NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-PRACTICE QUOTES MARCH 8, 2024

TEAM CHEVY’S CHASE ELLIOTT, WILLIAM BYRON AND DANIEL SUAREZ MET WITH THE MEDIA FOLLOWING THE NASCAR CUP SERIES’ PRACTICE SESSION AT PHOENIX RACEWAY.  POST-PRACTICE QUOTES:    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1COULD YOU TELL A DIFFERENCE, OR WAS IT CLOSE TO WHAT YOU FELT BACK IN DECEMBER? “Honestly, no I really didn’t. I forgot they did anything until they started talking about it afterwards. I don’t see it really changing a whole lot. I could be totally wrong, but I don’t think it’s going to change much.” WHAT DID YOU FEEL WITH YOUR CAR SPECIFICALLY DURING THE COURSE OF PRACTICE, AND IS THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN TAKE AWAY FROM IT AND APPLY TO SUNDAY? “Yeah, I definitely thought we made it better from our first run, for sure. That was encouraging. We were all out of sorts there on our first run. I thought we landed in a decent spot. We certainly have room to improve, but yeah I thought we made it better. I like some of the characteristics that we were able to adjust on, which is always encouraging anytime you start practice and you start changing things.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 RAPTORTOUGH.COM CAMARO ZL1BYRON ON HOW HE FELT FOLLOWING THE PRACTICE SESSION: “I was pretty tight, but when I got within a few car links, I would slow down. I couldn’t get within two or three car lengths of anyone, but I was pretty slow.” HOW DID THE NEW TIRES FEEL TODAY ON TRACK? “They felt fine. You could slide the car around a little bit more, I felt like. The fall-off seemed pretty quick. But yeah, unless I was on a two or three-lap tire advantage or disadvantage, there were comers and goers with that. But with equal tires, I didn’t pass anyone.” I DON’T KNOW IF YOU PERSONALLY HAD HIGH HOPES, BUT IT FELT LIKE THERE WAS SOME SORT OF HOPE THAT THIS WAS GOING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER, AND EVERYONE THAT’S COME IN SO FAR HAS SAID IT’S EITHER THE SAME OR WORSE IN TRAFFIC. IS THAT DISAPPOINTING? “It’s disappointing when your car is slow. That’s all I care about. I think when you’re fast, you can pass. When you’re slow, you don’t pass. That’s all I really care about.. that’s what my job is to do. But yeah, if the package races better, that’s great. I just focus on what I have to do, which is try and pass people.” I don’t feel like I could pass. I passed one car, but there was a six or seven-lap tire difference. So yeah, once I got close to anyone, it was really hard to pass.” FORD AND TOYOTA WERE AT THE TOP OF THE SPEEDCHARTS. IS THAT IN RELATION TO THAT, OR ARE THE ISSUES THAT YOU’RE BATTLING SPECIFIC TO THE NO. 24 TEAM? “I don’t know.. I think it’s really just who guessed the best coming here. The aero-balance is totally different and your setup has to coincide with that. We didn’t guess correctly, but we still have time to get it right for Sunday. I think there’s a lot of changes going into it, but yeah it just has more to do with everyone’s sims said.”  DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1SUAREZ ON HOW HE FELT FOLLOWING THE PRACTICE SESSION: “Honestly, I feel like the biggest difference is that we have a little bit more speed in the front-end because the tire is softer. And it fell off a little bit more, which is good.. I think it will produce good racing. I was in traffic quite a bit the first run of tires, and the car is very wild in traffic.. probably more than before. But we’ll see.. we’ll see exactly where we stack-up. I felt like the car was extremely, extremely tight in traffic. But we’ll see. I think the tire is the biggest deal. I think having a softer tire on the right-side and having a tire that is going to wear out more, I think it’s going to produce good racing. But when it comes to the aero stuff, I don’t know.. I don’t know exactly. We’ll have to see in the race.” OTHER DRIVERS HAVE ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY WORSE IN TRAFFIC..“That’s what I thought, too. But again, I think Goodyear is the one that can really move the needle there big time with the softer tire, and I feel like that was a move in the right direction. We’ll see how it matches with the aero package.” DOES IT PICKUP A LOT OF PUSH BEHIND ANOTHER CAR? “Yeah, it does. I was in traffic pretty much my entire first run, the first time out with tires, and the car actually felt great. And as soon as I got into traffic, I was like – what the heck, what happened to my car. But I saw cars coming to me, as well, with little newer tires, and they were doing exactly the same thing. It’s going to be a challenge, but I like the fact that we’ll have to manage our tires a little bit more.”  I’M ASSUMING YOU DID SOME SIMULATOR WORK. DID IT CORRELATE? “It did.. it did quite a bit. The only thing that I was actually surprised about in the simulator is that we were fighting a lot of moments with the back of the car on entry. The first hour I spent in the simulator, I was wrecking because I was so loose on entry. My car here is pretty solid on entry, so that’s a positive. I don’t know if that’s a simulation thing or a car thing that we improved, but whatever that may be, it felt better here than in the simulator, which is good.”

The Peach State native leads early in the MD3 Rookie of the Year points run 

SUMMERTOWN, TN (March 8, 2024) –

Eager to prove he belongs on the national tour with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models, Cody Overton is already off to a good start in his rookie year. 

 
The MD3 Rookie of the Year contender left DIRTcar Nationals with the early lead in the rookie race, currently sitting eight-points ahead of Ethan Dotson. 
 
Piloting the #97C Tri Star Promotions Rocket Chassis, the Evans, GA driver earned a best finish of 12th on the final night of DIRTcar Nationals and finished 11th in event points. 

