| Sent on behalf of Royal Enfield Milwaukee, WI (Tuesday, February 21, 2023) – Johnny Lewis and the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team are prepared to take on the 2023 Progressive American Flat Track championship. For Lewis, this marks his fourth year of competition with Royal Enfield, and the 2023 season marks another step forward as the MotoAnatomy team will now field a full-time two-man team in the premiere class, adding Ryan Wells to the roster. Johnny Lewis and the MotoAnatomy team have made great strides in Progressive American Flat Track, introducing the Royal Enfield INT650 motorcycle into the world of competition. After spending several seasons in the Mission Production Twins class developing the Royal Enfield Twins FT motorcycle, Lewis carded multiple podium finishes in the last two seasons, including a historic win at the Lima Half-Mile in 2021—a first-ever feat for Royal Enfield. Lewis is now confident that the Twins FT has the potential to be a serious contender in all formats of Progressive AFT racing: Short Track, Half-Mile, TT, and even the formidable Mile. Lewis and crew are ready to jump into the busy 18-round Progressive AFT Championship. “This is going to be another historic season for Royal Enfield in American Flat Track,” said Johnny Lewis. “The Twins FT motorcycle is something we’ve spent a long time developing, and we’re now at a point where we have the confidence to go all in. We’re thrilled to bring on a second rider, as well. Ryan Wells is already a great addition to the MotoAnatomy team. We’re looking forward to kicking off the season at the Daytona Short Track.” Ryan Wells is a force in Progressive AFT competition, and the 2016 Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion ranks among the Singles’ class all-time winningest riders. The 2007 AMA Youth Dirt Tracker of the Year has been winning pro-level races for over a decade, and now brings his flat track expertise to Royal Enfield. “Words can’t express my excitement to join the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team for 2023,” said Ryan Wells. “Finally rejoining the Mission SuperTwins class full time is long overdue for my personal goals and I’m glad it’s finally coming to fruition. Being able to work alongside Johnny Lewis, someone I’ve looked up to for so long, is really the icing on the cake. I thrive off of positivity and people chasing the same goals and Johnny and I really click in those ways. I’m very excited to get the ball rolling.” The expanded Royal Enfield racing team will make its 2023 racing debut at the Progressive AFT season opener at Daytona Bike Week in Florida. Look for Johnny Lewis (#10) and Ryan Wells (#94) at the Daytona Short Track Doubleheader on Thursday, March 9, and Friday, March 10. Lewis, Wells and the MotoAnatomy Powered by Royal Enfield team will be joined at select rounds by the Royal Enfield BUILD. TRAIN. RACE. (BTR) program. The women of BTR will be contesting a schedule of four rounds within the Progressive American Flat Track schedule, starting with the Mission Dallas Half-Mile on April 22. For more info visit BuildTrainRace.com. 2023 Progressive American Flat Track Racing Schedule March 9 (Rnd 1) Daytona Short Track I – Daytona Beach, FLMarch 10 (Rnd 2) Daytona Short Track II – Daytona Beach, FLMarch 25 (Rnd 3) Yamaha Senoia Short Track – Senoia, GAApril 1 (Rnd 4) Arizona Super TT – Chandler, AZApril 22 (Rnd 5/ BTR Rnd 1) Mission Dallas Half-Mile – Mesquite, TXMay 6 (Rnd 6/ BTR Rnd 2) Ventura Short Track – Ventura, CAMay 13 (Rnd 7) Mission Sacramento Mile – Sacramento, CAMay 27 (Rnd 8) Red Mile – Lexington, KYJun 17 (Rnd 9) DuQuoin Mile – Du Quoin, ILJun 24 (Rnd 10) Mission Lima Half-Mile – Lima, OHJuly 1 (Rnd 11/ BTR Rnd 3) West Virginia Half Mile – Mineral Wells, WVJuly 8 (Rnd 12) Orange County Half-Mile – Middletown, NYJuly 22 (Rnd 13/ BTR Rnd 4) Bridgeport Half Mile, Swedesboro, NJJuly 30 (Rnd 14) SC2 Peoria TT – Peoria, ILAugust 6 (Rnd 15) Buffalo Chip TT – Sturgis, SDAugust 12 (Rnd 16) CertainTeed Castle Rock TT – Castle Rock, WASeptember 2 (Rnd 17) Mission Springfield Mile I – Springfield, ILSeptember 3 (Rnd 18) Mission Springfield Mile II – Springfield, IL For more on the 2023 Progressive American Flat Track Championship, visit AmericanFlatTrack.com. |
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R+L CARRIERS EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH TOP FUEL’S JOSH HART INTO 2023
Wilmington, Ohio (February 21, 2023) — Following a highly successful 2022 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series campaign that saw second-year Top Fuel driver Josh Hart finish seventh in the world, R+L Carriers has extended their sponsorship of the Ocala, Florida-based driver and team for the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. The partnership will focus on the dynamic business-to-business relationships and marketing opportunities for R+L Carriers, one of the nation’s leaders in the freight-shipping industry. This marketing relationship will showcase the wide variety of business opportunities R+L Carriers provides their customers.
“We had an amazing season in 2022, racing across the country and speaking with thousands of fans about what a great company R+L Carriers is and the shipping opportunities available in a variety of areas,” said Hart. “The company’s family roots and customer service are excellent; they truly deliver. I trust R+L Carriers to transport my team and 11,000-horsepower race car to every race. I’ve met several hardworking drivers, dedicated support staff and everyone in between. Now’s the time to start shipping with one of the best freight transportation companies in America.”
Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel
Last season, racing the full 22-race schedule for the first time, Hart raced to two final rounds, qualified for the NHRA Countdown playoffs and finished in the Top Ten, well ahead of other established teams. During his rookie campaign in 2021, Hart won the first event of his career, the historic NHRA Gatornationals, as well as a playoff race during the Carolina Nationals in September. Hart has established himself as a rising star in the NHRA and a championship contender for the 2023 Top Fuel world title.
To view Hart’s upcoming Top Fuel schedule, visit nhra.com/schedule/2023.
Lucas Oil Enhances Long-Standing Relationship with Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines Through Continued Technical and Development Support and Primary Sponsorship
| Kyle Busch to Drive the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet at Auto Club Speedway WELCOME, N.C. (February 20, 2023) – Lucas Oil, a long-time partner of both Richard Childress Racing and ECR Engines, will enhance their partnership with Richard Childress Racing in 2023, the three companies announced today. In addition to continued technical and development support, the official motor oil of ECR Engines will sponsor the No. 8 Lucas Oil Chevrolet driven by Kyle Busch at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday, February 26, 2023. The race airs live at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. “RCR and ECR share our passion for motorsports, from the grassroots to the highest levels of the sport,” said Brandon Bernstein, director of partnership marketing for Lucas Oil. “We’ve seen first-hand the benefits of our partnership, especially as it relates to technology transfer over to short track racers and everyday consumers. We’re proud to continue to commit our resources in R&D and production, and to highlight our premier oil performance with sponsorship of the No. 8 Chevrolet.” Lucas Oil has served as the official lubricant of RCR and ECR Engines since 2014, and is the official motor oil of ECR Engines. RCR, ECR and Lucas Oil have gone to NASCAR Victory Lane together more than 20 times since the partnership began. “Lucas Oil’s market-leading products have long contributed to the incredible durability and on-track success of ECR’s engines in many forms of motorsports,” said Bob Fisher, senior vice president of ECR Engines. “We’re proud to be able to use our high-powered competition platform to showcase Lucas Oil’s key technologies and continue to win races and championships with their R&D support.” Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil has established itself as an industry leader, producing only the best line of lubricants and additives available anywhere. “RCR and ECR have benefited from having a lubricants partner with strong roots in racing,” said Torrey Galida, president of RCR. “We’re incredibly thankful to Lucas for all of the resources and expertise they provide to give us a competitive on-track advantage.” For more information and all that is going on at RCR, visit rcrracing.com. About Lucas Oil:Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products was created with the simple philosophy of producing the best lubricants and additives available anywhere. Lucas Oil offers the most diversified range of innovative engine oil, gear oil and additive products refined by years of specialized research, development and testing. The company’s high performance engine oils and gear oils are widely recognized as best-in-class in the automotive, powersports, marine, industrial, outdoor, and motorsports marketplaces. In total, Lucas Oil boasts more than 300 premium products, representing the largest variety of shelf products of any oil company in the United States with a distribution network across 48 different countries. Lucas Oil’s commitment to motorsports includes long standing support for high profile regional and national racing series, and the distribution of exclusive motorsports content from across the globe via MAVTV, a Lucas Oil owned and operated television network. The company also serves as the exclusive oil and lubricant partner of Monster Jam®, the Dallas Cowboys, the Indianapolis Colts and Lucas Oil Stadium. For more information please visit www.LucasOil.com. About Richard Childress Racing:Richard Childress Racing (www.rcrracing.com) is a renowned, performance-driven racing, marketing and manufacturing organization. Incorporated in 1969, RCR has celebrated over 50 years of racing and earned more than 200 victories and 16 championships, including six in the NASCAR Cup Series with the legendary Dale Earnhardt. RCR was the first organization to win championships in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Truck Series and is a three-time winner of the Daytona 500 (1998, 2007, 2018). Its 2023 NASCAR Cup Series lineup includes two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch (No. 8 Chevrolet) and 2017 Coca-Cola 600 winner and 2018 Daytona 500 champion Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevrolet). RCR fields a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series program with Sheldon Creed (No. 2 Chevrolet) and Austin Hill (No. 21 Chevrolet). |
Late Wreck Relegates Burton to 26th at Daytona
February 20, 2023
Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team were among the challengers for the win in the latter stages of Sunday’s 65th-annual Daytona 500, but unfortunately they wound up among a host of drivers and teams that were knocked out of contention in a series of late-race crashes.
He was scored in 26th place after a caution flag on the final lap of the second attempt at an overtime finish finally ended the race at 212 laps or 530 miles, the longest distance ever for a Daytona 500.
After starting the Great American Race from 19th place, Burton rode near the rear of the lead pack for much of the early going in an effort to avoid damage to the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang. Then, just after the conclusion of Stage Two, he began to take his place among the lead pack.
He ran in and around the top 10 until a cycle of pit stops began with about 25 of the scheduled 200 laps left to run.
Burton assumed the lead just before making his stop with 20 laps remaining. Crew chief Brian Wilson’s pit strategy of pitting later than most others worked out just right and Burton, after taking just a few seconds of fuel, returned to the track still in the top spot.
Burton led a total of nine laps, and the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang was out front for a restart with 13 laps scheduled to run. He lost the top spot just after the restart but raced among the top five for a couple of laps before being shuffled back.
Burton was running 16th when the caution flag was displayed for a wreck with three laps to go and sent the race into Overtime.
On the first attempt at an Overtime finish, Burton was swept up in a multi-car melee.
The Motorcraft/DEX Imaging crew patched up the No. 21 Mustang, including the replacement of a toe link, and got Burton back on track in 26th place with only two laps lost.
The second attempt at Overtime saw the caution flag fly just after the white flag was displayed, ending the race with Burton still in 26th place.
“I am just disappointed,” Burton told reporters after the race. “We were leading with 18 to go, and I feel like we had a shot. It just didn’t go our way.”
He said the outside lane just didn’t get rolling on the restart where he held the lead initially.
“We didn’t get organized very well, and by the time we did it was just a little too late,” he said. “I feel like when the 22 [Joey Logano] pulled up in front of me I tried to slow down to engage him and I got hit by the 8 [Kyle Busch] really hard and sent the 22 three-wide and we lost momentum again.
“I don’t know why I got out of shape off of [Turn] Four, but I about wrecked off of Four. Then you’re buried in the back trying to make moves to get back up there and when they wreck you are just right in the way.”
He said that while he was frustrated by the finish, it was otherwise a strong performance for him and the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team.
“I felt like we executed our race well,” he said.
Burton and the No. 21 team return to the track next week for the Palo Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway on Feb. 26.
