CHEVY RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIESGMR GRAND PRIXINDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAYINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEJULY 2, 2020RACE #2 OF 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERES:Chevrolet will play a major role in the upcoming historic weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. For the first time Team Chevy teams and drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Cup Series will compete at the famous race track on the corner of 16th and Georgetown in Indianapolis, Indiana. A total of 57 Team Chevy drivers will compete for a win at the track nicknamed the Brickyard. The 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season begins in earnest with Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix on the Road Course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the first race of the trio of professional motorsports series making racing history. A total of 11 Chevrolet-powered teams and drivers are ready for the battle in the GMR Grand Prix on the 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course utilizes some of the 2.5-mile oval, including the short chute between turns one and two, through turn one and down the front straightaway before diving back into the infield. Chevrolet has had great success in the GP of Indy with five poles and five wins in the six races held there to date.
Simon Pagenaud is ready to defend his spectacular 2019 victory in the rain, again behind the wheel of the bright No. 22 Menards Chevrolet. After scoring two podium and three of the top-five positions at Texas, the Chevy IndyCar 2.2 liter turbo charged direct injected V6 teams and drivers are ready to get their rhythm going for the remainder of the season, but especially for the return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August for the Indianapolis 500. Fans have multiple options for listening and watching all of the on-track activities. NBC Sports telecasts: Qualifying, 4:30 p.m. ET Friday, July 3, NBCSN (live); Race, noon ET Saturday, July 4, NBC (live). INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. The GMR Grand Prix race airs live on network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices and qualifying are available on IndyCar.com and the INDYCAR Mobile app. NBC Sports Gold livestreaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on INDYCAR Pass on NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product. At-track schedule (all times local): Friday, July 3 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, NBC Sports Gold 4:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES knockout qualifications), NBCSN (Live) Saturday, July 4 9-9:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES warmup, NBC Sports Gold Noon – NBC on air 12:01 p.m. – “Drivers, start your engines” 12:08 p.m. – GMR Grand Prix (80 laps/195.12 miles), NBC (Live)1 Immediately following the conclusion of the NTT IndyCar race, 28 Camaro SS drivers will also compete on the road course in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Then the finale on Sunday will see 18 Camaro ZL1 1LE drivers will take to the 2.5-mile oval and race for the right to be called an Indianapolis Brickyard 400 winner. The NTT INDYCAR SERIES race and the NASCAR Xfinity race will be paced by a beautiful Camaro ZL1. The NASCAR Cup Series race will be led to the green flag by an all-new Chevrolet Silverado. BOWTIE BULLETSSince returning to INDYCAR manufacturer competition in 2012, Chevrolet has amassed 82 wins and 92 poles in 135 races along with six Manufacturer Championships. Chevrolet at IMS road course since 2014:o 5 wins (Will Power, 2015, ’17, ‘18); Simon Pagenaud 2016, ‘19) o All five wins for Team Penskeo 5 poles (Will Power, 2015, ‘17, ‘18); Simon Pagenaud (2016); Sebastian Saavedra (2014)o Power holds circuit qualifying lap record (1:07.7044), set in 2017o Josef Newgarden holds circuit race lap record (1:09.3888), set in 2017o Power (2015) holds most laps led (65) record by winnero Pagenaud is the only driver to win on the IMS 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course and go on to win the championship (2016, with ChevrolPower is second all-time INDYCAR pole winner with 57 (behind only Mario Andretti with 67). The GMR Grand Prix (80 laps/195.12 miles) will see several driver and team adjustments among the 11 Team Chevy drivers compared to Texas. o Dalton Kellett (A.J. Foyt Racing) makes his IndyCar series debut. Sage Karam (Dreyer & Reinbold Racing) and Max Chilton (Carlin) make their first 2020 season starts. Conor Daly (Ed Carpenter Racing) makes his first start with Ed Carpenter Racing after finishing in sixth with Carlin at Texas. QUOTABLE QUOTES: ROB BUCKNER, CHEVROLET RACING ENGINEERING PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE NTT INDYCAR SERIES: “The Chevrolet teams and drivers are ready to get the INDYCAR Series kicked off in earnest on the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend. We had a great race at Texas, but then we have had another long break. However, this time has given the Chevrolet engineers working with our teams and technical partners a great opportunity to take the learnings from the changes to the car this season, especially the aeroscreen, and work together to fine-tune those changes for upcoming stretch of races on a variety of tracks. With the highly technical Indy road course the first test. we are anxious to see if we have maximized the data to make key improvements to have a strong showing on Saturday. Chevrolet powered drivers have had great results in the six previous Indy Grand Prix events and we are looking forward to continuing that streak. Everyone wants to win at Indy!
FROM THE COCKPIT: JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 1 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: “Indianapolis is such a special place. It’s like my second home so racing there means a lot to me personally, especially even more so now that Roger [Penske] owns the track. It’s such an honor racing for him but with this being our first race there since he purchased the track, it just makes it even more great. And not to mention this will be the first time ever INDYCAR and NASCAR have raced at the same track on the same weekend, and it’s the Fourth of July so it’s just going to be a huge event. I know myself and my crew on the XPEL Chevrolet are really pumped for this race weekend. We really miss the fans at our races but know precautions are necessary and are glad they will be joining us back at track soon. It’s going to be such a huge weekend for NBC and we are so thrilled to be part of it.” CHARLIE KIMBALL, NO. 4 TRESIBA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:“While the GMR Grand Prix usually kicks off the Month of May, this year’s race is just as exciting as INDYCAR and NASCAR come together to celebrate the July 4th weekend with a historic doubleheader. I’ve had great results on the IMS road course in the past and can’t wait to get on track for my first road course in the No. 4 Tresiba Chevrolet for A.J. Foyt Racing! The opportunity to race for A.J. is always special – it means even more when it’s at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:“The next few weeks ahead of us are going to be intense and eventful. There is no better place to start it off than at the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Arrow McLaren SP and I have used this time off to prepare and be ready to tackle the challenges coming towards us at each track and event. I can’t wait to get going again this Friday and am really excited to be racing again on NBC. Hopefully Oliver and I can put on a show for all our fans and partners.” OLIVER ASKEW, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET:“I’ve always enjoyed racing on the Indianapolis road course, and I’ve had a lot of success there on the Road to Indy. I hope to take that experience into my first INDYCAR road course race. I think that everyone at Arrow McLaren SP has set the foundations for a very good month of racing, so I’m looking to take advantage of the cars we have been working hard to put together. It will feel weird to be racing in Indianapolis without fans but hopefully everyone tunes in to NBC to watch the race at noon on Saturday.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:“Any time we race at Indianapolis is always just something else. There’s so much history at that track and it means so much to our series. With Roger [Penske] owning the track now, it’s even more special knowing how much the series, the track and our team mean to him. The Verizon Chevy guys have prepared a really great car for this weekend. We have had some amazing success there as a team since Simon [Pagenaud] and I are still the only winners. This is such a fun road course and always is a place where the series really can put on a show. NBC has put a lot of time and effort into this race weekend and having NASCAR and INDYCAR at the same track during the same weekend will be really cool.” DALTON KELLETT, NO 14 K-LINE USA AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET:“I’m excited to get my season underway at the GMR Grand Prix. I couldn’t be more grateful for the chance to make my debut in the K-Line Insulators USA No. 14 Chevrolet! With the long delay to the start of my season, it will be important to maximize all available track time. Especially given the condensed schedule. As a rookie, I expect there to be obstacles to overcome and new challenges to face. I am confident in the team we have put together to take these on. The goal is to perform well and learn the most that I can in my rookie event.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET: “After what seems like many months together as a team, we still have yet to race together! I’m very excited to get out there with Ed Carpenter Racing and complete our first race together! The car looks incredible, I can’t wait to get out there for the U.S. Air Force. ECR has done well at the GMR Grand Prix before so it’s time to get out there and compete for a win! We’re looking to get some good points and start off this three-weekend stretch strong.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET:“I am really looking forward to the GMR Grand Prix, finally driving an Indy car at Indy! That’s something really special! I am excited to get to drive again and really get the season started now. We’ve got some really busy weeks coming up. I’m very confident and think we have a strong package for this weekend.” SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET:“I am thrilled to go back to Indianapolis. My whole life changed last May when my Menards Chevrolet team had that incredible month by winning both the Indianapolis 500 and the INDYCAR GP. Memories I will never forget. Now we finally have the opportunity to return and attempt to win again. We have been very fortunate at Team Penske with that particular road course race since my teammate Will Power and I are still the only winners of the event, which says a lot about how our team works together. I have been training pretty hard since our last race at Texas. Training is such an important part of my race prep. It’s great to feel in the best physical shape and mental space of my career right now. I wish fans could join us but know they will be back soon and I know all of us in the series can’t wait to see them back starting back at Road America. So until then, we will do our best to put on a great show for all of the fans tuned into NBC.”
SAGE KARAM. NO. 24 WIX FILTERS DRYER & REINBOLD RACING CHEVROLET:“It’s been a long time for the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team to run more than just the Indy 500. They have been trying hard to expand their IndyCar program and, this year, WIX Filters extended its partnership to run some road courses. We were already to go at St. Petersburg when the (COVID-19) pandemic lockout started. We had to pack up and take everything back to Indy. We had put in a lot of work with testing, simulation runs and purchasing some road course parts with Dallara. We were hoping to run more events in 2020. But some races were postponed or cancelled. So I’m very excited to run the IMS road circuit this weekend. The Indy GP was not originally on our 2020 schedule and I really wanted to do it. Now we get that opportunity. I ran a sim test recently for the IMS road course. I believe we are ready to go. It is a big learning curve for myself and DRR since it’s over seven years since DRR has run an NTT INDYCAR SERIES road race. I raced there in 2014 in the IMSA race with the Ganassi sports car and finished second. It was a tough situation at St. Pete as we were very excited to run there. And it just wasn’t me. There were guys moving up from the Indy Lights and other guys who were looking for full-time rides with new opportunities. It has been tough for all of the drivers to sit. Many guys had been chasing their dreams of IndyCar racing and had to wait. It’s good that we can show our sport in action again after so many sports have been halted. I think the drivers want to put on the best possible show for the fans because we all – teams, drivers, sponsors and fans – have missed the racing. The fans are what makes the racing world go round.” MAX CHILTON, NO. 59 GALLAGHER CARLIN CHEVROLET: “I couldn’t be more excited to get back behind the wheel of the No. 59 Gallagher Carlin Chevrolet this weekend on the road course at IMS after being out of the car for so long. It’s been a long time to be away from a race track, but I’ve been putting in a lot of time at my home gym and thankfully I was able to get some time on the sim last week as well as some testing in one of Carlin’s F3 cars at Silverstone to get back into the swing of things. I love being at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and really enjoy driving the road course layout there, so I’ve been anxious to get back over to the US for this one. Conor and the team did a great job in Texas a few weeks ago and got us off to a great start, so I’m hoping I can keep us moving in that direction and come away with another solid result for Carlin and Gallagher.”