“I always started the night super tight,” Overton said. “By the time we got to the Heat races, we’d finally get the car where we wanted it to be. I really don’t understand how it goes like that, but it’s always been like that for me, I’ll get turning towards the end. It’s gonna be good (with Tri Star). It’s a new team, new crew, new driver, and everyone was trying to just get to know each other.” 

Overton’s racing career didn’t start until 2018 – previously working as a crew member for brother Brandon Overton’s team. Cody endorses the idea of learning and working on a Late Model before going racing to better understand what you need to do to improve. 

“I think everybody should at least be able to work on these cars for at least six months to a year to get an idea of how these cars handle,” Overton said. “If you know what you got, you know what you can and can’t do. It makes you better as a racer and better overall. I don’t claim to be no wheelman, but I can promise you if there’s damage, I know how to fix it and put it back the right way.” 

Though Overton has visited Thunderhill Raceway previously in a Crate Late Model, the World of Outlaws visit on March 22-23 will be a new test. 

“I wish I could say [my past experience] helps,” Overton said. “It will still be an uphill battle for us. I know of what to expect there, but not like a lot of these guys. The (Crate) is so different from a Super Late Model that what I get from the race will be new notes for me.” 

The good start to the season is one that Overton doesn’t want to spend too much time thinking about as he prepares for future events – circling his hom estate race, the Alabama Gang 100 at the Talladega Short Track, on his calendar. 

“It’s something I don’t think about since the season has just begun,” Overton said. “Then, you get all stressed out and worried. It’s cool, though, just gotta keep doing it, paying my dues, and we’ll be there. 

“Some of these places we’re about to go to, like Talladega, I’ve been there a lot in a Crate Late Models and Limited Late Models among others. I think that will help me, along with my brother winning the Alabama Gang 100 last year, so I feel I got some of a notebook to go off of with him being there many times in a Super Late Model. I think it will be a good deal and really cool to race in.” 

The Peach State driver continues his journey with the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models at Thunderhill Raceway on Friday and Saturday, March 22-23. Tickets for the event will be available at the track on race day. For more info, visit https://worldofoutlaws.com/schedule.  

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY PRACTICE REPORT MARCH 8, 2024 CHEVROLET FINISHES FIRST PRACTICE OF THE NEW NTT INDYCAR SERIES SEASON STRONG WITH SIX IN THE TOP-10 AT ST. PETERSBURG Chevrolet opened the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season with six drivers finishing in the top-10 of the first on-track session for this weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, led the session for Team Chevy, finishing second with a fastest lap of 1:00:8112. O’Ward was followed by Will Power, driver of the No. 2 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet in second, Rinus VeeKay, driver of the No. 21 askROI Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet in fifth to round out the top-five.Saturday sees Team Chevy take to the track for second practice at 9:35 a.m. ET, as well as qualifying and the Firestone Fast Six at 2 p.m. ET for Sunday’s race on the Streets of St. Petersburg. TEAM CHEVY TOP-10 FIRST PRACTICE RESULTS:2nd    Pato O’Ward4th     Will Power5th     Rinus VeeKay6th     Scott McLaughlin7th     Romain Grosjean10th   Callum Ilott

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (Quotes):Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Feeling good about today. The DEX Imaging Chevy fells very good. Between Team Penske, Chevy, and everyone in between we have worked really hard on some things, and we have come out with some pretty strong things, but a lot of hard work is going to have to continue to happen to keep us in the front. INDYCAR is even harder and tougher this year, but I am excited for the challenge. Good first day for us back in 2024 and hopefully we have more coming Saturday and Sunday. “ Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“Yeah, it was tough man, but the car is pretty good, felt good. We made some major improvements where we needed to. We are way more prepared this year and obviously last year coming in, I hadn’t really been able to do anything because my wife was in the hospital, so this year, very determined to be better because I was very disappointed last year.” Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren:“I’m happy with the first practice of the year. It was quite a messy session, but I’m glad we got somewhat of a read on both of the Firestone tires. So it gives us some information to look at and prepare for tomorrow.” Callum Ilott, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren:“The day was really good. Honestly, I’m very impressed with the team, as with the car. I think it was a good start, and obviously there are things to work on. For me, not having driven (an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car) for a couple of months, it was refreshing. But this team has a good program, and we got through everything that we wanted to. The session was a bit different to what we are used to, but I think we made the most of it. Big thanks to everyone who got me in the car.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren:“I’m not sure that the split practice really helped anything, but it was a valiant effort to try it. It was hard to get a lap. Our best lap came on the Firestone Primary tire, so we don’t know right now how we are on the alternate. I think, in general, the car feels good and we are starting in a good spot. We will see what tomorrow brings.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“In my experience, Practice 1 at St. Pete is a tricky one to judge performance off of. Today was no exception. Pato had a pretty good run there at the end. Everyone is feeling pretty reasonable, and it’s always tough in traffic to complete your lap. I applaud the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for trying something new with the split practice sessions, but I don’t think it made it easier to digest today.” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“It’s nice to be back after such a long offseason, I think also for all the fans, everyone. It’s great to finally to finally be here. Finished P2 in my group session, and now P5. I’m really happy. The car felt good. I still think we have some time left on the table, but it’s a good start. It’ll make me sleep well tonight and good rest for tomorrow, that’s for sure. It felt good. I really feel like Team Chevy upped their game, and of course Ed Carpenter Racing did a great job giving me a car that’s comfortably fast.” On Christian Rasmussen and rapport so far…“I think he’s a great guy. It’s great to have him with me and joining this team. This is my fifth year in the series, so I’m really trying to help him as much as possible, make him get familiar with as much as possible as soon as possible. He’s had a clean session so far, so good for him.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“First day back at school and it went really well. This first practice session I think the team did a really good job from Sebring (test session) getting the car in a better window. Chevy has been helping a lot as well with good drivability and then a good car from the engine, so excited for the weekend. I think there’s more work to be done but a good start.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We started the session with a really good performance. We were P8 with the green tires. Unfortunately, we had a flag when we put on the greens, but I’m really happy with this car. Thanks for Team Chevy and our whole team for a great start to the season.”