RICKY STENHOUSE JR. DELIVERS CHEVROLET’S 25TH DAYTONA 500 VICTORY
| Bowtie Brand’s 50th All-Time NCS Win at Daytona International Speedway |
| · Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL1, captured the victory in the 65th running of the Daytona 500, marking his first career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel event. · The victory is Stenhouse Jr.’s second victory at Daytona International Speedway; and his third career victory in NASCAR’s premier series. · Stenhouse Jr.’s victory is Chevrolet’s 25th Daytona 500 victory; and its 50th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Daytona International Speedway, both of which are series-leading feats at the track.  |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 19, 2023) – For the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL1, has earned his name a spot on the prestigious Harley J. Earl trophy after taking the victory in the 65th running of the Daytona 500. Stenhouse Jr. drove his Chevrolet-powered machine through two overtime finishes to capture his third career victory in NASCAR’s premier series. “This Kroger / Cottonelle team worked really, really hard in off-season,” said Stenhouse Jr. “Great pit stops, Hendrick engines. Glad a Chevy won.” “Man, this is unbelievable,” continued Stenhouse Jr. as he stood in front of the sold out Daytona crowd. “This was the site of my last win back in 2017. We’ve worked really hard. We had a couple shots last year to get a win and fell short. It was a tough season, but man, we got it done. Daytona 500!” The 35-year-old JTG Daugherty Racing driver’s trip to victory lane in the crown jewel event gives Chevrolet its 25th Daytona 500 victory and 50th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Daytona International Speedway, extending the manufacturer’s series-leading win count at the 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway. The milestone victory marks Chevrolet’s 834th victory in NASCAR’s premier series, with the win by the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history officially marking the start of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary year. “Congratulations to Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Mike Kelley and the entire No. 47 Kroger Camaro ZL1 team on winning their first Daytona 500,” said Jim Campbell, General Motors Vice President of Performance and Motorsports. “Ricky made the right moves at the right time to bring it home. And it’s extra special because this is also Chevrolet’s 25th win in The Great American Race.” The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Auto Club Speedway with the Pala Casino 400 on Sunday, February 26, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 – Press Conference Transcript: THE MODERATOR: We are now joined on the stage by the 2023 Daytona 500 champion, Ricky Stenhouse, driver of the No. 47 Kroger Continental Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing.Just give us your thoughts about winning the Great American Race, Ricky. RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Man, I think back to really all week, but really think back to this morning. I woke up and felt really good about the day. I normally don’t get nervous, but I was a little nervous, but like anxious and excited, ready to go. My wife and I, Madison, we went in the gym and did a small little workout just to get going this morning and just felt relaxed, felt good about the day, knew our car was strong after Friday’s practice.Mike and our engineers made some really good adjustments after the Duels on Thursday and felt really good about our car. We did two 20-lap runs and stayed on the same set of tires for that practice session on Friday night and felt good with the adjustments that we made, and the car did everything that I needed it to do. The only thing that we didn’t have when we started the race was track position. We started 31st, and first stage, I felt like was getting a little hectic up front and was just kind of a parking lot. We were just side by side for the whole stage. We just kind of rode around and just kind of watched it.Then we got track position there in the second stage. Was able to get some points. Felt like we might have got snookered a little bit there on the strategy a lot, pitted, but it was nice to get up front and learn what the car was doing up front, which I think was beneficial for once we had those restarts late.Once we sped on pit road, kind of thought our race was over, but felt like the good Lord was watching out for us. I was serving the penalty, and then all of a sudden had a big wreck right there kind of where we were running, getting in Turn 1. That gave us a second chance, and I knew that my team was — Tuesday’s meeting was not going to be very good because we preached all off-season about not beating ourselves, and there I went speeding on pit road, just trying to get — really wasn’t trying to get everything out of it, but got a little too much.So I felt like once the caution came out I really had to kind of put my elbows up and get back to the front to give us another shot to win so I at least could tell my guys that we had a shot to win. Once we got up there, the 8, 3, 24, and myself, obviously we cleared the 17 and 6 and put all Chevys in the top four. And then I was blocking the 22 and he got up underneath me, and I kind of thought our race was over at that point, and then we had that restart. The 17 and 6 chose the bottom, which kind of shocked me a little bit. Gave us the 6th starting position behind the 22, and with the 8 and 3 on the front row, I thought that they might try kind of the old-school restart of pulling down in front of each other. I knew that that would give our outside lane a huge run off of 2. Kyle was pushing me like crazy down the backstretch, and I waited just long enough to go to the bottom once he was clear, as well, and that gave us the lead. I was hoping we were going to get back to the white at that moment, and we didn’t. Big wreck behind us, and again, a perfect scenario for me. I picked the top. I felt like our car was better on the top, and I knew Kyle was going to take the front row. You can’t give up a front row starting position. I was just hoping that Bell was going to go third because I felt like Logano and that manufacturer was a really good pusher. Once we went green, we got the lead. I was a little nervous because we were low on fuel. Our low fuel light started flashing at me, so I knew we needed to get back to the white, and once we did that, I felt like we could make it all the way back around. But the 22 had a huge run. Got to my outside. Kyle had a huge run and he kind of shipped the middle, and then I looked in my mirror and here comes Christopher and gave me a big shot down the short chute there into 1 caution and got out front enough for when the caution came out.So everything played out perfectly for us at the end of that. It’s the Daytona 500. It’s a long race. You’re going to have good parts and bad parts, but we just kept pushing through. Q. I talked to Mike right after the race, and he said that you took him somewhere he had never been before, and now it was up to him to take you back. He wasn’t going to stop until he got you back to where you deserved to be. When you have that kind of relationship with somebody, and before you were in here he said you even shared a bed once —RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yes, we have. Q. Can you just reflect on that, and somebody who cares enough about you to see you to the end?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, I think it was really big for myself. Not winning since 2017, having struggles, ups and downs, to have somebody like Mike, who when he took over the reins as soon as the season was over, it was, hey, I know you can still get this done. We’ve just got to give you the right opportunities. We know if we give you cars capable of running up front, you can do that. We’ve proven that. I felt like his leadership throughout the whole shop is still not even — yeah, we won here at the Daytona 500, but I still think the fruits of that is going to come later on from his leadership in the shop and making sure — most of these guys that we have are the same guys we had last year. But he believes in myself more than I do, I think, and that’s huge. I feel like that’s what separates crew chiefs these days, is that team aspect and leading your guys and getting the most out of them. We all have similar equipment, and that wasn’t always the case in this sport, so now it’s little nuances like that that help propel a race team forward. We all felt confident this off-season, but it’s special to do it with Mike. We accomplished so much together. We’ve gone through ups and downs. He’s been in the sport a long time. He’s a Cup champion as a car chief with Kurt Busch. I think he’s won this race before, not as a crew chief, obviously, and our Nationwide Series Championships and race wins were something that we’re super proud of. But we know those were 10 years ago and we need to make some new memories. Q. What makes you such a good superspeedway racer?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Man, I don’t know. So when we were in the Nationwide Series it really wasn’t one of my favorite things to do. We had some good runs, but I don’t feel like I knew exactly what I was doing. I was always looking forward to the mile-and-a-half racetracks in the Nationwide Series.In my Cup career we got some good finishes in superspeedway racing, but it was more of laying in the back, missing the wrecks, not really being on the offense. Then when I was at Roush Fenway, Jimmy Fennig kind of took over our speedway program, and felt like at that moment he gave us cars that had speed that you could go on the offense, that you could make big runs, you could make passes, you could learn the side draft, and I felt like that’s when I learned a lot about superspeedway racing and really felt confident to make runs and study what the leaders were doing, how they were staying up front.I feel like at the end of the races there’s generally similar guys at the front of these races, and it’s — yeah, some of its luck, but a lot of it’s skill and your spotter, the way y’all work together. Mike Herman Jr when we were at Roush Fenway, felt like he was a good superspeedway spotter. Tab Boyd came on the market last off-season, two seasons ago, and we were lucky enough to pick him up. I felt like that upped our game over here at JTG Daugherty Racing on the superspeedways, and they gave me fast race cars, as well. It takes a combination of all those things. Q. In your opinion, what do you think has been holding JTG back from taking that next step?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: I came from Roush Fenway Racing and saw all the resources that they had and the support from the manufacturer, and then I went to JTG Daugherty Racing, and honestly I was surprised at how much nice equipment and how they ran things and how much of the car they actually built. I wasn’t 100 percent sure what it was going to look like when it went into the race shop.But now for us to kind of take that next step, obviously this is our second season with this new car, and we’ve got more help from Chevrolet. We’ve been in the simulator way more in this off-season than we were all of last year. Things like that, the resources that Chevy is going to help us out with, our alliance that we’ve built with Rick Hendrick Racing. Rick has been a great supporter of JTG Daugherty Racing in the past. We’ve been using their engines. I think that’s going to be a huge help for us, as well. Like Mike said, I caught the tail end of it there, this is huge for us, but I’m honestly super excited to get to Fontana, Las Vegas. Obviously we had a decent test at Phoenix. We weren’t where we need to be on the short tracks yet, but we were so far off last year that the things that we’ve had — our tools that we’ve had this off-season, we feel like we’ve made those short tracks better already, and we’re looking forward to getting to those racetracks. Q. When you come to Daytona or Talladega or even Atlanta, is your confidence much, much higher than it would be elsewhere?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Definitely, but I think everybody’s is. But when you’ve been to a racetrack where you’ve been to Victory Lane in the Cup Series, you know how it works. The position that we put ourselves in this race last year, I think we led — I don’t know, I was rewatching it actually as I was getting ready to go out to the grid today. We were leading the last 20 or so laps here last year and we got crashed there on a late-race restart with five to go. I told my guys this off-season coming into this week, if we can get in that same position again I would take it, and hopefully things worked out a little bit better, and there we were with a green-white-checkered. We had the lead and controlled the restart. Yeah, so I definitely have confidence coming back to these places. Q. In 2018 when you were at Roush and know you’re not coming back, are you thinking my career is over? And kind of the same thing, did you have any of those thoughts last year when you’re trying to do a contract extension at JTG knowing you hadn’t won yet with that team?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, that was 2019. Yeah, that was something unexpected. Honestly, I kind of thought I had a contract through 2023, so that was the kind of crazy part about all that.My management team, Josh Jones at KHI jumped on the call on the phone as soon as we met with Roush Fenway at the time and got a hold of Tad and Ernie and started working the doors there. I had some great partners with Sunny D, who also stepped up and called on my behalf.Had a lot of great supporters that I felt confident in, of getting me a good job, and when I got over to JTG Daugherty Racing, like I said, I didn’t know what to expect, but I was super impressed with their whole race team and how they ran it. I was looking forward to getting this car technically a year prior because I felt like once we were in comparable equipment to everybody else that they had all the right people to get the most out of the race cars. I felt like I could do the job behind the wheel. Yeah, we had done my contract a lot earlier than we announced it, so I think — I don’t know, maybe you asked me about it and I forgot that we had done it a long time ago. I don’t think we show up to the racetrack — JTG Daugherty Racing has got realistic expectations. We’re building this program together. We were excited when we got, like I said, a car that was comparable to everybody else’s. Knowing it was going to be some growing pains over last season. We knew that. There was times we had a lot of hope. We went a month straight with our worst finish of eighth, but then we kind of fell off. The bigger teams were able to learn a lot more at a faster rate, and I felt like that’s what got us behind. This off-season we’ve really focused on that, and I’m excited to go to these racetracks like Fontana, Las Vegas, and really see the potential that we’ve gained over this off-season. Q. You started racing when you were a young kid, and every kid dreams of winning the Daytona 500. I know you won here before in July, but what was it like just being out there in Victory Lane, being on the start-finish line just knowing that you were the champion?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, it’s super cool. Like you said, I’ve been racing a long time. I grew up going to the racetrack. My mom took me to watch my dad when I was six weeks old, and I’ve been going to a racetrack for an average of 40 weekends a year I would say my whole life.I came down here in 2006? Jeff over here has been a long supporter of my career. Him and I, he’s a Tennessee guy. He had met with Bobby Hamilton at the time. His shop was in Nashville. We flew over there, walked through Bobby Hamilton’s race shop. He invited us down to the Daytona 500 for the track race, we jumped down, and Bobby Hamilton won that race that year.You could see an awkward kid standing behind him during his interview, and that was me. That was in 2006. I was impressed with this racetrack. I had never been to anything like it. I went to my first Cup race was like the ’92 Coke 600 back in the day. But like I was finally old enough to kind of picture everything.So since then, that was kind of the goal is to try and get here and race. Then 2008 was the first time I ever made laps around here in the ARCA car, and I’ve gotten to race this racetrack when it was the old-school racetrack where it was worn out, it was rough, a ton of fun. I feel like it’s starting to get a little bit of that character back, but yeah, it’s been a dream for a long time, and super cool for us to be here. Q. I remember seeing that clip around the internet, you in the background.RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, awkward. Q. Going forward, Mike talked about finding your mojo again. What does this win do for you already, and what do you want to say?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, we’re not done. I think Mike and I got a lot of things left to do. Again. It’s been a short off-season. I feel like we’ve — Mike has moved the needle on where this race team is at. Like I said, the resources I feel like we have now, moving forward throughout the 2023 season, there’s still a lot left to prove that we can go be competitive on all racetracks. And yeah, it’s a speedway win, which is huge. It’s the Daytona 500. You’ve got to be able to win on them all. Throughout my career, Mike and I have won on short tracks, mile-and-a-halfs, and superspeedways.We do feel like mile-and-a-half racetracks are probably our bread and butter right now with this race car, excluding the superspeedways. But we know that we’ve got a lot of work left to do on the short tracks.Yeah, this gives us a boost of confidence, but I know we’re going to enjoy this one tonight. But I know that everybody in the shop and all these guys on this race team are looking forward to getting to Fontana and kind of seeing where we shake out after everything we’ve learned this off-season. Q. When you’re a single-car team and it’s the end of the Daytona 500, even though you had some Chevys that were helping you out, did you feel like the lone wolf out there?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yes and no. Obviously throughout the whole race, even — I watched a lot of the first stage from my view. I was close enough where I could just watch the leaders, and I wasn’t really doing any racing. Yeah, I was watching all the teammates work really well together up there. We’ve had Chevy meetings this whole week, and we preached about trying to get Chevrolet their 25th Daytona 500. We talked about working together. We didn’t do great Thursday night in the Duels, in the first Duel. We learned a lot, and they transferred that on to the second Duel, and felt like our strategies worked really well today. That was huge for us. Like you said, when I got down to it, the top 4 were Chevys at one point and I felt really good about that, that we could kind of control the race. And then when the 5 lined up behind me, I knew that if we got a run, he would probably go with me, or I was really hoping so, and we were able to — you know, kind of shook the 22 out and both be first and second there. Then the last restart, yes, you need teammates, but at that moment, as long as you had a good pusher behind you, I knew the 22 wasn’t going to just go to the outside of me because you’ve got to get the momentum going, and the momentum is in numbers, and I was confident in what Joey could do pushing me, and then it was kind of a free for all once you take the white flag. Q. There aren’t a lot of sprint and midget drivers that have won the Daytona 500, but now you’re the latest to have done that. To know that you follow in the footsteps of guys like Mario Andretti and AJ Foyt and Ryan Newman who have done that here, how important is that to you to show to the grass-roots of America that you can come from that type of background and win the Daytona 500?