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NARC SPRINT CARS DOUBLING UP WITH LATE SEASON STOPS AT KERN RACEWAY AND KINGS SPEEDWAY

(10/22/24 – Ben Deatherage) Bakersfield, CA … The 65th Anniversary NARC 410 Sprint Car Series campaign is quickly winding down but will offer a fix of open wheel racing with a rare October doubleheader this weekend featuring shows at two different facilities. Fans will be treated to 900+ horsepower sprint car racing at Kevin Harvick’s Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield on Friday, October 25th, for the October Classic.This show runs in conjunction with the ARCA stock car series, which will be practicing and qualifying on the neighboring half-mile paved oval earlier in the day. Then the show moves over to the dirt track.Kings Speedway in Hanford will cap the weekend with the Anthony Simone Classic on Saturday, the 26th.The Anthony Simone Classic, a race held in memory of the late Fresno-based driver, is a unique event in the NARC 410 Series. Known as ‘Mr. Excitement,’ the event is a celebration of Simone’s spirited personality and legendary stories, both on and off the track. His iconic #10 machine and trademark mustache were synonymous with his racing career where he raced on both pavement and dirt.”Returning to my home track in Hanford, I believe we have a slight advantage due to the numerous laps I’ve run there,” said Cole Macedo, the current NARC point leader. “We also had a strong performance at Kern last year, and I’m eager to tackle both tracks.”Since its establishment in 2021, the Simone Classic has yet to have a repeat winner, with Shane Golobic, Rico Abreu, and Corey Day scoring wins.Complementing the NARC 410 Series at Kern County will be the Western Midget Racing series and the Southern California Dwarf Cars. The Kings of Thunder 360 Sprints and the Western RaceSaver Series 305 Sprints will join the card at Hanford.Championship ChaseCole Macedo brings a slim 11-point advantage into Bakersfield, a position he reclaimed after his victory at the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial on October 12th. Now back in the driver’s seat of the championship chase for the NARC King of the West title, the Lemoore racer hopes to build a healthy cushion to ease the pressure of going into the November 2nd season finale at Stockton.”Ultimately, the goal is to have a big enough points lead where we can have some breathing room at Stockton,” mentioned Macedo, “I’d love to have a little bit of a bubble to have a decent night and not worry about it, run really hard, and put it all on the line.”In the lone NARC trip to Kings this season, Macedo piloted the Tarlton Motorsports #21 entry scored a pair of third place finishes during the Morrie William Memorial Twin 20s and won the event championship. His last journey to Kern ended with a fourth-place result, his career-best at the facility.On the other side of the battlefield is Justin Sanders. The Aromas driver is determined to bounce back big after a heartbreaking night at Tulare, which saw him bow out early due to mechanical problems. Something notable that favors the Mittry Motorsports #2X chauffeur is that he’s achieved wins at both tracks. The last two times NARC has been to Hanford, both during the Williams Memorial weekend, Sanders has won. His lone winner’s circle visit at Kern was on October 30th, 2021.While there is no doubt the chase for the King of the West championship has been a primary focus, the race for third in the table is also a hot contest between three competitors.2017 NARC champion Bud Kaeding leads the trio, rustling for third in points. Representing Campbell, Kaeding has a streak of five consecutive Top 10 finishes. A winner at Kings in 2012, he boasts four top five’s and a lone podium at Kern when he finished runner-up in 2019.Leading Rookie of the Year candidate Caeden Steele hopes to rebound from a tough night in Tulare a couple of weeks ago. Trailing Kaeding by 18 markers, the Easton driver will hope to carve his way to the podium in his remarkable campaign. At Kings at the beginning of the month, he was tenth and sixth in the Twin 20s of “The Morrie.”  He has never made an appearance at Kern.Completing the current top five in points, Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield is among several drivers hungry for his first career NARC feature. Aboard the Dave and Debbie Vertullo-owned #83V, he finished fourth and fifth in his last two series starts, with his previous venture to Kings producing a fifth-place result, and he was sixth in his most recent outing at Kern. He’s 26 points behind Kaeding and just eight markers behind Steele.Who To WatchShane Golobic, as noted, will be a driver to be on the lookout for. The Fremont pilot in the Matt Wood Racing #17W has had a fair share of success at both venues. His lone win at Hanford was the Simone Classic in ’21, while he’s collected three victories at KCRP, including one in 2021 and two in 2018.Two-time NARC champion Dominic Scelzi is also ready to rip at two tracks he’s managed to succeed at over the years. The Fresno phenom swept the pair of NARC events at Kern in 2019 and has amassed an impressive win total of five visits to victory lane at Kings.Two other newcomers not to be discounted are Gauge Garcia and Dominic Gorden. Behind the wheel of the Keller Motorsports #2K, Garcia had an impressive third place at Kings, while his lone appearance at KCRP resulted in a 15th place finish. posting. Both results were from last year, but the young man from Lemoore finished eleventh in both Twin 20s for the Morrie Williams Memorial at Kings earlier in October.Dominic Gorden remains the only Rookie to have won a NARC main event this season. The young man from Clovis recently had his best run ever at Kings when he finished ninth in the second Twin 20 a few weeks ago, and in his only trip to Kern, he was seventh last year.A notable addition to the mix will be Justyn Cox, who steps back into the Bates-Hamilton Racing #42X entry after a hiatus due to an injury suffered at the Douglas County Dirt Track on August 26th with the High Limit Series. Before being sidelined, Cox picked up a win at Cottage Grove this season and was in contention for a victory at Santa Maria in late July. The Roseville racer has a good history with NARC at Hanford, including eight Top 10s in eleven career starts, including two podium finishes.2019 NARC champion D.J. Netto is hopeful to earn his first series win of the season. It has not been for lack of trying. The Hanford native was a couple of laps away from doing so at Tulare in the most recent NARC event.Arizona transplant Nick Parker is looking to build off of what’s been an incredible 2024 season. Now living in Chico, Parker has procured a pair of his first career top five results with NARC earlier this season.Benicia’s Billy Aton is another NARC regular making the journey this weekend. He has three top ten finishes this season, with one coming at Kings. He has five top ten’s at Kings, including a fifth-place finish in 2021.Fan & Competitor InfoKern County Raceway Park is located at 13500 Raceway Blvd, Bakersfield, California, just off Interstate 5.  Ticket prices are $25.00 for Adults (Ages 13+), $10.00 for Juniors (6-12), and Kids (5 and under) are FREE.  Front Gates open at 5:00, Hot Laps around 5:30, and Opening Ceremonies are scheduled to kick off around 7:00.Tickets can be purchased at the gate on the day of the race or online at https://tickets.thefoat.com/kernraceway/event-245551/clear_cart-1. For more information, visit kernraceway.com.Kings Speedway is located at the Kings Fairgrounds at 801 S 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. For ticket information, log on to https://www.myracepass.com/1797/tickets/1419102 for online purchases.  Tickets are $30.00 for adults and $25.00 for Children (7-17), Military (With Valid ID), and Seniors (65+).  Pit Gates open at 1:30 PM and Front Gates open at 4:00 PM.  Qualifying gets underway around 6:00 PM.Additional information can be found at the track website, www.racekingsspeedway.com.The NARC racing format includes qualifying, four 8-lap heat races, an exciting six-lap trophy dash, a 12-lap last chance race, and a 30-lap main event.The NARC 410 Sprint Series is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, it has entertained countless thousands of fans at tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit its website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.All NARC 410 Sprint Car Series events can be viewed live on Floracing.com.Former Anthony Simone Classic Winners:
2021- Shane Golobic
2022- Rico Abreu
2023- Corey DayThe NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Diversified Machine Inc., Jim Allen Promotions, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, Lifeline LLC, Maxim Racing Products, Mettec Titanium, Pyrotect, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Scelzi Enterprises, SCI Racing Products, Starr Property Management, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.NARC 410 SPRINT CARS SERIESCHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER 20 EVENTS IN 23-RACE SERIES – 10/22/24)

  1. Cole Macedo, Lemoore – 2599
  2. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 2588
  3. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 2514
  4. Caeden Steele, Fresno (R) – 2496
  5. Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 2488
  6. Gauge Garcia, Lemoore (R) – 2468
  7. Nick Parker, Chico – 2426
  8. Dominic Gorden, Clovis (R) – 2320
  9. Justyn Cox, Clarksburg – 2253
  10. Billy Aton, Benicia – 2105
  11. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 1972
  12. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 1944
  13. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 1607
  14. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 1601
  15. DJ Netto, Hanford – 1471
  16. John Clark, Windsor (R) – 1439
  17. Sean Becker, Roseville – 1346
  18. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 1320
  19. Jarrett Soares – Gilroy – 1207
  20. Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 1181

Upcoming Events:
November 2nd – Stockton Dirt Track – Tribute to Gary Patterson Triple Crown w/SCCT & Hunt Wingless TourNovember 3rd – Brookside County Club (Stockton) – Championship Celebration Awards Banquet

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Pierce Wins First Dirt Track World Championship; Thornton Earns Lucas Oil Title

ROSSBURG, OHIO (October 19, 2024) – The 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship, presented by ARP at Eldora Speedway, did not disappoint on Saturday night. Bobby Pierce came from the 14th starting spot to win his first career DTWC, worth $100,000, concluding the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season. Ricky Thornton Jr.’s third-place finish clinched the 2024 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship. The Martinsville, Indiana, driver earned his first career title, which pays $200,000. Tim McCreadie, who led the most laps during the race (79), came home in second ahead of Thornton, Devin Moran, and Max Blair. Pierce led the final 17 laps of the race to score his 35th win of the season. He became the 28th different driver in the DTWC’s 44-year history to win the event, which began in 1981. McCreadie jumped to the lead at the start of the race as he led the first two laps until Davenport seized the lead on lap three. Davenport would stay out in front until McCreadie worked his way back to the point on lap six.  McCreadie and Davenport then raced one-two until Thornton briefly slipped past Davenport for second on lap 25, but Davenport got back by him a lap later. The second caution of the race flew on lap 28 for a slowing Wil Herrington. On the restart, McCreadie still held the lead, and at the halfway point, he was still leading over Davenport and Josh Rice. With 63 laps scored, it was now a tight battle for the race lead among McCreadie, Davenport, and Rice, with Thornton holding down the fourth position. Coming off of turn four to score lap 64, Davenport was able to edge ahead of McCreadie, but just a few feet later, heading into turn number one, Davenport’s title bid and race would end with mechanical issues as he slowed, bringing out the caution flag. On the restart, McCreadie was back out in front, with Thornton running in second. Pierce, who started on the inside of the seventh row, then moved past Thornton and into the second slot. Pierce was then able to get by McCreadie for the race lead on lap 84, as he led the rest of the way to pick up the victory. “The car was awesome,” said the Oakwood, Illinois racer who won for the 24th time in his career with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. “There was a stretch in the race where I was worried, around the halfway point. I sometimes saw those other guys, and they would pull away. I got stalemated and didn’t know what happened to Davenport. When that caution came out for him, I had just found that line down there in three and four, and I knew I had to get back down there. I think I restarted fourth and got to third, and it was like 30 laps to go. I was pretty nervous because I knew I had a car that could win the race right then. So, I had to calm myself down.” “I knew I had a car that could win, and I just had to catch them guys. I had to keep hitting my lines there; there was something about it; I just kept getting better and better. Normally, here you’ll slow down, but the line I was running, and I guess the car kept rotating better and better down there, and at the very end, I found that middle, and it just felt awesome,” said Pierce, who just won his second career World 100 a month ago at Eldora. “I have been eyeing this race since it moved from Portsmouth to here. I thought it was a good move. This track can provide some good racing when it’s right. I think we saw a really good racetrack tonight. I saw the hoodies and shirts with the guys’ names on them that had won this race before. A mixture of guys have won this race. Of course, [Brandon] Sheppard and Freddy [Smith] have won it a lot. I wanted to be one of those names on the back of those.” McCreadie, to overcome going to a back-up car after hot laps, ended up in second at the finish line, 8.717 seconds behind Pierce in the final 10 laps of the race. “Yeah, my guys did a great job. They always do a great job. They give me great equipment to run, and when we get out there, it’s up to me to try to bring it home. I came up a little short. I didn’t know where Bobby was, but I assumed he was on the cushion. I was up there 90% of the time, and we just faded a little. I needed some timely yellows, and we fired back off when I got them. We pulled this car out, and I don’t even remember when we last ran this one; it was probably May or something, and having to switch a bunch of stuff over and get no hot laps before the feature was pretty cool for this team to pull this off. I was hoping to get them one, and it didn’t work out.” Thornton, who entered the night needing to finish in sixth place or higher to clinch the championship, stayed within the top five the entire race despite a scary moment when he brushed the turn two wall, which damaged the right rear quarter panel. “I got into turn three and thought the right rear was flat. It kind of laid over on the right rear, and I’m like, man, I really just gave this thing away. I don’t know if I want to come back in the pits if it is flat. I’d been better off to go out the back gate,” he said. “It took a lot of hard work and determination. My job is pretty easy getting to wheel this thing. Overall, I get all the glory, and they do all the hard work. So, this is definitely a big team effort by everyone at Koehler Motorsports. It’s pretty awesome.”  “This car ran flawlessly during this playoff deal. Chris Madden [crew chief], I don’t think we could have won this without him. He has been a great leader for our team and helped us stay as a whole team. I had input this weekend, but I told him this is your racetrack and like we are better off letting him make the decisions.”  A Vic Hill Racing Engine powers the winner’s Bobby Pierce Racing, Longhorn Chassis, and is sponsored by Hoker Trucking, Churchill Transport, Low Voltage Solutions, Toyota of Danville, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Rio Grande Waste Services, Collins Brothers Towing, Carnaghi Towing and Repair, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint and Body Shop, VP Fuels, and Leka Tree Service. Completing the top ten were Josh Rice, Hudson O’Neal, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Bronson, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship Presented by ARPSaturday, October 19, 2024Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 3. 12-Jason Jameson[9]; 4. 4G-Kody Evans[6]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 6. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 7. 96-Tanner English[5]; 8. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7]; 9. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[10]; 10. 29-Clint Keenan[15]; 11. 21B-Rich Bell[14]; 12. 7B-Jeff Babcock[12]; 13. 99J-Donnie Jeschke[13]; 14. 93-Cory Lawler[11]; 15. 6-Clay Harris[2] UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 7-Ross Robinson[1]; 2. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[2]; 3. 17D-Zack Dohm[4]; 4. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 5. 89-Mike Spatola[5]; 6. 74-Ethan Dotson[13]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[6]; 8. 28B-Carson Brown[12]; 9. 57-Zack Mitchell[14]; 10. 51-Devin Shiels[7]; 11. 8-Rob Anderzack[10]; 12. 11K-Evan Koehler[8]; 13. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[9]; 14. 39-Brandon Moore[11] MyRacePass B-Main Race #3 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 15X-Wil Herrington[1]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 3. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 5. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[7]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[10]; 7. C4-Freddie Carpenter[4]; 8. 10S-Garrett Smith[8]; 9. 18-Shannon Babb[6]; 10. 54-David Breazeale[9]; 11. 49X-Brian Ruhlman[12]; 12. 88-Chad Green[11]; 13. W1-Cory Workman[14]; 14. (DNS) 23-Cory Hedgecock Jim Dunn Non-Qualifier Race Finish (25 Laps): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 2. 74-Ethan Dotson[10]; 3. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[9]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[7]; 5. 12-Jason Jameson[1]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[11]; 7. 17D-Zack Dohm[2]; 8. 10S-Garrett Smith[16]; 9. 4G-Kody Evans[4]; 10. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[14]; 11. 96-Tanner English[12]; 12. C4-Freddie Carpenter[13]; 13. 49X-Brian Ruhlman[25]; 14. 89-Mike Spatola[8]; 15. 7B-Jeff Babcock[26]; 16. 21B-Rich Bell[23]; 17. 29-Clint Keenan[20]; 18. 28B-Carson Brown[15]; 19. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[17]; 20. 8-Rob Anderzack[24]; 21. 51-Devin Shiels[21]; 22. 9-Nick Hoffman[5]; 23. 57-Zack Mitchell[18]; 24. 54-David Breazeale[22]; 25. 99B-Boom Briggs[6]; 26. (DNS) 18-Shannon Babb 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship Presented by ARP Feature Finish (100 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 14 – 32P – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – $100,0002 – 1 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – $20,9003 – 3 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – $10,8004 – 18 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $8,9005 – 13 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $8,2006 – 11 – 11R – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $7,0007 – 17 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $7,0008 – 16 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – $5,0009 – 22 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $4,50010 – 7 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $4,70011 – 6 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $4,20012 – 9 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $3,85013 – 25 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,70014 – 23 – 20TC – Tristan Chamberlain – Richmond, IN – $2,75015 – 29 – B5 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,70016 – 27 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $75017 – 28 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $70018 – 5 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $3,47519 – 20 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $3,25020 – 24 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – $3,32521 – 19 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,50022 – 8 – 17M – Dale McDowell – Chickamauga, GA – $2,50023 – 26 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $3,00024 – 2 – 25Z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – $2,50025 – 15 – 11J – James Rice – Verona, KY – $2,50026 – 21 – 15X – Wil Herrington – Hawkinsville, GA – $2,50027 – 10 – 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $3,20028 – 12 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,50029 – 4 – 114 – Jordan Koehler – Mount Airy, NC – $2,500 Race Statistics  Entrants: 61Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Tim McCreadieLap Leaders: Tim McCreadie (Laps 1-2); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 3-5); Tim McCreadie (Laps 6-63); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 64); Tim McCreadie (Laps 65-83); Bobby Pierce (Laps 84-100)Wieland Feature Winner: Bobby PierceArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Bobby PierceBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Bobby PierceMargin of Victory: 8.716 secondsDave Warren Powersports Cautions: Drake Troutman (Initial Start); Jordan Koehler (Lap 2); Wil Herrington (Lap 28); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 64)LOLMDS Series Provisionals: Garrett Alberson; Clay HarrisFast Time Provisional: n/aLOLMDS Emergency Provisionals: Brenden Smith; Cory LawlerTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Max BlairTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Devin Moran (Advanced 14 Positions) PEM 4th Place Feature: Devin MoranWilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Hudson O’NealDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonMD3 Most Laps Led: Tim McCreadie (79 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tim McCreadieMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadieO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Carson FergusonColtman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Tim McCreadie | Lap 7 | 16.639 secondsSlicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Devin MoranMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Jonathan DavenportOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Bob Pierce (Bobby Pierce)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tyler Carpenter (15.5475 seconds)Time of Race: 44 minutes 45 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 6910 – $435,6692 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 6850 – $372,4553 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 6780 – $387,2754 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 6765 – $252,9755 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 5985 – $196,9286 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 5780 – $159,9557 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 5720 – $202,9158 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 5490 – $168,8359 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 5460 – $137,24010 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 5310 – $111,29011 – 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 4920 – $103,93512 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 4650 – $92,75513 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 4605 – $68,72514 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 4140 – $55,80515 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 4045 – $42,00516 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 4030 – $69,56517 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 3850 – $27,325
 
