MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
SOUTH POINT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Playoff Contender)
4th * Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA FILTERS Camaro ZL1
6th * Alex Bowman, No. 88 Nationwide Camaro ZL1
7th * William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1
8th * Kyle Larson, No. 42 Clover Camaro ZL1
11th Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL FINISHING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER (* = Chevy Playoff Contender)
1st Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota)
2nd Kevin Harvick (Ford)
3rd Brad Keselowski (Ford)
4th * Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)
5th Ryan Blaney (Ford) Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas–Post Race →

Acura Team Penske Dominates at Laguna Seca
• Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya lead 1-2 finish for Acura
• Acura unofficially clinches 2019 IMSA Manufacturers’ Championship
• Katherine Legge, Christina Nielsen take their Acura NSX GT3 Evo to sixth in GTD

MONTEREY, CA (Sept. 15, 2019) – Acura Team Penske swept today’s IMSA Monterey Grand Prix, dominating the two-hour, 40-minute contest at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya scored their third victory of the season and a 1-2 result for Acura. The result unofficially clinches the Manufacturers’ Championship for Acura, while Cameron and Montoya neared the drivers’ title.

In GTD, Katherine Legge and co-driver Christina Nielsen led the Acura NSX GT3 Evo effort, finishing sixth for Heinricher/Meyer Shank Racing; while teammates Mario Farnbacher and
Trent Hindman closed on the GTD Drivers’ Championship following an eighth-place finish. Continue reading Acura Team Penske Dominates at Laguna Seca →

Top Fuel — Richie Crampton, 3.738 seconds, 329.10 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.779 seconds, 331.28 mph.

Funny Car — Jack Beckman, Dodge Charger, 3.958, 330.07 def. John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.952, 328.78
Pro Stock — Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.553, 210.60 ARP Car def. Fernando Cuadra, Camaro, 6.594, 208.78.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Jerry Savoie, Suzuki, 6.774, 198.55 def. Steve Johnson, Suzuki, 6.805, 196.59.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Troy Coughlin Jr., 5.211, 279.96 ARP Car. def. Megan Meyer, 5.261, 273.61.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — Sean Bellemeur, Chevy Camaro, 5.417, 270.86 def. Chris Marshall, Camaro, 5.493, 267.27.

Competition Eliminator — Christopher Piston, Dragster, 8.117, 146.45 def. Tom Martino, Chevy Cobalt, 8.193, 156.39.

Super Stock — Herbie Null Jr., Chevy Camaro, 9.700, 136.83 def. John DiBartolomeo, Camaro, 9.271, 142.24.

Stock Eliminator — Joe Santangelo, Chevy Camaro, 10.385, 119.92 def. Randi Lyn Shipp, Pontiac Firebird, 10.662, 121.58.

Super Comp — Kyle Bigley, Dragster, 8.925, 162.57 def. Ken Moses, Dragster, 8.940, 174.41.

Super Gas — Ed Alessi Jr, Pontiac Catalina, 9.937, 158.45 def. Jake Barbato, Chevy Camaro, 9.958, 160.48.

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Aggressive Strategy Nets GTLM Podium
Third-place for Garcia, Magnussen in No. 3 Corvette C7.R; Gavin, Milner take fourth

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 15, 2019) – An aggressive race strategy paid off for Corvette Racing on Sunday as Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen landed on the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class podium in the Monterey SportsCar Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C7.R placed third in the next-to-last round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as both yellow Corvettes rebounded from disappointing qualifying efforts Saturday. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, driving the No. 4 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Corvette, placed fourth as each pairing gained four positions from the first lap of the race to the finish. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Aggressive Strategy Nets GTLM Podium Third-place for Garcia, Magnussen in No. 3 Corvette C7.R; Gavin, Milner take fourth →

JOHN FORCE HAS RUNNER-UP FINISH TO SIT SECOND IN
NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS
READING, Pa. (Sept. 15 2019) — Sixteen-time Funny Car world champion John Force raced his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil / Blue Diesel Fuel Additives Chevy Camaro SS to their fourth final round of the season Sunday at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil. Force, who has won the event hosted at Maple Grove Raceway just outside of Philadelphia seven times, muscled his way to be within 19 points of the Funny Car points lead with just five races left in the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Funny Car Teammate Robert Hight took the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SS to the quarterfinals and remains in the top three of the points standings, it is the first time in 19 races, all season long, that Hight has not left a race with the points lead. In Top Fuel, Austin Prock with Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist and Brittany Force with Advance Auto Parts had semifinal finishes, moving them each up in the points standings. Continue reading JOHN FORCE HAS RUNNER-UP FINISH TO SIT SECOND IN NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS →

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION
MOPAR EXPRESS LANE NHRA NATIONALS
MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY IN MOHNTON, PENNSYLVANIA
POST-RACE RECAP AND DRIVER QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 15, 2019

Chevrolet drivers start strong in Countdown to Championship

Jason Line earns 50th career Pro Stock win, moves to No. 1 in standings
John Force runs to Funny Car runner-up finish, is No. 2 in points
Brittany Force resets Top Fuel elapsed time world record, is No. 2 in points
MOHNTON, Pa. (September 15, 2019) – Chevrolet drivers made strong statements in the opening round of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship.