WILL POWER, NO. 2 VERIZON BUSINESS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – First Practice Press Conference Transcript:Right now joined by nine-time pole winner here on the Streets of St. Pete. Finished fourth in that practice session at 1:00.8. Driving the No. 12 Verizon Business Team Penske Chevrolet. Two-time winner here at St. Pete. Will power, got it out of the way. What happens the rest of the weekend? WILL POWER: Just small improvements. Felix is on another planet out there, but everyone else is extremely close. We’ll go back and look at it.I felt like overall the session was pretty good. I don’t mind that. There’s more room on track and less backing up. But, good, car feels good. Everything feels calm. When you are fast and things are calm, it’s good. You’ve got a little bit in reserve. THE MODERATOR: Questions. Q. Will, the trade-off is there’s less congestion with the groups, but do you get a chance to really get in a rhythm and try things? WILL POWER: Honestly it’s a very similar flow to qualifying. You get the ten minutes, so you have to get a run done. Yeah, I didn’t mind it. It’s been very difficult in the past just to get a lap, and each time you went out, you got clear runs. For me I liked the format. Q. I don’t want to devalue the guy sitting next to you, but I mean, the team didn’t really perform that well without him. Are you surprised how quickly he’s put him up on top of the board?WILL POWER: Not really. I actually thought he would do really well in that environment. I think, yeah, he’s quick. He’s quick. Doesn’t surprise me he’s been very quick. At the end of last year he’s been coming on very strong, so no surprise. Q. One for Will and one for Felix. Will, we all know what you had to go through last year in January and February and even December, and you didn’t really have a chance to properly get prepared for the season. Thank God Liz is doing fine and doing better, but how much better prepared, even though you’ve got an allergy right now, do you feel entering the season?WILL POWER: Oh, yeah, way more prepared. Way, way more than I was last year. I’m fitter, have more miles, and just, yeah, ahead of the game in many ways. Mentally better because you’re not thinking of your family. It’s tough when your mind is somewhere else. My mind is right in the game, right in the game. Q. One for both. I’ll start with Will. Can you give me a sense of the mood at Team Penske coming into this year? I know you guys won the Indy 500 last year, but you went winless. Josef seemed really frustrated at the end of the year. Scotty won once. Then you have Penske doing so well with NASCAR Championship and the IMSA Team, the WEC Team, the Rolex win. Is there more motivation I guess is what I’m asking? What’s the mood like coming in this year for you and your teammates?WILL POWER: It’s personal. I think everyone is personally a little different. I’m certainly very motivated to have a strong year after going winless. I was really pissed off about that, so putting a lot of emphasis on that. Yeah, Team Penske, man, they’ve been right on it the last couple of years. Two NASCAR titles, INDYCAR title, Indy 500, 24-hour of Daytona. So, yeah, it’s expected of that team. It’s expected. You must perform. They’ve got the resources, and you are given the car each week. I’ve had my head down. I haven’t really been thinking about anything else but competing at a very high level this year. I’ve worked hard, and I’m sure the other boys are in similar situations, and there’s a lot of people in the field that are in contract years and trying to prove points. It will be a very tough INDYCAR season, which is just great. Q. Will, a couple for you. The first one being, have you noticed any differences in the track in terms of how they’ve eased a few of the corners and then the repitching that’s taken place, has that affected anything?WILL POWER: Yeah, the track at turn three is a lot smoother. A lot nicer there. They haven’t really changed anything else. It’s all pretty similar apart from that. Yeah, but that was a big problem last year, turn three. Q. Then just one other thing. Sort of crystal-balling towards the end of the season, this year is quite different to previous years where we’re going to have a bunch of oval races at the end with St. Louis, a return to Milwaukee, return to Nashville. Does that change a team’s outlook on how they prepare cars knowing that you’re going into a stretch of ovals rather than the traditional road courses to round out a championship?WILL POWER: As far as car preparation, those short ovals street you pretty much run your street and road course cars anyway. Super speedways are slightly different. Indy is where you build a special car. Everywhere else these days are pretty similar. Yeah, the cars, that won’t be a big deal.