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, it’s special to me. I know Kyle has done a lot for dirt track racing, open wheel racing. Christopher Bell, you look at what Alex Bowman is doing now going back and forth and running sprint cars. I have a lot of fun running with my dad. We don’t run as much as everybody else does, but definitely still a short track dirt racer. I know how long and how important this race was when Tony, my former boss, tried to win this race for a long time. I looked up on the screen during one of those late cautions when the 8 was leading, and they were showing I think it was his 17th attempt, and it was our 12th. I know how hard it is for guys to win this race, and it’s nice to go ahead and get that checked off the list. Q. Jodi and Tad were in earlier and were asked about their longtime involvement in the sport and the efforts they’ve made to keep going. Even though that hasn’t always translated into trips to Victory Lane, I just wondered, you sort of had what many would have called a breakout year in 2017 where you picked up a couple wins. Has it been difficult since then? What have you felt at some point, that you might give up?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Definitely never thought about giving up. I felt like, yeah, 2017, winning a couple races was huge for us, but I’ll even look back at that season, and we still weren’t super stellar. We had our ups and downs. But obviously two wins kind of puts a Band-Aid on some of those things that you can overlook. But I think for me, coming to JTG Daugherty Racing was a nice reset. We had two cars at the time, moved to a single-car team, which I think has been beneficial. We’ve been able to put a lot of focus on the 47 car, and everybody in the shop, I feel like the details are really paid attention to. We’ve got some of the best guys in the shop. It’s super neat to see how long Tad and Jodi have been in the sport. Around our shop, you see pictures of Tad going over the wall, doing jack man and tire changes, and they’re out helping sponsors nonstop around here. You partner them with Brad and Gordon and Mark, they make a great team. It’s super cool to get them in Victory Lane. We had a great moment this off-season I feel like at our team lunch. Had a video put together, and it put some of JTG’s wins in there, my wins in there, and kind of helped us realize that, hey, we need these wins together, and realized that we could do that.We’ve both done it in our past, so it’s special to do it together. Q. Obviously it’s a big milestone for you, but when you look at Jodi and Brad, it’s a milestone for NASCAR. How key is this thing for maybe the broader picture of where NASCAR is headed?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, NASCAR has been doing such a great job of getting everyone involved in our sport. Even going out to areas of the country where we’re not so prominent in. You look at LA, going to Chicago, getting down in some of the inner cities and getting those fans interested in NASCAR.We’ve got a lot of diversity on our race team, throughout the garage, and it’s cool to have two on our race team and put them in Victory Lane here at the Daytona 500. It’s super special, and NASCAR is leading the way in a big way. It’s cool to play a small part of getting them to Victory Lane. Q. I saw on the replay there that you climbed up the fence after your victory there. Was that something you have thought about doing if you won this race, or was that spur of the moment?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: I feel like you never try and think about what you’re going to do when you win a race, especially the Daytona 500. My crew guys were out there. It was a bummer that I wasn’t able to do a burnout because we didn’t have any fuel left, so that was a bummer. I’m sure the Hendrick engine shop appreciates that. When I won my first sprint car race my dad climbed the fence, and then my first ARCA win in 2008 at Kentucky, he was in the grandstands, and we both climbed up the fence and met at the top. Then when I won Talladega, he climbed the fence on the backstretch where he always watches the races there.Got out there, and the crew guys were like, hey, let’s climb the fence. Then I did the interview and turned around and they were gone, so I decided to go ahead and climb it myself. Yeah, just spur of the moment. Q. Any word from Tony Stewart or Helio Castroneves, what they thought of it?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: I’m not sure. I know Tony didn’t do pull-ups when he got to the top. I know Helio can definitely do pull-ups when he gets to the top. I’ve done some workouts with him. Yeah, I haven’t checked my phone to see if Tony said anything yet. Q. Do you come into this race every year assuming there will be a string of accidents in the last five or ten laps, and do you sort of steel yourself that you’re going to have to make some quick decisions because of all that?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, for sure. You look at really any speedway race these days, and they’re all like that. Every one of us out there know it’s a really good opportunity to get to Victory Lane. Our cars are all comparable on speed, and the draft is obviously kind of an even playing field there for the most part. When we lost our track position after I sped on pit road, I think we were like 29th, and we were going to come in and top off and maybe put some new tires on, but we know track position is so important. Mike said if five or six in front of us pit, let’s stay out. That’s just five or six less that we have to pass in a 14-lap run to the finish. We did that. I felt like it was a huge strategy play to give us a shot. Then yeah, it was chaos at the end. I got a good restart on the top, jumped to the bottom, and there was cars bouncing off the wall, bouncing off each other, somehow all keeping them going straight. But my line that I was in every time seemed to carry the momentum, and then all of a sudden I looked up and we were in, I think, seventh at the time. After that, it got a little bit calmer, but we were all pushing each other like crazy. Throughout the whole race, you’re pushing in key parts of the racetrack. You push once you get in the flat off of Turn 2, get your momentum down the backstretch. You release getting into Turn 3, and then you get close again kind of through Turn 3, and try and carry that momentum all the way back down the frontstretch. Not a lot of bump drafting, and then a lot of bump drafting down the backstretch again. I felt like everybody did a really good job of being smart and kind of methodical throughout the race, but when you’re in 10 to go, it’s like we all lose our mind and push the whole time. These cars are difficult to drive when you’re getting pushed all the way around the racetrack. Q. How important do you feel the Next-Gen car and the, so to speak, leveling of the playing field contributed, or how important that was do you think in your race team being able to pull this off this evening?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: I don’t think this car helped us pull this off at Daytona. If you look at my very first race here at Daytona, we sat on the pole with the old-school car. That was huge.I felt like with the older car, I felt like we had race cars capable of winning while being here at JTG Daugherty Racing. I think the car going forward at other racetracks is where we feel like it helps kind of level the playing field to a point. Like I said, I think last season the bigger teams learned at a faster rate. We hit on some stuff for about a month and felt really good, and then we kind of seemed to lose ground to some of those bigger teams. We looked to make that jump this past off-season. I feel like we’ve made some big gains, and we’re looking forward to this car making competition more and more throughout the season. Q. In the years since you got your first two wins back in 2017, there’s been a lot of criticism and jokes made at your expense because of your aggressive driving style in these races and accidents you may or may not have caused. On a night like this, on this stage, when everyone else is in the garage fixing torn-up cars and you’re crossing the finish line, at least not much of a scratch on your car, do you feel like you got the last laugh tonight?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Obviously you’re going to have haters everywhere, and when you have somebody at the time like Kyle Busch getting out and bashing you, that’s difficult to overcome.I mean, I feel like I’ve put myself in some bad spots throughout my career, but the faster we get our cars, the more I can take care of them and still run them close to the front. It’s something I’ve always tried to do, which is at some times an expense, is try and take a car and try and get way more out of it than what’s there. I feel like that’s my job to do as a race car driver, is to get the most speed out of a race car that you can, but also in this sport you’ve got to take care of it, and you can’t just leave it all out there every single race.That’s something that I felt like this off-season we’ve kind of met, and Mike is super confident in what he can do and what our engineers and team can give me, and we’ll assess each weekend after practice and after qualifying what our goals are for that given race day. So I think we’ll do a better job of kind of setting our realistic expectations each week. If we feel like 15th is where we need to be that given week, then that’s where I’m going to try and get the car to and not try and get it to 10th or 5th like I tend to do. That’s something that we’re going to be super focused on this year of finishing races. Mike brought up this off-season back in the Nationwide Series when we had fast race cars, in 2011 we finished, I think, 98.9 percent of the laps, and in 2012 I think we finished 98.2 percent of the laps, and the only laps we didn’t finish were crashes at superspeedways. We know that we can do that together as a race team, and we’re looking forward to showing everybody that. Q. Where is the party going to be tonight?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: I don’t know yet. Somewhere. We will be here for a long time. Q. Throughout this whole week I’ve heard drivers say that winning the Daytona 500 is circumstantial, but you just mentioned that you use a lot of strategy to win this race. Can you please explain now that you’ve won the Daytona 500, what are your thoughts on what it takes to win this race?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Definitely circumstantial at times. But like I said earlier, you look at the history of this race, you look at the history of superspeedway racing, and a lot of the same guys are towards the front. Since 2016-ish, I feel like we are some of those contenders that are at the front of those races towards the end of the race. This race, it’s a long race. Like I said, the first stage, we didn’t have track position. But I felt like I kind of went to school watching what the leaders were doing so that when I got there, I kind of knew what to expect. Then we got there, and I felt really good being in the top 5 there at the end of that second stage. I felt like I pushed the 48 really well. The 48, 1, and myself I felt like really controlled some of those last few laps coming to the stage end. Yeah, it’s circumstantial. You’ve got to catch breaks at the right time. You’ve got to be able to make moves, and your line has got to go. But you’re also looking ahead. Your spotter is giving you all the information that he can to make sure that you have all the info to figure out which lane to be in.There was times where Tab was telling me, hey, get to the top lane, get to the top lane. He saw something that I couldn’t see in the front that killed the bottom lane’s momentum, and it propelled us past four or five, and then we jumped back to the bottom, things like that.Definitely a lot of strategy involved and calculated moves. Q. I want to take it a little further, and I’m curious, you mentioned in your Xfinity championship days, really good car, not have to be as aggressive, take what the car gives you, all that stuff. From that standpoint, do you think the last couple of years where it seems like every year we get to the end of the season and you’re right there on the bubble points-wise or maybe even needing to win, do you feel like from day one you’re up against it and you have to race more aggressive, and to that point, now that you start off this season with a win presumably in the playoffs that now that edge is completely gone?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, starting the season off with a win definitely changes, I feel like, your mindset going forward. But as we saw last year, you’re going to have to gain some points. You’re going to have to stay ahead of eventual winners in the point standings to make the playoffs.I think this season, you could see more winners than we had last year. That being said, we’ve got to be on our A game from here on out. Like I said, I think everything that we’ve learned this off-season, I’ve got a lot of confidence in the cars that my guys are going to be able to give me so that I don’t have to over-drive them to get good finishes.There will be days that we’ll finish 17th, 18th, but that might be our goal for that given weekend. We can’t finish above 25th. That kills you in the points. We’re wanting to be consistent. Obviously we wanted to get a win. We’ve done that. But we do feel like there’s other racetracks that we’re capable of winning at based off of our performance at some last year and the things that we’ve learned this off-season. Yeah, I think mindset-wise, it definitely calms the nerves a little bit to go out and really focus on what we’re doing only. Q. I know Mike woke up this morning with that conviction that you guys could do this, and there was always that conviction that you guys could do this, but I feel like the cars you had with them in 2020 and 2021 were really, really good cars. I don’t think this car was quite as good as those cars, and I’m curious, is the irony kind of not lost on you that you guys had arguably the best car here those two years and you come back this year, qualify near the back of the field, and this is the year you guys get it done?RICKY STENHOUSE JR: Yeah, it’s crazy. Our car in 2020 was amazingly fast. I think we shocked everybody with getting the pole and had really good cars those two years.We came here last year, and we qualified I think 24th, so we qualified 10 spots better, but we were second off the pole. We qualified 34th this year, we were seven and a half tenths off the pole. So technically we were closer to the lead cars, it was just like everybody got faster and we kind of fell back in positions. I told my guys after Wednesday, I said, we have a set kind of standard of, hey, here’s our qualifying for superspeedways. We’ve set the bar, now let’s try and make that better going forward.But I said, guys, we’re closer to the lead pack cars than what we were last year, and we were leading this race with five or six to go. I said, we have a car capable of doing that. Like I said, we made adjustments that gave up a little handling and ride quality for a little bit of speed, and I felt like in our Chevy draft on Friday night, I felt super confident in the car. Again, maybe not the fastest, but I felt like I drafted well, it handled good enough for me, and I felt like that was always one of our benefits and kind of key things to have here at superspeedway races, is cars that handle good and being able to get pushed without getting too out of shape, and I felt like I had that. THE MODERATOR: Ricky, congratulations on winning the Daytona 500, and we’ll see you next week at Fontana. |
chevy racing–nascar–daytona post race
| NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE FEBRUARY 19, 2023 |
| TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS. DRIVER1st Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL15th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL16th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro ZL17th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL19th Ross Chastain, No. 1 AdventHealth Camaro ZL1TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS. DRIVER1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Chevrolet)2. Joey Logano (Ford)3. Christopher Bell (Toyota)4. Chris Buescher (Ford)5. Alex Bowman (Chevrolet) · Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL1, captured the victory in the 65th running of the Daytona 500, marking his first career victory in the NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel event. · The victory is Stenhouse Jr.’s second victory at Daytona International Speedway; and his third career victory in NASCAR’s premier series. · Stenhouse Jr.’s victory is Chevrolet’s 25th Daytona 500 victory; and its 50th all-time NASCAR Cup Series victory at Daytona International Speedway, both of which are series-leading feats at the track. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Auto Club Speedway with the Pala Casino 400 on Sunday, February 26, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 1st Ricky Stenhouse Jr., it has been a long time coming. The one difference? Mike Kelley, your crew chief, is back. You won two championships together, and now you won the Daytona 500. Was it just magic together that made the difference here?“Yeah, I think this whole off-season Mike just preached how much we all believed in each other. They left me a note in the car that said they believe in me and to go get the job done tonight. I made a few mistakes. We were able to battle back. This Kroger / Cottonelle team worked really, really hard in off-season. Great pit stops, Hendrick engines. Glad a Chevy won. Man, this is unbelievable. This was the site of my last win back in 2017. We’ve worked really hard. We had a couple shots last year to get a win and fell short. It was a tough season, but man, we got it done, Daytona 500.” You have a knack for this style of racing, and we went into overtime, so you had to do it a couple of times and earn it. What were those moments like, and what were you watching, what made the difference initially at the end?“Yeah, when the 8 went to the bottom there I was able to push the 22 and the 5. We had a huge run. I was hoping we were going to get to the white there, and we didn’t, so I knew I was going to take the top. I was hoping the 22 was going to follow, and he did. He was able to push us out.I went to the bottom, the 8 and the 22 got a huge run. The 5 split me in the middle, but another fellow dirt racer with Bell gave me a good shot down the little short chute into 1, and we were out front when the caution came out. We were out of fuel so the fuel light was going crazy.I hope y’all had fun. That was a heck of a race.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Finished: 5th “It’s the Daytona 500 and we know how to crash some stuff. It was just super aggressive and a lot of pushing. You know you have to do it and sometimes they go wrong and crashes happen. Just proud of my team and glad we were able to make it out clean.” Do you have momentum going to California? “I think so. Just starting the year off strong on the right foot. Not only here but at the Coliseum as well. I enjoy California, it’s been hit or miss for me, but looking forward to getting back there.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 6th“I’m really pleased with the finish we had. Any time you get to start the season with a top-10 in the Daytona 500 it’s a big deal. Felt like our car handled very well, just tough racing, very track-position oriented. When we got out front, we just lacked a little bit of speed to stay up there; that was the toughest thing. But overall, our guys did a great job and fought hard through the day, and you just have to be there at the end. We had a shot to win the Daytona 500. That’s pretty freaking cool. I wish we could have done it, but all you can ask for is having a real opportunity and we did tonight. That’s pretty special.