WAVERLY, OH (March 21, 2021) – Hudson O’Neal won the Buckeye Spring 50 on Sunday Night at Atomic Speedway for his second series win of 2021. For the first time in his career, the 20-year-old Indiana native is atop the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Point Standings. O’Neal became the third and final leader of the race after he took the lead on lap nine from Devin Moran. He held off Tim McCreadie to win by .563 seconds. Moran came home in third followed by Jonathan Davenport and Kyle Bronson. Kyle Strickler started on the pole and took the lead at the start of the race as drivers were running two and three-wide around the 3/8ths mile high-banked track. Strickler led until Moran took over the point on lap five. The top three of Moran, Strickler, and O’Neal, were putting on a spectacular race for the lead when Strickler suffered a right rear flat tire, forcing a caution flag with 19 laps complete. Strickler exited to the pits, which meant that no driver on the series tour this year has won from the pole starting spot. A caution at the halfway mark set-up a long green-flag stretch of racing for 22 laps until a lap 48 caution set up a race to the finish. O’Neal was able to break away on the restart, and that was enough to send him to Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the ninth time in his career. O’Neal has now joined Tyler Erb as the only 2-time winner so far in LOLMDS competition this season. He previously went to Lucas Oil Victory Lane at East Bay back in January. “I can’t thank these guys enough for their work on this race car. We had one of the University of Northwestern Ohio students on board with us this weekend. Thanks to my family and everybody involved with the race team. This car was awesome from the start. I know McCreadie was all over me a couple of times and all it was going to take was one mistake and he [McCreadie] would get by me.” McCreadie stayed with O’Neal and was ready to pounce if O’Neal made a mistake, but settled for the second spot. “I didn’t need the yellow at the end. It looked like he [O’Neal] got lost on the track a little bit, which happens sometimes when you are leading. I moved around and found something that was really good. His guys told him that under the caution. We passed a lot of good cars. I wish I could have been a tick better, but it’s no shame finishing second to Hudson.” Moran was in the hunt for his first series win of the season for most of the race and rounded out the podium in third. “That was a heck of a race. Congratulations to Huddy. He capitalized when I messed up and I feel like we gave that one away. Good job to those guys for winning and to Timmy for second. I feel like we need to keep our heads up and we can get a lot of wins this year.”     The winner’s Roger Sellers owned, Double Down Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Lazydays RV, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lucas Oil Products, 210 Enterprises, and WR1 Sim Chassis. Completing the top ten were Jimmy Owens, Tyler Erb, Josh Richards, Shane Clanton, and Mike Marlar. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Buckeye Spring 50Sunday, March 21st, 2021Atomic Speedway – Waverly, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 13.938 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran / 14.226 seconds  Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 8-Kyle Strickler[3]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 3. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. C9-Steve Casebolt[2]; 5. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 6. 14G-Joe Godsey[6]; 7. 20-Jimmy Owens[8]; 8. 21K-Kirk Phillips[7] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 81E-Tanner English[5]; 3. 11R-Josh Rice[4]; 4. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[3]; 5. 4G-Kody Evans[6]; 6. 29-Clint Keenan[7]; 7. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[2] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 14-Josh Richards[4]; 5. 25-Shane Clanton[7]; 6. 71R-Rod Conley[5]; 7. 16R-Rusty Griffaw[6] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 5. 20B-Todd Brennan[7]; 6. 14R-Jeff Roth[6]; 7. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[5]

HAMPTON, GA – March 22, 2021 – Ryan Blaney scored his first NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2021 season at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday and recorded Ford’s fifth straight win in Atlanta. Blaney became the second Ford driver to drive a Ford Mustang to victory lane this season and sixth different Cup winner in as many races.

“Congratulations to Ryan, Todd, Roger, and the No. 12 team,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Ryan and the No. 12 crew executed throughout the day and they kept digging until the final lap. Thanks to Ford Performance and their employees that continue to provide our teams the tools needed to win races.”

Blaney and the No. 12 pit crew worked together throughout the entire race to get the No. 12 in position to challenge for the lead. Blaney was able to come from more than two seconds behind to chase down the No. 5 of Kyle Larson with just eight laps to go, then took the lead with a cross over pass. Blaney was able to stretch his lead and take the checkered flag to record his fifth career NASCAR Cup Series race win.

The No. 12 Ford Performance Mustang led the race three different times for a total of 25 laps, but none more important than the last eight. This marked the 80th win for Team Penske with Ford Performance and the 180th Cup win for Roush Yates Engines.

“Gosh, we had a great long run car all day,” commented Blaney in post-race interview. “It took us a little bit to get going. I was pretty free all day, so we made a really good change to tighten me up where I needed it and it looked like Kyle was getting loose and I’m happy it worked in our favor that there was a couple long runs at the end that kind of let us get there. We’ve been good this year and had some bad breaks and it’s nice to close out a race like that. That was awesome.”

Roush Fenway’s Chris Buescher drove a strong race, finishing P7 and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick recovered from an earlier race tire issue to finish P10.

Two Ford Performance teams finished in the top-10 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Riley Herbst from Stewart-Haas Racing finished P6 and Ryan Sieg from RSS Racing in P10.

The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Bristol Motor Speedway for the first time ever dirt track race this weekend. It’s time to sling some dirt!    33 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 416 WINS – 376 POLES!

WAVERLY, OH (March 21, 2021) – Hudson O’Neal won the Buckeye Spring 50 on Sunday Night at Atomic Speedway for his second series win of 2021. For the first time in his career, the 20-year-old Indiana native is atop the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Point Standings. O’Neal became the third and final leader of the race after he took the lead on lap nine from Devin Moran. He held off Tim McCreadie to win by .563 seconds. Moran came home in third followed by Jonathan Davenport and Kyle Bronson. Kyle Strickler started on the pole and took the lead at the start of the race as drivers were running two and three-wide around the 3/8ths mile high-banked track. Strickler led until Moran took over the point on lap five. The top three of Moran, Strickler, and O’Neal, were putting on a spectacular race for the lead when Strickler suffered a right rear flat tire, forcing a caution flag with 19 laps complete. Strickler exited to the pits, which meant that no driver on the series tour this year has won from the pole starting spot. A caution at the halfway mark set-up a long green-flag stretch of racing for 22 laps until a lap 48 caution set up a race to the finish. O’Neal was able to break away on the restart, and that was enough to send him to Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the ninth time in his career. O’Neal has now joined Tyler Erb as the only 2-time winner so far in LOLMDS competition this season. He previously went to Lucas Oil Victory Lane at East Bay back in January. “I can’t thank these guys enough for their work on this race car. We had one of the University of Northwestern Ohio students on board with us this weekend. Thanks to my family and everybody involved with the race team. This car was awesome from the start. I know McCreadie was all over me a couple of times and all it was going to take was one mistake and he [McCreadie] would get by me.” McCreadie stayed with O’Neal and was ready to pounce if O’Neal made a mistake, but settled for the second spot. “I didn’t need the yellow at the end. It looked like he [O’Neal] got lost on the track a little bit, which happens sometimes when you are leading. I moved around and found something that was really good. His guys told him that under the caution. We passed a lot of good cars. I wish I could have been a tick better, but it’s no shame finishing second to Hudson.” Moran was in the hunt for his first series win of the season for most of the race and rounded out the podium in third. “That was a heck of a race. Congratulations to Huddy. He capitalized when I messed up and I feel like we gave that one away. Good job to those guys for winning and to Timmy for second. I feel like we need to keep our heads up and we can get a lot of wins this year.”     The winner’s Roger Sellers owned, Double Down Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Lazydays RV, O’Neal’s Salvage and Recycling, Lucas Oil Products, 210 Enterprises, and WR1 Sim Chassis. Completing the top ten were Jimmy Owens, Tyler Erb, Josh Richards, Shane Clanton, and Mike Marlar. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary Buckeye Spring 50Sunday, March 21st, 2021Atomic Speedway – Waverly, OH Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 13.938 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Devin Moran / 14.226 seconds  Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 8-Kyle Strickler[3]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 3. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. C9-Steve Casebolt[2]; 5. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 6. 14G-Joe Godsey[6]; 7. 20-Jimmy Owens[8]; 8. 21K-Kirk Phillips[7] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[1]; 2. 81E-Tanner English[5]; 3. 11R-Josh Rice[4]; 4. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[3]; 5. 4G-Kody Evans[6]; 6. 29-Clint Keenan[7]; 7. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[2] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 9-Devin Moran[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 4. 14-Josh Richards[4]; 5. 25-Shane Clanton[7]; 6. 71R-Rod Conley[5]; 7. 16R-Rusty Griffaw[6] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, All Transfer): 1. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[4]; 3. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 5. 20B-Todd Brennan[7]; 6. 14R-Jeff Roth[6]; 7. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[5]

Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 29Lap Leaders: Kyle Strickler (Laps 1 – 3); Devin Moran (Laps 4 – 8); Hudson O’Neal (Laps 9 – 50)Wrisco Feature Winner: Hudson O’NealArizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: n/aBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.563 secondsCautions: Josh Rice (Lap 8); Kyle Strickler (Lap 19); Clint Keenan (Lap 25); Ricky Thornton Jr. (Lap 47); Joe Godsey (Lap 48)Series Provisionals: n/aFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Hudson O’Neal, Tim McCreadie, Devin MoranPenske Shocks Top 5: Hudson O’Neal, Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Jonathan Davenport, Kyle BronsonOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Advanced 19 Positions) Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: noneHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Hudson O’Neal (42 Laps)Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensEibach Springs Rookie of the Race: n/aDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Tim McCreadie (Lap #5 – 15.158 seconds)Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Ricky Thornton Jr.Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Trevor Crittenden (Hudson O’Neal)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tim McCreadieTime of Race: 33 minutes 44 seconds

March 21, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Maytag team had their best run of the 2021 season in Sunday’s Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, coming away with an 11th place finish.

DiBenedetto lined up 20th for the start of the 325-lap race and was on the move from the drop of the green flag. He had climbed to 12th place when the competition caution flag flew on Lap 25.

He cracked the top 10 for the first time on Lap 31 and raced around 10th place for the remainder of the first 105-lap Stage, finishing that segment of the race in 12th place.
 
At the start of Stage Two, he used some bold moves on restarts to work his way into the top five and ran as high as third before finishing that segment in sixth place, earning five Stage points.

In the third and final segment of the race, he ran in the top five early on, then lost a few spots in the latter stages, finally ending up 11th at the finish. 

“We had a solid race from start to finish with our Menards/Maytag Mustang,” DiBenedetto said. “Our pit crew did a great job keeping our track position, which took some hard work on their part, and we were able to get some Stage points, which was good.

“We got a little loose at the start of the third Stage, and that may have cost us a spot or two, but we had a 10th place car pretty much all day, then gained some track position that got us further up for a while. Overall, it was a solid day. I can’t complain.”

DiBenedetto also said the No. 21 team is steadily overcoming a slow start to the season.

“It started at Las Vegas,” he said. “We had a great car there. Since then we’ve had some well-prepared cars and some good, solid races.” 

On Sunday, DiBenedetto was one of six Ford drivers, led by race winner Ryan Blaney, to finish in the top 15. Blaney’s win extended Ford’s win streak in AMS Cup races to five. 

Eddie Wood said he was proud of the efforts of the Menards/Maytag team and the entire Ford contingent.

“Matt drove a good race and did a good job managing his tires,” Wood said. “[Crew chief] Greg Erwin made good strategy calls, and the pit crew had good stops all day.

“It was a really good day for us, and we’d like to congratulate our Ford teammates Ryan Blaney and his team on a big win.”

DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team now head to Bristol Motor Speedway, where the Cup Series will race on a dirt surface for the first time since 1970.
 