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 8, 2024

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ZONE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session at Phoenix Raceway.  Media Availability Quotes:   SPEAKING OF PIT CREWS, YOU’VE GOT THREE NEW GUYS THIS WEEK.. I THINK A COUPLE OF THEM COME FROM THE XFINITY SERIES. IS THAT A CONCERN AT ALL THAT THEY’RE DEALING WITH DIFFERENT LUGNUT SITUATIONS, AND HAVE THEY HAD TIME TO PRACTICE TOGETHER? “I have no clue. I don’t have any idea of where guys are coming from, what their background is or what their experience is. But you led into that and gave me some of that, so thank you.  I always just kind of assume that the Cup guys were the Xfinity guys, so news to me. We’ll find out how good they are come around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.”  ANDY PETREE SAID HE TALKED TO YOU THIS WEEK. I WAS WONDERING TOO FROM AN ATHLETE’S POINT-OF-VIEW.. FOR HOW GOOD AS YOU ARE ON PIT ROAD, HOW MUCH DO YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT NOT TRYING TO DO TOO MUCH TO CARRY A PIT CREW WHEN THERE’S A CONCERN THAT YOU MIGHT LOSE A COUPLE OF SECONDS, SO HOW DO I MAKE IT UP? I’M GUESSING MAYBE WAS THAT A FACTOR IN SLIDING THROUGH, OR MAYBE NOT? “Yeah, it was. Anytime I’m on pit road, I’m always thinking of the sheet; the statistics and the pieces of information that we have of what we try to gauge ourselves to the rest of the competition with. There’s probably five or six different sectors of pit road of things that you worry about to make sure you’re the best at all of those, and one of those is getting onto pit road; how you roll your pit road speed with your lights; how you get into the box and how you get out of the box; and how you exit pit road and how you get back up on the race track and blend.  All of those things, you want to be perfect every time. For me, I had come in the previous two pit stops before the one I slid through, where I came in way too light, and I was like – ‘OK, I’m coming in way too light’. If I’m giving up.. if it’s a half of a second, I don’t even know what it is, but I’m like – ‘OK, I’m going to make sure I hit it this time’. I hit the sign the way I needed to hit the sign and everything else. And so, that’s what happened on the next one – I came in as hot as I thought I needed to come in, and when it locked the rear tires with the brakes, it just slid and it slid two inches too far. One week, you’re two inches too short, and the next, you’re two inches too far. It’s kind of crazy.  All-in-all, just a frustrating day to have the disaster that we did on pit road of just being really slow. And then for me to slide through to kind of add insult to injury on my behalf, we otherwise would have been a top-10 finisher. That was the day we needed and we certainly lost a lot of points.” WHEN YOU SAY ‘TOO LIGHT’, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? DOES THAT MEAN THAT YOU’RE NOT HITTING THE SIGN, OR NOT HITTING IT AS FORCEFULLY? “Yeah, so you’re rolling your pit road speed, and then as you decelerate to come into your box, you want to go to the brake pedal once and just kind of slow down and get down to speed one constant down. The two times before that, I was coming in.. I was slowing down and I was having to get off the brake because I was too slow, and then reapply brake in order to stop at the spot that I needed to stop on. So I tried to hit that one trajectory of just straight down of deceleration, and I missed it.” ON THE STOP THAT YOU WERE CALLED FOR PITTING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX, YOU CAN’T SEE WHERE YOUR SPLITTER IS, CORRECT? SO YOU HAVE TO RELY ON ONE OF THE PIT CREW GUYS? RANDALL (BURNETT) SAID HE COULDN’T SEE IT EITHER.“Yeah, so typically in years past at JGR, we’d always have a system of – it’s the changer’s responsibility or a guy behind the wall.. like one of the pit crew support guys behind the wall just needs to start jumping up-and-down and waving.. like pushing back, pushing back. That’s what I did.. like when I’d stop, I came to a stop and I’m like – man, I feel a little long, but I don’t know. So I looked at the behind-the-wall guys, and the behind-the-wall guys were like moving the hose and ready to catch a tire, like that wasn’t even something that they were supposed to do. So we’ve talked about some of those things to put more responsibility on more players so we cannot have the penalty exist.  But to further Dustin’s point – like the ten-tenths on pit road.. like I’m really good at getting all ten. And when I feel like I’m in a downward position, where I’m behind and I’m going to try and get extra or more, yeah that’s led to my speeding penalties. That’s led to my sliding through the box because I know I have to makeup time on pit road myself to kind of compensate for what we’re losing when we’re stopped in the box.  