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 7thHow was your Daytona 500? It looked wild from your view? “It was a little bit crazy, but I told the team they did a hell of a job. We lacked track position most of the day, and when it mattered the most, we had it. We just spun out there and I was just struggling with loose balance when people would get to the rear bumper for some reason. That one, the 2 came very close to me, very tight and the car behind me came very close as well and got me loose. We recovered and we are getting better at this kind of racing and we are going to get one of these one day.” ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 9th “We got the Stage 2 win in our AdventHealth Chevy. That was 10 more points than we left here with last year. With 13 laps to go I was thinking they were going to wreck again, but they didn’t and I was working to get caught up. Then coming to the white flag, they wrecked. I was a little off on my guessing on when they were going to wreck and when they weren’t (laughs). Proud of everybody at Trackhouse with a top-10 finish. It’s a whole lot better than last year, that’s for sure.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 3CHI CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 19th Walk us through those last couple of laps. “I don’t know. I just tried to keep it straight as much as I can and wait for when it’s going to happen and eventually it does, and it did again today. So, I tried, and I don’t know what else to do. Come up short. Let lap 200 and wish it was still 1998 rules.” Does this get you excited for the season when you see how well RCR did here this afternoon? “Yeah, definitely excited for the start of the season and getting to the real racetracks.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 WENDY’S CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 24th “I thought we had a decent run until the end. We put ourselves in position in the top 10 and then made a couple of mistakes and got caught up in the big wreck at the end with the last caution. Thankful for the opportunity. We’re going to continue to work hard and grow as a team. Really proud of Luke Lambert (crew chief) and the boys for the adversity we had. Never quit. We’re not going to quit. Just very thankful.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CARVANA CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 31st “All in all, just a great day. I hate that we didn’t get to the finish line, but we got a lot closer than I thought. If I would have taken a bet before the race started, I would have thought some issues earlier than that, but we had a great day. The Carvana car was awesome. Very, very proud of this race team. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the finish line.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 32nd “We had a great run going there for a while. We were unfortunately just caught up in what was ultimately just one of those green-white-checkered deals that are inevitable at superspeedways. We struggled a little bit all weekend. This package is pretty tough to pass with, but it was fun to be up there battling in the top 10 there for a bit.” AUSTIN DILLION, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CLUB CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 33rd What happened? “We had a strategy there and it just didn’t play out. We weren’t as good as some of the Fords to be able to tandem and get hooked up. The 6 car just drove through the 24, and that is just what he does. His car is just good enough to where he can just drive through who he needs to and push them out of the way, or wreck them. That is the desperation that they are in right now. I hate it because I was wanting to get Kyle Busch in victory lane here at Daytona. Looking back I should have been a little more selfish at that point. I wish we would have just tried to block both lanes, truthfully. It was one of those deals that is a hard position to be in. I also wish it had gone to the white flag in the position we were in. Unfortunately not, and hopefully Kyle (Busch) can still make something happen from sixth. RCR as a whole, it was pretty cool to get to where we got there and be 1-2 at the Daytona 500 with two laps to go. It sucks because you are so close to winning a second Daytona 500 and your teammate was really close to winning his first ever. We will take it and move on and we did it with not the fastest cars truthfully. It was just execution and we didn’t finish off the last part.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1Finished: 34th “I got into the 8 and we just got off center somehow and I wrecked him. Once he got off center, I tried to back up but I had the 6 in the back of me trying to push as well. Yeah, unfortunate because we were trying to put ourselves in the right position and we were in a really good spot there with about two to go and running third before that caution. It seemed like when they did the teammate restart it really checked up the bottom lane and I had made my bed of trying to take that lane to have momentum off of turn two. That was unfortunate.” Erik Jones, No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Camaro ZL1Finished: 37thJones on the accident that ended his race early: “It was hard to tell. It looked like the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) got turned around, but I couldn’t see how it happened. Regardless, we spun out there on the bottom when I was trying to get around it and then I got hit on the left side hard enough to take out the left rear and end our day. It is what it is. We were up there; we were racing and we were doing all we could. We were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. I wish we could have been a little ahead of him.” Are you surprised the first on-track came at the end of Stage Two? “No, not really. Everybody was racing hard, but everybody was doing a good job of just keeping in line and doing what they needed to do. There were a couple of moments.. a couple of aggressive and bad pushes, but nothing that was too crazy. I don’t know what sprung that one off, but I thought everybody was doing a good job at that point. It started to get pretty aggressive up until that wreck and I was getting antsy about being up there and getting into something. We were kind of in a bad spot in the pack to get caught up in something. But yeah, I wasn’t surprised it took that long.” Obviously, it’s a superspeedway, so there’s not a ton you can take from this weekend. But what did you learn this weekend that you can apply for when we get to either Atlanta (Motor Speedway) or Talladega (Superspeedway) later on? “I thought our No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Chevy was good; it just needed some more speed. We had it driving pretty good, but just didn’t have it quite fast enough. I was having to carry a lot of throttle for too long to stay up and be aggressive with the pack with the pushes the way I wanted to, so we need to get a little more speed out of it moving forward. Hopefully we can find a way to do that.” Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1Finished: 38thElliott on the accident that ended his race early: “It looked like some guys got tangled up, upfront. Those of us in the back were just scattering to kind of miss it. It looked like the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) and the No. 43 (Erik Jones) kind of went to the apron. By the time we got slowed up, they were coming back across the track and I was the lucky winner to get there first. It’s a bummer.. long ways to go. Hate to end the day, but it is what it is.” |
chevy racing–daytona 500 post race
| NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE FEBRUARY 19, 2023 |
| TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS. DRIVER 1st – Ricky Stenhouse Jr, No. 47 Kroger/Cottonelle Chevrolet Camaro ZL15th – Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL16th – AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro ZL17th – Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Auto Club Speedway with the Pala Casino 400 on Sunday, February 26, at 3:30 P.M. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. |
| TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: Erik Jones, No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Camaro ZL1Finished: 37thJones on the accident that ended his race early: “It was hard to tell. It looked like the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) got turned around, but I couldn’t see how it happened. Regardless, we spun out there on the bottom when I was trying to get around it and then I got hit on the left side hard enough to take out the left rear and end our day. It is what it is. We were up there; we were racing and we were doing all we could. We were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. I wish we could have been a little ahead of him.” Are you surprised the first on-track came at the end of Stage Two? “No, not really. Everybody was racing hard, but everybody was doing a good job of just keeping in line and doing what they needed to do. There were a couple of moments.. a couple of aggressive and bad pushes, but nothing that was too crazy. I don’t know what sprung that one off, but I thought everybody was doing a good job at that point. It started to get pretty aggressive up until that wreck and I was getting antsy about being up there and getting into something. We were kind of in a bad spot in the pack to get caught up in something. But yeah, I wasn’t surprised it took that long.” Obviously, it’s a superspeedway, so there’s not a ton you can take from this weekend. But what did you learn this weekend that you can apply for when we get to either Atlanta (Motor Speedway) or Talladega (Superspeedway) later on? “I thought our No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Chevy was good, it just needed some more speed. We had it driving pretty good, but just didn’t have it quite fast enough. I was having to carry a lot of throttle for too long to stay up and be aggressive with the pack with the pushes the way I wanted to, so we need to get a little more speed out of it moving forward. Hopefully we can find a way to do that.” Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1Finished: 38thElliott on the accident that ended his race early: “It looked like some guys got tangled up, upfront. Those of us in the back were just scattering to kind of miss it. It looked like the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) and the No. 43 (Erik Jones) kind of went to the apron. By the time we got slowed up, they were coming back across the track and I was the lucky winner to get there first. It’s a bummer.. long ways to go. Hate to end the day, but it is what it is.” AUSTIN DILLION, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CLUB CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 33rd) WHAT HAPPENED?“We had a strategy there and it just didn’t play out. We weren’t as good as some of the Fords to be able to tandem and get hooked up. The 6 car just drove through the 24, and that is just what he does. His car is just good enough to where he can just drive through who he needs to and push them out of the way, or wreck them. That is the desperation that they are in right now. I hate it because I was wanting to get Kyle Busch in victory lane here at Daytona. Looking back I should have been a little more selfish at that point. I wish we would have just tried to block both lanes, truthfully. It was one of those deals that is a hard position to be in. I also wish it had gone to the white flag in the position we were in. Unfortunately not, and hopefully Kyle (Busch) can still make something happen from sixth. RCR as a whole, it was pretty cool to get to where we got there and be 1-2 at the Daytona 500 with two laps to go. It sucks because you are so close to winning a second Daytona 500 and your teammate was really close to winning his first ever. We will take it and move on and we did it with not the fastest cars truthfully. It was just execution and we didn’t finish off the last part.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 34th)“I got into the 8 and we just got off center somehow and I wrecked him. Once he got off center, I tried to back up but I had the 6 in the back of me trying to push as well. Yeah, unfortunate because we were trying to put ourselves in the right position and we were in a really good spot there with about two to go and running third before that caution. It seemed like when they did the teammate restart it really checked up the bottom lane and I had made my bed of trying to take that lane to have momentum off of turn two. That was unfortunate.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 WENDY’S CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 24th)“I thought we had a decent run until the end. We put ourselves in position in the top 10 and then made a couple of mistakes and got caught up in the big wreck at the end with the last caution. Thankful for the opportunity. We’re going to continue to work hard and grow as a team. Really proud of Luke Lambert (crew chief) and the boys for the adversity we had. Never quit. We’re not going to quit. Just very thankful.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CARVANA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 31st)“All in all, just a great day. I hate that we didn’t get to the finish line, but we got a lot closer than I thought. If I would have taken a bet before the race started, I would have thought some issues earlier than that, but we had a great day. The Carvana car was awesome. Very, very proud of this race team. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the finish line.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. CIRKUL CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 32nd)“We had a great run going there for a while. We were unfortunately just caught up in what was ultimately just one of those green-white-checkered deals that are inevitable at superspeedways. We struggled a little bit all weekend. This package is pretty tough to pass with, but it was fun to be up there battling in the top 10 there for a bit.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 3CHI CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 19th)WALK US THROUGH THOSE LAST COUPLE OF LAPS“I don’t know. I just tried to keep it straight as much as I can and wait for when its going to happen and eventually it does, and it did again today. So, I tried, and I don’t know what else to do. Come up short. Let lap 200 and wish it was still 1998 rules.” DOES THIS GET YOU EXCITED FOR THE SEASON WHEN YOU SEE HOW WELL RCR DID HERE THIS AFTERNOON?“Yeah, definitely excited for the start of the season and getting to the real racetracks.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 5th)“It’s the Daytona 500 and we know how to crash some stuff. It was just super aggressive and a lot of pushing. You know you have to do it and sometimes they go wrong and crashes happen. Just proud of my team and glad we were able to make it out clean.” DO YOU HAVE MOMENTUM GOING TO CALIFORNIA?“I think so. Just starting the year off strong on the right foot. Not only here but at the Coliseum as well. I enjoy California, its been hit or miss for me, but looking forward to getting back there.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES CHEVORLET CAMARO ZL1 (Finished 7th) HOW WAS YOUR DAYTONA 500, IT LOOKED WILD FROM OUR VIEW?“It was a little bit crazy, but I told the team they did a hell of a job. We lacked track position most of the day, and when it mattered the most, we had it. We just spun out there and I was just struggling with loose balance when people would get to the rear bumper for some reason. That one, the 2 came very close to me, very tight and the car behind me came very close as well and got me loose. We recovered and we are getting better at this kind of racing and we are going to get one of these one day.” |
chevy racing–nascar–daytona 500–erik jones
| NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY ACCIDENT QUOTES FEBRUARY 18, 2023 |
Erik Jones, No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Camaro ZL1 Jones on the accident that ended his race early: “It was hard to tell. It looked like the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) got turned around, but I couldn’t see how it happened. Regardless, we spun out there on the bottom when I was trying to get around it and then I got hit on the left side hard enough to take out the left rear and end our day. It is what it is. We were up there; we were racing and we were doing all we could. We were just in the wrong spot at the wrong time. I wish we could have been a little ahead of him.” Are you surprised the first on-track came at the end of Stage Two? “No, not really. Everybody was racing hard, but everybody was doing a good job of just keeping in line and doing what they needed to do. There were a couple of moments.. a couple of aggressive and bad pushes, but nothing that was too crazy. I don’t know what sprung that one off, but I thought everybody was doing a good job at that point. It started to get pretty aggressive up until that wreck and I was getting antsy about being up there and getting into something. We were kind of in a bad spot in the pack to get caught up in something. But yeah, I wasn’t surprised it took that long.” Obviously, it’s a superspeedway, so there’s not a ton you can take from this weekend. But what did you learn this weekend that you can apply for when we get to either Atlanta (Motor Speedway) or Talladega (Superspeedway) later on? “I thought our No. 43 Guns N’ Roses Chevy was good, it just needed some more speed. We had it driving pretty good, but just didn’t have it quite fast enough. I was having to carry a lot of throttle for too long to stay up and be aggressive with the pack with the pushes the way I wanted to, so we need to get a little more speed out of it moving forward. Hopefully we can find a way to do that.” |
1HUDDY: O’Neal gets first World of Outlaws win, becomes 100th Series winner
