,400, 7. $2,300, 8. $2,200, 9. $2,100, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,300, 14. $1,200, 15. $1,050, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000. = $57,050 |
Prairie Dirt Classic returns with massive payday for World of Outlaws
| One driver could walk away from Fairbury Speedway with $53K over two daysFAIRBURY,IL– JUNE 29, 2021 – When you combine the dog days of summer with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models, you get one of the highest-paying crown jewels of the season. After a one-year hiatus, the Prairie Dirt Classic is back at Fairbury Speedway July 30-31 for two nights of jam-packed racing action.The highly anticipated event showcases six Late Model Features with one driver potentially taking home $53,000.The racing action starts Friday, July 30 with four 25-lap Showdown Features paying $3,000-to-win. Those races will set the lineup for Saturday’s 100-lap Prairie Dirt Classic with one driver taking home a massive $50,000 prize for the first time in the historic event’s history.Drivers who don’t qualify for the Classic through Friday’s Features or Saturday’s Last Chance Showdowns will have one more chance to make the show during the 25-lap Late Model Shootout. The winner can either collect $2,500 or start last in the Prairie Dirt Classic.PREVIOUS PRAIRIE DIRT CLASSIC WINNERS2019 – Brandon Sheppard 2018 – Devin Moran 2017 – Brandon Sheppard 2016 – Josh Richards 2015 – Jonathan Davenport 2014 – Tim McCreadie 2013 – Shannon Babb 2012-Jason Feger 2011-Eric Smith 2010-Billy Moyer 2009-Jimmy Mars 2008- Billy Moyer 2007- Brian Birkhofer 2006-Shannon Babb 2005-Jimmy Mars 2004- Dennis Erb Jr. 2003-Don O’Neal 2002- Shannon Babb 2001- Bob Pierce 2000- Bob Pierce 1999- Bob Pierce 1998- Billy Moyer 1997- Billy Drake 1996- John Gill 1995- Bob Pierce 1994- Bob Pierce 1993- Billy Moyer 1992- Billy Moyer 1991-Kevin Weaver 1990-Snooky DehmThe last time the Prairie Dirt Classic was held in 2019, Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce were involved in one of the most exciting finishes you’ll see.The three-time and defending Series champion pulled a thrilling slide job on Pierce on the final corner to win the crown jewel for the second time.Fans who come to see Sheppard’s quest for a third Prairie Dirt Classic win will also catch a glimpse into his chase for history.The New Berlin, IL driver is seven wins away from tying Josh Richards for the most all-time (78) and will tie Richards for most Series titles (4) if he wins the championship in 2021.Right now, Sheppard leads the Series standings—58 points ahead of Chris Madden.“The Rocket Shepp” must contend with several top-notch drivers if he wants to take home the trophy for the third time.World of Outlaws tour regulars like Madden and 2004 Prairie Dirt Classic winner Dennis Erb Jr. are two of the many drivers hoping to dethrone Sheppard. Both drivers sit top-five in the World of Outlaws standings and are coming off top-three finishes during the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway.Sheppard also must deal with stout competition from his home state. Bobby Pierce has two extra-distance World of Outlaws wins in 2021, collecting $50,000 between the Hawkeye 100 at Boone Speedway, and the Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway.Shannon Babb is another Illinois driver with multiple Prairie Dirt Classic wins (3). The Moweaqua, IL driver already has a win at Fairbury in 2021 during DIRTcar Summer Nationals.Those drivers will have to contend with the hottest Super Late Model driver in the country Brandon Overton, as well. The Evans, GA driver has pocketed more than $300,000 in June and hopes to add another crown jewel to his mantle at Fairbury Speedway.Joining the World of Outlaws Late Models at Fairbury Speedway is the DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals.For more information on the Prairie Dirt Classic visit www.fairburyspeedway.com.If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month. |
| The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws. |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
| Shirley Meets Sheppard, Hoffman Eyes Eight in Hell Tour Week ThreeLate Models race five times, Modifieds scheduled for three in second Wed-Sun stretch BEAVER DAM, WI – June 29, 2021 – After a rainy second week of competition, the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Late Models and Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals are ready to take on a busy Independence Day weekend in three different states. Week #3 ScheduleWednesday, June 30 | Beaver Dam Raceway | Beaver Dam, WI (Late Models only)Thursday, July 1 | Davenport Speedway | Davenport, IA (Late Models only)Friday, July 2 | The Dirt Oval at Route 66 | Joliet, ILSaturday, July 3 | Fayette County Speedway | Brownstown, ILSunday, July 4 | Lincoln Speedway | Lincoln, IL If you can’t join us at the track, catch all of the action from every Summer Nationals and Summit Modified event this season with a FAST PASS subscription to DIRTVision presented by Drydene. Here