I know everyone at RCR is busting their tails and working hard. I know that Ray and everybody in the pit crew department is, we just have what we have. We’ve got to work through it, and if that’s changing players around, then we have to change players around. We’ve got to find something that’s going to strengthen our front line, our defense, whatever it is or whatever you want to call those guys.. special teams. We’ve got to find the players that are going to make it roll.” IS THERE A TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE YOU’RE LIKE – OK, LET’S SET A GROUP AND JUST LIVE OR DIE WITH THEM, OR NO MATTER WHAT TIME OF YEAR IT IS, WE JUST HAVE TO KEEP CHANGING AND PUTTING THE BEST GUYS WE FEEL WE HAVE IN THERE? “Well I feel like you have to keep getting the best guys that you can get in there, and change positions as you need to change them. Honestly, when you get down to the nitty-gritty, you’re going to run out of players, you know what I mean? The depth chart is not very deep for guys on pit road that are the ‘excel’ group. I feel like there’s an ‘A’ group of people, there’s a ‘B’ group and there’s a ‘C’ group.. just like drivers. There’s an ‘A’ group, a ‘B’ group and a ‘C’ group. And so it’s hard to get any of those available guys from that ‘A’ group to come over to you because they’re under contract. You’re basically playing.. what is it in football.. the practice squad, you know what I mean? You’re pulling guys off the practice squad to see what you can find, and hopefully you hit one.” LAST YEAR, YOUR TWO RACES HERE IN PHOENIX WERE PRETTY MUCH POLAR OPPOSITES. YOU PERFORMED PRETTY WELL IN THE SPRING, AND THEN IN THE FALL, YOU WEREN’T ONE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP FOUR CONTENDERS. IS THERE ANYTHING FROM EITHER OF THOSE TWO RACES THAT YOU’RE REALLY LOOKING AT WHEN COMING INTO THIS WEEKEND WITH THE NEW SHORT-TRACK PACKAGE? “So the first race, we struggled a little bit.. we weren’t that great. I think we did get an eighth-place finish out of it. So we got a finish out of it, but we weren’t very good. The second race though, I felt like we were really good.. we were passing cars, we were fast, we had speed, but pit road happens. I don’t know how many positions we lost on pit road here last fall, but it was bad. So I just kept trying to makeup the positions that we lost. I think we came down under a green-flag pit cycle.. we were in eighth, seventh or something like that, and we came out 12th. So now I’m trying to makeup for lost time, and then I end up spinning myself out in that long run. That again, everything kind of compounds itself and puts on top of on top of on top of your issues that you have and makes your day entirely worse.  But back to your question.. the fall race, I felt like we were competitive. I felt like we were fast. I felt like we had a shot. If we had maintained every time on pit road, I think we could actually move forward throughout the day and get positions. We just need to be able to do that. If you’re not going backwards, then that’s a hell of a day for us.” OBVIOUSLY PIT CREWS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A ‘HOT TOPIC’ WHEN PEOPLE SWITCH STUFF. IS EVERYONE SO CLOSE NOW, THAT’S WHY THERE’S SUCH AN EMPHASIS ON PIT CREWS? LIKE THEY’VE NEVER MATTERED MORE THAN THEY HAVE NOW, IN TERMS OF PIT STOPS? OR IS THAT TOO MUCH OF A LEAP COMPARED TO THE PAST? “I guess I feel like the difference between first and 20th is much closer than it used to be. When I had my heyday of pit crews at JGR, we were running.. let’s just say we were running 12-second stops, where the rest of JGR were running 12.5-second stops, and the rest of the competition were 13-second stops. Now, the whole field is.. if you’re not under 10-seconds, you’re nobody. You might as well not even play. You have to get to that threshold. There’s now guys that are flying.. like 8.8, 8.9-second stops is a good stop, a fast stop. 9.4-seconds is probably about average. Yeah, we’re all just looking for what we can because on-track, at times, the cars are so equal that it’s hard to pass on the track. The easiest place to pass somebody else is when they’re sitting still, on pit road. So we have to be better on pit road.. we can’t be going backwards, at least.” AIR BLOCKING BECAME A BIG TOPIC LAST WEEKEND AFTER KYLE LARSON WAS DESCRIBING. CAN YOU TAKE US THROUGH THE NUANCES OF THAT, AND IF YOU’RE THE LEAD GUY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A HUGE ADVANTAGE WITH THAT TECHNIQUE. IS THAT ACCURATE? “Yeah, it’s way bigger with this car than it was with the old car. This car is 30 percent worse. They were supposed to make it 30 percent better, and that didn’t happen. Who was it.. look back to the race, was it Kansas where (Joey) Logano and (Kevin) Harvick, when Harvick ran up to Logano and then Logano just air blocked him and couldn’t pass him. So there was that race, which that was the old car, wasn’t it? So it happens always, in anything. Trucks are that way. Those guys are doing it somewhat. But these Cup cars are really bad for that. You literally just go off in the corner and if you can watch your mirror and drive out front well enough, then you can just kind of let your car go where it needs to go in order to air block that guy behind you. I was doing that a little bit with (Kyle) Larson at the end of the first stage, just to try to hold him back some. I wasn’t necessarily air blocking him.. I was more so trying to confuse him of where I was running. I wouldn’t run the same line every time going back to the next end of the race track. Like I would run high one lap, I’d run middle lap. I’d run high.. I’d run low. I would say Kyle is really good at it. Joey is really good at it. Joey is really good at it running 12th, not for the lead (laughs). (Chase) Briscoe last week was an absolute disaster with guys trying to do it; pulling slide jobs and everything else. But yeah, you try to do it as much as you can when you know you have somebody to try and hold off.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES PHOENIX RACEWAY SHRINERS CHILDREN’S 500 TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 8, 2024

