Tickets On Sale Now for Reno and All 10 Rounds of Rescheduled Championship

CORONA, Calif. (June 12, 2020) – With an action-packed 10 round schedule and a field of competitors eager to make their return to the track, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Presented by GEICO is set for an exciting return of the world’s premier short course off road championship. Racing for the rescheduled 2020 season will kick off on July 24 & 25 with the OPTIMA Batteries Silver State Showdown Presented by K&N Filters, featuring a doubleheader from Reno-Sparks, Nevada’s high speed Wild West Motorsports Park. Eight classes of the most talented off road drivers in the country will duke it out for victory under the lights over the course of back-to-back nights in “The Biggest Little City in the World,” setting the tone for what is destined to be one of the most competitive seasons of racing in series history. “Given the extended layoff from the coronavirus pandemic, every single driver in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series is chomping at the bit, waiting for their chance to once again zip up a fire suit, pull on a helmet, and buckle up behind the wheel. The amount of anticipation surrounding the start of the 2020 season is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” said Ritchie Lewis, Director of Race Operations. “That kind of excitement from our competitors means we are in store for a truly memorable season. Everyone is going to come into Wild West Motorsports Park knowing that they have an opportunity to win. It’s as clean a slate as we’ve ever seen since virtually everyone has been forced to sit idle for the past few months. While it has certainly been challenging for all of us to be away from the track, it’s going to ultimately work towards the benefit of the competition this season, as everyone is just grateful that racing is back.”

Eight different classes will duke it out at Wild West Motorsports Park for the season-opening round of the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series. Photo: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series

Tickets for the Wild West rounds, and each of the 10 rounds on the 2020 calendar, are now available for purchase online. This season, fans will be treated to more value for their purchase than ever before with lower pricing on all ticket levels. A one day, general admission ticket to any one of the 10 rounds will now cost just $20 for adults (ages 16+), while single day kids tickets will cost just $10 (ages 6-15). For those interested in taking advantage of a full weekend of action, two days will cost $35 for adults and $15 for kids. To top it all off, kids ages five and under always receive FREE admission.  Headlining the action at Wild West Motorsports Park, and all rounds of the 2020 season, are eight classes of competition, anchored by a trio of youth divisions in RZR 170, JR2 Kart, and Mod Kart as well as a trio of open wheel classes in Production 1000 UTV, Turbo UTV, and Pro Buggy. At the top of the heap are the showcase truck classes, where the up-and-comers of the sport put their talents on display in Pro Lite and the series’ biggest names put on a high-flying spectacle in Pro 2. In addition to being one of the most unique fan experiences in all of motorsports, the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series also boasts a series of exceptional broadcast partnerships with CBS, CBS Sports Network, and MAVTV. The 2020 season will feature a truckload of broadcasts across each network, including special broadcasts of the truck classes on CBS, where millions of viewers across the country will witness the competitive fire of short course off road. Also, for the first time ever, all 10 rounds of the championship will be streamed live on Lucas Oil Racing TV. Calling all the action for 2020 is a talented and experienced broadcast team led by longtime play-by-play man Ken Stout and analyst Rob Klepper, and featuring trackside reporter Jack Korpela. Additionally, Brent Smith will handle the call for the Lucas Oil Racing TV live stream.

For information about the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series please visit LucasOilOffRoad.com

Richard Childress Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Homestead-Miami Speedway is one of the few race tracks where team owner Richard Childress has yet to earn a NASCAR Cup Series victory. Richard Childress Racing entries have finished second on four occasions: 2003 (Kevin Harvick), 2008 (Harvick), 2009 (Jeff Burton) and 2014 (Ryan Newman). In 64 Cup Series starts, RCR has earned nine top-five and 25 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile, progressively-banked oval. The Welcome, N.C.-based organization has captured three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins, including 2019 when Tyler Reddick was crowned the 2019 Xfinity Series champion.   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 first of two NASCAR Xfinity Series races at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend will be televised live Saturday, June 13, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ second Homestead-Miami Speedway race will be televised live Sunday, June 14, beginning at 12 p.m. ET on FOX Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be televised live Sunday, June 14, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This Week’s Dow Coatings Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway … Dillon has six previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway, securing his best finish of eighth in November 2019 and a best starting position of 10th in November 2015. Homestead-Miami Memories … The Welcome, North Carolina driver has plenty of positive memories at the 1.5-mile, intermediate-style track. In 2013, he clinched the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway by finishing 12th in the Series’ season finale. He also clinched the NASCAR Truck Series title at the track in 2011. 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 seven 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. Welcome, Dow Coating Materials … Dow Coating Materials is the most innovative coatings raw material supplier in the world; driving fundamental shifts in the coatings industry and moving the market as the expert’s expert in coatings solutions. Through its mission of collaboration, inspiration, innovation and growth, the business provides material products, science, technology, and manufacturing solutions to the architectural and industrial coatings industry worldwide. Dow innovation and collaboration is on showcase this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway through a partnership with BEHR ULTRA SCUFF DEFENSE and Richard Childress Racing on the No. 3 Chevrolet driven by Austin Dillon. Dow Coating Materials manufacturing and R&D footprint spans across all major geographic markets where Dow does business. For more information, please visit https://www.dow.com/en-us/industries/consumer/paints-and-coatings  Seek Together … Dow’s brand platform – Seek Together™ – represents our deeply felt belief in partnership and focuses on everything we do. During Pride Month – and all year long – Dow is dedicated to collaborating with our customers to develop innovative materials that transform our world. However, only in a culture where all voices have seats at the table will the full power of collaboration be realized and truly transformative ideas emerge. That is why Dow is taking action to address equality in the workplace and the world – not only for the LGBTQ+ community, but all those who face inequity and injustice daily. A more inclusive future can’t be built by one person or company. It will take all of us, working together. For more information or to read our 2019 Inclusion Report, please visit: https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/about/company/beliefs-and-culture/diversity AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:What’s it like racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway?“It’s one of the best tracks. I think it’s the most driver-friendly track. It’s fun. Actually, it’s not really friendly because you can get into the wall pretty easily, but it’s so much fun to run right up against the fence. You have to be disciplined in how you drive that track and save your tires. It’s an epic race. It’s always intense.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Chevy Cares Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Homestead-Miami Speedway … This Sunday will mark Tyler Reddick’s NASCAR Cup Series debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Reddick has two wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at the 1.5-mile speedway, which clinched back-to-back Xfinity Series championships. Reddick also has a fourth-place finish at the track from his part-time schedule in 2017, as well as two pole awards in the Xfinity Series. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender has three NASCAR Truck Series starts at the track, starting and finishing in the top 10 for all three events. Welcome, Chevy Cares … At Chevrolet, we’re committed to getting you back on the open road with confidence and peace of mind. From answering questions about your vehicle to helping you shop for a new Car, Truck or SUV from home, there are lots of ways we’re here to help. This includes enhanced vehicle cleaning after your vehicle purchase or service by using CDC-approved cleansers and offering a Chevrolet First Responder Discount for our everyday heroes in our educators, first responders, healthcare personnel, and military. Chevrolet also offers OnStar® Crisis Assist services to all current Chevrolet owners and has converted the GM plant in Kokomo, Indiana, to build ventilators to help with the additional need for medical equipment. In addition, the facility in Warren, Michigan, is producing thousands of surgical masks a day. Learn more at ChevyCares.com TYLER REDDICK QUOTE:You’ve won your last two races at Homestead-Miami Speedway, granted in a different series. Does that provide any extra confidence heading into this weekend?“It’s tough to know if that experience will help me this weekend. These Cup cars are just so difficult to drive, especially in the dirty air like we saw at Atlanta and Fontana. Once the tires start to go away, it’s really easy to prohibit any progress on someone who is catching you on the track by moving into the lane they’re using. I even had that happen to me at Darlington last month. Being fast against the fence will be important to our long run speed this weekend, but how much we’ll be able to capitalize on that will depend on where we start a run because tires will start to fall off, and other drivers will start to move up and take your line away. It’s hard to maintain and close on other cars when they start doing that. It’s just a new challenge that comes with the Cup Series for me. We’ll need to have some versatility built into our No. 8 Chevy Cares Chevrolet this weekend, and all that depends on outright speed, what balance we bring to the track and the rest of the little things we need to have a fast car.”