All posts by ARP Trish
RCR Event Preview – Indianapolis Motor Speedway
| Richard Childress Racing at the Brickyard … In 71 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned three wins with drivers Dale Earnhardt (1995), Kevin Harvick (2003), and Paul Menard (2011) at the famed Brickyard. The Welcome, North Carolina-based organization also has one NASCAR Xfinity Series win with Ty Dillion in 2014. This weekend will mark the Xfinity Series debut at the track’s road course. COVID-19 Relief … Own a piece of history by participating in an auction and sale of Richard Childress’ personal collection of memorabilia. All proceeds will assist COVID-19 relief efforts. Thousands of rare, hard-to-find and exclusive items from Richard Childress’ 50+ years in NASCAR are up for bid or sale. Visit https://www.ebay.com/str/RichardChildresscollection. Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series Indianapolis 150 at the Brickyard will be televised live Saturday, July 4, beginning at 3 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. The NASCAR Cup Series Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, July 5, beginning at 4 p.m. ET on NBC and will be broadcast live on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network. |
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| This Week’s Dow Salutes Veterans Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Indianapolis Motor Speedway… In seven previous NASCAR Cup Series attempts at the Brickyard, Dillon’s best finish at the track in the Cup Series is ninth. He also has four NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at IMS, with a best finish of fifth in 2012. Dillon grew up attending races at the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway track with his grandfather, car owner Richard Childress. Dillon recalls riding in the pace car as a young child and participated in Victory Lane festivities with Paul Menard in 2011 and Kevin Harvick in 2003 when they won the prestigious race under the RCR banner. He also celebrated a NASCAR Xfinity Series win with his brother, Ty. Dow brings a science and engineering crew who is driven by limitless curiosity to the RCR Team … Austin Dillon and the RCR team are again supported by Dow’s materials science expertise and technologies this season. Backed by the power of data analysis and virtual modeling, Dow develops and manufactures high-performance components and materials custom-made for the No. 3 car. Dow and RCR’s partnership has expedited innovation and shortened testing time in the automotive industry by recreating in the lab one of the most extreme environments – the racetrack. After 7 years of collaboration, Dow scientists and RCR engineers are continuing to work together to make the No. 3 car faster, safer and more precise. Stay up to date with Dow’s exciting developments at www.dow.com/sports and follow us on Twitter @DowSports & @DowNewsroom. By Seeking Together, We Can Solve Anything – Dow Salutes Veterans … Our solutions are reshaping our world. And at the heart of our solutions are our people. Their diversity is our strength. They reflect the world in which we do business and the communities in which we live. As a diverse community of approximately 37,000 employees worldwide, together we can solve anything. Vote for America’s Best Aquarium … Wonders of Wildlife is the largest, most immersive fish and wildlife attraction in the world. They are dedicated to teaching kids and families about conservation, and they’re in the running for America’s Best Aquarium by USA TODAY. If you believe in the future of the outdoors, you can vote once per day at www.wondersofwildlife.org/vote AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:How hard is it to get a handle on Indianapolis Motor Speedway? “Well, Indy is a fast place. You are looking at a wall going into Turn 1. It feels like a never-ending turn there. You can’t see it, and it’s just a fun place to cross the bricks. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a prestigious place, similar to Daytona International Speedway, Darlington Raceway, and a few of the other big tracks that we go to. We love getting there and trying to race for that trophy.” Talk about your paint scheme this weekend and the significance of racing with the names of more than 1,200 veterans on the hood of your car …“The Dow Salutes Veterans car is a lot of fun. It’s easily one of my favorite paint schemes of the entire year each year that we do it. I think we really have outdone ourselves this year. It’s a beautiful car. The best part of this program is that it’s for the real heroes. It’s for all of the veterans whose names are on this car. Our U.S. Military service members are what makes this country what it is, and allows us to do what we love, which is to race racecars on the weekends. Without their sacrifices, we all wouldn’t be able to have this country that we love so much. I’m really appreciative to Dow for their commitment to veterans.” |
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| Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … This weekend will mark Tyler Reddick’s first NASCAR Cup Series start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts and one top-five finish at the ‘Brickyard.’ About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen … Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is the homestyle casual dining restaurant where guests always ‘Get a lot, for not a lot’ in a place that feels like home. After being welcomed with a signature Honey Butter Croissant on the house, guests can enjoy favorite dishes like hand-breaded Chicken Tenders, Homemade Chicken Pot Pie and House-Smoked Baby Back Ribs. For an even greater value, guests can pick up Family Bundles To Go featuring guest favorites designed to feed the whole family (or Pit Crew!) starting at only $24.99 with contactless curbside pickup. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen operates more than 160 restaurants in 28 states. See the full menu and order online at cheddars.com. Watch the Race with Cheddar’s … To celebrate the debut of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet Camaro, Cheddar’s is offering 15% off all To Go orders with the offer code RACEDAY placed on 7/5 and every Cup Series race day for the remainder of the 2020 season! Whether you’re watching the race on a Sunday afternoon or on a weekday under the lights, watch with all your Cheddar’s favorites for 15% off. Terms & conditions apply, visit cheddars.com/offer/race-dayfor full offer details. Get more Cheddar’s Offers & Exclusives … Love being an insider? Love saving money? Join the Cheddar’s eClub to be the first to receive offers, get exclusive rewards and learn of new dishes and promotions before anyone else. And it won’t take long to see the benefit – just for joining, Cheddar’s will give you Free Chips & Queso for your next visit or online order! Text TYLER to 346464 to join*. TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:Heading into Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, how are you the team looking to bounce back from Pocono Raceway?“We’re spending a lot of time this weekend analyzing data and figuring out where we need to be for this weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The good news is, we really liked the speed our cars showed us over the weekend in Pocono. We just had a couple missteps that made it so the races didn’t fall our way. It was tough to get into a position where we could weigh it out and compare tire to tire and lap to lap like some of the other guys could, but we did like the overall speed. Pocono and Indy do have some similarities when it comes to this package with the flat corners and long straightaways, so we’ll be building off what we just saw and experienced for this weekend. We’ll analyze the differences between the two cars we ended up using at Pocono and hopefully come up with something in the middle to help us this weekend.” This weekend is the first race weekend for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. What can you tell us about the paint scheme?“I’m excited for Cheddar’s Scratch kitchen to have their first race and see that paint scheme on track at Indy. Normally, we get to see the scheme and how it looks on track throughout the race weekend with practice and qualifying, but this time, the first time fans will really see it is during the race on Sunday. We are revealing the design fans voted as the winner later this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing what fans think, but I’m even more looking forward to seeing it on track Sunday for my first Brickyard 400. Also, in celebration of the car’s debut and continuing on for every NASCAR Cup Series race for the rest of the year, Cheddar’s is offering 15 percent off online to-go orders with the code RACEDAY, which is awesome. Hopefully, fans will take them up on their offer and feed their crew while we’re racing one of NASCAR’s crown jewel events with ours.” |
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| This Week’s No. 21 Lucas Oil Chevrolet Camaro at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course … Anthony Alfredo will make his road course debut this weekend as the NASCAR Xfinity Series takes to the 14-turn infield road course for the first time in series history at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In Alfredo’s previous start in the Richard Childress Racing prepared Chevrolet, he recorded a sixth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway, which marked his fourth career top-10 finish in six starts with RCR. About Lucas Oil … Forrest and Charlotte started Lucas Oil Products with the simple philosophy of producing only the best line of lubricants and additives available anywhere. Since its inception, Lucas has steadfastly adhered to this corporate objective. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas has established itself as a top selling additive line in the American truck stop industry. Lucas is also one of the fastest growing additive lines in the consumer automotive industry. A premium line of oils, greases and problem solving additives has helped to firmly establish Lucas as a prominent figure in this marketplace. Lucas has long been directly involved in the American racing industry through multiple vehicle sponsorships and racing event promotions, at all levels. Seeing a need for better lubricants in this industry, the Lucas people went to work again. The end result being a line of high performance engine oils and gear oils that are second-to-none in the racing industry. Visit LucasOil.com for a full list of products. Fast Start for Fast Pasta … In his first six NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, Alfredo has secured four top-10 finishes and has an average finish of 8.5. He also won an eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series Saturday Night Thunder Race at Dover International Speedway during NASCAR’s hiatus from on-track competition. ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTE:The NASCAR Xfinity Series will make history this weekend racing on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the first time. What kind of challenges does road course racing present specifically for you and your team? “Although I don’t have very much road course experience, I feel I am on a slightly more level playing field this weekend because the track will be new to almost everyone in the field, other than a select few who’ve competed in other racing series there. Fortunately, I have been able to ask questions and learn as much as possible, talking with successful road racers like Ron Fellows. It would be huge to win the inaugural event. I’m excited to see how I adapt to the track and road racing in general in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.” You’re off to a fast start in your Xfinity Series career. Coming off another strong performance at Talladega Superspeedway, what do you hope to accomplish this weekend and going forward?“The goal this weekend isn’t that much different than previous races. We want to go be competitive, learn, have a clean race and be there at the end when it matters most. We have gotten better every week as a team. As we continue to build off of our consistency and putting races together, I plan on competing for wins frequently.” |
Historic Weekend Ahead at Indianapolis
July 2, 2020
Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Red Kap/Menards Mustang will be a part of an historic weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as NASCAR’s Cup Series will run a double header with the NTT IndyCar Series.
DiBenedetto said he’s especially proud of this weekend’s paint scheme, which features a solid red color reminiscent of the Fords fielded by the Wood Brothers back in the 60s and carrying the logos of the workwear company Red Kap and Menards.
“I’m excited about having a cool new look on the car for a weekend as special as Indy,” DiBenedetto said. “We’re looking forward to showcasing Red Kap, and of course it’s an honor to represent the Menard family knowing how much Indianapolis Motor Speedway means to them.”
John Menard is a long-time car owner and sponsor of cars competing in the Indianapolis 500, and his son Paul won NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 in 2011.
DiBenedetto said being a part of the Indy/NASCAR doubleheader will make an already memorable weekend extra special. DiBenedetto will be keeping a close eye on the Xfinity Series race on Indy’s road course, where the IndyCar Series also will run, since he’s the only driver to have run an Xfinity car on that course. He drove a Team Penske Mustang in a test back in January.
“The race weekend is going to be one to remember,” he said. “These are things that go down in history and even just racing at the Brickyard, every time you go in there is a check mark, a bucket list item in itself.”
“I’ll be like a race fan, just watching these races as excited as any fan that you’ll see because it’s going to be so cool on such a history weekend, the July 4th Weekend, you name it. All of that is so cool.”
DiBenedetto and the Red Kap/Menards team head to Indy after a successful double header at Pocono Raceway, which shares many characteristics including the 2.5-mile length and relatively flat turns, with Indy.
At Pocono, DiBenedetto scored stage points in all four stages and finished 13th and 6th in the two races.
“If you asked me that a couple years ago when we ran the low downforce stuff, I would say the two tracks were completely different, but now that we have the high downforce and less horsepower, they’re actually pretty similar in the fact that it’s real strategy-oriented, extremely track position-oriented,” he said. “The high downforce just makes it so tough to pass…
“It just makes it really tough on the teams and the pit crews and the strategy because you just have to have track position or else you can’t make your way up there.”
He went on to say he and the No. 21 team are poised to be a consistent top-10 team, at Indy and every other stop on the circuit.
“We’re stepping in that direction,” he said. “To be honest, every single race track we’ve been to, aside from Darlington, we’ve had top-10 speed.”
“I’ve never had equipment or an opportunity like that much in the past, so that’s the encouraging part.”
“I knew once we got on track together, I think we can do this very consistently.”
Like recent races, there will be no practice or qualifying prior to Sunday’s Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered By Big Machine Records, which is set to get the green flag just after 4 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on NBC.
Lucas Oil Celebrates Independence in Ohio
BATAVIA, Ohio (July 2, 2020) – Familiar to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule, teams will once again enjoy Independence Day celebrations in the Buckeye state at Muskingum County Speedway and Portsmouth Raceway Park. Friday’s annual July 3rd event at Muskingum County Speedway will see the pit and general admission gates open at 2:00 pm. Along with the heart-pumping action of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Friday will also feature Modifieds, Sport Mods, Modlites, and Four Cylinders, with hot laps beginning at 6:30 pm. In addition to the racing action, Muskingum County Speedway will have the area’s largest fireworks display. On Saturday, July 4th , Portsmouth Raceway Park will host the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the annual Independence 50 presented by Able Air. The Modifieds and Limited Late Models will serve as support divisions on Saturday. The pit gate will open at 2:00 pm at Portsmouth Raceway Park. The general admission gates will open at 4:00 pm, with on-track action beginning at 6:30 pm.
Both nights will include a complete program of: Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event. Jimmy Owens leads the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series championship standings and goes into the weekend with four consecutive series feature wins. Jonathan Davenport is now second, followed closely by Tim McCreadie, Tyler Erb and Josh Richards to round out the top five in championship standings. Track and Event Information:Muskingum County SpeedwayLocation: 7985 Frazeysburg Road, Dresden, OH 43821Directions: I-70 to exit 155, then 10.1 miles north on SR 60 (WSR)Website: www.muskingumcountyspeedway.com Portsmouth Raceway ParkPhone Number: 740-354-3278Location: 25648 State Route 73, West Portsmouth, OH 45663Directions: 0.5 mile south of US 52 on SR 73, then right just before bridgeWebsite: www.portsraceway.com Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1300Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1300 NRM, (29.0) 1300 NRMW, (29.0) 1425 NRM, (29.0) 1425 NRMW
* Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Main.* For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new rear tires of choice.
* Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.
Chevy Racing–indycar–indianapolis grand prix
CHEVY RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIESGMR GRAND PRIXINDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAYINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTJULY 1, 2020
SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, AND CONOR DALY, NO. 2O US AIR FORCE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, met with media to discuss the upcoming GMR Grand Prix on the Road Course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Pagenaud is the defending race winner, and Daly is making his debut with Ed Carpenter Racing. Full transcript:
THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody, to today’s NTT INDYCAR Series video news conference in advance of the GMR Grand Prix on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race will be noon at eastern on your local NBC affiliate.
We’re pleased to be joined by the defending champion of the GMR Gran Prix, Simon Pagenaud of Team Penske, and Conor Daly, driver of the No. 20 US Air Force Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing.
Simon, we’ll start with you. I know last May at Indianapolis, it was pretty life-changing for you. How important was the win in the GMR Grand Prix for setting that stage?
SIMON PAGENAUD: Hi, everyone. Thanks for joining.
Obviously racing in Indianapolis to me, it’s what we’re all about. Obviously, our name is INDYCAR. I’ve always loved the Indy Grand Prix because it really sets the tone going into the month of May. It just showcases what INDYCAR is about, road course racing, then the week after that we usually go into the Indianapolis 500.
That’s what’s really about our series, is diversity in terms of tracks and talents. I really enjoy it. I’m really excited to come to Indy again and race in Indianapolis again. That put a grin on my face.
Obviously, the Grand Prix has been very blessed for me. I’ve had three wins there. I hope I can get it to number four. It’s definitely the goal this weekend. But it definitely changed my life last year. Now I can race very focused, yeah, very focused. Also, the chance to race with my personal pressure is off because I’ve achieved my dream. Now I can really focus on myself and getting the best out of myself which is what I really enjoy the most.
THE MODERATOR: Conor, you’ve been going to IMS most of your life, raced in the GMR Grand Prix twice, had a sixth-place finish for Dale Coyne Racing in your debut race. How exciting is it to race at IMS and finally get started with Ed Carpenter Racing?
CONOR DALY: As part of my one-off entries in the Indianapolis 500 in the past, I’ve tried to beg, borrow and plead with the teams, Hey, can I please do the Grand Prix as well? It hasn’t worked out yet.
It’s nice to be back. It’s such an incredible way to start out the month of May. I love the road course at Indy. I love the racing opportunity it brings. We know it’s going to be hard to beat Team Penske there as usual, but it’s going to be a fun challenge. It’s going to be great just to get back on track on a road course, fight with everyone.
There’s a lot of entries as well. We’ve obviously got some one-off entries. It’s great to see some other people in the field again, like Sage Karam and stuff like that. It’s going to be cool to just get back out, get on the road course, let these cars live a little bit at Indianapolis and just have a good weekend.
THE MODERATOR: I know we have quite a few media on the line so we’ll open up for questions from the media.
Q. Simon, you mentioned you’ve won this race three times. The only other person to have won in an INDYCAR on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course has been Will Power, your teammate. What do you make of your particular dominance on this course in these last several years? What has worked so incredibly well for the Team Penske cars?SIMON PAGENAUD: Well, I think what I know for a fact is that Will and I have a very similar driving style. I had the chance to score a win with the Schmidt Peterson Honda when I was there. That was the inaugural Grand Prix, 2014. As a smaller team taking on the big team, that was a lot of fun.
Obviously, I joined the powerhouse of Team Penske and we’ve been able to carry on the tradition of winning at the Grand Prix. Obviously, I’m very proud of that. I feel, again, very blessed that we have the program to be able to contend for wins everywhere we go.
Team Penske, you guys all know, we put a lot of work in, we work really well as teammates as well. That’s one of the things with Will, we have a very similar driving style, but that doesn’t mean that we’re the same speed in every corner. Some corners he’s better than me, some corners I’m better than him. We share a lot. We talk about it, talk about how to set the car up. We’ve been able to make the whole program better that way. Josef contributes a lot to that, as well.
I think the three of us together, obviously we have phenomenal engineers that are able to bring some ideas on how to develop the car in a better way for that track or another track.
But I do think there’s a little bit of mystery as to why sometimes you go to a track and you have more luck than you would at a different track. All I can think of is Detroit. I’ve never had much luck there. It doesn’t mean I’m not a good driver. I go to the Grand Prix and most of the time I’ve had good luck.
There’s a bit of that mystery in racing. You can’t forget it. It’s certainly a testament to the great job that we do all together.
Q. Simon, is there an additional comfort level that you get as a driver going to a track where recently you’ve had success and where your team has also won weekends that you haven’t won? This INDYCAR Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, does it feel any different as far as a comfort level for you guys?SIMON PAGENAUD: I think as a driver, when you go to a track where you’ve won before, a track where you’ve had good success, you just have a level of confidence. I’m going into the Grand Prix with very high expectations of myself and my car and my team. I’m going there to win the race. I’m not going to be third. I’m not going in thinking I could be fifth or sixth or seventh. The goal is to win.
