CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
HONDA INDY TORONTO
STREETS OF TORONTO, EXHIBITION PLACE
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JULY 15, 2017
TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET DRIVERS – SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 1 DXC TECHNOLOGY, JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 DEVILBISS, HELIO CASTRONEVES, NO. 3 HITACHI AND WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON, met with members of the media at the Indy Toronto on the Streets of Exhibition Place, Toronto. Full transcript:
THE MODERATOR: We can get started with Helio Castroneves, who finished second fastest in this morning’s practice session. Helio has one pole here and a best finish of second as we head into tomorrow afternoon’s Honda Indy Toronto. Your team swept the practice session this morning showing some great speed heading into this afternoon’s qualifying session. How are you feeling about your car and your setup? Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Toronto–Penske Drivers→
PAW PAW, MI (July 15, 2017) – Chad Blonde picked up his fourth Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP feature win of 2017 Friday night. It was his second King Engine Bearings King of Michigan series win at Hartford Motor Speedway and gives him a commanding lead in the KoM points. Continue reading Chad Blonde Wins Hartford King Engine Bearings KoM Battle→
Most weeks throughout the 2017 season, Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane team have been able to improve their speed through the rounds of knock-out qualifying.
On Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Blaney and the team experienced a rare drop-off after Round Two and did not advance to the final round for the first time in the past six qualifying sessions. Still, Blaney will line up 15th for Sunday’s 301-lap race. Continue reading Blaney To Start 15th At New Hampshire→
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
OVERTON’S 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 14, 2017
TRIO OF CHEVY’S TO START IN TOP FIVE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE
Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson on the outside pole at the Magic Mile
LOUDON, N.H. (July 14, 2017) – Seven-time Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson, led the way for Team Chevy in qualifying at New Hampshire Motor Speedway placing his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy SS on the outside pole for Sunday’s Overton’s 301. Johnson posted a lap of 28.705 seconds/132.688 mph around the 1-mile track. A three-time winner at NHMS, Johnson will make his best start of the 2017 when he takes the green flag from the second starting spot. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire–Trio Of Chevys in Top 5→
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
OVERTON’S 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES & QUOTES
JULY 14, 2017
KYLE LARSON, NO. 42 TARGET CHEVROLET SS – Pole Winner
YOU USED TO STAY THIS WAS ONE OF YOUR WORST TRACKS…
“We haven’t got to the race yet. No, our Target Chevy has been really fast all day. It has a lot of speed. Like I really don’t have to drive that hard and it just makes a lot of speed. So, that is good. We are missing Chad (Johnston, crew chief) this weekend and for the next couple of weeks, so good to rebound with a pole. That is pretty strong out of our organization. I’ve got a great lineup of guys and gals. Hats off to everybody at the shop. It’s been so much fun this year. I have never really been a great qualifier, but this is our fourth pole of the season. Hopefully, we can keep it going and figure out where our car works best in the VHT or PJ1 or whatever they are calling it this weekend and hope we have a good race on Sunday.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire–Qualifying→
Dixon, Rahal Fast for Honda Friday in Toronto
• Scott Dixon runs third-quickest in practice
• Detroit double-winner Graham Rahal fourth overall
• Andretti Autosport places three Hondas in top 10
TORONTO, Ont. (July 15, 2017) – Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal led the way for Honda Friday in Verizon IndyCar Series practice for Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto, finishing the day third and fourth on the time charts.
A two-time winner here in Toronto, Dixon posted the fourth-fastest time with his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the morning session, then improved to third overall in the second, quicker session in the afternoon. Rahal, who swept the double header race weekend last month at the similar Detroit street circuit, also improved in the second session to finish the day fourth in his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda.
Andretti Autosport also ended Friday on a positive note, with three of its Hondas in the top 10, led by Marco Andretti, sixth; Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, eighth; and Ryan Hunter-Reay in ninth.
Activities at the Honda Indy Toronto continue tomorrow, with final practice and qualifying. Sunday’s 85-lap race starts at 3 p.m. EDT, with live network television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.
Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): “We still have some work to do, but I’m pleased with the start overall for the NTT Data team. It’s still going to take a bit more to get to where the Penske cars are, but I’m confident we’ll be making progress heading into the final practice and qualifying tomorrow.”
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
OVERTON’S 301
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 14, 2017
RYAN NEWMAN, NO. 31 GRAINGER CHEVROLET SS, met with media and discussed his success at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, his thoughts on traction compound, what the team needs to do to prepare for the playoffs, and more. Full Transcript:
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT RACING AT NHMS IN MULTIPLE NASCAR SERIES’ AND GIVE US YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT COMING HERE THIS WEEKEND?
“First of all, it’s nice to get out of 95 degree weather and come up here. Even with a little bit of sprinkles, it’s much better. The area and the fans and every aspect of it I enjoy up here. The race track obviously is a little bit different with the VHT. And we tested up here, so it’s kind of ironic to come back and actually go a little bit slower in race trim with the added grip to the race track than what we tested up here. We’ve got ourselves scratching our heads a little bit. We’re more competitive than we were at the test; but speed-wise, the track seems to be a little bit off.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–New Hampshire–Ryan Newman→
Atlanta National Event – May
The Atlanta event was plagued by rain, resulting in only one qualifying shot. We lost in the first round of Stock and the second round of Super Stock. As the second round of Super Stock was held on Sunday, we did race in front of a large crowd. Unfortunately, when staging, we weren’t quite lined up in the groove. When the car launched, it headed straight for the Christmas Tree. Brenda was able to regain control of the car and prevent contact with the tree. Adding insult to injury Brenda recorded a perfect light .000 against the always tough Kevin Helms.
Topeka National – May
Topeka was yet another cold and dreary race. We lost in the first round of Stock and third round of Super Stock.
Great Bend Divisional Event – June
While the weather was finally nice, during the first round of qualifying we broke a valve spring in the Super Stocker and had to sit out the remaining qualifying runs and eliminations. To further add to a tough weekend, we were headed home after a first round loss in the Stocker. Getting home early however, allowed us to pull the motor in the Super Stocker and get it to Sherman Racing Engines for repair.
Disassembly revealed not only a broken valve spring and two bent valves, but also severely damaged lash caps (all were cracked, worn and deformed). The good news is the damage was limited to the top end of the motor. And we will be back out for the Denver national event.
July Racing
We are looking forward to returning to Denver where Brenda won her first NHRA National event in Stock Eliminator. To compensate for the altitude difference, a taller gear has been installed in the Stocker. The Super Stocker will once again be ready to rumble.
The weekend after the Denver national, we will attend the double header divisional race in Topeka.
The links below are to an interview done at the Houston National event earlier this year. The interview focuses on the cars and is also featured on The Road to My Ride website and YouTube.
Travels with Brenda National Dragster
The column featuring Division 2 Super Street drivers Mike and Ernie Griggs is featured in the June 30, 2017 issue of National Dragster. Another article has been submitted for publication and still another is progress. It’s great to hear how much racers enjoy the articles and appreciate the publicity of Sportsman drivers.
JFR sweeps Chicago: Robert Hight, Brittany Force
earn provisional No. 1 spots at Route 66 Raceway
Robert Hight (Photo credit: Gary Nastase and Auto Imagery)
JOLIET, Ill. (July 7) – Robert Hight predicted it would take a 3.85-second run to earn the top spot in Funny Car qualifying for the Fallen Patriots NHRA Route 66 Nationals. On Friday, his estimate was correct, as he did just that in the second qualifying session at Route 66 Raceway to take the provisional No. 1 spot.
Meanwhile, Brittany Force enters her birthday Saturday as the No. 1 driver in Top Fuel, as the track record holder in the category set quick time and fast speed in her Monster Energy dragster.
Blaney Leads The Way For Ford In Kentucky Qualifying
July 7, 2017
Lighting in the vicinity of Kentucky Speedway on Friday evening forced an early end to qualifying and left Ryan Blaney and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford Fusion with the sixth starting position for Saturday night’s race.
His speed was the best of the Ford contingent, which placed three drivers in the top 10.
It was Blaney’s fifth-straight top-10 qualifying performance, his seventh in the past eight races and his 13th top-10 start in 18 tries this season.