This Week’s No. 21 iRacing Chevrolet Camaro at Homestead-Miami Speedway …This weekend will mark Anthony Alfredo’s debut at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Alfredo made one career NASCAR Truck Series start at the 1.5-mile oval in 2019.  Welcome Back iRacing … iRacing is the leading sim racing game for your PC. Developed as a centralized racing and competition service, iRacing organizes, hosts, and officiates online racing on virtual tracks all around the world. In the fast-paced world of eSports, iRacing is a one-stop-shop for online racing. We utilize the latest technologies to recreate our ever-expanding lineup of famed race cars and tracks from the comfort of your home. Simulate what a professional NASCAR driver experiences inside the seat of a stock car, or a Grand Prix driver sees over the dash. All of the details add up to a lineup of cars and tracks that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. This creates unmatched immersion when sim racers take the green flag in our online racing simulator. Although iRacing is an online racing simulator at heart, the value as a training tool is just as real. The best sim racers in the world compete on iRacing and you can watch the race broadcasts live on the iRacing eSports Network. Sign up today and get 50% off all new memberships at iracing.com. Fast Start for Fast Pasta …  Alfredo has secured two top-ten finishes in his first three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing. 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. Did You Know … Alfredo established his own iRacing league called the ERL (eSports Racing League) that features several talented iRacing drivers, including competitors from the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. ANTHONY ALFREDO QUOTE:You’ve had an excellent start to your young NASCAR Xfinity Series career with two top-ten finishes in three races. What kind of challenges do you and your team expect to face this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway with back-to-back races?“We’ve had a great start to the season so far. I’m looking forward to carrying that momentum and getting better each week. Running two races back-to-back will be a challenge in a multitude of ways. Hydration and nutrition will be very important for me to perform at my peak during both days. Additionally, we need to take care of our car in the first race so we have something to build on for the second race. I’m looking forward to racing at the same track on consecutive days and applying what we learned from the first race into the second race. That will be crucial since there is no practice to learn from. I technically have one NASCAR Truck Series start at Homestead, but unfortunately, we had mechanical issues on the pace laps, which ended our day before the race actually started. I have a lot of confidence in our Richard Childress Racing team and I fully expect our No. 21 iRacing Chevrolet Camaro will be competitive in both races. I’ll be preparing on iRacing so that I am as prepared as possible.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESHOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAYDIXIE VODKA 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJUNE 12, 2020 
BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference and discussed social injustice and the importance of that to him, along with the busy racing schedule and how he is managing that, the speed in the Richard Petty Motorsports cars, his expectations at Homestead-Miami Speedway this weekend, and more. FULL TRANSCRIPT:
IT’S BEEN A BIG WEEK FOR YOU. TALK ABOUT YOUR EXCITEMENT LEVEL AS YOU ARE GETTING READY TO HEAD TO HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY“Oh, is that what’s next on the schedule? (laughs) I wouldn’t know. Yeah, Homestead is fun. It’s going to be different going back this time of year. Usually it’s the last race of the season, so that’s a big change for the sport. It should be good. The weather I’ve seen doesn’t look too good, but it’s past dark, so that’s about normal.”
HAVE YOU HAD ANY TALKS WITH PEOPLE ABOUT WHETHER TO KNEEL DURING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM? AND IF SO, WHAT HAS BEEN THE CONTEXT OF THOSE TALKS?“Oh, the manager asked me about it and we didn’t get into depth, but I’m still looking up and reading on stuff and learning exactly what the message we are trying to push across; learn and understand. I think the messages that I have been putting out there on the race tracks during the anthem is speaking for itself, so I haven’t put much forethought into that.  I loved that the official, Kirk Price, took that initiative and stood for what he believed in, kneeled for what he believed in. A man that served our nation in the military kneeled. So I thought that was pretty powerful.”
HAVE OTHER ATHLETES IN OTHER SPORTS REACHED OUT TO YOU, INCLUDING MAYBE THOSE WHO HAVE SPOKEN UP ABOUT SOCIAL INJUSTICE IN THE PAST, AND PROVIDED A SOUNDING BOARD OR TO CONSULT YOU IN THIS TIME TO HELP YOU AS YOU TALK ABOUT LEARNING AND LISTENING AND GETTING THE MESSAGE ACROSS? IF SO, WHO HAVE THEY BEEN AND HOW HAVE THEY TRIED TO ADVISE OR CONSULT YOU DURING THIS TIME?“Obviously you’ve seen the public outreach to LeBron (James). That was pretty big.  Josh Dobbs, who I’ve been communicating with on and off since we were able to meet at the University of Tennessee practice session there, which was a lot of fun. He’s been in my corner every step of the way. I’ve supported him in everything. He reached out last night with some powerful quotes that he lives by, and that made a ton of sense and just kind of fit the narrative that we are living in the world today. There’s been a lot of outreach just from social media fan points, privately, that was probably one of the ones; but there is a lot of support in my corner from all aspects; from sports, from just normal people, people that are wanting to stand up for what’s right in this world.”
OBVIOUSLY, A LOT HAS BEEN PUT ON YOUR SHOULDERS. WHAT HAS THAT BEEN LIKE; AND THE RESPONSIBILITY AND THE WEIGHT OF THIS WEEK OR EVEN THE LAST FEW WEEKS, FOR YOU?“It’s definitely been a lot. It’s mentally taxing. But, we were talking earlier, it’s that part of the pedestal that you sign-up for. It doesn’t say that on the front page, the book of being an athlete or an icon in the sport, it doesn’t say that on the front page of what you’re going to have to go through. It’s just part of it. It’s in the fine print, the underlying print there, that you have to go through. And when you sign-up to become something, you’re signing-up to become something larger than yourself and representing something more than yourself. And so, it’s part of it.
“I’m learning how to manage that, along with the racing-side of things; the on-track things, I have to manage that, as well as manage what’s going on off the track. I would say off the track is a lot more busy and a lot more hectic. I’m thankful for no practice or the three-day shows that we’re used to, because I’d be wiped-out by practice time. So, it’s good to just kind of stay focused on this throughout the week, but you’ve definitely got to do a quick shift, a mind shift, going into the race. So, it’s challenging, but I’m learning every step of the way.”
NOW THAT THE (CONFEDERATE) FLAG AND THE PROTEST ISSUES HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED, WHAT MORE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE NASCAR DO IN THIS AREA? AND CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS AT THE TRACK; TIMES YOU MAY HAVE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE THERE?“Yeah, next steps, I don’t know. I would love to see us get back to normal and allow fans to come back in full capacity, just to see how much more diverse or what different demographics we bring in. So, I would love to see studies on that as we start allowing fans to come back. But, we are talking about next steps and how to keep the message and keep the ball rolling, here on Tuesday with a couple of key leaders of NASCAR and a couple of drivers that have been pushing the efforts, too. I’m excited about that phone call.
“My past experiences; I like to go out and sometimes spend time in the infield with the fans and have a good time, and I haven’t been ridiculed against. I know that’s going to change now. I’ve got to be careful what I do. That’s kind of where we live in. My dad has texted me. He was proud of what I was doing on and off the race track, but he was worried about my safety; you know, going out in public and whatnot. So, it’s just crazy you have to think about that side of things. So, you’ve definitely got to watch your back now, and can’t be like that outspoken guy, just happy-go-lucky guy that would go take a trip on the golf cart or my longboard down into the infield, or whatever, and have a good time. So, it’s definitely different. But, my past experience wasn’t anything that was blown out of proportion of something that bothered me. We always had a good time at the race track.”
I’VE INTERVIEWED YOU A COUPLE OF TIMES AND WE TALKED ABOUT OUTREACH AND YOU TALKED ABOUT GOING INTO THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND SOME OF THE PROGRAMS. THE LATEST MOVES FROM NASCAR AREN’T NECESSARILY OUT OF THE BLUE. THERE HAVE BEEN EFFORTS TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY, MAYBE NOT SEEN IN THE PUBLIC REALM, IF YOU’RE NOT LOOKING FOR IT. HOW DO YOU SUGGEST NASCAR MAKES THOSE EFFORTS A LITTLE BIT MORE PUBLIC, OBVIOUSLY AFTER WE GET SOME SENSE OF NORMALCY AFTER COVID-19?“I think you’re right. We have to do a little bit more diving deep into our communities and doing some public outreach there. Like I said, we’ll kind of get more of a direction and step past, after this phone call on Tuesday, so I don’t know. Right now I’m brainstorming ideas with my team to come up with what we could do locally and help organizations and whatnot grow, and get them a part of the sport or expose them to the sport, really.
“Not everybody has social media. Not everybody watches the news or hears what’s going on, so we have to make sure we’re getting our message across to all people that somewhat have an interest of wanting to be a part of the sport. We have to solidify that message that we have conveyed over the last couple of weeks so that we don’t stand what’s been going on, we’re standing up for quality, unity, love, compassion, and understanding; just like it read on our race car on Wednesday (at Martinsville, No. 43 Black Lives Matter Camaro ZL1 1LE).
A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE SPORTS WORLD REALLY APPLAUD NASCAR’S MOVE THIS WEEK. MANY IN THE NASCAR COMMUNITY THEMSELVES, ADDRESSED HEAD-ON THE FANS WHO MAY BE FRUSTRATED WITH THE BAN. WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO THE FANS THAT MAYBE BROUGHT FLAGS TO THE TRACK IN THE PAST AND MAY BE CONSIDERING NOT COMING BACK BECAUSE OF THE BAN?“I’d look at what Marty Smith (ESPN) said. It was the fans that are upset were not NASCAR. We are not closing a door on you, we’re opening up a door for many others. And that speaks volumes right there. And Marty has been a huge advocate in my corner the last couple of weeks, the last couple of days; I got a text message from him this morning. We’ve been very open with each other. And, I think what he said there is spot-on. It’s not something that we’re not trying to take out of your daily life or whatnot, we’re trying to just allow….. What I want is just for people to not feel uncomfortable. The first thing they talk about is feeling uncomfortable because of something that reminds them of a negative past and that has so much negative history behind it. And yeah, to you it might seem like it’s heritage, but others see hate. And I don’t understand why it’s so hard for us. We’re selfish. We’re a selfish nation, but we need to come together and meet in the middle and be like, you know what? If this bothers you, I don’t mind taking it down. I’m not saying go to your house and get rid of everything you have. It’s just, at a sporting event, a public event, where all walks of life are welcome, let’s just get rid of it. So, like Marty said, we’re not closing the door on you. We’re opening it up to many others. Not about you.”
YOU’RE ALL ABOUT CHASING THE CHECKERED FLAG RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT HAD TO FEEL LIKE YOU’RE FIRST REAL WIN THIS WEEK. IT WAS SUCH AN EMOTIONAL WEEK FOR YOU. CAN YOU COMPARE? MAYBE THAT WAS THE FIRST VICTORY, AND HOPEFULLY A LOT MORE FOR YOU.“Yeah, it would have been sweet. I thought, the way we fired-off there, I was oh like, oh, this might be setting up to be a beautiful beginning because I thought we’d go win the race with the speed we had at Martinsville. We kind of lost it there, halfway through; and rallied back there, late. Yeah, this was definitely the biggest race of my career and not knocking the Daytona 500 debut, or even my Pocono debut in the No. 43 car. It’s just something that it was so much historical impact and movement behind this race that we had just had, that it just overpowered everything else that I’ve gone through. Standing it up for what I believe is right in the world; that’s very important to me. Maybe I didn’t stand up in the past, but now is more than the time of ever, to take leadership and to represent not only myself, but the sport of NASCAR, and my sponsors, my team, and everybody involved that helps me to get to the race track and keep my brain going. It’s something that’s hard to describe fully, but definitely the biggest race of my career. So yeah, it felt like a win. We finished 11th. I don’t see that as a win. I see that as the 10^th loser. We have some work to do.”
GROWING UP IN A RACIAL FAMILY, HAVE YOU HAD CHALLENGES WHERE YOU’VE HAD TO PROVE YOUR BLACKNESS TO OTHER PEOPLE OR WHERE PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO CHALLENGE IT AND ALSO, THE PRESSURES OF BEING IN NASCAR. WHAT’S THAT LIKE FOR YOU IN SUCH A WHITE-DOMINATED SPORT?“Yeah, no, I think what I go through, and before all this, I didn’t have it as bad as other African Americans in the community. One, I stay home. I sit on the couch. I’m lazy. I love doing that. It’s my favorite thing to do. But, even the encounters I’ve had were very few. But they were powerful. The negative encounters I’ve had with law enforcement were very few, but they stood out. And, they definitely left a toll on me and something that you don’t really pay attention, but it kind of comes back full-circle when all this is being talked about and you’re discriminated against because of skin color. The comments made, can you afford this car? It’s just like, really? What year are we in. You don’t know me. You don’t know what I do. You don’t know how much money I make. So, it doesn’t give you the right to ask that question, but I kind of get what you are insinuating. You think because I’m African American and drive a really nice car, you wonder what I do. Do I sell drugs or whatever it is? It’s something that I’ve gone through and it’s unfortunate for me to be a part of that.
“But then I think of how bad others have it every day. I’ve talked to multiple people that my fame and who I am, my name, gets me out of a lot. And necessarily, is that right? No, it’s not. We should all be treated equally. No matter who you are or what profession you have, we should all get treated equally. But that’s just not how the system works. And the system is so broken in the world that we live it today. And so, there’s a lot we have to do to change that. That’s not going to change overnight. We’ve been trying to change that for many years. Taking it one step at a time, step-by-step, brick by brick, and building up a new image for the world.”
WITH THE WHOLE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT, PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE FREEDOM TO SPEAK OUT. WHEN YOU CHOSE TO SPEAK OUT, WERE YOU MENTALLY PREPARED FOR THE REACTION YOU WOULD GET IN THE NASCAR CULTURE?“No, I wasn’t surprised at all. I knew there would be a lot of ‘all lives matter’ people. One thing that really opened my eyes was after the Bristol race, I got in a little Twitter argument with a respectable guy on there, and he kind of labeled me as a ‘all lives matter’-guy. And I responded back; yes, all lives do matter. I believe in all of us coming together to understanding that black lives matter, to kind of create this new image and push that message across. And so, we took the messaging privately and talked and had a really good conversation. He’s been a supporter of mine for a really long time. So, those are the conversations that you need to have. You kind of get sparked-up, fired-up, and want to say something back, but you handle it with class and move it privately and talk things out and get a better understanding. It goes back to the messaging that we always say: Listen and learn and understand what people are going through and what they’re talking about. And it’s as simple as saying, when we say Black Lives Matter, there’s a poster of a little girl that says, yes we said black lives matter. No, we did not say that only black lives matter. We know that all lives matter. But, we are trying to make you all understand that black lives matter, too. Too. T-o-o. Its three letters that are left off that people don’t understand. Black lives matter, too. Families are worried about their kids going out and driving for the first time and getting pulled over and being killed. The African American community is so worried about that. Like, we shouldn’t live like that. The African American community should not live like that. And so we’re trying to get other people to understand just how tough it is to live in this world right now.”
DURING THIS WHOLE TIME, THAT IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF THIS STUFF HAS BEEN GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THE TRACK, YOU’VE ACTUALLY BEEN ABLE TO ENJOY SOME OF THE STRONGEST CARS YOU’VE BEEN GETTING OUT OF RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS, PROBABLY SINCE YOUR TENURE. YOU’VE HAD HICCUPS ALONG THE WAY THAT HAVE PREVENTED YOU FROM CAPITALIZING ON THEM A LOT, BUT WHAT HAS IT FELT LIKE TO SHOW UP AT THE RACE TRACE MORE CONSISTENTLY AND BEING IN THE MIX OF THE OUTCOME OF THE RACE, ALONG WITH EVERYTHING ELSE THAT’S BEEN GOING ON?“Thanks for bringing that up. As much as we talk about racing, you kind of get lost in the translation of what’s going on today, so it’s nice to talk about it a little bit. My guys have done a really good job and everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports, ever since we were kind of allowed to go back into the shops, they’ve been busting their tails to get our Camaro race cars competitive and fast. So yes, we’ve had some hiccups. Charlotte was definitely and eyesore for us, and a headache. I wish we could go back and do those again because we had a ton of speed. The hubs didn’t last there, but I’m proud of the efforts that we’re doing on the race track. And, I’m super thankful for what they’re doing off the race track, just for me. From Richard Petty to Andy Murstein and everybody at RPM standing behind me, and believing in me for on-track, but also following this journey off-track, and letting me find my way and find my voice and stand up for what is right. So, it’s a whole team effort. It’s a very collaborative group that I’m excited to be with. And, we’ll keep pushing the envelope. We’ve got a lot of racing left. It kind of slows down a little bit now, with the midweek races done for a little bit, so we’ll focus on Homestead. We’ve got a good package going there, so I’m excited about that.”