Strong Sixth-Place Result For Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team at Atlanta Motor Speedway

6th

13th

11th

“Today was a good little step in the right direction from where we’ve been the last few weeks. Everyone on the Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team did a great job with adjustments throughout the race. During portions of the race, I couldn’t turn the wheel on entry, so I would just go in there straight. I made up time running some very weird lines. Justin Alexander and the team kept working on it and got it pretty good in Stage 3. I found some grip in the middle of track late in the race. If I would have found that earlier, we might have been better. We’ll keep working on it.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Team Push Through Tough Atlanta Motor Speedway Race

26th

29th

28th

“It has been a tough start to our season, but my No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet team stuck with it today at Atlanta Motor Speedway. I got into the wall early in the race, but my team did a great job making all the necessary repairs to keep us going. I had a lot of speed after that and ran some great lap times all race long, but we were just trapped a couple laps down for the majority of the day. We made some gains on handling today, which will be important to take note of when we come back to Atlanta later this summer. I struggled with a lack of rear lateral grip early on, but the adjustments made throughout the race really helped on that issue. I still wanted to be tighter at the end of the race, but this at least gives us some good notes to build off of for July.” -Tyler Reddick

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES MARCH 21, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE 3rd     ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE6th      AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE8th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE12th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Ryan Blaney (Ford)2nd     Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)3rd     Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)4th      Denny Hamlin (Toyota)5th      Kyle Busch (Toyota)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday, March 28, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2ndYOU WON TWO STAGES, LED 268 LAPS – WHAT A PERFORMANCE TODAY. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHERE YOUR CAR WENT THAT LAST RUN WHEN (RYAN) BLANEY WAS CLOSING?“I don’t know – I think he just got a lot better there that last Stage and it kind of changed up my flow of the race a little bit. I could get out to such a big lead and then I could take care of my stuff; and run the bottom, where it was maybe slower, but I could take care of my tires. He was fast there and I just wanted to maintain that gap that I had, so I had to run in the faster part of the racetrack and just use my stuff up. And then, he was just a lot better than me there late in the run.”
“Hate to lead a lot of laps and lose, but we had a really good car that we brought to the track. Our HendrickCars.com Chevy was fast there for a long time. I don’t really know; I don’t know if we got that much worse or he just got way better and, like I said, it just kind of changed up the flow of my race.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 3rd A STRONG THIRD-PLACE FINISH. IT SEEMED LIKE A PRETTY QUIET DAY; YOU WERE ALWAYS UP TOWARDS THE FRONT.“Yeah, for sure. It was a good day to come home third. Obviously wish the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) would have won there, but I’m proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports continually bringing really fast race cars to the race track. I feel like our Ally Camaro was pretty good. It was just a little bit off on the long-run stuff. But finally, a day where nothing bad happened. We’ll take a good solid day, a solid top-three, and move onto Bristol.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“Today was a good little step in the right direction from where we’ve been the last few weeks. Everyone on the Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet team did a great job with adjustments throughout the race. During portions of the race, I couldn’t turn the wheel on entry, so I would just go in there straight. I made up time running some very weird lines. Justin Alexander and the team kept working on it and got it pretty good in Stage 3. I found some grip in the middle of track late in the race. If I would have found that earlier, we might have been better. We’ll keep working on it.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th“Decent day for the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet team. We were up around the top-five for most of the day and just had a bad final run; a bad restart got us back there and we just never could really recover. We managed an eighth-place, which is decent, but definitely want a lot more than that. We’ll go to work and figure out where we can improve so we can get better for the next one.”  RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 12th “It was a really solid day for our No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet team at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Our biggest thing this season is to be consistent, and bringing home a fourth top-15 finish accomplishes that goal and it’s great to see us achieving that so early in the season. I had the speeding penalty early in the race, but our car had enough speed that we were able to keep working on it throughout the long runs and get back inside the top-10 and top-15. Something we’ve been working on is to keep hammering each week and not get stagnant in what we’re doing, and having this momentum heading into the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt race is a huge advantage and I’m really looking forward to it.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 42 TUBI TV CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th “Fourteenth – it’s progress. This No. 42 Tubi TV Camaro was good. We got it freed up, finally, part-way through the race. We got our lap back and just ran fast lap times there at the end. We passed some really good cars and made some really good progress. We’ve made progress in the last two stops with Phoenix (Raceway). As crazy as it sounds, for me, it’s translated in the direction we’re going. It seems to be better for me.”
“I can’t thank all the boys and girls at Chip Ganassi Racing enough. They’re believing in me, even when I didn’t necessarily believe in myself. We were the last car on the lead lap. Fourteenth – good, long 500-miles at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). Proud of the effort; a lot of pit stops. Onto Bristol.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 17thYOU HAVE TO BE ENCOURAGED WITH HOW YOU RAN FOR MOST OF THE DAY“Yeah, it was good. I’m very proud of everyone in this group. They work very, very hard. They build a very fast car. It was a car capable of finishing in the Top 10, that’s for sure. I made a mistake on my part that kind of got us out of contention. But it’s something very good to build on.” YOUR FILL-IN CREW CHIEF, JOSE BLASCO-FIGUEROA, DID A GREAT JOB AND HE’S HAD A LOT OF EXPERIENCE IN THE NASCAR MEXICAN SERIES, CORRECT?“Yeah, he was good. Jose and I already know each other. So, it was good to have Jose today on the box, although we do miss Travis (Mack). Travis is very, very good and he already knows me. This was the first time ever working with Jose making the calls. I feel like, overall, it was a positive day. It’s just not the result that we deserve.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 24th “Just not a great day for the Petty’s Garage Chevrolet. Struggled with the speed for the most part and never got it much better. Learn from it and we’ll focus on Bristol (Motor Speedway) for next week.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 26th “It has been a tough start to our season, but my No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet team stuck with it today at Atlanta Motor Speedway. I got into the wall early in the race, but my team did a great job making all the necessary repairs to keep us going. I had a lot of speed after that and ran some great lap times all race long, but we were just trapped a couple laps down for the majority of the day. We made some gains on handling today, which will be important to take note of when we come back to Atlanta later this summer. I struggled with a lack of rear lateral grip early on, but the adjustments made throughout the race really helped on that issue. I still wanted to be tighter at the end of the race, but this at least gives us some good notes to build off of for July.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined with mechanical failure on lap 220; Finished 38th IT’S BEEN ONE OF THOSE DAYS FOR CHASE ELLIOTT. YOU GUYS JUST REPAIRED THE NOSE AND THEN, BOOM, THIS PROBLEM. WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE HAPPENED?“Yeah, obviously we broke a motor there later on. We got some damage there on that restart. Kyle (Busch) kind of spun his tires and then I was pushing him and Kurt (Busch) was pushing me. We all just really jammed together hard and ended up hurting the nose some. So, I don’t know if that had something to do with breaking the engine or not.”“I hate it, for sure. I feel like our car was pretty decent. We drove up there – we got up to tenth, or so, at the Stage. I felt like we were in a decent position to work on it throughout the day. I appreciate all the effort. It’s great to be home in Georgia; home for me and home for NAPA Auto Parts. I wish we could have had a good result, but we’ll try again at Bristol.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 112; Finished 39th WAS IT JUST A PRODUCT OF WHEELSPIN AND GUYS HAVING TROUBLE GETTING GOING ON THE RESTART? “Yeah, I think the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) was the outside-lead car. The No. 9 (Chase Elliott) kind of checked-up, too. I checked up; the No. 17 (Chris Buescher) hit us from behind. It was just the accordion effect and then I jumped to the middle. I’m like ‘I’m here’; I positioned myself. It wasn’t like I re-arranged my lanes and made another block.”
“He didn’t do anything vicious or malicious there. It’s a 500-miler and these are the days that it hurts the worst. This absolutely hurts the worst because we had a top-five, winning, Monster Energy Chevy.”  

TWO-STEPPIN’: Brad Sweet Scores Second Win of Season at Cotton BowlJacob Allen Flips While Leading in Pursuit of Second Career WinPAIGE, TX – March 20, 2021 – Brad Sweet has made his mindset on World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championships very clear: win races, and the points will fall your way.On Saturday night at Cotton Bowl Speedway, Sweet got back to his winning ways with his 60th career victory and his second of the season aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49.The Big Cat led 28 of 30 laps and cruised to a 1.087-second advantage at the checkered flag. He joined Sheldon Haudenschild as the only two repeat winners of the 2021 World of Outlaws season through the opening eight races.”It’s pretty cool,” Sweet acknowledged on his 60th career win. “They’ve all come with Kasey Kahne Racing too, and we’ve got Kasey here with us tonight. I can’t thank him enough for the opportunity he’s given us. It’s been a fun ride so far, but it’s far from over. It’s always fun getting back in victory lane. These guys have been sticking by my side even through all my mistakes of late.”Sweet himself, however, admitted he didn’t feel like the #49 was the car to beat on Saturday. He thought that honor belonged to Jacob Allen of Shark Racing, who looked poised for a second career win in the Drydene Texas Two-Step pres. by American Lube Suppy.Pacing the opening 10 laps, Sweet was in command of the race lead until lap traffic halted his progress and allowed a hard charging Jacob Allen to close quickly. Taking advantage of the back markers, Allen picked off Sweet and took the Drydene Performance Products #1A to the top spot on Lap 11. He controlled two circuits before a mistake entering turn one sent him into the wall, flipping upside down, and eventually on fire.The lovable Hanover, PA native was heartbroken, dejected, and upset with himself, but he still won over all the fans in attendance and those watching at home on DIRTVision.”I stepped on it, that’s what I did,” Allen admitted. “The car felt phenomenal, I just screwed it up. There’s no need for that. That’s immature racing. I need to take a chill pill and finish these races to get myself a win. I’m racing with one of the very best in Brad Sweet and I need to capitalize, not end up on my lid.”Lap 12 offered the final restart of the race and Sweet promptly used the high-side to his advantage and checked out. Another bout with lap traffic made it interesting on Lap 19, but the two-time and defending Series champion prevailed and survived to run off with his second career win at the Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, TX.”We’ve been knocking on the door lately,” Sweet spoke on his strings of five-straight podiums. “I think Jake had the better car there, but he just made that mistake in lap traffic. It shows us we’ve still got to get a little bit better. I still fought some things with the car that I’d like to get fixed.”Brent Marks of Myerstown, PA finished a season-high second aboard his CJB Motorsports #5.”We just needed lap traffic,” Marks mentioned, who almost snookered Sweet in traffic with ten to go. “We got too tight there at the end and I couldn’t run turns one and two like I needed to. All in all, a really great night. We’ve been struggling these last few races, so we needed this run. Make the 20+ hour drive back home a lot easier.”After a disappointing Friday night in the Last Chance Showdown, Cory Eliason and the Rudeen Racing #26 rebounded in a big way on Saturday with their second podium finish of the season.”After our embarrassment last night we changed a lot off things and got way better tonight. Things really went our way tonight except for that double file restart. A podium for this team is awesome to get our sponsors the exposure they deserve.”Closing out the top five at Cotton Bowl was David Gravel aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2 with a 12th-to-fifth run and Friday’s winner Sheldon Haudenschild in the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17.Rounding out the top ten was Logan Schuchart of Hanover, PA, Donny Schatz of Fargo, ND, Aaron Reutzel of Clute, TX, Brock Zearfoss of Jonestown, PA, and James McFadden of Alice Springs, N.T., AUS.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series heads off to Missouri for a Show-Me State doubleheader next weekend. On Friday, March 26, US-36 Raceway in Osborn, MO takes the spotlight. On Saturday, March 27, the Series heads to Lake Ozark Speedway in Eldon, MO for the $15,000/Win Jason Johnson Classic.NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$10,000]; 2. 5-Brent Marks [4][$6,000]; 3. 26-Cory Eliason [1][$3,500]; 4. 2-David Gravel [12][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [5][$2,500]; 6. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$2,300]; 7. 15-Donny Schatz [13][$2,200]; 8. 83-Aaron Reutzel [14][$2,100]; 9. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [6][$2,050]; 10. 9-James McFadden [7][$2,000]; 11. 41-Carson Macedo [11][$1,600]; 12. 2C-Wayne Johnson [23][$1,400]; 13. 11-Ian Madsen [16][$1,200]; 14. 19-Parker Price-Miller [22][$1,100]; 15. 18-Gio Scelzi [8][$1,050]; 16. 21-Brian Brown [10][$1,000]; 17. 11K-Kraig Kinser [18][$1,000]; 18. 7S-Jason Sides [15][$1,000]; 19. 2B-Josh Baughman [17][$1,000]; 20. 8M-TJ Michael [19][$1,000]; 21. 33M-Mason Daniel [20][$1,000]; 22. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [21][$1,000]; 23. 42P-Preston Perlmutter [24][$1,000]; 24. 99X-Dalton Stevens [25][$1,000]; 25. 1A-Jacob Allen [3][$1,000]. Lap Leaders:Brad Sweet 1-10, 13-30; Jacob Allen 11-12. KSE Hard Charger Award: 2C-Wayne Johnson[+11]Photo – Trent Gower

(3/20/21) Jim Allen, Stockton, CA … Defending NARC King of the West Fujitsu Sprint Car Serieschampion DJ Netto took no prisoners on his way to a dominating green-to-checkered victory at Saturday’s Salute to LeRoy Van Conett 30-lap headliner at the Stockton Dirt Track.