| McCreadie awarded Big GatorBARBERVILLE, FL – (Feb. 18, 2023) – When the smoke settled, spectators were left in awe of another historic rocket sighting in Florida.They weren’t looking to the sky, though. The mesmerizing visual took place in Barberville, FL with the “rocket” landing on the front stretch of Volusia Speedway Park Saturday night.While hearts around the track took a breath to ease their rapid pace from the excitement, Hudson O’Neal climbed from his Rocket1 Racing machine, slapping his hands on the roof, and exhausted all the air in his body with every yell as confetti levitated around him.The 22-year-old from Martinsville, IN won his first World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model race during the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals finale and became the 100th different winner in World of Outlaws CASE Late Model history.“It’s cool,” O’Neal said. “I came really close to winning these World of Outlaws races and for some reason never can seal the deal on them. To do it in the fashion we did and to be able to do it, it’s cool. It’s just more to do with Mark (Richards, owner of Rocket1 Racing) and the history that he has with the Outlaws. It’s special. This is a day I’ll never forget, I promise you.”O’Neal’s space in Victory Lane was shared with 2006 World of Outlaws CASE Late Model champion Tim McCreadie, who clinched the 2023 Big Gator championship with his fourth-place finish. The Watertown, NY driver put together finishes of second, first, first, third and fourth to lock up his second Big Gator trophy.Like O’Neal, McCreadie also made history as he became the first driver in the event’s history to win two Big Gator titles in two divisions. His first came with the Super DIRTcar Series in 2018.“It’s pretty cool,” McCreadie said. “Not a lot of guys go out and venture to do something different. My whole career is about, ‘Hey, let’s go try and do something and have some fun with it and see if I’m good enough to overcome not knowing what to do with a different type of race car.’“Hasn’t always worked out, but to come down here (at Volusia Speedway Park) and get a couple of these (Big Gator trophies) with all these fans here, that’s pretty cool.”When the 50-lap, $20,000-to-win, Feature initially lined up, the easy bet seemed to be on McCreadie, who drew the pole. O’Neal, buried in 23rd after transferring in through a Last Chance Showdown, seemed far out of reach for a successful takeoff.At the drop of the green flag, McCreadie launched ahead of the field, while outside pole sitter Chris Madden slid back to fourth in the first corner, moving Brian Shirley into second and Brandon Overton in third.The first caution of the night came at Lap 3 for a slowed Mason Ziegler. In that short amount of time, O’Neal was already up to 12th-place.Once the race resumed, McCreadie left Shirley and Overton to argue over second place. Six laps later, he found the back of the field. The straightaway led he had over Shirley was cut to a few car lengths in two laps.Finally close enough to make a move, Shirley dove under McCreadie into Turn 1 on Lap 19, nosing ahead of him by the center of the corner. However, the #39 had the better run around the top of the track and gapped Shirley’s #8 car by a car length off Turn 2.O’Neal was up to eighth.By the halfway point of the race, Madden had found his groove again and moved into second. A caution on Lap 29 for Mike Spatola stopping in Turn 4 brought the current Series points leader to McCreadie’s rear bumper.At this point, the firing of the thrusters on O’Neal’s machine could be heard as he sat fourth in line on the restart.Shirley and Madden wagged a war for second before Shirley began to master the top and try to run down McCreadie for the lead. However, again, he failed. That opened the door for “The Mailman” Devin Moran to make his trek forward, bringing “Huddy” with him.While McCreadie was caught behind Jimmy Owens, Moran dove underneath the former Outlaw champion and snuck ahead of him to claim the lead on Lap 42. After another circuit around, O’Neal also worked his way underneath McCreadie to take second.Staying within reach of Moran, O’Neal moved to the top of the track while Moran hugged the bottom. When Moran had to wait on the throttle exiting Turn 4 with a lap car ahead of him, O’Neal hit the hyperdrive and blasted around the outside of the #99 to take the lead on Lap 45.Moran tried to keep pace, but O’Neal ran a perfect trajectory to the checkered flag.“To be honest, we took the green and I rode the middle and I felt like I could steer a little bit better than everybody could,” O’Neal said. “I started rolling around there and catching that middle and started driving by some guys stacked up on the bottom and the first caution came out [three] laps in and I looked up and I’m running 12th. I thought, ‘Oh man, starting 12th is a whole lot better than starting [23rd],’ and we had a lot of laps left.“There for a while I was passing them, and I stalled out about fourth or so there and I just thought I don’t know if I have anything for them or not. I used my stuff up hard trying to get there. I don’t know, man, sometimes things just workout. Tonight, was one of those nights.”In addition to the milestone marks of O’Neal’s triumph, he also won the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award, rocketing his way from 23rd to first, and became the fourth different driver to win for Rocket1 Racing.“It means a lot, we’ve always been a big supporter of the World of Outlaws,” Richards said. “(O’Neal) makes the fourth driver to win for us. Bart Hartman won World of Outlaws races for us. Brandon (Sheppard) and Josh (Richards) won World of Outlaws races over the years. He’s starting a new chapter for us.”That chapter will always be remembered as another unforgettable “rocket launch” in Florida.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series continues its 2023 season at Smoky Mountain Speedway, March 3-4. For the full 2023 schedule, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.RESULTSCase Construction Equipment Feature (50 Laps): 1. 1-Hudson O’Neal[23]; 2. 99-Devin Moran[8]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[20]; 4. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 5. 76-Brandon Overton[7]; 6. B5-Brandon Sheppard[18]; 7. 44-Chris Madden[2]; 8. 32-Bobby Pierce[5]; 9. 8-Brian Shirley[3]; 10. 111-Max Blair[9]; 11. 18D-Daulton Wilson[11]; 12. 40B-Kyle Bronson[15]; 13. 19R-Ryan Gustin[13]; 14. 12-Ashton Winger[28]; 15. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[25]; 16. B1-Brent Larson[22]; 17. 9-Nick Hoffman[27]; 18. 18-Chase Junghans[12]; 19. 11-Gordy Gundaker[26]; 20. 25-Shane Clanton[6]; 21. 99B-Boom Briggs[29]; 22. 22*-Payton Freeman[30]; 23. 96V-Tanner English[14]; 24. 20-Jimmy Owens[17]; 25. 17M-Dale McDowell[19]; 26. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[24]; 27. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 28. 76N-Blair Nothdurft[16]; 29. 89-Mike Spatola[21]; 30. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[10] |
| The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: CASE Construction Equipment (Official Construction Equipment), CASE No.1 Engine Oil™ (Official Oil and Lubricant), DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), Toyota (Official Vehicle), and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, Fox Factory (Hard Charger Award), Low-E Insulation, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Swift Springs, and Wieland Metal Services (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Capital Race Cars, FIREBULL, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis, and Sea Foam. |
chevy racing–nascar–daytona–aj allmendinger
| NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 18, 2023 |
AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS CAMARO ZL1, was the fastest Chevrolet driver in the NASCAR Cup Series final practice. Press Conference Transcript: AJ Allmendinger was the fastest Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series final practice before the Daytona 500. AJ, tell us a little bit about your car and what you’re looking forward to tomorrow.“It was pretty easy to be the quickest Chevy… I think there was only three of us that went out there. It’s been good. We decided yesterday not to practice just to kind of fine tune everything. There were only a few things that we wanted to try. I felt like in the Duels, we never got the track position, but the car had pretty good speed in it. So, more than anything, it’s me just trying to learn the techniques of this car on the superspeedway because I didn’t run any of the (Cup) races on superspeedways last year. Overall, I feel like it’s pretty good. It’s going to just be more about learning during the race tomorrow with 40 cars out there; how the car is reacting. It will be a little bit warmer than today. How the tires start to slide around and stuff with that many cars around you. I’m pretty happy with everything. We’ll be ready to go tomorrow. It’s really cool to have Nutrien Ag Solutions on the car; moving up to Cup with me. It’s been a great partnership with our race team for the past several years now, so for them to come to the Cup side with me means a lot. It’s really cool to have them here.” Based on what you’ve learned about the car so far, have you developed a strategy for tomorrow?“I think as we’ve all seen, it’s hard to get a third line working around here. In the past, I was always one of those guys that would kind of just sit back early on in the race and just let it develop. Some of it, at those times, maybe I didn’t quite have the speed to consistently run up front. So it was more about trying to time when to get up front and stay there at the end of the race. With this car, I feel like you have to have more track position early on. So with 100 laps to go – I think 60 to 70 to go – you need your track position. It’s hard to try to get back up there. What I fought in the Duel was I felt like we were pretty decent, but it’s just hard to make moves. So I think trying to get up front however we do that and obviously trying to stay there, especially after halfway, is going to be really critical. The cars in traffic get aero-tight. Obviously we see when you’re pushing, if you push the wrong way, it’s tough. So it’s going to be a challenge tomorrow, but I think just trying to get up front early and hopefully stay there is probably the best thing.” You’ve done this before. You’re no stranger to this week, but it’s been five years. Is the emotion different coming back to the Daytona 500 now compared to where you were in 2018. “No, I mean I’m always nervous. As soon as I get here, I feel the nerves right when I drive into the tunnel. It’s like as you land and drive into the tunnel, the nerves and anxiety builds up a little bit, which is a great thing because it should be like that. This is a special race to be a part of. I don’t take it for granted. I hate superspeedway racing; but with that said, when they would drop the green every year over the last five years, there was a piece of me just missing it. I feel very fortunate and lucky to be in this position and have this opportunity again. The nerves have built up over the week. I’m sure I’ll struggle to sleep tonight and wake up tomorrow and basically hurry up to get to (driver) intros. There’s a lot that goes on in the morning for all the drivers, but hurry up and get to intros and get inside the car because the nerves will definitely be there. Once you start the engine, it’s go-time.” Both times you’ve ran third here, you started deep. You start deep again tomorrow.. is that a good omen? “The race is long enough; it doesn’t matter where you start. As I said, the track position is more critical, but if you have a fast car, you can still work your way up there. I think it’s more that you have to pick and choose when you do it because if you kind of go for it and you get kind of tossed to the back, it’s a lot harder to get back up there now. But yeah, if it’s meant to be and we make the right moves – there’s so much luck that goes into this too. You just try to make the right moves and if a wreck happens and you’re part of it, that is what it is. You just don’t want to be the cause of the wreck. That was always my mindset. We’ll be ready to go. I’m so pumped to be back here. This is a great race for all of us to be a part. We should all feel lucky enough that we get to do this.” When you approach three-wide situations, how do you really react to that knowing there’s not a lot of room for error? “Yeah, I mean these cars stall out really easy. So I think if you’re trying to start the third lane, you have to have a massive run. You can’t just pop out and hope a couple of guys go with you and make it work like the old car. This car, you have to make a run; have a big head of stem and generally know that guys will go with you. If you get stuck in the middle three-wide, you have to be careful, especially later in the tire run. But it’s all part of it.” When you compare the energy of the crowd here at Daytona versus other tracks, what do you find to be a lot more stimulating knowing the history of this track? “It’s one of the biggest races we have in the world.. the Daytona 500. I feel like if you’re not a motorsports fan, you can still say certain races and they get what it is. You say the Indianapolis 500, they know what that is. You say the Daytona 500, they know what it is. You know if you win the race that you become a part of a legendary group that has won the Daytona 500. You feel that in the crowd, too. The people here – even the people that are first timers that have never been here and are just learning what racing is – they know what the Daytona 500 is. You feel that energy as soon as you wake up tomorrow morning. This place is packed. It’s sold out – infield, grandstands. Not that drivers need any more reason to be pumped up to race the Daytona 500, but you feel the energy in the crowd and that just gives it a little bit more.” Simulations are great, but can you learn anything from watching previous finishes here? “Yeah, I’ve watched a lot of in-car and race footage from last year. Just trying to get an understanding of how the runs formulate and what you have to do to put yourself in the right position. But in the end of the day, it’s great to watch all of that and put that in the notebook and the mind, but you have to feel it. You have to be in that position. As we’ve seen many of times with this race, there’s no one way or another to win it. It’s great to be the first car leading off of turn four and we’ve seen people lose it that way. I felt like Austin (Dillon) did a great job last year because they had a big run on him and he did what he had to do to win the race. But yeah, you put all of those notes in your head; but at the end of the day, it’s different every time you’re a part of it. I’ve always said – you make what you think is the best decision in the moment and after, you can always nit-pick on whether it was the right decision. But you give yourself the best opportunity to make that decision. If it works out, it works out.” The past few days, several of us have had the opportunity to make single-car runs in the Racing Experience cars and figured out what you guys do behind the wheel is probably a little more difficult than what we give you credit for in the past. But how do you guys keep the cars settled without basically bouncing all over each other? “Well we’re paid not to wreck, so that’s the ultimate goal to try not to wreck (laughs) and it hurts if you do. It’s a challenge. You make a single-car run, a lot of people can do that wide open. It’s not hard to do. I will say in this car, it was a little more difficult. They bounce around a lot more in qualifying. But yeah, you get three- or four-wide, that’s why we’re supposed to be the best of the best.” Going back to the trust factor that we hear you guys talk about, with who you’re racing around..“We don’t trust any of each other.. let’s be honest (laughs). We know who is maybe a little safer and who’s a little more aggressive. But let’s not lie to each other, we don’t trust anyone out there.” It’s no secret with Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity program, the team’s been dominate at Daytona and Talladega in recent years. How much have you been able to carryover from the Kaulig Xfinity results to prepare for the first multi-car Cup Series run in the Daytona 500?“The Cup Series is such a challenge; it’s difficult. That’s the point of it. There are 40 of us out there and we’re the best of the best, and that’s why we’re in those seats. It’s a lot more challenging. A lot of it also goes with ECR, Chevrolet and all of our partners that help us get to that point of why our stuff is so fast on the Xfinity and the Cup side of it. But yeah, it’s a lot more difficult. I think in the Xfinity Series, part of it is – in complete honesty – there’s not as many good cars in the race, and because of that, you’re able to get a lot of cars that want to hookup with you because they know your car is fast and they just want to go with you. So sometimes it’s even easier to make moves. Although, by the end of my Xfinity side of it, the field figured out they didn’t want the Kaulig Chevy’s linked up together because – whether it was Justin (Haley), myself, and Ross (Chastain); or Ross and Justin; or Jeb (Burton), Daniel (Hemric) and Landon (Cassill) – part of the culture is that we’re all in it together to try and win the race. In the end of the day, sure, you want to be the guy that wins the race. But it sets the tone with Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice and on down the line, that we’re helping each other. I think we showed that constantly in the Xfinity Series. It’s a lot more difficult in the Cup Series. There are a lot of four-car teams that are all really good, so it’ll be a lot more challenging. But myself and Justin (Haley) work so well together, so if we’re upfront, we know we’re going to help each other. Of course we want to be the one that wins the Daytona 500, but if Justin wins and I follow him across the line, I’m taking just as much pride in that as if I’m winning. That’s still the culture and that’s what we’re going to try and do.” |
chevy racing–nascar–daytona–jimmie johnson
| NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 17, 2023 |
| JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CARVANA CAMARO ZL1, was the fastest car overall in the first practice session in advance of the Daytona 500. Press Conference Transcript – While you’ve been away, there’s been a lot of wrecks in this race at the end. How do you see that.. have we evolved to almost anything goes in the last 10 laps or not? “I think the blocking is probably one of the biggest issues, and it’s also one of the most important things to get right to maintain track position. I think that’s what’s changed the most from the years that I’ve been a Cup driver is the late blocks and the aggression of the blocks. We’ve had variations of pushing and being able to slam draft, bump draft, whatever it might be. The cars still don’t really like that. I was able to do some of that tonight and get a feel for it. You still need a pretty delicate touch to pull it off. I think that’s what happened last night with the No. 8 car and the No. 99. Just too much energy and just gets the car toggling from side-to-side and around it goes. I don’t think it’s intentional. I don’t think the crashes at the end of these races are that you’re not trying to crash someone. You’re trying to win, right? So you’re trying to block to protect; you’re trying to shove somebody to make your lane go. It comes from a good place, but sadly it tears up a lot of race cars.” Do you have any sense that people might help you more because if they push you to the win, it doesn’t impact the Playoffs? “I don’t think anybody is visualizing the win just yet. I think you’re still trying to figure out who you’re going to work with; who can receive a push, who can push well, who has speed. I certainly helped myself today by being in that fast Chevy pack and working with my old teammates. But when it comes to the last lap, it’s every man for himself. I don’t expect anyone to cut me any slack.” At Media Day, you hadn’t really been in the car, expect for your test out in Phoenix for a day or so. Now that you’ve had a race in this new car and have had practice in this new car, what do you think of it? Does it remind you of anything you’ve driven before in your career?“I would say 70 or 80 percent of it is still a stock car and still the draft here. So the large majority of it is familiar; the large majority of the experience. I’m remembering little details as I make laps and get into the zone that – yeah this works or doesn’t work. Turn four is always tricky. Pit lane entry, pit lane exit, blend line.. all the details are coming back and it’s still really there. That will help you run in the middle of the pack. But to win the race, you have to be on your game. That’s the part I’m still trying to refine and why I ran every lap I could just now. And I plan to again tomorrow and then still a ton of learning to come in the race itself.” Do you like the way the car feels?