YOU MENTIONED THAT WHEN YOU STARTED THE MARTINSVILLE RACE, THAT YOU HAD A FEELING FOR A MOMENT THAT THIS CAR IS SO GOOD, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO WIN THIS RACE. HAS THAT HAPPENED VERY OFTEN, SO FAR, IN YOUR CUP CAREER? WHAT IS A LITTLE BIT OF A SURPRISE FOR YOU?“I’d say Indy last year, we all that that moment. We have our little moments of success and I’d like some success. And it’s up to me, at the end of the race, to capitalize on and when a car underneath you is well-built like my guys have done the last couple of weeks, they believe in me to go out and get the job done. So, it’s been fun to go out and showcase what I’ve been able to do in years past of winning races and bringing out my competitive edge and go up against some of the best. At the end, I was battling seven-time, Jimmie Johnson, a nine-time winner at Martinsville. We were trying to get past him. He started right in front of me at the beginning of the race, and finished right in front of me at the end of the race. But, it was fun just seeing who we’re up against and passing good cars and being competitive and showing guys like, hey, no matter what car I’m in we’re going to be competitive and give it my all. And, it may not be every race, but those races that we do have those moments are going to stick out and I’m going to be a force to be reckoned with, so I’m not going to back-down to anybody.”
CAN YOU TALK MORE SPECIFICALLY ABOUT HOMESTEAD THIS WEEKEND? NORMALLY YOU RACE THERE AT NIGHT IN NOVEMBER. NOW YOU’LL BE IN THE DAYTIME IN JUNE. HOW DIFFERENT WILL THAT BE? DO YOU START FROM SCRATCH, OR DO SOME NOTES STILL APPLY?“No, I think some notes still apply, for sure. And we start a little bit during the day for the Cup race there. And, I’m pretty sure; well, we ran during the day in the Xfinity race at little bit as well there, as well. It may have ended at night. But all in all, it’s a race track. It’s not and slick. Its wore out. We’re going to be two-tenths our fastest lap by lap one-and-a-half. It’s definitely got to kind of be treated the same there. We’re going to be searching around and moving around a lot for grip and riding right up against the fence. We’ll find out. Everything is kind of new to us as we travel through. We’ll have some rubber on the race track from the Xfinity cars, so that’ll be interesting. But, we’ll just get there and I’ll let you know after the fact.”
ALEX BOWMAN TALKED ABOUT THE HEAT AT MARTINSVILLE. HE SAID IT WAS THE HOTTEST HE’D EVER BEEN IN A RACE CAR AND THAT HE LOST A TON OF WEIGHT AND HE’S TRYING TO GAIN IT BACK. HE SAID THE SCHEDULE IS INSANE. DO YOU CONCUR WITH HIM ON THAT? AND YOU’RE DOING ALL THIS EXTRA STUFF. ALEX IS JUST RACING. TALK ABOUT WHETHER YOU FELT THE SAME IN THE CAR AND IF IT’S JUST HOT AND INSANE“Yeah, I’m battling two jobs here. There’s a lot going on mentally, off the track. My phone batter is going to die here in probably about five minutes, so that might be a good thing for me. And I can focus on some racing stuff. No, this schedule is tough. And it was hot, for sure. Atlanta was a wake-up call of just how much extra stress is being added. I talked to Jimmie Johnson about Atlanta. He had come over and offered some help and he wanted to talk. We were sitting there talking. Stress, it doesn’t matter if it’s positive stress or negative stress is what he said. Stress takes a toll on your body. And going through all that, on top of racing and humidity and heat, is just another factor going-in. Would it have been a different outcome at Atlanta? Maybe. If we didn’t have all this stuff going on? Maybe. Was I mad and frustrated and moving too fast after all that? For sure. I should have kind of taken it slow like I did in Martinsville. I was definitely gassed after Martinsville. It was hot. No doubt about it. And, I was actually thinking like damn, it’s nighttime, it’s fully night, a full moon is out, whatever it is, and it’s still 90 degrees inside here. But, at the end of the race, I took my time. I walked over and sat on pit wall. I sat there for 20 minutes after the race just kind of gathering myself and not moving around so much just because your body is not ready for that, yet. So, it’s tough. It’s mentally draining throughout the week, and then it’s just highlighted more, exclamation point added to it, when you have to go out and race 400 to 500 miles on that Sunday. It’s a lot, But, like I said earlier, I’m learning every step of the way and making sure I’m eating right and drinking right and getting some physical activity in.”
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO HANDLE IT ROLLING FORWARD INTO MIAMI? THERE ARE PROBABLY STILL A LOT OF REQUESTS FROM PEOPLE WHO WANT TO TALK TO YOU. AND IT’S JUST ONE RACE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER. HOW DO YOU PLAN TO HANDLE IT?“I am a ‘in the moment’ type of guy. So, bring it on. We’ll find it out.”
IS THERE A MOMENT WHERE YOU JUST BURST INTO TEARS OR CRY HAVE HAD A HARD TIME BEHIND THE SCENES?“No, I haven’t had one of those moments. It’s definitely been a lot. But it’s kind of been knowing what I’m standing up for and being a leader in this message. It’s positive stress. It’s kind of made me feel good about things and not work me down too much. But, just the work that’s going into it is a lot. And, it’s taken away from what I would like to be doing physically to stay in shape. But, it’s part of it.”
WENDELL SCOTT’S FAMILY IS HOPING TO HAVE THE TROPHY AWARDED TO THEM FOR HIS HISTORIC WIN AT JACKSONVILLE. THEY PUT OUT A VIDEO URGING NASCAR TO DO A CEREMONY FOR IT. HAVE YOU HAD CONTACT WITH THE FAMILY AND HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT FOR AN ICON LIKE HIM TO HAVE THE TROPHY WITH THE FAMILY?“Yeah, for sure. I think that’s big. And, obviously that brings up a time when the sport was not in a good place. But, that’s back when things like that were normal in this nation, of discrimination; and we are trying to obviously get away from that and push a new message. And Wendell Scott, Jr. texted me and reached out and he’s proud of what I’m doing and he’s glad to see some competitiveness on the race track. That speaks volumes to him and his family. But as far as the ceremony, I think that would be big. And, I’ll actually mention that and talk with Steve Phelps (NASCAR president) and how they’re going to handle that. It’s kind of a sticky situation, but it definitely needs to be done.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESHOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAYDIXIE VODKA 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJUNE 12, 2020 
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 LLUMAR CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss his outlook going into Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the difficulty of the new schedule, and more. Full Transcript:  WE’RE HEADING INTO HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND. WHAT’S YOUR EXCITEMENT LEVEL AS WE GET READY TO HEAD DOWN SOUTH TO HOMESTEAD?“Yeah, I’m always excited to go to any of the intermediate tracks this year. We’ve been really strong. Atlanta was a little bit of a letdown for us – I think we kind of got caught off guard with the package that we brought there. We expected to be really strong and, obviously, we really weren’t. I think we learned a lot from that and we’re hopefully in the right direction for Homestead. We finished that race pretty strong last year. We weren’t very good at the beginning of the race, but at the end of the day, we were pretty good. I’m ready to go – should be a good one for us.” THERE IS SOME CHATTER THAT THERE MIGHT NOT BE PRACTICE AT TALLADEGA, THAT YOU’LL JUST GO THERE AND RACE. WOULD YOU BE COMFORTABLE IN DOING THAT, EVEN THOUGH YOU GUYS HAVEN’T BEEN ON THE TRACK WITH THE NEW RULES?“Yeah, absolutely. I’m a big fan of this no practice thing. I’m really enjoying it. I feel like we run about the same and it gives me less time to kind of dial us out for the race. I’m all for no practice. I think, with the rule changes, we’ll all be able to adapt to that really quickly. The teams will do a really good job of having the cars prepared how they need to be for that event and I’m all good with it.” I WANT TO ASKED ABOUT RACING HOMESTEAD-MIAMI AND HOW YOU HAVE TO BE SO CAREFUL, AND HAVE SUCH DEPTH-PERCEPTION – HOW IS YOUR DEPTH-PERCEPTION ABOUT RACING MIAMI AND WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?“Homestead is a really interesting race track. There is a lot of risk versus reward on some ways you can make a lot of speed. Obviously, you can run the top really aggressively and go really fast. But how long can you really do that for without cleaning out the right side. Obviously, we’re going in a much different time of year than we normally do. So, it’ll probably be a little warmer and maybe a little slicker. We’ll just have to wait and see. But yeah you don’t want to tear the right side off. The Cup cars are super unforgiving – you get in the wall at all and you’re going to have a bad day. So, you have to be really careful with that, and pick and choose the right times to run the top aggressively and when to be a little conservative and take care of your race car.” WITH NO CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE LINE, COULD IT BE A DIFFERENT KIND OF RACE BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT LOOKING OUT FOR A TEAMMATE THAT’S RUNNING FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP AND NOBODY IS WATCHING OUT FOR THAT?“Maybe a little bit, but I feel like when it comes to those final races, we’re tense everywhere we go. Those final races have a different kind of atmosphere around them, but I think the on-track product, we’re all still trying to win races and get as much as we can get. So, I think the on-track stuff will be really similar, it’s just kind of that off-track, last day of school-type feel that it probably won’t have and will be a little different.” YOU MENTIONED THE FACT THAT YOU GUYS WEREN’T AS GOOD AT ATLANTA THAT YOU HOPED YOU WOULD BE. AFTER TALKING WITH GREG (IVES) AND THE GUYS AT THE SHOP, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE LARGEST CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO THAT? IS IT NO PRACTICE? IS IT HAVING TO PICK A SETUP GOING IN AND JUST TRYING TO MAKE A GUESS OFF SIM WORK? “It’s hard to say. I feel like every intermediate (track), we’ve been really strong, with the exception of Atlanta. I think we led laps at about all of them, other than that. Vegas we were strong, California we were strong. Darlington, both Charlotte’s. Going to Atlanta, we just picked something that we thought would suit that race track really well and the race just kind of played out differently than we thought it would, and the things that we thought would work just didn’t work. I think if we would have practiced, we still would have gone the route that we went. We thought those long green flag runs would come to us and they just didn’t. Definitely frustrating and a bummer to not be very good there. But I think the good thing was that as an organization, not being very good there was still two cars in the top-10 and we finished 12th. Last year when we would go somewhere and not be very good, we’d really be out to lunch. This year, even when we’re not great, it seems like we’re a whole lot closer to the front. Definitely frustrating to not be that good, but I think we’re definitely closer and can be better this weekend at Homestead.” HAVE YOU GUYS FOUND WITH THE NEW SCHEDULE AND THE LACK OF ON-TRACK PRATICE FOR THE RACES WE GO TO, THAT YOU GUYS CAN STILL GO BACK TO THE SHOP AND MAKE ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON WHAT YOU LEARNED AND COME BACK WITH CHANGES THAT YOU THINK WILL WORK IN THE FUTURE? “Yeah, I don’t think that’s changed, really. I feel like a lot of times, even when we have practice, we start with a green race track. We kind of chase the race track a little bit, adjust the car one direction and by the time the race track kind of rubbers up and works itself in, we go right back to where we unloaded and that’s where we race. I feel like really how we’re racing the cars haven’t changed that much. We’re still having the same meetings and everything to sit down and address what we learned from the race, and just try to figure out how to use that going forward in the same ways that we normally would.” TWO-PART QUESTION: HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NASCAR’S DECISION TO BAN THE CONFEDERATE FLAG? HOW CLOSE DO YOU FEEL THINGS HAVE BEEN ROLLING FOR YOU TO THE POINT WHERE IT’S COMING EASIER? IT’S NEVER EASY, BUT THE THINGS IN YOUR TEAM AND WITH YOUSELF. “Yeah, for sure. I definitely stand with NASCAR. I think there’s no reason to have anything that makes anybody uncomfortable to come to a NASCAR race. I think it’s a family event. We want to put on a great show and include everybody – any fan that wants to come is who we need to include. I’m with them on that one hundred percent.” “As far as how things are going for our team and how things have gone this year, I don’t necessarily think things are coming easier. We’re working harder than ever, I’m working harder than ever on and off the race track, and doing everything I can to be prepared each and every week. But I think our on-track product has been better for our race team. We’ve led more laps this year than in previous years. We’ve thrown some races away, for sure. I think second Charlotte was a race that I threw away single-handedly and I’ve been pretty frustrated with that ever since then. When we have fast race cars each and every week, there’s always next week and I feel like that’s been a thing that’s really giving us a lot of confidence. We went to a race track that we were absolutely horrendous at last year on Wednesday night – going to Martinsville – and we ran sixth. We had a really great race car, so I think we’re improving in every area. I just need to do a little better job putting complete races together. But I think things are definitely coming together.” SPECTATORS RETURNING – NOT NECESSARLY THE SPECTATORS THAT WE’RE USED TO, BUT UP TO 1,000 FANS AND MILITARY PERSONNEL ARE GOING TO BE AT THE DIXIE VODKA 400. WHAT’S IT LIKE TO START GETTING THAT GROOVE BACK A LITTLE BIT WITH THE SPECTATORS RETURNING TO THE TRACK?“Yeah, it’s great to have people back. It’s been really different. I don’t think you really notice how different it is until post-race. Getting out of the cars to almost silence is just a really odd feeling. The beginning of Darlington, at pre-race walking out to the car, it was definitely different because typically there are people everywhere and you’re signing autographs and it’s kind of hard to get wherever you’re going. So, that’s a little bit different. But the post-race thing and just kind of the awkward silence in a sense is the biggest difference. Hopefully, we put on a great show and the people that are able to be there at that race are making some noise because that awkward silence has been a little weird.” I KNOW IT CAN BE AGGRAVATING FOR YOU GUYS WITH ALL THE FANS THERE AND YOU’RE TRYING TO GET YOUR HEAD INTO THE GAME. YOU’RE SIGNING AUTOGRAPHS, YOU’RE GETTING GRABBED FOR PICTURES AND THINGS. BUT DO YOU THINK NOW MAYBE YOU’LL APPRECIATE OR THINK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY NOW THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN WITHOUT IT? “Yeah, for sure. We all miss the fans and want the fans back. It’s a bummer with everything that’s going on. It’s been super different. There are times when it’s frustrating – things like if you’re sitting in the hauler and you want to go use the restroom, you have to sign 25 autographs to go to the bathroom, that can be interesting sometimes (laughs). But it’s part of what makes our sport so awesome, is that our fans are so passionate. We want everybody back and we want to put on great shows for them. There’s never a lack of appreciation, but definitely just how weird it’s been to not have people there has bumped that appreciation up even more.” THIS LAST GROUP OF RACES, THERE’S NEVER BEEN THIS MANY RACES IN THIS SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. HOW GRUELING IS THAT FOR YOU AND HAVE YOU HAD TO CHANGE YOUR NORMAL RECOVERY ROUTINE THAT YOU WOULD NORMALLY HAVE?“Definitely. Starting off, we ran some shorter races and it wasn’t bad at all. I think this week has been probably been the most grueling of my career. The recovery process has definitely changed, the workout process during the week has changed quite a bit. But this week, with 500 miles at Atlanta, two days to turnaround and go to Martinsville for 500 laps where it’s super-hot – we have right side windows in short track cars now, so there’s no air flow – it was the hottest I’ve ever been in my entire life in a race car on Wednesday night. That was really tough, lost a ton of weight on Wednesday night. Trying to put that back on for Sunday is difficult, trying to get rehydrated for Sunday is difficult. This week, in particular, with three full-length races – one being 500 miles, one being 500 laps at a short track and then 400 miles at a hot, slick race track in Miami – is super difficult. The previous couple of weeks, I would have told you no, everything is good and it’s no problem. But this week has been a tough one. You don’t see guys get out of a race car because they’re hot in previous years and you saw that at Martinsville because of how hot it is, how little air flow there is in the cars right now, and the lack of recovery time that we have. So, it’s a tough time right now, for sure.” JUMPING AHEAD TO TALLADEGA, IT’S A TRACK THAT YOU’VE WON AT VIRTUALLY. BUT, IN REAL-LIFE, IT’S EITHER YOU’RE UP IN THE TOP OR AT THE BOTTOM – THERE REALLY ISN’T AN IN BETWEEN. WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THIS TRACK IS AN ALL OR NOTHING PLACE FOR YOU?“I think the reality is we’re typically really close to the front at the end of the race, and it either works out for us or we get crashed. We’ve crashed a lot of race cars there; we’ve been in contention to win a lot of races there as well. I think the last time we crashed there, we were leading when we crashed. We just have super-fast race cars at all the superspeedway races coming from Hendrick Motorsports. Our body shop, fab shop, engine shop – they put a ton of effort into those cars and they always have us up front. Typically, that’s about where the crashes happen. I think it really comes down to we either get collected in a crash and don’t finish well, or we finish where we run and that’s typically up front.”