Quite frankly, that’s the only thought I have. But there are a lot of things that’s going to happen, a lot of things out of my control. All I can do is the best I can. Certainly with the team that I have, obviously you expect to win.
Q. You’re both so accessible to fans, have been for a very long time. What will you miss most about not having fans there?CONOR DALY: Well, I mean, honestly it’s my home race. I’ve even seen some tweets today that, like, you know, Tony Donohue put out it’s 27 years since there’s been a race at IMS and he hasn’t been there. It is weird.
I was a fan first. I was out there every day of my life, every month of May that I was allowed to get out of school early and go. It was such a part of my life. But we will still obviously be doing our best to put on the best show that we can for everyone at home.
We know our job is to go out there and try to absolutely, you know, beat everyone and create an incredible race because we know that if the fans were there, they would be cheering along just as much as they would be at home.
It’s tough. It’s strange. But I know that we continue to tell everyone, Hey, we appreciate you, hang with us, we’ll get back to the track eventually. Everyone will be there eventually. We’ll get back hopefully and enjoy it once again.
As long as everyone tunes in on TV, I can guarantee it will be quite a show for everyone.
Q. Simon, could you address that briefly?SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, of course, I think it’s a very tough time we’re in right now. We just all have to adapt. It’s quite unfortunate. INDYCAR has been doing everything they could to reorganize the schedule, make sure that we could put on a show for the fans. That’s what we’re going to do.
Texas was a good example of it. We’re out there racing with the new windscreen, a lot of new things that make the series really exciting. I think we see the numbers.
I think everybody in the series can’t wait to have the fans come back. Luckily that’s going to be at Road America. We don’t have to wait too long. It’s unfortunate it can’t happen in Indy. Obviously, health and safety is first. I think we’re in this position right now.
When you ask that question, first thing I thought is back to my childhood. I was at a racetrack. One of the main drivers refused to give me an autograph. Obviously, I wanted to be a driver at some point, I was really young, I didn’t know if I was going to be a driver. I made myself a promise that I would always do the best I could to give an autograph every time I could.
So the fans for me are a big part of my career, a big part of who I am as a racer. It’s the case for every INDYCAR driver, I can assure you that.
It’s going to be weird. Hopefully, that changes very soon.
Q. Conor, I know you’ve raced for 42 different INDYCAR teams. Having a split season, how does the communication flow from one team to the other, then from track to track? What is your mindset? Seems like you have good communication skills anyway. How are you suited for this?CONOR DALY: Well, there’s no sharing of information. Everyone wants to beat everyone. It’s tough (smiling).
Oddly enough, I feel like I’ve been with ECR for quite a long time. We still have yet to race with each other. I was signed up in November. Guess what? It’s almost July. Haven’t even done a single race with them yet. It’s really interesting.
But I feel like I’m part of their family already. We’ve done a lot of work together. We’ve done a lot of simulator days together. So working with the engineers, working with my teammates, Ed and Rinus. We’re ready. We’ve got everything in place. It’s just a matter of you can only think through so many things until your head starts to explode and you just want to get on the real racetrack.
We’ve thought through every possible thing that we could possibly think through and we’re ready to go out there and deliver for the U.S. Air Force, for Chevrolet, for everyone that supports this group. I can’t wait.
The car has been looking great for a long time. Now we got to see it in action side-by-side with a bunch of people. Hopefully at the front. That would be quite satisfactory.
Q. Not complaining or anything, but we’ve gone so long with such a slow start to the season because of the shutdown, now this is going to be the first of five races over the next three weekends. Is it almost like a standing start to the season going from zero to 160 in a matter of a couple of seconds?SIMON PAGENAUD: It’s definitely an adjustment. Everybody I think in the world has been going at an interesting slow speed to going flat out.
I think the advantage of it is we’ve all been able to train a lot, get ready for the heat. Obviously, the added windscreen makes for quite a hot day every day in the racecar. That’s also going to be an adjustment.
But I’m personally ready, ready to go, couldn’t be any more ready, to be honest with you. It’s the best shape I’ve ever been in in my career.
CONOR DALY: Yeah, I mean, like Simon said, I feel really good myself. I’m lighter than I’ve been starting a year before. I feel good. Obviously this weekend will be new for us. We’ve done some road course testing, of course, with the windscreen. But it’s going to be a good old Indiana summer day, plenty of humidity, nice and hot. That will be really tough I think. It will be really interesting.
Really the doubleheaders are going to be the ones where I think it will really test us and put us on the limit. But that’s why we do what we do. We want to be the best athletes we can be and the best drivers we can be. It’s on us to be as prepared as possible.
I can’t wait for it. I’ve been sitting around in this darn simulator room for way too many weekends. I’m ready to get back to the real racecar and be sweating as much as possible because that means we’re out there doing work and I can’t wait.
Q. As racers, how excited are you to see the second race of the day on Saturday, to see how well they do on your course?CONOR DALY: If we’re allowed to watch, I can’t wait. I think it’s going to be great. Those guys, I’ve been getting a lot of texts from different Xfinity guys about the track. I know it will be totally new for them. But I’m excited.
I wish I could do the race obviously. Got to stay focused on the INDYCAR program. I think it will be cool. I think they’ll race pretty well, too.
SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, I’m excited to see obviously Austin Cindric, how well he does over there in the Xfinity on Saturday afternoon. But obviously there’s a lot of precautionary aspect we have to think about. I don’t think I can stay actually. I’m actually going to hop on the plane to get home to make sure we all stay safe. Obviously we just have to follow the guidelines. It’s the way it is. I don’t think I’ll be able to watch the race. I wish I could have. It’s the situation we’re in.
I look forward to seeing the big NASCAR race on Sunday. That will be fun to watch. At the end of the day, it’s a historical moment, I think not just for American racing but for worldwide racing. I look forward to the weekend and seeing the reaction afterward.
Q. Elaborate a little bit more on this crossover. How important is it to share a weekend with NASCAR? Do you want to do more of these weekends with these guys?CONOR DALY: I think it’s huge. I think it’s awesome. I mean, I love racing. I’m a race fan. Doesn’t matter if it’s Formula 1, NASCAR, Formula E, whatever it is, USAC. Anything like that is awesome. I would love to see more of it.
This is the first time it will happen. Realistically we wish we could see both fan bases interacting and everyone there together. We’ll still wait on that. But I think it’s an exciting sign hopefully for the future because if one side of motorsport, NASCAR, is doing well, we want that success to kind of somehow — if we can work together, that would be great. This is a team effort. For motorsports to be successful, hopefully, we can all help each other. That would be a lot of fun.
SIMON PAGENAUD: I totally agree with Conor. At the end of the day, we’re all racers. Doesn’t matter if you have a roof, no roof, windscreen, whatever it is. I’m like Conor, I love any sort of racing. I love anything with four wheels and a steering wheel.
If you can join the power of NASCAR and the power of INDYCAR together, it’s fantastic. I think what’s happening for us, for everybody that enjoys racing, it’s massive. I can’t wait to see what the weekend is like, what it’s like.
Obviously, it would have been phenomenal to have the fans come to that race for the first-ever time. We’ll see the attendance we get on TV and the response on social media. It’s going to be a big weekend.
Q. You two have been good here. Is there a pressure moment to get a good result during the week against some of the guys that haven’t been as lucky?CONOR DALY: I think for me personally, yes, you want to kind of keep the momentum going because I know that I’ve been strong here in the past. But it’s also a new environment still with this team for me.
We’re going to have a lot to learn about ourselves. Carlin and I at Texas, I knew that environment already. We were able to take advantage of that. We had a fantastic car. They did the job over the off-season, kind of working with what I had told them last year that we needed to do.
This is still new for us at Ed Carpenter Racing. I’m just excited. We’re only one race in. We want to do well at every race. I’m not really thinking about points or anything yet. But I can’t wait to just get things going.
Yes, Road America is going to be wild, Iowa is going to be tough, swapping teams and everything like that. It will just be nice to get things going. I think if you do well, though, at Indy right now, it does create some good momentum because you’re just going to be going back-to-back races. It’s always nice to have good momentum and cars that are in one piece, as well.
SIMON PAGENAUD: For me, it’s a little different. It’s quite a bit different for me because I’ve been with Team Penske for six years. Same engineer for many, many years. Actually almost a decade. I’m in a very different situation where I’m going into the road course at Indy with the goal to win the race, score more points, strike the (indiscernible). We started the season really well in Texas. I feel this year we can’t be any more ready, quite frankly, despite the situation.
I’m 100% full throttle right now in my head. I’m really in a good space mentally to go to this racetrack and score as many points as possible. I’m definitely thinking championship right now.
Q. Simon, how much do you expect the Aeroscreen to change some of the setups from the past? You’ve been good in the last car. You saw Texas changed a little bit. Do you expect a change in the setups for this weekend?SIMON PAGENAUD: Yeah, it’s a great question because Texas was an eye-opener for a lot of us, I think. We realized after the race there was a lot of improvement to be made, but not enough time to really think about what we could do on-site.
Obviously, it’s the same for the road course in Indy. We don’t really know yet what’s going to need change. Certainly, that hour and 20 minutes of practice is not that much. We’re going into qualifying after that, then it’s race day the next day.
I think it’s going to take a few races to adjust and figure out what we need for each track. Each track is different. No matter what, this is going to be a year of adjustments. I think that might allow driver and engineer combinations to show strength.
Q. Jumping ahead a week. First doubleheader at Road America. What are some of the challenges that go into doing that doubleheader when you have races that one is going to start less than 18 hours after the other one ends?CONOR DALY: I think from the team side, it’s just the amount of work that the guys have to put in. Our crews are going to be flat out, for sure. We appreciate everything that those guys do. They’re flat out.
It’s going to be interesting for us. Road America, probably going to be warm, probably going to be a physical race. It’s been a little while since I’ve been there in an INDYCAR. It’s a great place to race.
The key is, if you have a decent day in the first race, how do you make it an even better day for day two? You know what I mean? Each time on track, you’re going to have to do the best job possible. Use race one as a test session for race two if you’re struggling a little bit.
We want to go there with a strong package immediately because you have two opportunities for points. But realistically you never know what could happen. It’s obviously going to be a very short weekend.
I’m excited for it though. Two races at Road America, I don’t think any driver in the world would complain about that.
SIMON PAGENAUD: I think it will be interesting. Obviously we’ve seen it with NASCAR in Pocono last weekend. First day you’re going to have some really good cars. The next day everybody gets better, like Conor said. The second day is actually really, really tough racing day where you’re a little bit drained from the day before. Decision making is going to have to be on point despite being tired.
We’ve had some practice with Detroit. It’s grueling. The IndyCars are extremely physical cars. It’s going to be hot again with the new windscreen as well. A lot to take in combination there.
I have no doubt it should be an amazing event. But certainly second race will be interesting to see who gets better.
Q. You are in this busy stretch, the quick turnaround. There’s some pressure there not to make it any harder on your team than it needs to be. How much can you be thinking about that in the first race that I really don’t need to put one off in (Turn) 5 or whatever?CONOR DALY: I think drivers are going to go flat out, non-stop, no matter what day it is, what race it is. Yes, we have to think about the weekend as a whole. Obviously, we saw in Texas some mistakes in the day, whether that was in practice or qualifying, really, really affected some people’s race days in general.
We got to be smart. That’s hopefully part of our job, is using our brains the right way, being smart about things. No matter what, I think we’re going to be flat out every day, no matter what.
SIMON PAGENAUD: I actually looked at the schedule yesterday. We’re basically starting in July. October it’s going to be over. It’s half the season really, just as many races in half a season. It’s going to be compact, intense. We all know that INDYCAR racing is extremely intense.
I think the big teams might have an advantage for sure because of the amount of people they have working with them. The smaller teams, on the other hand, it’s going to be hard for them because of all the work they have to do for all these weeks. They have reduced the amount of people.
Overall all the teams are so professional that it should be normal. I expect nothing less than usual.
chevy racing–nascar–indianapolis–tony lunders
NASCAR CUP SERIESBIG MACHINE HAND SANITIZER 400INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJULY 1, 2020
TONY LUNDERS, TEAM MANAGER FOR CHIP GANASSI RACING, met with media via teleconference to reflect NASCAR’s first doubleheader race weekend at Pocono, the expectations going into Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and more. Transcript: REFLECT A LITTLE BIT ON THIS PAST WEEKEND GOING TO POCONO, THE FIRST EVER NASCAR CUP SERIES DOUBLEHEADER. HOW DID YOUR TEAM PREPARE FOR THAT AND WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?“We were looking forward to a double, especially with the lack of practice that we’ve been able to have since the Covid-19 pandemic started. So, we were looking forward to having an opportunity to race, and then put our heads together, talk with the drivers and then be able to adjust and see what types of changes we could make on our cars. It was good to have that. We didn’t know quite what to expect. We haven’t done that with using the same car back-to-back yet – we still have a couple more of those to go. So, I think we learned some things that we can apply going forward and we were happy to be able to do that.”
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, TONY, AT INDIANAPOLIS, IN GENERAL? IF YOU LOOK AT THE WEEKEND AND THEN LOOK AT WHAT NASCAR MIGHT DO THERE, IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SUCH A BIG WEEKEND FOR THE FANS.“For sure. First off, Indy is an important place for our team. There’s a lot of history there with our IndyCar group, Chip (Ganassi), and we’ve had some success there in the past. We take it like we would most other races, as far as the prep and all that stuff. Obviously having the IndyCar group there before we get there, that’s exciting for us. It’s been a long time – I think back in the early 2000s we did some companion races with Trucks and IndyCar, and that was fun to do. So, we’re looking forward to it from the sense of one, in our team, we have both groups going up there. We wish were able to interact with those guys a little bit more and be there on the same day. But for our Cup guys, it will be somewhat business-as-usual as we’ve had these one-day shows. I think from that aspect, it won’t be anything different. We’ll show up the morning of – we’re actually flying out Sunday morning. So, our day will look similar to some of these one-day shows that we’ve been doing.”
WHAT’S YOUR OUTLOOK FOR YOUR TEAMS ON THE CUP SIDE OF THINGS AT INDY?“Indy is a unique place. Some people relate it to some of the other stuff, maybe even some aspects from Pocono where we were just at. We need to run a little bit better there. We didn’t have as good of performance that we wanted at Pocono. I think we took some steps forward and did learn some things. But we’re optimistic. Indy is sort of a unique place. We’re optimistic and we look forward to getting out there.”