Jason Line earned his 50th career Pro Stock victory and moved to the top of the standings in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS.
John Force, who entered the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals off a victory in the Chevrolet Performance U.S. Nationals, continued his second-half surge with a runner-up finish in Funny Car that led to remaining second in points.
Continue reading Chevrolet drivers start strong in Countdown to Championship →

Semifinal finish lifts Jeg Coughlin Jr. two spots in Pro Stock points
READING, Pa. (Sept 15) — In what may be the most impressive race of his young career, Troy Coughlin Jr. took the absolute toughest route to the winner’s circle of the 35th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Sunday to claim his fourth victory of the season in his JEGS.com McPhillips Racing Top Alcohol Dragster.

Ranked third in the world leading into the event, Coughlin beat national points leader Shawn Cowie in the quarterfinals, fourth-ranked Duane Shields in the semifinals and second-place runner Megan Meyer in the final to claim his team’s home event for the second straight year. Continue reading Troy Coughlin Jr. slays giants, wins Mopar NHRA Nationals again →

Blackstock, O’Gorman Run Third for Honda at Laguna Seca
• Shelby Blackstock, Tom O’Gorman continue their TCR class championship chase with third-place finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
• Brian Henderson, Todd Lamb combine to finish fifth in Atlanta Speedwerks Honda Civic Type R TCR
• Honda, O’Gorman and Blackstock take championship battles to next month’s season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2019) – LA Honda World Racing drivers Tom O’Gorman and Shelby Blackstock kept their TCR class championship hopes alive today with a third-place finish in Saturday’s two-hour MICHELIN Pilot Challenge event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

The fourth podium finish of the season for the pair moved them to second in the TCR Drivers’ Championship, 11 points behind leaders Mark Wilkins and Michael Lewis (256-245) with one race remaining. Honda goes into next month’s season finale at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta tied for second in the TCR Manufacturers’ Championship, just four points behind Audi (293-289) and tied with Hyundai in a three-way fight for the title.

Starting fifth, Blackstock moved his Honda Civic Type R TCR up to third in the opening hour, then handed off to co-driver O’Gorman at a pit stop during a full-course caution that jumbled the running order. O’Gorman resumed his chase of the leaders to the finish, but took the checkers just over three seconds adrift of race winners Gavin Ernstone and Jon Morley.
Continue reading Blackstock, O’Gorman Run Third for Honda at Laguna Seca →

Tyler Reddick and No. 2 TAME the BEAST Team Wins and Clinches the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular-Season Championship at Las Vegas

“We set out today to clinch the regular-season championship and did just that and more. This is a huge accomplishment for everyone at RCR and ECR Engines and all the work they’ve put in this year. We have been focusing on Playoff points over the last few weeks, trying to capitalize on them as much as possible, so this will be a nice bonus to help kick off our title run at Richmond Raceway next week. On top of it all, we were able to pull off the win tonight. We fought with the balance of our No. 2 TAME the BEAST Camaro all race long and knew we weren’t the strongest with that tonight, so when the opportunity came out late in the third stage to pit off sequence and fill up on fuel to try to win it on fuel mileage, we took it. That last 60 or so laps were nerve-wracking, but we saved just enough to make it and still do a burnout. This is a huge team win, and I’m so proud of everyone on this No. 2 team. What a great way to close the regular season and head into the Playoffs.”

-Tyler Reddick

Five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin
Jr. soaring high at first playoff race
Defending champ Troy Coughlin Jr. survives first test
READING, Pa. (Sept. 14) — The NHRA playoffs have begun with the 35th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals and five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. is looking sharp enough to challenge for what would be a sixth career victory at historic Maple Grove Raceway. At the conclusion of the quickest qualifying session of the year, Coughlin’s JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is fifth overall in the field.
Continue reading Five-time Pro Stock champ Jeg Coughlin Jr. soaring high at first playoff race →

BRITTANY FORCE AND ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CONTINUE RECORD BREAKING WAYS WITH QUICKEST PASS IN NHRA HISTORY
READING, Pa. (Sept. 14, 2019) — Brittany Force and the Advance Auto Parts Top Fuel dragster team would have been the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil’s No. 1 qualifiers simply off their Maple Grove Raceway track record pass from Friday night but they outdid themselves not just by being quickest of each session on Saturday but by laying down the quickest time in NHRA history in the last qualifying session.