June 12, 2020

The way Matt DiBenedetto looks at Homestead-Miami Speedway is there’s nowhere to go but up.

In his previous five Cup Series starts there, all with smaller teams, he has an average finish of 28^th and a best finish of 20^th last year.

Now he’s set to take on the 1.5-mile oval in the potent No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Mustang.

“I’ve always had bad runs at Homestead in the past,” DiBenedetto said. “But now, for the first time, I’m actually excited to go there. Being behind the wheel of the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will be my best opportunity there.”

“I’m going to try to redeem myself for my earlier runs there. My Wood Brothers team has great cars, and we have good speed everywhere.”

Sunday’s race at Homestead is expected to be another hot one for DiBenedetto and his fellow Cup drivers, and it comes on the heels of two hot, physically demanding races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
 
“It’s going to be another hot one,” he said. “Especially with the right-side windows we have to run in these cars.”

DiBenedetto said his fellow Motorcraft/Quick Lane team members have worked hard to make sure he stays as cool as possible during the races.
 
“I’m thankful my team has done such a good job with the cooling,” he said. “It’s allowed me to feel better than a lot of the guys around me.

 “It been really hot and humid, and that takes a lot out of us.”
 
And with three grueling Cup races in a span of eight days, he’s had to adjust his mid-week schedule to prepare for the next race.

“I’ve had to back off on working out,” he said. “I’m recovering for a couple of days, then rehydrating for the next race.
 
“But I’m also enjoying getting to race this much.”
 
There will be no qualifying or practice prior to the start of the Dixie Vodka 400, which is set to get the green flag just after 3:30 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.
 

If you haven’t heard or you’ve somehow forgotten, the guys at SBMotorsport are building an epic 1000hp Nissan Navara-R, which will host the power plant and drivetrain from our original R35 GTR. This build will be the worlds first Nissan Navara-R, with the fire breathing twin turbo VR38 and complete front and rear subframes from the GTR too. It’s a build not to be missed!

Now onto the media side.. SBMotorsport x CTRL are hosting an interactive livestream where fans can learn about the build, interact with the hosts and ask questions about what’s being done and what will be done!   You may even have the chance to influence on how the truck turns out!

This will take place every month throughout summer 2020. First episode coming Wednesday 10th June at 19:30 GMT+1. Following dates will include: 8th July 12th August 9th September 14th October 11th November Make sure you don’t miss it!

All you need to do is to head over to Baggsy’s Youtube channel to watch, subscribe and click the bell for notifications on any new releases we bring you.

Tune in later TODAY (Wednesday 10th June) where we will be live at the SBMotorsport workshop with the CTRL team, and you can ask all the questions about the first ever Nissan Navara-R.

Hit the link below to set your reminder now, we’re live at 19:30 (GMT+1)   See you there.   https://youtu.be/_-tuaEZRC6o   www.youtube.com/user/StephenBiagioni/

DOWNLOAD MEDIA HERE

SB Motorsport founder, Stephen“Baggsy” Biagioni says “This project has always been on the cards for SB Motorsport, ever since our initial GT-R project. With racing currently on hold this was the break we needed to re-visit the idea and bring it to fruition. We have the best partners and they share our vision to create another great vehicle that will challenge the normalities of what’s possible, this is going to be an exciting mix of performance meets practicality.” – He continues “The Navara-R as we have already dubbed it, will challenge our in-house know-how. With this build, the aim is to keep the Navara road-legal, all the mod-cons of the vehicle, rather than creating a race-car chassis with minimal extras.” “I’m confident in our team here at SB Motorsport, and honestly excited to see the development and work alongside our partners, who happen to be the world’s leading experts in their respected fields.”  www.sbmotorsport.co.uk

