All posts by ARP Trish

Erica Enders, Red Horse Racing

‘No quit in this pit’ is battle cry for defending two-time world champ Erica Enders

‘No quit in this pit’ is battle cry for defending two-time world champ Erica Enders
ST. LOUIS (Sept. 21) — A season ago, Pro Stock superstar Erica Enders was putting a stranglehold on her second straight Mello Yello world championship with a runner-up finish at the annual AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals, which takes place again this weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park. It was her fourth consecutive final-round showing and ninth of 11 she would amass during the year.

This year it’s a different story. Enders once again is part of the Countdown to the Championship, but this time she’s 10th in the 10-car field and coming off her first DNQ in six years. Continue reading ‘No quit in this pit’ is battle cry for defending two-time world champ Erica Enders →

Red Horse Racing

Red Horse Racing–New Hampshire Advance

Red Horse Racing: Notes & Quotes

Event: UNOH 175
Venue: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Date: September 24, 2016

Red Horse Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway… In 14 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Red Horse Racing has recorded two top-five and six top-10 finishes with an average starting position of 12.8 and an average finish of 12.7.

Red Horse Racing in NCWTS History… Since entering NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition in 2005, RHR has logged 508 starts, earning 16 wins, 107 top-five finishes, 222 top-10 finishes and 13 pole awards.

Moffitt in the No. 11 at Loudon… Brett Moffitt returns to the No. 11 Red Horse Racing Toyota Tundra for the sixth time at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with three top-five finishes and one win under his belt this season. Continue reading Red Horse Racing–New Hampshire Advance →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–New Hampshire Advance

CHEVY’S CHAMPIONSHIP EIGHT LOOKING FOR LUCK AT THE ‘MAGIC MILE’

DETROIT – (September 20, 2016) – The second race of the Chase takes the stars of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), a challenging 1.058-mile oval. Nicknamed the ‘Magic Mile’, the eight Chevrolet SS championship hopefuls will need to tap into lady luck to secure strong runs at NHMS in order to put themselves solidly in the top 12 in the point standings; or, capture a win to move them to the Round of 12 before the cutoff race at Dover International Speedway.

Four of the eight Chevy chasers are former winners in the granite state. Kevin Harvick has scored one victory there, while Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, and Tony Stewart are all three-time winners at the ‘Magic Mile’. Continue reading Chevy Racing–New Hampshire Advance →

Allen Johnson Racing

Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Race Preview: AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals

Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing Race Preview: AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (September 20, 2016) – Marathon Petroleum/J&J Racing’s Allen Johnson heads to the Fifth annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals this weekend. Johnson has been to the finals three times at Gateway Motorsports Park, most recently in 2012.

“I’ve runnered-up there a few times but have never quite sealed the deal,” Johnson said about his past history at St. Louis.

The Countdown to the Championship started last weekend at zMAX Dragway and ignited a three-in-a-row for the first half of the Countdown.

“I think it separates the men from the boys,” Johnson said about the three-in-a-row. “We’ve got a lot of experience on this Marathon Petroleum team and I think that’ll work in our favor more than anything.”

Qualifying at the Fifth annual AAA Insurance Midwest Nationals will begin on Friday, September 23rd with two qualifying sessions at 2:45 and 5:15 p.m. Qualifying continues on Saturday, September 24th with two more sessions at 1:45 and 4:00 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 25th starting with Top Fuel.

Uncategorized

TEAM PENSKE DRIVER SIMON PAGENAUD MAKES HISTORY CAPTURING HIS FIRST INDYCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

TEAM PENSKE DRIVER SIMON PAGENAUD MAKES HISTORY CAPTURING HIS FIRST INDYCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
With Pennzoil® PurePlus Technology™ Under the Hood, Pagenaud Adds to Impressive Career Achievements

HOUSTON (September 20, 2016) – Simon Pagenaud is an IndyCar champion. The Frenchman made the most of his opportunity in the final race of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series (VICS) season by scoring the victory and securing the title. Pagenaud was able to hoist the coveted Astor Cup for the first time following a dominating season on track.