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JOEY LOGANO ADVANCES TO CHAMPIONSHIP 4 WITH WIN AT LAS VEGAS


LAS VEGAS, NV – October 21, 2024 – Joey Logano won Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, advancing to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4. The victory marks Ford’s 738th all-time in Cup Series competition along with Team Penske’s 99th series win with Ford. Currently, Logano has the most Championship 4 appearances of any driver with six and will compete for his third title this year at Phoenix. 
“Congratulations to Roger, Tim, Paul, Joey and everyone at Team Penske on the race win at Las Vegas,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “The No. 22 team was fast throughout the day, executed their fuel mileage strategy, and now will be racing for the NASCAR Cup Championship in Phoenix.”
“Holy cow. What an incredible turn of events the last week. What a very fast Pennzoil Mustang. We’ve got the old kids crew here today and a lot of kids rooting us on, so it was really special to win in front of them again. My kids at home, I wish you guys were out here, but we’re going to the Championship 4 again. I don’t know what the deal is with the even year thing, but maybe it’s real. Thanks to the fans out here. Thanks to Roush Yates Engines for making great fuel mileage, great calls by Paul and Nick Hensley, our gas man, making sure she’s full, giving me the good info I need to save fuel and keep the lead that we needed to. Boy, we’re going racing again. What an incredible situation. I’m so blessed,” commented Logano.
In Sunday’s 267-lap race, six of the eight playoff drivers started in the top 10, including Team Penske’s Joey Logano in P10. With 16 laps to go in Stage 1, an accident in Turn 3 brought out the first caution of the race, creating multiple pit strategies throughout the field. While some teams opted for track position, others opted for new tires. An accident on lap 89 involving multiple playoff drivers brought out the caution again, putting several drivers in a must-win situation to advance to the Round of 4. At the end of Stage 2, RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher finished in P4 with Team Penske’s Joey Logano right behind in P5. While most of the front-runners pitted for fuel under green, several drivers decided to stretch their fuel to the finish, led by Daniel Suarez and Joey Logano. Logano began closing the gap on Suarez with 10 laps remaining and took the lead with six laps to go. Logano held off Christopher Bell to win the race by 0.662 seconds, automatically advancing to the Championship 4, something he has done every other year since the format’s debut in 2014. 
RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher finished in P10.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series also raced at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday. RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg finished in P2 and Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Riley Herbst and Cole Custer finished in P7 and P8.

The NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series both compete this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.
39 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 472 WINS – 436 POLES
 
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Burton Finishes 15th at Las Vegas


October 20, 2024


After a disappointing qualifying result on Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team bounced back with a 15th-place finish in Sunday’s South Point 400.

Burton started the 267-lap race from 31st place and made steady progress in the first Stage, ending that 80-lap segment in 26th place.

In the second Stage he had driven up to 22nd place when the caution flag flew on Lap 90 for a multi-car crash. After the restart he moved into the top 20 for the first time in the race and pitted from 14th place at Lap 121 during a round of green-flag pit stops. He had worked his way back to 17th when the second Stage ended at Lap 165.

After a pit stop during the Stage break, he began moving up in the field again and was running in 18th place when he made another stop during a caution period at Lap 194. When racing resumed Burton and the DEX Imaging Mustang Dark Horse had their best run of the race, driving up to eighth place before making their final pit stop, under the green flag, at Lap 228.

Several driver elected to stay on the track and stretch their fuel, so Burton was scored in 19th place when he returned to the track. He moved up four spots over the final laps to score his sixth top-15 finish of the season as fellow Ford campaigners Joey Logano and the No. 22 Team Penske crew stretched their fuel to the finish.

Logano’s race win secured him and his team a spot among the four drivers who will decide the Cup Series championship in the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

“We salute Joey and Team Penske for their win at Las Vegas and are proud to know that Ford Motor Company is assured of a chance to race for the championship,” Eddie Wood said.

Burton and the Wood Brothers now turn their attention to next Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
 

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NASCAR CUP SERIES LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROUND OF EIGHT: RACE ONE TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT OCT. 20, 2024

 
 
 
Suarez Leads Chevrolet with Podium Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
 
TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10:  POS.   DRIVER3rd – Daniel Suarez4th – William Byron5th – Alex Bowman7th – Ross ChastainWITH 33 NASCAR CUP SERIES RACES COMPLETE:Wins: 15Poles: 10Top-Five Finishes: 66Top-10 Finishes: 133Stage Wins: 22
 
UP NEXT: The NASCAR Cup Series will head to Homestead-Miami Speedway next weekend, with the Straight Talk Wireless 400 marking the second race of the Round of Eight. Coverage of the 267-lap event can be found on Sunday, Oct. 27, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. 
·       A late-race pit strategy paid dividends for Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1 team, ultimately leading Chevrolet with third-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

·       Despite a tumultuous day for much of the remaining title contenders, William Byron and the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team escaped with a stellar points day and a fourth-place result in the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Round of Eight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Taking the green flag following a top-10 qualifying effort, the 26-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native drove his Hendrick Motorsports-prepared Chevrolet to top-four points in both stages en route to the team’s 12th top-five finish of the season. Byron will head into Homestead-Miami Speedway in the top-four of the playoff standings with a 27-point advantage over the playoff cutline. 

·       Defending Las Vegas Motor Speedway winner, Kyle Larson, took the green flag from the fifth position in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1. Following a top-10 finish in Stage One, a rare mishap during a scheduled stop near the midway point of the race ultimately put the team two laps down. There was no quit by the No. 5 Chevrolet team, going on to fight back to the lead lap and a top-15 position on the leaderboard with 60 laps remaining. The 31-year-old Elk Grove, California, native went on to earn a 11th-place result, with the team leaving Las Vegas still above the playoff cutline in the third position with a 35-point cushion. 

·       Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 team fell victim to an early Stage Two crash involving a handful of playoff competitors. With Alan Gustafson (crew chief) calling the driver to pit road multiple times for repairs, the team was able to hit minimum speed to ultimately take their Chevrolet to the garage for further repairs. Returning to the track multiple laps down, the 28-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native took the checkered flag in the 33rd position, with the former series champion falling to the eighth-position and 53-points below the cutline heading into the second race of the round. 
 
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BOOT BARN CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the closing laps of Stage One. Finished: 37th What was your take on the contact with Daniel Hemric? “He (Daniel Hemric) flat-out wrecked me.. no clue why. He’s got three races left, and I don’t know if was just over his head. He stays in the gas into (turn) three until he hits me. I don’t know what that was.”
Are you OK? “Yeah, it was a hard hit, but I’m good.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Finished: 11thIt was kind of an up-and-down day. You got back on the lead lap. How do you evaluate this day? “Yeah, it was a messy, messy day. None of the first races in the rounds have been clean, at all, for us. But this was a long, hard-fought 11th-place finish. We just had a lot of unfortunate things happen with the debris that got stuck on our nose. We were able to overcome that and I thought we were going to be fine. We had a strong finish in the second stage, and then we had the issues on the pit stop and just had to fight from there.  We got the most we could out of the rest of the day. I’m proud of this No. 5 HendrickCars.comChevy team for the rebound and having a clean rest of the race.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 33rdElliott on the incident in Stage Two: “The No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was coming with a really big run on the top. I don’t think Martin (Truex Jr.) knew that, and he was kind of running as if we were two-wide. Once I recognized that there wasn’t going to be enough room, I bailed and there was just nowhere to bail.. it was too late. I need to sit down and take a look at it. I was, personally, just trying to get out of the situation and it was just a little too late at that point.  It sucks. Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was really, really good there at the start. It was the best we’ve been out here in this new car, so it was just a bad day for that.” 

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1Finished: 4th“Yeah, we really improved a lot as the day progressed. That was a lot to be said about this No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevy team, and our ability to get the balance close and get the speed once we had the balance close. We just started the race a little bit off, but I’m really, really happy with how we came on. I thought we were going to have a shot to compete for a win there in the final stage, but it turned into a fuel mileage race.  Just sucks. It’s going to take a win, I feel like, so we have to keep working for it and keep running up front. If we run up front, it will do two things – we’ll be able to compete for a win and score a lot of points. We just have to keep running like this.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Finished: 5thYou had a great car today. What could you have done there at the end? “Yeah, I mean obviously they made it on fuel, so that’s what got those guys there. But hats-off to them for taking advantage of that opportunity. The second-to-last run, we were super-fast. And then on the last run, I don’t know if just coming out in some clean air or if I built the right-rear up too quick or what happened, but I was just too loose the last run. I struggled to run the wall in (turns) three and four like I could the run previously. I had some big moments behind Christopher (Bell) and kind of just melted the right-rear off the thing.  Bummed that we’re not a couple spots better at least, but it was a solid top-five effort for the No. 48 Ally Chevy team. We’ll keep on digging.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1Finished: 3rd“It’s a little heartbreaking. We had a great No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy. I think we could have won it. We just needed the bottom lane. A couple of cars right there, they were stuck on the bottom and I was in very dirty air. The No. 22 (Joey Logano) was a little faster than us right there at the end. I felt like if I had the bottom, Joey wasn’t going to be able to pass me, but you never know.  Our Chevy was good, but on the very last run, it was falling off. I’m very proud of my team because they won it again today with the strategy. The car was fast.. it was a top-10 car. But top-three is a solid finish. I’m very proud of my team.”
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Pierce Wins First Dirt Track World Championship; Thornton Earns Lucas Oil Title

ROSSBURG, OHIO (October 19, 2024) – The 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship, presented by ARP at Eldora Speedway, did not disappoint on Saturday night. Bobby Pierce came from the 14th starting spot to win his first career DTWC, worth $100,000, concluding the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season. Ricky Thornton Jr.’s third-place finish clinched the 2024 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship. The Martinsville, Indiana, driver earned his first career title, which pays $200,000. Tim McCreadie, who led the most laps during the race (79), came home in second ahead of Thornton, Devin Moran, and Max Blair. Pierce led the final 17 laps of the race to score his 35th win of the season. He became the 28th different driver in the DTWC’s 44-year history to win the event, which began in 1981. McCreadie jumped to the lead at the start of the race as he led the first two laps until Davenport seized the lead on lap three. Davenport would stay out in front until McCreadie worked his way back to the point on lap six.  McCreadie and Davenport then raced one-two until Thornton briefly slipped past Davenport for second on lap 25, but Davenport got back by him a lap later. The second caution of the race flew on lap 28 for a slowing Wil Herrington. On the restart, McCreadie still held the lead, and at the halfway point, he was still leading over Davenport and Josh Rice. With 63 laps scored, it was now a tight battle for the race lead among McCreadie, Davenport, and Rice, with Thornton holding down the fourth position. Coming off of turn four to score lap 64, Davenport was able to edge ahead of McCreadie, but just a few feet later, heading into turn number one, Davenport’s title bid and race would end with mechanical issues as he slowed, bringing out the caution flag. On the restart, McCreadie was back out in front, with Thornton running in second. Pierce, who started on the inside of the seventh row, then moved past Thornton and into the second slot. Pierce was then able to get by McCreadie for the race lead on lap 84, as he led the rest of the way to pick up the victory. “The car was awesome,” said the Oakwood, Illinois racer who won for the 24th time in his career with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. “There was a stretch in the race where I was worried, around the halfway point. I sometimes saw those other guys, and they would pull away. I got stalemated and didn’t know what happened to Davenport. When that caution came out for him, I had just found that line down there in three and four, and I knew I had to get back down there. I think I restarted fourth and got to third, and it was like 30 laps to go. I was pretty nervous because I knew I had a car that could win the race right then. So, I had to calm myself down.” “I knew I had a car that could win, and I just had to catch them guys. I had to keep hitting my lines there; there was something about it; I just kept getting better and better. Normally, here you’ll slow down, but the line I was running, and I guess the car kept rotating better and better down there, and at the very end, I found that middle, and it just felt awesome,” said Pierce, who just won his second career World 100 a month ago at Eldora. “I have been eyeing this race since it moved from Portsmouth to here. I thought it was a good move. This track can provide some good racing when it’s right. I think we saw a really good racetrack tonight. I saw the hoodies and shirts with the guys’ names on them that had won this race before. A mixture of guys have won this race. Of course, [Brandon] Sheppard and Freddy [Smith] have won it a lot. I wanted to be one of those names on the back of those.” McCreadie, to overcome going to a back-up car after hot laps, ended up in second at the finish line, 8.717 seconds behind Pierce in the final 10 laps of the race.  “Yeah, my guys did a great job. They always do a great job. They give me great equipment to run, and when we get out there, it’s up to me to try to bring it home. I came up a little short. I didn’t know where Bobby was, but I assumed he was on the cushion. I was up there 90% of the time, and we just faded a little. I needed some timely yellows, and we fired back off when I got them. We pulled this car out, and I don’t even remember when we last ran this one; it was probably May or something, and having to switch a bunch of stuff over and get no hot laps before the feature was pretty cool for this team to pull this off. I was hoping to get them one, and it didn’t work out.” Thornton, who entered the night needing to finish in sixth place or higher to clinch the championship, stayed within the top five the entire race despite a scary moment when he brushed the turn two wall, which damaged the right rear quarter panel. “I got into turn three and thought the right rear was flat. It kind of laid over on the right rear, and I’m like, man, I really just gave this thing away. I don’t know if I want to come back in the pits if it is flat. I’d been better off to go out the back gate,” he said. “It took a lot of hard work and determination. My job is pretty easy getting to wheel this thing. Overall, I get all the glory, and they do all the hard work. So, this is definitely a big team effort by everyone at Koehler Motorsports. It’s pretty awesome.”  “This car ran flawlessly during this playoff deal. Chris Madden [crew chief], I don’t think we could have won this without him. He has been a great leader for our team and helped us stay as a whole team. I had input this weekend, but I told him this is your racetrack and like we are better off letting him make the decisions.”  A Vic Hill Racing Engine powers the winner’s Bobby Pierce Racing, Longhorn Chassis, and is sponsored by Hoker Trucking, Churchill Transport, Low Voltage Solutions, Toyota of Danville, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Rio Grande Waste Services, Collins Brothers Towing, Carnaghi Towing and Repair, Ted Brown’s Quality Paint and Body Shop, VP Fuels, and Leka Tree Service. Completing the top ten were Josh Rice, Hudson O’Neal, Ryan Gustin, Kyle Bronson, and Daulton Wilson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship Presented by ARPSaturday, October 19, 2024Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 3. 12-Jason Jameson[9]; 4. 4G-Kody Evans[6]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[8]; 6. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 7. 96-Tanner English[5]; 8. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[7]; 9. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[10]; 10. 29-Clint Keenan[15]; 11. 21B-Rich Bell[14]; 12. 7B-Jeff Babcock[12]; 13. 99J-Donnie Jeschke[13]; 14. 93-Cory Lawler[11]; 15. 6-Clay Harris[2]
UNOH B-Main Race #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 7-Ross Robinson[1]; 2. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[2]; 3. 17D-Zack Dohm[4]; 4. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 5. 89-Mike Spatola[5]; 6. 74-Ethan Dotson[13]; 7. 17SS-Brenden Smith[6]; 8. 28B-Carson Brown[12]; 9. 57-Zack Mitchell[14]; 10. 51-Devin Shiels[7]; 11. 8-Rob Anderzack[10]; 12. 11K-Evan Koehler[8]; 13. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[9]; 14. 39-Brandon Moore[11] MyRacePass B-Main Race #3 Finish (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): 1. 15X-Wil Herrington[1]; 2. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 3. B5-Brandon Sheppard[5]; 4. 99B-Boom Briggs[3]; 5. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[7]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[10]; 7. C4-Freddie Carpenter[4]; 8. 10S-Garrett Smith[8]; 9. 18-Shannon Babb[6]; 10. 54-David Breazeale[9]; 11. 49X-Brian Ruhlman[12]; 12. 88-Chad Green[11]; 13. W1-Cory Workman[14]; 14. (DNS) 23-Cory Hedgecock Jim Dunn Non-Qualifier Race Finish (25 Laps): 1. B5-Brandon Sheppard[3]; 2. 74-Ethan Dotson[10]; 3. 28C-Tyler Carpenter[9]; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[7]; 5. 12-Jason Jameson[1]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[11]; 7. 17D-Zack Dohm[2]; 8. 10S-Garrett Smith[16]; 9. 4G-Kody Evans[4]; 10. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[14]; 11. 96-Tanner English[12]; 12. C4-Freddie Carpenter[13]; 13. 49X-Brian Ruhlman[25]; 14. 89-Mike Spatola[8]; 15. 7B-Jeff Babcock[26]; 16. 21B-Rich Bell[23]; 17. 29-Clint Keenan[20]; 18. 28B-Carson Brown[15]; 19. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[17]; 20. 8-Rob Anderzack[24]; 21. 51-Devin Shiels[21]; 22. 9-Nick Hoffman[5]; 23. 57-Zack Mitchell[18]; 24. 54-David Breazeale[22]; 25. 99B-Boom Briggs[6]; 26. (DNS) 18-Shannon Babb 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship Presented by ARP Feature Finish (100 Laps): Pos – Start – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Pay1 – 14 – 32P – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL – $100,0002 – 1 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – $20,9003 – 3 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – $10,8004 – 18 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – $8,9005 – 13 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – $8,2006 – 11 – 11R – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY – $7,0007 – 17 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – $7,0008 – 16 – 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA – $5,0009 – 22 – 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL – $4,50010 – 7 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – $4,70011 – 6 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – $4,20012 – 9 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – $3,85013 – 25 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – $3,70014 – 23 – 20TC – Tristan Chamberlain – Richmond, IN – $2,75015 – 29 – B5 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL – $2,70016 – 27 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – $75017 – 28 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – $70018 – 5 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – $3,47519 – 20 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – $3,25020 – 24 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – $3,32521 – 19 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA – $2,50022 – 8 – 17M – Dale McDowell – Chickamauga, GA – $2,50023 – 26 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – $3,00024 – 2 – 25Z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA – $2,50025 – 15 – 11J – James Rice – Verona, KY – $2,50026 – 21 – 15X – Wil Herrington – Hawkinsville, GA – $2,50027 – 10 – 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – $3,20028 – 12 – 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL – $2,50029 – 4 – 114 – Jordan Koehler – Mount Airy, NC – $2,500 Race Statistics  Entrants: 61Victory Fuel Pole Sitter: Tim McCreadie Lap Leaders: Tim McCreadie (Laps 1-2); Jonathan Davenport (Laps 3-5); Tim McCreadie (Laps 6-63); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 64); Tim McCreadie (Laps 65-83); Bobby Pierce (Laps 84-100)Wieland Feature Winner: Bobby PierceArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Bobby PierceBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: Bobby PierceMargin of Victory: 8.716 secondsDave Warren Powersports Cautions: Drake Troutman (Initial Start); Jordan Koehler (Lap 2); Wil Herrington (Lap 28); Jonathan Davenport (Lap 64)LOLMDS Series Provisionals: Garrett Alberson; Clay HarrisFast Time Provisional: n/aLOLMDS Emergency Provisionals: Brenden Smith; Cory LawlerTrack Provisional: n/aBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr.Penske Shocks Top 5: Bobby Pierce, Tim McCreadie, Ricky Thornton, Jr., Devin Moran, Max BlairTodd Steel Buildings Hard Charger of the Race: Devin Moran (Advanced 14 Positions) PEM 4th Place Feature: Devin MoranWilwood Brakes Lucky 7th Place Feature: Hudson O’NealDeatherage Opticians Lucky 13th Place Feature: Garrett AlbersonMD3 Most Laps Led: Tim McCreadie (79 Laps) Sunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Tim McCreadieMidwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Ricky Thornton, Jr., Jonathan Davenport, Devin Moran, Tim McCreadieO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Carson FergusonColtman Farms Fastest Lap of the Race: Tim McCreadie | Lap 7 | 16.639 secondsSlicker Graphics Slickest Move of the Race: Devin MoranMiller Welders Hard Luck Award: Jonathan DavenportOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Bob Pierce (Bobby Pierce)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Tyler Carpenter (15.5475 seconds)Time of Race: 44 minutes 45 seconds Big River Steel Chase for the Championship Presented by ARP Point Standings:Pos – Car # – Competitor – Hometown – Points – Pay1 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN – 6910 – $435,6692 – 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH – 6850 – $372,4553 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA – 6780 – $387,2754 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY – 6765 – $252,9755 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN – 5985 – $196,9286 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM – 5780 – $159,9557 – 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN – 5720 – $202,9158 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC – 5490 – $168,8359 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA – 5460 – $137,24010 – 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN – 5310 – $111,29011 – 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA – 4920 – $103,93512 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE – 4650 – $92,75513 – 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL – 4605 – $68,72514 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA – 4140 – $55,80515 – 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL – 4045 – $42,00516 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC – 4030 – $69,56517 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA – 3850 – $27,325
 