are the drivers to watch for and storylines to follow in Week #3… BACK ON TRACK – After an up-and-down first week, Brian Shirley rebounded in Week #2 and is now back in the hunt for his fifth career Hell Tour title. Shirley, of Chatham, IL, won both races contested last week and led every Feature lap in each – Wednesday at LaSalle Speedway and Friday at Sycamore Speedway. The win Wednesday night marked his third consecutive Summer Nationals victory at LaSalle, helping to light a flame underneath the Bob Cullen Racing team which they turned into another Feature win two nights later. The defending tour champion now sits third in overall points, 45 back of leader Bobby Pierce. This week, the tour visits two of Shirley’s best tracks since 2018 – Fayette County Speedway, where he won last year and in 2018, and Lincoln Speedway, where he took the checkers in 2018 and 2019. B-SHEPP IS BACK – 2013 Summer Nationals champion Brandon Sheppard recently announced his family-owned team’s intentions to join up with the tour this Wednesday night at Beaver Dam Raceway, which will mark his first appearance of the season. Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, is headed back from a successful outing with the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series tour at Lernerville Speedway, aboard the Rocket1 Racing ride for team owner Mark Richards, with a win and three top-five finishes in the three-day weekend. B-Shepp will roll out the Rocket Chassis #B5 for its third weekend of the season – a car that’s seen Victory Lane in DIRTcar-sanctioned action twice already in 2021. With it, he’s scheduled to tackle two tracks he won with the Hell Tour in his weeklong appearance last year – Fayette County Speedway on Saturday and Lincoln Speedway on Sunday. RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY – An abundance of wet weather plagued the tours in Week #2, with three of the five scheduled shows being lost to storm systems moving through the Midwest. However, some of those shows have been rescheduled. Spoon River Speedway has been rescheduled for July 7, filling-in a date that was originally meant for Belle-Clair Speedway, which will not be opening this year. The $10,000-to-win show at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55, rained out on Saturday night, will now be run on August 14 – the Saturday of this year’s dedicated make-up week. This means the weekly points championship for Week #2 will be settled at the conclusion of the Feature at I-55, awarding $2,000 to the driver with the most points from those races. HOT STREAK – He’s got seven wins in-a-row. This weekend, Nick Hoffman goes for eight. The defending DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champion has won the first seven races of the tour and led every Feature lap in each of them. It’s been utter domination thus far, and it could continue Friday night when the Modifieds are back in action at The Dirt Oval at Route 66, where he will go for his eighth consecutive victory. However, a new winner will likely emerge on Saturday night at Fayette County Speedway, as Hoffman recently announced his plans to head to Lawrenceburg Speedway that night for a DIRTcar UMP Modified special. Summit Modified drivers are not required to compete in every event on the schedule in order to win the championship – only each driver’s 12 best finishes count toward overall points. ON THE ROAD AGAIN – The traveling schedule picks up again this week with five races in five nights in three different states. Provided every show is run as scheduled, teams will spend 12.5 hours on the road traveling to each racetrack for a total of 673 miles logged. |
| DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), FireAde, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, iRacing, Racing Electronics, SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Summit Racing Equipment, and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, Hoosier Racing Tire, MSD, Quarter Master, Summit Racing Equipment, VP Racing Fuels, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum).Summit Modified Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including : Summit Racing Equipment, Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Chevy Performance, DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), FireAde, Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), Indiana Decal Company, Intercomp, iRacing, Racing Electronics, SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, VP Racing Fuels, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. |
Historic Drag Racing back on track at Santa Pod
Dragstalgia 10Santa Pod RacewayFri.9 – Sun.11 July 2021
Like the 32nd Olympic Games, the 10th Dragstalgia should have been a highlight of 2020’s sporting summer. While uncertainties yet hover over the Tokyo bash, the grand Santa Pod celebration of sixty years of British drag racing will now illuminate summer 2021 before an enthusiastic audience, albeit one still limited in accord with the Government’s ongoing pandemic protocols.