“I thought where we stood Friday night was going to be pretty good and if we could match that I’d be pretty happy,” Force said. “What we just did right there, that was unbelievable.”
Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE AND ADVANCE AUTO PARTS CONTINUE RECORD BREAKING WAYS WITH QUICKEST PASS IN NHRA HISTORY →

Menard Qualifies 21st At Las Vegas

September 14, 2019

Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/Monster Mustang are set to start Sunday’ South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 21stplace.

Menard earned that spot with a lap at 176.056 miles per hour in qualifying Saturday afternoon. It was his fastest lap so far this weekend.

Menard and the team spent much of Friday’s practice preparing for the race. In Friday’s opening practice, his best lap at 174.121 mph was good enough for 25thplace. In Happy Hour on Saturday he jumped up to 14thon the speed chart with a best lap of 175.690 mph.

The South Point 400 is set to get the green flag just after 4 p.m. (7 p.m. Eastern Time) on Sunday with TV coverage on NBCSN.

Ron Capps Earns No. 1 Qualifier in Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals with Record-setting run in Mopar-powered Dodge//SRT Charger Hellcat Funny Car

· Capps goes beyond No. 1 qualifier with new career-best and track-record setting elapsed time and speed at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.
· Matt Hagan qualifies Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Funny Car ninth
· Seven Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Funny Car field
· Leah Pritchett races Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster to No. 2 position
· Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals is first of six races in NHRA Countdown to the Championship
· DodgeGarage.com, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts, features highlights from NHRA season
· New @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel features Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in NHRA action

September 14, 2019, Mohnton, Pennsylvania – Dodge//SRT Mopar driver Ron Capps launched his run to the 2019 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Funny Car world championship with a record-setting performance in qualifying for the 35th annual Mopar Express Lane at Maple Grove Raceway. Continue reading Ron Capps Earns No. 1 Qualifier in Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals with Record-setting run in Mopar-powered Dodge//SRT Charger Hellcat Funny Car →

Acura Team Penske Sweeps Qualifying at Laguna Seca
• Ricky Taylor qualifies on the pole for Sunday’s Monterey SportsCar Championship race
• Juan Pablo Montoya will start his Acura Team Penske ARX-05 prototype from second
• Trent Hindman qualifies his Acura NSX GT3 Evo second in GTD

MONTEREY, CA (Sept. 14, 2019) – Acura Team Penske swept the front row in qualifying today for Sunday’s Monterey SportsCar Championship race, with Ricky Taylor claiming the pole with a new lap record time of 1:15.035 in his Acura ARX-05 prototype, and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya claiming the outside of the front row with the second-fastest qualifying run.

In GTD, Trent Hindman continued his run of front-row starts this year for Meyer Shank Racing, and will start second in his Acura NSX GT3 Evo. Continue reading Acura Team Penske Sweeps Qualifying at Laguna Seca →

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Another Tight Qualifying Battle in GTLM
Sixth for Magnussen, seventh for Gavin in close session in Monterey

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 14, 2019) – Corvette Racing will look to race its way through the field Sunday following qualifying for the Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Jan Magnussen and Oliver Gavin were sixth and seventh Saturday in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) category of the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It was another classic example of the closeness of GTLM with eight cars within 0.738 seconds.

Sunday’s race will air live at 3 p.m. ET on NBC. Continue reading CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: Another Tight Qualifying Battle in GTLM →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
SOUTH POINT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY POST-QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
SEPTEMBER 14, 2019

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
5th KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1
6th DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 8 CESSNA CAMARO ZL1
7th AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 CAMARO ZL1
8th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA FILTERS CAMARO ZL1
9th JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL QUALIFYING RESULTS:
POS. DRIVER
1st Clint Bowyer (Ford)
2nd Daniel Suarez (Ford)
3rd Kevin Harvick (Ford)
4th Aric Almirola (Ford)
5th Kurt Busch (Chevrolet)

NBCSN will telecast the 267-lap race on the 1.5-mile oval live at 7 p.m. ET Sunday, Sept. 15. The NBCSports Gold app will stream the race and live coverage can also be found on PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY NOTES AND QUOTES:

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 5th
“I think with qualifying, we’ve been doing a really good job at the 1.5-mile tracks. Making sure we are wide open, but also to be able to have the right downforce levels for the car for the race. It’s going to be a slick one tomorrow and that’s really where the focus is with the impound. We are making sure the race setup is dialed in.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas–Qualifying →