NASCAR CUP SERIESHOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAYDIXIE VODKA 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTJUNE 11, 2020 
TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING CAMARO ZL1 1LE, spoke with media via teleconference to discuss his first race in the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway, looking towards the preparation for Sunday’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and more. Full Transcript:  A SIXTEENTH-PLACE FINISH LAST NIGHT, A RACE LAST WEEKEND IN ATLANTA, LOOKING IN HOMESTEAD – IT’S A REALLY BUSY WEEK FOR THE NASCAR CUP SERIES. TALK TO US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW YOUR TEAM HAS BEEN APPROACHING IT AND YOU’LL SHIFT YOUR FOCUS NOW TO HOMESTEAD THIS WEEKEND.“We had a really good starting-point for Martinsville. Randall Burnett and the guys had a lot of faith in what they were going to bring to the race track, so we were feeling pretty good on Martinsville. We put a lot of time in before everything got crazy because we wanted to run good at Martinsville. So, we kind of did a lot of our work before we had the pause and all that stuff. But Homestead is another one we’ve been thinking a lot about. We’ve been working hard on the car that we are going to take there since, I think, the first Darlington race where we ran really good. There, we ran seventh. We took that car back, got the right side off, put a new one on it and been working on it ever since. Just trying to get all the little details and make that car as good as it can be. So, we’re excited for it. But obviously with how Atlanta went, it’s very important to manage the expectations. We’re racing Cup cars, not Xfinity cars, against Cup drivers. So, it’s very important to remember that and understand that we may feel really good about our chances, but we just have to make the most of our day. With the X factor, if you will, the fence, finding speed along the race and steel bodies that don’t bounce back out like the Xfinity composite body, you just have to be really smart and just make sure that we have a solid car there at the end for the final run.” HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING PHYSICALLY THROUGHOUT THIS AGGRESSIVE STRETCH OF RACES? YOU GUYS ARE USED TO AT LEAST TWO TIMES A WEEKEND BEING ON TRACK. HOW DIFFERENT IS IT DOING JUST A RACE, FEW DAYS OFF AND ANOTHER RACE?“One thing about the practices – yes, it’s time on track, but it gives your body a little hint and a look into what you’re going to be experiencing for 500 miles or 500 laps, whatever it may be at the track that we go to. So, if you’re having any issues with the car, issues with your back, arms hurting after a 40 or 50 lap run or something in particular that’s bothering you from the week before, you have no insight to that going into to the race and you’re going to have to fight it all race long. Preparing going into these races have been more important than ever before, whether it’s the hydration factor. I think a lot of guys, including myself a little bit, thought a night race at Martinsville wasn’t going to be hot. It was one of the hottest races that I’ve done in a very long time. Just understanding that we’re racing more than we’ve ever raced before. Atlanta was a fairly warm race, 500 miles there, and then we went 500 laps at Martinsville within a matter of 3 or 4 days. Your body’s not used to that and it’s hard. It’s hard for mine because I haven’t been Cup racing long and it’s hard for anyone that’s just used to running just one race or one event a weekend. So, that’s been tough, but we’re catching up to it and we’re really focusing on the hydration and preparation for the heat going into Homestead.” HOW MUCH ARE YOU FEELING IT, LET’S SAY WITHIN THE LAST 10 OR 15 PERCENT OF A RACE RIGHT NOW?“What happened to me at Martinsville is I’m just mentally like it’s night out, I shouldn’t be hot. So, about lap 260, it clicked that I’m way warmer than I should be in the car and I finally started to focus on getting some bags of ice to cool my chest and the air that’s coming in down. It’s just one of those things, it just snuck up on everybody. But, for the most part, you never want to be feeling like you’re off for that last 10 or 15 percent of a race. That’s when you want to be your sharpest. Normally, for the most part at a lot of the races we’ve had this year, I’ve felt that way. The ones that we’ve been able to get to the end of – obviously, Phoenix, Daytona and Bristol – I never got to that point. But I normally feel sharper as it goes. This was one of those that I definitely wasn’t feeling one hundred percent halfway when I started to get warm, but it started to come back to me over the second half of the race once I cooled down some.  WHAT IS IT ABOUT HOMESTEAD THAT IS DIFFICULT – TO FIND YOUR LINE, MAKE YOUR LINE – FOR A ROOKIE THAT IS REALLY HARD?“One of the biggest things that will be difficult is the way you get around the fence will be a lot different in a Cup car. With more downforce, less horsepower, you have a moment in the middle of the corner in the Xfinity car that you can drive it out of it with power and still run within a tenth or two of what you want to. In a Cup car, if you have a moment in the middle of one and two up by the fence that you check up, you’re losing a half of a second maybe even a second. So, you have zero room for error. On top of that, you hit the fence and you’re really going to hinder your day if you have to pit and you go down a lap or two trying to fix the damage and get tires. That’s a track that’s very sensitive – kind of like Martinsville in a way, kind of like Atlanta – so you just have to really pay attention to what the better cars are doing around you. And if you can’t run that line that seems to be the best on-track, then what can we do to help our car get there. With the hot conditions, slicker track, I think it’s going to have everybody kind of wondering what the cars are going to do over the course of a run. And obviously everyone is curious how well the fence is going to work in the heat of the day. It’s normally tough in the Xfinity car, just because you’re uncomfortable and the back of the car is dancing around. With that, on top of the steel body, you just tap the wall a little bit, it’s just going to take away the performance of the car.” WE SEE THIS WEEKEND AND I’M KIND OF FOCUSED ON SPECTATORS RETURNING TO THE SPORT. THIS WEEKEND, WE HAVE 1,000 COMING IN FOR THE DIXIE VODKA 400. WE’VE GOT UP TO 5,000 COMING TO TALLADEGA. WE’RE STARTING TO SEE SPECTATORS FILTER BACK INTO THE SPORT. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO HAVE THE AUDIENCE BACK AT THE TRACK FOR YOU AS A RACER?“It’s huge. I never would have pictured my first Cup race at Martinsville as just silent as it could be. The crowd is literally right there. A lot of race tracks, the crowds are pretty close to the race track, but that’s one of the closets you’ll ever get – that and Bristol. My two first Cup races there, it almost didn’t feel like we were racing. It just felt like we were getting ready to go out there and just run some practice laps or a test. So, I’m really glad we’re going to have some fans back. It will be nice to have some people cheering at some of the drivers going across and booing at some of the others as they are on pit road, razzing them up. I’m glad that we’re starting that process now and getting to feel it out. I’m excited for all the personnel that will be at Homestead. I’m excited how that will look at Talladega because the fans are such a huge part of our sport and I know it’s tough for a lot of them not to be able to go to some of these tracks that they’ve been going to for their whole lives. So, I’m glad we’re starting to open that back up and allow some access for individuals at the race track.” YOU WERE ONE OF THE FIRST DRIVERS TO PUBICALLY SUPPORT THE BLACK LIFES MATTER MOVEMENT ON YOUR TWITTER. I’M WONDERING, DID YOU RECEIVE IN BACKLASH FROM THAT INITIALLY? HOW HAVE THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS BEEN FOR YOU WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF DRIVERS STARTING TO SUPPORT THIS MORE?“I was really happy to have more drivers speak out. For me, I didn’t care about backlash. To me, it’s very simple – we’re all human beings, so why should you be treated differently because of the color of your skin. That’s not right. For me, it was a no-brainer. I didn’t care about the backlash. Those that had negative things to say, they clearly don’t fully understand what’s going on. It was the right thing to say and I felt compelled to say something. I wanted to say something sooner, but it just felt right after having a rough day at Bristol. Coming home, I didn’t have much good to talk about our race, so I figured that was a great opportunity to get that out there and let everyone know how I felt about it.”  HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT NASCAR’S MOST-RECENT BAND ON THE CONFEDERATE FLAG? “I’m glad. For some people, it has different meanings. But for those that were affected by it and generations of families that have been through hardships – slavery, all sorts of things, racism – I just don’t feel like there’s a place for it. So, I’m glad to see NASCAR put their foot down and like ‘alright, we didn’t really like it at the track, but we’re not allowing it anymore’. It’s well beyond time and it’s kind of crazy to even think, whether its statues or whatever it is around our country, that we’ve kept these things up as long as we have, considering how much negative meaning that a lot of those statues and things we have around our country meant to people that have been affected by it the most.” ALONG THE SAME LINES, THERE’S BEEN A BIG SHIFT IN THE SPORT THE LAST WEEK OR SO, PARTICULARY SINCE ATLANTA. FROM SOMEBODY THAT’S BEEN INVOLOVED, A DRIVER THAT WAS IN THE VIDEO THAT WAS PUT OUT, CAN YOU PUT INTO WORDS FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE OF HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED OR WHAT THIS WEEK HAS BEEN LIKE? “It’s progress. For a lot of people out there, this is something that they’ve been having to deal with their whole lives and I think it’s very important that we speak up and we let them know that we’re with them. We stand with them, we feel their pain. Most importantly, we don’t just have a blind eye and we’re living in our little bubble of racing and just aren’t paying attention to it. We’re all human – it affects us, it affects all of our communities and it affects the communities of the individuals that live in the area of race tracks or some of the families that have been in racing. It meant a lot to me. I’ve only gotten butterflies a few times in the way that I did when we were sitting on the front stretch at Atlanta. It meant a lot to me, I can only imagine what it meant to Bubba (Wallace) and others that have felt that pain and have gone through those things. For me, it was a huge deal and I was really honored to be a part of that that we had on the front stretch – Steve (O’Donnell) addressing over the radio and the intercoms at the race track, the drivers, the teams and everybody watching the broadcast. It’s just good. I really feel like a lot of people in NASCAR – the ones that have spoken up – it’s nothing new. Their core values are that, it’s just unfortunately for some, it was a matter of taking a very unfortunate set of circumstances like we’ve seen for them to finally speak up. But it was very important for a lot of us to let everyone know and we used our platform to let those that are hurting out there know that we’re with them.” THERE’S STILL A LOT OF LISTENING TO TAKE PLACE. THE NEXT QUESTION A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE IS, WHAT’S THE NEXT ACTION? AS A DRIVER – GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL – HOW DO YOU GO THROUGH THIS NEXT STAGE? “There’s a lot of different ways you can go about this. Just trying to make NASCAR a more friendly environment for all fans. The step that we made this week with the confederate flag is one of those steps. I’m sure there are many others that they’re working on. Just making it more friendly environment for all fans. Some of the drivers have talked about ideas and other things, and I don’t want to spoil their ideas, but just continuing to not lose sight of it. As they say, when the headlines finally clear and it goes back to a sense of normalcy if you will, it’s just important to remain adamant that we need to go out there in our communities or we need to go vote and get the right people that we feel that are going to make those changes that we’ve been crying out for the last couple of weeks. Not lose sight of that – stay diligent, and not lose sight of what’s important here.” YOU’VE HAD A RELATIVE MASTERY AT HOMESTEAD ON THE XFINITY AND TRUCK SERIES’ LEVELS. YOU’RE GOING INTO SOME DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS THIS WEEK, RACING IN THE SPRING RATHER THAN THE FALL. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM THOSE RACES THAT YOU CAN BRING ON TRACK TO YOUR FIRST CUP RACE AT HOMESTEAD?“I had a lot of things that I took from my Xfinity races at Atlanta, Truck races at Atlanta, that I brought to the Cup side and they didn’t work out for me very good. So, I just have to stay on my toes. We’re working really hard to just bring the best car that we can and, from there, it’s going to be important to keep on top of the balance. The track is going to lay rubber, it’s going to change – just staying on top of those things are important. I think keeping on top of the balance, staying ahead of the curve of the race track as it changes will be very important. The veterans of our sport understand that very well, so we’re just going to have to dig down deep and really make sure that we don’t go too far or go to little on the adjustments we need to make when the track does change.” HOW MUCH OF A HELPING HAND HAS IT BEEN TO HAVE AUSTIN DILLON BY YOUR SIDE DURING THIS PROCESS?“It’s been great. Austin (Dillon) breaks down the cars and the performance of them in different ways than I even think about. I’m much more of a loose-tight balance guy and he’s very aware of all the little details that are also very important that go into the race car. He was very happy with the speed of his car at Martinsville. Unfortunately, with the crush panel falling out, flat tire and the heat getting to him, it was just hard for him to run the whole race. But he was telling me, and we’ll be debriefing about it shortly, how much he really liked that car and what he liked about it. The things he brings to the table are different than I could ever offer and our differences, hopefully and have at times this year, been very beneficial in bringing together a great product when we were able to practice and debrief after those sessions.” 

June 11, 2020

Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team rallied from being one lap down early in Wednesday night’s Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway to take the checkered flag in seventh place.

It was the best Martinsville finish for DiBendetto in 11 career starts and the best for his Wood Brothers team at their home track since Ricky Rudd finished seventh in April, 2005.

DiBenedetto started the race from 19^th place and began climbing through the field at a rapid clip.
 
He was up to seventh place by Lap 43 and in the top five by Lap 51. He was running fifth when the yellow flag was displayed for a competition caution at Lap 61.
 
He continued to run in the top 10 and ended the first 130-lap Stage in ninth place, earning two Stage points. It was the fourth-straight race and fifth in the past six that he scored Stage points.
 
DiBenedetto moved up to fifth place by staying on track during the first Stage break. He fell back over a long green-flag run but did hold off Corey LaJoie to take the free pass position at the end of Stage Two.
 
Back on the lead lap in 16^th place, he worked his way back into the top 10 by Lap 344 and continued to advance until taking seventh place for good with just over 80 laps left to run. 
 
He held that spot on to the checkered flag to move up two spots to 13^th in the Cup Series standings. 

 “That was the goal,” DiBenedetto said of his finish. “The whole team did a good job and we had a good recovery at the end.”
 
He said the tire compound chosen by Goodyear made for an interesting race.
 
“We started out really fast, and the tire was so different,” he said. “It wore out a lot and made it challenging for everybody.”
 
DiBenedetto said that as he began to lose speed, crew chief Greg Erwin tried several minor adjustments to the car that didn’t produce the desired results then changed directions.
 
“Greg took a big swing at it and it really woke up the car,” he said. “He did a good job there going to something else and got us to where we needed to be.”

DiBenedetto said he and Erwin are building a good working relationship despite the challenges presented by the current Cup schedule.

“Without practice and us being a new team working together this year I really feel like we’re making big gains as far as our communication,” he said. “We’ve had some tough races, a little rough luck here and there, so just glad to click off a nice, solid points day.  
 
“We’re getting better as a team and acclimated with each other more.”

 DiBenedetto also acknowledged that he’s learned to be a better Martinsville racer.

 “As I’ve gotten older I’ve become more disciplined,” he said. “I was very calm even when I was racing somebody hard or side-by-side with them,” he said. “I kept calm and minimized mistakes.
 
“I don’t think there was a scratch on the car at the end of the race, and that’s tough to do at Martinsville.”

DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team return to the track on Sunday for the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIESMARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAYBLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 500TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTESJUNE 10, 2020
TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER5th      CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE 6th      ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE 8th      WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE 9th      KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE 10th    JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2nd     Ryan Blaney (Ford)3rd      Brad Keselowski (Ford)4th      Joey Logano (Ford)5th      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)  The NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Dixie Vodka 400 on Sunday, June 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 5th“I think we got everything out of our NAPA Chevy that we could tonight. Alan (Gustafson) did a good job making adjustments throughout the race, we just needed something to help us on the long runs. Hopefully learned some things that we can bring back here in the fall.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 6th“Man, it was a pretty good day for us for short track racing. Our ChevyGoods.com Camaro came home P-6. Really good for us at a short track with how we’ve struggled over the last two years. I’m so proud of my team for making improvements and we’ll go get them at Homestead!” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 8th“P-8. Not bad for going to the back twice. Man, we’ve had to start in the back quite a few times lately, so got to clean that up. But, overall, we needed a good finish and got it. I feel like the short tracks for us have been good – three top-10’s is nice. Just got to clean it up, continue to progress and improve. We’ll go onto Homestead and hopefully have a shot at a top-five or a win there.” KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 9th“We started the race really well tonight, and with the way the track was rubbering up and going from day to night, it really changed the character of the Martinsville. We had no rubber on the track to start and then those long green runs affected how the tires were wearing, so we zig-zagged a little on our setup. I thought we were a bit better in the first half of the race, running in the top-five, and fell off a bit in the second half to run sixth to tenth. But we battled all night and came away with a top-10 and earned some stage points. We still need to clean up some things, but we’re chugging along with our No. 1 Monster Energy/GEARWRENCH Chevrolet team and showing consistency with another top-10.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th“We had a great car tonight and then just didn’t keep up with the track. My pit crew was on fire, they got me spots every time on pit road. We are gaining on it, so I wish the result was better but overall, still a positive night.” BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 RICHARD PETTY MOTORSPORTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 11thCOMING OFF OF AN ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC RUN ON THE RACE TRACK, IF NOT FOR MAYBE A LITTLE BIT OF TROUBLE WITH THE LEFT REAR, WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN.“I don’t really know what the deal was – our team will have to debrief. Our left-front tire wasn’t getting-off the ground completely, so we had to do three pumps. That was unfortunate, but man, our car was so good. Our Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was so good on the long runs, so we definitely did not need those cautions towards the end of the race. All-in-all, great job to come here and execute with no practice at my favorite track. I’ll tell you what, it was awesome to race with 7-Time (Jimmie Johnson) there at the end. Jimmie Johnson has won so many times here and when we’re running him down – that’s hats off to my guys. Good job fellas!” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT FLEET MONITORING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 16th “Man, I missed this place! I hadn’t raced at Martinsville Speedway in a little over three years, so it was a big learning experience for me tonight with our No. 8 Caterpillar Fleet Monitoring Chevrolet. We fought a tight-handling condition pretty much the entire night and needed to be looser. We were able to manage it fairly well for most of the night, but our adjustments didn’t seem to do what we wanted them to during the final 100 laps. The track changed a lot more than I think we thought it would tonight, but we managed it the best we could. We were able to race in the top 10 for a portion of the night, so that’s a positive to build on. Martinsville is a really tricky track, so for us to be able to do that without any practice in a Cup car for the first time for me is pretty good. We learned a lot tonight that we can use to our advantage when we come back in the fall, which is a race that could have really big implications in the standings.” MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 23rd “We struggled tonight, and just couldn’t get it put together throughout the race. A disappointing night for sure, but the guys worked hard, making a lot of adjustments to get the car handling better for me and I really appreciate their effort. I’ve been working really hard at it, and I know things will start to fall into place and we’ll get better results. We’ll learn what we can from tonight for the fall race back at Martinsville, and turn our attention to Homestead on Sunday.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 37th “Well, that wasn’t fun. On lap zero, we had a flat right-rear. Ran over something that was on the track – they said it was a pop rivet. The caution came out and went two laps down getting the flat off the car. When we did get the flat, it knocked the crush panel out of the right-rear. From that point on, it was a heat gun. Just felt really hot in the race car. Tried to tough it out as long as I could.” “We had an unbelievable race car. Fast, fast race car – probably the fastest race car I’ve ever had at Martinsville. Just couldn’t get back on the lead lap. 90 or so laps to go, we came down to hit pit road, I about drove off the jack. I don’t know if I was losing my mind at that point, but I felt bad about that. Then, coming off of turn four, I don’t know what happened – if I got dizzy or what – but I just pulled in and had to stop. But thank you to all the medical staff that got me back. A couple of IV’s later and I’m feeling good – we’ll be ready for Homestead. Thank you to all my guys at the shop. They built a really fast race car. Bummer that we had a flat tire, but when we come back here, we’re going to be in tip-top shape. We have a really good race car.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet Team Show Speed at Martinsville Speedway Despite Early End to Their Night

37th    22nd   17th

“We had a fast No. 3 Symbicort (budesonide/formoterol fumarate dihydrate) Chevrolet. Right at the start of the race, we had a puncture in the right-rear tire and had to pit, which put us a couple of laps down. It may have been cut from the very beginning of the race, because as soon as we took the green flag something felt off. Our Chevy remained really fast and at times we were a half-second faster than the rest of the field. We just couldn’t catch a break to get our laps back with long green-flag runs tonight. We were also battling brutal temperatures in the cockpit because the crush panel got knocked out when the right-rear went down at the beginning of the race. Eventually we had to retire early from the race. We had a really good car, so it’s a shame that had to happen.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Has Strong Showing in No. 8 Caterpillar Fleet Monitoring Chevrolet During Return to Martinsville Speedway

16th     14th    18th

“Man, I missed this place! I hadn’t raced at Martinsville Speedway in a little over three years, so it was a big learning experience for me tonight with our No. 8 Caterpillar Fleet Monitoring Chevrolet. We fought a tight-handling condition pretty much the entire night and needed to be looser. We were able to manage it fairly well for most of the night, but our adjustments didn’t seem to do what we wanted them to during the final 100 laps. The track changed a lot more than we thought it would tonight, but we managed it the best we could. We were able to race in the top 10 for a portion of the night, so that’s a positive to build on. Martinsville is a really tricky track, so for us to be able to do that without any practice in a Cup car for the first time for me is pretty good. We learned a lot tonight that we can use to our advantage when we come back in the fall, which is a race that could have really big implications for the driver standings.” -Tyler Reddick

Inside Line Promotions – LAWTON, Okla. (June 10, 2020) – Giovanni Scelzi captured his first top 10 of the season with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 on Monday at Lawton Speedway.

Scelzi qualified 14^th quickest before he advanced from fifth to fourth place in a heat race and from 13^th to eighth in the main event during Round 3 of the Cometic Gasket Thunder Through the Plains presented by Hercules Tires.

“We gained on it and figured something out at Lawton that made us better,” he said. “We tried some different stuff and we went back to something we hit on in Florida. Trying to get rear grip is the biggest thing. I was really good in the beginning of the race. Then the track took rubber so passing was at a premium.”

Scelzi, who was driving for his family team, also began the Thunder Through the Plains with a strong rally at Red Dirt Raceway in Meeker, Okla., last Friday. He qualified fifth quickest out of the 25-plus competitors. Unfortunately, a crash in a heat race relegated him to the B Main. Scelzi won the race to transfer into the main event. He capped the night by maneuvering from 19^th to 13^th.

“Track position was so key,” he said. “It was tough to give up those spots in the main event through the heat race crash. The top and bottom were so even. I think we could have had a top 10 if we made the dash. It was the best track we’ve been to this season. You could putt around the bottom or hustle around the top.”

Scelzi also competed at 81 Speedway in Park City, Kan., on Sunday. He qualified 13^th quickest, ended sixth in a heat race and finished 17^th in the main event on a track that took rubber early.

Now the focus shifts to Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, where Scelzi will make his debut with Guy Forbrook this Friday and Saturday during the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series’ Brownells Big Guns Bash.

“What better place to start than a World of Outlaws race,” he quipped. “Guy’s car was fast last year when he ran at Knoxville. I know how good the equipment is and how good our track record is at Knoxville. I think being in the top 10 is a solid goal for this weekend.”