The series championship marks the 14th IndyCar title for Team Penske and the organization’s 29th national championship overall. Even more impressive is the fact that three Team Penske teams finished 1-2-3 in the final point standings. Will Power followed the champion Pagenaud in second while Helio Castroneves came home third after a seventh place finish in the race. It’s the first time in 22 years (1994) since Penske has accomplished this feat. Continue reading TEAM PENSKE DRIVER SIMON PAGENAUD MAKES HISTORY CAPTURING HIS FIRST INDYCAR CHAMPIONSHIP →

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–New Hampshire Advance

Richard Childress Racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway … Richard Childress has four victories as a team owner at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Robby Gordon (2001), Kevin Harvick (2006) and Clint Bowyer (2007 and 2010). In 115 starts at the 1.058-mile oval, Childress also has two pole awards, 16 top-five and 40 top-10 finishes with 10 different drivers including Dave Blaney, Jeff Burton, Bowyer, Austin Dillon, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Green, Gordon, Harvick, Ryan Newman, Steve Park and Mike Skinner.

RCR in the NSCS … In 2,709 Sprint Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 46 pole awards,105 wins, 473 top-five finishes and 1,024 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.0. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Sprint Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR XFINITY Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–New Hampshire Advance →

Follow A Dream Racing

Follow A Dream/Permatex TA/FC Team Reaches Quarter Finals of NHRA Carolina Nationals

Follow A Dream/Permatex TA/FC Team Reaches Quarter Finals of NHRA Carolina Nationals

MARSTONS MILLS, Massachusetts (September 20, 2016) – Only 10 feet kept the Follow A Dream/Permatex Top Alcohol Funny Car from advancing to the semifinals of this past weekend’s NHRA Carolina Nationals at zMAX Dragway in Concord, North Carolina.

In the quarterfinals, driver Phil Burkart squared off with D.J. Cox. Burkart, in his first season behind the wheel of the Follow A Dream Chevrolet Camaro, got a great start with a 0.039 reaction time to Cox’s 0.061 effort.

But Cox rallied back to catch Burkart just before half-track and continued on to the victory and to advance to the semifinals.

And that’s where that 10 feet margin (0.0248 seconds) came in, as that was the ultimate difference between Cox’s winning effort (5.585 seconds at 265.33 mph) to Burkart’s showing (5.631 seconds at 263.92 mph). Continue reading Follow A Dream/Permatex TA/FC Team Reaches Quarter Finals of NHRA Carolina Nationals →

Honda Racing

RealTime Acura TLX GTs Score a Pair of Top-10 Results In Sonoma

RealTime Acura TLX GTs Score a Pair of Top-10 Results In Sonoma
• Ryan Eversley finishes 10th in Saturday’s opener
• Peter Kox earns top 10 in his first weekend in the Acura TLX GT
• Eversley will fight for top-five finish in the championship at season finale

SONOMA, California – (September 18, 2016) – The RealTime Racing Acura TLX GT squad dealt with its share of adversity over the weekend at Sonoma, but persevered through a pair of tough Pirelli World Challenge races to earn two top-10 results.

Looking to solidify a spot in the top five of the PWC GT drivers’ standings, Ryan Eversley earned solid points-paying finishes of 10th and 12th in the weekend’s two events. Meanwhile, Peter Kox made his first-ever PWC starts in the #34 Acura TLX and came away with a 15th-place run in the opener on Saturday, and a 10th-place finish in Sunday’s event. Continue reading RealTime Acura TLX GTs Score a Pair of Top-10 Results In Sonoma →

Gary Scelzi Motorsports

Scelzi Nearly Captures First Victory of Season at Keller Auto Speedway

Scelzi Nearly Captures First Victory of Season at Keller Auto Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2016) – Dominic Scelzi was so close to earning his first victory of the season last Saturday that he could almost taste it.