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Hagar Completes Weekend Sweep of World Short Track Challenge

 WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 19, 2024) – Some driver-track combinations in Sprint Car racing seem to go together like bread and butter. Donny Schatz at Knoxville. David Gravel at Williams Grove. And of course, Derek Hagar at Riverside International Speedway.

The Marion, AR driver took the checkered flag at “The Ditch” for the fourth time in eight days and the second time in as many outings with the American Sprint Car Series National Tour. But this time, it came with a $10,000 check and the title of World Short Track Challenge champion.

“It’s $10,000 man, you’ve got to put it all on the line,” Hagar said. “I knew I wasn’t going to pass them following them. I had some good runs and the cautions kept coming out. I was like ‘man, screw it, I’m pulling the wing back and see if it works.”

Thanks to his Friday night victory, Hagar was one of two drivers locked into Saturday’s Feature before the program began, the other being Friday runner-up Dale Howard. Hagar finished fifth in the Dash to claim the inside of the third row in the Feature lineup, with Jordon Mallett and Cody Gardner sharing the front row.

A rash of early spins meant the field needed three attempts to complete the opening lap, but once the race got going, Mallett drove away to the early lead while Gardner came under fire from the No. 2C of Hank Davis.

Davis moved up to second on Lap 5 and immediately went to work on running down Mallett. He caught the Rains Motorsports No. 3 car and was briefly side-by-side for the top spot before Ayden Gatewood spun in Turn 2 to pause the action on Lap 12.

Hagar had climbed to third by the time the caution was thrown, putting him within striking distance of the lead for the first time when the race resumed. He made the most of the opportunity, getting around Davis on the high side in Turns 3 and 4 before setting his sights on Mallett.

With seven laps to go, Hagar found a run off of Turn 2, slipped to Mallett’s inside and never looked back, leading the rest of the way to win for the 10th time on the National Tour.

The 40-lap distance meant track evolution was a much bigger factor than in the 25-lap contest one night prior, which made Hagar’s local knowledge of the facility even more crucial.

“Knew that I was going to be tight early and it was,” Hagar said. “I think I knocked the wall down two or three times down the back straightaway. Really surprised the Jacob’s ladder’s still on it. I knew that with 40 laps, a lot of these cars running, it was probably going to start polishing off on the bottom and throwing that crum up in the middle.”

With fellow Arkansas driver Mallett finishing second, it marked the second night in a row in which the top two spots were claimed by Riverside regulars, solidifying their spot as one of the top local contingents in 360 Sprint Car racing.

“A lot of guys that grew up racing here are in the Hall of Fame,” Hagar said. “My granddad fielded cars for Sammy Swindell, Hooker Hood and Rickey Hood. He actually crew chiefed on the car when Sammy won both Short Track Challenges back in the 1970s. So to keep the win in the family, it feels pretty special.”

While Mallett looked to be in position to take his second National Tour win of the season up until the final 10 laps of the Feature, he was ultimately unable to stand in the way of Hagar’s reign of terror over the West Memphis bullring.

“Hindsight’s always 20/20,” Mallett said. “Sometimes it’s better to be second than the leader on this deal, but I mean, this is [Hagar’s] deal, this is where he made a name. Hats off to Derek, he got it done again. We ran second to him last week, we ran second to him this week.”

Sam Hafertepe Jr. rebounded from his crash on Friday night with a third-place finish on Saturday night, giving the Sunnyvale, TX driver some positive momentum entering his home race at RPM Speedway next weekend.

“We stayed a little free, freer than we were last night,” Hafertepe said. “We probably should have gotten where we were last night, and we probably could have competed with Derek as far as speed. At the end, I just kind of put it on the fence, just rubbing the right-rear on the wall and honestly, we started catching them guys in front of us.”

Davis held on to the fourth spot while Blake Hahn finished fifth for his fourth top five in 10 National Tour appearances this season.

The Hard Charger Award went to Jason Martin, who advanced to the Feature through a B-Main before driving from 16th up to seventh by the checkered flag.

UP NEXT: The final stop before championship weekend in November will take the ASCS National Tour to RPM Speedway in Crandall, TX on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26. Tickets will be available at the track on race day, but if you can’t make it, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature: 1. 9JR-Derek Hagar[5]; 2. 3-Jordon Mallett[1]; 3. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[6]; 4. 2C-Hank Davis[4]; 5. 52-Blake Hahn[13]; 6. 47-Dale Howard[3]; 7. 36-Jason Martin[16]; 8. 10M-Morgan Turpen Havener[8]; 9. 6J-Kyle Jones[9]; 10. 26-Marshall Skinner[12]; 11. 40-Howard Moore[20]; 12. 31-Casey Wills[19]; 13. 37-Ayden Gatewood[11]; 14. 10L-Landon Britt[17]; 15. 71T-Christopher Townsend[15]; 16. 16G-Austyn Gossel[14]; 17. 121-Jan Howard[10]; 18. 6-Cody Gardner[2]; 19. 55Z-Zach Pringle[18]; 20. 2J-Zach Blurton[21]; 21. 88M-Trent Moss[7]

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/recap/hagar-completes-weekend-sweep-of-world-short-track-challenge/

TRACK INFO: https://riversideinternationalspeedway.com/
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

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NASCAR CUP SERIES LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAYROUND OF EIGHT: RACE ONE TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES OCTOBER 19, 2024 

 

 KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 FICO CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Media Availability Quotes:  THIS IS A PLACE THAT MEANS A LOT TO YOU AND THAT YOU’VE HAD SUCCESS AT. IT’S ALWAYS THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION WEEK, BUT DO YOU FEEL MORE OPITIMISTIC COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND TO GET THAT WIN THIS SEASON? “Yeah, we’ve had some good runs here of late. We’ve had some really good speed here in the spring. Again, we had some good speed in the spring race at Kansas and the fall race at Kansas, so we kind of relate these two places similar to each other. So hopeful, obviously, but we’ve got to go out there and execute and do a good job. Having fast cars cures all, and we’ll find out how fast we are here in a little bit.”
I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A GREAT PULSE ON WHO’S REALLY FAST IN THIS ROUND. CAN YOU HANDICAP THIS ROUND OF EIGHT FOR US? WHO SHOULD WE BE WATCHING AS THE BIGGEST THREATS TO MAKE THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR RIGHT NOW? “Who’s above the cutline?” 
LARSON, BELL, BYRON AND REDDICK.. “Umm yeah, I would say – baring craziness, which we all enjoy chaos, I would say that the race for the final spot is between the No. 45 and the No. 11. The other three are set.”
DO YOU ENJOY THE CHAOS? “Not being a part of it.. absolutely not, no. But I don’t really pay attention to it anyways either, you know. So when stuff does start to go down and happen a little bit – you know, earlier this year in the playoffs, there was a lot that was going on with Watkins Glen, with Atlanta and all that sort of stuff. So I kind of saw that from just doing the TV show. But besides that, I wouldn’t have paid an ounce of attention. I’ve got enough problems (laughs).” 
THERE’S BEEN CIRCUMSTANCES THAT HAVE ALLOWED YOU GUYS TO GET TO THE FRONT OF THE FIELD AND YOU GUYS HAVE CAPITALIZED ON THAT, LIKE LEADING LAPS A KANSAS A FEW WEEKS AGO. DOES ANY OF THAT SUCCESS OR WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED FROM THAT RACE TRANSLATE TO LAS VEGAS, OR ARE THE TRACKS TOO DIFFERENT WITH HOW BUMPY THIS PLACE IS AND CAN BE? “No, I mean that’s kind of what I mentioned in the first question – I do feel like these places are pretty similar. There are differences, of course. There are in any race track. But you know, having speed in the spring at Kansas and backing that up with speed in the fall, was a sense of optimism. And I would like to think the same could happen here. We were good here in the spring. We had some bad pit stops, but we were able to pass our way forward.”
WHEN YOU’RE ON THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN, HOW MUCH ARE YOU INTERESTED IN OR PAY ATTENTION TO HOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP IS PLAYING OUT? IS IT JUST BECAUSE IT DOESN’T EFFECT YOU, SO IT’S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE I DON’T NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHO’S DOING WHAT OR WHAT THE POINTS ARE AND HOW THIS IS PLAYING OUT? “Yeah, I mean at the end of the day – I guess when you’re done with Phoenix, you’ll probably look up at the pylon and see who was the furthest ahead of the four. You know who the four are, but past that, that’s about it. Just kind of seeing who got it. But yeah, I don’t put much into it.”
FOR YOU, HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO BE THE SPOILER AND WIN ONE OF THESE NEXT FOUR RACES BEFORE THE END OF THE SEASON? DO YOU PUT ANY EXTRA PRESSURE ON YOURSELF? WHAT’S YOUR BEST CHANCE? “You know, no – I don’t put any extra pressure. I feel like when you do do that, you can put yourself in positions to make mistakes, like Kansas. You try to kind of let everything flow together; come to you and happen naturally. But those have been my best races that I’ve had and my two championships that I’ve won, when I’ve been in that mindset. So I’ve learned in those instances on how to excel, and I would love to kind of have it be that way again to win here on Sunday. But yeah, I mean time is running out. We’re getting closer to the end of the year. I feel like this place is probably one of our best chances of being able to go out there and get that win this year. Homestead hasn’t been great to me with this new car. Martinsville, I don’t think has been great to anybody for being able to pass. And the final four at Phoenix, and being in a championship race there – if you win that race and you’re not one of the championship four guys, you’ve got something special that day.”
I IMAGINE WITH THREE OR FOUR RACES TO GO IN THE REGULAR SEASON, IT CAN KIND OF BE A LITTLE BIT OF SINKING FEELING LIKE – I MAY NOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. AND HERE’S WITH FOUR RACES LEFT NOW IN THE SEASON AND YOU’RE TRYING TO EXTEND YOUR STREAK OF WINNING EVERY SEASON OVER 20 YEARS. IS IT A SIMILAR FEELING THAT YOU HAVE MAYBE WITH THREE OR FOUR WEEKS LEFT IN THE PLAYOFFS, OR IS IT DIFFERENT? “Yeah, I mean I would say it’s similar.. sure. You know, you kind of come down towards the closing stages of the regular season, and we had some pretty good runs. We’ve had a couple second-place finishes; some close opportunities and some missed chances there, which really hurt being able to get into the playoffs, for one. But two, to just scratch-off the 20 year question mark. And so here we are again – the last few weeks of the season and trying to get that victory. All you can do is try each week and go through the best you can; execute and put yourself in the right spot to have that shot to win. If it doesn’t happen, then you were beaten by others that were better than you. So it’s just all you can do.”
I RAN INTO RANDALL BURNETT (CREW CHIEF) LAST NIGHT. HE SAID THAT HE FEELS LIKE THE TEAM IS DOING EVERYTHING. HE FEELS LIKE YOU’RE DOING EVERYTHING. CAN YOU PINPOINT THAT LITTLE SOMETHING THAT’S MISSING? CLEARLY RACERS WILL SAY – WELL IF WE DO, WE WOULD CHANGE IT. BUT YOU’VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR SO LONG, DO YOU HAVE A FEEL ON WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE FOR 2025?“A little bit.. I mean it’s been talked about. But I’m not really sure if it’s appropriate for this room. You know, we continue to talk all the time. We talk every week. It’s not just me and Randall (Burnett) talking, it’s Richard (Childress) being involved. It’s Keith (Rodden) being involved. You know, Justin Alexander being involved. So there are some new key players that come in here for next season that hopefully will be able to – maybe January 1, I don’t know when they come in – you know, that will hopefully be able to bring us some newer, fresher ideas that will give us some opportunities to have faster race cars in 2025.”
DENNY HAMLIN SAID THAT BECAUSE OF HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU, HE DIDN’T RACE YOU HARD FOR THAT LAST SPOT. HE SAID THAT THE 100 PERCENT RULE DOESN’T REALLY APPLY ANYMORE. WHERE DO YOU STAND ON THAT? “I thought he missed a shift, so I just scooched on by. I’m glad I wasn’t close enough to him to hit him.”
I KNOW YOU HAVE SOME FOND MEMORIES OF HOMESTEAD. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT MOVING TO THE SPRING NEXT YEAR? ANY CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF HOMESTEAD FOR YOU? “Didn’t we try the spring, like two or three years ago? The pandemic year? 
NO MIC..“So it was what, March? April? Somewhere in there? It didn’t go well. I don’t see this one going well. I think that place has had a bit of a struggle some time in being able to collect the crowd that it needs, not being the final race of the year. I hope I’m wrong.. prove me wrong.”
I REMEMBER IN 2020, YOU WERE IN A SIMILAR SPOT OF LOOKING FOR THAT WIN ALL YEAR AND YOU FINAL GOT IT AT TEXAS DURING THE FALL. DOES THIS SITUATION KIND OF FEEL SIMILAR TO THAT? “Yeah, very similar. You know, just through the COVID year, we didn’t have practice. We just lined up and raced, and so it took us awhile through each race to be able to get ourselves the balance that I needed in the race car to be able to go out there and be fast. And it was just too late in the game, where we were just too far behind, and a lot of other guys were a little bit ahead of us. Here, or this year, we’ve kind of felt like we’ve qualified well at some places, but we don’t start the race well. So we’re kind of behind and trying to figure it out; get the balance right for the end of the race. And then by then, it’s a little too late. We’ve kind of run into that same predicament some. But yeah, it’s gotten down closer to the wire, closer to the end, and we don’t have that victory yet. Again, we’ll just keep trying to work on it; execute, do the best we can and make sure we put our best foot forward.”
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NASCAR CUP SERIESLAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAYROUND OF EIGHT: RACE ONETEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTESOCTOBER 19, 2024



KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Media Availability Quotes:  COMING OFF A WIN LAST WEEKEND, YOU’RE COMING TO A TRACK THAT YOU’VE WON AT THE PAST TWO TIMES. TALK ABOUT THE CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND. “Yeah, I mean I think winning for sure helps the confidence. But also coming to a track where we do have a lot of success at helps, probably more than anything. So yeah, I’m just looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully, our car has good speed and a good balance, like it has the last couple of times here. It would be nice to get another win, or at least start the round better than we started the other two rounds and gain points.”
DOES YOUR MINDSET AS A RACECAR DRIVER CHANGE AT ALL IN THE PLAYOFFS WITH HOW YOU ATTACK A RACE OR START A RACE, OR IS THERE ANY CHANGE IN YOUR MINDSET FROM A REGULAR SEASON RACE TO A PLAYOFF RACE? “Not a whole lot.. I don’t think so. I think it probably depends on your points situation and such, but I don’t know.. I feel like whenever the playoffs come around, you’re just a little bit more focused and trying not to be too risky, and in a way, kind of limit the risk.. at least in our points position. So that’s kind of how I feel like I’ve been throughout the playoffs this year. But even a lot of other years, too, and it seems to work out.”
ARE YOU MORE CAREFUL? “Yeah, I think you’re just a little bit more calculated, probably, in a way. I think that sometimes in the regular season, I think you’re willing to take more risks sometimes, just because you know you’ve got 15 more races or something until the playoffs. So you can take that risk and it doesn’t damage you as much if it doesn’t work out. Where I think in the playoffs, if you’re above the cutline, you’re more kind of cautious and limiting that risk.”
THIS IS JUST THE THIRD TIME THAT THE PREVIOUS YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR HAVE ALL ADVANCED TO THE ROUND OF EIGHT. WHAT DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT SAYS ABOUT THESE FOUR TEAMS AND THE STRENGTH THAT THEY HAVE?“Yeah, sure.. I think it says that the four teams have a lot of strengths. But I think to me, I feel like in other eras of like the Gen-6 car – it was changing a lot.. like the rules were different kind of each year and there was more development going on throughout the year between teams. Now, I just feel like teams are very similar to how they were last year, just because there’s not really much developing in the cars.. or as much as there was. There’s always development within the teams; setups and what they’re finding here and there, but it’s probably a lot smaller than it used to be. So I think that’s why you see teams being more consistently good year-to-year, probably, right now.”
DO YOU HAVE AN ORDER OF CELEBRATION FOR YOUR KIDS.. DOES OWEN GET THE NEXT ONE, OR ARE THEY FIGHTING OVER IT? HOW DOES THAT WORK? “(Laughs) No, I don’t know.. it just worked out where – obviously you don’t plan to win when you bring your kids. But at Bristol, I had Owen by myself, and then at the (Charlotte) ROVAL last weekend, Audrey was with me. Thankfully it worked out that way. They’re all here this weekend, so it would be nice to win and have them all there and part of the victory. But no, there’s no order, I guess (laughs).”
DOES KATELYN GIVE YOU ANY ORDERS OF WHAT YOU CAN DO? “I wear the pants, Bob (laughs). No, I’m just kidding.. we all know that’s not true (laughs). 
When she (Katelyn) first watched Bristol, when I had Owen on the door, she thought he was just hanging to like the roof with his fingertips. She didn’t realize I had him in an arm lock inside the car. So yeah, she was more comfortable with it with Audrey. And I’m going super slow, too.”
I KNOW IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE TEAM TO HAVE ALL FOUR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CARS IN THE ROUND OF EIGHT AND GOING FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP. WITH (ALEX) BOWMAN’S SITUATION LAST WEEKEND, HOW MUCH OF A BUMMER HAS THAT BEEN, AND WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN YOU HEARD THAT NEWS? “Yeah, I had heard during victory lane what was going on.. when we were doing pictures, interviews and stuff. For me, I’m like – man, I just hope something changes.. like the scales were off or something. But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It was just a huge bummer for everybody that’s a part of Hendrick Motorsports; Rick and Linda (Hendrick). Having four cars in the Round of Eight.. like that’s a huge feat and it’s something that I think everyone was really proud of. 
Yeah, just a bummer that it worked out that way. I feel terrible for Alex. It’s really got nothing to do with him. He did everything possible. He’s done a great job throughout the playoffs. Definitely the most improved, I feel like, out of any driver in the playoffs, or any driver in the series, over these first-six races or whatever it’s been. Yeah, just super bummed for him and their whole team. Really just all of Hendrick Motorsports.. it would have been cool to come here to Las Vegas and have a 50 percent shot of getting Rick and Linda a championship.”
BUILDING OFF OF THAT, DOES THAT PUT THINGS BACK INTO PERSPECTIVE.. LIKE ARE YOU THE KIND OF PERSON THAT TYPICALLY WAITS FOR THE OFFICIAL RESULTS AFTER POST-RACE INSPECTION? HOW MUCH DO YOU NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF THE OFFICIAL WINNER UNTIL INSPECTION IS OVER, OR HOW DO YOU VIEW THAT? “I don’t know.. I mean, I don’t really know. I just know like, whenever we’re doing victory lane and stuff, and then they’re like ‘OK team, you’re clear to take the car to tech’, you’re always like ‘man, I hope it’s good’ (laughs). For me, I have no idea how it’s going. So when I get done in the media center, get done with all the interviews and head back, I’m like ‘how’s it going guys’. Thankfully, it’s always been good. There’s been a couple of times where it’s gotten sketchy a little bit. For like the driver’s side, we don’t have anything to do with building the cars. So we’re kind of just hoping it’s all good.”
SO WITH WHAT HAPPENED LAST SUNDAY, IF YOU WIN THIS SUNDAY, ARE YOU GOING TO BE A LITTLE MORE MINDFUL OF THAT? “I’m not because I just drive (laughs). No, it wouldn’t be any different than how I’ve felt before. You just hope you pass tech. I’m sure every driver, not just Hendrick Motorsports drivers; I’m sure every driver, anytime you win, it’s like once they take the car, they’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking.. ‘now we just have to get through tech’ (laughs).” 
YOU’VE BEEN SO DOMINANT AT HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY IN PAST YEARS. ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING MORE TRADITIONAL TRACKS IN THIS ROUND? “Yeah, I look forward to it because, for one, there are tracks that we’re good at. But more than anything, I just really love Homestead. We only get to go there once a year, whereas a lot of intermediates we go to twice a year.. Las Vegas, Kansas. Charlotte, I guess, is once a year. But Homestead, I wish we could go there twice because I just love the track. So yeah, I look forward to going there because – one, I love it, and we’re really, really fast there. And yeah, it’s just a good track for us.”
WHEN YOU GET INTO A GROOVE WHERE YOU LEAD 199 OF 267 LAPS, DOES YOUR CONFIDENCE JUST BUILD THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF A RUN LIKE THAT? CAN YOU GET COMPLACENT BECAUSE YOU JUST KIND OF FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A GROOVE? WHAT GOES THROUGH A DRIVER’S MIND WHEN YOU’RE HAVING THAT SOLID OF A RUN? “Yeah, I mean definitely, at least for myself, not getting complacent because when you’re car is that good – I feel like throughout my career, I’ve dominated a lot of races and I’ve lost more than I’ve won, you know, in those dominating runs. And then I feel like a lot of times, it’s because you do get complacent, and you’re like – oh, my car is perfect.. I don’t need to work on it or whatever during a pit stop. And then those other teams are chasing you throughout the race. They’re already trying to tune their setups; giving feedback and whatnot. And then it comes down to a 20-lap run; you’ll be on a restart and (inaudible). So I think losing a lot of races where I dominated, I’ve become still more focused on – alright, this is what I’m feeling. And yeah, I think we’ve done a better job of keeping up with the racetrack; keeping up with the pace and all that sort of stuff.”
WHEN YOU THINK OF LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, JOEY LOGANO GOT THAT EIGHTH SPOT. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT, GIVEN HIS SUCCESSFUL TRACK RECORD HERE? “Yeah, I mean obviously, I would have loved to have had Alex (Bowman) in the Round of Eight. But yeah, Joey (Logano) is dangerously good.. like you can never count him out anywhere. So yeah, he’s the guy that gets the benefit of it, and it’s like – dang man, he’s a tough competitor… he’s one you have to keep your eye on. Yeah, I mean everybody in the playoffs is really good. Even the four or eight guys that have missed making it this far, they’re all great teams and drivers.”
TO THAT POINT, THIS ROUND OF EIGHT REALLY FEELS LIKE A STACKED FIELD. HOW DO YOU LOOK AT THE EIGHT DRIVERS THAT HAVE ADVANCED TO THIS POINT? “Yeah, I mean there are a lot of wins, championships and all that, currently in the Round of Eight. So yeah, it’s a tough, tough group of teams and drivers. So yeah, I mean I think it’s good. You want it to be that way. I don’t know if we all expected it to be that way, with how the tracks lined up on the schedule. But the cream has risen, and yeah, I think it’s going to be an ultra-competitive round, just like every time the Round of Eight comes around. It’s always competitive. It comes down to the final few laps at Martinsville, and this year will probably be no different.”
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE MINDSET IN RACES THAT YOU DOMINATED. I’M CURIOUS, AFTER THE DEFEATS IN PREVIOUS CASES, WHAT’S THE PROCESS OF GETTING BETTER? “I don’t know.. I mean just going through the experience of losing. You learn from all of those. And then in the times of winning, you learn from that, too. And it’s not just all myself.. it’s the whole team that gains that experience, whether it be the pit crew, the guys on the box, the engineers back at the shop. Like we’re all learning each week, no matter how it goes. So yeah, I think there’s a number of reasons why I’ve lost races that I’ve dominated before. It hasn’t always been on my end, but there’s also been a lot of races where the team has helped me win. It’s a team sport, and there’s not one single individual that is more important than anybody else.”
IS THERE A DIFFERENT FEELING, PRESSURE.. I DON’T’ KNOW WHAT THE WORD MIGHT BE, BUT WHEN YOU GET TO THIS ROUND, KNOWING WE’RE ONE ROUND AWAY FROM PHOENIX, DOES THIS ROUND FEEL ANY DIFFERENTLY? “I think in the first couple years that I ever made the Round of Eight.. yeah. You know, like you feel the pressure of it a little bit, or you put more pressure on yourself, or whatever the case may be. Where I think after you make it to the Championship Four, the final round, a few different times, it kind of calms your nerves a little bit.. at least for me. And I think a lot of that comes with just confidence you have in the group of people around you. So no, I feel the same I did the other rounds leading into it. Just excited to go racing. Excited for the opportunity. It’s a privilege to be this far into the playoffs; seeing all of the hard work of the regular season and the playoff races to this point and getting yourself to where you’re at in the points. So yeah, I’m just ready to go; ready to have a good time. Hopefully we can execute at a high level and find ourselves with an opportunity to race for a championship in Phoenix.”
YOU’VE BEEN ASKED ABOUT THE EIGHT DRIVERS THAT ARE IN THIS ROUND. THERE’S THREE HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS CARS.. TYLER REDDICK, THE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPION. AND THEN YOU HAVE CHRISTOPHER BELL, WHO’S GOT THE BEST AVERAGE FINISH. TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE HE’S KIND OF FLYING UNDER THE RADAR.. “Always (laughs).. I mean, always. Like I got asked the question last week, like who’s the guy, and I mentioned four or five people without mentioning Christopher (Bell). And like, he’s so good; sneaky.. like very sneaky, quiet, good. I mean that’s his personality, too. Just quiet. He’s not out talking about how good he’s doing, he’s just doing it. Him and his team are super strong. Yeah, I think they’ve been doing a great job over the last three years, or whatever it’s been. 
And two, I’ve raced with Christopher for so long, so I know how good he is. He is just a quiet, just a smooth, person.. smooth racer. Yeah, for whatever reason, he’s flown under the radar his whole NASCAR career, I feel like.” 
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Hagar Takes Home Friday Prelim at World Short Track Challenge

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 18, 2024) – Few Sprint Car drivers can say they’ve won three Features at the same track in the span of seven days, but Derek Hagar added his name to that short list Friday night at Riverside International Speedway.

Last weekend in the Flip Flop 50 for the United Sprint Car Series, he won the first Feature, was inverted to the rear for the second race and drove back to the front by the checkers.

Less than a week later, with the stars of the American Sprint Car Series National Tour and the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints joining the fold, he got the job done once again on the opening night of the World Short Track Challenge.

“We could do whatever we wanted in that Feature man,” Hagar said. “I could cut the corner, I could float the corner and I could make speed the whole time.”

The unique format for the event meant that the first five rows of the Feature were set by combined points from Qualifying and Heat Races, which resulted in Anton Hernandez starting on the pole in his National Tour debut alongside Sam Hafertepe Jr. in the 25-lap Feature. Hernandez did not get to enjoy much time out front at the start, as Hafertepe powered around his outside and led by three car lengths entering Turn 3 on the first lap.

The first caution was thrown on Lap 2 when Lance Moss collided with the spinning car of Ayden Gatewood. Hafertepe kept the lead on the restart, while Hank Davis made the pass on Hernandez in Turn 3 to take second.

Hafertepe would lead the next several circuits, albeit with Davis breathing down his neck in search of the top spot. Davis’ night started to turn sour when he got into the Turn 4 wall on Lap 8 and climbed the catchfence – he initially kept going but eventually brought the car to the pits to fix the damage.

The issues for Davis may have given Hafertepe some breathing room, but his chance to score his first National Tour win in over two months was erased when he ran into the back of the slowing car of Jordon Mallett on the backstretch, sending the No. 15H up and over.

That incident handed the lead back to Hernandez with 15 to go, but just like the initial start, he didn’t stay long as Hagar blew past him on the outside in Turns 1 and 2.

The final stoppage of the race was for a flip by Brandon Hanks with six to go, but Hagar once again nailed the restart and took the checkers by 1.6 seconds over Dale Howard in second.

Riverside’s track surface has long been known to change in an instant, and Hagar said keeping up with those changes better than anyone else was ultimately what won him the race.

“Racetrack went from muddy to slick real quick,” Hagar said. “Billy and the guys did a real great job this week getting this racetrack prepared for tonight. Not knowing what the racetrack was going to do with 60 cars, last week we had 120 cars here between all the classes. It was muddy early and kind of did the same thing. It went a little further than this as far as being slick.”

Howard completed the sweep of the top two spots by the West Memphis locals. The runner-up effort served as a solid end to the night after teammate Sammy Swindell’s weekend came to an early end due to an engine failure.

“This is mine and Derek’s local track, so we’re kind of favored here,” Howard said. “We’re supposed to do good. Honestly, the two of us being the top two out of 60 cars here, that’s not half bad.”

The highest finishing invader was none other than Kennedale, TX’s Kyle Jones, who charged up from 13th to finish third and claim the Hard Charger Award. While Jones is widely known for his skills behind the wheel of a Midget, his run on Friday night proved he can be equally fast in a Sprint Car.

“All the guys were up [at the top of the track] while I was putting around the bottom and I was able to make room down there,” Jones said. “They were kind of crossing each other up, so I was able to get some good runs down on the bottom. I went up there a little bit but it’s pretty sketchy. Finishing behind some guys that run this place all the time is pretty cool.”

Matt Covington finished fourth to lead the National Tour regulars, while Landon Britt gave his hometown fans a reason to cheer by coming home fifth for his second top five in the last three races.

UP NEXT: The World Short Track Challenge wraps up with a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win event on Saturday night at Riverside International Speedway. Tickets will be available at the gate, but if you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Feature: 1. 9JR-Derek Hagar[10]; 2. 47-Dale Howard[8]; 3. 6J-Kyle Jones[13]; 4. 95-Matt Covington[12]; 5. 10L-Landon Britt[5]; 6. 6-Cody Gardner[16]; 7. 5L-Anton Hernandez[1]; 8. 36-Jason Martin[3]; 9. 52-Blake Hahn[15]; 10. 40-Howard Moore[14]; 11. 23-Seth Bergman[11]; 12. 10-Terry Gray[20]; 13. 23L-Lance Moss[9]; 14. 84-Brandon Hanks[17]; 15. 21-Carson Short[19]; 16. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[2]; 17. 2C-Hank Davis[6]; 18. 3-Jordon Mallett[18]; 19. 901-Tucker Boulton[7]; 20. 37-Ayden Gatewood[4]

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/recap/hagar-takes-home-friday-prelim-at-world-short-track-challenge/

EVENT INFO: https://ascsracing.com/schedule/event-info/?event=7529
TRACK INFO: https://riversideinternationalspeedway.com/
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

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Preliminary Results from 44th Annual Dirt Track World Championship