“It drives like a stock car. It doesn’t drive like an INDYCAR, thank god.. we know how that went (laughs).” I’m sure as a veteran, you’ve had plenty of young people in your time come up and ask for advice or tricks out on the track. Have you found yourself this week asking any of the younger drivers or current Cup drivers for advice? “Yeah, I’d say leading into Phoenix and then coming here. I did sim for both of them. I spent a lot of time in the shop with Erik (Jones) and Noah (Gragson), just asking questions. Noah was at the track in Phoenix, as well as Erik, obviously driving, so I’ve been able to really lean on those two. They’ve joked a little bit about the fact that they’re giving me so much and they thought it would be the other way around. But honestly with the new car and where the speed hides in this new style of car – setups, driving style, experience you need to really manhandle it – I’ve been all ears listening to them. They’ve both been very helpful.” What is something specific that a Noah Gragson can teach or tell Jimmie Johnson? “When we’re sitting there with our hands – doing all the hand talk that drivers do – in those conversations about like where the weight is sitting when you go back to the throttle; how the car might slide. This car seems to hop a lot when the rearend starts to slide across the track, which is new. I noticed that in the sim preparing for Phoenix that there was like a rear tire chatter and then the car would get loose. And I thought it was just something in the sim and maybe not the way the experience would be in real life, and then I got to Phoenix and found out that was the case. I think Conor Daly last night had the extreme that we all saw. I don’t know how he has feeling in his teeth still (laughs). So that would be one specific, kind of technical piece, that I’m trying to get used to.” Is this one of those cases of the more things change, the more they stay the same, in reference to you being on top of a speed chart in a Cup Series car? Is this a case of with it really being your first, true weekend in a Next Gen car, that you don’t necessarily have any ‘bad habits’ to unlearn because you haven’t really experienced all of this until now?“Yeah, I honestly think it’s too early to read far into this. It is plate racing. That was just a practice session. We didn’t make any mistakes and did some things right to end up where we did. The other races we’ll run – once we’re able to figure out what those races are – we’ll see how I stack up. If it’s a short track, a mile-and-a-half, road course, whatever it might be.. those are all different, unique challenges that come with it. For plate racing, I think that we have a really good driving race car. I think the Hendrick cars have a bit more speed from anything I saw out there on track, which qualifying is pretty obvious for that. But it’s just still early and anything can still happen. I’m glad to be in here. I’m glad we’re at the top of the board and not at the bottom. I’m sure the headlines would read a little differently if we were on the other end of it.” You were side-by-side with the No. 48 out there. What was just the emotion of that.. was it weird or was it just another car?“Seeing him wasn’t weird, but having my spotter say the No. 48 car was outside of me was really weird. Two or three times, I had to remind myself because I really thought it was me when I’m hearing the No. 48. I’m like – yeah, I’m here.. why are you telling me the No. 48 is next to me (laughs). I have not driven the No. 48 car since I left that No. 48 car, so that part was different. But from a visual standpoint, I’m used to seeing Alex (Bowman) in the car and that part was fine. But through my ears, hearing about the No. 48, threw me off.” You mentioned still trying to figure out what the rest of your schedule is going to look like. From the ownership standpoint, is it important for you to have their answer in the races that you’re running, just to better understand the feedback from the drivers and what they’re going to need moving forward? “Yeah, there are many ways to look at the races I run. Right now, kind of our pecking order is of course finding sponsorship for the car. And then secondly, what is going to not hurt the team – from a work load standpoint, car count and aspects that go with that. And then it is to help the other two cars. Once we get six months into this and I think we can staff up accordingly, get our inventory right and kind of catch our breath from the busy offseason we’ve had – we can maybe shuffle the prioritization of those. The goal, ultimately, is to have the No. 84 car really help the other two cars. Help really drive technology and really be a performance reason as to why it’s on-track. We’re just not there yet, but that’s kind of in our 12 month forecast.” We got a look today at the Garage 56 Camaro. What do you think of that car, that project, that opportunity? “I’m thrilled to be a part of it and what a fun car. I’m sure you saw some of the specs for it – how much lighter the race car is, the downforce that’s on it, the carbon brakes, paddle shifting – it really is fun to drive. I’m so thankful to be part of the program. I literally leave here Sunday; drive in a rental car over to Sebring to do a 24 hour endurance test with the guys. It’s going to be a busy couple of days of driving.” What do you need to do to prepare for Le Mans?“Obviously, the testing that we’re doing is one piece of it. But the rules, flags, there’s a lot of things that are different in the way they officiate for that particular event. I have to go over before the race and spend a day in the simulator to learn where their flagman stations are, what their flags mean. There are some pit road procedures that I need to be aware of and pay attention to. So I’ll head over a few days early to go into their simulator to drive that. And then at home, I’ve just been using my sim rig and doing a bunch on iRacing. I’ve been out in the Corvette GT car and I’ve put only prototypes out that are faster than me. I’ll put as many as they’ll give me.. it’s usually around 60-70 cars on track, just so they’re chasing me and overtaking me. Every time I’ve been in a sportscar race, I’ve been in the fastest division and have not had to worry about my mirrors, and I’m really concerned about that. I want to make sure I’m leaving a lane when I need to and know what’s coming behind me, and I’m using iRacing to do that.” With the thunderbirds, where does that experience rank for you? “Yeah, that’s probably near the top. I’ve never felt anything like that; the adrenaline, the acceleration. The first thing we did is we got off the runway and picked up the gear and did a performance turn to 10,000 feet. Instantly, I had to practice the heavy-g breathing that they talk to you about. It’s just wild. Just the weight of your body and the experience of pointing that thing in the sky; they roll it over and turn and all kinds of stuff. It was great. I was really worried about getting sick and I’m happy to report that my ‘get sick’ bag was empty. I did not get sick during the ride, so that was super good. But I did take a little nap. We pulled 9.1G’s and I blacked out. I came to sitting in the back wondering where I was, what was going on. It was wild because I couldn’t hear anything and I’m looking around like – what am I doing in an airplane? And then I could hear somebody say ‘Jimmie.. Jimmie.. Jimmie’, and then it got loud and I’m like ‘yeah!’. They were like, ‘hey, you’re back.. I think you took a nap’. I said, ‘I believe I did.. I have no clue where I am or what I’m doing right now (laughs)’. That was wild.” Hearing about the No. 48 in your ear – did Earl say ‘new leader No. 84’ today? “He’s with Noah (Gragson).” Oh, you gave Earl up? “I did. It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but wearing my team owner hat and knowing the experience that Earl has and what he can share with Noah (Gragson). Noah started talking to me about Earl before we announced that I was going to be a part of the team. Neither Earl or Noah knew what was going on. I just sensed it was the right thing to do, so I was like – yeah, I don’t know what my racing is going to be next year.. you guys put that deal together. And then I was able to call them both and say – hey, now you get it.” Who spots for you? “Jesse Vaughan. He was, I believe, the backup No. 11 car spotter on the Cup side, and has done Truck, Xfinity and ARCA a bunch.”Does he know the rules, that he has to say ‘new leader, No. 84’?“No, I’m not going to put that pressure on him. That’s an Earl-thing. We’ll see what he says. He didn’t say that tonight, though. He says ‘dude’ a lot, which I can relate with that. I’m not sure where he’s from, but I’m used to hearing ‘dude’ (laughs).” |
1 MONTH ALERT: World of Outlaws Late Models Return to Boyd’s For Shamrock 100
The doubleheader weekend, March 17-18, will feature a $135,000 overall purse with a $20,000-to-win finale
Ringgold, GA – Feb. 17, 2023 – The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series will make its first Georgia stop of the year at Boyd’s Speedway for the inaugural Shamrock 100, March 17-18.
Boasting a $135,000 overall purse, the two-day event will see a field of elite drivers duel for a $10,000 payday on Friday and a $20,000 top prize on Saturday.
The 3/8-mile track hosted the premier Late Model series for the first-time last September, producing two of the most thrilling races of the year. With its new date in March, the Shamrock 100 is poised to do the same.
TICKETS: CLICK HERE
Event Highlights:
GEORGIA BOYS: Georgia will be represented well at the Shamrock 100 with 2015 World of Outlaws CASE Late Model champion Shane Clanton, of Zebulon, GA, and 2023 Rookie of the Year contender Payton Freeman, of Commerce, GA.
While not with the World of Outlaws, both drivers have a victory at track. Clanton won there with the Southern Regional Racing Series in 2008 and Freeman won there in 2022 with the Iron-Man Southern Late Model Series.
Both drivers were at the World of Outlaws’ debut at Boyd’s in September but will be looking for their first top-10 finish with the Series at the track in March.
THE CHAMP IS HERE: Reigning Series champion Dennis Erb, Jr., of Carpentersville, IL, will continue his year-long drive for a second consecutive title at Boyd’s.
He’s made five starts at the Georgia track and earned his career best finish at Boyd’s with the World of Outlaws in September. After a 10th-place the first night with the Series, he finished fifth the final night.
DRIVE FOR FIVE: Four-time World of Outlaws champion Brandon Sheppard will continue his trek for a fifth Series title, he’s ran at twice with a national touring series. In his first start at the track he finished 15th and in his second he finished eighth.
Like many of the tracks on the Series schedule this year, he’ll make his first appearance at Boyd’s with his own car as Sheppard is piloting the Sheppard Riggs Racing #B5 Longhorn Chassis Late Model.
PREVIOUS WINNERS:
Jimmy Owens – Sept. 23, 2022
Ryan Gustin – Sept. 24, 2022
EVENT INFO: CLICK HERE
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
chevy racing–nascar–daytona–jim campbell
| NASCAR CUP SERIES DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DAYTONA 500 TEAM CHEVY OEM PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT FEBRUARY 17, 2023 |
| Jim Campbell, U.S. vice president of performance and motorsports for Chevrolet, was part of a panel discussion that met with the media along with representative peers from Ford and Toyota on Friday am. The following is the transcript from Campbell’s portion of the interview: WHAT’S NEW FOR YOU HEADING INTO 2023 AND WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWAD TO WATCHING? “Yeah, 2022 was a big year obviously for the series with the new car and for Chevy a lot of success with the Cup car with 19 wins, 24 wins with Xfinity and a couple of manufacturer’s championships. But we didn’t win the driver’s championship as these guys took that position, so obviously some goals ahead for this year. We have a lot of long time teams with Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing, and then Trackhouse coming from the Ganassi side. Great partners and just great to see the extensions with Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain. Obviously, we now have a lot of young drivers that are hitting their stride. We kind of turned our driver lineup over, over the past five or six years and the young drivers are now coming back from multiple years and hitting their stride. Obviously adding Noah Gragson, welcoming AJ (Allmendinger) back to the Cup Series and then bringing two of the winningest drivers in the series and ones that know a couple of things about championships in Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch. So, its going to be an exciting year. On the Truck Series side, KBM, Kyle Busch’s truck team is now going to be a great addition and we have some really terrific drivers coming into that series. Xfinity as well. Looking forward to the season and I have a couple of my colleagues here, Jim Danahy, our VP of Engineering and Eric Warren who is our director of all our NASCAR programs. I am not sure if Pat Suhy is here, he is probably in the garage right now.” REGARDING DEVELOPING HYBRIDAZATION, ELECTRIFICATION “I think the guys kind of said it but low carbon fuel is something we are working across many of the series on. In every series we are working on what are those steps to hybridization or are they going to do some testing in the electrification space. We have a lot to learn, as we do on the production side. In IMSA, we are running in the GTP category and we have a hybrid, in INDYCAR we have a hybrid coming next year, and I think every series has a hybrid consideration and I think there is going to be some testing in the EV space where we are really going to learn. And we do have to learn, not only technically, but from a market facing and fan side. So, that’s where we are at and obviously as a company we have a foot in both camps and we have an amazing portfolio of internal combustion engine vehicles. And we are introducing a whole host of EVs. We have the Bolt and Bolt EV and we have the Silverado EV work truck, which will start in production in March, and we have a Blazer EV and Equinox EV. We will bring the retail truck for the Silverado in November, the RST, which we showed. We have a lot of great internal combustion engines, so we have a foot in both camps and we just have to work with the series and the teams around when is the right place to bring that in, plus the sustainable fuel. The low carbon fuels are important.” REGARDING THE PIT STOP STRATEGY IN THE DUELS LAST NIGHT AND YOUR REACTIONS TO THAT “I would just say that at this speedway, one thing is for sure, drafting with others is the only way to stay in the pack and winning. If you want to do it on your own, you are going right to the back as we know. You saw different manufacturers drafting with one another and you saw moments when the manufacturers kind of got together. You have to draft, I think to stay up near the front. That is the key. And obviously the Duels kind of showed two things, we didn’t win either of them, but we did show speed I believe, particularly in the second one. Obviously in the qualifying we got a couple of guys on the front row, so there is some speed there. We do have to work together to some degree. Whether its your own manufacturer teammates or others, you do have to have people to draft with to get to the front.” CHEVY HAS HAD SUCCESS AT THE BIG TRACKS LATELY, BUT NOT THIS RACE, IS THERE A MESSAGE OR A HUNGER TO YOUR TEAMS TO CLOSE THE DEAL AT THIS PLACE “Oh, for sure. We have won this race 24 times and the last time we won it was with Austin Dillon in 2018 as you know, and with that said, Chevy drivers won 3 of the 4 speedway races. Both Talladega races and then Austin won the transfer race at Daytona. So we won 3 of the 4 there and we won both of the Atlanta races, however you want to categorize the Atlanta track. We have shown that we can do it, but we have got to do it here. You are exactly right, so we are definitely hungry for that. This is the weekend to go from 24 to 25 if we can get organized and get it done.” REGARDING A SALARY CAP FOR TEAMS “Not much more to add. The details matter and this is right now between the teams and the series. If it ends up going that way, the details matter.” HOW ARE THINGS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN FOR YOU AS OPPOSED TO LAST YEAR? “Better. Its better, but there are still some stress areas. It’s better than it was a year ago, but broadly speaking, the same comment would go for our overall automotive business. Last two years very tight, two years ago was chips for semiconductors, very tight. Last year was chips and other supply chain considerations where we got some pinch points. Its getting better, but its not completely normal and I would say the same thing goes for the racing side.” HOW MIGHT F1 INVESTMENT IMPACT ANYTHING WITH YOUR CUP TEAMS AND RELATIONSHIPS THERE AND WHAT YOU MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE? “I would say for us, we are early in the process. Just this past week we submitted our expression of interest to the FIA, so there are a number of steps before we would be considered to be in the series. So, we still have a ways to go on our side, but this would be complimentary and we use performance and racing as a place to really learn on the track and develop employees. Obviously, you get the benefits on the business side as well because when you win races you lift the opinion of the brand. So, I would just say we are early in the process, but this would be complimentary and we believe in the platform as a way to bring value to our company, but also to promote our brands and driver business.” GIVE US YOUR IMPRESSION OF DANIEL SUAREZ AS A DRIVER PRO AND A PERSON “We really value what Daniel has brought to Trackhouse and Chevrolet. He got his first win the Cup Series with Trackhouse and Chevy and I love what he is doing in bringing new fans to the sport and he does it every day through his social media efforts. He does it at select tracks where he invites friends in who have never been to the race, and as a result, we have a chance to grow the sport. I love what he is going and thrilled that he had an extension announcement with Trackhouse. Love what he is doing and I think what you will see when we introduced the Blazer EV, last year, if you saw it in the introduction video that we did, Daniel Suarez is there. And you will see him in the way that we introduce and promote our vehicles that are coming to market. So, love Daniel and all of our drivers. We want to use all of our drivers in a way to build excitement, enthusiasm and interest in not only our performance on track but what is happening back in the showroom and market. Daniel is a great example of that. Going back to the question on driver development, I think Chase Elliott was signed at 14 by Rick Hendrick. I don’t think he bought him from anybody else and that was a straight hire at 14. I remember getting the call from Rick when he signed him and he has gone on to do some great things. We do have a lot of seats in the Chevy fold, which is great. A lot of drivers who are driving everywhere in the series are coming to Chevy, because we have opportunities as you go up. So we will probably see 63% in the Cup side and somewhere around two-thirds in the Xfinity Series. So for drivers that want to move north, we have got opportunities for them. And in addition, I don’t know if you caught last night, but a woman named Katie Hettinger, don’t know if you know her. She won at New Smyrna in a pro late model in the World Series of Asphalt, first female winner, with Chevy. She is one of our development drivers that Eric and Jim have in our program. Watch for Nick Sanchez out of Rev Racing and obviously now coming to the Truck Series now with Danny Stockman and KB and that team. Rajah Caruth, with GMS, he was pretty quick yesterday in practice, so we are excited. There is more to do for sure, but I am really excited that Chevy has a lot of seats and drivers that want to go north in the series.” |
Burton Finishes Ninth in Daytona Duel Qualifying Race
February 17, 2023
Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang rode a Ford train to a ninth-place finish in the first of two Bluegreen Vacation Duel qualifying races at Daytona International Speedway on Thursday’s night.