After Covid stymied 2020’s planned international participation, it will be a very British affair. Dragstalgia 10 is a vintage lifestyle weekend devoted to race cars, bikes and hot rods from a bygone era, and all the retro favourites will be here.
Nitro and methanol ‘Nostalgia’ Funny Cars and Fuel Altereds will battle for bragging rights in the popular ‘Cannonball’ format, while fast Front-Engined Dragsters contest the Slingshot Showdown. Outlaw Anglias, the Gasser Circus, the Wild Bunch (Nostalgia dragsters and altereds), Supercharged Outlaws, Nostalgia Superstockers and the Willys Wars (who would have imagined so many examples of the 1940s American brand would be extant in 21st Century Britain?) will keep the track busy all weekend.
On two wheels, there will be historic Pro Stock Bikes, while the National Sprint Association’s entry list showcases some of the motorcycles that set records and scorched the dragstrip decades ago.
And if further illumination is needed, the FireForce 3 Jet Funny Car will be on hand to light up, and smoke out, the track.
In keeping with the old-time flavour, Showmanship Trophies will reward such achievements as Best Appearing Car and Team, Best Burnout, Best Wheelstand, and Best Backup Girl or Guy.
Off-track displays include Autoglym’s Show & Shine and the National Street Rod Association’s ‘Blast From The Past’, while Hottie’s Vintage Village fills the Vintage Fair marquee with all manner of retro delectables. Along with club displays, there are the usual funfair rides, traders, bars and catering to keep the whole family occupied, fed, refreshed and entertained all weekend long.
Dragstalgia’s 10th anniversary celebration takes place from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th July 2021 at Santa Pod Raceway, near Wellingborough (NN29 7XA). Ticket prices start at £25, and £5 for children aged 5-15, and must be booked in advance at www.santapodtickets.com or by telephoning the Box Office at 01234 782828. There will be no admission on the gate. Full event details are available online at www.santapod.co.uk/dragstalgia.php.
Please note: Dragstalgia tickets will sell out, so booking now is recommended to avoid disappointment.
Photos attached:
- Fire burnouts – a spectacular Dragstalgia feature
- Supercharged Outlaws in action.
- Slingshot Showdown.
- Historic Bike – quest for speed goes eccentric.
[ Pictures: Santa Pod ]
For further information and higher-res images, please contact:Press Office, Santa Pod Raceway.Tel: (01234) 782828.Email: pr@santapod.com
NOTES FOR EDITORSSanta Pod Raceway opened in 1966 as Europe’s first permanent drag racing venue, located on a former World War 2 airfield – ‘Santa’ to evoke Southern California, the cradle of drag racing; ‘Pod’ for Podington, the name of the airfield and nearby village. The venue holds a 365-day operating licence and, in normal times, hosts more than 70 events a year over most weekends from February to November and occasionally mid-week. The calendar includes major spectator events such as two FIA/FIM European Drag Racing Championship rounds and the renowned mid-summer Volkswagen festival, Bug Jam, along with national drag races, modified car shows, specialist and family events, and public track days known as ‘Run What Ya Brungs’.
In 2020, Santa Pod developed Covid-19 protocols which allowed it to stage reduced-scale events in front of limited, socially-distanced audiences.
Santa Pod Raceway is located on the Bedfordshire-Northamptonshire border near Wellingborough, NN29 7XA. For further information, visit www.santapod.com or telephone 01234 782828.