As has been the case most weeks this season, the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team unloaded a fast Ford Fusion. Blaney was fourth fastest in the two practice sessions on Friday, posting a best lap of 186.059 miles per hour in the first session and running 186.458 mph in the second. Continue reading Blaney Leads The Way For Ford In Kentucky Qualifying→
*TOP TEAM CHEVY QUALIFIERS:
POS. DRIVER
4TH JAMIE MCMURRAY, NO. 1 CESSNA CHEVY SS
8TH JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVY SS
12TH CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA CHEVY SS
13TH DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHEVY SS
TOP FIVE QUALIFIERS:
POS. DRIVER
1ST Kyle Busch (Toyota)
2nd Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)
3rd Matt Kenseth (Toyota)
4th Jamie McMurray (Chevrolet)
5TH Denny Hamlin (Toyota)
The Quaker State 400 is scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 8 at 7:30 pm, ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC Sports Network, PRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
*The qualifying session for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series was called off due to impending weather after the second round of knock-out qualifying was completed and the field was set based off the results after the second round concluded. Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Qualifying→
Here we are at the half way point of the year! The
War Wizard team is full steam ahead. June was a
busy month, we kicked it off in Jackson, TN at the
truck & tractor pulls. This was the debut event for
our new driver RJ. He did not let the pressure get
to him. He came out big on Friday & Saturday
night and gave the fans a show despite minor
issues both nights. The team worked fast to get
the War Wizard back up to 100% to return for
encore runs. The fans were ecstatic with the new
driver. After a great weekend in Jackson the team
regrouped and prepaired for displays at Bristol
Motor Speedway and the tear down of the truck
for much needed tlc. Next Stop Bristo
Last week was busy. Wednesday evening had us at Sinclair Community College; doing a presentation to the Engine Mechanical class and the High Performance Fuel System class.
We talked about the ins and outs of running a nitro funny car and the components that go into our unique Pontiac engine.
We also displayed data plots on the projection screen and walked the students thru evaluating the information.
Thursday was our trip to Kil Kare Dragway for their Night of Fire race. We were lined up next to Barrie Young’s “Down Under Thunder” funny car. Video link attached below.
A few broken valvetrain parts (and not much time between rounds) ended the evening for us; but not before signing autographs for a mob of families and kids.
MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTS
JULY 7, 2017
DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL CHEVROLET SS, met with members of the media at Kentucky Speedway after receiving a Jukebox from the track as a retirement gift that will be given in his name to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., answered questions from the media and discussed this being his final race at Kentucky, his thoughts on NASCAR silly season, and many other topics.
ON THE GIFT FROM KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY:
“That’s awesome because I know the kids are going to love it. We just came from there yesterday and really enjoyed being able to visit. That is going to be something they are all going to love to mess with and play music. We got them a little stereo, but this is going to take the cake. So, thank you, that is a very creative and thoughtful and it will make a lot of kids smile when they are around this jukebox and enjoying it together. I appreciate that. Mel () is here with us today as one of our patient champions, you think everybody is going to love this at the hospital? Yeah, I do too. So, thanks a lot, it means a lot.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–NASCAR–Kentucky–Dale Earnhardt Jr.→
LARSEN RETURNS TO CTMP WITH NEWLY EXPANDED F4 U.S. TEAM
Dakota Dickerson joins F4 U.S. roster under Kiwi Motorsport
INDIANAPOLIS (July 6, 2017) – The newest Formula 4 United States Championship Powered by Honda team Kiwi Motorsport expanded its single-car roster just in time for the Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, adding 2015 Team USA Scholarship recipient Dakota Dickerson of San Diego to its squad. The New Zealand team, co-owned by Garry Orton and former F2000 driver Teena Larsen, partnered with United States-based RJB Motorsports to complete its last-minute lineup change.