HAVING GONE THROUGH THE POCONO WEEKEND, OBVIOUSLY THERE SEEMS TO BE AT THIS POINT, THE EXPECTATION THAT THERE COULD BE ANOTHER ONE OR TWO DOUBLEHEADER WEEKENDS EVEN THIS YEAR. WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT WERE LEARNED FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND’S EXPERIENCE TO MAYBE CONSIDER FOR ANY OF THE OTHER ONES?“When you have a weekend or a race, you’re trying to makeup for practice time and the ability to throw some changes into. So, you come into it and put your best effort forward for the first race. But it gives you an opportunity to turn right back around and make changes. Not only the good stuff that you come across, but you’re also going to make some mistakes. I think in hindsight, you get a chance to digest and look at what happened throughout the weekend, what you think you did well and what you think you could improve on. And you can apply that same type of thing going forward. It’s a little bit difficult with the protocol stuff that we’re going through now at the track. The way our team operates as a two-car unit and using the other team and information you can get from them – having our groups split up at the race track presents some unique challenges for us. So, a big part of this for us is just trying to overcome some of the communication stuff and how to apply stuff that your teammate is learning. One of the strengths, luckily for us, we have two drivers that are similar in maybe their styles. They both know each other well and have experience with each other in the past. Their communication was really high from the beginning. They have a friendship and a mutual respect for each other that has definitely helped us through this.”
WITH THE 42 TEAM HAVING A LITTLE BIT BETTER PERFORMANCE THIS PAST WEEKEND THAN WHAT IT’S HAD, WHAT HAS BEEN THE CHALLENGE THERE AND WHERE THAT TEAM IS AND WHAT IT NEEDS TO DO TO HAVE EVEN STRONGER PERFORMANCES?“I think a couple of things – across the board, obviously nobody has been able to practice and that hurts most teams equally. I think for us, it’s even a little bit more of a challenge with plugging that in there. Obviously he’s a champion and has won a ton of races, there’s a lot of respect there. But just getting plugged into our system, it’s taken a little bit of time. And I think in any situation, when you put a new driver with a new team, you go through that learning phase. Unfortunately, we have not been able to get a lot of that done in practice. In a normal practice, you can run through six to ten changes and get a leg up on that stuff. So, that’s been a little bit of a challenge where we’re starting a race many times and having to learn things throughout the race, where I feel like that would have been accelerated quite a bit given some practice with that group. We’ve had a couple better finishes, which is good. So, we’re just going to try and build on that going forward.”
OBVIOUSLY, INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY IS A SPECIAL PLACE FOR CHIP. I’M WONDERING IF THERE REALLY ARE ANY SORT OF THINGS THAT YOU NOTICE IN A TEAM AND THE DRIVERS THAT MAKE IT, WHEN YOU GO THERE, SOME PLACE THAT THEY FEEL EITHER MORE OPTIMISTIC IN WINNING OR CERTAINLTLY MORE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT DOING SO. “One exciting thing is Kurt (Busch)’s 700th start this weekend, so that’s pretty cool. I had the opportunity to work with Kurt when he first got into the Truck Series and it’s been fun to watch him throughout the last 20 years or so. Like you mentioned, the history with Chip Ganassi Racing, Chip, Indy, the Indy 500, the Brickyard – there’s just a long history of respect for that place and what it is. Teams always circle that race as a big one in their year as one of their goals, one of the top races you want to put a lot of effort towards winning and having success there. I think as the year goes, you have realistic expectations of where you’re at and what you think you can do. Like I said, that’s a unique place and you lean on some past experience there in what has worked and what hasn’t worked. A lot of it is confidence in how the team’s working. I think we’re in a good spot going in there. The teams are working really well together – jellying on pitstops, the pit crew and the road crews. It’s just different. It will be different showing up there without a huge fan base. It’s nice to be able to see some of these tracks moving towards having some fans there because it definitely adds to the environment when we’re there. Having the empty garages – when I say empty, just a lot less people – it’s just a different feel to it, for sure. But the teams, none the less, have put a lot of effort into winning that race.”
WHAT ARE YOUR LONGTERM PLANS FOR THE 42 TEAM? DO YOU SEE MATT AS THE LONGTERM SOLUTION FOR THAT TEAM OR ARE YOU JUST LOOKING TO GET THROUGH 2020?“We wanted to get some races with Matt (Kenseth) under us, kind of build that effort there and see where it took us. If Matt decided at some point that he’s enjoying what’s going on and we’re having some success, maybe there’s something more there. But I think the team is more focused on now, being mid-season, and what we need to do to get that car into the playoffs. We’re back in the points a little bit and we need to win a race. So, I think our focus is how do we build that group now to try to get towards the playoffs, win a race, and we’ll let the next year stuff take care of itself as the year goes on. Hopefully, the success is there. Certainly, there are others that know that seat is open and would contact us. And that’s all good, but I think our main focus now is just to get the performance and let the rest take care of itself.”
SPEAKING OF PERFORMANCE, ARE YOU CONTENT OR SATISFIED WITH THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MATT MCCALL AND KURT BUSCH AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW?“Yeah, those two work really good together. That relationship has just gotten better as time has gone by. Kurt has a lot of confidence in Matt and that shows. And likewise, Matt’s communication to Kurt is working really well. We’ve got Kentucky circled coming up here. We got into victory lane there last year and that was really cool. So, we’re just trying to build on that and those guys are doing well together. I think that helps keep us as a company moving forward.”
Chevy racing–nascar–indianapolis–kurt busch
NASCAR CUP SERIESBIG MACHINE HAND SANITIZER 400INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAYTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJULY 1, 2020
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE met with media via teleconference, and discussed his 700th NASCAR Cup Series career start on Sunday at Indianapolis, having both INDYCAR and NASCAR racing on the same weekend, the ages of drivers currently competing in motorsports, the tight pit road conditions at Indy, and more. Full Transcript: INDY WILL BE YOUR 700th NASCAR CUP SERIES START. DID YOU IMAGINE WHEN YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER THAT YOU WOULD HAVE 700 STARTS?“It’s amazing. To have this opportunity and to have been blessed to have raced with so many great race teams over the years, just making it past the local track was something that I thought was an achievement because my dad was a local racer. He won a lot. But it was like money, sponsors, and the whole challenge of even getting to like the Southwest Tour and Late Model division, that was even tough for us way back in the past. So, it’s amazing. Twenty years of racing at the top series level and now having 700 starts, I never would have guessed.”
WHEN YOU LOOK AT GOING TO INDIANAPOLIS, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? WE HAVE THE ROAD COURSE FOR XFINITY, WE HAVE INDYCAR THERE, AND I’M SURE IT’S A TRACK THAT YOU FIND INTRIGUING. WHAT WILL THE WEEKEND BE LIKE IN YOUR MIND?“It’s a big marquee race. It’s our Brickyard 400. But unfortunately, we don’t have our race fans. That’s what I still think about first, each time we’re heading to the race track. And, with a special weekend like this with INDYCAR and Xfinity on the road course on Saturday, and then the Cup race on Sunday on the oval, Roger Penske is the only one that could have made INDYCAR and NASCAR happen on the same weekend. And Big Machine is there with their sponsorship and I know they would put on a great concert and the whole atmosphere around Indy, it was set-up to be fan-based and to have that extra entertainment value. So, it’s something we’ll miss. But I’m focused-in on Sunday’s race. I’m just going to fly in day-of. I would have really liked to have enjoyed seeing the IndyCars and Xfinity on track, but it’s time to stay in the bubble and stay isolated.”
WILL YOU WATCH THE INDYCAR AND XFINITY RACE? AND, WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR GETTING A WIN AT INDY?“Oh absolutely. I’ll be tuned-in to watch and just enjoy it as a motorsports fan. I think that’s what this weekend is about with it being a July 4th celebration of our country’s birthday, and to have top forms in motorsport in America at Indy, you have open-wheel with INDYCAR and we’ve got NASCAR with the fenders on and they go around the oval, so it’s a great weekend for motorsports to tune-in.
WITH YOUR EXPERIENCED IN INDYCAR, DID YOU LOOK AT ANY CHANCE OF COMPETING IN THE RACE ON SATURDAY?“I did. I looked at it and just with everything going on with COVID and the pandemic and lack of preparation, it just kind of shut everything down as far as the progress and the approach, because it takes a full effort of being tested and track time and being ready. And that’s something that I really put in when I ran the Indy 500 six years ago now. And so, everything just got shut down. But, it would have been fun to with Chip Ganassi Racing and then with Jimmie Johnson now doing a test next week with Scott Dixon’s car, it’s all right there in front of us. It’s just the timing wasn’t right.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF HOW THE NEXT GEN CAR MIGHT REACT TO THE OVAL? THERE’S SOME TALK ABOUT IF THE XFINITY RACE GOES WELL OF MAYBE NASCAR DOING THE CUP CARS ON THE ROAD COURSE. BUT THEN, THERE’S TALK THAT WELL, COULD THE NEXT GEN CAR RACE ANY DIFFERENTLY?“As far as testing and gathering up information and data on the new car, it’s all kind of shut down as well. And, I see those cars though, where they’re able to adapt to any circumstances (like) a street course, road course, or oval. The way that I’ve looked at it and they way they’re assembled, things can be changed out pretty quick. So, you could almost hammer out a road course on a Saturday and an oval on a Sunday with the same cars.”
CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT HAS ALLOWED DRIVERS IN THEIR LATE 30’S TO BE VIEWED TO BE IN THE PEAK OF THEIR RACING CAREER STILL HAVING SUCCESS AND MAKING AN IMPACT? AND IS THAT EXTENDING CAREERS OR WHAT HAS THAT ALLOWED THOSE FROM LATE 30’S ON TO HAVE MORE SUCCESS AT A TIME WHEN PEOPLE DIDN’T LOOK AT IT AS BEING AS STRONG OF A PERIOD FOR A DRIVER’S CAREER?“It takes a good team to have a driver’s ability to find the success. A team is the foundation. But the way I’ve looked at things over the years is it seemed like drivers in the generation before me got in when they were in their young thirties and would go to their late forties. And then there was this guy named Jeff Gordon, who came into the sport and broke down a ton of barriers as far as age, and it opened up the flood gates for owners to look at all different areas of the country to find talent and to find racers. It’s been an amazing ride for me. I got in in my young twenties. And then a guy like Joey Logano got in in his teens. My little brother (Kyle Busch) got in in his teens. The change, the shift, has happened for younger drivers to get in and yet it’s still tough to go past 25 years is extreme. I don’t think we’ll ever see that anymore. And so that’s that window that we’ve all had this opportunity to race in, and I think it’s just a matter of age blended with the experience level and with a top-tier team. And when you see that, it’s usually in that 32 to 38 range that I would say could be the peak.
“But I’m having some of the best years of my career as far as consistency because I’m using that experience level. I’m using that calmness and that ability to project the future in the car, and that’s leading to good, consistent, and quality finishes. It’s just that we’ve got to cross over another barrier of sometimes you just throw caution to the wind and let it rip. And that’s when you see guys like (Ryan) Blaney, who now has won the last couple of restrictor-plate races, but yet ran into my little brother the other day at Pocono just driving over the nose of the car. So, you’ve got to blend in the youth and the experience and that’s when you’re going to find the right combination.”
WHAT IS PIT ROAD AT INDIANAPOLIS LIKE? THERE ARE A LOT OF CHALLENGES AT MANY TRACKS, BUT WITH HOW NARROW AND TIGHT INDIANAPOLIS IS, WHAT’S THAT LIKE IN AVOIDING ANY CONTACT THERE, WHICH CAN RUIN SOMEBODY’S DAY?“Yeah, Indianapolis has the toughest pit road in all of the NASCAR circuit. It’s compounded because of the difficulty of passing on track. And so, we’re all trying to gain every inch, every foot possible, on pit road. And so, when you’re coming down pit road at speed, guys are trying to look ahead and see where to peel off to get into their pit box, and then it creates an accordion effect of guys that are sitting there right on top of their lights and their pit road speed, and so that checks people up. And then when you’re coming out of your pit box, you’ve got to turn hard to the right to get around the guy that’s in front of you, and you’re mostly likely blending straight into traffic and people usually just throw all caution to the wind and go you know what? I’m just going to block you and it’s up to you to check-up because we’re that aggressive on pit road to keep that track position.”
Dominic Scelzi Caps Challenging Weekend With Strong Run During AGCO Jackson Nationals Finale
Inside Line Promotions – JACKSON, Minn. (June 30, 2020) – Dominic Scelzi rallied throughout the 42nd annual AGCO Jackson Nationals, where he overcame mechanical woes early in the weekend to tie for the most cars passed during the marquee event’s finale at Jackson Motorplex.
“It was a hell of a recovery from a tough weekend,” he said. “We made the show and moved forward in the race. I feel like from the moment we drove through the gate it was a struggle, but the guys kept working hard and we rebounded well by the end of it.”
Scelzi battled mechanical problems throughout the two preliminary nights of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event. He finished seventh in the Last Chance Showdown during the opener and maneuvered from 14th to eighth in the LCS during Round 2 – both times being only a handful of positions shy of making the main event.
However, that changed on Saturday when Scelzi advanced from seventh to sixth place in a qualifier and from seventh to fourth place in the Last Chance Showdown.
“Before we went out they reworked the bottom,” he said. “Everyone moved to the top so I was able to sneak into the show by running the bottom. I felt like the car was all right and we rolled around the track decent.
“In the main event I felt really good and racy. There were a couple of yellows that didn’t fall my way. I passed a couple of guys when the yellow would come out and they’d get back in front of me. It didn’t go my way, but we still were able to pass a lot of cars.”
Scelzi charged from 24th to 15th and he was tied for the most positions gained during the race.
Next up is a trip to Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., this Thursday through Saturday for the Independence Day Shootout with the World of Outlaws.
“I really like Cedar Lake,” he said. “It’s a place I enjoy going to. I’ve had good speed there. Usually that place gets really, really slick, which makes the racing fun. I’m hoping it gets slick and we can be contenders.”
CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Prepare for the Restart
| CORVETTE RACING AT DAYTONA: Prepare for the Restart • First race back following COVID-19 lockdown period• Third race for new mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R• Corvette C8.Rs placed fourth, seventh in Rolex 24 debut DETROIT (June 30, 2020) – Following a long layoff due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Corvette Racing makes its return to competition this weekend at the same place the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship began. Daytona International Raceway is the site of Saturday’s WeatherTech 240 and Corvette Racing’s second IMSA event this season. Five months ago, Corvette Racing debuted the mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the Rolex 24 At Daytona. It was a landmark event for the program, which is in its 22nd year of top-level endurance sports car racing competition. Unlike January’s Rolex 24, each mid-engine Corvette will have two drivers apiece for the two-hour, 40-minute race on NBC Sports Network – Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette with Tommy Milner and Oliver Gavin in the No. 4 C8.R. All four are past winners at Daytona. At this year’s Rolex 24, Garcia, Taylor and Nicky Catsburg placed fourth in GT Le Mans (GTLM), and the No. 3 Corvette C8.R completed more miles – 2,794.60 – than any other Corvette in race history. This weekend’s race will have a drastically different feel, however. Aside from the difference in race length and grid size, Corvette Racing (like all competitors) will operate in accordance with federal, state and local guidelines for social distancing and wear appropriate PPE at all times. The event schedule will include a one-hour practice Friday with another practice Saturday morning, qualifying early Saturday afternoon and a race into dusk Saturday evening. Corvette Racing is a three-time winner at Daytona – all coming at the Rolex 24 including an overall victory in 2001. The GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series held mid-summer races at Daytona through 2010; Garcia, Taylor and Milner each competed in at least one of those previous events. The Corvette C8.R is the fifth racing version that Corvette Racing has fielded since its first season in 1999. The team’s record since its debut is unmatched – 107 victories, 13 IMSA Team Championships, and 12 Manufacturer and Driver titles. The mid-engine C8.R is based on the strong foundation of the 2020 Corvette Stingray with both developed simultaneously. There is a deeper level of technology transfer between the race car and production Corvette than ever before which helps contribute to many of its advancements. As a result, the C8.R shares the highest percentage of parts between the production and race car than any previous generation. Initial design and development on the Corvette C8.R – with Corvette Racing engineers working alongside Corvette production personnel – began more than five years ago with track testing starting within the last 18 months. Heavy emphasis on wind tunnel and simulation aided in the testing program. The IMSA WeatherTech 240 at Daytona is set for July 3-4 with live race television coverage on NBC Sports Network, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App starting at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. IMSA Radio will broadcast all practice and qualifying sessions as well as the race on IMSA.com, which also will host live timing and scoring. |
FR Americas and F4 U.S. Drivers Deliver an Action-Packed Opening Weekend at Mid-Ohio
· Linus Lindqvist Sweeps Formula Regional Americas weekend
· Honda Performance Development Extends Contract through 2023 as Exclusive Engine Supplier
· SCCA Pro Racing inks Deal with Parella Motorsports Holdings
· 33 F4 U.S. Cars storm Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Lexington, Ohio (June 29, 2020)- After nearly an eight-month hiatus, the Formula 4 Untied States and Formula Regional Americas Championships returned to racing, roaring through Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course June 26-28 with more than 50 Honda-Powered cars between the championships.
Linus Lindqvist Sweeps Formula Regional Americas weekend
The FR Americas drivers delivered two action packed races at Mid-Ohio, with exciting battles from the front to the back of the 17-car field, but it was Global Racing Group rookie Linus Lundqvist who controlled the weekend with a dominate debut.
Behind the No. 26 Paytrim machine, the 2018 BRDC British F3 champion swept the weekend, qualifying on pole by setting a new track qualifying lap record (1:19.273-seconds) then driving lights to checkers in both 30-minute features. The outstanding drive earned Lundqvist the Omologato Perfectly Timed Move of the Race.
“Two wins, two pole positions and setting the fastest lap, it’s very hard to beat an opening weekend like that,” Lundqvist said. “Obviously it wasn’t easy, especially when you look at how large and competitive the field is. I’m a very small part in this operation, the team gave me a great car and I went out there and did my part.
While HMD Motorsports driver David Malukas’ race craft shined on the technical 15-turn, 2.4-minle circuit, he played second fiddle to Lundqvist all weekend. Topping the charts early in qualifying, Malukas of Chicago was edged out of pole-position in the final laps by .001-seconds, the closest qualifying margin in series history.
In Race 1, Malukas, staring second, bobbled the F1-style standing start, dropping back to fifth before Turn 1. Malukas worked his way back to third by a final lap and clinched second after an unforced error made by Santiago Urrutia, sent the Uraguan pilot flying off course, forfeiting his podium position to his teammate. Newman Wachs Racing driver Victor Franzoni crossed the stripe in third.
Malukas challenged Lundqvist for the point in Race 2, but his focus quickly changed from challenging for first to defending his second-place position which allowed Lundqvist to pull a gap. Malukas completed his FR Americas debut weekend with a pair of second-place finishes.
Urrutia recovered in Race 2 to claim the podium finish he missed out on earlier in the weekend.
HPD Extends Contract with Parella Motorsports Holdings through 2023
Honda Performance Development (HPD) extended its partnership through 2023 as the sole engine supplier to the FIA F4 U.S. and FR Americas Championships. In combination with the recent announcement that Parella Motorsports Holdings (PMH) is taking ownership of commercial promotion for these series, the future is very bright for developing world class open-wheel racing talent in North America.
The FR Americas Championship and F4 U.S. Championship offer global developing drivers the opportunity to demonstrate their skills on an international platform, with affordability and safety as top priorities. Both series’ cars are powered by equally strong, reliable, HPD-modified versions of the current Honda Civic® Type R® engine, with the FR Americas powered by a turbocharged 303-horsepower edition, while F4 U.S. uses a normally aspirated 160-bhp engine.
The Honda Civic® Type R® engine is manufactured in Marysville, Ohio, just miles north from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
“We are eager to continue the strong momentum in developing racing talent in North America by leveraging our unique product and program capabilities,” said Ted Klaus, President of HPD. “I’d like to thank our partners SCCA Pro Racing, Ligier and Hankook for taking the risk with us, starting in 2015, to power the dreams of future INDYCAR stars.
“Our consistent, reliable, and powerful HPD-developed Type R® race engines have helped create affordable racing opportunities for developing open wheel racers, and we see even more opportunities with this new partnership,” Klaus continued. “We’re excited that PMH has taken an active interest in helping aspiring professional racers achieve their goals ‘Powered by Honda’, and we’re excited to see what the future holds for these series and their participants.”
33 F4 U.S. Cars storm Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
The world’s largest FIA F4 average field stormed through Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course over the weekend, bringing 33 F4 U.S. cars to the Honda-supported circuit. While teams and drivers were ready to go racing, Mother Nature had other plans in mind, plaguing the first round with torrential weather. As rain worsened the already slick track conditions, lightening was spotted, forcing race control to call the round before the green flag reemerged. Since no green laps were taken, points were not awarded. The series will attempt to make up the round at a later date.
Since no official lap times were clocked in Race 1, the grid for Race 2 was based off qualifying results. Christian Bogle started on point, and after three restarts, Bogle held onto his pole-position start to claim the Race 2 win at Mid-Ohio on Sunday. The race ended in yellow after a debris from an off car littered the track forced race competition to a halt. Crosslink/Kiwi Motorsport driver Dylan Tavella crossed the line second with Velocity Racing Development rookie Hunter Yeany rounding out the provisional podium.
After cars failed post-race technical inspection, all F4 weekend results are provisional. Final results will be released following an appeals hearing.
Strong performance at pocono
June 29, 2020
Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team turned in another strong performance in the Sunday’s second half of a double-header at Pocono Raceway.
After finishing 13th and scoring 10 Stage points on Saturday, DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came back on Monday and scored eight more Stage points and finished sixth in the Pocono 350.
Sunday’s finish netted 41 points, the most DiBenedetto has earned in a race this season. He remains 14th in the Cup Series standings, but is just three points behind 13th-place Clint Bowyer and six back of 12th-place Jimmie Johnson.
DiBenedetto lined up eighth for the start of Sunday’s race and quickly drove his way into the top five then finished the first 30-lap Stage in sixth place, earning five Stage points.
In the second Stage, a 55-lapper, he ran in second or third place for much of the way, then made a pit stop from third place with 10 laps remaining in the Stage. Still, he drove his way back to ninth at the end of the Stage, earning two more points.
In the third and final segment of the race, he made his final pit stop with 38 laps remaining, taking two tires and fuel.
He rejoined the race and began working his way forward, gaining some spots through passes and others when drivers ahead of him made their last stops.
With 22 laps remaining, he was up to 15th place, and broke back into the top 10 six laps later. With four laps remaining, he took sixth place and held off William Byron and Clint Bowyer to claim his best Pocono finish in 12 career starts and his fourth top-10 finish of the season.
“We had great strategy from start to finish,” DiBenedetto said of the plans formulated by crew chief Greg Erwin. “We followed Greg’s plan and it worked out even better than we thought.”
DiBenedetto said he and Erwin figured that making a pit stop just before the end of the second Stage would set them up better for the finish but cost them some Stage points, but that wasn’t the case.
“We thought we’d be sacrificing Stage points, but we had a good pit stop and had a solid restart and grabbed a couple of points.”
DiBenedetto said his Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang was fast and his crew was on their game.
“We had a top-10 car all day long,” he said. “Everything was really smooth. Everybody executed well, and it was just a good, solid day.”
He said the weekend’s performance at Pocono has him and the team feeling upbeat as they head to Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“We’ve known we can do this,” he said, adding that he, Erwin and the crew have been working on their communication and on being more consistent in their on-track performance. “I think this weekend was an example of what we’ve been working on and knowing that we’re capable of doing is addressing that and just having solid days like we did today being in the top 10 from the start to the finish of the day, getting stage points and finishing up there.
“We’ve done a good job at working on that and I think we can do a lot more of this moving forward.”
Next up for DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team is the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard on July 5.
RCR Post Race Report – Pocono 350
| Solid, Top-15 Finish and Stage Points for Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Team at Pocono Raceway |
  14th  2nd  17th |
| “Everyone on the Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet team did a great job hanging in there today and working together to pull off a top-15 finish. We made a few adjustments to our car and strategy based on what we learned yesterday. There was a lot more grip on the track then what I figured there would be for a 4 p.m. Eastern race start. We just battled a tight-handling condition for most of the day today, especially at the beginning of the race. We had to free it up a bunch. We missed Stage points at the conclusion of Stage 1 by just one position, but then earned a few key Stage points at the end of Stage 2. During Stage 3, we worked our way into the top-five before pitting for fuel with 13 laps remaining. All-in-all, can’t complain about a 14th-place finish. I want to thank everyone at AstraZeneca and Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) for their support.” -Austin Dillon |
| Tyler Reddick and No. 8 Caterpillar Team Put Up Strong Fight at Pocono Raceway |
 35th 30th 18th |
| “This weekend did not go at all how we wanted it to, but I’m proud of the No. 8 Caterpillar team for never giving up at any point. When I came across the line to take the green flag today, I lost all power steering and had to drop back to protect the car. Right as I was going to hit pit road to see what we could do to fix the handling, the caution came out for rain, which almost ended up helping us. I was able to pit and give my team the entire yellow to work on the car. We figured out we would be able to replace the alternator belt as the red flag came out. Once the yellow flag came back out, my team worked as fast as they could to make the repairs but we still ended up a handful of laps down by the time we could rejoin the field. From that point on it was just a matter of capitalizing on everything that came our way to gain as many spots as we possibly could. Every point matters in the fight to make the Playoffs, and we weren’t going to go down without a fight. We got trapped a little bit with how the race played out, but we gave it our all today to get everything we could. I wouldn’t want to be racing with any other group than the one I have right now and am looking forward to getting back after it at Indy next weekend.” -Tyler Reddick |
chevy Racing–nascar–pocono post race
NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYPOCONO 350TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESJUNE 28, 2020
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS. DRIVER4th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 7th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE9th ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE12th MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE13th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1st Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2nd Kevin Harvick (Ford)3rd Erik Jones (Toyota)4th Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)5th Aric Almirola (Ford) The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records on Sunday, July 5th, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, NBC Sports Gold and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 4th“It was good to have a solid run for our NAPA team after yesterday being so poor. Obviously, we would’ve liked to of been a little better, but after starting in the back, I was pleased how I was able to move forward and gain a lot of that track position back. It was a good rebound. Looking forward to getting back on track at Indy.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 7th“We ended up with a top-10 finish today which was good. It was definitely an improvement from yesterday – seven spots better to be exact – which is good. We still struggled a good portion of the race but I think we made the right calls and adjustments at the end. We had a lot of speed actually the last couple runs. I think the track kind of came to us and ultimately that’s what we needed. So we’ll go on to Indy and hopefully have a better run there.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th“It was an up and down day. So many people are on different pit strategies throughout the day here in Pocono. We had a top 10 car all day, just didn’t have the running positions to show for it. Greg (Ives) and the guys made great adjustments on pit road and really improved the car throughout the race. A top-10 finish today is good momentum for us going to Indy next weekend.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th“The team made a lot of changes to the car from the race yesterday, but we still really struggled with the handling in traffic. The difference between dirty and clean air is crazy. The Monster Energy Chevy was good early on when we had track position (clean air) and we were able to lead all the laps and get the Stage 1 win, but just a tough ending for the No.1 team, a little Pocono Deja vu for us today!”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th“Everyone on the Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet team did a great job hanging in there today and working together to pull off a top-15 finish. We made a few adjustments to our car and strategy based on what we learned yesterday. There was a lot more grip on the track then what I figured there would be for a 4 p.m. race start. We just battled a tight-handling condition for most of the day today, especially at the beginning of the race. We had to free up a bunch. We missed Stage points at the conclusion of Stage 1 by just one position, but then earned a few key Stage points at the end of Stage 2. During Stage 3, we worked our way into the top-five before pitting for fuel with 13 laps remaining. All-in-all, can’t complain about a 14th-place finish. I want to thank everyone at AstraZeneca and Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) for their support.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 15th“Overall, I think it was a solid weekend for our Kroger Chevrolet. We definitely learned some things on Saturday that we were able to adapt to for Sunday, but the track raced very differently on Sunday than it did on Saturday. We were really loose most of the race, but Brian (Pattie) made some great strategy calls to keep us running up front and ultimately get a top-15 finish at the end. We’re on a solid momentum streak and I’m looking forward to carrying that over to Indianapolis Motor Speedway next weekend.”