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series’ practice session at Phoenix Raceway.   Media Availability Quotes: With the INDYCAR season starting this weekend, will you be paying attention to St. Pete and what’s going on there? “It’s hard to.. like it’s really hard to pay attention when a lot of our on-track stuff, typically on a normal weekend, is the same as them. So yeah, when I look at results and stuff, I don’t know how well it translates to if I could look and watch every lap of the race live.  But yeah, I’ll for sure try and pay more attention to what’s going on this year, obviously with the Indianapolis 500 coming up. Again, it’s difficult to follow along as closely as even a race fan probably can.”  You did an INDYCAR test here, so when you come back in here, are you thinking NASCAR? Does any of your mind go to that INDYCAR test? What was that test like for you? “No.. honestly driving here today, I almost forget that test even happened, just because I’m not coming here to run an INDYCAR right now. My mind has just been about the fall weekend and what I felt then. And even the NASCAR test that we had here and what I felt then.  But yeah, obviously it was really cool to run an INDYCAR around this track. It was really fast. It didn’t feel way different than the Next Gen car here either, so that was good, but you’re just going faster. We’ll see.. I mean I haven’t been on-track since then, so maybe it’ll be weird at first, but I doubt it because I race so many different types of cars all the time.” You touched on this a little bit last week about how although the Chevy’s have dominated in terms of winning the races, the gap between Chevy, Toyota and Ford isn’t as big as it might seem. What will it take for the Chevy’s to continue to hold that dominance over Ford and Toyota? “Yeah, I’m not sure. I think just continuing to evolve, and get your setups and stuff better. I’m not a car guy, so I don’t really know how much room there is to make the cars and stuff itself better. But there’s always stuff to be learned from every event; every wind tunnel test and anything like that. Just trying to do a good job with the data that you receive, and try to tweak and make things better, just like every team does.” How do you plan on keeping your momentum going following last week’s win in Las Vegas? “Yeah, I don’t know. Phoenix (Raceway) has been a pretty decent track for our team the last few years since I’ve been with Hendrick Motorsports. We qualify well, so hopefully that all goes good tomorrow – get a good start upfront, get good stage points and just keep executing. Our team has done a really good job this year of executing with the race cars that we bring. Our pit crew has been doing a great job. It takes everything to be upfront, and I think that’s how we can continue our momentum. Just continue to do what we’ve been doing and just keep ourselves in the hunt.” You referred to the Championship race here last year. It’s going to be pretty warm here this weekend. How similar are you expecting the track conditions to be, and what are you looking for in practice? “I’m sure the track conditions will be similar to kind of how they always are here. I think you’ll see the groove kind of move around, like it typically does. But we have a different aero package, so not sure yet how that will effect things.. if that changes the racing much or not. We’ll see.  I’m excited to just get on track here in a little while and see what it’s like with more cars out there. I did the test in December and helped, I guess as a part of the group, to come to this decision for an aero package and all that. It’s tough to judge off the six cars or whatever it was then. Now we have the full field, and we’ll get a real understanding of how it is in traffic and such.” Looking back to the championship race, it was like ‘oh whoever is going to come off pit road on that last pit stop, it’s going to be over’. You had that and (Ryan) Blaney tracked you down.. your car just didn’t have the handling in that situation. From that sense, looking back, how do you get better or what do you tell your team and your crew chief to make sure that can’t happen again? “Yeah, I mean the competitor in me knew that it wasn’t going to be easy.. (Ryan) Blaney had passed me every run that race. But yeah, I don’t know – our balance wasn’t where it needed to be and all that. William (Byron) and I.. I felt like we were the third and fourth-best cars in the Final Four. (Christopher) Bell had his misfortunate and all that.  But yeah, not getting too into the weeds of the balance of what my car was and what I think the balance of Blaney’s was.. I don’t know, I just felt like we needed more grip, I guess. My entry.. I remember being a little bit unstable and that didn’t allow me to kind of shape the corner how I needed to. I was just a little bit behind where I needed to be with my angle, speed and all that in the middle of the corner. I need to be better from entry to center, with balance or whatever that may be, and then that will kind of fix the exit, as well.  It was nice to do that test here in December. Bell was a part of it. Blaney was a part of it. Everyone has different things going on at a test, but it was good to come here quickly after and get to work on things. We’ll see. I know we’ve changed a few things from what we had in the fall, and hopefully it will translate to grip and speed. We’ll see.. we’ll see here soon.” So if your car is better, how do you determine if it’s because you guys just did a better job at setup as opposed to the package fitting you? You talk about wanting grip.. there’s several ways to find it, so are you going to tell how well this is? And in this practice session.. typically I know you guys don’t often run up in traffic, but do you want to run in traffic or spend the whole time by yourself so you can figure out the car? “I don’t think you’re really necessarily going to see anyone searching for traffic in practice, so I don’t plan on searching for traffic. But you’ll always see it.. somebody will blend up in front of you, or you’ll catch somebody that’s struggling and they’ll pull off. So you get sniffs of dirtier air. I think the way to judge how you are compared to how you were is just off of feel. You can feel when something handles a lot better. You can shape your corner differently. And then the obvious of looking at timing and scoring – seeing if you’re up on the sheet or if you’re not where you need to be. Hopefully we’re fast and hopefully we’re up there. Again, it was kind of hard to tell at the test. We were pretty bad at the test, but I don’t think we’ll be bad in real life. We’ll see when we get out there.” When you have a performance that you had last week, do you find it difficult to maybe temper expectations going into a track like Phoenix that’s so difficult, or the expectation to replicate what you did last week? “Yeah, I mean I think for me and probably for most drivers and teams, you quickly move on from that, so I’ve really like forgotten about it. I would say come Monday afternoon, once my meetings were done, my mind is switched to Phoenix. Sure, I’d rather win than run 20th because I would probably feel better now than I would have if I ran 20th, but I’m not thinking about Vegas of like how to replicate anything.” As stout as your pit crew was last weekend, do you see any weaknesses right now with your team? “No, I mean I think based off how we’ve executed the first handful of weeks, I’m happy with where all of our team is at. The race cars have been really fast. Our pit crew has been performing. I feel like the solid race I was able to put together last week.. like all that was great.  Sure, you want to get all areas better, if you can. I feel like Cliff (Daniels) does a really good job of leading our team; coaching, prepping and all that. I’m not surprised that we’re executing well right now, but I just hope that we keep it going.”