Unfortunately, a mechanical problem appeared just after the midpoint of the feature at Keller Auto Speedway that left Scelzi and car owner Nick McColloch with a DNF.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t win because I felt like that was our race to win,” Scelzi said. “On the other hand with it being our first night in that car, we got better every time we hit the track. All in all, I can’t be too upset with it. I want to thank Nick for the opportunity.”

The night began with Scelzi qualifying seventh quickest. Continue reading Scelzi Nearly Captures First Victory of Season at Keller Auto Speedway →

Gary Scelzi Motorsports

Giovanni Scelzi Charges From 12th to Runner-Up Result at Keller Auto Speedway

Giovanni Scelzi Charges From 12th to Runner-Up Result at Keller Auto Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (Sept. 19, 2016) – Giovanni Scelzi tied his career-best sprint car finish last Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway.

Scelzi piloted a Roth Motorsports owned race car during the event, which began with a 12th place qualifying result.

“The track was really tricky in qualifying,” he said. “We talked about what we wanted to do. I felt like I made good laps. I executed what we talked about, but we were a little off. It was not good to start that far behind the eight ball.”

Scelzi rebounded from the slow start to the night. He placed second in a heat race to start the main event on the outside of the sixth row.

“We had a really, really good car where I could maneuver through the field,” he said. “It was pretty gradual. There was a long green flag run and we got up to second when we had a restart with five laps to go. I had one shot at the leader, but it wouldn’t have been a clean slider so I didn’t go for it.”

Scelzi finished with a runner-up result, which marked his 18th top five of the season. Here is a link to watch the main event: https://youtu.be/f7J7lRzVvzw.

“I feel like I’m racing people better,” he said. “The first few times when I got podiums I started toward the front and I didn’t have to pass anybody. Coming from 12th to second was a good confidence boost.

“I want to thank Dennis and Teresa Roth for the opportunity and Eric, Cory, Brent and Todd for their help.”

Scelzi is scheduled to return to his family owned sprint car this Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif.

Roush Yates

FORD GT350R-C WINS BIG IN TEXAS!

FORD GT350R-C WINS BIG IN TEXAS!

AUSTIN, TX. September 19th, 2016 – The No. 15 of Billy Johnson and Scott Maxwell of Multimatic Motorsports captured their fifth win and fifth pole at Circuit of The Americas. This dynamic duo extended their lead in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series, Grand Sport class with one race left this season.

The Roush Yates Engines’ Ford GT350R-C engine delivered the power to position the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports Ford Shelby Mustang on the pole and the No. 76 C360R of Paul Holton and Pierre Kleinubing in P2 on Thursday. This made for the fifth pole of the season for *Maxwell / Johnson.

Maxwell started in the cockpit for the No. 15 and Johnson finished out the second stint. Leading the majority of the race and taking the Multimatic Motorsports Ford Shelby across the finish line, increasing their overall points lead to 31.

The C360R team of Holton and Kleinubing also ran strong to finish on the podium in third.

Roush Yates Engines in partnership with Ford Performance redefined the Ford Shelby GT350R-C race engine to provide the ultimate power for the Ford Shelby Mustang to tame the 60 lap (204 total miles) demanding road course, known for its steep 16 story climb off the front straight away and 20 notorious curves around the 3.4 mile track.

This was the team’s fifth win of the year following up on their wins at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, Lime Rock, Road America and the first race of the year at Daytona. The No. 15 is posed and focused on the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Championship on September, 30 at Road Atlanta.

“Congratulations to Multimatic Motorsports, Billy, and Scott on the win and pole!” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Their fifth win of the season is a testament to the entire team. You need a great team, car, and Ford Performance engine to get on top of the podium.”

The No. 67, Ford Chip Ganassi Racing US team of *Ryan Briscoe / Richard Westbrook secured their fourth pole of the season with Briscoe behind the wheel in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship GTLM class. They fought hard during the Lone Star Le Mans race and finished in P9 and the sister-car No. 66 in P6.