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 20th“Our Richard Petty Motorsports team made the right adjustments for what we fought yesterday, but it still was not the right adjustments; that is kind of the frustrating part. We did not have enough raw speed and couldn’t quite get the handling we needed on our No. 43 Victory Junction Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. All-in-all, we came-out with a top-20 finish and it’s an improvement from yesterday. Good to get out of Pocono, and give us time to refocus before we come back.”“I’m glad we got the race in. Racing with no lights is a little tricky, but all-in-all, we’ll head to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We had our best finish there last year, so we’ll see if we can back that up.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 35th “This weekend did not go at all how we wanted it to, but I’m proud of the No. 8 Caterpillar team for never giving up at any point. Unfortunately, when I came across the line to take the green flag today I lost all power steering and had to drop back to protect the car. Right as I was going to hit pit road to see what we could do to fix the handling, the caution came out for rain, which almost ended up helping us. I was able to pit and give my team the entire yellow to work on the car. We figured out we would be able to replace the alternator belt right as the red flag came out. Once the yellow flag came back out, my team worked as fast as they could to make the repairs but we still ended up a handful of laps down by the time we could rejoin the field. From that point on it was just a matter of capitalizing on everything that came our way to gain as many spots as we possibly could. Every point matters in the fight to make the Playoffs, and we weren’t going to go down without a fight. We got trapped a little bit with how the race played out, but we gave it our all today to get everything we could. I wouldn’t want to be racing with any other group than the one I have right now and am looking forward to getting back after it at Indy next weekend.”
Race Wrap— Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals
 |
| Although the 12th Annual Scoggin-Dickey Parts Center NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia, was originally scheduled to be run in April, the repercussions from the Covid-19 pandemic forced a date change to June 26-28, 2020. It was definitely worth the wait, though, as the event was run to completion over a near-perfect weekend and racers and fans alike were thrilled to be back out cutting lights and clicking off runs at “Georgia’s House of Speed.” A combined event for both NMRA and NMCA only added to the excitement, while the huge car show and expansive vendor midway amped up the atmosphere even further. At the event’s conclusion, champions were crowned in the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle and cars were eagerly loaded into trailers in preparation for the next event in just a few short weeks. In the combined NMRA and NMCA VP Racing Madditives/Mickey Thompson Street Outlaw category, Alan Felts put his newly-finished “baby Pro Mod” ’91 Mustang into the number-one spot with a 4.424 at 165.97mph blast, but spun twice in round two of eliminations and couldn’t recover. Meanwhile, former champion and Street Outlaw bad boy Phil Hines of Lebanon, Ohio, met with Tony Hobson and his recently-acquired ride for an epic final-round battle of ProCharged-powered Mustangs. Hines, who had qualified fourth, snatched the lead at the start and was able to hold it all the way to the finish where a 4.504 at 160.79mph trip from his ’01 model took down Hobson’s effort of 4.514 at 160.86 mph in his ’90 Fox body. It was Mike Freeman’s name topping the list after qualifying had been finalized for twenty-four NMRA/NMCA Edelbrock Renegade/Xtreme Street entries, as his ’88 Mustang put in an impressive performance of 4.687 at 148.31 mph. In eliminations, all the glory belonged to Bob Zelenak of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, and his ’93 Mustang. Zelenak translated his earlier number-ten qualifying performance of a 4.832 at 144.44 mph to a nearly identical 4.832 at 145.55mph run in the finals and was able to add an NMRA Edelbrock Victortrophy to his collection while Scott Grove—who had qualified thirteenth—took the runner up consolation prize with his 5.109 at 139.37mph eighth-mile run. The lead in JDM Engineering Limited Street qualifying belonged to Samantha Moore and her ’14 Mustang, as the duo clocked an 8.669 at 157.70 mph quarter-mile time slip. A hurt transmission took her out in round one of eliminations, though, and opened the door for UPR Products’ own Bill Putnam and Blow By Racing-backed Jason Davis to face off in the finals. Davis, however, had cooked his turbocharger earlier in the day and was only able to take the light as he watched Putnam, who had qualified second, fly down the track in his orange ’94 Mustang for an uncontested win. Rocking out with his ’89 Mustang in Richmond Gear Factory Stockqualifying, John Leslie Jr. earned the number-one placement when he went 10.334 at 128.71 mph. The Rockstar lived up to the name during eliminations, as Leslie rocked out round after round in eliminations and took down Mike Bowen, who had qualified third on a hole shot, on his want to the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle. G-Force Racing Transmissions Coyote Stock is always crazy competitive, but Michigan’s Frank Paultanis was on a tear right from the start, as he was the only driver to click off a 10-teens number in qualifying, which rightfully put him in the top spot with his ’04 Mustang. In eliminations, his performance advantage was clearly evident as he turned on win light after win light with his Coyote-powered ’04 Mustang and capped off a perfect weekend with a trip to the Aerospace Components Winner’s Circle after putting Nathan Stymiest back on the trailer in the finals. Just 0.003-seconds away from a perfect light behind the wheel of his ’89 Fox body Mustang, Chris Graff was the number-one qualifier in Exedy Racing Clutch Modular Muscle qualifying. Coming back from a stint in no prep racing, though, was Texas-based racer James Meredith of Triangle Speed Shop fielding his ’73 Capri. Meredith proved things really are bigger in Texas, including wins, as he defeated reigning champion Charlie McCulloch and his ’04 Mustang Cobra in a tight final elimination round where McCulloch went 10.980 on his 10.88 but Meredith managed a 9.967 on his 9.91. David Mormann of Tampa, Florida, was nearly dead-on when he ran 11.005 on his 11.00 dial with his ’70 Mustang Mach I during FSC Ford Muscle qualifying to land in the top placement. He kept up the consistency throughout eliminations to muscle his way through to the finals. Kevin Sanders had qualified third and also made it to the last round of the weekend, but Mormann had him both at the start and at the stripe and it was the man from the Sunshine State who closed things out on a high note. Sitting in first after ROUSH Performance Super Stang qualifying, Andy Ransford’s 0.039-second reaction time in his ’06 Mustang definitely did the job, but it was Lloyd Mikeska and Russell Haskins who had the advantage during eliminations. Mikeska, the number-three qualifier from Richmond, Texas, and Haskins, the number-two qualifier from Marietta, Georgia, battled it out in a heated final round, but ultimately the win light lit in Mikeska’s lane.Nearly two dozen competitors came out to contest the ARP Open Comp class, but Tom Hoffman had the quickest reaction time during qualifying with an 0.003-second trigger from his Mustang. Hoffman’s run ended in round two, but Bill Jones and Mel White, both of Nashville, Georgia, and both with 0.019-second reaction times in qualifying to wind up ninth and eighth, respectively, ran side by side in the finals for a ‘60s-era Falcon vs Mustang showdown. At the stripe, it was Jones whose 9.214 at 149.91 mph run on a 9.21 dial was a winner over White’s 10.977 at 121.57 mph pass on his 11.06 goal. Recovering from his battle with Covid-19, Vinnie Telesco was missed by his usual Detroit Locker Truck & Lightning class as well as the entire NMRA family. Keith Chobirko of White Oak, Pennsylvania, however, set the pace in qualifying with his ’01 Ranger when he cut a quick 0.002-second light and stayed right on the money all throughout eliminations. In the final round pairing, Chobirko defeated the number two qualifier, Bob Dill, with a winning package A large group of QA1/TorqStorm Superchargers True Street racers came out to enjoy a 30-mile street cruise and three back-to-back trips down the quarter mile after so much time in quarantine, and it was Mark Scordato of Newton, New Jersey who was the overall winner as his ’68 Pontiac GTO clocked the quickest average of 9.463-seconds. Hot on his heels was Dan Nusbaum from Crossville, Tennessee, who averaged 9.926-seconds in his ’87 Mustang to take the overall runner-up honors. Alex Corella won the 10-second group, Ben Bramlett took top honors for the 11-second section, Mike Baker was the winner in the 12-second group, Dylan Derby bested the 13-second average, Kay Ward had the lead in the 14-second pack, and Allen Smith was the final winner for the 15-second bunch. The NMRA Holley Drag Racing Series continues the 15th Annual Nitto Tire NMRA/NMCA Super Bowl of Street-Legal Drag Racing Presented by HPJ Performance with the Chevrolet Performance Challenge Series at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis in Madison, Illinois, over the weekend July 30-August 2, 2020. |
RCR Post Race Report – Pocono Green 250 Pocono Raceway
| Myatt Snider and the TaxSlayer Chevrolet Team Show Speed with Top-Five Finish at Pocono Raceway |
 4th 2nd 10th |
| “It was a great day for us. We were up front leading laps and had a great chance to win in our TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro. I hate we got involved earlier with that incident that took out so many cars. I was getting a big push from behind and had a run on the 9 car. I knew we were going to funnel up very quickly, so I started lifting out of it, but the guy behind me didn’t. I hate it for those guys, but I’m thankful we were able to make it through without damage. In the end it just came down to experience for me. I’ve only had a select few races with this RCR car. It has so much speed, I just need to get myself a little more consistent. Kudos to my RCR guys for bringing such a fast TaxSlayer Camaro. I had a blast today. I just need to get a little more experience and I think we’ll be able to win some races.” -Myatt Snider |
Owens Remains Unstoppable in Lucas Oil Win at Talladega
EASTABOGA, AL (June 27, 2020) – Jimmy Owens won his fourth straight Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt series event on Saturday Night leading all the way in the EZ-GO 50. The event marked the first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race at Talladega Short Track in 12 years. The current series point leader extended his lead in the championship standings with his 69th career series victory. Josh Richards finished second in the Clint Bowyer Racing entry and Kyle Hardy recorded his best career finish in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series as he rounded out the Big River Steel podium in third. Michael Page came home in fourth followed by former series rookie-of-the-year, Billy Moyer Jr. in fifth. Owens took the lead at the start of the race with Hudson O’Neal quickly moving from his fourth starting spot to second. O’Neal ran in second behind Owens until he slowed on lap 8 and exited the race. Jonathan Davenport moved into second place where he would stay until a caution flew for him with 31 laps scored. Richards became the third different driver to run in the second spot behind Owens. A caution with ten laps to go bunched the field up, but for the fourth series race in a row, Owens went on to the victory in the richest race ever ran at TST. “Once again, the car was flawless all weekend,” said the 48-year-old 3-time series champion in Lucas Oil Victory Lane, “My hats to the crew and Dale McDowell for prepping the track this week. They watered the track and gave us a racy track for a long time. It’s great to come home with a win for Pope Construction, they are just up the road from here. He has helped us for years. I am just glad he could be a part of it and be here with us. I don’t think I have ever been here where I haven’t run off the corner in one and two. I am glad the fans stuck it out and I’m glad the weather held out. Hopefully, we can keep it going.” Richards tried his best to stay with Owens in the closing laps but settled for the second finishing spot. “Those guys have a done a good job,” said Richards in reference to Owens and his crew. “Whatever he has going on, he’s been riding it. It doesn’t seem like he has to hustle it very much. Compared to last night, tonight, we got the car more dialed in. We ran the race we feel like we came to win. We were right there on him. He beat us in certain parts of the track, but we feel like we can run with him in other parts. Our balance is good, and we will just keep on digging.” Hardy was pleased with his run, “We came here with our backs against the wall. We had a tough night last night. I wish It didn’t end like it did. Hats off to the track crew. They worked hard on it this week and they gave us a track to race on. That’s what it’s all about. It means a lot to come here and finish behind Jimmy Owens and Josh Richards.”