Big prize and bragging rights on the line for event’s 3rd straight year

GAINESVILLE, Florida (March 8, 2024) – When it comes to drag racing, Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster driver Brittany Force admits she’s a creature of habit. Be it qualifying or in eliminations, she likes to prepare for each round in a methodical fashion, not getting ahead of herself, but rather just focusing on the proverbial “one round at a time.” But this Saturday, as part of the NHRA season-opening 55th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., Force and seven other Top Fuel drivers – including five former champions – will battle it out for $130,000 in prizes, a special trophy, cowboy-style belt and bragging rights on the line for the third annual Pep Boys NHRA All-Star Top Fuel Callout at legendary Gainesville Raceway.  “It’s a unique event, two races in one at the Gatornationals,” said the two-time NHRA Top Fuel champion. “It’s just exciting to get on stage and hopefully get a chance to call somebody out. It makes it fun for the fans.” But the third of 16-time Funny Car champion John Force’s four daughters admits the Callout format does impact drivers as they attempt to have strong qualifying runs for Sunday’s final eliminations of the main event. “I don’t love it so much as a driver,” Force said of the Callout. “I’m very routine. I like to know who I’m going up against. But it’s a great show for the fans and it’s something different in our sport. We’re excited to kick off in Gainesville, it’s been a long offseason.”Force begins her 12th year in NHRA competition this weekend.  Despite earning No. 1 qualifier honors four times, Force finished seventh in the final standings, failed to win a race and reached a final round just once.Force is concerned that The Callout could somewhat impact her pace as she goes through a not so usual weekend due to the extra rounds. “There’s the mental load of it’s the first race of the season, you’ve been out of the car and out of competition since November,” Force said. “We went testing a few weeks ago but that’s different than competition, lining up next to somebody where every point matters till the end of the year. “Now you’re going in with this extra race within a race. So that puts extra pressure on you. You only get two qualifying runs (on Friday) before you get thrown into it, and you have to make decisions if you get the chance to call somebody out. “So you don’t get a lot to work with. It’s kind of just taking a deep breath, focusing on doing your job like it’s any other run really, looking in your lane. You can’t worry about everything else going on. Crew chiefs are going to line you up, and you’re going to call out the car you think you could beat.” Force has most of last year’s crew back for the new season, with one significant addition in veteran tuner John Collins, joining crew chief David Grubnic. Force hopes a strong performance in both the Callout as well as the Gatornationals will help set the tone for 2024 and the goal of winning a third Top Fuel championship. “It’s definitely challenging,” Force said. “The tricky thing about the All-Star Callout is you pull up there to make a run and you have to weigh is our focus on winning this run or trying to qualify well for Sunday?’ So it’s a battle for teams and crew chiefs to be able to do that. “But again, it’s just pulling up there with all the confidence that you could do it, drivers are going to have to step up, and crew chiefs are going to have to make some really tough decisions. But at the end of the day, we all want that win.” The Callout, which began in 2022, has a field composed of eight finishers from last season. The No. 1 seed will get to pick their first round opponent. Then, whoever earns the lowest ET of the first round gets to pick their opponent for the second round.  FS1 will carry a special feature highlighting the Callout Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.

Driver tow package, membership details also set as focus turns to 2024 openerCONCORD, NC (March 8, 2024) – One week after acquiring the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), World Racing Group has set the 2024 national series points fund and driver benefit package heading into the season-opening event March 15-16 at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas.

The drivers and teams will be racing for a share of a $152,000 championship point fund, with the champion earning $40,000. The top 10 finishing positions in the title race will be paid, with $25,000 going to second; $20,000 for third; $15,000 for fourth; $12,000 for fifth; $10,000 for sixth; $9,000 for seventh; $8,000 for eighth; $7,000 for ninth; and $6,000 for 10th.

In addition, the top five competitors in national series points will receive $400 in tow money, while positions six through 10 will receive $300. For the second night of a two-night event, a tow package of 50 percent will be issued. Tow money for drivers is like appearance fees in other forms of entertainment.

Every competitor who draws in for a race night will be required to pay $20. The nightly draw fees will be awarded to that night’s hard charger.

“Even though everything is coming together quickly with our involvement in the ASCS, establishing the championship points fund and tow package ahead of next week’s season opener was important so racers and their teams know what they’re competing for over the course of the season,” said Brian Dunlap, who is leading the integration of the ASCS into World Racing Group. “The World of Outlaws and the Edwards family go back to the beginning of the Outlaws in 1978, so it’s only fitting we’re kicking off our leadership of the ASCS with Martin Edwards promoting the first event next week at RPM Speedway.”

All competitors will be required to purchase a DIRTcar Sprint Car membership, trackside or online at DIRTcarMembers.com. That membership will allow racers to compete in World of Outlaws competition, as well. Competitors who have already purchased a 2024 ASCS membership will have to complete a DIRTcar Sprint Car membership, but no payment will be required. The DIRTcar Sprint Car membership is $125 annually.

A nearly 40-race tour across 10 states will make up ASCS’ 2024 national championship season, including the prestigious $20,000-to-win 360 Knoxville Nationals at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway, Aug. 1-3.

The 2024 ASCS national championship season begins March 15-16 at RPM Speedway, marking the Series’ inaugural event under the World Racing Group banner.

To watch every national American Sprint Car Series race live, visit DIRTVision.com or download the DIRTVision App.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA2024 AMALIE MOTOR OIL NHRA GATORNATIONALS GAINESVILLE RACEWAY GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE | NOTES & QUOTES MARCH 8-10, 2024 CHEVROLET ROARS INTO THE 2024 NHRA MISSION FOODS DRAG RACING SERIES SEASON LOOKING TO CAPTURE A RECORD-EXTENDING 29TH MANUFACTURERS CUPTeam Chevy Looks to Start the New Year Strong at the 2024 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Nationals and Gainesville Dragway

Team Chevy opens the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing season at Gainesville Dragway for the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals March 8-10, 2024.Chevrolet closed out the 2023 NHRA season capturing a record-extending 28th Manufacturers Cup since 1966, the most of any other manufacturer in professional drag racing.Team Chevy raced to the NHRA nitro winners’ circle five times in 2023, with overall holding 159 Funny Car victories in the series since 1967.John Force Racing enters the 2024 season after closing out 2023 runner-up in the NHRA Funny Car Championship standings with Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS team.John Force Racing heads to Gainesville with 13 wins in hand, with eight of those coming from drag racing legend and team owner John Force (1992-1996, 1999, 2001, and 2017), four from Robert Hight (2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019), and one from Brittany Force (2016).Collectively, the drivers of John Force Racing also have 12 No. 1 qualifiers at Gainesville Raceway, the most recent coming from B. Force in 2023.Already an event winner this year, Austin Prock and his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team at John Force Racing look to start the season strong with another visit to the Winner’s Circle after winning the PRO Superstar Shootout in Bradenton, Fla., and notching his first win in his first race behind the wheel of a Funny Car.Prock has stepped into the driver’s seat for John Force Racing teammate Robert Hight as he tends to personal medical issues at the start of the 2024 season.Prock will make his NHRA Funny Car competition debut in Gainesville, pairing up with his father Jimmy, and brother Thomas, who serve as co-crew chiefs along with Nate Hildahl.John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car and team owner of John Force Racing, enters Gainesville seeking his 156th Wally trophy, as well as Chevrolet’s 80th in a Camaro SS-bodies Funny Car. 24 of Team Chevy’s wins have come from John Force and his team.Legendary driver and team owner J. Force and his PEAK Chevrolet team are led by crew chief Chris Cunningham, entering the 2024 season on the hunt for a record-extending 17th Funny Car championship. J. Force is first on the most NHRA World Series Championships list, ahead of Bob Glidden (Pro Stock) with 10.Looking to capture her 17th Top Fuel victory in NHRA with her Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team, Brittany Force heads to Gainesville seeking a needed return to the winner’s circle with John Force Racing.B. Force and her team are once again led by decorated crew chief David Grubnic at the helm, competing for a third NHRA Top Fuel World Championship this season along with her 18th Top Fuel victory in the series, starting at Gainesville.Gainesville Dragway is near and dear to B. Force’s heart, being the site of her first win in NHRA Top Fuel in 2016. Since then, she’s amassed two championships, 16 wins, and 46 No. 1 Qualifiers in her career thus far.