Netto, piloting the potent Netto Ag/Penny Newman Grain KPC, started on the pole after winning the Sunnyvalley Bacon dash and quickly jumped to a straightaway lead over Dominic Scelzi, Mitchell Faccinto and Rico Abreu.  Netto encountered lap traffic five laps into the event but had absolutely no problems motoring in and out of slower cars.  By lap 12, he had already built up a four-lapped car interference, only to lose the advantage when the first of three caution flags appeared a circuit later for a stopped car.

On the restart, Netto quickly motored to the lead as Scelzi fought handling issues caused by a broken front wing and a pressing Abreu.  Abreu managed to move into the runner-up spot after a lap 21 restart but gained little ground on the leader until the final caution flag appeared with only three laps remaining.  However, at that point, Netto had no peer and cruised to a .846 second victory.

Abreu, who set the standard for the 23-car field in ARP qualifying, scored second aboard the Works Limited/Lucas Oil #57 sprint car.  Scelzi held on to a solid third in the Scelzi Enterprises Maxim.  Seventh started Shane Golobic was fourth, chased by Iowa driver Austin McCarl.

Netto credited his fourth career series to victory to his family and Drew Warner.  It ended a NARC King of the West winless streak dating back to June 24th, 2017 at Calistoga Speedway.

“Drew gave me a car that I could run anywhere I wanted,” said Netto.  “Lapped traffic wasn’t an issue and I did my job to get us here.”

The remainder of the top ten included Faccinto, Bud Kaeding, Tim Kaeding, Geoff Ensign, and Sean Becker.  Justin Sanders captured the Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger Award with a 19th to 11th run.

Heat races were picked off by Golobic, Faccinto, and Becker.

FUJITSU FEATURE EVENT (30-laps):   88N-DJ Netto (Netto 88N), 57-Rico Abreu, 41-Dominic Scelzi, 17W-Shane Golobic, 21-Austin McCarl, 37-Mitchell Faccinto, 69-Bud Kaeding, 42X-Tim Kaeding, 01-Geoff Ensign, 83V-Sean Becker, 16A-Justin Sanders, 38B-Blake Carrick, 26-Billy Aton, 56-Willie Croft, 98-Sean Watts, 01X-Mitchell Moles, 14T-Tim Estenson, 76-Kenny Allen, 78-Mark Barroso, 88-Kyle Offill, 83-Kyle Hirst, 83T-Tanner Carrick, 46JR-Joel Myers Jr.

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS:  DJ Netto 1-30

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER:  Justin Sanders: 19th to 11th

ARP FAST QUALIFIER :   Rico Abreu – 14.364 seconds (23-cars)

BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS FIRST HEAT (8 laps):   Shane Golobic, DJ Netto, Dominic Scelzi, Rico Abreu, Billy Aton, Tanner Carrick, Willie Croft, Kenny Allen.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA SECOND HEAT (8 laps):   Mitchell Faccinto, Tim Kaeding, Kyle Hirst, Austin McCarl, Bud Kaeding, Justin Sanders, Joe Myer Jr.

FLORACING.COM THIRD HEAT (8 laps):  Sean Becker, Geoff Ensign, Sean Watts, Blake Carrick, Kyle Offill, Tim Estenson, Mark Barroso, Mitchell Moles.

SUNNYVALLEY BACON DASH (6 laps):  DJ Netto, Dominic Scelzi, Geoff Ensign, Mitchell Faccinto, Rico Abreu, Sean Becker.

Acura, Meyer Shank Racing scored third-place result at Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
Wayne Taylor Racing perseveres mid-race contact, brings their Acura ARX-05 home fourth
Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT-3 also survives contact, finishes fourth in GTD

SEBRING, Fla. (March 20, 2021) – In a typically fraught and hard-fought Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, it was the Meyer Shank Racing trio of Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla and Juan Pablo Montoya leading the way for Acura at Sebring International Raceway, finishing third in their AutoNation/SiriusXM Acura ARX-05.

Today’s race was marked by multiple incidents and a trio of heavy crashes, but all without serious driver injury. When the green flag waved for the final restart with just under 30 minutes remaining, Cameron powered his Acura past the similar ARX-05 of Wayne Taylor Racing to claim third place and the first podium result for Meyer Shank Racing since the team returned to prototype competition after back-to-back GTD championships for Acura in 2019-20.

Earlier in the day, Wayne Taylor Racing appeared to be in contention for a second consecutive 2021 victory, but the season-opening Rolex 24 race winners Sebring hopes were dashed – four hours into the 12-hour contest – by contact with a GTD car, resulting in damage and a loss of coolant in the right-side intercooler of the ARX-05. The driver lineup of Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi persevered despite the resulting loss of power, and their fourth place finish keeps them in the thick of the DPi championship battle.

Acura NSX GT3 Evo
In the production-based GTD division, the Magnus with Archangel’s NSX GT3 Evo driven by Andy Lally, John Potter and Spencer Pumpelly had a steady run through the first seven hours, then picked up pace as the circuit cooled in the later afternoon and into the night, beginning a long battle with the Porsche of Team Hardpoint-EBM for a possible podium result. In the final minutes, while fighting for third place, Katherine Legge in the Porsche made contact with Lally’s Acura, sending the NSX briefly off track and resulting in a fourth-place finish. Legge would finish fifth after being penalized for the contact.

Acura Rolex 24 Results
3rd overall – #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla, Juan Pablo Montoya
4th overall – #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
Drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Alexander Rossi
4th GTD – Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Drivers Andy Lally, John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly

DPi Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 2 of 10 rounds)

1. Cadillac 740
2. Acura 712
3. Mazda 682

Acura Rolex 24 Fast Facts
Acura Motorsports and its performance arm, Honda Performance Development, have recorded a total of eight victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, including three class wins for Acura, four LMP2 class wins under the HPD umbrella, and an overall win in 2016.
Tonight’s third-place result was the second consecutive podium finish for Acura at Sebring. Acura and drivers Taylor and Helio Castroneves secured the 2021 IMSA DPi championship here last November when, due to schedule changes as a result of the COVID pandemic, the Twelve Hours of Sebring served as the season finale.
Acura first entered IMSA competition in 1991, shortly after the company’s founding in 1986, and the 1991 Daytona race was the first major event for the company. Comptech Racing and drivers Parker Johnstone, Steve Cameron [uncle of current Acura racer Dane Cameron] and Bob Lesnett, driving a Spice Acura SE90P, claimed the victory that year in a class that compares to today’s LMP2 division.

Quotes
Dane Cameron (#60 Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05) finished 3rd with co-drivers Olivier Pla and Juan Pablo Montoya: “There always seems to be a final lap ‘shootout’ under the lights at Sebring, and tonight was no exception. I had a good final restart and made up a position. But we were just a little bit off on the balance all race, and in the end didn’t have quite enough [for the victory]. We were kind of hanging on, so I think we got the most out of what we had in terms of pace, and the team did a really good job all day, really good strategy and quick pit stops throughout so, we made some good strides and it’s nice to get a podium here for Acura and Meyer Shank Racing in their return to prototypes.”

Ricky Taylor (#10 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05) finished fourth with co-drivers Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi: “It was really looking like a good day until the damage we had [following contact with a GTD car]. I think the whole Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing team did a really nice job preparing the car with the end of the race in mind. Man, the car was handling so well at the end, it’s just a shame with the damage we sustained, we were fighting without a full-powered Acura after [the contact]. The bright side is we took away some decent [championship] points [for finishing fourth], and a lot of our main rivals were behind us. On that note, we can go back to Mid-Ohio, for Acura’s home-town race and try and go four-for-four for Acura.” [Acura teams and drivers have won the last three Acura Sports Car Challenge events at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.]

John Potter (#44 Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished 4th in GTD with co-drivers Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly: “You know, we’re feeling great! We came here knowing that this track hasn’t always been favorable for the Acura NSX GT3, so we’re really excited to show the consistency this car has, to bring home a fourth-place finish, and survive all the carnage that claimed a lot of our competitors today. We were expecting just a ‘points-paying’ finish, but we got some really good championship points, so we’re really happy.”

David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race at Sebring: “I guess it’s a good thing to be disappointed with third- and fourth-place results. But the competition at this level is so tight, that you have to have a perfect day to win. It was an exciting race at the end for the fans, and we’re pleased to see Acura take another podium in DPi here, and contest for a podium in GTD. It was a tricky race, in constantly changing conditions that presented a variety of challenges for our teams. Our teams and drivers gave it their all, as always, and even though we had some problems with contact in both classes, delivered the best possible results on the day.”

Next
After starting the 2021 season with a pair of endurance contests in Florida, the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship now takes an eight-week break before resuming with the Acura Sports Car Challenge at Mid-Ohio, May 14-16 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

SEBRING, Fla. (March 20, 2021) – Corvette Racing ended an up-and-down day with fourth- and fifth-place class finishes in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts. Both Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs faced adversity throughout, and the team nearly won for the 13th time at Sebring International Raceway.  The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette C8.R of Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg placed fourth in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category after leading much of the day in the second round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Garcia began on the class pole position, and the trio controlled from the outset and led 211 of 334 laps. After winning the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona, the No. 3 Corvette team appeared on its way to a Florida sweep before Garcia was spun from the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining. On the opposite side of the Corvette garage, the No. 4 Corvette C8.R trio of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims had a day to forget. Beginning the race second in GTLM, the No. 4 C8.R developed an electrical problem from the outset that hampered the Corvette’s performance. Milner, Tandy and Sims – who finished second in GTLM at Daytona – were fifth in class Saturday at Sebring. Despite a couple of mid-race setbacks, the Garcia/Taylor/Catsburg trio re-established themselves as the race entered twilight with a mix of fuel savings and solid strategy. A fortunate pit stop before a full-course caution period with less than two hours to go allowed the No. 3 Corvette to take the lead, although never by more than three seconds. Garcia drove the final 2.5 hours and attempted to work his way through traffic when he was forcefully hit under braking by the second-place GTLM car and sent spinning out of the hairpin Turn 7.  The front-left of the C8.R was damaged, and Garcia had to pit with a flat tire. The damage was too great, and the No. 3 Corvette missed the podium.  The outcome spoiled a weekend in which Corvette Racing and Chevrolet celebrated a 25-year technology partnership with Mobil 1. Both of the Corvette C8.Rs sported liveries that matched the Mobil 1 brand. Corvette Racing’s next event is the Six Hours of Spa in the FIA World Endurance Championship on May 1.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FOURTH IN GTLM: “I don’t know what to say. I’m definitely disappointed in the whole situation. It was a very hard race for all of us. We managed to be up there, and with two stints to go we were both going flat-out. It definitely was between them (the No. 25) and us. Up to that point, it was fair. The whole thing was good. He was pushing hard, and I was pushing as hard as I could. I think we put on a good show but I’m disappointed with the way it ended. I’m sure we would have been super happy to bring home a real result. It’s a tough break, especially after such a long race. I’m disappointed for the guys, for Corvette, for Team Chevy and the fans. We all deserved a little bit better. We will just move on. My next stop is Spa and I’m looking forward to that and the rest of the season. Thank you to Jordan and Nicky… it’s just a tough break.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FOURTH IN GTLM: “It’s definitely a tough end to the day. We came back from some adversity mid-race which is good and got back in the race with strategy and good fuel mileage for the last few hours. We were able to jump everybody in the pits on that last yellow stop which was great. Then Antonio was able to build a small gap and maintain it. Unfortunately the race ended the way it did. But at least we were competitive. When we were here for the 12 Hours last year, we had our own issues we had to deal with. So taking some positives away, we ran a flawless race reliability-wise for our car with no issues, so I think that is one promising thing we can leave here with and only hope for better next time.”

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FOURTH IN GTLM: “It was crazy… up and down. We went from in the lead to being almost last to being in the lead and then being fourth. Honestly, there were too many mistakes from our side but we recovered and did really well. The Corvette held up really well even after my spin; the car was still in good shape. We managed to get back with good strategy and good pace. Then it looked like we were going for the win… we had the right man at the right moment in the car. This is typical Sebring, though. You see the same thing in Sebring every year. You win some and you lose some. This was very unfortunate, a bit of a divebomb from the 25. These things happen. We need to regroup, learn from the mistakes we made and try to improve for the next race.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “Frustrating is probably the best word to describe it. It was a bit of a waste of a race for us unfortunately. I felt something wrong pretty much at the start and we were low on power. We drove the entire 12 hours like that. While I was out there, I didn’t know what was wrong and why we couldn’t fix it. I don’t know those answers. So yeah… it was pretty frustrating.”

NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “Obviously it was a tough race for the whole team. On the No. 4 side of the garage, to know we were going into the battle with one hand tied behind our back right from the very beginning was tough, but there was optimism. The guys did everything possible to try and figure out and resolve the issue. But in the end we took the view that it would be better to carry on and try to pick up pieces if anything happened rather than take time out and spend a lot of time in the garage. I’m proud of the people for the work they put in trying to get the car to the end. We accomplished that. It goes to show the vagaries of motorsports from the highs of Daytona to the lows of Sebring. This is how motorsport is sometimes.”

ALEXANDER SIMS, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – FIFTH IN GTLM: “It was a tough day for everyone on the whole team. Certainly on the 4 car, it was a long day. It was quite clear very quickly that we were going to be up against it to get anything from the race. We went into it seeing what we could salvage, and in the end we couldn’t salvage much. From a personal point of view, it was good to get more miles in the Corvette. I found a decent amount of performance in myself between first stint and second stint in the car. It was helpful to keep gaining miles. In practices this weekend, you only get 10 or 12 laps before the race starts, and that’s just not enough to get back into it. That’s the biggest positive from my side.”

Myatt Snider And The TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Earn 11th-Place Finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway

11th

9th

7th

“We had a fast TaxSlayer Camaro all day. We had a little bit of an awkward race, getting shuffled around with track position. Our pit box spot was difficult with getting in and out, but the RCR guys did an amazing job posting fast times each stop. We just overall struggled to get forward, which is part of me still learning the track. We did our best to slay it and learned a lot to bring back next time here in the summer.”  -Myatt Snider

Haudenschild and NOS Energy Drink #17 are First Repeat Winners of Season

PAIGE, TX – March 19, 2021 – Much like his legendary father Jac Haudenschild, young Sheldon Haudenschild is continuing to thrill fans nationwide in the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.

His latest act came in Friday’s opener to the Drydene Texas Two-Step pres. by American Lube Supply at Cotton Bowl Speedway.

Coming from sixth, Haudenschild braved the outside and bolted to the cushion at a time when his competitors were glued to the bottom. His risk paid off in a big way as the Wooster, OH native rocketed to the lead on Lap 25 and made his moves around Aaron Reutzel and Brad Sweet look like a breeze. The final 11 laps flew by as the 27-year-old star sliced and diced his way through a tricky run of lap traffic that included several close calls.

By topping his counterparts for the second-straight week, Haudenschild becomes the first repeat winner of the 2021 season. It’s his 16th career World of Outlaws win and continues to send the confidence of the Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17 through the roof.

“Winning these [Outlaw] races is a dream come true,” Haudenschild told a huge crowd in Paige, TX. “This NOS Energy Drink car is on rails right now. These guys Ripper, Drew, Nickolas, they all deserve these wins. We’re working real hard and the results just keep coming.”

Before Haudenschild wowed the crowd, Reutzel of Clute, TX was the talk of town. In his home state for the first time as a full-time World of Outlaws driver, Reutzel and the Roth Motorsports #83 looked unstoppable for much of Friday’s act at the Cotton Bowl 1/3-mile.

Reutzel, the leading Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year contender, set a New Track Record (13.356 seconds), won his Team Drydene Heat Race, drew the pole of the redraw, and won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash all ahead of the 35-lap NOS Energy Drink Feature. He led the opening 12 laps before a restart allowed Sweet to lineup alongside him, and subsequently pass him around the outside.

Sweet ensued to lead his own share of 12 laps before Reutzel re-entered the picture and Haudenschild emerged to make it a three-way war the top spot. On Lap 25, Haudenschild followed Sweet down the backstretch but refused to follow the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 to the bottom of turn three. Instead, he hauled it off into the corner and buried it deep into the cushion, finding the momentum and sweeping right around the outside of Sweet to take the lead away.

From there, Lil Haud maneuvered through lap traffic and ran off to a 0.571-second advantage at the checkered flag as he became the first repeat winner of the 2021 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season.

“Ripper and I really haven’t had a lot of time together with this car,” Haudenschild noted on their hot streak. “Getting to work with him and the guys on developing a good base line setup for when we show up has helped a lot. Starting up front is huge too, you’re not gonna beat those guys starting behind them every night. We’ve been working on our qualifying too. We’re just making little strides everywhere. It’s great to be winning like this so early in the season.”

Closing out the podium behind Haudenschild was a dejected Aaron Reutzel in second and a consistent Brad Sweet in third.

“I’m actually really disappointed,” Reutzel said afterwards. “I just did a shitty job driving and you have to be a better driver to win these races. Car was fantastic, I think it was the winning car. These are hard to win. You have to run 35 perfect laps and I didn’t do that tonight. It’s good to get back on the podium after last weekend, though.”

Sweet, the two-time and defending World of Outlaws champion, re-claimed the early-season points lead with his fourth-straight podium appearance.

“The driver just needs to step up there,” Sweet admitted on his loss of the lead. “I knew I needed to move up, especially when you’re going that slow on the bottom. The top just didn’t look like it was there, though. I was trapped and got going slow, so I knew someone would find something. Didn’t surprise me when it was Sheldon that drove around me. I tried to keep up, but he was just a little better tonight.”

Ian Madsen recorded a season-high fourth-place finish in the McGhee #11. Donny Schatz earned his fifth consecutive top-five finish aboard the Tony Stewart Racing #15.

Gio Scelzi and KCP Racing recovered with a sixth-place finish, Kraig Kinser established a new season-best of seventh-place, James McFadden made his 2021 debut in the Kasey Kahne Racing #9 with an eighth-placed run, David Gravel put the Big Game Motorsports #2 in ninth-place, and Logan Schuchart extended his streak to seven top-tens in seven races with a tenth-place bid for the Drydene Performance Products #1S.

The perseverance of Jason Johnson Racing paid dividends with KSE Hard Charger honors for a 24th-to-13th run in the feature from Carson Macedo. It was a wild night to get to said result. The #41 was solid in qualifying and won a Team Drydene Heat Race, but a wicked flip in the Dash forced them to a backup car. Macedo flipped again on Lap six of the feature, but the never-say-die attitude in the work area led him back on track and allowed him to rise through the field again.

UP NEXT – The Drydene Texas Two-Step pres. by American Lube Supply wraps up on Saturday night at Cotton Bowl Speedway in Paige, TX. You can watch the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [6][$10,000]; 2. 83-Aaron Reutzel [1][$5,500]; 3. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$3,200]; 4. 11-Ian Madsen [3][$2,600]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [10][$2,350]; 6. 18-Gio Scelzi [9][$2,150]; 7. 11K-Kraig Kinser [8][$2,100]; 8. 9-James McFadden [15][$1,950]; 9. 2-David Gravel [7][$1,900]; 10. 1S-Logan Schuchart [16][$1,850]; 11. 21-Brian Brown [5][$1,400]; 12. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [22][$1,200]; 13. 41-Carson Macedo [24][$1,000]; 14. 7S-Jason Sides [11][$950]; 15. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [12][$900]; 16. 8M-TJ Michael [21][$900]; 17. 26-Cory Eliason [18][$900]; 18. 5-Brent Marks [13][$900]; 19. 33M-Mason Daniel [20][$900]; 20. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [17][$900]; 21. 19-Parker Price-Miller [14][$900]; 22. 1A-Jacob Allen [4][$900]; 23. 2B-Josh Baughman [23][$900]; 24. 2C-Wayne Johnson [19][$900]. Lap Leaders: Aaron Reutzel 1-12, Brad Sweet 13-24, Sheldon Haudenschild 25-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: Carson Macedo [+11]

NEW World of Outlaws Point Standings — 1. Brad Sweet (998); 2. Logan Schuchart (-12); 3. Donny Schatz (-24); 4. David Gravel (-30); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-46); 6. Carson Macedo (-58); 7. Aaron Reutzel (-62); 8. Cory Eliason (-80); 9. Kraig Kinser (-128); 10. Gio Scelzi (-130).

Photo – Trent Gower

LA Honda World Racing’s Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo fight to finish second
Back-to-back poles for Atlanta Speedwerks
VGMC shows pace, perseveres following penalties in the two-hour race

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – It was a welcome return to the podium for the #73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR pair of Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo in today’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge race from Sebring International Raceway.

Starting third in the Alan Jay Automotive Network 120, LaMarra moved into second at the start of the two-hour contest. Pushing hard during his stint, but keeping his nose clean, LaMarra handed the #73 Honda over to co-driver Pombo under yellow, just after the halfway mark of the event.

Pombo restarted sixth and was able to make his way through to second position in the closing stages of the contest. Pombo closed the gap to within a half second of the leader, challenging for the win before GS class traffic interfered with his passing attempts in the final laps. The LA Honda World team would cross the line in just one and a half seconds behind the TCR class winner, marking the second consecutive second place finish for Honda in IMPC competition.

Starting from pole, the first third of the race was dominated by the #84 Atlanta Speedwerks car, driven by Brian Henderson. Henderson maintained control of the field from the drop of the green flag until a brake line issue ultimately ended his, and teammate Robert Noaker’s, day early.

The sister Atlanta Speedwerks car stormed to a seventh-place finish in today’s event, after starting in 14th place. Ryan Eversley and Greg Strelzoff made the most of traffic and pit strategy, as well as a fast pit crew, to catapult themselves well into the top 10.

Rounding out the quartet of Honda Civic Type R TCRs was VGMC Racing, who came home with an 11th place result. Struggling with a throttle issue in qualifying, the VGMC team of Victor Gonzalez and Ruben Iglesias overcame their issue and at one point was the fastest TCR car on track. They made their way up to the top five before a pair of penalties dropped them back in the field.

Alan Jay Automotive Network 120 Race Results
2nd TCR – #73 Mat Pombo and Mike LaMarra, LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR
7th TCR – #94 Ryan Eversley and Greg Strelzoff, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
11th TCR – #88 Victor Gonzalez and Ruben Iglesias, VGMC Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR
15th TCR – #84 Robert Noaker and Brian Henderson, Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR – not running

Quotes
Mike LaMarra (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished second: “It was great! We finally got the car handling better than we have before. We had a really strong engine, thanks to JAS and HPD this weekend, and it was fun out there! The team did a great job, Mat, of course, did a great job, we just needed a few more things to fall our way [to win]. Those didn’t happen, but we’re still incredibly happy to be here on the podium.”

Mat Pombo (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR), finished second: “To be able to race and be up front and have a competitive car feels like a long time coming. Especially at Sebring – which is probably not one of our best track. To do well here is always exciting for the future and the next few races. I have to thank LA Honda World, HPD, JAS. They sent a motor over to do some testing with and flew over from Europe to help us troubleshoot some stuff. It was really a whole Honda team effort today. Mike drove a great stint. As he said, a couple of lapped cars at the end ended up hurting me instead of the [the leader]. I don’t know if I could have passed [the winning Road Shagger entry] without the help, but they didn’t make any mistakes so congratulations to the #61 guys. But, we feel really excited going into the next few races so hopefully we can get up on the top step here soon!”

Front Row Start for Acura at Sebring
Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing qualifies second for Acura
Olivier Pla to start fourth in his Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05
John Potter, Andy Lally to start 13th in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Defending IMSA series champion and Rolex 24 winner Ricky Taylor secured a front-row start for Acura today at Sebring International Raceway for Saturday’s Mobil-1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, qualifying second fastest in his Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05.

The 15-minute session, to set the starting field for this weekend’s endurance classic, saw Olivier Pla also have a strong run, posting the fifth-fastest time in his Sirius XM Meyer Shank Racing Acura prototype, just a second off the pole around the nearly four-mile long Sebring circuit.

In the production-based GTD category, John Potter qualifying his Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo 11th; and will share driving duties tomorrow with Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly.

Twelve Hours of Sebring Qualifying Results
2nd overall – #10 Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
5th overall – #60 Olivier Pla, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
11th GTD – #44 John Potter, Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo

Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) qualified 2nd; race co-drivers will include Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi: “Really happy with our Konica Minolta Acura. Everyone on the team has been working really hard since [the season opening race at] Daytona. Alex [Rossi] and Filipe [Albuquerque] are both really fast as well. Our plan for tomorrow is to really start to put the pressure on as we approach the night time and the track cools down. We’re really looking forward to a good race.”

Olivier Pla (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05): Qualified 5th; co-drivers will be Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya: “We worked a lot on the car balance yesterday. With good balance, we will be in a better position for the end of the race tomorrow. Our qualifying session was difficult and we aren’t in the position that we wanted to be, but now it is time to focus ahead on the race. The Meyer Shank Racing team will get the car setup for tomorrow so that we can race through the field and be in the front in the last few hours.”