BRITTANY FORCE AND ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SIT NO. 1 FRIDAY AT
MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY
READING, Pa. (Sept. 13, 2019) — On opening day of the NHRA Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs, Brittany Force and the Advance Auto Parts team set a track record on their way to the preliminary No. 1 spot Friday night at the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil. Teammate Austin Prock is in the No. 6 position with his Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist machine, and in Funny Car, Robert Hight and the Automobile Club of Southern California team are currently No. 8 and John Force, with his PEAK Coolant and Motor Oil / Blue Diesel Fuel Additives Chevy Camaro SS, are 14th at Maple Grove Raceway. Continue reading BRITTANY FORCE AND ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SIT NO. 1 FRIDAY AT MAPLE GROVE RACEWAY →

Ron Capps Muscles Mopar-powered Dodge//SRT Charger Hellcat Funny Car to Track Record Speed and ET in Opening Round Qualifying of Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals

· Capps establishes new career-best elapsed time and speed at Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa.
· Seven Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers in Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals provisional Funny Car field
· Leah Pritchett races Mopar Dodge//SRT Top Fuel Dragster to No. 2 provisional position through two rounds of qualifying
· Mopar Career Automotive Program (CAP) “Assemble Your Future” initiative hosts 45 enrolled students and instructors
· Mopar Mega Block Party raises monies for chosen charities
· Dodge Garage.com, a digital content hub for muscle car and race enthusiasts, features highlights from NHRA season

September 13, 2019, Mohnton, Pennsylvania – Ron Capps opened the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a bang, powering the Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) NAPA Filters Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to the provisional pole with his track record-setting run of 3.837 seconds at 339.28 mph in Friday night’s second provisional qualifying session. Continue reading Ron Capps Muscles Mopar-powered Dodge//SRT Charger Hellcat Funny Car to Track Record Speed and ET in Opening Round Qualifying of Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
SOUTH POINT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 GEARWRENCH CAMARO ZL1, met with media to discuss the progress of his plans for the 2020 season, his relationship with Monster Energy, the importance of personalities in branding of the sport, and more. Full Transcript:

BEFORE YOU MAKE THE DECISION ON COMING BACK TO GANASSI, WOULD YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN RUNNING THE INDIANPOLIS 500 AGAIN? IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WOULD COME INTO PLAY?
“It’s just a matter of all the different categories lining up, as far as the sponsorships and manufacturer. Yes, Indy is a question. That was one of the things that brought attention towards moving to Ganassi. Even with the sportscar program, there are things around it and I’m just trying to weigh it all out. Again, it’s about focusing on the Playoffs right now and getting the most that we can out of our No. 1 car to make sure we have the strongest Playoff run possible. We have just kind of pushed that off to the side a little bit.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas–Kurt Busch →

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
SOUTH POINT 400
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019

BUBBA WALLACE, NO. 43 VICTORY JUNCTION CAMARO ZL1, met with media to discuss his confidence from Indianapolis carrying over to the rest of the season, how expectations will change from building off their recent success, what it’s going to take to get his first win, and more. Full Transcript:

WHAT’S THE LAST WEEK BEEN LIKE FOR YOU WITH MANY CONGRATULATORY CALLS AND TWEETS? WHAT DOES HAVING A RUN LIKE THAT MEAN FOR YOUR TEAM GOING FORWARD?
“Yeah, it’s actually been a pretty smooth week, surprisingly. Thank you, Courtney (Weber). I’m sure that will all change here soon. It was a solid week, solid Sunday for us. Just being able to build off of that. I think that biggest thing is I keep saying, we are such a small team and that was a brand-new car we ran at Michigan 2. So, that car won’t be in rotation again until Kansas I believe. For us, the car this weekend was the one we ran the last time here. Obviously since then, we’ve made a lot of improvements to our cars and our team to better our programs. I’d like to say we will go out and run top-five again, but I’m not really sure until we hit the first couple of laps on track and get to see where our speed is. I think for our team, it’s a spotlight or a highlight of what our team can do. The funding is in place, but start getting resources out of that, start getting more cars, more people and just man hours on the car. We can do those types of things. It’s awesome to see. Despite our weekend last weekend, we were an 11th to 12th place car, and I said that even after practice. That’s double the spots we usually have been in. To come home third, yeah, a lot of people crashed out, but the ones that didn’t crash out we still beat them. We just have to keep pushing the envelope, keep doing what we can do in our control, and get as much speed out of our cars that we can.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Las Vegas–Bubba Wallace →