The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Reece Monument Company, Tommy Pope Construction, Boomtest Well Service, Red Line Oil, General Tire, Midwest Sheet Metal, Hypercoil Springs, Ohlins Shocks, and Champion Spark Plugs. Completing the top ten were Cory Hedgecock, Dillon Tidmore, Tanner English, Tyler Erb, and Stormy Scott.Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
EZ-Go 50
Saturday, June 27th, 2020
Talladega Short Track – Eastaboga, AL
Lucas Oil Time Trials
Fast Time Group A: Jonathan Davenport / 14.036 seconds (overall)
Fast Time Group B: Tim McCreadie / 14.273 seconds
Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[1]; 2. 38-Dillon Tidmore[5]; 3. 18X-Michael Page[4]; 4. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 5. 50-Shanon Buckingham[8]; 6. 10J-Joseph Joiner[10]; 7. 66-Jake Knowles[7]; 8. 16S-Sam Seawright[6]; 9. 25-Shane Clanton[2]; 10. 00P-Dalton Polston[9]; 11. (DNS) 29-Christian Hanger
FK Rod Ends Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 14-Josh Richards[2]; 2. 2S-Stormy Scott[1]; 3. 1-Earl Pearson Jr[3]; 4. 40B-Kyle Bronson[8]; 5. 91-Heath Hindman[5]; 6. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[4]; 7. 85-Jason Hiett[6]; 8. 35-Dallas Cooper[7]; 9. 6S-Blake Spencer[9]; 10. (DNS) 8-Kyle Strickler
Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[1]; 2. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[4]; 3. 79-Kyle Hardy[5]; 4. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 5. 44D-Dalton Cook[3]; 6. 22R-Will Roland[8]; 7. 57-Josh Adkins[9]; 8. 25M-Justin Mcree[10]; 9. 17-Logan Roberson[6]; 10. 84-Austin Smith[7]; 11. (DNS) 99M-JR Moseley
Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 71-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 3. 23H-Cory Hedgecock[3]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[4]; 5. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 6. 24-Zach Leonhardi[6]; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening[8]; 8. 25T-Tim Roszell[9]; 9. 62-Cody King[7]; 10. 42K-Cla Knight[10]
Tiger Rear Ends B-Main #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 50-Shanon Buckingham[1]; 2. 91-Heath Hindman[2]; 3. 10J-Joseph Joiner[3]; 4. 21M-Billy Moyer Sr[4]; 5. 85-Jason Hiett[6]; 6. 66-Jake Knowles[5]; 7. 25-Shane Clanton[9]; 8. 16S-Sam Seawright[7]; 9. 35-Dallas Cooper[8]; 10. 6S-Blake Spencer[10]; 11. (DNS) 00P-Dalton Polston; 12. (DNS) 8-Kyle Strickler; 13. (DNS) 29-Christian Hanger
FAST Shafts B-Main #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1T-Tyler Erb[2]; 2. 44D-Dalton Cook[1]; 3. 24-Zach Leonhardi[4]; 4. 22R-Will Roland[3]; 5. 25T-Tim Roszell[8]; 6. 57-Josh Adkins[5]; 7. 62-Cody King[10]; 8. 42K-Cla Knight[12]; 9. 84-Austin Smith[11]; 10. 25M-Justin Mcree[7]; 11. 16-Tyler Bruening[6]; 12. 99M-JR Moseley[13]; 13. (DNS) 17-Logan Roberson
Lucas Oil Feature Finish (50 Laps):
| Pos | Start | Car # | Competitor | Hometown | Pay |
| 1 | 2 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | $12,900 |
| 2 | 3 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | $6,300 |
| 3 | 10 | 79 | Kyle Hardy | Stephens City, VA | $3,500 |
| 4 | 9 | 18X | Michael Page | Winston, GA | $2,750 |
| 5 | 6 | 21 | Billy Moyer Jr | Batesville, AR | $2,950 |
| 6 | 12 | 23H | Cory Hedgecock | Loudon, TN | $1,800 |
| 7 | 5 | 38 | Dillon Tidmore | Gadsen, AL | $1,500 |
| 8 | 14 | 81E | Tanner English | Benton, KY | $2,100 |
| 9 | 18 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | $1,900 |
| 10 | 7 | 2S | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | $1,100 |
| 11 | 13 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | $1,775 |
| 12 | 20 | 44D | Dalton Cook | Columbus, GA | $1,050 |
| 13 | 15 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | $1,725 |
| 14 | 17 | 50 | Shanon Buckingham | Morristown, TN | $1,700 |
| 15 | 1 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | $2,000 |
| 16 | 24 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | Decorah, IA | $1,000 |
| 17 | 11 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | $1,800 |
| 18 | 16 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | $1,000 |
| 19 | 8 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | $1,700 |
| 20 | 19 | 91 | Heath Hindman | Signal Mountain, TN | $1,000 |
| 21 | 22 | 24 | Zach Leonhardi | Douglasville, GA | $1,000 |
| 22 | 21 | 10J | Joseph Joiner | Milton, FL | $1,000 |
| 23 | 4 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | $1,000 |
| 24 | 23 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | $1,700 |
Race Statistics
Entrants: 42
Lap Leaders: Jimmy Owens (Laps 1 – 50)
Wrisco Feature Winner: Jimmy Owens
Margin of Victory: 1.581 seconds
Cautions: Hudson O’Neal (Lap 8); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 31); Shanon Buckingham, Earl Pearson Jr. (Lap 40)
Series Provisionals: Shane Clanton, Tyler Bruening
Fast Time Provisional: n/a
Series Emergency Provisionals: n/a
Big River Steel Podium Top 3: Jimmy Owens, Josh Richards, Kyle Hardy
Optima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Tyler Erb (Advanced 9 Positions)
Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Jimmy Owens
Allstar Performance Most Laps Led: Jimmy Owens (50 Laps)
Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy Owens
Eibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Tanner English
ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Racing Engines
Miller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket Chassis
Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jeff Strope (Jimmy Owens)
Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Lap #1 – 14.276 seconds)
STEEL-IT Tough Break of the Race: Jonathan Davenport
PFC Brakes Pole Award: Jonathan Davenport
Time of Race: 23 minutes 48 seconds
Lucas Oil Point Standings:
| Pos | Car # | Competitor | Hometown | Points | Pay |
| 1 | 20 | Jimmy Owens | Newport, TN | 3545 | $99,300 |
| 2 | 49 | Jonathan Davenport | Blairsville, GA | 3145 | $63,300 |
| 3 | 39 | Tim McCreadie | Watertown, NY | 3140 | $58,350 |
| 4 | 1T | Tyler Erb | New Waverly, TX | 3115 | $47,100 |
| 5 | 14 | Josh Richards | Shinnston, WV | 3090 | $53,475 |
| 6 | 9 | Devin Moran | Dresden, OH | 3035 | $43,207 |
| 7 | 40B | Kyle Bronson | Brandon, FL | 2975 | $44,900 |
| 7 | 25 | Shane Clanton | Zebulon, GA | 2975 | $45,700 |
| 9 | 21 | Billy Moyer Jr | Batesville, AR | 2725 | $30,025 |
| 10 | 81E | Tanner English | Benton, KY | 2615 | $24,025 |
| 11 | 50 | Shanon Buckingham | Morristown, TN | 2505 | $23,325 |
| 12 | 1 | Earl Pearson Jr | Jacksonville, FL | 2470 | $22,900 |
| 13 | 71 | Hudson O’Neal | Martinsville, IN | 2445 | $23,925 |
| 14 | 16 | Tyler Bruening | Decorah, IA | 2320 | $13,875 |
| 15 | 2S | Stormy Scott | Las Cruces, NM | 2205 | $12,975 |
| 16 | 76 | Brandon Overton | Evans, GA | 2125 | $53,150 |
DiBenedetto Finishes 13th in Saturday’s Pocono Race
June 27, 2020
Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team came away from the first half of a Cup Series double-header at Pocono Raceway with a 13th-place finish in the Pocono Organics 325, plus 10 Stage points that allowed them to move up one spot in the points standings to 14th.
And they did it with a fast Ford Mustang, which has the team optimistic heading into Sunday’s Pocono 350, where DiBenedetto will start eighth in the same car he drove on Saturday.
DiBenedetto started 21st as the line-up was set by a modified draw for positions.
Knowing his best chances to advance toward the front would come on the initial start and on restarts, he went to work right away, with great success.
By the end of the second lap he was up to 12th place and kept moving forward for the rest of the first Stage.
“The engineers and the rest of the crew deserve a lot of credit for unloading a car that was really fast,” he said. “We had damage from the first lap on due to contact with the 42. It damaged the right side and affected the aero pretty good, but it was still fast.”
He said it took some “really aggressive” driving to gain 10 spots on the opening lap.
“I drove through the middle and around the outside of a couple of them,” he said. “It was a handful.”
He gained another spot the next lap and held that spot until the competition caution flew at Lap 13, and restarted ninth since he did not pit during the caution period.
He gained two spots on the restart and held seventh place until the end of the first Stage, which earned him four Stage points.
He stayed on track during the caution period following the first Stage and moved into the top five on the restart.
On Lap 45, he made his first pit stop of the day, which dropped him to 31st in the running order. But as others made their pit stops he climbed back through the field, breaking back into the top 10 on Lap 70. He was running sixth when the caution flag flew with six laps remaining in the second Stage, and gained two spots in the last two laps to finish fifth and earn six more Stage points.
Back under way, he stayed on the track and moved as high as third place before making his second and final pit stop with 37 laps remaining, taking fuel and four tires.
He rejoined the race in 21st place and climbed back to 13th place at the finish in a race that ran the entire final stage without a yellow flag that would have allowed him to make more use of his four fresher tires.
“We were basically running a road-course strategy,” DiBenedetto said, adding that there was no way he could have done a no-tire or two-tire stop on his final trip down pit road.
“The engine sputtered so we had to take a full tank of fuel, and you might as well take four tires while you’re getting the fuel.”
He said a small hiccup on the final stop might have cost him a few finishing positions, but overall he was pleased with the efforts of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team.
“It was nobody’s fault, just a little mishap,” he said. “If not for that we could have gotten stage points and a top 10.
“The strategy was good.”
DiBenedetto said the team’s performance on Saturday has him looking forward to a repeat performance.
“Now we know more about the track and about what the car needs,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot less nerve-wracking.
“We’ll just have to make a few tweaks on the car, and the crew deserves a lot of credit for that. Then it will be another strategy game and just trying to get everything you can on restarts.”
Sunday’s Pocono 350 is set to get the green flag just after 4 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.
RCR Post Race Report – Pocono Organics 325 Pocono Raceway
| Austin Dillon and the No. 3 American Ethanol Team Have Strong Run at Pocono Raceway |
 19th 17th 18th |
| “We had a great American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 today, but finished 19th, which isn’t what we wanted. We lost our track position in the middle of Stage 2 when the caution flag was displayed. We were running eighth at the time and hoping that it would go green and cycle out, but it didn’t. We had some really good lap times in Stage 3 but the way tire strategy played out we were not able to cycle our way back to the front for the end of the race. Even though we didn’t get the finish we were hoping for today, the good news is we get to race at Pocono Raceway again tomorrow. We start second. Hopefully we can turn that into a solid run for all of the RCR fans out there. I want to recognize all of the farmers with American Ethanol. They are the true back bone of America and I am proud to race for them. “ -Austin Dillon |
| Tyler Reddick and the Caterpillar Chevrolet Team Showcase Never-Give-Up Attitude at Pocono Raceway |
| 30th 15th 16th |
| “The Caterpillar Chevrolet was really fast today at Pocono Raceway, and I think we showed that. We had good speed at the start of the race but we were involved in a wreck at the end of Stage Two that put us two laps down and changed the course of our race. From then on out, it was all about finishing and earning maximum points. I have to thank my guys for their hard work and making repairs so I could finish the last stage. We kept after it as a team and finished all the laps, trying to maximize on as many points as we could. We will regroup and be ready for round two tomorrow. Thank you to Caterpillar and the Cleveland Brothers for their support. We will definitely be ready to go tomorrow.” -Tyler Reddick |
chevy racing–nascar–pocono post race
NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYPOCONO DOUBLEHEADERTEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESJUNE 27, 2020
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS. DRIVER11th MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE14th WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE17th RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE18th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE19th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE
TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1st Kevin Harvick (Ford)2nd Denny Hamlin (Toyota)3rd Aric Almirola (Ford)4th Christopher Bell (Toyota)5th Kyle Busch (Toyota) The NASCAR Cup Series doubleheader race weekend at Pocono Raceway continues with the Pocono 350 tomorrow, June 28, at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 14th“We struggled today. We had a hard time making speed and tried to salvage what we could there at the end. We started gaining more speed as the car tightened up by the end of the race. We’ll make some changes for tomorrow and see what we can do then.”
KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18th“I’m not really sure what went wrong with the handling on our Monster Energy Camaro? The track changed dramatically for us. We were pretty good the first half of the race, before the car started handling really tight on the exit of the corners. The second half was not so good for us with the handling and track position. We’ll turn it around and work for a better result tomorrow”.
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 AMERICAN ETHANOL CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 19th“We finished 19th today. Not what we wanted. Lost our track position in the middle of Stage 2 when the caution fell. It stunk. We were running eighth, and hoping it would go green and cycle out, but it didn’t. Nineteenth is what we had. I want to recognize all the farmers with American Ethanol. They’re the true backbone of America. I’m proud to race for them and all the ethanol producers across the country, so thank you guys for all your support. Tomorrow we start second and hopefully we can turn that into a solid run for all the RCR fans out there.” BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 22nd“Well, that was a whole bunch of nothing. We didn’t really hit on much all day. On the tight side; just could never get the front end to work. The guys did good trying to figure out something on our No. 43 Victory Junction Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, it just wasn’t enough. We tried to pull some strategy there at the end, and just didn’t have enough raw speed to dial ourselves out. So, all-in-all, I’m proud of the efforts. We just kind of swung for the fences but didn’t really hit anything good. We know what not to do for tomorrow. We’ll come back way better with a totally different package. I had a good debrief with the guys, so we’ll see what tomorrow brings for us starting in the 22nd-place. We missed that invert spot by two; stayed on the lead lap almost by a lap. But all-in-all it’s good to come out of there with a clean car. A lot of people had a bad day, so we capitalized. On to tomorrow.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 26th “Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was fast and handled well through the corners, but something was wrong under the hood. Our car just didn’t have the speed on the straightaway and it hurt our momentum. We started the race really tight, but Matt (Borland) made a big adjustment on the first stop which helped the balance. My Germain Racing guys will try to figure out what was wrong tonight, so it doesn’t hinder us tomorrow.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 27th“That is not the way we wanted to end the race. We had a good run going and were going to end up top 10. The No. 2 got into us there at the end and we cut a tire. Definitely don’t have the finish to show how our day was going, but we will be back tomorrow with a new car.”
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CATERPILLAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 30th“The Caterpillar Chevrolet was really fast today at Pocono Raceway, and I think we showed that. We had good speed at the start of the race but we were involved in a wreck at the end of Stage Two that put us two laps down and changed the course of our race. From then on out, it was all about finishing and earning maximum points. I have to thank my guys for their hard work and making repairs so I could finish the last stage. We kept after it as a team and finished all the laps, trying to maximize on as many points as we could. We will regroup and be ready for round two tomorrow. Thank you to Caterpillar and the Cleveland Brothers for their support. We will definitely be ready to go tomorrow.”
chevy racing–nascar–pocono–bubba wallace
NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYPOCONO DOUBLEHEADERTEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJUNE 26, 2020
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1 1LE, met with media and discussed the things that have happened this past week, the demands on his time, the importance of bringing new fans to the sport of NASCAR, and more. Full Transcript: THE LAST FEW WEEKS WITH EXTRA DISTRACTIONS, BUT ALSO LOOKED UPON AS A SPOKESPERSON AND SYMBOL. WITH ALL THAT RESPONSIBILITY, HOW ARE YOU NAVIGATING THAT?“It’s just another day. The clock resets at midnight every night and we’ll go through whatever is on the schedule then and I’m just excited to get back in the race car come tomorrow. But we’ve got media in between then and now, so we’ll see.”
WHEN YOU RAN OVER TO THE FENCE (POST-RACE) ON MONDAY AND THERE WERE A GROUP OF BLACK FANS THERE TO GREET YOU AND IT SEEMED LIKE THEY CAME JUST TO SEE YOU. IT’S ONLY BEEN A SHORT TIME SINCE THE CONFEDERATE FLAG ISSUE HAS COME UP WITH YOU, BUT HAVE YOU FOUND MORE BLACK FANS OR PEOPLE WHO SEEM INTERESTED IN NASCAR THAT WEREN’T BEFORE?“Yeah, absolutely. I think just from the following standpoint, it’s been pretty big. Before all the chaos and madness started a couple of weeks ago at Atlanta and Martinsville and now this, it was like 180 thousand fans on Instagram and now I’m at 450 thousand, or something like that. I don’t know. A lot of people of color are coming out and saying that they’re going to be watching for the first time and have been watching since; so yeah, I think there’s a huge following that we will see and I’m excited to see when the full racing schedule gets back to normal from COVID to allow fans to come back in full capacity and see a new face there. That was pretty damn cool to see that new crowd there at Talladega with all the support. So, we’ll see how it continues to grow.”
WHO HAS INSPIRED YOU TO BE A LEADER IN CHANGE? AND CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE ANY NEW COOL CARS FROM YOU LIKE THE ‘BLACK LIVES MATTER’?“I don’t know if anybody has inspired me. I think it’s just what I feel in my heart and what feels right and finally voicing my opinion on the tough subjects that a lot of people are afraid to touch on. I’m not afraid to speak my mind. I’ve done it and gotten in trouble and learned from it. So, people that know me, I’m 100 percent raw and real. I’ve told you that before, as well. As far as another paint scheme, I’m not sure. That was an unsponsored race where we paid out of pocket for that one and basically took a bet on ourselves and took a chance on ourselves and that was big. I think with all this stuff we’re starting to get some partners involved and who knows if we’ll have another unsponsored race this year. If so, we’ll see what we can do.”