David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s qualifying: “A reasonable day at Sebring, fighting for pole, the difference [0.110 seconds] is about as close as it gets in sports car racing. Well done to Ricky [Taylor] and the Wayne Taylor Racing organization, maintaining their momentum from the victory at the [season-opening] Daytona race. Looking forward to another great race tomorrow from our teams, all of whom know how to race well here, and another demonstration of Acura’s performance on track.”

Fast Facts
Acura comes to this year’s Twelve Hours of Sebring as two-time defending IMSA Manufacturers’ Champion in the premier DPi category with the Acura ARX-05 prototype, and defending Manufacturers’ Champion in the production-based GTD class with the Acura NSX GT3 Evo.
Following the Rolex 24 season-opening victory for Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing and fourth-place finish for Meyer Shank Racing, Acura leads the IMSA Manufacturer, Driver and Endurance Cup championships.
In the premier Manufacturers’ Title chase, Acura has 380 points to 335 for second-ranked Cadillac. Acura holds a two-point lead over Cadillac in the Endurance Cup standings. In the drivers’ points chase, Taylor, Albuquerque and Rossi have a 31-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Simon Pagenaud, in second with 345 points.
New for 2021 Type S graphics on the two ARX-05 prototypes are intended to reinforce the connection between Acura’s racing and productions vehicles, and our theme of Precision Crafted Performance.
Acura has recently announced production plans for Type S versions of the TLX performance sedan and MDX. Both models will be powered by turbocharged V6 engines, similar to the production-based engine used in the ARX-05 prototype.

Where to Watch the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Television coverage from Sebring begins at 10 a.m. ET Saturday on the NBC Sports Network. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Sports App and TrackPass on NBC Gold.

Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and Sirius XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from Sebring International Raceway can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Garcia Leads Corvette 1-2 Milner second in ultra-close GTLM qualifying between two Corvette C8.Rs

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Antonio Garcia put Corvette Racing on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Friday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts as the team looks to continue its strong opening to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Garcia, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a GTLM record with a 1:54.910 (117.169 mph) around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit for Saturday’s race in central Florida. He was a sliver quicker – by just 0.034 seconds – than teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette. His time was a 1:54.944 (117.135 mph). Garcia was the GTLM pole-winner for November’s rescheduled 2020 Sebring 12 Hours, and he shared the GTLM Drivers Championship with teammate Jordan Taylor. The pairing, along with Nicky Catsburg, won the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the 2021 season. Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims were second at the Rolex but were the GTLM pole-sitters there. Milner also won a two-hour, 40-minute sprint race at Sebring in July with Oliver Gavin. Corvette Racing and Chevrolet sit 1-2 in the early-season GTLM points standings. The No. 3 Corvette group leads over the No. 4 C8.R in full-season points, but the positions are switched in the Michelin Endurance Cup. The four-race championship is made of IMSA’s four long-distance races with Milner, Tandy and Sims claiming the most points at the pre-determined marks of the Rolex 24. Sebring serves as the second round of the MEC. All signs point toward Corvette Racing contending for its 13th victory at Sebring International Raceway and 12th in the annual 12-hour enduro. The program’s last two Rolex 24 victories in 2015 and 2016 led to race wins at Sebring only weeks later.  The mid-engine C8.R and Corvette Stingray street car were developed simultaneously, and the race car and production vehicle share more technology and parts than any previous-generation Corvette. When initial Corvette C8.R design and development work began more than six years ago, Corvette Racing engineers worked closely alongside Corvette production personnel with a heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation testing. The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. The race will air on NBCSN from 10 a.m.-noon and 7-10:30 p.m. ET. The full race will be streamed on TrackPass via NBC Sports Gold and the NBC Sports App. IMSA Radio will air full qualifying and race coverage at IMSA.comalong with Sirius 216, XM 392 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was very stressful! We are not used to qualifying together with the GTD cars, so initially it was very difficult for us to gauge how much room you had to fall back in order not to catch them. It seemed like no matter how much we were back, we were still catching them. I knew Tommy was coming from behind me, so I couldn’t really open a gap; I didn’t want to bother him. The first attempt was really bad. The second one I thought I had enough gap but had to dive for a pass going into Turn 17. I knew it was a good lap, so I had to go for it. I’m very happy for Corvette. It’s always good to have Corvette Racing up there 1-2 even if it is a long race. Let’s see if we can keep those positions like we did at Daytona.”ON QUALIFYING WITH GTD CARS: “We are just used to qualifying alone, so we need to get used to it. For the first race, it was a little bit of a shock for us because we didn’t know how to place ourselves on track not to interfere with them and for them to not interfere with us. That’s the key thing. They have 12-13 cars in that category so it’s always difficult around Sebring anyway. When it comes to shorter races, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Sebring is a long track. I think we all more or less got a clean lap but for sure it was stressful.”TELL US ABOUT THE POLE RUN WHICH IS A NEW TRACK RECORD AND BEING BACK WITH JORDAN AND NICKY AFTER WINNING THE ROLEX 24: “It is always good to be back at Sebring and always special to do qualifying with lighter tanks and going for it. I really enjoy doing that even though with the new rules this year we are sharing the track with the GTD category, so that brings a little more excitement into the qualifying because you need to place yourself in the right position not to catch them. It was very stressful and I didn’t know what the gap would be between the two categories. On my fast lap, I had to pass a car into (Turn) 17 but it didn’t seem to disturb me too much. I think it was (Earl) Bamber driving the other car. He didn’t block me or put me in a bad situation, so sorry if I destroyed his lap but I had to go. I’m pretty happy with that and a 1-2 for Corvette Racing. We will see if we can keep this for tomorrow’s race.”DO YOU FEEL LIKE THERE IS UNFINISHED BUSINESS HERE FOR THE C8.R?“I think so. Last year we were in position as we proved by setting the pole and then being up there fighting with the BMWs and Porsches. I think we had the pace at the end, but unfortunately we couldn’t fight for it. So tomorrow is just another race, and we need to focus on that… on trying to win this thing. It’s going to be tough as Sebring has always been. It’s different conditions. Hopefully it won’t be as hot as it was  yesterday. Maybe things will be a tiny bit easier. We will go through all three different conditions – cooler at the beginning, then very hot, then cooler again at night. We just need to survive out there and then when it gets to the last two hours, it’s game on. Let’s see how it goes, and as you said, unfinished business from last year so let’s see if we can take home this one.”

TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – QUALIFIED SECOND IN GTLM: “We can’t be unhappy with first and second. To be that close and not having scored a pole in IMSA competition is frustrating! But the cars were obviously super-quick today. The competition is also close, too. It looks like we will have a pretty tough race tomorrow. It’s tough no matter what at Sebring, but when you have three other cars that are going to be competitive for the whole race, that makes it trickier. We still have a little work to do with car setup and get it as good as we can for the whole 12 hours. We’re starting from a good spot in terms of position on the track but from a comfort standpoint, we’re in a good place too. We’ll do a little more in the warmup, and we have 12 hours to make little tweaks and tunes as we need.”EVOLUTION OF C8.R FROM FIRST TIME AT SEBRING IN 2020: “It’s hard to compare to our first time here. Every time we go to the track, the guys are taking lessons from data and from the simulator to improve things. If we went back to exactly how we ran for the first time here in February of last year, I’m sure the cars would feel significantly different. It’s being refined and evolving over time. Certainly we are going in the right direction.”

CORVETTE RACING AT SEBRING: Antonio Garcia Pole-Winner Quote

SEBRING, Fla. (March 19, 2021) – Antonio Garcia put Corvette Racing on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) pole position Friday for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Advance Auto Parts as the team looks to continue its strong opening to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Garcia, driving the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, set a lap of 1:54.910 around the 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit for Saturday’s race in central Florida. He was a sliver quicker – by just 0.034 seconds – than teammate Tommy Milner in the No. 4 Corvette. Garcia was the GTLM pole-winner for November’s rescheduled 2020 Sebring 12 Hours. He also was part of the class-winning lineup for the Rolex 24 At Daytona with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg. ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTLM POLE-WINNER: “It was very stressful! We are not used to qualifying together with the GTD cars, so initially it was very difficult for us to gauge how much room you had to fall back in order not to catch them. It seemed like no matter how much we were back, we were still catching them. I knew Tommy was coming from behind me, so I couldn’t really open a gap; I didn’t want to bother him. The first attempt was really bad. The second one I thought I had enough gap but had to dive for a pass going into Turn 17. I knew it was a good lap, so I had to go for it. I’m very happy for Corvette. It’s always good to have Corvette Racing up there 1-2 even if it is a long race. Let’s see if we can keep those positions like we did at Daytona.”ON QUALIFYING WITH GTD CARS: “We are just used to qualifying alone, so we need to get used to it. For the first race, it was a little bit of a shock for us because we didn’t know how to place ourselves on track not to interfere with them and for them to not interfere with us. That’s the key thing. They have 12-13 cars in that category so it’s always difficult around Sebring anyway. When it comes to shorter races, I don’t know what’s going to happen. Sebring is a long track. I think we all more or less got a clean lap but for sure it was stressful.”

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE FOLDS OF HONOR QUIKTRIP 500 ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY HAMPTON, GEORGIA MARCH 21, 2021