BATAVIA, OH (June 9, 2020) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series 2021 Georgia/Florida Speedweeks will run from January 21st through February 6th, with visits to four tracks and an estimated $630,000 in prize money and bonuses. As with the 2020 Speedweeks, the series will return to Golden Isles Speedway, East Bay Raceway Park, and All-Tech Raceway, but there is also an added visit to Bubba Raceway Park.  Action will get underway on Thursday, January 21st with an open practice for all competing divisions at Golden Isles Speedway in Brunswick, GA. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series teams will be competing on January 22nd and 23rd for $12,000 and $15,000 to win events.  From there, teams will travel south to East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL for an open practice on Sunday, January 24th, followed by six nights of racing. Monday and Tuesday, January 25th and 26th, teams will compete for $5,000-to-win, with over $23,000 in feature purse money. Wednesday, January 27th and Thursday, January 28th will see drivers gunning for $7,000 in top prize money with just under $31,000 in A-Main purse money. Friday, January 29th the stakes get higher with teams competing for the $12,000 pay check and over $47,000 A-Main purse money. As an end to the week, on Saturday, January 30th teams will be competing for $15,000-to-win and nearly $55,000 in A-Main purse money.  Teams will take Sunday, January 31st off to regroup before spending Monday, February 1st and Tuesday, February 2nd at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, FL for a pair of $10,000-to-win events. These events each have an A-Main purse in excess of $43,000.  The final speedway on the 2021 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Speedweeks schedule takes teams to Lake City, FL. All-Tech Raceway will host an open practice on Wednesday, February 3rd with three nights of racing and nightly increases in prize money. Thursday, February 4th will pay $10,000-to-win, Friday, February 5th $12,000-to-win, and the final night, Saturday, February 6th will show a top prize of $15,000.  Wrisco Industries, Inc. has once again agreed to generously sponsor $4,000 for the Wrisco Industries, Inc. Speedweeks Points Fund, allowing teams a chance to earn bonus money at the end of the 13 nights of racing. For more information on Wrisco Industries, Inc. visit: www.wrisco.com DateTrackLocationTo WinA-Main Purse1/21/2021Golden Isles SpeedwayBrunswick, GAPracticeN/A1/22/2021Golden Isles SpeedwayBrunswick, GA$12,000$47,0501/23/2021Golden Isles SpeedwayBrunswick, GA$15,000$54,5501/24/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FLPracticeN/A1/25/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FL$5,000$23,0501/26/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FL$5,000$23,0501/27/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FL$7,000$30,7751/28/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FL$7,000$30,7751/29/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FL$12,000$47,0501/30/2021East Bay Raceway ParkTampa, FL$15,000$54,5502/1/2021Bubba Raceway ParkOcala, FL$10,000$43,5752/2/2021Bubba Raceway ParkOcala, FL$10,000$43,5752/3/2021All-Tech RacewayLake City, FLPracticeN/A2/4/2021All-Tech RacewayLake City, FL$10,000$43,5752/5/2021All-Tech RacewayLake City, FL$12,000$47,0502/6/2021All-Tech RacewayLake City, FL$15,000$54,550 $5,000-to-win purse:1. $5,000, 2. $3,000, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,000, 6. $800, 7. $750, 8. $700, 9. $650, 10. $600, 11. $550, 12. $500, 13. $500, 14. $500, 15. $500, 16. $500, 17. $500, 18. $500, 19. $500, 20. $500, 21. $500, 22. $500, 23. $500, 24. $500 $7,000-to-win purse:1. $7,000, 2. $3,500, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,400, 6. $1,300, 7. $1,200, 8. $1,100, 9. $1,000, 10. $950, 11. $900, 12. $850, 13. $800, 14. $750, 15. $725, 16. $700, 17. $700, 18. $700, 19. $650, 20. $625, 21. $625, 22. $600, 23. $600, 24. $600 $10,000-to-win purse:1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,750, 5. $2,250, 6. $1,800, 7. $1,500, 8. $1,300, 9. $1,200, 10. $1,100, 11. $1,075, 12. $1,050, 13. $1,025, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 $12,000-to-win purse:1. $12,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,750, 5. $2,250, 6. $1,800, 7. $1,500, 8. $1,300, 9. $1,200, 10. $1,100, 11. $1,075, 12. $1,050, 13. $1,025, 14. $1,000, 15. $1,000, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 $15,000-to-win purse:1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $1,900, 7. $1,700, 8. $1,600, 9. $1,550, 10. $1,500, 11. $1,450, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,350, 14. $1,300, 15. $1,200, 16. $1,100, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCEBLUE-EMU MAXIMUM PAIN RELIEF 500MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAYRIDGEWAY, VIRGINIA JUNE 10, 2020
MARTINSVILLE FOR RACE #11Originally slated for May 9 on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) schedule, but postponed due to the COVID-10 pandemic, the Blue-Emu Maximum Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway is now set for the mid-week date of Wednesday evening, June 10 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The event marks the 11^th of 36 races on the revised calendar. The 500-lap, 263-mile race at the .526-mile paper clip-shaped oval venue will be an historic night for both NASCAR and Martinsville Speedway when they turn on the lights for the first time in the track’s 73-year history. The Speedway installed a state-of-the-art LED Lighting system in 2017 and became the first major motorsports facility in the United States to do so.  STARTING LINEUPThe event will be a one-day show without fans in attendance. With no practice and no qualifying, owner points and a random draw will again set the starting lineup. By virtue of the random draw, here are Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:   8th     Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Adam’s Polishes Camaro ZL1 1LE 9th     Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE11th     Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE14th     Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Cat Fleet Monitoring Camaro ZL1 1LE15th     William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE17th     Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 1LE20th     Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Credit One Bank Camaro ZL1 1LE BOWTIE BULLETS·       Jimmie Johnson is Chevrolet’s most recent winner at Martinsville – Oct. ’16. Of all active drivers, the career-Chevrolet driver leads the way in runner-up finishes (4), top-five’s (19), and top-10 finishes (24). ·       Victories by current Chevrolet drivers include:                            Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, has nine wins (2004, ’06, ’07-twice, ’08, ’09, ’12, ’13, & ’16)                   Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE has two wins (2002, & ’14)·       Behind the wheel of his famous 1957 Chevrolet 150 ‘Black Widow’ stock car, Buck Baker was awarded the first win for the Bowtie Brand at Martinsville. Sporting its black & white paint scheme, the iconic Chevy is part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Glory Road. Other models to claim victories at the half-mile track are Bel Air, Biscayne, Impala, Monte Carlo, Lumina, Impala SS, and SS.·       Chevrolet team, Hendrick Motorsports, has led 806 laps so far this season, the most of any team.  GOING FOR A TENTH TIME·       With nine wins at Martinsville Speedway, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE, leads all active drivers in victories at the popular Virginia track. A tenth victory would put Johnson ahead of former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jeff Gordon, who also holds nine wins; and place him third on the all-time Martinsville win list. Only Richard Petty (15 wins) and Darrell Waltrip (11 wins) have more. TEAM CHEVY SUCCESS·       Since 1949, Chevy teams and drivers have scored 56 wins in 142 races held at Martinsville Speedway, the oldest track on the circuit. Chevrolet has also registered 53 pole starts, 261 top-five’s, and 495 top-10 finishes. ·       Hendrick Motorsports has captured more NCS victories at Martinsville than any other organization, all under the Chevrolet banner. In 1984, Geoff Bodine collected the team’s first win, and the current total has grown to 24: Jeff Gordon (nine), Jimmie Johnson (nine), Darrell Waltrip (four), Geoffrey Bodine (one) and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (one).  TUNE INFS1 will telecast the 500-lap race live at 7:00 p.m. ET Wednesday, June 10th. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. QUOTABLE QUOTES:CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSWHILE THE TRACKS ARE DIFFERENT, IS THERE ANYTHING THAT YOU ALL LEARNED AT THE FIRST TWO LOW-DOWNFORCE RACES THIS SEASON THAT COULD TRANSLATE TO MARTINSVILLE?“I am looking forward to Martinsville Wednesday night. I think we should be able to bring over a few things we learned in Phoenix earlier this year. The biggest thing with the low-downforce package is just that the braking is going to be different. The good news is this package is pretty similar to what we ran a good bit over the past few years and I think we can look back into what we were doing at some of those races. Hopefully, with that information, we can give ourselves a pretty good starting point for Wednesday night. ” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM / ADAM’S POLISHES CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN’S THOUGHTS ON SHORT-TRACK RACING:“Martinsville is a fun track to run at. Our short track program is getting better, but we still have a little way to go on the No. 88. This ChevyGoods.com/Adam’s Polishes team has been bringing some fast Chevrolet’s to the track and I know that we will put everything we have into our car for Wednesday.” BOWMAN ON MID-WEEK RACES:“Racing mid-week is still something I have to get used to. I typically have more time to prepare during the week for a race, so I think this is a good challenge for us. Everyone at Hendrick Motorsports is working hard every day building strong cars and I think it is really showing on track.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 SYMBICORT CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSHOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT SHORT TRACKS LIKE MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY? “I love going to Martinsville Speedway. It’s an hour away from my house, so it feels like home. Anytime you can get to a short track and beat and bang and really work on those hard-braking corners you feel like you got a chance so I can’t wait to get there. Our cars have had speed this year, and I’m really looking forward to going to the flat paperclip that is Martinsville. We’re all racers at heart so we love short track racing.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGS“Martinsville is one of my favorite tracks. I’ve really gotten into a flow and rhythm that you need for that racetrack to run consistent lap times for such a long period of time and be consistently successful. I’ve enjoyed it a lot for that reason and it’s been fun. We ran so well in the fall and I hope that we run just as well on Wednesday. Regardless, I still enjoy going there so this is a race I’ve had circled for when we went back racing.” BYRON ON THE SHORT TRACK PACKAGE: “I think there’s going to be a lot more passing at Martinsville. With the low downforce, it’s going to really allow us to get up on each other. There’s going to be a lot of beating and banging not just because it’s Martinsville but because we saw that just a few races ago at Bristol (Motor Speedway). Hopefully we can keep our nose clean as much as possible and keep the splitter on it, and if we do, we should have a good shot at the end.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT FLEET MONITORING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 18th IN STANDINGSTHIS WILL BE YOUR FIRST RACE AT MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY IN ABOUT FOUR YEARS. HOW ARE YOU PREPARING FOR THE RETURN TO THE HALF-MILE TRACK? “This is a track that I’m excited for because my crew chief Randall Burnett is very excited for it. Martinsville Speedway is one of his favorite tracks, and he has a good notebook and game plan for it. That makes me motivated to go out and run well on Wednesday night. It’s going to be special running 500 laps at Martinsville under the lights for the first time, but with no practice beforehand, we will have a lot of variables. All our notes are from the day, so the night brings a new variable with it. Back during my NASCAR Truck Series days, I had good long run speed before they implemented the stage racing to shorten up the runs. The long run seemed to be where I was really comfortable at Martinsville, so hopefully we will get long runs like that in the Cup race where we can get in a rhythm and adjust on our car from there. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m up for it and really looking forward to returning there for the first time in over three years.” YOUR CHEVROLET WILL HAVE SPECIAL MESSAGING FROM CATERPILLAR ON THE QUARTER PANELS THAT HELP RECOGNIZE THEIR FLEET MONITORING DIVISION. ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THAT AND RACING THAT RACE FANS MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT? “Yeah, there are a lot of similarities between the world of Caterpillar and the world of racing that fans may not know about. The fleet monitoring division is a big one, and it relates a lot to our command center we utilize during the races. During these times when we’re dealing COVID-19 and the changes it’s bringing to the amount of people at the racetrack, but also on Caterpillar job-sites around the world, these two systems are so important. Our command center is staffed with engineers we normally have at the track for these races, and they’re working overtime to find any little advantage or strategy to help us on the track. With Cat’s Fleet Monitoring division, they’re doing the same thing in a way. They’re just focused on finding the most efficient strategies to provide operators with that will maximize their efforts and production during the workday while not being physically at the site. We’re both trying to get our respective jobs done as quickly and efficiently as possible. We actually unveiled the scheme to a group of Cat customers late last week, and it was really cool to see their reactions when we said we were going to run the car at Martinsville Speedway. We definitely want to get in a good run for them.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 20th IN STANDINGS“We’ve had some solid runs the last couple of weeks at short tracks and intermediate tracks, and I think we can definitely carry that over to Martinsville Speedway Wednesday night. It’s going to be really cool to race there under the lights. Track position is always key, and our last couple of races have moved us into the bracket on the random draw that gets us a decent starting position of 17^th. Martinsville has always been tough for me, but it’s Brian Pattie’s favorite track. I know JTG Daugherty Racing has had some really strong runs at Martinsville in the past, and I’m looking forward to keeping our momentum going that we’ve earned the last couple of races back in the No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet.”
TY DILLON, NO. 13 GEICO CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGSWHAT DO YOU EXPECT FROM THE FIRST NIGHT RACE AT MARTINSVILLE?“I think racing at night is going to be something to adapt to. We’ve had a couple races recently at Martinsville that have ended at night with the lights being turned on, but just for a few laps. I’m hoping it’s going to be similar to how we unload and practice there in the spring when it’s really cold outside and the track is clean. Our GEICO Camaro has always been really fast in first practice at Martinsville, so hopefully that overlays into what we are stepping into on Wednesday night. I think it will be conducive to our typical setup that we bring there. We always seem to be fast the cooler it is and the cleaner the track is.”  RYAN PREECE, NO. 37 PURINA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS“Martinsville Speedway is one of those tracks that I have circled on our NASCAR Cup Series schedule. I’ve been fortunate enough to run a couple of Modified races at Martinsville and even get a win in 2008. We were planning to run the modified race during the originally scheduled NASCAR weekend, and I’m really hoping we can still run it sometime this year. I’m really looking forward to running the No. 37 Purina Chevrolet paint scheme under the lights with our friend ‘Bentley’ on the hood. We had a couple of strong runs last year at Martinsville, and we’re still working to get some positive momentum going on our side. I’m a short track guy, so any time we can do short track racing under the lights is good for me.” MATT KENSETH, NO. 42 CREDIT ONE BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 31st IN STANDINGS“Martinsville is a very challenging race track. It’s a track you have to be decent on the short runs so you can hold position or hopefully make some passes when your tires are fresh, but you also have to have enough traction to be good on the long run because you do get some long runs there. It’s a track that’s very tight with a lot of contact and it’s hard to be patient there, but you have to be. You have to use a lot of restraint, keep your fenders and brakes on the car, and try to be in position at the end of the race. 500 laps is a really long time there. Chad and the guys have been bringing me really fast Chevy’s each week. I’m looking forward to getting to Martinsville on Wednesday night and hopefully getting a complete race put together.”  

Richard Childress Racing at Martinsville Speedway … In 173 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has earned four pole awards and posted seven victories with drivers Dale Earnhardt (five times), Ricky Rudd (1983) and Kevin Harvick (2011). RCR Chevrolet teams have earned 30 top-five and 63 top-10 finishes at Martinsville dating back to the team’s first start there on April 10, 1972. Richard Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed four of those top-10 finishes from 1976-1978.  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 Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 from Martinsville Speedway will be televised live Wednesday, June 10, beginning at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports One and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

This Week’s Symbicort Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Martinsville Speedway … In 12 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Martinsville Speedway, Dillon earned his best finish of fourth in April 2016 at the half-mile short track after starting deep in the field from the 29th spot. He also has a fifth-place finish at the track (April 2017). He has made four appearances at the track in the NASCAR Truck Series, earning his best finish of third in October 2011. SYMBICORT Partners with the No. 3 at Martinsville Speedway … SYMBICORT is an AstraZeneca product and the sponsor of the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Martinsville Speedway with Austin Dillon. You can learn more at MySymbicort.com. AstraZeneca is a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of prescription medicines. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:How do you feel about short tracks like Martinsville Speedway?“I love going to Martinsville Speedway. It’s an hour away from my house, so it feels like home. Anytime you can get to a short track and beat and bang and really work on those hard-braking corners you feel like you got a chance so I can’t wait to get there. Our cars have had speed this year, and I’m really looking forward to going to the flat paperclip that is Martinsville. We’re all racers at heart so we love short track racing.”

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat Fleet Monitoring Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Martinsville Speedway … Tyler Reddick will be making his NASCAR Cup Series debut at Martinsville Speedway this Wednesday night. This event also marks Reddick’s return to the half-mile track since his NASCAR Truck Series days, during which he had six starts, two top-five and three top-10 finishes at Martinsville. About Caterpillar’s Fleet Monitoring Division … Whether you operate one piece of equipment or a fleet of hundreds, the amount of data today’s assets and sites generate is overwhelming. You know that data contains valuable insights that can help you make smarter operational, maintenance and repair decisions, but who has the time and expertise to analyze it? The experts at the Caterpillar Fleet Monitoring Center and dealer centers around the world do. They have the tools and training to review and interpret your data, then recommend specific actions you can take to cut costs, reduce downtime, improve performance and enhance safety. No matter your industry or brand of equipment, you can count on Caterpillar and dealer condition monitoring experts to help you make informed decisions that boost your productivity and profits. Learn more about how to better manage your equipment by taking a quiz at Cat.com/KnowYourFleet. TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:This will be your first race at Martinsville Speedway in about four years. How are you preparing for the return to the half-mile track?“This is a track that I’m excited for because my crew chief Randall Burnett is very excited for it. Martinsville Speedway is one of his favorite tracks, and he has a good notebook and game plan for it. That makes me motivated to go out and run well on Wednesday night. It’s going to be special running 500 laps at Martinsville under the lights for the first time. With no practice beforehand, we will have a lot of variables. All our notes are from the day, so the night brings a new variable with it. Back during my NASCAR Truck Series days, I had good long run speed before they implemented the stage racing to shorten up the runs. The long run seemed to be where I was really comfortable at Martinsville, so hopefully we will get long runs like that in the Cup race where we can get in a rhythm and adjust on our car from there. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m up for it and really looking forward to returning there for the first time in years.” Your Chevrolet will have special messaging from Caterpillar on the quarter panels at Martinsville that help recognize their Fleet Monitoring division. Are there any similarities between that and racing that race fans may not know about?“Yeah, there are a lot of similarities between the world of Caterpillar and the world of racing that fans may not know about. The fleet monitoring division is a big one, and it relates a lot to our command center we utilize during the races. During these times when we’re dealing COVID-19 and the changes it’s bringing to the amount of people at the racetrack, but also on Caterpillar job-sites around the world, these two systems are so important. Our command center is staffed with engineers we normally have at the track for these races, and they’re working overtime to find any little advantage or strategy to help us on the track. With Cat’s Fleet Monitoring division, they’re doing the same thing in a way. They’re just focused on finding the most efficient strategies to provide operators with that will maximize their efforts and production during the workday while not being physically at the site. We’re both trying to get our respective jobs done as quickly and efficiently as possible. We actually unveiled the scheme to a group of Cat customers late last week, and it was really cool to see their reactions when we said we were going to run the car at Martinsville Speedway. We definitely want to get in a good run for them.”