ROSSBURG, OH (October 18, 2024) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series took to the track on Friday night at Eldora Speedway for the preliminary night portion of the 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP. Sixty-one entries were divided into six heat races. Tim McCreadie, who set the Allstar Performance overall fastest lap in time trials, bolted to the lead at the start of Penske Shocks heat number one, leading all ten circuits to earn the Victory Fuel Pole Award for Saturday night’s $100,000 to win finale. Daulton Wilson came from the fourth spot to finish in second place, with Max Blair grabbing the third and final transfer spot. Ricky Thornton, Jr., the current series points leader, dominated all ten laps, leading wire-to-wire in winning Summit Racing Equipment heat number two. Thornton was never challenged for the race lead as he led Carson Ferguson and James Rice to the finish line to advance to the Dirt Track World Championship. In Earnhardt Technologies heat three, Jonathan Davenport split the middle of two other drivers on a restart and pulled away for the win. Trailing Davenport to the line and qualifying for the Dirt Track World Championship were Josh Rice and Hudson O’Neal. In a pivotal Simpson Race Products heat four where the winner would start on the outside front row of the Dirt Track World Championship, Mason Zeigler, a former Lucas Oil Rookie of the Year barely edged Dale McDowell in a photo finish. McDowell and World 100 winner Bobby Pierce completed the top three to punch their ticket into the finale. The fifth heat race saw Jordan Koehler race his way into his first Dirt Track World Championship, leading all 10 laps as the 22-year-old North Carolina racer crossed the line ahead of the 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year Drake Troutman, who will start his first career Dirt Track World Championship on Saturday as well. Ryan Gustin finished third. Mike Marlar, coming off a Jackson 100 win at Brownstown Speedway last weekend, cruised to victory in the sixth and final heat race of the night. Brian Shirley, the runner-up in the Knoxville Late Model Nationals, came home in second, followed by Devin Moran, who was third. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP | Night 1Friday, October 18, 2024Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (15.1228 seconds) Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Tim McCreadie | 15.522 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Zak Mitchell | 15.559 seconds  Penske Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 18D-Daulton Wilson[4]; 3. 111-Max Blair[5]; 4. 76-Brandon Overton[2]; 5. 58-Garrett Alberson[3]; 6. 96-Tanner English[7]; 7. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[8]; 8. 12-Jason Jameson[6]; 9. 93-Cory Lawler[10]; 10. 99J-Donnie Jeschke[9]; 11. (DNS) 29-Clint Keenan Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[1]; 2. 93F-Carson Ferguson[2]; 3. 11J-James Rice[4]; 4. 6-Clay Harris[6]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[3]; 6. 4G-Kody Evans[5]; 7. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[9]; 8. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[8]; 9. 7B-Jeff Babcock[7]; 10. 21B-Rich Bell[10]
Earnhardt Technologies Heat Race #3 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[4]; 2. 11R-Josh Rice[2]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 4. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 5. 9-Nick Hoffman[3]; 6. 89-Mike Spatola[7]; 7. 51-Devin Shiels[8]; 8. 69-Jon Hodgkiss[9]; 9. 39-Brandon Moore[10]; 10. 74-Ethan Dotson[1] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #4 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[2]; 2. 17M-Dale McDowell[3]; 3. 32P-Bobby Pierce[4]; 4. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[5]; 5. 17D-Zack Dohm[6]; 6. 17SS-Brenden Smith[8]; 7. 11K-Evan Koehler[9]; 8. 8-Rob Anderzack[10]; 9. 28B-Carson Brown[7]; 10. 57-Zack Mitchell[1] Lucas Oil Heat Race #5 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 18D-Daulton Wilson[1]; 2. 1-Tim McCreadie[3]; 3. 2J-Justin Weaver[4]; 4. 15K-Jamie Lathroum[2]; 5. 0-Rick Eckert[6]; 6. 9M-Hayes Mattern[5]; 7. 32J-Shaun Jones[7]; 8. 4-Gary Stuhler[8]
Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 3S-Brian Shirley[2]; 3. 99-Devin Moran[3]; 4. 20-Jimmy Owens[4]; 5. C4-Freddie Carpenter[6]; 6. 18-Shannon Babb[7]; 7. 10S-Garrett Smith[10]; 8. 1T-Tyler Erb[5]; 9. 49X-Brian Ruhlman[8]; 10. W1-Cory Workman[9]
Fast Shafts B-Main Race #1 Line-Up (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer): Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown | Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 76 – Brandon Overton – Evans, GA | 6 – Clay Harris – Jupiter, FL2 – 58 – Garrett Alberson – Las Cruces, NM | 40B – Kyle Bronson – Brandon, FL3 – 96 – Tanner English – Benton, KY | 4G – Kody Evans – Camden, OH4 – 22 – Daniel Hilsabeck – Earlham, IA | 28 – Dennis Erb Jr – Carpentersville, IL5 – 12 – Jason Jameson – Lawrenceburg, IN | 95J – Jerry Bowersock – Wapakoneta, OH6 – 93 – Cory Lawler – Hanover, PA | 7B – Jeff Babcock – Wayne, OH7 – 99J – Donnie Jeschke – Dayton, OH | 21B – Rich Bell – Sheffield, IL8 – 29 – Clint Keenan – Pataskala, OH
UNOH B-Main Race #2 Line-Up (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer):Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown | Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 7 – Ross Robinson – Georgetown, DE | 20TC – Tristan Chamberlain – Richmond, IN2 – 9 – Nick Hoffman – Mooresville, NC | 17D – Zack Dohm – Cross Lanes, WV3 – 89 – Mike Spatola – Manhattan, IL | 17SS – Brenden Smith – Dade City, FL4 – 51 – Devin Shiels – Britton, MI | 11K – Evan Koehler – Mount Airy, NC5 – 69 – Jon Hodgkiss – Pittsburgh, PA | 8 – Rob Anderzack – Swanton, OH6 – 39 – Brandon Moore – Fostoria, OH | 28B – Carson Brown – New London, NC7 – 74 – Ethan Dotson – Bakersfield, CA | 57 – Zack Mitchell – Enoree, SC
MyRacePass B-Main Race #3 Line-Up (12 Laps, Top 2 Transfer):Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown | Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 15X – Wil Herrington – Hawkinsville, GA | 20 – Jimmy Owens – Newport, TN2 – 99B – Boom Briggs – Bear Lake, PA | C4 – Freddie Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV3 – B5 – Brandon Sheppard – New Berlin, IL | 18 – Shannon Babb – Moweaqua, IL4 – 28C – Tyler Carpenter – Parkersburg, WV | 10S – Garrett Smith – Madison, GA5 – 54 – David Breazeale – Four Corners, MS | 1T – Tyler Erb – New Waverly, TX6 – 88 – Chad Green – Flemington, WV – 49X | Brian Ruhlman – Clark Lake, MI7 – 23 – Cory Hedgecock – Loudon, TN | W1 – Cory Workman – Gratiot, OH
44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP A-Main Line-Up (100 Laps): Row – Car # – Driver – Hometown | Car # – Driver – Hometown1 – 1 – Tim McCreadie – Watertown, NY | 25Z – Mason Zeigler – Chalk Hill, PA2 – 20RT – Ricky Thornton Jr – Martinsville, IN | 114 – Jordan Koehler – Mount Airy, NC3 – 49 – Jonathan Davenport – Blairsville, GA | 157 – Mike Marlar – Winfield, TN4 – 18D – Daulton Wilson – Fayetteville, NC | 17M – Dale McDowell – Chickamauga, GA5 – 93F – Carson Ferguson – Lincolnton, NC | 7T – Drake Troutman – Hyndman, PA6 – 11R – Josh Rice – Crittenden, KY | 3S – Brian Shirley – Chatham, IL7 – 111 – Max Blair – Centerville, PA | 32P – Bobby Pierce – Oakwood, IL8 – 11J – James Rice – Verona, KY | 19R – Ryan Gustin – Marshalltown, IA9 – 71 – Hudson O’Neal – Martinsville, IN | 99 – Devin Moran – Dresden, OH10 – B-Main #1 – 1st Place | B-Main #2 – 1st Place11 – B-Main #3 – 1st Place | B-Main #1 – 2nd Place12 – B-Main #2 – 2nd Place | B-Main #3 – 2nd Place13 – LOLMDS Provisional #1 | LOLMDS Provisional #214 – LOLMDS Emergency Provisional #1 (if needed) | LOLMDS Emergency Provisional #2 (if needed)15 – LOLMDS Emergency Provisional #3 (if needed) | LOLMDS Emergency Provisional #4 (if needed)
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How Cannon McIntosh Matured, Reunited with KKM to Clinch 2024 Championship

CONCORD, NC (Oct. 18, 2024) — Cannon McIntosh’s run to the 2024 Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota championship was one defined by reunion, maturity and redemption. After a bitter defeat in the final races of 2023, he returned home empty-handed, unsure of his plans for a return to the national Midget circuit in 2024. But after some off-season discussion, the 21-year-old from Bixby, OK, struck a deal to return to his former team at Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports (KKM) for the first time in three years, seeking to reclaim what slipped away the year before. Paired with the knowledge and expertise of veteran crew chief and team co-owner Keith Kunz, McIntosh was a model of discipline and consistency in 2024 — winning six Features, recording zero DNFs and stringing together 18 consecutive top-five finishes in the first 18 races. He set new personal-best with the Xtreme Outlaw Series in wins (six), podiums (15) and top-five finishes (20) to clinch his first national championship, redeeming himself to sit atop the national Midget world once again. “I feel like it’s those times where you’re down on yourself and down on your confidence that shape things like this up,” McIntosh said. “You learn a lot in those seasons. It’s really just about not giving up.”  REUNIONAt the dawning of his Midget career, McIntosh drove the flagship car for Dave Mac Motorsports (DMD) — the team owned and operated by his father. For the 2020 season, he took an opportunity to join the driver roster at KKM, and made his mark, winning five races on the national circuit and two Chili Bowl Nationals preliminary Features before returning to DMD for 2021. After a record season in 2022 with DMD — scoring 16 wins across USAC, POWRi and Xtreme — McIntosh returned to chase the Xtreme championship in 2023. Four wins and eight podiums in the first 10 races gave him a 121-point lead in the chase for the championship but struggles over the final 19 races evaporated that lead and knocked him back to a fourth-place finish in the final standings. With broken spirits and morale running low, McIntosh questioned his future in Midget racing. “I’m not sure what else I was gonna do, whether I’d go back to my own car, I would have had to find a new crew chief and learn to work together again,” McIntosh said. “I spent a whole year in 2021 learning with (crew chief Robert Dalby) and trying to figure our stuff out; we didn’t really win much. Then, 2022 was kind of our breakout year — we were able to win races and compete up front. Then, in 2023, he informed me that he was leaving, and things just went south after that.” Soon after the regular season, McIntosh and KKM reconnected and struck a deal with Toyota Racing and GEARWRENCH to contest the 2024 Chili Bowl Nationals. McIntosh made his third A-Main start in the marquee event as part of the KKM team (2020, 2021, 2024), which then led to a discussion about his return for the regular season. However, when KKM experienced a departure of multiple star crew chiefs after the Chili Bowl, team management knew others were going to have to step up and fill those roles as more new drivers made commitments to join the team. And who better to step up than the man who coached so many drivers to numerous open-wheel championships over the last 30 years than Kunz himself. “For three or four years, I kinda stepped back and let my guys do stuff, and I had to step back in this year,” Kunz said. “I knew if I was gonna step back in, I had to have me a guy that could go win races, and I knew Cannon could win and win championships.” Kunz has been at the helm of Midget racing’s most decorated team since the late 1990s, having won 17 national Midget titles, including Jade Avedisian’s history-making Xtreme championship in 2023. But after spending a few seasons away from his primary role as head crew chief, Kunz was beginning to feel the itch to get back on the wrenches in pursuit of an 18th championship. He found his driver, and over the next eight months, he rejuvenated his competitive edge. “For me, I think a little bit of the excitement was gone because I was so hands-on all my years,” Kunz said. “It’s hard to sit back and watch and sit in the grandstands and not be that hands-on when you’ve done it for that long. That was the thing knowing I was gonna be hands-on, I needed a guy that I could go win with. And I knew Cannon could win. “It took me a little bit, but having somebody as good as Cannon kinda put the drive back in me. It made me want to go to the races again.”  MATURITYThe new driver-crew chief combo got to work right away, winning their second start together in Xtreme Outlaw Series competition inside the Southern Illinois Center (Du Quoin, IL) in March. Though he went to Victory Lane on Saturday night of the two-day event, McIntosh left Du Quoin with some uncertainty, and his crew chief noticed as well. “Even when we won DuQuoin, the second race of the season, I didn’t feel great; there were a lot of things I had to learn on my end,” McIntosh said. “Even quite a few races after that, I kept trying to tell [Keith] what I wanted to feel out of the car and what I was used to. Finally, it got to the point where I just started listening to him and drove the car how it needed to be driven.” “When he came back, he was a little nervous I think, a little unsure,” Kunz said. “As the year went on, the maturity in him really kinda showed because he settled into that role — more of the driver role, because in the beginning, he was trying to still be that mechanic a little bit.” Over the next nine races, McIntosh began to build his record-setting streak of consistency, building his top-five streak up to 11-straight through the first 11 races and scoring another Feature win at 81 Speedway (Wichita, KS) on May 11 after teammate Ryan Timms blew a tire while leading in the closing laps. Despite the success, Kunz said he felt like the wins were still coming at a premium. “There was a period there where I was getting him comfortable, but we were losing ground,” Kunz said. “We were starting to run fifth, sixth, and was backing up from the front row in a few of the races. We just didn’t have the speed, more or less we were just kinda hanging in there and getting decent finishes. “He was comfortable, but we weren’t fast. And there was finally one night I just told him, ‘Comfortable isn’t fast.’ He asked me something about what he should do, and I was like, ‘Dude, you’re the driver. That’s your job. Figure it out.’” And figure it out, he did. Two weeks after the win at 81, McIntosh delivered his most dominant performance of the season at Atomic Speedway in Ohio, when he led all 25 laps around the high-speed, 3/8-mile dirt oval to bank his third win of the season, showing a more complete growth as a driver with the ability to both win and tally consistent finishes up front. “At that point, I think he kinda realized and he changed his whole tune to just more driving and letting me do what I do and trusting my experience,” Kunz said. “And something just all-of-a-sudden clicked. I kinda got back into what I thought we should do, and he fully concentrated on just the driving part of it, and we figured it out pretty quickly at that point.” McIntosh’s hot streak continued as the summer months began, winning three times in the next five races at Spoon River Speedway (Lewistown, IL), Doe Run Raceway (Doe Run, MO) and Arrowhead Speedway in Colcord, OK — one where he bested Timms, who was his biggest opponent in the chase for the championship. “I think after our win at Arrowhead, what we were able to do there and just go out and win with Ryan (Timms) behind us most of the race and he not being able to do much, I was confident in our abilities to be able to just go and flat-out beat him,” McIntosh said. “That told me that we had a good chance at it. He was running second in points, and he was the guy to beat, and we went out and just beat him that night. “We just continued to build on that win. That was a cool win for me as well, being in my home state in front of family and friends.”  REDEMPTIONAfter Arrowhead, McIntosh closed-out his 2024 Xtreme Outlaw Series campaign with three more top-five finishes in the final five races and clinched the championship by 156 points over Timms. One week later, he clinched another national championship with POWRi — finally hoisting the championship trophies that slipped through his fingers in the final races of 2023. “I had a really good year,” McIntosh said. “Obviously, not a lot of things went wrong for us. It was just really good car preparation and the team effort that put us in position every night to either win or be close to winning. It was a team effort that got us here.” While 2023 is now nothing but a faded memory in his book, McIntosh has honed several of his skills since then and learned a new level of discipline that brought him more consistency to pair with his trips to Victory Lane in 2024. “I feel like we’ve just continued to get better and better,” McIntosh said. “We didn’t start winning and then flatline. We’ve always been trying to get better. Keith’s always been looking for new things to improve.” Kunz was both a witness and a benefactor of McIntosh’s late-season decline in 2023, but still saw his potential. He took that potential and grew it with his own efforts in 2024 and saw his driver evolve from a race winner to a championship closer. “I think you’ve gotta lose one to really know how to win one,” Kunz said. “That’s the thing is knowing how to win championships. It isn’t your normal mentality of just going racing and racing hard. You really have to have some maturity to win a championship because you’ve gotta take your seconds, your thirds, and not throw away a race. You can’t throw away a top five for a DNF trying to get that win that just ain’t there. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta take what it gives you and settle in.” Now, McIntosh places his name alongside the other KKM greats of the 21st century. Drake, Clauson, Bell, Larson — the list of open-wheel racing heroes he’s joined goes on for miles, and the path he took to become a part of it is one he won’t forget. “There’s a lot of big names that have come through Keith and Pete’s stable and a lot of people they’ve put their trust in to go out and do the job,” McIntosh said. “It’s a good feeling when a team like that believes in you to do your job and then you can go out and do it. It’s rewarding, for sure.”Photo credit — Josh James, Joe GrabianowskiARTICLE: https://xtremeoutlawseries.com/news/how-cannon-mcintosh-matured-reunited-with-kkm-to-clinch-2024-championship/EVENT INFO:
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FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/ 
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Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Reveals 2025 Schedule and More!