RACE #6 – ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAYNASCAR’s three national series head back east this weekend for races on the 1.54-mile, 24-degree banked oval of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Chevrolet will aim for its 41st NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory at the track in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. FOX will telecast the 325-lap race at 3:00 p.m. ET Sunday, March 21.
Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE, is one of two active drivers with three victories (2002, 2009, 2010) at the racetrack that has hosted 113 NCS races since July 1960 and was the site of the season finale from 1987 to 2000. In 29 starts, Busch has collected 15 top-10 finishes and led 803 laps.
AJ Allmendinger, who won the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2020, will seek to take the checkered flag again in the 163-lap Echo Park 250 that will be telecast on FS1 at 5:00 p.m. ET Saturday, March 20. Allmendinger, who will start on the inside of Row 2 in the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Camaro SS, won the NXS race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this month. Brandon Brown, who posted a career-high third place at Phoenix Raceway last weekend, will start fourth in the No. 68 Brandonbilt Motorsports Camaro SS.
Chip Ganassi Racing Cup Series driver, Ross Chastain, will take on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) in the F8Auctions 200, piloting the No. 44 Niece Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado. FS1 will telecast the 130-lap race at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, March 20. 
FOUR IN THE TOP-10Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with four drivers in the top-10 of the points standings. Kyle Larson and Georgia native, Chase Elliott, both have 179 points, just one point out of fourth place. Their Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate, William Byron, currently sits in the ninth position, while Chip Ganassi Racing’s, Kurt Busch, rounds out the top-10. 
Larson, who won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is among just three drivers with four top-10 finishes in the five races. He has a career-best finish of second at Atlanta Motors Speedway came in 2017.
LESSON IN RESILIENCYHendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson and William Byron, who all had to start from the rear of the field at Phoenix, rallied to claim top-10 finishes. Larson, in particular, was resilient. After racing to eighth, he was sent to the rear of the lead lap because of a pit lane speed violation. He then weaved his way through the field to second, but again was assessed a pit lane speed violation. Larson again rose to second and eventually finished seventh.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. Here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters: 5th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE6th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 1LE9th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 1LE11th    Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE12th    Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE13th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Off Road Camaro ZL1 1LE14th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet is tied for the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Points Standings and leads in top-10 finishes (22) after five races.
·       Chevrolet has registered four consecutive wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway on three occasions: sweeps in 1983-84, 1995-96 and 2003-04.
·       In addition to its 40 wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the Bowtie Brand has recorded 25 poles, 190 top-five and 381 top-10 finishes.
·       Chevrolet has 797 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers. ·       Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson, are among just three drivers to complete all 1,116 laps through the five races. ·       JTG Daugherty Racing’s, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Ryan Preece, each have three top-15 finishes through five races. Last year, the team had one at the same point. ·       Rick Stenhouse Jr. Stenhouse claimed his first NCS pole at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September 2013.  ·       Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway) have captured stage wins thus far this season.
TUNE INFOX will telecast the 325-lap Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 live at 3 p.m. ET Sunday, March 21. Live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 5th IN STANDINGSLARSON ON RACING AT ATLANTA: “Atlanta is a fun place to race that many of us enjoy. The surface is so worn out that you have to manage your tires. The preferred line is the ‘Harvick’ line – on the bottom – and I’ve worked hard in the past to really get that line working in turns three and four. In turns one and two, you can run the top but it’s really hard on the tires. I’m looking forward to it because I think we’ll have a really fast car there.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE DANIELS ON THE CHALLENGES AT ATLANTA: “Our focus is on setting up the car so that Kyle can run the line he wants to run – whether that is low or high or wherever in the turns. Another challenge there is tire wear and fall off. If you go one lap under green and then the caution comes out, everybody is probably putting on new tires. Hopefully, we don’t have so many cautions that you run out of tires. I don’t believe that will happen.”
DANIELS ON PREPARING FOR LATE-RACE PIT STOPS: “Calling a race is a little bit difficult under green, especially if the run goes long at the end of the race. Do you try to short pit which will guarantee you gain track position? Late in the run with 10 to go or less, newer tires with fewer laps, even if just a couple, can show speed. While you may leapfrog some early in the run, they can get you back at the end of that run. The challenge is defending against the opposite decision you made.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON THE CHALLENGING ATLANTA TRACK: “Atlanta is definitely a tough place. The racetrack has a lot of wear to it – the surface is one of the oldest that we go to – so finding grip is a challenge. The track has a lot of character and is very line sensitive to where you can and can’t run to find that. You really have to hit your marks well in Atlanta to have success. I think the track conditions this weekend will be pretty similar to last year in a lot of ways. The No. 9 team and I have talked a lot about last year’s event. That’s how we are going about the set up for Sunday is from last year and taking things away from how we did, what we did good and what we can improve on.”
ELLIOTT ON RETURNING TO ATLANTA:  “It’s always nice to race in Atlanta. I’ve been racing here for a long time, raced a lot of legend cars and bandolero races here, so it’s a special place to me. Atlanta is just a fun track to come to. I think anywhere that you run three or four laps and the lap times have fallen off significantly like they are here all the time, I think that makes it fun. It makes it fun from a strategy standpoint.”
ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEGUSTAFSON ON WHAT THE TEAM HAS LEARNED AT INTERMEDIATE TRACKS IN 2021: “As we head to another 1.5-mile track, we learned some deficiencies we had at Homestead and are certainly going to improve on that. At Las Vegas our NAPA Chevy was really fast, but we just had some execution issues so we need to clean those up. I really like Atlanta; it has always been a fun track and super difficult to get a hold of. I think we can take some things from those first two intermediate tracks and some of our past experience at Atlanta and try to put our best foot forward on Sunday.”
GUSTAFSON ON RACING AT ATLANTA:“We were at Atlanta in June last year and it was fairly sunny, it wasn’t a terribly hot day so I think that the hotter it is the less grip the track is going to have. I still think it will be a place that is difficult even though it is projected to be in the 60s when we are there. I think the truth is that it’s never the same no matter what you do. We could go race there a week later and it’s just never the same. You just have to piece together all the little experiences you have and ultimately try to hit on it.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO RACE AT ATLANTA: “Atlanta is just a tough track. It’s a little bit easier at this time of the year because it’s a bit cooler, but it’s not easy to run there ever by any means. You’re going to need to have a car that can do all the right things throughout the entire race. Luckily, I feel like this Sunday’s race will be similar to Homestead, and it gives us a good idea of what we need in our car. We can use past Atlanta notes and pair them with our Homestead notes from this year to, hopefully, continue this stretch of good runs we have going.”
BYRON ON THE TIRE FALL-OFF AT ALTANTA:“You notice the tire fall-off really every corner at Atlanta. You may have a couple laps that the tires feel good, but after that with every corner you can feel the tires fall off and lose grip. It’s a challenge to keep the car straight at times. Add to that that you’re racing against other guys and if they take your lane away it becomes really hard to find another lane to be as fast in. It’s all really difficult to manage for that long of a period of time consistently.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON THE NO. 24 TEAM’S START TO 2021:  “I’m proud of what this team has accomplished so far this year. While we started off with a couple of hard races, we still had small victories along the way. This group never got down and worked on righting the ship to put together good solid races. Phoenix last week was a good example of that. It was just a solid mistake-free day all the way around. We need to continue to have more of those races and keep our foot on the gas.”
FUGLE ON RACING ATLANTA: “Atlanta is a track that I have a lot of laps at. It’s a track that we use to test at with rookie drivers in the truck series, which has been the majority of my career. I feel like I have a really good idea of what we can expect the track to do, not only at this time of year, but also throughout the entirety of the race. With Atlanta having such an old, worn out surface, consistency will be key Sunday. We need to make sure not to abuse the tires early on and maintain track position at the same time. If you can manage the track and your tires throughout the run, you’ll pick up positions when other cars begin to struggle. We were able to do that at Homestead, so hopefully that carries over to this weekend’s race as well.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS/TRACKER OFF ROAD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS ANOTHER TRACK WHERE THE ASPHALT THERE IS AMONG THE FAVORITE OF THE DRIVERS, AM I RIGHT? “It’s old, but I’m glad they’ve kept it the same. It’s a place that drivers love because you know it’s going to be slick and over time you might be able to find some grip by moving around or changing your line and being disciplined with the throttle.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON RACING AT ATLANTA:“Atlanta is a fun track. We haven’t had the results there that we should have, but it is a track where I think we can be really strong. The track is one that you can move around a lot and tire management is going to be key on Sunday. Our intermediate program at Hendrick Motorsports is definitely a strong one and I think we have a good notebook going into this weekend’s race.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON BOUNCING BACK AFTER A DIFFICULT RACE:  “You always wish there was something that would invert the field or something like that following a tough week. Ultimately, it is up to us to perform and to get those finishes and move up in the points. It is a gift that you definitely don’t want to open every week if it is on the bad side. You look at Daytona and getting wrecked while running second, having a flat left-rear at Vegas and then getting wrecked on whatever lap last week (at Phoenix). Some of those things are in our control and some of them aren’t. We have to stay focused on the positives, work on the negatives and move forward.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 PETTY’S GARAGE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSTHOUGHTS LOOKING AHEAD AT ATLANTA WITH YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE AT THE TRACK. “Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of my favorite tracks with the way it wears out, how slick it is and how it wears out tires. I really enjoy that style of racing. It lends its hand to save some tire on the front side of a run and trying to be good on the second half of it. As a driver, that is fun. You want the options; you want the chance to go out and be better on old tires, be better than the guy in front of you and just manage your stuff better. That’s kind of the old-school feel of NASCAR for me, and how you grow up racing is managing that run and managing your tires to try and be there at the end of the race. I always look forward to the Atlanta race. It’s a really technical place for a 1.5-mile track and that’s what makes it fun.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON RACING AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND? “Atlanta is a lot of fun. I can’t even remember exactly what happened the last time we were there, but I love that place. It has a lot of character. It’s very difficult. It has a lot of bumps. It’s very rough on tires. Every driver is going to be screaming for grip and for downforce. But it’s a fun place. I really enjoy it a lot and I’m looking forward to going back.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGS“Tires will be very important to having a successful race at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Even with the downforce package we have, tires still remain as a key to this track due to the extremely worn-out surface. Last year, I was still getting a feel for a Cup car when we raced at Atlanta and thought I had a tire going down during the first Stage, so now that I know what that feels like I know what to watch out for. We had some handling issues during last year’s race too where our Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE would swing from being way too loose to way too tight, so my team has looked back at last year’s notes a lot this week to prepare and have a better handling No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet this time around. I enjoy racing at Atlanta with its old track surface, so I’m excited for this weekend.”
COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 NFL ALUMNI/FOLDS OF HONOR CAMARO ZL1 1LE- 29th IN STANDINGS“Atlanta is the most worn-out track on the schedule, so it’s important the car is dialed in for the long runs. Our Crew Chief, Ryan Sparks, has a solid game plan together to get our NFL Alumni/Folds of Honor Camaro ZL1 1LE towards the front from a 30th starting position. The NFL Alumni does incredible work within their community. To have them integrate the Folds of Honor to support scholarship opportunities for veterans and their families is incredibly admirable. I’m proud to represent both organizations this weekend in the QuikTrip Folds of Honor 500.”

IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING CORVETTE RACING JORDAN TAYLOR AND NICK TANDY MEDIA AVAILABILITY TRANSCRIPT MARCH 18, 2021 Corvette Racing drivers Jordan Taylor and Nick Tandy met with members of the media during a Zoom conference call Thursday ahead of the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Advance Auto Parts. FULL TRANSCRIPT: JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.RIMPRESSIONS OF FIRST PRACTICE AND THE SILVER MOBIL 1 LIVERY ON THE CORVETTES:“Practice was good. We did a test here last month, coming off last year where we raced here twice and had some good success. We had some stuff we wanted to work on and felt like we learned some stuff during that day and rolled off the truck well today. There are still some things work on and things to understand about tire life for the weekend, which we will do later today. It is weird driving a silver car. Obviously the 4 car was silver last year, but it’s cool to commemorate the 25-year relationship with Mobil 1. It’s why Corvette Racing… to develop technology that transfers to the street, and that goes hand-in-hand with what Mobil 1 does as well. That relationship has been super strong and brings a lot of success to the team. It’s super cool to be part of this 25-year anniversary.” WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE NEW LIVERIES?“I think it’s cool. Racecars are iconic with their look. You can look at the history of Corvette Racing, and it’s been predominantly yellow. Those one-off and unique paint schemes are just as famous because it’s so rare that Corvette changes its color. For us to do a one-off livery like this shows how much the Mobil 1 relationship means to the team.” REMIND US HOW FAR YOU LIVE FROM THE TRACK AND HOW MUCH THIS RACE MEANS TO YOU BEING A LOCAL.“It’s two hours for me from home. I’ve been coming here since the mid-90s to watch my dad race here. It was the first place where I drove a racecar in my Skip Barber Racing School car for a three-day session. I’ve been coming here since I was a driver since I was 15 and as a fan since I was four or five. It’s definitely a special place, and it’s rare you get to grow up around such an iconic track.” DID YOU EVER GET LOST FROM YOUR PARENTS WHEN YOU WERE A KID?“I think when we were here as a kid, we were looked after pretty close! I don’t think we were able to get away too far. Daytona was where I got into the most trouble as a kid!” ARE FANS PROTECTIVE OF LIVERIES, NUMBERS AND THEIR FAVORITE THINGS?“Just because there is a bad reaction, I don’t necessarily think it’s bad; it just means they are passionate about something, they care about it and it means a lot to them. So when you see a bad reaction to something, it can be looked at as a positive that they are so involved and so into it. Like Nick said, liveries can be iconic. You look at the past in sports car racing at something like the Brumos livery was so simple and basic. It’s an iconic look. If you saw Brumos with some different color, I’m sure it would be it odd or if it didn’t have a 59 on it, it would be weird. I understand people’s reactions but at the same time when the Mobil 1 livery come out, it was cool to see people posting the old Corvette liveries like the Goodwrench one, which is iconic on its own. When Dale (Earnhardt) Sr. drove the car, there were some subtle changes when they changed the font on the number when he drove it. Those are iconic looks. After this weekend, this will be an iconic look and we’ll be seeing pictures and videos of the Mobil 1 livery that we did for the Sebring 12 Hours in 2021 for years to come.” BEING BACK IN MARCH AND WITH MORE FANS BACK, DOES IT FEEL A LITTLE MORE NORMAL AND A 12 HOURS OF SEBRING WEEKEND?“Yes and no. This morning, I got to do the install lap, so you drive around slowly before driving back to the pits. You’re able to look around, and it’s great to see all the fans throughout the infield. It definitely gives you that aura that the fans are back and it’s the Sebring 12 Hours. I think it’s only going to feel the same again when fans are allowed back in the paddock. Sports car racing is known for being fan-friendly where fans can come talk to the drivers and get close to the cars. That’s the way we grew up racing here in sports car racing, so until we get back to that where we can have an autograph session and we can go back to the Corvette Corral and talk to them in person, it’s not going to have that same effect and you’re not going to have that same kind of build-up before the race.” ARE YOU BREAKING OUT THE BEEKEEPPER SUIT AGAIN THIS YEAR?“Last year it was brutally hot, and I think it’s just as hot this weekend! It’s not going to make it out this weekend. That also was the finale last year, so I think I got away with it. This weekend would have taken some more negotiating!”  NICK TANDY, NO. 4 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.RA LOT OF PAST SUCCESS AT SEBRING, SO HOW DOES YOU FEEL COMING INTO THE WEEKEND?“Feeling good. We tested here a couple of weeks ago after Daytona. It was a good test. The car feels very suited to this style of racetrack. The C8.R, with the development that happened over the course of last year and the winter, it seems like a pretty tough car. It handles the bumps well, it has good downforce, so it handles the bumps at Sebring well. So it feels good to drive. It’s different to what I’ve been used to at Sebring, but we have done a couple of tests here since the end of last season. Tommy (Milner) drove most of the session this morning and Alexander (Sims) turned some laps toward the end to get involved back to the race circuit. I’ll be heading off into FP2. Tommy says the car feels good. Obviously the track changes a lot here at Sebring from week to week, let alone year to year. Getting the cars dialed in and the right tire choice selected for the track conditions is part of the challenge of the 12 Hours. I’ve been able to win here the last three years luckily enough, and the previous three were taken by Corvette Racing. We’re hoping to keep that streak going for the pair of us.” WHAT’S YOUR REACTION TO THE NEW LIVERIES?“The special liveries are pretty spectacular. Racecar liveries are iconic. The good liveries and the winning liveries go down in history. The cars are reproduced in other forms. The liveries are seen in pictures for years to come. It’s great that Mobil 1 are on board with us. Personally, it was nice to walk in, and the first time I saw the cars was as I walked into the race paddock yesterday morning. We’re just as big a fan of racecars, how they look, the special liveries and things like this as much as anyone else. It’s good to see.” HOW OFTEN DURING A LAP AROUND SEBRING WHERE THE CAR IS SO FAR OUT OF THE TRACK AND OFF THE LINE?“The obvious one and the one we see most often is under the bridge at Turn 17. In this sort of area, you’re typically in an off-throttle or just going back-to-throttle phase. It’s not too difficult to deal with. The one that we struggle with most is when you are hard on power at the exit of Turn One. There’s a couple of big bumps; you’re going back hard on power and the car snaps loose. There’s a big dip and bump in Turn 13, which is quite a critical corner to get speed on the straight down to Turn 15. This track is pretty challenging all the way around.” NASCAR IS LOOKING AT CHANGING THE NUMBER PLACEMENT ON CARS, AND SOME PEOPLE THINK THE SKY IS FALLING. IN SPORTS CARS, DO FANS REACT DIFFERENTLY THAN NASCAR FANS WHEN YOU DO THIS KIND OF THING?“I’m kind of with you a bit, to be honest, on the number placement. One of the big things about stock car racing and especially with Cup stuff is that the liveries are based around the big number being on the roof or a door. As far as sports car racing, it’s probably similar. Going back to what we said before, the Corvette Racing colors have always been yellow. When something changes after what’s been iconic for such a long time, it brings out reactions. Everything I’ve seen so far is positive. It’s not like we are ditching the yellow and the normal color scheme forever. It’s a celebration of what we’ve done in the past. I think people appreciate that and we appreciate the fact that we are part of these partnerships that allow us to do these iconic color schemes because of certain successes and reasons. I think it’s all good.”  KEYS TO PERSONAL SUCCESS AT SEBRING?“It’s a good question and I’m not really sure, to be honest. Last year, we were pretty lucky to be quite fair. We probably had a third- or fourth-place car, but things happened and we were there to pick up the pieces. It wasn’t undeserved, I would say. One of the unique things about the 12 Hours of Sebring typically for the finishing driver… the penultimate time you get out of the car is in the middle of the day and bright sunshine, and the next time you get in for the run to the flag, it’s pitch black. As a driver, you have to deal with this. Maybe there’s something about night racing that suits some people better than others. I know from previous years that we’ve always looked to have cars that were very good in the cool of the night; the track is very different to how it is in the middle of the day. But then everyone knows this, so there’s probably no difference in how you go about setting the car up for the run to the flag. Maybe it’s just a bit of experience. I’ve been coming here since 2013 in the GT or GT Le Mans class, so maybe a bit of experience helps as well.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 18, 2021