SHEPPARD IN THE GROOVE
| Seven-Time Series Champion Matt Sheppard Seeks Fireworks in Victory Lane at Canandaigua$7,500-to-win Liberty 100 at Land of Legends Raceway set to thrill race fans Thursday, July 1CANANDAIGUA, NY – The Super DIRTcar Series invades Land of Legends Raceway on Thursday, July 1, for an epic celebration of speed, and freedom and one driver will be eager to celebrate it above the rest.Matt Sheppard didn’t have the start to the 2021 season he’d hoped for, but after winning the Series event at Lebanon Valley Speedway he’ll look to keep that momentum rolling at the $7,500-to-win Liberty 100.“Our recent turnaround has been because of a little bit of everything,” said Sheppard, of Waterloo, NY. “We are getting back to our home tracks, getting more comfortable with the setup on the car, luck, and just a little bit of everything.”The seven-time Super DIRTcar champion’s stats at Land of Legends show just how comfortable he is at the Canandaigua, NY track in his blue #9S. He has five Super DIRTcar Series wins at Land of Legends – including the last two Super DIRTcar events in 2019 and 2020. He’s also collected three wins in four starts in the 2021 Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship action at the track.“Our ultimate goal is to carry the momentum and win at Canandaigua,” Sheppard noted. “It’s been a very good track to me throughout the years. We’ve had a lot of success there and won a lot of races.”Series events have been especially competitive this year, with an abundance of talent joining the tour, and it took a handful of races for champions like Sheppard and Mat Williamson to get their feet under them to find their way back in Victory Lane. Even with the top drivers showing their stuff, Sheppard isn’t comfortable. “Hopefully we bring the right stuff next Thursday,” Sheppard said. “These cars are so finicky nowadays it seems like any one of 15 guys can hit it one night and drive away.”Find out if Sheppard, Billy Decker, Larry Wight, and the rest of the Super DIRTcar Series stars can take the fight to Land of Legends Raceway regulars like Justin Haers, Alan Johnson and more on Thursday, July 1. If you can’t make it to the track, be sure to watch live on DIRTVision.com. Plus follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagramfor news, photos, videos, and more. PHOTO: Nick Graziano |
| The Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game) and NAPA Auto Parts. Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux, Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Drydene, Fox Factory, MSD, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Independence Day Spectacular at Cedar Lake This Weekend
| 13 Races Makes July the Busiest Month of World of Outlaws SeasonNEW RICHMOND, WI – June 28, 2021 – June was action-packed, and July is going to be even bigger.The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series kickstarts the busiest month of the 2021 season this weekend with an Independence Day Spectacular at Cedar Lake Speedway on Friday and Saturday, July 2-3.BUY TICKETS HEREHere are some of the top storylines to follow:TURNING THE PAGE: On the heels of the busiest stretch of the season (8 races in 11 days), the Greatest Show on Dirt now prepares for the busiest month of the season. A loaded July features 13 races at eight different tracks in four states. Included in that stretch is a run of five races in five nights, highlighted by a historic happening with not one, but TWO Kings Royal Features paying $175,000-to-win each.All told, July offers four events in the fabled “Month of Money” and they all run consecutively across a week and a half. There’s $175,000-to-win on Thursday, July 15 at Eldora, then another $175,000 up for grabs on Saturday, July 17, then a mid-week $25,000 check awaits the Silver Cup winner on Tuesday, July 20, and another $20,000 is paid out at Williams Grove onSaturday, July 24.Fri-Sat, July 2-3 at Cedar Lake (WI) SpeedwaySat, July 10 at Wilmot (WI) RacewayTues, July 13 at Attica (OH) Raceway ParkWed-Sat, July 14-17 at Eldora (OH) SpeedwayTues, July 20 at Lernerville (PA) SpeedwayFri-Sat, July 23-24 at Williams Grove (PA) SpeedwayFri, July 30 at Ransomville (NY) SpeedwaySat, July 31 at Weedsport (NY) SpeedwayCHOMPIN’ CHECKS: $50,000 yields not only a big bank deposit, but loads of momentum and confidence as well. After their second-straight Jackson Nationals title, Logan Schuchart and the Shark Racing #1S will walk into Cedar Lake Speedway with an extra pep in their step this weekend.The Hanover, PA native has previously won at the Wisconsin oval in 2016. He’s chasing his 27th career World of Outlaws win, the fourth of his 2021 season aboard the Drydene Performance Products sponsored machine.ON FIRE: On May 7 at Eldora Speedway, Kerry Madsen took the wheel of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #14 for the first time. Ever since then, he’s been the hottest Sprint Car driver in the world. This weekend, he returns to one of his best tracks at Cedar Lake, too.”The Mad Man” has contested 14 World of Outlaws events aboard the Advanced Auto Parts #14 and has only finished outside the top-10 ONCE in his second race. His average finish is a whopping 4.6 over that stretch, and he’s racked up six podiums in the last nine races. Last weekend, he finally broke through for his first Outlaws win aboard the #14 and promptly followed that with another trip to victory lane the next night at Jackson Motorplex.This weekend, Madsen returns to Cedar Lake Speedway, where he’s won thrice before with The Greatest Show on Dirt.KNOWING WHAT IT TAKES: Four full-time competitors have previously won with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series at Cedar Lake Speedway. Leading the way among that group is 10-time Series champion Donny Schatz, who has triumphed on five occasions at the track, only two shy of Sammy Swindell’s record of seven wins.Lately, it’s been The Big Cat’s playground. Brad Sweet has topped four of the last six races at Cedar Lake with a chance to extend that record this coming weekend. Other former winners at the 3/8-mile oval are Sheldon Haudenschild and Logan SchuchartNEW TO NEW RICHMOND: Two of Sweet’s biggest championship challengers will look to end their cold spell when visiting Cedar Lake Speedway this weekend. David Gravel and Carson Macedo, who run second and third in the points, are both chasing their first career World of Outlaws win at the track.ROOKIE RACE: It’s been 32 races since James McFadden of Alice Springs, NT, AUS made his way to the United States and began his rookie campaign with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. After missing the opening six races, J-Mac has made the most of his time since climbing aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing, Karavan Trailers #9 in a full-time capacity. This week, McFadden moved into eighth-place in the championship standings, only one spot and 296 points behind fellow rookie, Aaron Reutzel.Although points are not the deciding factor in who wins the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year, they certainly still hold merit. If you measure the standings since March 19 when McFadden made his first start, he’s actually ahead of the Roth Motorsports #83. Over that span, J-Mac has outscored A-Aron by 46 points.The win column is worth looking at just as much, though. McFadden’s lone victory was at Kokomo (IN) Speedway in April, while Reutzel has claimed three wins including a spectacular drive at East Bay (FL) Raceway Park, a $15,000 pouncing on the Posse at Williams Grove (PA) Speedway, and a $30,000 score last week at Huset’s (SD) Speedway.HALFWAY HOME: This weekend’s doubleheader at Cedar Lake will bring the 2021 season to 40 completed events of a scheduled 81 in total. The championship standings remain relatively unchanged following a big week with five races as part of THE SHOWDOWN.Brad Sweet, who pursues his third-consecutive World of Outlaws championship, has held the top spot in points since March 19. His Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 leads the Series in Feature Wins (10), Laps Led (213), Podium Finishes (17), Top-Fives (24), and Average Finish (5.24).Immediately behind Sweet is David Gravel (-60) who has six wins in his first season with the Big Game Motorsports #2 crew. The next group of challengers includes Carson Macedo (-120) with three wins for Jason Johnson Racing, Sheldon Haudenschild (-172) with three wins as well in the NOS Energy Drink #17, Logan Schuchart (-190) fresh off a $50,000 victory last weekend, and Donny Schatz (-202) who earned his 300th career win last week.This Week at a Glance – When and WhereFriday-Saturday, July 2-3 at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, WIOn the Internet World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthAround the Turn: Following this