WITH EVERYTHING THAT YOU’VE BEEN DOING, IT’S VERY IMPRESSIVE, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY GET INTO THE RACE CAR, DO YOU HAVE TO FLIP A SWITCH AND CHANGE YOUR MINDSET THAT IT’S RACE TIME. HOW ARE YOU STAYING FOCUSED DURING THE RACE?“I’ve always said there’s that concrete wall around the race track and you don’t want to hit that. And, I’ve hit this wall pretty hard that we’re going through this weekend. So, I know what that feels like. But, through it all, we’ve got to have good finishes. We’ve got to have a good season and we’re still continuing to have that. We’re running in the top 15 most e very weekend. That’s about seven to 10 spots better than we were last year, so I can’t let anything else tear me away from the momentum we’ve been having. So, I’m not going to let anything else take that away from us. So yeah, as tough as it may be, it’s quite easy for me to climb in and get away from all the chaos.”
YOU MENTIONED THE OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT FROM FANS. WHAT ABOUT YOUR COLLEAGUES? ARE THERE ANY WORDS THAT YOU DIDN’T EXPECT FROM MAYBE ANOTHER DRIVER THAT HAVE STUCK WITH YOU AND WILL STICK WITH YOU?“No, it was good to see everybody out there and I appreciate the support. Two people that stuck out were Aric Almirola sent a nice text right before all that on Monday saying how we’re not friends and we don’t act like we are, but we’re going to stand next to each other and he’s proud to stand next to me as a brother and being human beings because he and I don’t click at all very well. We’ll both tell you that; and Alex Bowman coming up and saying we don’t see eye to eye on everything, but he stands by me 100 percent, something along those lines. I thought that was pretty cool. I’ve always had respect for Alex but we’ve definitely butted heads and have lost respect at times for each other, but it shows that we can all come together. Jimmie Johnson has been the guy at the top of the list the whole time. He texted me Tuesday after all the chaos going on to just check on me. So, it’s been good to have him in my corner there, for sure.”
YOU DON’T SEEM LIKE A REAL EMOTIONAL GUY. DO YOU GET EMOTIONAL WHEN SOME OF THESE GUYS DO HAVE YOUR BACK AND SEEING EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK?“I don’t even think the videos and pictures can answer that for you. Yeah, when you go through a lot and whatnot, I mask a lot of things. I hold a lot of things in and it comes out at times like that. So, yeah.”
YOU SAY IT’S JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE, BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU’VE NEVER BEEN THROUGH ANYTHING LIKE YOU WERE THIS WEEK WHERE YOU’RE IN THIS FIRESTORM OF THE MEANS COMING FROM PEOPLE ALL OVER THE PLACE AND JUST THE ACCUSATIONS OF HOAX AND ALL THIS STUFF, AND YOU’RE OUT THERE TRYING TO TELL YOUR STORY AND IT SEEMS LIKE NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY THERE’S GOING TO BE THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST GOING TO KEEP ILING ON. HOW DO YOU GET THROUGH THAT? HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH IT?“You stay off social media as much as you can. Corey LaJoie texted me yesterday and asked if I was all good. I said every time you stand behind the truth, you’re always good. I know people are going to try to knock me and bump me off the throne, the pedestal I’m on, the same pedestal that I’ve been on for 16 or 17 years now since I started. So, I’m fine with it. It’s fine. I love to get out and compete and have really good runs. It’s just motivation to go out and to have really good races. We’ll never shut them up. They’re afraid of themselves. They’re afraid of change. Sometimes those are the people that you can’t help throughout all the chaos in the world. Those are the ones who need the most help. But, you quickly realize they don’t give a damn about you and I don’t give a damn. About them.”
LOOKING FORWARD TO POCONO, THEY APPLIED PJ1 TO THE TRACK LAST YEAR AND A LOT OF DRIVERS DIDN’T USE IT. DO YOU THINK MORE DRIVERS WILL VENTURE UP THERE AND TRY TO USE IT DURING THE TWO RACES THIS WEEKEND?“Yeah, I forgot about that. It was there last year. I think it was kind of far off in the areas where it was applicated. It was pretty far off. I think that’s why we didn’t use it. When I get to the track tomorrow, I’ll re-watch the race and get a for-sure idea. We’ll see when we get there.”
YOU SAID EARLIER THE TEAM HAS HAD SOME CONSISTENT TOP 15 FINISHES THIS YEAR. WHAT HAS BEEN THE MAIN CATALIST FOR THE SUDDEN UPTICK IN PERFORMANCE?“It’s just the resources have been good, and they’ve been coming in steadily and helping us out. The alliance with RCR has been good; and Chevrolet, a new body this year has been good. There are a lot of different factors that go into it. Jerry Baxter (crew chief) has been doing a hell of a job being a leader of our team and calling great races and taking chances; staying out when others pit to capitalize on some really late finishes, good finishes there; so, there’s a lot of key factors. Just everybody in a collaborate group that helps support our program together.”
THE LAST TIME WE’VE HAD SOMEBODY WHO HAS THIS MUCH PRESSURE ON HIM WAS DALE JUNIOR AFTER 2001. ON THAT NOTE, HAVE YOU TALKED TO HIM ABOUT WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE THE WEIGHT OF THE SPORT ON YOUR SHOULDERS?“No, I haven’t talked to him about that. I guess I don’t see it as the weight of the sport on my shoulders. I guess I haven’t had time to think about it, honestly. I’ve been so damn busy, sitting right here in this setting (on a Zoom call) to think about that and to reach out to feel that. I haven’t felt the pressure yet. I don’t know if that’s just me masking it, but I haven’t talked to him.”
I SAW YOUR DAD ON CBS, THE MORNING SHOW, AND GIVEN THE FACT THAT HE IS WHITE, I ASSUME AT SOME POINT DURING YOUR LIVE YOU WERE GIVEN THE TALK, I’M WONDERING WHO THAT CAME FROM ON YOUR SIDE OF THE FAMILY“The talk. What are you getting at?”
JUST AS FAR AS THE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE TALK, I GUESS IS WHAT I’VE ALWAYS HEARD IT REFERRED TO“The talk. You’ve got the birds and the bees talk. You’ve got whatever talk you’re talking about. I don’t know. I don’t know exactly what you’re talking about. Don’t be afraid to say it.”
WELL, I’M SAYING FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A LOT OF YOUNG AFRICAN MEN AND WOMEN WHEN THEY LEAVE THE HOUSE, THERE ARE OUTSIDE FACTORS THAT AFFECT THEM THAT I WOULD ABSOLUTELY HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT“You could have been talking about having sex for the first time. I didn’t know what you were talking about. Yeah, no, we never had that conversation just because we’ve always went at it as treat equal with respect with respect and fairness and that’s how it always was in our family. I had the best of both worlds. I had my dad’s side and my mom’s side. And so, when I was outside, I didn’t worry about being treated differently than others. I just lived life to the fullest. I lived life how I wanted to live life and I went through those things on my own, discrimination, and stuff. And, it’s part of it. You learn from it.”
PART OF YOUR MESSAGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN GROWING THE SPORT AND YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT INCLUSION. YESTERDAY, BRAD DAUGHERTY TALKED ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF INCLUSION HE FELT GROWING UP AS A RACE FAN AND GETTING INTO THE SPORT AS A RACE OWNER. WHAT LEVEL OF INCLUSION DID YOU FEEL AS A FAN GROWING UP AND THEN BECOMING A DRIVER?“Growing up, I didn’t even watch NASCAR. Even when I was racing, I didn’t pay much attention to it. It was on, but I was outside playing with friends and doing whatever. At the race tract, I didn’t feel like I wasn’t wanted there unless we were winning each and every week and we started doing that once we got better and better. But, as far as inclusion, I was too young to understand if we went through anything that would shy us away. And by the time I got to NASCAR, I was a driver. So, it was the next race on the schedule, we would be with the NASCAR teams. So, I always felt welcome.”
WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS NASCAR CAN TAKE TO ENSURE INCLUSION FOR THE LONG-TERM INSTEAD OF THIS BEING A SHORT-TERM TREND?“I think we just have to get out in our communities and we’ve created a group of us to be leadership at NASCAR as some key drivers to be a part of how we can put action to our words that we’ve been speaking and spreading the gospel, but it’s tough right now with everything that’s going on with COVID and it sounds like lockdowns are coming back into place. So, seeing people face-to-face and talking to them and telling them about NASCAR and educating them on NASCAR and how we’re making changes and how we want people to come out. It’s tough. So, it goes back to our great partner at World Wide Technology of being able to set up something and using technology to talk to people virtually, like we are now, to get out there and help those efforts until we can get back to a normal place to where we can in the communities and be able to raise more awareness.”
DO YOU AGREE WITH THE FBI SAYING THERE WAS NO HATE CRIME? AND NOW THAT NASCAR HAS RELEASED THE PHOTO, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT PICTURE?“Whether it was tied sometime throughout 2019, the fall race there, someone did it with whatever intent they had. We weren’t in that garage stall at that time, so we can’t say it was directed toward me, which is good. It wasn’t directed toward me or my family. But somebody still knows how to tie a noose and whether they did it as a bad joke or not, who knows? But it was good for the public to see. It still won’t change some people’s mind of it being a hoax, but it is what it is.”
STEVE PHELPS SAID HE WISHED HE WOULD HAVE HANDLED THIS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY WITH LESS EMOTION AND MAYBE REFERRED TO IT AS AN ‘ALLEGED’ NOOSE OR AN ‘ALLEGED’ HEINOUS ACT. HAVE YOU TALKED TO HIM ABOUT THAT AND HOW THINGS MIGHT DONE MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS SORT OF THING? HE SAID HE WOULD HAVE DONE IT WITH LESS EMOTION.“Yeah, we’re in a crucial time in the world right now. And, we see what’s going on outside of the sport. And the way we reacted to it and the way it was brought to my attention, I thought it was done in the right way. Worded it differently, sure. You can’t let that slip-up and be just like oh, it might be a mistake. I encouraged him to do the same thing over and over again. I tried to do my research behind the scenes with my guys to make sure it wasn’t a garage pull. You’ve seen the numbers and how many garage stalls they inspected. Eleven had knots and only one had a noose.”
BEFORE THE TALLADEGA RACE, I’M SURE YOU SAW THE VIDEO OF THE CONFEDERATE FLAGS OUTSIDE THE TRACK AND THE ONE FLYING OVER THE TRACK THAT SAID, ‘DEFUND NASCAR’. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT CAN BE DONE TO STOP THIS FROM CONTINUING TO HAPPEN?“It’s the right for peaceful protests. It’s part of it. But you won’t see them inside of the race tracks where we’re having a good time with the new fans that have purchased their tickets and purchased their favorite driver’s apparel. You won’t see it flying in there. Outside, they’re just going to be making a lot of noise. It’s part of it. It’s exactly what you see on the flip side of everything going on in cities as they peacefully protest. But we won’t see cops pepper-spraying them and shooting them with rubber bullets, will you.
WITH BEING OUTSPOKEN, AND YOU’VE TALKED ABOUT THE PUSHBACK FROM OTHERS. FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW IN SPEAKING UP AND BECOMING A LEADER, FOR THOSE FOLLOW YOU AND MAY WANT TO BE AS STRONG AS YOU AND SPEAK UP, BUT ARE AFRAID OF THE PUSH-BACK AND ALL THE THINGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, OF A RACE TRACK OWNER IN NORTH CAROLINA SAYING HE’S SELLING ‘BUBBA ROPE’ THIS WEEK, AND THINGS LIKE THAT. HOW DO YOU ADVISE SOMEBODY? YOU HAVE TO BE STRONG TO HELP OTHERS TO BE AT A LEVEL LIKE YOU AND BE OUTSPOKEN AND PUT THOSE THINGS ASIDE IF THAT’S EVEN POSSIBLE?“Yeah, you’ve just got to be immensely strong. Where I’ve gotten my strength from, I couldn’t tell you. I do read into it and I do get pissed off and part of my emotions are hey, it’s one, being worn out, and two, being frustrated. Three is just finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But, I’m probably a fool for thinking that because it’s 2020 and something else would happen, probably tomorrow, and I’ll be right back where we are. So, yeah, you’re put on a pedestal. Athletes are put on a pedestal and there’s not a manual or a guidebook to tell you how to handle yourself off the race track or off the fields. But it’s all something you learn and you go through the trials and tribulations to grow from those incidents. And, I think that’s what makes you tougher throughout. The people that are sitting on the couch that have never done anything to their lives to be able to amount to something. And they’re jealous of your lifestyle. They’re just trying to throw hate and spew hate. And that’s unfortunate. But you just have to think like, you’re living in your own life. You don’t have time to worry about other people’s lives. So, you shouldn’t let them dictate how you live your life. Live life to the fullest.”
HOW MUCH OF AN INFLUENCE CAN YOU BE AND HOW IMPORTANT OF A ROLE CAN YOU PLAY TO HELP THOSE WHO ARE MAYBE A LITTLE BIT FEARFUL OF STANDING UP?“I don’t need to go out of my way. I’ve never gone out of my way to do anything. This is, I’ve been right here this whole time talking about what’s going on in the world and it’s just easier for me to talk on it because I can relate to it. When we struggle with things we can’t relate to, that doesn’t affect you directly or indirectly, then you don’t want to touch it. We’re in a sport where money drives our careers. Sponsors. They don’t want you to touch it. And I say this with the utmost respect, but ever since I’ve been speaking out I haven’t been thinking about my sponsors. I’ve been thinking me being a human being and standing up for what’s right. And I hope that sponsors would see that and back me up on that. And, we’ve had some sponsor drama this year that I’m quite frankly glad I’m not a part of anymore because they wouldn’t stand-up for what’s going on right now. So, you just speak what’s on your mind and do your research and educate yourself and move on from there.”
YOU SAID YOU ARE WORN OUT AND A LITTLE BIT FRUSTRATED. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US (THE MEDIA) TO START FOCUSING ON NOW IN ORDER FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO PUT THIS BEHIND YOU AND START RACING AGAIN?“It don’t matter. Just focus on racing. Damn, it’s as easy as that. Let’s focus on how we can continue to push the message of compassion and understanding and let’s help fight the good fight in what’s going on in the world today. And let’s get new fans out to the race track and encourage our fanbase now to welcome them with open arms and show them a good time. I think that’s one important piece that we can focus on right now. Let’s get away from what happened at Talladega. Let’s move on from that and put it to bed. Let me go out and have some good races, have some bad races, and try to figure out what the hell we’re going to do to rebound from bad races and get back into race car life. As much as it’s tough for me to balance both the human being side and the racing side, it’s part of it and I accepted that. But, yeah, we’ll just continue to move on and push the narrative on, let’s go back a couple of weeks ago, on how we can implement our ways to help bring new faces in and help bring more diversity inclusion and make everybody feel welcome. And, yeah, that’s about it.”