BATAVIA, Ohio (October 18, 2024) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is gearing up for the most electrifying season of its history in 2025! At a press conference on Friday afternoon, officials unveiled several significant announcements about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for 2025. These included a multi-year partnership with FloRacing, enhancements to the tour’s points fund and winners circle program, and the entire schedule for 2025. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and FloRacing Expand PartnershipFloSports and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series have entered a multi-year extension that will keep FloRacing as the series’ exclusive streaming partner. As part of the agreement, FloRacing will also serve as the series presenting sponsor, with full integration and promotion across all events as the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, presented by FloRacing, starting in 2025. “FloRacing is the essential destination for motorsports fans, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is a large part of why,” said Michael Rigsby, GM of FloRacing. “By extending our agreement and elevating our brand as a presenting sponsor, we’re reinforcing our commitment to the series and to our many fans across the globe.” 2025 Points Fund Receives Massive Boost Over a quarter million dollars has been invested in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – presented by ARP for 2025 – bringing the total season-long points fund to over $1.3 million.  The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Nationals champion will receive an industry-leading $250,000 in 2025, while the top five drivers in the final standings will each earn a minimum of $100,000.  2025 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Points Fund: 1. $250,000, 2. $200,000, 3. $150,000, 4.$125,000, 5. $100,000, 6. $80,000, 7. $60,000, 8. $55,000, 9. $50,000, 10. $45,000, 11. $40,000, 12. $35,000, 13. $30,000, 14. $25,000, 15. $20,000 Points Fund: $1,265,000Chase Bonuses: $66,000Grand Total: $1,331,000Increase of $281,000 Increase to Winners Circle ProgramIn addition to the points fund, the tour’s winners circle program has also received a significant investment to support a roster of 15 full-time drivers in 2025, up from 12 positions in previous years. The highest eligible 15 drivers in the championship point standings will receive a minimum of $700 per venue. The top four drivers from the previous season’s Chase for the Championship will receive a minimum of $1,000. The winners circle program is paid in addition to any purse money earned on the track. 2025 Schedule RevealedThe 2025 edition of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is poised to visit 25 different venues across 16 states. The 2025 schedule features 58 action-packed events – including 23 events that boast $25,000 or more for the winner. Many events will see significant purse increases in 2025. Over a whopping $800,000 in additional A-Main purse money will be up for grabs in 2025 compared to 2024.  The purse for a stand-alone Friday event has increased from $12,000 to $15,000 to win, while the purse for stand-alone Saturday events has increased from $15,000 to $25,000 to win. Eagle Raceway’s High Bank Heist becomes a three-day event in May that features two preliminary nights, each paying $10,000 to win ahead of a $50,000 finale on Saturday. The 33rd Annual Show-Me 100 moves to $75,000 to win Saturday’s 100-lap finale. Knoxville Raceway has increased their preliminary events to $10,000 to win, while Saturday’s Knoxville Late Model Nationals finale also increases to $75,000 to win. The full 2025 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule can be viewed below or at www.lucasdirt.com/schedules. “From beginning to end, we’ve built a schedule that balances tradition with excitement,” said Rick Schwallie, Director of Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. “The increased investment into our points fund and other programs reflects the dedication of Lucas Oil and our great partners to the growth and success of our tour. The series is committed to rewarding its competitors at the highest level while giving fans action-packed weekly events as the nation’s top drivers battle it out.”  For the latest news, results, championship standings, and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. 2025 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Schedule:Date – Track – Event – Location – To WinJan 14 – Golden Isles Speedway – Super Bowl of Racing – Brunswick, GA – PracticeJan 15 – Golden Isles Speedway – Super Bowl of Racing – Brunswick, GA – $7,000Jan 16 – Golden Isles Speedway – Super Bowl of Racing – Brunswick, GA – $10,000Jan 17 – Golden Isles Speedway – Super Bowl of Racing – Brunswick, GA – $12,000Jan 18 – Golden Isles Speedway – Super Bowl of Racing – Brunswick, GA – $25,000Jan 29 – All-Tech Raceway – Winter Nationals – Lake City, FL – PracticeJan 30 – All-Tech Raceway – Winter Nationals – Lake City, FL – $10,000Jan 31 – All-Tech Raceway – Winter Nationals – Lake City, FL – $12,000Feb 1 – All-Tech Raceway – Winter Nationals – Lake City, FL – $15,000Feb 3 – Ocala Speedway – Winter Nationals – Ocala, FL – PracticeFeb 4 – Ocala Speedway – Winter Nationals – Ocala, FL – $7,000Feb 5 – Ocala Speedway – Winter Nationals – Ocala, FL – $10,000Feb 6 – Ocala Speedway – Winter Nationals – Ocala, FL – $10,000Feb 7 – Ocala Speedway – Winter Nationals – Ocala, FL – $12,000Feb 8 – Ocala Speedway – Winter Nationals – Ocala, FL – $25,000Mar 21 – Atomic Speedway – Buckeye Spring 50 – Chillicothe, OH – $15,000Mar 22 – Brownstown Speedway – Indiana Icebreaker – Brownstown, IN – $25,000Apr 25 – Georgetown Speedway – The Melvin L. Joseph Memorial – Georgetown, DE – $20,049Apr 26 – Hagerstown Speedway – Conococheague 50 – Hagerstown, MD – $25,000Apr 27 – Port Royal Speedway – Battle in the Borough – Port Royal, PA – $10,000May 2 – Circle City Raceway – – Indianapolis, IN – $15,000May 3 – Florence Speedway – 39th Annual Ralph Latham Memorial  – Union, KY – $25,000May 9 – Farmer City Raceway – Farmer City 74 – Farmer City, IL – $25,000May 10 – Fairbury Speedway – FALS Spring Shootout  – Fairbury, IL – $30,000May 15 – Eagle Raceway – Malvern Bank Presents High Bank Heist – Eagle, NE – $10,000May 16 – Eagle Raceway – Malvern Bank Presents High Bank Heist – Eagle, NE – $10,000May 17 – Eagle Raceway – Malvern Bank Presents High Bank Heist – Eagle, NE – $50,000May 22 – Lucas Oil Speedway – 12th Annual Cowboy Classic  – Wheatland, MO – $10,000May 23 – Lucas Oil Speedway – The Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson  – Wheatland, MO – $10,000May 24 – Lucas Oil Speedway – 33rd Annual Show-Me 100  – Wheatland, MO – $75,000Jun 13 – Smoky Mountain Speedway – Mountain Moonshine Classic – Maryville, TN – $10,000Jun 14 – Smoky Mountain Speedway – Mountain Moonshine Classic – Maryville, TN – $30,000Jun 19 – Lernerville Speedway – 19th Annual Firecracker 100 – Sarver, PA – $5,000 x2Jun 20 – Lernerville Speedway – 19th Annual Firecracker 100 – Sarver, PA – $5,000 x2Jun 21 – Lernerville Speedway – 19th Annual Firecracker 100 – Sarver, PA – $50,000Jul 4 – Portsmouth Raceway Park – Independence 50 – Portsmouth, OH – $25,000Jul 5 – Muskingum County Speedway – Freedom 60 – Zanesville, OH – $25,000Jul 10 – 34 Raceway – – Burlington, IA – $15,000Jul 11 – Lucas Oil Speedway – 19th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals – Wheatland, MO – $15,000Jul 12 – Lucas Oil Speedway – 19th Annual CMH Diamond Nationals – Wheatland, MO – $25,000Jul 15 – Shelby County Speedway – Kosiski Family 53 – Harlan, IA – $25,053Jul 17 – Huset’s Speedway – 15th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals  – Brandon, SD – $10,000Jul 18 – Huset’s Speedway – 15th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals  – Brandon, SD – $10,000Jul 19 – Huset’s Speedway – 15th Annual Silver Dollar Nationals  – Brandon, SD – $75,000Aug 7 – Florence Speedway – 43rd Annual Sunoco North/South 100 – Union, KY – $6,000 x2Aug 8 – Florence Speedway – 43rd Annual Sunoco North/South 100 – Union, KY – $6,000 x2Aug 9 – Florence Speedway – 43rd Annual Sunoco North/South 100 – Union, KY – $75,000Aug 15 – Batesville Motor Speedway – 33rd Annual Topless 100 – Batesville, AR – $5,000 x2Aug 16 – Batesville Motor Speedway – 33rd Annual Topless 100 – Batesville, AR – $50,000Aug 22 – Port Royal Speedway – The Rumble by the River – Port Royal, PA – $10,000Aug 23 – Port Royal Speedway – The Rumble by the River – Port Royal, PA – $50,000Aug 29 – Lernerville Speedway – 57th Annual Hillbilly Hundred  – Sarver, PA – $10,000Aug 30 – Lernerville Speedway – 57th Annual Hillbilly Hundred  – Sarver, PA – $30,000Sep 18 – Knoxville Raceway – Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals – Knoxville, IA – $10,000Sep 19 – Knoxville Raceway – Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals – Knoxville, IA – $10,000Sep 20 – Knoxville Raceway – Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals – Knoxville, IA – $75,000Sep 26 – Brownstown Speedway – 4th Annual CJ Rayburn Memorial – Brownstown, IN – $10,000Sep 27 – Brownstown Speedway – 46th Annual Jackson 100 – Brownstown, IN – $50,000Oct 3 – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway – 37th Annual Pittsburgher – Imperial, PA – $10,000Oct 4 – Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway – 37th Annual Pittsburgher – Imperial, PA – $50,000Oct 17 – Eldora Speedway – 45th Annual Dirt Track World Championship  – Rossburg, OH – PrelimOct 18 – Eldora Speedway – 45th Annual Dirt Track World Championship  – Rossburg, OH – $100,000
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ASCS National Tour Plans Massive Championship Finale in Oklahoma, Nov. 14-16

 SAPULPA, OK (Oct. 18, 2024) – The American Sprint Car Series National Tour’s historic 2024 season will conclude with four races in three days in Oklahoma to crown a champion.

First, the Series will return to Tulsa Speedway for a double Feature day on Thursday, Nov. 14, and then end the season at Creek County Speedway, Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16, for the two-day Fuzzy’s Fall Fling – named in memory of Wokeeta “Fuzzy” Hahn, the late wife of ASCS founder Emmett Hahn.

Thursday’s event at Tulsa will see the ASCS National Tour, and ASCS Sooner Region, run two Features in one day. They’ll finish the remaining portion of the Dirt Down in T-Town event, which was postponed by weather in July. Drivers will complete the Dash and $6,000-to-win Feature. Then, they go into the originally scheduled program for the day, highlighted by the night’s $4,000-to-win/$400-to-start race.

Teams will travel 20 minutes south to Sapulpa, OK the next day to end the season at Creek County Speedway. It’ll conclude a historic year for the ASCS National Tour, which was acquired by World Racing Group in March to help grow and strengthen the series.

Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr. will enter as the contenders for the 2024 title, $40,000 championship check and the new Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy.

READ MORE: New National Tour Championship Trophy Unveiled Honoring ASCS Founder Emmett Hahn

Bergman is on the hunt for his first Series title, while Hafertepe will try to extend his legacy to six ASCS National Tour championships.

Hafertepe won the National Tour events at Tulsa and Creek County earlier this year. Bergman won an ASCS Sooner Region race at Creek County in March.

Friday’s Feature will pay $4,000 to win, while Saturday’s grand finale will pay $10,000 to win.

While Bergman and Hafertepe battle for the title, several other Oklahoma natives will be eyeing a home state win before the end of the season. Matt Covington, of Glenpool, OK, is still searching for this first National Tour win of the season (as of mid-October). Hank Davis, of Sand Springs, OK, is on his way to being the 2024 National Tour Rookie of the Year, currently sitting fourth in points with three wins this year behind the wheel of the TwoC Racing No. 2C. And Terry Easum, of Broken Arrow, OK, started the year strong, earning his first career National Tour win in May, but has yet to find the top five since. He’ll be poised to change that during his end-of-year homecoming.

The Series banquet will be held on Sunday, Nov. 17, in Tulsa – handing out over $150,000 to the top 10 drivers in Series points. More details on the ceremony will be available soon.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

TULSA EVENT INFO
Date – Thursday, Nov. 14
Location – Tulsa, OK
Track Info – TulsaSpeedway.com

Times (CT) –
Pits Open: 4 p.m.
Gates Open: 5 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

Last Race Video Recap (June 28, 2024) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEVQH8Nwi1U&t=2s

Previous ASCS National Tour Winners at Tulsa –
2024 – Sam Hafertepe Jr. on June 28
2005 – Gary Wright on July 30
2005 – Jason Johnson on June 7
2004 – Tim Montgomery on July 12
1999 – Ronald Laney on Aug. 21

CREEK COUNTY EVENT INFO
Date – Friday-Saturday, Nov. 15-16
Location – Sapulpa, OK
Track Info – CreekCountySpeedway.com

Times (CT) –
Gates Open: 5 p.m.
Hot Laps: 7 p.m.

Tickets – Available at track.

Last Race Video Recap (June 13, 2024) –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j21iA3Jf6s4

Previous ASCS National Tour Winners at Creek County –
2024 – Sam Hafertepe Jr. on June 13
2022 – Jason Martin on Oct. 29
2021 – Ryan Timms on July 27
2020 – Blake Hahn on Aug. 14
2019 – Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Oct. 12
2018 – Sammy Swindell on June 14, Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Oct. 27
2017 – Aaron Reutzel on June 15
2016 – Bryan Clauson on June 16, Sam Hafertepe Jr. on Nov. 4, John Carney II on Nov. 5
2014 – Christopher Bell on June 19
2013 – Jeff Swindell on June 20
2012 – Brady Bacon on Aug. 17
2008 – Jason Johnson on July 14
2007 – Darren Stewart on July 16
2006 – Jason Johnson on July 9
2000 – Tim Crawley on July 18
1999 – Tim Crawley on May 30, Tim Crawley on July 25
1998 – Phil Gressman on June 16
1997 – Gary Wright on July 31, Pete Butler on Aug. 31
1996 – Wayne Johnson on June 16
1995 – Gary Wright on July 16
1994 – Garry Lee Maier on June 25
1993 – Mike Ward on June 20, John Hunt on June 25

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/1-month-alert-ascs-national-tour-plans-massive-championship-finale-in-oklahoma/

TULSA EVENT INFO: https://ascsracing.com/schedule/event-info/?event=7478
CREEK COUNTY EVENT INFO: https://ascsracing.com/schedule/event-info/?event=4544349
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

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WELL-OILED MACHINE: Hamm-Reilly Fitting Right in with Big Game Motorsports

The native of New York brought plenty of experience to Tod Quiring’s team and hasn’t missed a beat as they chase a championshipJOLIET, IL (October 17, 2024) – Plenty of focus has been placed on David Gravel’s pursuit of his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car championship, but there’s another member of the Big Game Motorsports team on a similar path toward a first title.Both Gravel and car chief on the No. 2, Stephen Hamm-Reilly, come from the northeast. And while one drives and the other wrenches, both worked their way through the ranks to earn a spot with one of Sprint Car racing’s premier organizations.Hamm-Reilly is originally from New York, but a move to Pennsylvania early in life ignited his interest in Sprint Cars. He cites watching Greg Hodnett winning the 2009 National Open aboard Jim and Sandy Kline’s No. 22 as the moment that caused his passion for the sport to take off.His involvement began by helping friends at the racetrack, and the desire to do more grew and grew.“What really got me going and wanting to do it for a job was I helped Aaron Ott with my buddy Jake,” Hamm-Reilly said. “And we started running good and being more competitive, and it was a higher level of racing than what I was used to. We would do good when the Outlaws came to town and just be competitive. I had friends of mine like my buddy at the time Derek Miller, we both helped Ryan Wilson, and then he went on the road a little bit before me. And I was like, ‘Well, if he could do it, then it’s something that I’d really like to do.’ And at the time I had a really good job, but I always wanted to go racing. I just took the plunge of going racing full-time.”That plunge led to his first chance with a nationally touring team as he joined CJB Motorsports midway through 2015. It also brought his first trip to World of Outlaws Victory Lane when Paul McMahan grabbed a Lawrenceburg Speedway win late that year.But it wasn’t exactly the experience Hamm-Reilly had anticipated, and he chose to head home and get a little more experience. “My first race was the Kings Royal because they had somebody leave or needed somebody, so that was my first opportunity really,” Hamm-Reilly recalled. “I will say it was a massive eye-opener at the end of the year. It was a struggle at times. I was probably not as well-prepared as I thought I was. At the end of 2015, realizing that, I actually decided to come back to PA and race locally a little more.”The time in Pennsylvania that followed allowed him to better prepare himself. Along with adding more knowledge, Hamm-Reilly acquired his CDL to be a more valuable asset when he decided to return to the road. And in 2019, that time came.Hamm-Reilly hit the highway with Rudeen Racing as the first stop of what would become a stretch of working for some of the sport’s powerhouses. After the year with Rudeen, he spent time working at Roth Motorsports, Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing, and CMS Racing before making his way to Tod Quiring’s South Dakota-based operation. It was a step that brought his career to new heights.The team, consisting of himself, Gravel, Cody Jacobs, and Zach Patterson lead the nation with 15 Sprint Car victories. Among those is a Kings Royal crown worth $175,000. They lead the World of Outlaws standings by 72 points with seven races remaining.“Part of the reason why I came here is having the chance to win those races and do those things,” Hamm-Reilly said. “To be honest with you, I was pretty well set on not racing anymore at the end of 2023. And then I talked to Cody a little bit, and he said he’d like to have me and this and that. That’s probably the biggest reason I came here is the fact that we could be in position, I felt like, to win these big races, win big events, and have a shot night in and night out.”The season has been a rejuvenating one for Hamm-Reilly. At the end of last year, he wasn’t certain if he wanted to continue racing across the country. The 2023 season didn’t go the way he’d hoped, and he wasn’t sure what the future held. Then, a talk with Cody Jacobs persuaded him, and an unforgettable season followed. Now, he’s positioned himself to potentially be a part of a World of Outlaws championship team.“It’s definitely worked out to be a good decision,” Hamm-Reilly said of joining Big Game Motorsports. “Everything is working really good. I really enjoy working with David, Cody, and Zach. I feel like we all really work well together. It’s like a well-oiled machine at this point.”Gravel, Hamm-Reilly, and the Big Game crew continue their pursuit of a championship at this weekend’s Federated Auto Parts Route 66 Showdown hosted by Joliet, IL’s Dirt Oval 66. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch every lap live on DIRTVision.ARTICLE: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/well-oiled-machine-hamm-reilly-fitting-right-in-with-big-game-motorsports/EVENT INFO: https://worldofoutlaws.com/sprintcars/schedule/event-info/?event=6235
TRACK INFO: https://www.dirtoval66.com/FAN 101: https://about.worldofoutlaws.com/
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Championship Title and More on the Line for Lucas Oil Late Models at Eldora

BATAVIA, Ohio (October 17, 2024) – The 2024 edition of the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP has once again delivered a dramatic multi-car title battle that likely won’t be decided until the checkered flag of Saturday’s season-ending General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP at Eldora Speedway. Ricky Thornton Jr., looking for his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title, leads Jonathan Davenport, who is vying for his record-tying fourth title, and Devin Moran, also seeking his first championship. Davenport and Moran are tied for second in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP standings, just 50 points behind Thornton. The trio are pursuing their share of the record points fund of over $1,000,000. The 2024 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion will earn $200,000, while the top four drivers in the final series point standings each earn a minimum of $100,000. 2024 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Point Fund: 1. $200,000, 2. $150,000, 3. $125,000, 4. $100,000, 5. $75,000, 6. $60,000, 7. $50,000, 8. $45,000, 9. $40,000, 10. $35,000, 11. $30,000, 12. $25,000, 13. $20,000, 14. $15,000, 15. $14,000, 16. $13,000, 17. $12,000 In addition to the thrilling battle for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series title, multiple other award programs will be decided this weekend at Eldora Speedway. Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel CupJonathan Davenport leads the battle for the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup by 45 points over Devin Moran. Tim McCreadie is third, followed by Ricky Thornton Jr. and Garrett Alberson.  The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series mini-series consists of fourteen (14) events, each paying $30,000 or more to the winner. The driver who earns the most points at the fourteen (14) Crown Jewel Cup events will be crowned the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Champion – earning a $15,000 cash bonus at the year-end awards banquet. The drivers who finish second through fifth in the Crown Jewel Cup standings will earn $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 in cash for a total point fund of $30,000 for these fourteen (14) events. Brandon Ford TV Race ChallengeJonathan Davenport also leads a close battle for the Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge by just 25 points over Devin Moran. Ricky Thornton Jr. is 45 points behind the leader in third.  The Brandon Ford TV Race Challenge is a mini-series within the 2024 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule that will award points to drivers at the thirteen (13) tape-delayed events airing on the MAVTV Network. The driver who earns the most Brandon Ford TV Race points will receive a $15,000 cash award at the year-end awards banquet. Second place will earn $5,000, and third place will receive $2,000. Allstar Performance Fast TimeThe driver who earns the most Allstar Performance Overall Fast Time awards through the season will earn $1,000 cash and a $250 Allstar Performance certificate at the championship awards banquet. With just one Allstar Performance Time Trials remaining in 2024, Jonathan Davenport leads the pack with five overall fast times this season, while Devin Moran and Hudson O’Neal are tied for second with four. FOX Shocks B-Main WinsMike Marlar and Rookie of the Year contender Carson Ferguson are tied for the most FOX Shocks B-Mains wins in 2024. FOX Shocks will award $500 and a product certificate at the championship awards banquet to the driver that accumulates the most B-Mains wins. MD3 Most Laps LedRick Thornton Jr. holds a slim advantage over Jonathan Davenport for the MD3 Most Laps Led of the season. Davenport is just 18 laps behind, heading into the weekend’s 100-lap season finale at Eldora Speedway. The driver who leads the most laps of the season will earn $500. Penske Shocks Top 5 FinishesWith just one A-Main left in the 2024 season, Ricky Thornton Jr. and Devin Moran are tied for the Penske Shocks Most Top 5 finishes.  Penske Racing Shocks will award $1,000 at the championship awards banquet to the driver who earns the Most Top Five Finishes throughout the season, plus a complete set of Penske Racing Shocks. Slicker Graphics Slickest Move of the RaceThe driver that earns the most Slickest Move of the Race awards will receive $2,000 at the championship awards banquet. Second-place will earn $1,000. Jonathan Davenport and Devin Moran are tied for the most Slickest Move of the Race awards this season. Sunoco Race for GasRicky Thornton Jr. leads the Sunoco Race for Gas standings by 110 points over Hudson O’Neal.  The Sunoco Race for Gas competition rewards drivers who utilize Sunoco Race Fuels. At the year-end awards banquet, the driver who earns the most Race for Gas points receives a $3,000 award. The drivers finishing second and third in the Race for Gas standings will receive $2,000 and $1,000, respectively. The thrilling conclusion to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is set for this Friday-Saturday, October 18-19, at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, with the 44th Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by ARP.  For the latest news, results, championship standings, and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com.
 