weekend, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will head to Wisconsin’s Wilmot Raceway for one-night only on Saturday, July 10. After that, a huge five races in five days awaits with the Brad Doty Classic and TWO Kings Royals offering almost $400,000-to-win.NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (12 Drivers): 10 wins – Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #49 6 wins – David Gravel, Big Game Motorsports #2 5 wins – Carson Macedo, Jason Johnson Racing #41 4 wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 3 wins – Aaron Reutzel, Roth Motorsports #83 3 wins – Logan Schuchart, Shark Racing #1S 2 wins – Kerry Madsen, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #14 1 win – James McFadden, Kasey Kahne Racing w/ Mike Curb #9 1 win – Brent Marks, Brent Marks Racing #19M 1 win – Dave Blaney, Dave Blaney #10 1 win – Kyle Larson, Paul Silva #57 1 win – Donny Schatz, Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15FEATURE LAPS LED (21 Drivers): 213 laps – Brad Sweet 173 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild 158 laps – Aaron Reutzel 150 laps – David Gravel 121 laps – Logan Schuchart 117 laps – Donny Schatz 88 laps – Carson Macedo 63 laps – Kerry Madsen 31 laps – James McFadden 27 laps – Sam Hafertepe Jr. 25 laps – Kyle Larson 19 laps – Tyler Courtney 19 laps – Giovanni Scelzi 17 laps – Brent Marks 10 laps – Jacob Allen & Brock Zearfoss 3 laps – Ian Madsen 1 lap – Kasey Kahne, Kraig Kinser, Brandon Spithaler, Dave BlaneySLICK WOODY’S QUICKTIME AWARDS (14 Drivers): 9 QuickTimes – David Gravel 4 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart 3 QuickTimes – Brad Sweet, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry Madsen 2 QuickTimes – James McFadden, Cory Eliason, Giovanni Scelzi, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 1 QuickTime – Carson Macedo, Danny Dietrich, Anthony Macri, Kasey KahneDRYDENE HEAT RACE WINNERS (30 Drivers): 18 Heat Wins – David Gravel 14 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo 12 Heat Wins – Aaron Reutzel 9 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart 8 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz 7 Heat Wins – James McFadden 4 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Giovanni Scelzi, Brian Brown, Kerry Madsen 3 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Jason Sides, Kraig Kinser, Ian Madsen, Sam Hafertepe Jr. 2 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Larson, DJ Netto 1 Heat Win – Wayne Johnson, Danny Dietrich, Hunter Schuerenberg, Tyler Courtney, Lance Dewease, Anthony Macri, Brandon Spithaler, Parker Price-Miller, Tim Kaeding, Jack DoverPODIUM FINISHES (22 Drivers): 17 Podiums – Brad Sweet 12 Podiums – David Gravel, Carson Macedo 11 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild, Logan Schuchart, Donny Schatz 7 Podiums – Aaron Reutzel 6 Podiums – Kerry Madsen 5 Podiums – Brent Marks 4 Podiums – James McFadden, Giovanni Scelzi 2 Podiums – Cory Eliason, Lance Dewease, Anthony Macri 1 Podium – Kraig Kinser, Danny Dietrich, Tyler Courtney, Justin Peck, Brian Brown, Anthony Macri, Dave Blaney, Kyle Larson, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2021 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Schedule & WinnersNo. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins) 1. Fri, Feb. 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Brad Sweet (1) 2. Sun, Feb. 7 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Logan Schuchart (1) 3. Fri, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1) 4. Sat, March 6 / East Bay Raceway Park / Tampa, FL / Aaron Reutzel (1) 5. Fri, March 12 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Sheldon Haudenschild (1) 6. Sat, March 13 / The Rev / Monroe, LA / David Gravel (1) 7. Fri, March 19 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Sheldon Haudenschild (2) 8. Sat, March 20 / Cotton Bowl Speedway / Paige, TX / Brad Sweet (2) 9. Sat, March 27 / Lake Ozark Speedway / Eldon, MO / Brad Sweet (3) 10. Fri, April 2 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (4) 11. Sat, April 3 / I-55 Raceway / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (5) 12. Fri, April 9 / Kokomo Speedway / Kokomo, IN / James McFadden (1) 13. Sat, April 10 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Carson Macedo (2) 14. Fri, April 22 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (2) 15. Sun, April 24 / Bristol Motor Speedway / Bristol, TN / David Gravel (3) 16. Thur, April 29 / Jacksonville Speedway / Jacksonville, IL / Brad Sweet (6) 17. Fri, April 30 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (7) 18. Sat, May 1 / I-70 Motorsports Park / Odessa, MO / Brad Sweet (8) 19. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Brent Marks (1) 20. Sat, May 8 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Sheldon Haudenschild (3) 21. Wed, May 12 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Brad Sweet (9) 22. Fri, May 14 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Carson Macedo (3) 23. Sat, May 15 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Aaron Reutzel (2) 24. Tues, May 18 / Bridgeport Speedway / Swedesboro, NJ / Logan Schuchart (2) 25. Fri, May 21 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / David Gravel (4) 26. Sat, May 22 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Dave Blaney (1) 27. Mon, May 31 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / Kyle Larson (1) 28. Sat, June 5 / Granite City Speedway /Sauk Rapids, MN / David Gravel (5) 29. Fri, June 11 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Carson Macedo (4) 30. Sat, June 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Carson Macedo (5) 31. Thur, June 17 / 34 Raceway / West Burlington, IA / Brad Sweet (10) 32. Fri, June 18 / Dubuque Fairgrounds Speedway / Dubuque, IA / Donny Schatz (1) 33. Sat, June 19 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (4) 34. Mon, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / David Gravel (6) 35. Tues, June 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Aaron Reutzel (3) 36. Thur, June 24 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Kerry Madsen (1) 37. Fri, June 25 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Kerry Madsen (2) 38. Sat, June 27 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Logan Schuchart (3) |
CINDRIC CONQUERS THE TRICKY TRIANGLE LONG POND, PA
| June 27, 2021 – Austin Cindric worked his way through the field to win at Pocono Raceway, marking his fourth NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the 2021 season and further extending his championship lead to 101 points over second place. |
| “Congratulations to Austin, Brian, Roger, and the entire No. 22 crew,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Austin and Brian demonstrated the power of strategy and execution to make their way to the front of the field and maintain the lead. Pocono is a unique and challenging track, but Austin was able to conquer the Tricky Triangle.” |
| Cindric started the race in 13th position but was able to maneuver the No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang through the field and finish Stage 1 in fourth, after avoiding multiple incidents early in the race. The end of the race came down to fuel and pit strategy, combined with a long green-flag run that allowed Austin to maintain his lead and finish a half second in front of second place. |
| “You have to be good at everything and that is what this team has proven throughout the year. I am just the one that gets to drive these Ford Mustangs. I am excited about it. I had to execute in every facet and we had everything thrown at us today. I am super proud of this Car Shop Ford Mustang team. Everybody who partners up with us. To finally get one here,” commented Cindric. |
| Ford Performance teammates Ryan Sieg with RSS Racing finished P17 and Riley Herbst with Stewart-Haas Racing in P35. |
| The NASCAR Cup Series raced Saturday and Sunday at Pocono Raceway. On Saturday, Team Penske drivers Ryan Blaney finished P5 and Joey Logano P6, Kevin Harvick with Stewart-Haas Racing in P8, and Ford Performance teammate Brad Keselowski in P10. During Sunday’s Explore the Pocono Mountains 350, Ford Performance teammates Brad Keselowski with Team Penske finished P3, Kevin Harvick with Stewart-Haas Racing in P4, and Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney in P6 and Joey Logano in P10. |
| Chad McCumbee and James Pesek with PF Racing finished 15th in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at the 3.4 mile Watkins Glen road course this weekend. |
| The IMSA Pilot Challenge will return to Watkins Glen, New York this week while the NASCAR Cup & Xfinity Series is headed to Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin this weekend. 33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 420 WINS – 382 POLES! |