The Ford Chip Ganassi Racing UK teams, No. 66 of Stefan Mucke / Olivier Pla and No. 67 Marino Franchitti / Andy Priaulx / Harry Tincknell also raced the Ford GT cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship, in the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas and after an incident filled six hour battle finished P7 and P4 respectively.

Weekend Recap: 6 RACES – 2 POLES – 1 WIN!

2016 IMSA
WeatherTech Sportscar Championship &
Continental SportsCar Challenge Schedule:
Sept. 30-Oct.1: Road Atlanta – Braselton, GA

About Roush Yates Engines
Roush Yates Engines is a leading edge engine development company, with three state-of-the-art facilities based in Mooresville, NC; which include Roush Yates Engines, Roush Yates Performance Engines Group, focused on road racing and Roush Yates Manufacturing Solutions, a world class manufacturing center. The company’s core business includes designing, building and testing race engines.

Roush Yates Engines in partnership with Ford Performance is the exclusive engine builder of the NASCAR Ford FR9 V8 engine and twin-turbo Ford EcoBoost V6 race engine that powers the Ford GT supercar.

With the 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 winning engines through demonstrated power and performance.

🏁10 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 276 WINS – 245 POLES! 🏁

KB Racing, Summit Racing

Jason Line Wins First Race of NHRA Countdown to the Championship

Jason Line Wins First Race of NHRA Countdown to the Championship

Concord, NC (September 19, 2016) – It was an all-Team Summit Racing Pro Stock final at the NHRA Carolina Nationals as Jason Line won the first race of the Countdown to the Championship.

JASON LINE Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro SS
Jason Line qualified second behind Summit Teammate Greg Anderson with a 6.581 second, 210.41 MPH pass.

Line defeated Shane Tucker in Round One of eliminations (6.639/208.94 to 6.715/207.46), KB Racing teammate Bo Butner in Round 2 (6.642/209.01 to 6.672/209.75) and Vincent Nobile in the semifinals (6.630/209.20 to 6.646/209.30) to face Greg Anderson in the final round. Continue reading Jason Line Wins First Race of NHRA Countdown to the Championship →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Sonoma Post Race

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
GOPRO GRAND PRIX OF SONOMA
SONOMA RACEWAY, SONOMA, CALIFORNIA
TEAM CHEVY POST RACE RECAP
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

With Dominating Victory at Sonoma, Simon Pagenaud Crowned 2016 Verizon IndyCar Champion

· Pagenaud claimed championship with seven poles, and five wins in the No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet
· Team Owner Roger Penske has now collected 14 IndyCar Championships
· Pagenaud win secured Chevrolet’s fifth consecutive Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship and fourth VICS Driver Championship since Chevrolet’s return to IndyCar in 2012
· Chevrolet drivers captured top-four in Series’ final standings including Team Penske drivers 1-2-3, the first time in 22 years (1994)
o Pagenaud, Will Power and Helio Castroneves
o Josef Newgarden finishes fourth in points

SONOMA, Calif (September 182, 2016) – Simon Pagenaud is the Champion. He had what can only be called a dream race weekend as he won the pole, led the most laps and won the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway to claim his fifth win of the season and his first Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Sonoma Post Race →

Chevrolet Racing

Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Sonoma

CHEVROLET RACING IN THE VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES
GOPRO GRAND PRIX OF SONOMA
SONOMA RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING NOTES AND QUOTES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2016

POST RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

ROGER PENSKE, TEAM OWNER, TEAM PENSKE:
“That was a great run. I just take my hat off to the whole team and what they’ve done all season long and to cap it off here with another win, 10 wins for these guys. Certainly, (Simon) Pagenaud dug deep all year and came up with a win for the team. I think you can see how good we are. I can’t take my hat off to these guys enough and thank our sponsors and Chevy, what great power we had, we made a lot of mileage there at the end.” Continue reading Chevy Racing–INDYCAR–Sonoma →

Wood Brothers

Late-Race Strategy Call Nets Blaney A Fourth-Place Finish

Late-Race Strategy Call Nets Blaney A Fourth-Place Finish

September 18, 2016

Missing the cut for the Chase for the Sprint Cup can be a mixed blessing, as Ryan Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team proved on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

With little to lose points-wise, non-Chase teams like Blaney’s are free to gamble on strategies designed to put them in position to win races.