About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2024, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 63 events across 16 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package streamed live via FloRacing, with select broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.2024 Official Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Marketing Partners
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Sammy Swindell Rolling Into World Short Track Challenge Still Hungry for Success

WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 17, 2024) – More than 60 of the biggest names in 360 Sprint Car racing are on the entry list for Arkansas’ World Short Track Challenge, but one is most synonymous with the West Memphis area – Sammy Swindell.

He’ll join the full-time drivers from the American Sprint Car Series National Tour, the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the United Sprint Car Series for the doubleheader weekend at Riverside International Speedway, Oct. 18-19 – all vying for the $10,000 payday on Saturday.

The three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion turned his first laps around Riverside at 15 years old in 1971 and has been a frequent visitor to “The Ditch” ever since. His long list of wins at the facility includes three victories with The Greatest Show on Dirt – one in 1979 and two in 1981 – as well as an ASCS Mid-South Region score in 2018.

As Riverside’s most prominent local, “Slammin’ Sammy” has known the track better than anyone over the past five decades. So, how much has it changed since the early days?

“Not much, really,” Swindell said. “There was a wood fence where it’s a concrete wall around there now. That’s the biggest thing.”

Even though the racetrack is largely the same, the cars racing around it have changed drastically over Swindell’s career, meaning he has had to adjust his racing program accordingly.

“It used to be when I started, if you had a Sprint Car, every Sprint Car race, you could run it anywhere,” Swindell said. “Now there’s so many places, they have different rules and different things. You’re only limited to so much. You’ve got to have a motor for this or a motor for that and a lot of things. It keeps us from going to a lot of places like I could back in the 70’s and 80’s when you could just show up if they had a Sprint Car race.”

Swindell may not run as many races nowadays as he used to, but when he does roll into the pits, he’s still on the shortlist of winning contenders. He’s taken the checkers on multiple occasions this season, including at Riverside in local competition on Aug. 24 as well as with the USCS at Buckshot Speedway on Aug. 31.

“Mine’s a little hit and miss,” Swindell said when describing his racing schedule in recent years. “I’m just doing it part-time. So, most of the stuff we’re doing with driving for Dale Howard is stuff that’s close around here.”

The latter portion of the 2024 season has brought forth one of the biggest stretches of racing in Riverside’s storied history. Last weekend’s Flip Flop 50 included twin Features for the USCS, which leads into this weekend’s World Short Track Challenge with the ASCS joining the fold. The month of October wraps up next Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, when the World of Outlaws make their first trip to the 1/4-mile bullring since 2018 for their final stop before the World of Outlaws World Finals.

While the three-week Sprint Car spectacular is noteworthy on its own, the milestone it celebrates makes it even more special.

“This is [Riverside’s] 75th year,” Swindell said. “So, they had plans to do a lot of Sprint Car races this year.”

And despite the fact that Swindell has been ripping a Sprint Car around “The Ditch” longer than any of the National Tour full-timers have been alive, the 68-year-old will still only have one goal in mind when the Series rolls into his home track – “to win.”

Swindell will go for his 21st National Tour win and first since 2018 this weekend at Riverside International Speedway during the World Short Track Challenge. Tickets will be available at the track on both nights, while those unable to make it can catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/news/sammy-swindell-rolling-into-world-short-track-challenge-still-hungry-for-success/

EVENT INFO: https://ascsracing.com/schedule/event-info/?event=7530
TRACK INFO: https://riversideinternationalspeedway.com/
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

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TEAM CHEVY ADVANCELas Vegas Motor Speedway

 
 
With the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series’ playoff fields each dwindled down to just eight remaining championship contenders, the two divisions will head west to Las Vegas Motor Speedway to kickoff the final three-race stretch that will lead to the title-deciding race. Six Chevrolet drivers will have the opportunity to punch an early ticket into the Xfinity Series’ Championship Four in Saturday’s Ambetter Health 250. The weekend will be capped off by the Cup Series in Sunday’s South Point 400, where a trio of Hendrick Motorsports teammates will lead the Bowtie brigade into the third round of the title battle.
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Chevrolet has put on a commanding performance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in recent years with the manufacturer owning wins in four of the five races in the Next Gen era, including an active streak of three-straight courtesy of playoff contenders William Byron (March 2023) and Kyle Larson (Oct. 2023; March 2024). With Larson’s victory earlier this spring, Chevrolet heads into the weekend with 13 all-time Cup Series wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – just one win shy of tying the manufacturer-leading record currently held by Ford. Hendrick Motorsports is the only organization with a double-digit win count at the Nevada oval, with five different drivers earning a combined 10 all-time triumphs. Among those victories includes Chevrolet’s first trip to victory lane in NASCAR’s top division at the track, which came with NASCAR Hall of Famer, Jeff Gordon, in March 2001. 
 
Next Gen Numbers: IntermediatesOn the circuit’s non-drafting intermediate ovals, ranging in 1.25 to 1.5 miles in length, Chevrolet owns a winning percentage of 51.6 percent in the Next Gen era with 16 victories in 31 races. The most recent Chevrolet driver to add a tally to that win category was Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, who powered his No. 1 Camaro ZL1 to a playoff spoiler victory at Kansas Speedway just a few weeks ago. Playoff contenders Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott have each found victory lane on a 1.5-mile circuit this season. Two of Larson’s now six victories came at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (March 2024) and Kansas Speedway (May 2024), with Elliott ending his 42-race winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway (April 2024). 
 
LOOKING BACK ON A MEMORABLE ‘FIRST’Las Vegas Motor Speedway will forever hold a special place in Kyle Larson’s NASCAR Cup Series career, serving as the site of his first win as a Hendrick Motorsports driver. Just four races into his tenure with the Chevrolet organization (March 2021), the Elk Grove, California, native parked the No. 5 Chevrolet in victory lane – a win that ultimately set up for a record-setting season that led to his championship title. Closing out his fourth season of competition with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson has tallied 23 of his 29 career Cup Series wins behind the wheel of the organization’s Chevrolet-powered machines. The 2021 Las Vegas victory also marked the first in NASCAR’s top division for crew chief Cliff Daniels, who has gone on to lead Larson and the No. 5 Chevrolet team through the entirety of his career at Hendrick Motorsports. 
 
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS TRIO LEADS CHEVROLET TO ROUND OF EIGHTWith a win and a strong points day at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott kept their title hopes alive to join their Hendrick Motorsports teammate, William Byron, in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Round of Eight. While the first-two postseason rounds delivered chaos and unpredictability, the next set of tracks fare quite well for the three Chevrolet drivers, with each owning a victory at least one of the three upcoming venues.  
Larson Back on TopIn similar fashion to the opening round’s elimination race, Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team drove to a powerhouse victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course to close out the Round of 12 and continue in the championship battle. The victory marked the 32-year-old Elk Grove, California, native’s sixth victory of the season – a record that doubles the next leading competitor. With the playoff rankings reset, Larson has found his way back to the top of the points leaderboard with the former series champion holding a 33-point cushion above the cutline – more than double second-ranked Christopher Bell. Over the next three races, Larson will be vying for his third appearance in the Championship Four. The Chevrolet driver has found victory lane in each of the three tracks in the Round of Eight – owning three wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as well as one win at both Homestead-Miami Speedway and Martinsville Speedway. 
 
Byron Looks to Build Onto Second Round SuccessWilliam Byron was the only playoff driver to have earned an early berth into the next round prior to the elimination race weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. The 26-year-old Charlotte, North Carolina, native capped off an already stellar performance in the Round of 12 with a third-straight podium finish at his home track. Similar to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Byron is heading into what is statistically the strongest set of tracks in his postseason run with triumphs at each venue (Las Vegas Motor Speedway – one win; Homestead-Miami Speedway – one win; Martinsville Speedway – two wins). The No. 24 Chevrolet team heads into the final three-race stretch to the championship ranked fourth in the standings with a four-point advantage over the cutline. 
 
Elliott To Tap into Playoff ExperienceWith a top-five result at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Chevrolet team comfortably pointed their way into the Round of Eight. The 28-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native is one of four former series champions left in title contention. The Chevrolet driver has made his way to the Championship Four in three of his previous seven playoff appearances, with his first coming in his championship-earning season. Of his 19 career NASCAR Cup Series victories, seven were recorded in the playoffs – one of which came in the Round of Eight (Martinsville Speedway – 2020). 
 
CHEVROLET COMMANDS IN XFINITY SERIES ROUND OF EIGHTIn an eventful end to the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ playoff opening round, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer drove his No. 1 Chevrolet to back-to-back walk-off wins to advance to the Round of Eight for the second consecutive season. Mayer is part of a monstrous lineup for the Bowtie brigade in the next round, with six drivers from three different Chevrolet organizations continuing in the run for the championship.  
 
Allgaier Leads into Final Title StretchDespite a tumultuous opening round, JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier salvaged a seventh-place finish at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road course to point his way into the Round of Eight. The 38-year-old Riverton, Illinois, native will enter the next round back on top of the playoff standings, with the No. 7 Chevrolet team holding an 18-point advantage over the elimination line. Allgaier is the only driver to compete in all nine NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs, with the series’ veteran looking to make a series-leading seventh run at the title in the championship-deciding race.  Fellow Chevrolet driver, Austin Hill, will also head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway above the playoff cutline, with the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team ranked fourth in the standings with an eight-point cushion over the cutline. JR Motorsports Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith currently sit fifth (-8 points) and eighth (-19 points), respectively, with Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love in sixth (-12 points) and Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger in seventh (-18 points). 
Chevrolet in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Chevrolet leads the NASCAR Xfinity Series with a winning percentage of 50 percent at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, heading into the weekend with 17 victories at the 1.5-mile Nevada oval. The manufacturer’s winning ways at Las Vegas Motor Speedway began in the series’ debut weekend at the venue (March 1997), with Jeff Green and the No. 8 Gary Bechtel-owned Chevrolet team topping the leaderboard in both qualifying and the race. Most recently, it was current playoff contender, Austin Hill, and the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet team tallied a victory at the track (March 2023).  
 
BOWTIE BULLETS:·       With 82 races complete across NASCAR’s three national series this season, Chevrolet has earned a winning percentage of 50% with 41 victories (NASCAR Cup Series – 15 wins; NASCAR Xfinity Series – 16 wins; NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series – 10 wins).
·       Active Chevrolet drivers with a NASCAR Cup Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway: Kyle Larson – three wins (March 2021, Oct. 2023, March 2024)William Byron – one win (March 2023) Alex Bowman – one win (March 2022)Kyle Busch – one win (March 2009)
·       In 33 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 13 victories. Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at the track with 10, recorded among five drivers: Jeff Gordon (2001), Jimmie Johnson (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010), Kyle Larson (2021, 2023, 2024), Alex Bowman (2022), William Byron (2023). 
·       Chevrolet has won four of the five races in the Next Gen era at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – all recorded with Hendrick Motorsports (Larson – two wins; Byron – one win; Bowman – one win). 
·       Since the debut of the Next Gen vehicles in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2022, Chevrolet has won three of the series’ four races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – recorded by Alex Bowman (March 2022), William Byron (March 2023) and Kyle Larson (Oct. 2023). 
·       On NASCAR’s current non-drafting intermediate ovals, ranging from 1.25 to 1.5 miles in length, Chevrolet owns a winning percentage of 51.6 percent in the Next Gen era with 16 victories in 31 races.
·       In 104 points-paying races in the Next Gen era, Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 52 victories – a winning percentage of 50%. 
·       With its 42 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver Championships, and 866 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title as the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.  
 
 
Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 1174Ford: 1120 (-54)Toyota: 1120 (-54)		Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 1078Toyota: 1031 (-47)Ford: 929 (-149)		Manufacturer Points Standings
Chevrolet: 745Toyota: 703 (-42)Ford: 670 (-75)
 
TUNE-IN:NASCAR Cup SeriesRound of Eight: Race OneSouth Point 400 Sunday, Oct. 20, at 2:30 p.m. ET(NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
NASCAR Xfinity SeriesRound of Eight: Race OneAmbetter Health 302Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m. ET(CW, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)
 
QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1You started a trend at Phoenix last year and followed it up a couple of weeks ago as a non-playoff driver winning in a playoff round. How unusual is that?“I can only speak for us and to see the 17 car (Chris Buescher) win at Watkins Glen and those are two cars, us and the 17, that I think you can easily make the case of us being capable of being in the playoffs. We just didn’t execute over 26 races and win. I don’t think it’s a trend other than the 1 car is fast enough to win any week, whether it’s the first race of the year, the middle part or the end.”
Do you like racing at Las Vegas?“I’ve been lucky to have some fast Trackhouse Chevrolets at Las Vegas over the last couple years. I got my first Xfinity Series win at Las Vegas so it’s a track that has a lot of meaning to me. I like racing there and I’m looking forward to getting on the track.”

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “Las Vegas has been one of our better tracks. On paper, all three tracks in the Round of 8 stack up pretty well for our HendrickCars.com team, but we still have to go out and execute. I would like to run well and win, but we also have a good opportunity to score stage points and hopefully create a bigger gap before Martinsville.”

JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 7 GAINBRIDGE CAMARO ZL1You have four races remaining this season. What do you look to accomplish in advance of next year?“The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. I am definitely glad to get a head start on getting comfortable with things as the season comes to a close. When Daytona rolls around next year, we will be able to hit the ground running. The cars have had the speed we need, we just haven’t been able to close things out. It will be a successful end of the year if we can earn a top 10 or two.”
You’re three races into your return to Spire Motorsports. How would you assess the last three weekends?“I think we’re about where I thought we’d be. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to familiarize myself and understand the processes that (crew chief) Ryan (Sparks) has in place while getting to know the team and how those guys approach a race weekend. I know Spire Motorsports has made big strides in their intermediate track program so I’m looking forward to seeing how everything shakes out once we unload. From the driver’s seat, I think I’ve been better than my results show at Las Vegas, so hopefully we can make some noise this weekend and put a good finish on the board.”

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 FICO CAMARO ZL1You ran well at the spring race in Las Vegas. How satisfying would it be to run strong again and finish well at this race? “We did run well there in the spring so it would be really nice to back up that run this weekend. Since the summer break we have gotten faster as a group thanks to all the effort and hard work by everyone at RCR and ECR. Now we just need to put a whole race together in order to score a win.”
Do you agree that racing at the mile-and-a-half tracks has been good recently?“I would say that there have been some good races on the mile-and-a-half race tracks this year. We have definitely seen some exciting finishes and some great battles.”
The Las Vegas Cup race has an early start time (11:30 a.m.). Would you be in favor of starting Cup races earlier in the day instead of mid-afternoon?“I think the start times for Cup Series races should always be around the 1 p.m. local time window wherever we are.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on what it will take to advance to the Championship 4: “I think you can be really, really solid and probably get through, but I would like to go win and win our way in. I think we’re very capable of that. I look at (Las) Vegas (Motor Speedway) next week as a great opportunity and same for Homestead(-Miami Speedway) and Martinsville (Speedway). I always say, you get to this round and you know it really is game on. I think anybody has a shot so I’m ready to get going.”

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1Byron on his thoughts for the Round of Eight: “I’m proud of the round we had the last three weeks. We executed everything like we needed to. Hopefully we can do the same this round. Ideally, we would lock ourselves into the final round in one of the first two races so we can put all our efforts into Phoenix (Raceway). If not, if we just do what we did this last round, hopefully it’s enough to advance on. I know our team is capable of it.”

DANIEL HEMRIC, NO. 31 SOUTH POINT HOTEL & CASINO CAMARO ZL1“I’m looking forward to going back to Las Vegas, which is like another home track for me. It’s special having South Point back on our No. 31 Chevrolet, a partner that has done so much for me in my career. We went home with a top-20 finish there in the spring, and I think with all the work we’ve been doing on our mile-and-a-half package, we have a chance to improve on that.”

ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Bowman on going to Las Vegas Motor Speedway: “I think we can be really strong this weekend at the Vegas intermediate. This year we were really good at Kansas. Vegas is normally a good place for us. We had some issues there in the spring with the car but I think that was an oddly bad race for us. Other than that, we typically race pretty good there. Definitely excited about this weekend.”

ZANE SMITH, NO. 71 FOCUSED HEALTH CAMARO ZL1How are you feeling heading out to the West Coast this weekend and racing at a track you are familiar with?“I’m really looking forward to racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. I classify Las Vegas as my home track so it’s always special when I get to come back here and race, especially in the Cup car. Only four more races left in the season and my No. 71 Spire Motorsports team still has more to prove. I’m thankful to have Focused Health aboard this weekend. The orange chrome numbers are awesome and the car looks great!”

CARSON HOCEVAR, NO. 77 DELAWARE LIFE CAMARO ZL1As you are nearing the end of the season, you continue to build a significant points gap for Sunoco Rookie of the Year Honors. How do you plan to close the deal in the next few weeks?“Our speed all season has helped get us to the position we are today. I believe we’re almost 100 points ahead so I feel pretty good. Our team has worked hard all year long to build that gap, so it’s truly been a team effort. We are going to continue to do what we have all season and it should take care of itself.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 TOOTSIES ORCHID LOUNGE CAMARO ZL1How do we approach the final four races?“We want to win these races. No matter the playoff situation, we are all racers and do this because we want to win. A victory in one of these final races will make the off-season even better. We will work just as hard now to get better.”
Thoughts on the season?“We aren’t happy but you are never happy unless you are the champion. We made it to the Round of 12 and that’s something to be proud of considering the competition in this series. We know we can do better and we will keep working until we get to the level of battling for the championship.”
 
Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics
Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2023): 42First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2024 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 15Poles: 10Laps Led: 3,118Top-five finishes: 63Top-10 finishes: 129Stage wins: 22·       Chase Elliott: 1 ·       Kyle Larson: 12·       Ross Chastain: 2·       William Byron: 2·       Shane van Gisbergen: 1·       Daniel Suarez: 1·       Kyle Busch: 1·       Alex Bowman: 1·       AJ Allmendinger: 1
CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 866 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 753Laps led to date: 252,273Top-five finishes to date: 4,361Top-10 finishes to date: 8,989                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,200           Chevrolet: 866           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 837                                                                      Ford: 737           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 188
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WHAT TO WATCH FOR: ASCS, USCS Set to Duel at Riverside in World Short Track Challenge

 WEST MEMPHIS, AR (October 15, 2024) – Arkansas is set to host the newest premier 360 Sprint Car event this weekend for the American Sprint Car Series National Tour – the World Short Track Challenge.