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Press Conference Transcript:  NOW THAT YOU’VE GOT A CUP CHAMPIONSHIP UNDER YOUR BELT AND SOME WINS AT BIG TRACKS, IS A WIN AT ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY KIND OF ONE OF THOSE THAT YOU SAVE A SPOT ON YOUR MANTEL FOR, LIKE YOU WOULD FOR THE DAYTONA 500? WHERE DOES THIS ONE RANK FOR YOU?“I would love to have a win at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). I feel like anybody’s home track, you want to have a win at, for sure, if you can get it. But like I’ve said in the past, I’m not super picky when it comes to wins; I’m good with wherever. They’re too hard to win. Atlanta would be great. I would love to get it done one day and be able to have one there, for sure.”
YOU’RE DOING THE BRISTOL DIRT NATIONALS HERE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. SOME DRIVERS ARE DOING THE TRUCKS NEXT WEEK. DID YOU TRY TO GET A TRUCK AND/OR IS THERE SOMETHING BETTER ABOUT DOING THE BRISTOL DIRT THIS WEEK THAN TRYING TO GET A LEARNING EXPERIENCE IN THE TRUCKS ON SATURDAY FOR THE CUP ON SUNDAY. “Yeah, I put some effort in trying to get into a truck next week. I would have liked to; it just didn’t pan out. So, this was a great opportunity I thought. I don’t necessarily think the cars are going to drive very similar to the Cup cars next week, but just to see the race track and be able to just get some hands-on experience with it before we show up next week I think will be helpful. I do think the trucks will drive way more like the Cup cars next week, when it comes to the actual driving capability of them.”
“Yeah, I would have loved to have gotten in a truck. It didn’t work out, but I think going and doing this will help me just be able to visualize things, understand the racetrack a little more and just kind of get a little bit of a feel for what dirt is like there at Bristol before we just show up. I’m excited about it; I haven’t been in a late model in a long time. I’m not really sure what to expect, but looking forward to trying.”
WE TALKED ABOUT AT ALANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY AND HOW YOU’D LIKE TO GET YOUR FIRST WIN HERE. WHAT MAKES THIS TRACK SO CHALLENGING AND WHAT’S IT GOING TO TAKE FOR YOUR TEAM TO KIND OF LOCK UP YOUR FIRST WIN HERE? “Atlanta (Motor Speedway) is tough. It’s an old surface, for sure, which I think makes it fun for the drivers. I feel like a lot of people enjoy going there because of that. But, overall for us, it’s been super hit or miss and I really don’t know why. We’ve gone there and we’ve had some really good runs; a couple of days that I thought we were capable of winning. And then we’ve been there and just been way out to lunch. So, I’m not exactly sure what that is all the time. Obviously, car configuration, rules, different packages and all that stuff plays a role in it. Hopefully this week we can be more on the hit side and execute a good race. Obviously, you have to have things going well for you to have a shot to win anywhere, but definitely have to execute a good race to put yourself in position to win. So, hopefully we can check both of those boxes.”
THERE’S SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THE DIRT RACE THAT SOME PEOPLE EVEN SAID YESTERDAY THAT IT WAS OVERSHADOWING ATLANTA. I KNOW HOW MUCH YOU’D LIKE TO WIN ANYWHERE. IS THERE SOMETHING SPECIAL STILL ABOUT THAT FOR YOU TO GO THERE AND GET IT DONE? “Yeah, I would love to go have a good run at Atlanta. It’s always going to be a special place for me. I spent a lot of time racing Legend cars and things like that down there. So, for sure, I would love to go and have a good run.”“But, yeah, a lot of people are talking about Bristol, for sure. I hate that for Atlanta that people feel that way, but I anticipate the same people who are saying that it’s overshadowing the race will likely tune in on Sunday at the same time. Hopefully it’s a good race for everybody and we can have a good run.”
CAN YOU ALSO TALK ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO RACE ON A TRACK LIKE ATLANTA, WHERE YOU NEED TIRES EVERY SINGLE TIME YOU GO IN, THE TIRES FALL OFF AND IT’S SO DIFFICULT. AS A DRIVER, WHAT DOES THAT FEEL LIKE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT AND HOW MUCH CAN THAT EFFECT IT? “ust the pace fall-off is massive. Every lap you run, you’re pretty much losing time. If you can run two laps the same in the first 10-15 laps of a run, you’ve really done well, at least in the past. This package, you might be able to run a couple the same; maybe a little longer than you could before. But, still, the fall-off is definitely there. That’s what makes the race track so challenging; just trying to find some consistency, trying to get in a rhythm and not beat up your tires. That’s a hard thing to do when you’re trying to go really fast and trying to set a good pace at the same time. It’s always been a challenge and I’d say always will be, as long as the surface is like it is.”
WHAT HAVE YOU NOTICED ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS THIS YEAR, WHERE ALL FOUR TEAMS SEEM TO HAVE SPEED CONSISTENTLY WEEK-TO-WEEK, AS OPPOSED TO MAYBE THE LAST TWO YEARS, WHERE ONE OR TWO OF YOU GUYS WERE REALLY GOOD?“I think it’s really a testament to everybody at the shop putting in a lot of effort; each individual team putting in a lot of effort to go and be the best we can and that’s really what it comes down to. I don’t think any of the drivers are trying any harder than we have in the past. I think it’s just a really nice effort from the top to the bottom of trying to take four fast racecars to the track every weekend. I do feel like everybody is, I don’t want to say sharing information because we’ve always done that, but just working together a little more from all aspects. You might have some people who work really good together sometimes and other people don’t. Where I feel like, right now, it’s super fluid and everybody’s open about anything and everything, and I feel like it’s showing on track. But beyond that, I really feel it’s fundamental upgrades, things that are important on track, being improved upon in the shop and I think each car is benefitting from it.”
YOU MENTIONED EVERYONE SHARING INFORMATION AND KIND OF BEING ON THE SAME PAGE. IS THAT PART OF THE RE-ORGANIZATION, PUTTING CHAD (KNAUS) IN A POSITION WHERE HE’S KIND OF OVERSEEING COMPETITION TO SOME DEGREE OR ARE THERE OTHER FACTORS?“I don’t think Chad’s (Knaus) position hurts anything, for sure. I think he’s a nice addition to that. Obviously, he’s been taking cars at a high level to the racetrack for a long time. So, to have him at the shop and to be able to oversee everyone’s car. And really, more than anything, I feel like where his position has been helpful is when a crew chief sees his car for the first time a week before the race or something, I feel like that crew chief has less work to do on his car to get it ready to go to the track to his standards and I think Chad has had a big impact in having that car show up in a manner that particular crew chief wants it to be in before he sees it for the first time. That makes a big difference.”
WE’VE HAD KIND OF AN UNPREDICTABLE YEAR WHEN IT COMES TO WINNERS. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT AND IS IT GOOD FOR THE SPORT?“Well, it’s certainly not bad. Having different people win I think is good, right. Why would it be bad, I guess is what I’m thinking in my head. I feel like it’s a good thing from a fan’s perspective. I think it’s exciting when you have different people winning and it’s been that way kind of every week I guess since we started the season. Yeah, I don’t see anything bad about that at all. I think it adds excitement and predicting these first four or five weeks, for sure, would have been tough. But none of them have been fluke wins. Michael (McDowell) was fast at Daytona; Christopher (Bell) was good at the (Daytona) Road Course; William (Byron) was really fast; Kyle (Larson) was really fast at Vegas; and obviously (Martin) Truex (Jr.) got his car in a position to be super good at Phoenix. I don’t see where it’s a bad thing for the sport at all.”
YOU STARTED DIRT RACING AND YOU GOT HIGH PRAISE FROM PEOPLE, LIKE KYLE LARSON, THAT WATCHED YOU. DID YOU SEEM TO TAKE TO IT NATURALLY AND HAVE YOU ENJOYED THE DIRT RACING?“Yeah, I’ve had a lot of fun with it. I’m not very good at it, I don’t think, but I’m looking forward to trying to get better. I think, more than anything, I enjoy the challenge of it and it’s just a discipline that I haven’t spent much time trying to work on my craft in and try to get better at. I think that the fact that it is something new intrigues me, has my attention and I want to get better at it. I think I can get better at it and I think that’s where I have some motivation and drive to want to do more of it, is that I don’t feel like I have learned all the things I need to learn to be the best I can at it and I think I can do better. So, that’s why I want to keep going and trying.”
THE IDEA OF HOME TRACK ADVANTAGE IS SUCH A PART OF SPORT’S CULTURE AND, OBVIOUSLY, NASCAR IS A BIT DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHERS. FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS A DRIVER, IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A TRADITIONAL HOME TRACK ADVANTAGE IN NASCAR AND, IF SO, HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN IT SOMEBODY THAT’S NEW TO THE SPORT? “Yeah, it’s super tough. NASCAR is definitely unique in that way and I don’t really have a good way of describing that for you. But, it’s definitely not like having home field; it’s not like the Brave’s having home field advantage for their Playoff run or whatever. So, very different. I wish Atlanta was like that for me, but there’s a lot of people there that want to see other drivers do well, too. Granted, I think a lot of them are from around here and will want to see us do well. But I guess the reason is there are 39 other people in the event, not just the two teams. Logically thinking, I guess that would be why it’s different.”
WHAT HAS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND KYLE LARSON BEEN LIKE THUS FAR AND HOW GREAT HAS IT BEEN TO SEE HIM HAVE THE SPEED SO EARLY IN HIS HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ CAREER?“Our relationship has been good. I’ve always respected Kyle (Larson); I feel like we’ve mutually respected each other since we both kind of came on the scene. He came in a little earlier than me, but we were Chevy teammates through those years that he was at Ganassi and then obviously now being teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. Like I said, we’ve always gotten along fine and I’m not surprised at all by his performance. He’s done very well for himself; I feel like he’s earned is spot back in NASCAR and then some. And obviously his on-track performance speaks for itself. I’m just happy to see him back where he belongs. I feel like he belongs in the Cup Series and I think he’ll do very well at it.”
THE RACING YOU DID OVER THE OFF SEASON, IT GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION. WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOURSELF AS A RACER IN THOSE ENDEAVORS AND HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO APPLY ANY LESSONS THAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM THOSE EXPERIENCES INTO THE FIRST FIVE RACES OF 2021?“Yeah, I have, for sure. Number one, I didn’t do very well at all in any of it. So, you go and when you challenge yourself in different ways, it’s good for you. It’s good for you to go and push yourself to new levels. Coming off a great season, it’s great to go and kind of find new limits. Understand more about yourself in different ways, ways that you haven’t experienced before. And all those new experiences – if you take one thing from all of them combined, you’ve spent your time in a good place and it was worth doing it.”
“I think the bottom line is just a new challenge, a new set of circumstances, a new discipline – all of those things just are pushing yourself in ways that I haven’t done in the past and I think it’s a good thing. I hope I can do some more of it.”