Blaney and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team did just that in Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 400. When the caution flag flew with seven scheduled laps left to run, setting up an overtime run to the checkered flag, crew chief Jeremy Bullins opted to stay on the track on older tires. That decision vaulted Blaney into the lead for what wound up being a two-lap sprint to the checkered flag.

Blaney was able to overcome the disadvantage of older tires on the restart and led the field for a half a lap before eventual winner Martin Truex Jr. and two other drivers with fresh tires were able to pass him. Continue reading Late-Race Strategy Call Nets Blaney A Fourth-Place Finish →

Jegs Racing

Jeg Coughlin Jr. kicks off Countdown with round-win in Charlotte

Jeg Coughlin Jr. kicks off Countdown with round-win in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE (Sept. 18) — Five-time Pro Stock champion Jeg Coughlin Jr. kicked off the Countdown to the Championship the right way: by turning on the win light in the first round of the NHRA Carolina Nationals on Sunday at zMax Dragway.

Coughlin, though, couldn’t take his Magneti Marelli offered by Mopar/JEGS.com Dodge Dart to the semifinals, dropping a close race to Elite Motorsports teammate Vincent Nobile in round two.

“We knew if we were on our best behavior, make a good pass personally, and make a good pass with the car that we could certainly be there to light a win light up against (Allen Johnson in round one),” Coughlin said. “As we’ve seen in Pro Stock many times, this year you can’t ever surrender. Continue reading Jeg Coughlin Jr. kicks off Countdown with round-win in Charlotte →

Honda Racing

Rahal, Honda Run Second at Sonoma

Rahal, Honda Run Second at Sonoma
• Strong close nets Rahal fifth in championship
• Hunter-Reay battles to fourth at the finish
• Rossi finishes fifth, claims series Rookie of the Year Honors

Hot temperatures and resulting tire wear led to a variety of race strategies in Sunday’s Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at Sonoma Raceway, with Honda driver Graham Rahal coping best with the conditions to finish second, moving him to fifth in the championship after a strong end-of-season run that included a victory last month at Texas Motor Speedway.

Starting fifth, the Rahal Letterman Lanigan team kept its driver on a three-stop strategy that proved to be the correct plan, as utilized by the top six finishers in the 85-lap contest. In the final laps, Rahal closed on eventual race winner – and 2016 series champion – Simon Pagenaud, but was not able to make a move for the victory. Still, the second place result, coupled with his win in Texas, second at Barber Motorsports Park and five additional top-five finishes, netted Rahal fifth in the championship.

Honda’s Indianapolis 500 winner, Alexander Rossi, appeared headed for a fourth-place finish but ran short of fuel, enabling his Andretti Autosport teammate, Ryan-Hunter Reay, to nab the position on the final lap. Fifth was still more than sufficient for Rossi to claim 2016 Rookie of the Year honors and finish ninth in the championship.

Finishing fourth, Hunter-Reay added to a 2016 tally that included three podium finishes and a pair of fourths to end the season 10th in the championship.

Chevrolet Racing

Chevrolet Wins 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship

Chevrolet Wins 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship
Title is Fifth Consecutive for the Chevrolet IndyCar Program

DETROIT (September 18, 2016) – Chevrolet has won the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series (VISC) Manufacturer Championship. It is the fifth consecutive year the Bowtie Brand has captured the title since returning to IndyCar racing in 2012.

The Chevrolet 2.2 liter turbocharged V6 IndyCar engine program combined with the Chevrolet Aero Kit to produce 13 poles and ­­­14 wins in the 16-race season. Continue reading Chevrolet Wins 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Manufacturer Championship →

NHRA

NRHA–ZMax Dragway

Top Fuel — Antron Brown, 3.763 seconds, 319.29 mph def. Doug Kalitta, 3.811 seconds, 320.28 mph.