June 9, 2020

Just three days after a grueling 500-miler in the sweltering Georgia heat, Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are in for another endurance test in the form of a 500-lapper at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR’s revised schedule, created in response to the coronavirus, moved Martinsville’s spring race to this Wednesday night, where it is sandwiched in between races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway, which will host a 400-miler on Sunday afternoon.

DiBenedetto said he came through Atlanta’s race in good shape physically and is ready to take on Martinsville’s paper-clip-shaped half mile oval.

“When I got out of the car at Atlanta a lot of guys looked pretty wiped out, but I actually felt pretty good,” he said, adding that he attributes that to keeping himself hydrated before and throughout the race and to his team’s pre-race work on the No. 21 Mustang. “It’s a real testament to the team’s preparation of the driver comfort and cooling features of the car.”

DiBenedetto said he’ll be needing more of the same from the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team Wednesday night.

“Martinsville is one of the most physically demanding tracks we go to,” he said. “You never get a break there.”

But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like racing there.
 
“Short tracks are my favorite by far,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said anything different.”
 
DiBenedetto said he’s anxious to see how the Goodyear tire compound performs. “The new tire has more lap time fall-off during a run,” he said. “That should to be fun.”

He also said he’d especially like to run well at Martinsville since it’s the home track for his Wood Brothers team, which is from nearby Stuart, Va.

“Hopefully we can get the Wood Brothers a good finish because I know how much that track means to them.”
 
DiBenedetto will start Wednesday’s Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 from 19^th place, as teams drew for starting positions since no qualifying will be held. That means he’ll have work to do immediately once the green flag drops.
 
“Track position is big at Martinsville,” he said. “We’ll have to climb through the field, but it’s a long enough race that we can get back up there where we belong.”
 
There will be no practice before the drop of the green flag Wednesday night, which is scheduled for just after 7 p.m.
 
TV coverage will be carried by FOX Sports One.
 

BATAVIA, OHIO (June 8, 2020) – The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will return to action on June 12th and 13th at Cherokee Speedway and Smoky Mountain Speedway, with fans in the stands for the first time since February. The duo of races will get underway on Friday, June 12th with a visit to Gaffney, S.C. A full program is on tap for the 22nd Annual Grassy Smith Memorial – highlighted by a 50-lap, $12,000-to-win main event. The pit gates at Cherokee Speedway will open at 2:00pm with the general admission gates opening one hour later, at 3:00pm. The drivers meeting is set for 7:00pm, followed by hot laps at 7:30pm. In addition to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the Super Sportsman, Street Stock/Crate Sportsman, Stock 4, and Thunder Bomber divisions will also be in action. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series visits Smoky Mountain Speedway on Saturday, June 13th, for the Mountain Moonshine Classic. For the second year in a row, the winner will be leaving Maryville, Tenn. $15,000 richer.  On Saturday, the pit and general admission gates will open at 12:00pm (noon). A driver’s meeting is scheduled for 7:00pm with hot laps to follow at 7:30pm. The Sportsman Late Models and Limited Late Models will serve as support divisions at Smoky Mountain Speedway. Thrilling news for fans unable to make it out to watch these events in person, the 22nd Annual Grassy Smith Memorial and the Mountain Moonshine Classic have both been added to the LucasOilRacing.tv schedule as LIVE events for those with a monthly or yearly subscription.  Tim McCreadie leads the Lucas Oil championship standings heading into the weekend. Jimmy Owens currently trails McCreadie by 55 points. Jonathan Davenport is third, Devin Moran fourth, while Kyle Bronson and Tyler Erb are tied for fifth in championship standings. Track and Event Information:Cherokee SpeedwayPhone Number: 864-489-1969Location: 153 Speedway Road, Gaffney, SC 29340Directions: I-85 to exit 96, then 0.2 mile south on SR 18, then 0.2 mile east on SR 329, then north on Speedway Road.Website: www.cherokeespeedwaysc.com Cherokee Speedway Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1350 NRM, (29.0) NRMW, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Main.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Event Purse: 1. $12,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,750, 5. $2,250, 6. $1,800, 7. $1,500, 8. $1,300, 9. $1,200, 10. $1,100, 11. $1,075, 12. $1,050, 13. $1,025, 14. $1,000, 15. $1,000, 16. $1,000, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 Smoky Mountain SpeedwayPhone Number: 865-856-8989Location: 809 Brickmill Road, Maryville, TN 37801Directions: 4.5 miles southwest of US 129 on US411, then 1.6 miles south on Brick Mill Road.Website: www.smokymountainspeedway.com Smoky Mountain Speedway Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier Rib (28.5) 1350Right Rear – Hoosier (29.0) 1350 NRM, (29.0) NRMW, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Main.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Event Purse: 1. $15,000, 2. $6,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $3,000, 5. $2,500, 6. $1,900, 7. $1,700, 8. $1,600, 9. $1,550, 10. $1,500, 11. $1,450, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,350, 14. $1,300, 15. $1,200, 16. $1,100, 17. $1,000, 18. $1,000, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000

NEW DATE For The 2020 BIGFOOT Open House

June 5, 2020 (Pacific, MO) – The 2020 BIGFOOT Open House has been rescheduled for Saturday, August 15th, 2020! The State of Missouri and Franklin County have been opening businesses all across the state and county for the last few weeks. We are currently pretty confident we will have enough restrictions lifted by mid-August to have this great event. We will be in contact with vendors, and, hopefully, we will still get some Old Skool Monster Trucks and a ride truck to participate.

HAMPTON, GA – June 8, 2020 – Kevin Harvick delivered a special birthday present to crew chief Rodney Childers by winning Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500. This was Ford’s fourth win in a row at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

“Four in a row at Atlanta! What an accomplishment for everyone at Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines. Congratulations to Kevin, Rodney, Tony, Gene and everyone at Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “No practice nor qualifying has definitely been an adjustment for all of us, and to see Stewart-Haas and other Ford Performance teams run well is a testament to all the hard work of the entire team.”

This abrasive track paired with hot and humid weather made for a great race Sunday afternoon. Tires were crucial to all the competitors on track, putting pressure on the pit crews to get their drivers off pit road first. “We had a great pit stop (during the last caution), then we had a restart on the bottom, and it got my car to take off,” said Harvick. “I was able to get track position and then once I could get through those first 10 laps and my car was freed up enough to where I could get into rhythm and really started hitting my marks.”

Atlanta has always been a special place for Harvick, as he scored his very first NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2001. Harvick has led a total of 1,348 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the most among active drivers. Throughout Sunday’s race, Fox Sports broadcasters’ mentioned “Harvicking”, referencing Kevin’s unique driving style around this challenging track. Harvick paid tribute to the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. by holding three fingers out the window after crossing the finish line. “This is just a racetrack that I’ve taken a liking to, and you always come back and have those memories and now you want to celebrate everything that Dale Earnhardt did for this sport,” commented Harvick.

Harvick started from P9 and led a race-high 151 of the 325 laps. All three Team Penske Mustangs finished inside the top-10. Ryan Blaney finished in P4, Brad Keselowski in P9, and Joey Logano in P10. Clint Bowyer in the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang also led three times for 58 laps but pitted late in the race and finished outside the top-10.

With Harvick’s second win of the season, he retains the top spot in the driver points standings and maintains the owner standings lead for Stewart-Haas Racing. Logano currently sits second just 48 points out and Keselowski is forth, 75 points out of the lead. Ford leads all manufactures with six wins this season, four of those races since NASCAR returned to action May 17th.

The Xfinity series also took on Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Austin Cindric jumped out to an early lead and finished Stage 1 nearly nine seconds ahead of Ross Chastain. Stage 2 was all about the Mustangs, Cindric took Stage 2 checkered flag with Chase Briscoe in P2. During the final stage late race pit stop, both Briscoe and Cindric were penalized for speeding on pit road. Both Ford drivers came up through the field with purpose, Briscoe finishing P9 and Cindric P16. Briscoe in the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing machine maintained the top spot in driver points and Cindric in the No. 22 Team Penske Ford is sixth, just 55 points behind.

The NASCAR Cup Series will make a quick turnaround for Wednesday night racing at Martinsville Speedway, then down to Homestead-Miami Speedway for some Sunday afternoon action. The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run the first double-header of 2020 this upcoming weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway with two races in two days, running the same car and engine. Reference the full 2020 schedule on RoushYates.com.  27 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 387 WINS – 357 POLES!  *Photos courtesy of NASCAR Media & Getty Images

About Roush Yates Engines   Roush Yates Engines is a leading-edge engine development company based in Mooresville, NC consisting of two state-of-the-art facilities – Roush Yates Engines and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class ISO 9001 / AS9100 certified CNC manufacturing facility. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing purpose-built race engines.   Ford Performance in partnership with Roush Yates Engines is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR FR9 Ford V8 engine and Ford Mustang 5.2L V8 engine, used in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series.   With an unparalleled culture of winning and steeped in rich racing history, Roush Yates Engines continues to follow the company’s vision to lead performance engine innovation and staying true to the company’s mission, provide race winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.   3 Series – 22 Teams – 81 Races

(6/7/20 Jim Allen), Sacramento, CA … Peter Murphy Racing and the NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series announced that plans are underway for a race on Saturday, June 20th at Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford.  Unfortunately, due to strict COVID-19 restrictions enforced by local health officials, this event will must be held without race fans in the grandstands.  The show will be available live on Speed Shift TV pay-per-view.

Promoter Peter Murphy had staged two successful practice sessions at his 3/8 mile dirt track in preparation for the restart of his 2020 racing season.  At least one more practice session is expected to be added before the June 20th event.

Only race teams and immediate crew and their family members will be allowed in the pit area and they will be required to sign a special insurance waiver.  There is expected to be a limit on the number of people per race team.  All pit entrants and working officials will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing protocol.

“This race represents our first step in getting back to normal,”  said Murphy.  “We would love to have fans in the grandstands, but we have to follow the rules, otherwise we can’t race.  We hope that everybody supports us and watches the show on Speed Shift TV.”

The purse will be funded through Speed Shift TV subscriptions, the generous support of many loyal sponsors, and pit gate proceeds.

This represents the season opener for the traveling series, which has been forced to either cancel or postpone seven scheduled events so far this season.  This race was not on the original 19-race schedule.

“This event has been a long time in the making,” said Jim Allen, series GM, “and a lot of things had to line up perfectly to make it happen.  We thank Peter Murphy for his tenacity and hard work to make it a reality.  Hopefully this will jump start Fairgrounds dirt track racing in California again so fans can attend in person in the very near future.”

One more class of cars will be added to the program.  Murphy is expected to make an announcement this week, along with other details regarding the event and safety guidelines.

More details will be released as we get closer to the event.  You are highly encouraged to follow “King of the West by NARC” and “Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds- Hanford” on Facebook and social media.  We thank you for your support.

June 07, 2020

After showing seventh- to 11^th-place speed for the second half of Sunday’s Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the track’s notorious tire wear caught up with Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Menards/Knauf team and left them with a 25^th-place finish.

DiBenedetto took the green flag from 21^st place after the line-up was set by a modified draw for position.

He immediately began working his way forward despite a loose handling condition, lost the lead lap at one point, but was running in the free pass position when the caution flag flew at Lap 96 for a spin by John Hunter Nemechek.
 
Back on the lead lap, DiBenedetto drove up to 14^th place at the end of the first 105-lap stage.

Throughout Stage Two, he continued his forward progress and cracked the top 10 for the first time on Lap 115. He continued to advance and ended the second stage in seventh place, earning four stage points.

 It was the third straight race in which the Menards/Knauf team has earned stage points.
 
DiBenedetto continued to run in the top 10 through the third and final stage of the 325-lap race, which ran the entire 108 laps without a caution flag.

The excessive tire wear caused by Atlanta’s 33-year-old asphalt led to an unscheduled stop for fresh rubber with just over 60 laps left to run. The team had intended to run about 10 more laps before stopping.
 
But 60-plus laps on a set of tires is a bridge too far at a place like Atlanta. Nonetheless, DiBenedetto was running good lap times and hanging on to 11^th place until there were just seven laps remaining. 
 
Tire issues again sent him to pit road under the green flag, and he dropped to 25^th at the finish.
 
Eddie Wood said a team has few options once it gets off sequence due to an unscheduled pit stop in a race with few caution flags. 

 “You have to run farther because you stop earlier, and you’re hoping for a caution flag so you can get tires,” he said. “But with no cautions, you’re in a box where you just have to go for it, and that’s what we did.”
 
DiBendetto dropped two spots to 15^th in the Cup Series standings heading into Wednesday night’s Blue Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 at the Wood Brothers’ home track, Martinsville Speedway.