The first National Tour race at Riverside International Speedway in three years will be a co-sanctioned event alongside the ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the United Sprint Car Series, with the three tours combining to bring more than 60 cars to “The Ditch” this weekend.

The event wraps up with a 40-lap Feature on Saturday night paying $10,000-to-win and $1,000 to start. Friday’s preliminary action will conclude with a $2,000-to-win/$200-to-start main event.

Tickets will be available at the track on race day. Can’t make it? Catch every lap live on DIRTVision.

Here are the top storylines entering the weekend:

HANK HEATING UP: Whenever Hank Davis has been asked to reflect on his first season in the TwoC Racing machine, his answer has remained constant all year.

“I didn’t know we would be this good.”

Regardless of what his goals were entering the year, Davis has been a nightly win contender ever since he got in the car – but especially over the past six weeks.

His win on Saturday night at Paducah International Raceway was the latest chapter in a seven-race stretch that includes three wins, five podiums and no finishes worse than fourth. Davis’ 2.2 average finish dating back to his weekend sweep at Electric City Speedway is the best of anyone over that span, including championship leaders Seth Bergman and Sam Hafertepe Jr.

The Sand Springs, OK native will be making his first trek to West Memphis this weekend, although the challenge of taking on a track for the first time didn’t seem to faze him at Electric City or Paducah. Riverside’s tight confines and high banking should suit Davis nicely given his Midget background as he goes for the first five-digit payday of his Sprint Car career.

PILING ON THE PODIUMS: Good luck finding anyone happier about an eight-race winless streak than Seth Bergman.

Although he hasn’t won since Aug. 23 at Big Sky Speedway, his six podiums since then have given him a 136-point lead over Hafertepe in the standings. While he would have loved to convert a few of those seconds and thirds into wins, the ultimate goal all along has been earning his first National Tour championship, and the 20-year Sprint Car veteran is closer than ever to doing exactly that.

The gap will go unchanged this weekend with the World Short Track Challenge paying show-up points only, meaning Bergman can put the title fight aside and focus solely on gunning for the $10,000 prize on Saturday night.

His Riverside resume includes two National Tour wins in 2012 and 2015, making him one of six drivers to win more than one Series event at the track and the only current full-timer on that list.

TIME FOR A RESET: After a dream summer that included nine wins over the span of 13 races, Hafertepe hasn’t quite been the same in the cooler weather.

His last nine races on tour have included no trips to Victory Lane and three finishes outside the top 10, including a late-race flat tire at Clay County Fair Speedway and a crash at Benton Speedway, causing his gap to Bergman to be nearly 100 points larger than it was when he left Montana 40 points back.

Hope is not lost though, as the final stretch of the season might as well have been tailor-made for Hafertepe. The next full points race takes place at his home track of RPM Speedway before the season concludes at Tulsa Speedway and Creek County Speedway in November. Hafertepe was victorious at Tulsa in June in his first time competing at the track, while he has won three times at Creek County in 2024 alone, including with the National Tour during Speedweek.

While a win this weekend wouldn’t help their points situation, it could be critical to building momentum in the No. 15H camp entering their final bid for a sixth Series championship.

STAR-STUDDED FIELD: With the season winding down, 360 Sprint Car teams from across the nation are planning to travel to West Memphis for one more big event before putting their cars away for the winter. The list of expected entries includes all the regulars from the National Tour, Hurricane Area Super Sprints and the USCS along with dozens of invaders looking to steal the spotlight.

Of course, there’s no bigger name on the list that three-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car champion Sammy Swindell, who hails from nearby Germantown, TN. The 68-year-old is still a contender in the limited Sprint Car starts he makes each year, as his 2024 season has included a local win at Riverside on Aug. 24 as well as a USCS triumph one week later at Buckshot Speedway.

A familiar face in a new place to keep an eye on is Jordon Mallett, who will become the first driver to compete for three different teams with the National Tour this season. Mallett spent eight races driving the Brandon Anderson Motorsports No. 55B in a stint highlighted by a win at Batesville Motor Speedway before fielding his own No. 14 car at Arrowhead Speedway in September, and he has since jumped into the No. 3 for Rains Motorsports.

His debut with the team came last weekend in USCS action at Riverside with finishes of second and ninth in the twin-Feature program. The night was swept by Derek Hagar, who has now won five times at “The Ditch” in 2024 and enters the weekend hungry for more.

WHEN AND WHERE:
Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19, at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, AR

AROUND THE TURN:
The American Sprint Car Series National Tour will head to Texas for the only time in 2024 for a doubleheader at RPM Speedway outside Dallas on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, marking the final stop before November’s championship weekend in Oklahoma.

CURRENT POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10):

  1. Seth Bergman (3045 points)
  2. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (-111)
  3. Matt Covington (-240)
  4. Hank Davis (-372)
  5. Andrew Deal (-506)
  6. Jason Martin (-526)
  7. Landon Britt (-577)
  8. Zach Blurton (-617)
  9. Kyler Johnson (-629)
  10. Terry Easum (-732)

FEATURE WINNERS (12):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 9
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 5
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

QUICK TIME AWARDS (13):
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 12
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 1
Josh McCord – Bossier City, LA – 1
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

HEAT RACE WINS (41):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 7
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 7
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 7
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 6
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 6
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 3
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 3
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 3
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 2
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Matt Juhl – Tea, SD – 1
Garet Williamson – Columbia, MO – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – 1
Tanner Holmes – Jacksonville, OR – 1
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tyler Groenendyk – Oskaloosa, IA – 1
Parker Price-Miller – Kokomo, IN – 1
Colton Hardy – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Tanner Thorson – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Brian Brown – Hugginsville, MO – 1
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1

DASH APPEARANCES (42):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 20
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 13
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 13
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 9
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 5
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 5
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 5
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 4
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 4
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Garrett Benson – Concordia, MO – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 2
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 2
Lane Whittington – Denham Springs, LA – 1
Koty Adams – Haughton, LA – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 1
Elijah Gile – Phoenix, AZ – 1
Cody Gardner – Benton, AR – 1
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 1
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Joe Perry – Billings, MT – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1

LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINNERS (16):
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 2
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 1
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 1
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 1
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chase Porter – St. Joseph, MO – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Rich Bailey – Helena, MT – 1
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 1
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 1
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 1
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 1
Noah Harris – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1

PODIUM FINISHERS (26):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 17
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 15
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 9
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 7
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 2
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 2
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 2
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 2
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 1
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 1
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 1
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 1
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 1

TOP 10 FINISHERS (66):
Seth Bergman – Snohomish, WA – 22
Matt Covington – Glenpool, OK – 21
Sam Hafertepe Jr. – Sunnyvale, TX – 17
Jason Martin – Liberal, KS – 17
Hank Davis – Sand Springs, OK – 16
Landon Britt – Memphis, TN – 14
Andrew Deal – Caney, KS – 14
Kyler Johnson – Quinter, KS – 8
Jordon Mallett – Greenbrier, AR – 8
Zach Blurton – Quinter, KS – 8
Blake Hahn – Sapulpa, OK – 6
Austyn Gossel – Windsor, CO – 6
Rees Moran – Tulsa, OK – 4
Brandon Anderson – Glenpool, OK – 4
Harli White – Lindsay, OK – 4
Kelly Miller – Stirling, AB – 4
Sean McClelland – Tulsa, OK – 4
Riley Goodno – Knoxville, IA – 4
Kyle Clark – Sapulpa, OK – 3
Whit Gastineau – Moore, OK – 3
Jake Bubak – Arvada, CO – 3
Terry Easum – Broken Arrow, OK – 3
Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA – 3
Brady Baker – Alexander, AR – 3
Alex Sewell – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Tyler Courtney – Indianapolis, IN – 2
Emerson Axsom – Franklin, IN – 2
Austin McCarl – Altoona, IA – 2
Brian Brown – Higginsville, MO – 2
Cory Eliason – Visalia, CA – 2
Tasker Phillips – Pleasantville, IA – 2
Jamie Ball – Knoxville, IA – 2
Kaleb Johnson – Sioux Falls, SD – 2
Jeremy Campbell – Wichita, KS – 2
Skylar Gee – Leduc, AB – 2
Roger Crockett – Broken Arrow, OK – 2
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 2
Sterling Cling – Tempe, AZ – 2
Channin Tankersley – Arlington, TX – 1
Tanner Conn – Oklahoma City, OK – 1
Brekton Crouch – Lubbock, TX – 1
Jeremy Huish – Jetmore, KS – 1
Ryder Laplante – Calera, OK – 1
Bradley Fezard – Bonnerdale, AR – 1
Fred Mattox – Drumright, OK – 1
Dale Howard – Byhalia, MS – 1
Brad Bowden – Hernando, MS – 1
Michael Day – Farmersville, TX – 1
Chase Randall – Waco, TX – 1
Kade Higday – Knoxville, IA – 1
Justin Peck – Monrovia, IN – 1
Gunner Ramey – Sedalia, MO – 1
Miles Paulus – Marshall, MO – 1
Kasey Kahne – Enumclaw, WA – 1
Ryan Giles – Grimes, IA – 1
Kerry Madsen – Knoxville, IA – 1
Alex Hill – Six Nations, ON – 1
Cole Macedo – Lemoore, CA – 1
DJ Brink – Rapid City, SD – 1
Blayne Brink – Gillette, WY – 1
Phil Dietz – Laurel, MT – 1
Kory Wermling – Great Falls, MT – 1
Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX – 1
Chris Martin – Ankeny, IA – 1
Emilio Hoover – Broken Arrow, OK – 1
Joe B. Miller – Millersville, MO – 1

2024 AMERICAN SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE & WINNERS:
Friday, Apr. 19 / Super Bee Speedway / Chatham, LA / Seth Bergman (1)
Friday, May 10 / Red Dirt Raceway / Meeker, OK / Terry Easum (1)
Friday, May 31 / Rush County Speedway / La Crosse, KS / Seth Bergman (2)
Saturday, June 1 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (1)
Tuesday, June 11 / Texarkana 67 Speedway / Texarkana, AR / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (2)
Thursday, June 13 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (3)
Friday, June 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Seth Bergman (3)
Saturday, June 15 / Tri-State Speedway / Pocola, OK / Seth Bergman (4)
Saturday, June 22 / Batesville Motor Speedway / Locust Grove, AR / Jordon Mallett (1)
Friday, June 28 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (4)
Friday, July 19 / Lakeside Speedway / Kansas City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (5)
Saturday, July 20 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (6)
Thursday, Aug. 1 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kaleb Johnson (1)
Friday, Aug. 2 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (7)
Saturday, Aug. 3 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Tyler Courtney (1)
Friday, Aug. 16 / Dodge City Raceway Park / Dodge City, KS / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (8)
Saturday, Aug. 17 / Lincoln County Raceway / North Platte, NE / Sam Hafertepe Jr. (9)
Friday, Aug. 23 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Seth Bergman (5)
Saturday, Aug. 24 / Big Sky Speedway / Shepherd, MT / Jake Bubak (1)
Friday, Aug. 30 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (1)
Saturday, Aug. 31 / Electric City Speedway / Black Eagle, MT / Hank Davis (2)
Tuesday, Sept. 10 / Clay County Fair Speedway / Spencer, IA / Aaron Reutzel (1)
Friday, Sept. 13 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Roger Crockett (1)
Saturday, Sept. 14 / Arrowhead Speedway / Colcord, OK / Jason Martin (1)
Friday, Oct. 11 / Benton Speedway / Benton, MO / Joe B. Miller (1)
Saturday, Oct. 12 / Paducah International Raceway / Paducah, KY / Hank Davis (3)
Friday, Oct. 18 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Saturday, Oct. 19 / Riverside International Speedway / West Memphis, AR
Friday, Oct. 25 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Saturday, Oct. 26 / RPM Speedway / Crandall, TX
Thursday, Nov. 14 / Tulsa Speedway / Tulsa, OK
Friday, Nov. 15 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK
Saturday, Nov. 16 / Creek County Speedway / Sapulpa, OK

ARTICLE: https://ascsracing.com/what-to-watch-for/what-to-watch-for-ascs-uscs-set-to-duel-at-riverside-in-world-short-track-challenge/

EVENT INFO: https://ascsracing.com/schedule/event-info/?event=7530
TRACK INFO: https://riversideinternationalspeedway.com/
FAN 101: https://about.dirtcar.com/

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Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Sets 2025 IMSA Driver Lineup

October 15, 2024 — PATASKALA, Ohio

  • Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Nick Yelloly and Renger van der Zande tabbed for full-season IMSA duties with Acura MSR
  • Acura MSR looking to build on its 3 IMSA championships, 12 wins, 26 podiums, and 12 pole positions with Acura and HRC US

Returning to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with an expanded Honda Racing Corporation USA (“HRC US”) partnership and competition program, Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian (“Acura MSR”) has finalized its full-season driver pairings for a two-car Acura GTP attack in 2025.

After bookending the 2023 IMSA season with wins at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and Motul Petit Le Mans, as well as taking an overall victory at CTMP with Acura in 2023, Tom Blomqvist and Colin Braun will return to drive Acura MSR’s No. 60 Acura ARX-06.

New to the Acura MSR stable are Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly, who will pair up in the No. 93 Acura ARX-06 entry. Van der Zande is coming off of a competitive IMSA season, with an overall win on the streets of Long Beach and most recently Petit Le Mans this past weekend. He also has three podium finishes at Sebring, Detroit and Watkins Glen.

Yelloly has competed in IMSA for the last four seasons and collected a win at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen in 2023 as well as five podium finishes in IMSA’s top category.

The 2025 IMSA season will see Acura MSR partner with HRC US to field two entries in the GTP category. Acura MSR first partnered with HRC—then known as Honda Performance Development—in 2017 as the factory team to a run a pair of Acura NSX GT3s. The team scored the first-ever victory for the Acura NSX in Detroit.

Running the Acura NSX platform in IMSA competition for four seasons, MSR amassed seven poles, seven victories and 16 podium finishes. Acura MSR won the 2019 IMSA team and driver championships and followed that up with a second championship win in 2020—also giving Acura the manufacturer championship honors that year.

The 2021 and 2022 seasons saw Acura MSR move up to the top DPi category. Three poles, two wins and eight podiums later, and the team raced to a third IMSA championship title in 2022.

Acura MSR embarked on a new era of competition with HRC US in 2023 with the debut of the Acura LMDh hybrid—the ARX-06. The team stood on the top step of the podium three times, including a third MSR Rolex 24 Hour overall win as well as wins at CTMP and Motul Petit Le Mans.

Acura MSR will make its first official outing at Daytona International Speedway for the IMSA-sanctioned test in November.

Acura Meyer Shank Racing Team Quotes:

Mike Shank (co-owner, Acura Meyer Shank Racing): “We’re really looking forward to getting back to work in IMSA and we’re excited to expand our relationship with HRC and Acura to run two GTPs next year. Putting Tom and Colin back in the driver’s seat just made sense. The two of them had an incredible season in ’23 and I think that’s just cracking the surface on what they can accomplish together. And then with the addition of Renger and Nick, they both have extensive prototype experience and have shown a lot of strength the last few seasons, so I think they will be a big asset to the team.”

David Salters (president, Honda Racing Corporation USA): “I’m very excited about this new partnership with Meyer Shank Racing and HRC and for the four drivers we have, so far, brought on board the program. Colin, Nick, Renger and Tom all bring supreme skill to work with our engineers to develop the race car, plus a clear focus and big hearts to fight for victory in our electrified ARX-06.  Whilst racing at the highest level in prototype sportscars is a technical sport, more importantly it is a team sport. Colin, Nick, Renger and Tom are world class racing drivers who will lead us forward as one team. We are clear and humble in our goals as we are racing at the pinnacle against world class competitors who we respect enormously. We have a lot of work ahead of us and we will support each other and push damn hard together whilst remembering to have some fun!”

Colin Braun (driver, Acura Meyer Shank Racing): “I’m really looking forward to reuniting with Mike, Jim, Tom, and the entire MSR team. Our 2023 season was incredible and I am confident we will be right back to form when we kick off the season. Coming back together with all of the wonderful and hardworking people at Acura/HRC is motivating. They pour everything they have into this program and have such a positive impact on our performance, not to mention they are just fun to work with! It’s like getting the band back together, and I can’t wait to pick up where we left off.”

Tom Blomqvist (driver, Acura Meyer Shank Racing): “I’m pleased I’m able to return home to IMSA with MSR. This team is like family to me and we’ve achieved a whole lot together in sports cars. I believe next year we’re going to be stronger and better than 2023, and with Colin alongside me, we are a known quantity and we expect to win races from the start. The team and HRC have put a monumental effort into the program and I’m really excited to get things started. We have all the tools to succeed and we know that we have a lot more that we can achieve together.”

Renger van der Zande (driver, Acura Meyer Shank Racing): “I’m super excited to be joining a new team and a new brand. I want to thank Mike Shank, Jim Meyer and everyone at HRC for giving me this opportunity, but I also have to thank Cadillac for everything they have done for me the last seven years. Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing have become my racing family. Although it’s hard for me to leave, it’s time for a new chapter that I am really looking forward to. I’ve been racing against Acura for the last six years and they’ve always been a fierce competitor. I’m excited to now be on their side and tap into their resources and see what we can do behind the wheel together next season.”

Nick Yelloly (driver, Acura Meyer Shank Racing): “I’m really excited to be joining the Acura MSR / HRC project. From watching in the paddock, the cars have been very competitive, so I am looking forward to see what that is like. MSR is naturally a great racing team. I was able to see how competitive they were when I competed against them in 2023. And it’s awesome to see them taking big leaps and strides on the INDYCAR side as well.

Clearly the team is very hungry and willing to push flat out, which sits well with me as I have the same type of mentality. My teammates I’ve known for quite a while. I’ve raced with Renger and Tom for many years, so I think that will be quite seamless. Colin, I’ve raced wheel to wheel against a few times last year, and he’s a great racing driver. I think this core group of drivers will be able to take this program to the front where it belongs.”