Burton’s finish earned him the 19th-place starting spot for Sunday’s 65th-annual Daytona 500.
Burton, in the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang, lined up fifth for the start of the 60-lap, 150-mile Duel after posting the ninth-best time in pole qualifying on Wednesday night.
He dropped back a bit in the opening laps but was back among the top five by Lap 13 and ran in the top five until the Ford drivers headed to pit road at the race’s midpoint.
Burton settled in sixth place after returning to the track as the Ford pack played their strategy just right and held the lead through the pit stop cycle.
Burton ran in sixth place until the final two laps, where he dropped three positions to ninth but emerged with a Mustang with no damage heading into the two practice sessions and then the Daytona 500.
The caution-free race was won by Ford’s Joey Logano while Burton was one of seven Mustang drivers in the top nine at the finish.
“We were playing the conservative game all day,” Burton told reporters after the race. “We wanted to keep our 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imagining Ford Mustang in one piece.
“That was the biggest thing, really. The risk versus the reward for this race isn’t there unless you’re going to win it…. I tried to be smart and tried not to flip on the backstretch this year.
“I’m trying to learn from mistakes, but it was a decent day.”
Burton said the true indicator of the speed and handling of his Motorcraft/DEX Imaging Mustang won’t show until the upcoming practice sessions, when the No. 21 team will tune their car for the Daytona 500.
“We had a pretty ill-handling car just from qualifying,” he said. “We tried to go for a fast qualifying lap and did that, but that kind of hurts you in this race.”
No adjustments were allowed between qualifying and the Duels.
“We’ll get the car driving better,” Burton said. “I’ll be more aggressive on Sunday and hopefully be up front at the end of that thing.”
The first Cup practice session is scheduled to start at 5:35 p.m. on Friday, with the second and final practice getting the green flag at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
The 65th-annual Daytona 500 is scheduled to start just after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, with Stage breaks at Laps 65 and 130.
FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage of the practice sessions, with FOX broadcasting the Daytona 500.
SMOOTH MOVE: Bobby Pierce Wins DIRTcar Nationals Last Lap Thriller
After a near perfect night for Brandon Overton, Pierce sneaked by on the final lap to claim his fifth World of Outlaws victory
By Nick Graziano
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 16, 2023 – Brandon Overton was checking every box to have a perfect night at Volusia Speedway Park on Thursday, even holding the lead when the white flag pointed in his direction. Then came Bobby Pierce.
For the first time all night, Overton saw a car pass him with less than half a mile to go until the checkered flag. After Overton slid himself through the first turn, Pierce sailed underneath the #76 machine and powered ahead down the backstretch.
Hoping to rebound from two bad nights at Volusia with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series in January, and eager to bring home a golden gator trophy to his girlfriend, Pierce fended off Overton through the final corner as he ran to the finish line.
“The last time we were [at Volusia] for the World of Outlaws races, you know, I didn’t have good showings and couldn’t complete our nights, so we’ve been kind of building on that,” said Pierce, of Oakwood, IL. “We’ve ran all the Features, so far, made all the laps, and it was just fine tuning the race cars after that.
“We needed this win to make up points with [the World of Outlaws]… We got this first night out. If we can knock out another one that would be a big points jump that we’ll gain.”
The victory, coming during the first night of World of Outlaws CASE Late Model action at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, is Pierce’s second DIRTcar Nationals win – first with the World of Outlaws – and fifth Series win overall.
However, Overton didn’t initially leave much hope for anyone to steal the win away from him with the early trajectory of his night. He set Quick Time in Low-E Insulation Qualifying, won the CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat Race and drew the pole for the 30-lap Feature. Then, he drove away from the 29-car field in the caution-free race.
Pierce drew the fourth starting position, but said he’d rather have a bottom row starting spot. However, he didn’t waste time getting to the bottom lane at the start of the Feature, cruising to second-place by Lap 4.
Current Big Gator championship points leader Tim McCreadie, who started a row behind Pierce in sixth, also made a quick charge to the front. He powered to fourth on the first lap and then second the next lap. His time in the runner-up spot was short lived, though, as Pierce came through to steal it.
The two stayed within striking distance of Overton, even closing in after the halfway point when he got caught in traffic. But once Overton found clean air, he gapped Pierce by more than a second.
With five laps to go and a healthy distance between first and second, Overton’s perfect night was minutes away from being complete. Pierce wasn’t ready to give up, though.
By running the top lane, and getting some assistance from slower cars in front of Overton, Pierce closed within a car length of the #76 car with three laps to go. When flagger Dave Farney showed them the double popsicle sticks, Pierce was on Overton’s bumper going into Turn 1. He stayed there down the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4.
Looking low before turning into the first corner on the final lap, Pierce was eager to make his move.
Overton slid up the track with a slower car hugging the bottom, opening the door for Pierce to rocket underneath him and get enough grip off the bottom to pull ahead down the backstretch.
Both drivers threw their cars into the final corner, exiting sideways off Turn 4 but Pierce held the advantage at the line with the checkered flag waving.
“I guess now thinking back, when I went to the top that flustered him up,” Pierce said. “I think his crew guys told him I had ran the top and was pretty good, because after that he kept moving up a little and I just kept poking in there on the bottom and I was getting better the lower I got. It was slimy so it had to come in.
“There at the end… one of my crew guys, he’d told me I won here before, just do what I do and a couple times when I messed up I just thought of that really.”
Overton admitted he made the wrong move going into Turn 1 on the final lap, stating it was a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.
“Should’ve just stayed on the bottom, I made a wrong move,” Overton said. “I tried to arc out and tried to float across and Bobby (Pierce) was down there and blew by me. Just kind of got aggravated. I knew he was closing in… you stay on the bottom, he drives around you on the top or do what I did and he drives around you. It is what it is, we had a good car.”
McCreadie didn’t have enough to enter the battle and had to settle for third – his worst finish of the week. With the DIRTcar Late Models the first three nights of DIRTcar Nationals, he finished second, first and first. His third-place run also helped him further extend his Big Gator points lead to a 25-point advantage over Hudson O’Neal.
Chris Madden, who is the current World of Outlaws CASE Late Model points leader, earned the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award for the race, making his way from 23rd to 15th.
Both points battles continue Friday, Feb. 17, during the $12,000-to-win Feature. The Big Gator championship will be decided at the conclusion of Saturday’s $20,000-to-win main event.
UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series continues its 2023 season at Volusia Speedway Park, Friday, Feb. 17. For tickets, CLICK HERE.
If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.
RESULTS
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[6]; 4. 18-Chase Junghans[2]; 5. 1-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell[3]; 7. 49-Jonathan Davenport[10]; 8. 111-Max Blair[9]; 9. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[14]; 10. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[16]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[11]; 12. 99-Devin Moran[15]; 13. 40B-Kyle Bronson[17]; 14. 8S-Kyle Strickler[8]; 15. 44-Chris Madden[23]; 16. 8-Brian Shirley[5]; 17. 19R-Ryan Gustin[20]; 18. B5-Brandon Sheppard[25]; 19. 11-Gordy Gundaker[12]; 20. 9-Nick Hoffman[13]; 21. 10-Mike Norris[21]; 22. 18D-Daulton Wilson[18]; 23. 1ST-Johnny Scott[24]; 24. B1-Brent Larson[29]; 25. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[22]; 26. 96V-Tanner English[26]; 27. 25-Shane Clanton[28]; 28. 22*-Payton Freeman[27]; 29. 5-Mark Whitener[19]
SMOOTH MOVE: Bobby Pierce Wins DIRTcar Nationals Last Lap Thriller
After a near perfect night for Brandon Overton, Pierce sneaked by on the final lap to claim his fifth World of Outlaws victoryBy Nick GrazianoBARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 16, 2023 – Brandon Overton was checking every box to have a perfect night at Volusia Speedway Park on Thursday, even holding the lead when the white flag pointed in his direction. Then came Bobby Pierce.For the first time all night, Overton saw a car pass him with less than half a mile to go until the checkered flag. After Overton slid himself through the first turn, Pierce sailed underneath the #76 machine and powered ahead down the backstretch.Hoping to rebound from two bad nights at Volusia with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series in January, and eager to bring home a golden gator trophy to his girlfriend, Pierce fended off Overton through the final corner as he ran to the finish line.“The last time we were [at Volusia] for the World of Outlaws races, you know, I didn’t have good showings and couldn’t complete our nights, so we’ve been kind of building on that,” said Pierce, of Oakwood, IL. “We’ve ran all the Features, so far, made all the laps, and it was just fine tuning the race cars after that.“We needed this win to make up points with [the World of Outlaws]… We got this first night out. If we can knock out another one that would be a big points jump that we’ll gain.”The victory, coming during the first night of World of Outlaws CASE Late Model action at Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals, is Pierce’s second DIRTcar Nationals win – first with the World of Outlaws – and fifth Series win overall.However, Overton didn’t initially leave much hope for anyone to steal the win away from him with the early trajectory of his night. He set Quick Time in Low-E Insulation Qualifying, won the CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat Race and drew the pole for the 30-lap Feature. Then, he drove away from the 29-car field in the caution-free race.Pierce drew the fourth starting position, but said he’d rather have a bottom row starting spot. However, he didn’t waste time getting to the bottom lane at the start of the Feature, cruising to second-place by Lap 4.Current Big Gator championship points leader Tim McCreadie, who started a row behind Pierce in sixth, also made a quick charge to the front. He powered to fourth on the first lap and then second the next lap. His time in the runner-up spot was short lived, though, as Pierce came through to steal it.The two stayed within striking distance of Overton, even closing in after the halfway point when he got caught in traffic. But once Overton found clean air, he gapped Pierce by more than a second.With five laps to go and a healthy distance between first and second, Overton’s perfect night was minutes away from being complete. Pierce wasn’t ready to give up, though.By running the top lane, and getting some assistance from slower cars in front of Overton, Pierce closed within a car length of the #76 car with three laps to go. When flagger Dave Farney showed them the double popsicle sticks, Pierce was on Overton’s pumper going into Turn 1. He stayed there down the backstretch and through Turns 3 and 4.Looking low before turning into the first corner on the final lap, Pierce was eager to make his move.Overton slid up the track with a slower car hugging the bottom, opening the door for Pierce to rocket underneath him and get enough grip off the bottom to pull ahead down the backstretch.Both drivers threw their cars into the final corner, exiting sideways off Turn 4 but Pierce held the advantage at the line with the checkered flag waving.“I guess now thinking back, when I went to the top that flustered him up,” Pierce said. “I think his crew guys told him I had ran the top and was pretty good, because after that he kept moving up a little and I just kept poking in there on the bottom and I was getting better the lower I got. It was slimy so it had to come in.“There at the end… one of my crew guys, he’d told me I won here before, just do what I do and a couple times when I messed up I just thought of that really.”Overton admitted he made the wrong move going into Turn 1 on the final lap, stating it was a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” situation.“Should’ve just stayed on the bottom, I made a wrong move,” Overton said. “I tried to arc out and tried to float across and Bobby (Pierce) was down there and blew by me. Just kind of got aggravated. I knew he was closing in… you stay on the bottom, he drives around you on the top or do what I did and he drives around you. It is what it is, we had a good car.”McCreadie didn’t have enough to enter the battle and had to settle for third – his worst finish of the week. With the DIRTcar Late Models the first three nights of DIRTcar Nationals, he finished second, first and first. His third-place run also helped him further extend his Big Gator points lead to a 25-point advantage over Hudson O’Neal.Chris Madden, who is the current World of Outlaws CASE Late Model points leader, earned the Fox Factory Hard Charger Award for the race, making his way from 23rd to 15th.Both points battles continue Friday, Feb. 17, during the $12,000-to-win Feature. The Big Gator championship will be decided at the conclusion of Saturday’s $20,000-to-win main event.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series continues its 2023 season at Volusia Speedway Park, Friday, Feb. 17. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.RESULTS Feature (30 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[4]; 2. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[6]; 4. 18-Chase Junghans[2]; 5. 1-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell[3]; 7. 49-Jonathan Davenport[10]; 8. 111-Max Blair[9]; 9. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[14]; 10. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[16]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[11]; 12. 99-Devin Moran[15]; 13. 40B-Kyle Bronson[17]; 14. 8S-Kyle Strickler[8]; 15. 44-Chris Madden[23]; 16. 8-Brian Shirley[5]; 17. 19R-Ryan Gustin[20]; 18. B5-Brandon Sheppard[25]; 19. 11-Gordy Gundaker[12]; 20. 9-Nick Hoffman[13]; 21. 10-Mike Norris[21]; 22. 18D-Daulton Wilson[18]; 23. 1ST-Johnny Scott[24]; 24. B1-Brent Larson[29]; 25. 99JR-Frank Heckenast Jr[22]; 26. 96V-Tanner English[26]; 27. 25-Shane Clanton[28]; 28. 22*-Payton Freeman[27]; 29. 5-Mark Whitener[19] |
2023 CORVETTE Z06 SET TO PACE THE “GREAT AMERICAN RACE”
| Corvette, Camaro and Silverado Completes Pace Vehicle Lineup for 2023 Daytona Speedweeks DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 16, 2023) – A trio of Chevrolet high-powered vehicles is set to pace in the season-opening races at Daytona International Speedway. The 2023 Corvette Z06 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series to the green flag in the 65th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19, marking the 15th time Chevrolet has paced the “Great American Race”. |