Funny Car — John Force, Chevy Camaro, 3.946, 324.05 def. Tommy Johnson Jr., Dodge Charger, 3.987, 315.71.

Pro Stock — Jason Line, Chevy Camaro, 6.621, 209.39 def. Greg Anderson, Camaro, 6.639, 209.20.

Pro Stock Motorcycle — Chip Ellis, Buell, 6.879, 194.88 def. Andrew Hines, Harley-Davidson, 6.908, 193.49.

Pro Modified — Bob Rahaim, Chevy Corvette, 6.349, 207.85 def. Mike Castellana, Corvette, 9.322, 94.55.

Top Alcohol Dragster — Shawn Cowie, 5.350, 268.06 def. Rich McPhillips, 5.401, 268.81.

Top Alcohol Funny Car — DJ Cox Jr., Chevy Camaro, 5.539, 266.53 def. Ulf Leanders, Chevy Monte Carlo, 5.605, 264.18.

Competition Eliminator — Doug Doll Jr., Dragster, 7.438, 155.94 def. Van Puckett, Chevy Cavalier, 8.641, 149.53.

Super Stock — Peter Biondo, Pontiac Firebird, 9.712, 132.67 def. Jeffery Jewell, Chevy Corvette, 9.722, 138.77.

Stock Eliminator — C.J. McDonald, Chevy Camaro, 11.990, 94.28 def. Brad Ford, Camaro, Foul – Red Light.

Super Comp — Ray Miller Jr., Dragster, 8.880, 180.16 def. Steve Hoyt, Dragster, 8.877, 184.67.

Super Gas — Jason Lynch, Olds Cutlass, 9.909, 161.17 def. Jim Perry, Chevy S-10, 9.923, 166.46.

Top Dragster — Bob Mandell III, Dragster, 6.442, 206.80 def. Jeff Strickland, Dragster, 7.194, 184.83.

Top Sportsman — Gerald Milette, Chevy Corvette, 7.077, 188.36 def. Jonathan Gibbs, Chevy Camaro, 7.443, 185.54.

Richard Childress Racing

Richard Childress Racing–Chicago

Austin Dillon Survives Chicagoland Speedway with 14th-Place Finish in Dow Packaging Chevrolet

“This Dow Packaging Chevrolet was pretty good today. We just never got the track position we needed to contend. I would have liked the race to run green at the end because if we wouldn’t have had that caution, I believe our finish would have been better. In this Chase format, every single position matters. I’m looking forward to New Hampshire and Dover the next two weekends in order to get ourselves in a position to advance to the next round.”

– Austin Dillon

Paul Menard Fights for 21st-Place Finish at Chicagoland Speedway

“It was a crazy start to the race for sure. We were coming down pit road when the first caution came out. There was some confusion there on whether to pit or to keep rolling. Then we got a speeding penalty. When we were trying to recover from that, NASCAR penalized us with a drive-thru for not getting to the tail end of the line fast enough before the restart. In the midst of it all, we were three laps down. After evaluating the situation, NASCAR gave us our lap back. We took the wave around under one caution and raced as hard as we could for the lucky dog position. We threw everything we had at it today. Overall, we had a decent Moen/Menards Chevrolet, but we were just fighting to recover all day. It was not what we wanted out of Chicagoland Speedway today. It was really disappointing.”

– Paul Menard

Tire Issue Results in 19th-Place Finish for Ryan Newman at Chicagoland Speedway

“For the most part we had a pretty good Caterpillar Chevrolet, but we had multiple tire issues today. One, we were able to address during our first scheduled stop but then we had another issue around lap 188. We were forced to come down pit road and unfortunately it put us two laps down. We took the wave around during the next caution and then battled the No. 4 car for the free pass. In the end, it never worked out in our favor for us to race back onto the lead lap. Before that last tire issue, we were racing just outside the top 10. We’ll keep digging with nine races to go.”

– Ryan Newman