“Planned from the other side of the world, our goal was always to start Kiwi Motorsport with one car and add an additional car as the season progressed,” Larsen said. “Ryan Barth of RJB Motorsports heard firsthand about the success of the F4 U.S. Championship. Knowing that Kiwi Motorsport wanted to add another car to its program, he got involved to help make this happen.” Continue reading LARSEN RETURNS TO CTMP WITH NEWLY EXPANDED F4 U.S. TEAM→
It’s a big weekend for Cruz Pedregon and team as they head into Chicago working to hold on to a coveted spot in the playoffs. Chicago will mark Cruzer’s 1,000th NHRA round, a milestone for a driver who has grown up in the sport. “Drag racing is a calling for me, not just because it’s my family sport, but because it’s my passion. And, to be staging for the 1,000th time is a real thrill for me personally and professionally…it’s a real nod to our great sponsors who ensure we have the tools to bring this sport to its legions of fans and to the team that keeps the Snap-on Toyota tuned and ready each race,” says Cruz. “I’m looking forward to this weekend, especially since it’s the ‘home track’ of our primary sponsor Snap-on. They will be out here this weekend, and we want to make it count.”
Crew Chief Aaron Brooks says, “We’ve got our eye on the prize, and that’s the playoff berth. Cruz set a track record here in 2015, and we believe we have the momentum to do it again. Each week, we’re seeing gains in the program and Chicago is where we plan to see it pay off.”
On the side of Cruz’s car –
This weekend, you’ll see the name of Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Eric Thomas. In his fifth year as a Franchisee, Eric learned about Snap-on working for the company that makes its mobile stores. Growing up enjoying racing, he used to focus on circle track and dirt racing…he even ran a drag car at a local track one season. His first NHRA race was right here in Joliet. Eric will be enjoying the race this weekend with a large group of friends and family.
Blaney Hoping To Build Playoff Momentum Beginning This Week At Kentucky
July 6, 2017
Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are hoping to capitalize this weekend on the speed they’ve shown in their past two trips to Kentucky Speedway.
Blaney did not get to qualify in 2015. Because the Wood Brothers were at that point a part-time team without a provisional starting spot he didn’t race. Last year, qualifying was rained out again, but he did get to start and ran among the leaders before being collected in a crash on a mid-race restart.
MOORESVILLE, N.C., July 6th, 2017 – The 2017 race season has started out strong for Ford Performance and Roush Yates Engines. In their 14th year as partners, collaborating on the development of championship caliber race engines, this dynamic partnership has won 18 races and 17 poles across the NASCAR and road racing programs since the start of 2017. This impressive beginning to the year has been due to the success of 12 different drivers and eight different Ford Performance organizations, across all six series.
The racing season kicked off red hot in Daytona Beach, Florida, where five out of the six series started their seasons. Ford Performance proved they were on a MISSION to win from the season-opener, capturing three out of the five wins at Daytona International Speedway. Continue reading MID-SEASON MOMENTUM 2017 Race Season→
Scelzi Set for Marquee World of Outlaws Events at Cedar Lake, Attica and Eldora
Inside Line Promotions – STOCKTON, Calif. (July 5, 2017) – Dominic Scelzi is gearing up for several marquee events with the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series.
Scelzi will compete this Friday and Saturday at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wis., for the FVP Platinum Battery Showdown before tackling the Brad Doty Classic next Tuesday at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, and the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway near Rossburg, Ohio, July 13-15.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence from our win at Calistoga Speedway (in Calistoga, Calif.) a week ago,” he said. “I think our program is better and I’m driving better so I’m very excited.”
Scelzi made his debut at all three tracks last season and he recorded a variety of results. He placed sixth in a 360ci winged sprint car race at Cedar Lake Speedway, where he also posted a 17th-place finish with the World of Outlaws. Scelzi charged from 18th to sixth during his most recent of two career races at Attica Raceway Park and he finished ninth during his first of four races at Eldora Speedway.
“I think the biggest thing for me as a driver is the wow factor is gone being that I’ve been to these tracks,” he said. “I’ve run these big races before. I understand the severity of qualifying. I think my driving has been a lot better this year. I have high hopes for all of them. At the end of the day if I could make the A Main in all of these races that would be an outstanding week of racing.”
Scelzi competed once last weekend when he ran into mechanical problems during a heat race at Stockton Dirt Track on Sunday. He and the Nick McColloch owned team were unable to finish the heat race and did not start the B Main.