 · The Corvette Z06 is powered by the all-new 5.5L LT6, creating 670 horsepower, making it the highest-horsepower naturally aspirated V-8 in any production car. · Equipped with the Z07 Performance Package, the Corvette Z06 features a carbon fiber rear wing, aerodynamic ground effects, carbon ceramic brakes and other performance features for maximum track capability. |
| Chevrolet has recorded 49 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories at Daytona International Speedway, including a series-leading 24 in the Daytona 500. “We felt that it was important to highlight the crown jewel of our performance vehicle lineup for the 65th running of the Daytona 500 with the Corvette Z06,” said Todd Christensen, Director of Motorsports Marketing and Activation for Chevrolet. “As the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history, we are honored to pace the season-opening race weekend and help celebrate the start of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary.” Completing the 2023 Daytona Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth pace vehicle lineup: • Silverado 1500 RST in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series NextEra Energy 250 at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, February 17. • Camaro SS 1LE in the NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations Duels at Daytona at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 16; and on Saturday, February 18, the ARCA Menard Series BRANDT 200 Supporting Florida FFA at 1:30 p.m. ET, followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series ‘Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner. 300’ at 5 p.m. ET. |
After An Unprecedented Triple Crown in 2022, Indian Motorcycle Racing Announces 2023 MotoAmerica & Progressive AFT Factory Race Teams & Privateer Contingency
| Sent on behalf of Indian Motorcycle MINNEAPOLIS (FEBRUARY 16, 2023) – 2022 was a historic year for Indian Motorcycle Racing, capturing an unprecedented triple crown with championships across three different racing classes, including MotoAmerica® Mission® King of the Baggers® (KOTB), Super Hooligan® National Championship (SHNC) and Progressive Insurance® American Flat Track Mission SuperTwins classes. Now America’s First Motorcycle Company enters the 2023 racing season intent on defending its triple crown and raising the bar yet again with its factory racing program. Running three No. 1 plates, Indian Motorcycle Racing welcomes back reigning champions Tyler O’Hara and Jared Mees, along with KOTB and SHNC factory rider Jeremy McWilliams. The company has also announced more than $405,000 in combined privateer contingency for KOTB, SHNC and AFT. Founded by racers who developed America’s first motorized bicycles, fueled by a desire to go faster and win races, Indian Motorcycle has been racing, and winning, for 122 years. From founder Oscar Hedstrom’s endurance racing dominance at the turn of the century, to O.C. Godfrey winning the first Mountain Circuit race at the famed Isle of Man in 1911, to Burt Munro’s land speed records or the Wrecking Crew’s domination in flat track in the 1950s and, more recently, it’s six consecutive AFT Championships from 2017-2022, the list of history-making racing milestones is unparalleled. Now the innovative American motorcycle company prepares to defend a triple crown. “Racing and an overriding spirit of competition has been a driving force for Indian Motorcycle for more than a century, and that competitive fire continues to drive us forward to this day,” said Gary Gray, Vice President – Racing, Technology and Service for Indian Motorcycle.“We’re incredibly proud of the success we had in 2022 with three different championships, but it’s only going to get tougher in 2023, with our competition gunning for us more than ever. But that challenge is what motivates us and pushes us to get better every day, and we’re chomping at the bit to go racing in 2023.” MotoAmerica® KOTB & SHNC For 2023, Indian Motorcycle and S&S® will pit a two-man factory race team that will take on double duty across the King of the Baggers® and Super Hooligan® classes. Proudly running the No. 1 plate in both classes, dual-threat champion Tyler O’Hara enters his fourth year aboard the Indian Challenger and his second year piloting an Indian FTR. Pitting alongside O’Hara in both classes is veteran Moto GP racer Jeremy McWilliams, whose technical knowledge and extensive experience at racing’s highest levels proved invaluable to the team’s success in 2022. In the 2022 Mission King of the Baggers® class, the team’s success was driven by O’Hara’s versatility, the expertise of the S&S® crew, and the consistency and reliability of the Indian Challenger. Through seven rounds aboard his Indian Challenger, O’Hara captured five podiums, including a Daytona win, and two fourth-place finishes. With the No. 1 plate and an expanded 14-round KOTB series, O’Hara will be the man to beat. But the competition will be tougher than ever, as Harley-Davidson® continues to increase its significant investment in the series, adding even more bikes and riders to the King of the Baggers® grid for 2023. “The odds were definitely against us in 2022, and that’s what made climbing that mountain and ending up on top all the more special to our entire Indian Motorcycle-S&S® team. We grinded week in and week out to rise to that challenge and in the end, we got the job done,” said O’Hara. “But now we start over and the climb begins again. This team is truly a family, and we could not be more motivated to defend the championship and successfully rise to the challenge again in 2023.” In addition to its factory efforts, Indian Motorcycle is offering up to $83,000 in KOTB privateer contingency and up to $41,000 in SHNC Contingency. 2023 Indian Motorcycle KOTB Privateer ContingencyChampionship: $20,0001st: $30002nd: $10003rd: $5002023 Indian Motorcycle SHNC Privateer ContingencyChampionship: $5,0001St: $30002nd: $10003rd: $500AFT Mission SuperTwinsPiloting the Indian FTR750 for his seventh-consecutive year, reigning Progressive Insurance® Mission SuperTwins Champion Jared Mees enters 2023 with eight AFT Grand National Championships to his name – just one shy of the historic record of nine held by Scottie Parker. A record that many have assumed would never be matched or broken, Mees is looking to do just that as he chases his ninth. As Mees chases history, he’ll rely on his trusted team led by Crew Chief Kenny Tolbert, Assistant Mechanic Bubba Bently and Suspension Technician Jimmy Wood. Mees will also receive support from Rogers Racing, SDI Racing, Drag Specialties®, Twigg Cycles, Mission® Foods, Monster Energy®, Bell® Helmets, Service Pro, Öhlins® Suspension, Klotz® Oil, Klock Werkssm, RK Chain®, Corbin®, Seats, Engine Ice®, RMR Construction, Motion Pro®, VP Racing®, Vertex Pistons, Pro Plates and DBI Motorsports. In addition to its AFT factory efforts around Mees, Indian Motorcycle is offering the sport’s most robust privateer contingency, equating to more than $280,000. 2023 Indian Motorcycle AFT Privateer Contingency:Championship: $25,0001st: $7,5002nd: $2,5003rd: $1,5004th: $1,0005th: $7506th: $3507th: $2508th: $150 9th: $12510th: $100 |
Drivers and Winners Celebrated at Inaugural Gatornationals FanFest, March 8
NHRA, 2021 Gatornats Top Fuel Champion Josh Hart host car show, autograph session, live music and more
OCALA, FL (February 16, 2023) — The 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series will start at historic Gainesville Raceway for just the second time in nearly seven decades with the Gatornationals, March 9-12. In advance of this epic event the NHRA is joining Ocala, Florida, based Top Fuel driver and 2021 Gatornationals Top Fuel winner Josh Hart in hosting the inaugural Gatornationals FanFest on Wednesday, March 8, from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Burnyzz Speed Shop (1 Aspen Road, Ocala, Florida). The free to attend event will feature a car show, live music, food trucks, and a driver autograph session from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. that will include former Gatornationals winners and current NHRA professional drag racing stars. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Racers For Christ.
“We are excited to host this kick-off event with the NHRA to start the Gatornationals,” said Hart, multi-time Top Fuel winner. “Our goal is to have as many former Gatornationals winners and current drivers as possible for the free autograph session and to continue to grow this event to highlight the Gatornationals. This is one of the most historic motorsports events in the country and we are excited to have it in our backyard and celebrate with everyone from Ocala and around central Florida. I want to thank everyone at Burnyzz Speed Shop for supporting this great first time event.”
Drivers and former Gatornationals winners who have committed to attending include four-time Top Fuel winner and NHRA legend Don “Big Daddy” Garlits, two-time Funny Car winner Frank Hawley, 2021 Top Fuel winner Josh Hart, 1998 Funny Car winner Cruz Pedregon, 2013 Top Fuel winner Antron Brown, 2011 Funny Car winner Mike Neff, 2015 Top Fuel winner Spencer Massey, Top Fuel’s Justin Ashley, 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso, Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Ryan Oehler and Ida Zetterstrom Sweden Top Fuel driver. With almost a month until the event more drivers and winners are sure to commit and fans can follow NHRA social media as well as Burnyzz Speed Shop social media for more driver and winner commitments.
WEC preview with GM sports car racing program manager
| Transcript: Laura Wontrop Klauser discusses Cadillac’s Hypercar debut at Sebring |
| GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser and other OEM principals participated today in a media Q&A via Zoom hosted by the FIA World Endurance Championship ahead of Cadillac Racing’s Hypercar debut in the season-opening 1000 Miles of Sebring on March 17. Transcript of her Q&A: |
 What were the main takeaways from Daytona and how is your preparation progressing for Sebring?“Daytona was nice to have sort of a 24-hour dress rehearsal for Le Mans within in a race in itself, and we were hoping to have gone away with the trophy. I’d say the main takeaways were we are very pleased with our vehicles, we think we have a strong package but we need to find some more pace. There is a lot of development between now and the Sebring race kicking off the WEC season, continuing to fine-tune the vehicle, understand what it’s good at, what we need to do to get better, working through all of the details. The good news is we have 24 hours of data to do that, but there is not that much time to take the data and work with it.”Talk about your experience with a pretty good BoP in GTP in IMSA and your level of confidence that will continue with a rather wider task.“There has been a lot of thought put into how to set all this up for success. In terms of how the regulations are written for the LMDh platform and even what we share with LMH in terms of different targets like mass and power targets, there has been a lot of preparation put into making sure the cars by design – if you follow the regulations, which we all have to – are very close to each other right out of the box. I think that’s what we saw in IMSA at Daytona where we took the baseline settings for the vehicles and we all were able to race together. I think we saw some great racing during the race. Applying that as we move into WEC, where you have both platforms together – LMDh and LMH – it’s using those same concepts of making sure the baseline is very close so that you don’t have to worry about cars being wildly different and how they create performance and being able to compete together. There’s also some differences between the platforms that there has been a committee that has worked through issues, which has representation from all the manufacturers involved in the programs, so that we’ve been able to identify anything we felt would make a big difference between the two platforms for the regulations and work through that. I’d say that everyone has put as much possible effort as they could in to getting this right and I’m excited to see what happens at Sebring. I’m looking forward to seeing all of us on track together and then working with the ACO as we move forward into the season and, of course, IMSA as well on its side and the collaboration between the two series.” Do you have to re-homologate the car for the WEC?“It’s one homologation. Our car is homologated. There are differences in scrutineering systems for IMSA and the WEC, so we will have some different electronics depending on where we’re racing to make sure that we’re legal and simple things like where the Michelin sticker goes on the car depending on which series you’re in. For the most part, they are the same cars and that is what appealed most to us about this opportunity to be a part of this platform. One car can race both series, which means you can race all over the world in two series.” How much did the Rolex 24 help you in preparing for the WEC?“Daytona, as a track, is very different from Sebring and then the other circuits that we’ll be going to the rest of the WEC season. While any time you turn the car on you learn there are still things you continue to learn, especially as we race at Sebring. Many of us have tested there but it will be nice to do the proper racing as well and see what we still need to know about the car. Sebring is one of the best places in the world to find out how reliable your vehicle is, so it will be exciting to see what things look like at the end of the races.” Cadillac hasn’t tested in Europe ahead of the WEC. Will that be a disadvantage and why did you make that decision?“We would have liked to do some testing in Europe. The main reason we didn’t is we were very hardware constrained and shipping has become quite challenging in terms of lead time, so we could not sacrifice the car being in a container being shipped for extra days or weeks when we had a very aggressive test schedule that we were trying to accomplish in a short period of time. Now that we have gone racing, we’re going to see if we can get some testing scheduled in Europe in the spring. It’s always good to test on pavement that is similar to where you’re racing, so that would be key on our list of something to get done. If we cannot, we’ll do our best to work around it because that’s what we do in racing – we adapt to our situation. We’re trying to find elements of tracks in the U.S. similar to what you see in Europe or different things we can understand on the car so that when we get to Europe we’re ready to go.” Do you see that as a handicap going forward?“In a perfect world we would have had some European testing. As complicated as these cars are and as complex as this puzzle that we’re all trying to figure out, I don’t think it is something that is going to completely put us out of the running. It’s just one item that we wish we would have gotten to and we’ll just have to work around.” Do you think the BoP now is transparent and there isn’t a game to play?“This is by far the most regulated and transparent situation we’ve ever been in since I’ve been involved. We’re at a point where I think most of us are focused on making sure the hardware and al the integration of the hybrid systems is working properly and the performance part, because of how tight the regulations are, is something that we know where the car needs to be and then we’re making sure all the parts of the car support us being where we need to be.” |