AFTER FIVE RACES THIS SEASON ON A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES OF TRACKS, WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR CAR’S SPEED IS NOW COMPARED TO MAYBE THE END OF THE SEASON LAST YEAR? IS THERE ANYWHERE YOU FEEL LIKE MAYBE YOU GUYS CAN IMPROVE UPON STILL?“Yeah, I mean I think we could have improved last year too. We were really bad at Homestead there this year, which last year Homestead was one, I guess it’s kind of interesting, we had our best run we’ve ever had at Homestead last year earlier on in the season, after the break and what not. So, I was really excited to get there and that one was a struggle; I’m not really sure about that. But it’s just so hard to predict, with just how close everybody is nowadays in the garage and how good these teams are, bringing that next upgrade the next week and trying to get better. I don’t really know what to call it, other than just racing. That’s just what it is; it’s close, it’s tight, a little bit goes a long way when you’re fighting for literal tenths of a second. A half of a tenth can go a long way; that’s just the world we live in.”
BUBBA WALLACE TESTED THE NEXT GEN CAR YESTERDAY AT RICHMOND RACEWAY. I’M NOT SURE THAT YOU’VE HAD A CHANCE TO TEST IT OR NOT, BUT IF NOT, WHEN DO YOU ANTICIPATE YOU MIGHT HAVE A SHOT OF TESTING THE NEXT GEN CAR AND WHAT YOUR EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF IT ARE, IF ANY?“Yeah, I mean it seems fine. To be honest with you, I don’t really know much about it. If I had a choice, I would love for them to have everything done – I want them to have that car complete, these are the rules for 2022, this is what the car has to be and I want to go drive that car because I think that’s going to help myself and my team be better prepared for the season and what we’re actually going to see on-track. I still think they have question marks on what is going to be on the car, what’s not going to be on the car, and I would rather go test with my guys that I’m going to go fight the battle with every week and the car that we’re going to be racing on-track within the rules of what the rule book will be for 2022.”
WITH ALL THE NEW TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE, ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT GOING TO TRUCKS OR XFINITY TO TRY TO GET EXPERIENCE THERE?“Yeah, I’ve thought about it, for sure. The Bristol dirt race comes to mind; that was a big one for me. I feel like the Truck event would have been a good one to do there. So, places like that, for sure I’ve concerned. I don’t think it would hurt anything to go and do some of that stuff. But obviously the circumstances have to be right; you have to find the right team, a sponsor and the whole deal. So, it’s not just as easy as me wanting to do it, unfortunately.”
WE SAW HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS SCORE TWO OF THE FIRST FIVE RACES IN WINS. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS’ PROGRAM RIGHT NOW, IN RELATION TO YOUR COMPETITION? “I feel like HMS is an exciting place to be. There’s a lot of talented people, there’s been a lot of talented people there for as long as I’ve been there. But I feel like everybody is just pushing really hard, working well together. Chad’s (Knaus) new role at HMS I think is rolling these cars to the crew chiefs in a better place than they’ve been in the past. I think he’s a guy who pays the attention to detail that it takes to be successful at the Cup level and he’s fought the battle for however many years, a long time. I mean how long has he been around NASCAR, working at all different types of jobs within race teams. Absolutely, I think there are some good things going on and we just need to keep pushing. The whole season is important, but having your stuff right at the right time is also important, as well. So, we’ve got to keep our heads down and keep going.”
WHERE DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU GUYS NEED TO WORK ON TO IMPROVE THE PROGRAM?“Every area – everything has to be perfect. There’s not a place where you can be slacking, I feel like, and expect to do well. Boring answer, but if everything’s not right, you’re probably not going to run good.”
GIVEN THAT YOU DON’T HAVE A TON OF DIRT EXPERIENCE, HOW DOES A DRIVER LIKE YOURSELF PREPARE TO RUN A STOCK CAR ON DIRT NEXT WEEK?“I’m going to show up and get in the car for hot laps. That is my plan; I don’t really know what else to do from that front. Just go up there and give it a shot. Lean on some help from friends who have been around those cars for a long time and hope I can get going and pick up on it quick. That’s about all I can do.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOLDS OF HONOR QUICKTRIP 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 17, 2021
RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 PLANTERS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript: HOW’S THE CAR AND WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING BACK IN A MODIFIED TODAY AT MARTINSVILLE?“Man, this place was made for it I can tell you that. Modifieds are light and fast, and they’ve got a lot of tire and a lot of grip. So, all smiles out of me today. It’s pretty cool.”
IN THE TOUR-TYPE MODIFIED COMMUNITY HERE IN THE SOUTH, IT’S STARTING TO HAVE A RESURGENCE. WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO HOOK SOUTHERNERS ON TOUR-TYPE MODIFIED RACING?“We’re all racers. We all enjoy racing. To be honest with you, there’s plenty of racing to go around; whether you’re a Late Model fan or a full-body fan, or if you’re an open wheel Sprint Car guy. Modifieds are just special, right? They’re a fun race car to go out and basically drive really, really hard. The harder you drive it, the more rewarded you are. That’s what is exciting about it. It was actually really cool. I saw a picture Matt Dillner posted of Caraway, and they actually had a really great crowd. They had a good car count. And it is cool to see how healthy Modified racing is in general is becoming; and obviously healthy the Modified Tour is, where they’re getting 35-plus cars week-in and week-out. That’s what you want to see as a racer. It’s really cool to see the direction the Tour is heading in and all the changes that have been put in place to help the teams and to make it easier for newer teams to come in.”
THE TOUR IS BEING CHALLENGED AND THERE ARE A LOT OF ALTERNATIVES IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA. SO, WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS AS RACERS AND TEAMS, PRIORITIZE AS IT PERTAINS TO THE NASCAR TOUR. WHAT DO THEY NEED TO DO TO MAKE SURE THEY’RE STILL P1 ON THE TOUR-TYPE HUBS?“Well, I think they did a really important step, which was releasing some of those purse structures that usually most people don’t get to see. The majority of the races on the Modified Tour, I think all of them, are over $10,000 to win, which is a great step. That’s something some of the other series and shows, they’ve been really making a big effort and paying more money. I know the Modified Tour does a great job in doing that and also making it pay throughout the field for people who are just showing up, or if you have a bad night, or whatever it might be. At the end of the day, I don’t kind of look at which series I’m going to run or not run. Obviously, the Modified Tour has always been the spotlight, kind of like the World of Outlaws, I feel, or the All-Star Series are kind of like the two big series in Sprint Cars. Really, I just want to race. That’s what I’m concerned about. It’s really awesome that NASCAR and the Whelen Modified Tour have been able to put this all together to come to Martinsville and to go to Richmond and go to these premier race tracks because it’s a great opportunity for guys like myself and Ryan Newman and other drivers that wouldn’t necessarily have the opportunity to run at a historic race track like here or Richmond; and go out and race and put on a great race for the fans.”
WHAT’S MORE FUN TO DRIVE?  A MODIFIED OR A CUP CAR?“Man, I love race cars. I love racing. A Cup car is a lot of fun. I really enjoy it. I love working with JTG and the No. 37 guys and just fine-tuning those things. But I also enjoy racing Modifieds, just like I’m sure Kyle Larson enjoys racing his Sprint car or Christopher Bell enjoys running his Midget or some of these guys doing those things. So, it’s a nice refresher to kind of come out here and it’s no different than if you’re a kid going and racing a Go Kart in a sense. You get excited. I’m having a lot of fun here today. I’m lucky enough that Ed and Connie Partridge, who own the Modified team that I race for, they have a new guy that’s taken over maintaining and setting these cars up. He’s a young kid that I have a lot of faith in, and I’m really excited about working with him this year.”
YOU GET TO HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO BY RACING IN NASCAR CUP AND ALSO THE MODIFIED TOUR. DO YOU FEEL BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO JUMP BACK AND FORTH A LITTLE BIT?“Yeah, for sure. As a racer, your ultimate goal is to get to NASCAR’s Cup Series. That’s where it is. That’s where you want to be. But at the same time, I know where my roots are. I know where I’ve cut my teeth. I know where I’ve put many hours in the race shop to go and win races. And I enjoy racing these race cars and I know quite a bit about them and they’re a lot of fun to race. So, I obviously enjoy doing it, for sure. But yeah, I’m definitely pretty blessed to be able to have owners like Tad and Jodi (Geschickter) that allow me to come do things like this and do these races, and it’s a lot of fun. The best thing for a race car driver is to be in the seat all the time.”
YOU ARE 14TH IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES SEASON. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE START OF THE SEASON SO FAR?“I feel like it’s important to get off to a good start like that. We had two really solid runs back-to-back with the Daytona Superspeedway and the Daytona Road Course; capitalizing on getting some Stage points, which I knew was going to be extremely important. And, we had a pretty good run at Las Vegas. It probably, I felt like, could have been a Top 10. And then just a bad weekend last weekend. It’s just part of those things. It’s like I was talking to my crew chief yesterday, we want to forget about Phoenix. We want to learn from it but we want to look forward to Atlanta and rebounding and putting a solid run together because right now, it’s important to stay consistent and stay out of wrecks and we do our job an execute, we can really shock some people this year. So, we’re excited about it and I’m definitely pumped about how we started the season.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO BRISTOL DIRT AND POTENTIALLY ANOTHER RACE WHERE YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE TO QUALIFY IN?‘’Yes. Pressure doesn’t bother me. We talked about it for the 500, trying to qualify in or even race your way in, it’s just part of the deal. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to race my way in. I’ve been to races where I’ve had to qualify and there have been 60-plus cars there and I’ve done it. So, ultimately you do as much preparation as you can, as a race car driver, which, dirt stuff, I haven’t done a whole lot of dirt experience but, I have been watching their broadcasts and kind of seeing what the track is doing. And I do have a teammate that does run a lot of dirt races, so I’m sure I’m going to lean on him. I’ve also been lucky enough to have a sponsor like Mohawk Construction, who owns Big Block Dirt Modifieds and a race track in New York. So, I’m going to be on quite a few people over the next week, but right now I’m focused on Atlanta and having a solid run there.”
ANY UPDATES ON YOUR CUP SCHEDULE? IF THERE IS A POINT WHERE YOU HAVE TO SKIP A RACE, HAS THAT BEEN DETERMINED?“Every week I’m focused on whatever race is scheduled. So, I I know Tad and JTG and their entire marketing team have been working extremely hard to sell the rest of the races. But my job as a race car driver is to be as well-prepared as I possibly can and to keep pushing out good finishes so we can stay up there in points.”
WHAT TRACK WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE ADDED TO THE MODIFIED TOUR?“How about Daytona Superspeedway? No, I’m kidding. I don’t really know. You start talking about those 1-mile plus race tracks, it starts getting really, really fast; and things can happen there. But I’d like to see a road course again. They’re pretty fun. But I don’t really know. I haven’t put a whole lot of thought into it. I guess there are some really cool short tracks out there. New Smyrna would be a really cool race track to see open up on the Modified Tour. Hopefully it can happen soon.”