Quotes:BRITTANY FORCE, DRIVER OF THE MONSTER ENERGY CHEVROLET TOP FUEL DRAGSTER:“The 2024 NHRA Drag Racing season is starting and we kick off in Gainesville at the Gator Nationals. I’m excited to get this year rolling after a tough season and a tough test in Bradenton. Our team got our first win in 2016 here in Florida and we’re looking for another one this season. We want to start off strong, we want to qualify well, make use of every qualifying lap we make, and not only win this thing but win the Pep Boys All-Star Callout. Our Team Chevy Dragster is ready for battle. It’s an exciting way to open the season with two races in one. Top Fuel kicks it off, and it’s the second or third year of the Pep Boys Callout. The fans love it. Drivers get up there and call out other drivers, and it’s just this new, exciting race within a race.” AUSTIN PROCK, DRIVER OF THE CORNWELL TOOLS CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“I’ve been a part of the Chevrolet family my entire career, but this year is special. I get to be behind the wheel of a Chevrolet Camaro SS for the first time in competition. Can’t wait to get this hotrod in the winners’ circle!” JOHN FORCE, DRIVER OF THE PEAK ANTIFREEZE & COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS FUNNY CAR:“I’ve raced in Gainesville for years. Everybody came out of Canada and the north, you know, Boston and places. And we’ve got fast Chevrolets and, you know, Chevrolet builds great race cars. We’re very excited. We’re excited to get out here. These cars will run 338. They’ll run 340. And they’ve got big pushes with their current fleet and their electric cars. But we’ve got big pushes with our hot rods too. Our Camaro SS cars, we love to race them and we love to drive them on the streets too. And all their trucks, I love them too. It’s going to be a great year.”

How to Watch:The 2024 Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Dragway kicks off with Friday’s qualifying airing Saturday, March 9, 2024, at noon ET from Gainesville, Fla. Following qualifying, the Top Fuel All-Star Callout airs Saturday evening at 7 p.m. ET. Saturday’s qualifying session airs Sunday at 8:30 a.m. ET with Finals Round 1 and 2 airing following at 10:30 a.m. ET.  Sunday’s eliminations wrap up the weekend, with the remaining final rounds airing at 9 p.m. ET. All sessions from Gainesville Dragway air with NHRA on FOX on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Coverage streams live throughout the weekend on NHRA.tv, and is available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices.

TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS:1,442: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).626: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 628.166: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).159: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.84: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time). Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel) is fifth with 88.79: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro SS body.46: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force.28: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. This is the seventh-consecutive award and ninth in 11 seasons. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.24: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car.20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA.16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force.7: Number of Funny Car driver championships.2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships.

GAINESVILLE, FL (March 8, 2024) — One of the most exciting classes on the NHRA tour will hit the track this weekend starting their ten-race series of Chevrolet COPOs, Dodge Drag Paks and Ford Cobra Jets battling it out for manufacturer supremacy in the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. David Davies III will be racing in the series for the third year in a row wheeling a new-look Dodge Challenger with Mission 22, a national non-profit organization that aims to raise awareness and combat the issue of veteran suicide, as the primary brand on his race car. Davies, a US Air Force Veteran, has offered space on his Dodge Challenger throughout his career to veteran organizations.

 David Davies Flexjet Dodge Challenger

“I am looking forward to getting the season started on the race track of course because it has been a long off-season and I love to race this class but I am equally excited to get the word out about Mission 22,” said Davies. “It breaks my heart that according to the Department of Veterans Affairs 22 veterans lose their lives to suicide every day. These men and women served our country with pride and I want to let them know they are seen, appreciated and if they need help Mission 22 will be there for them.”
 
Throughout his Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown racing career Davies has been a threat to win and the 2024 season should provide the aviation executive the opportunity to achieve his goal of standing in the winner’s circle. This weekend over 20 competitors will be vying for one of 16 qualifying positions.


“We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with D H Davies Racing to raise awareness about the issues that Veterans face upon returning home. Dave and his team are so generously providing Mission 22 a platform to let Veterans know we are here for them” said Carley Hill, Mission 22’s Community Outreach Coordinator. “At Mission 22, our commitment to supporting Veterans and ending Veteran suicide is unwavering but its just not possible without support like this so it means everything to us.”
 
An accomplished business executive and US Air Force Veteran David Davies brings his passion for racing and competition to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series. This season Davies will also work with Save Our Allies, E3, Welsy Motorsports, and Fig Leaf Coffee. Davies has raced in both the National Muscle Car Association (NMCA) and National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) with both a 2018 Dodge Demon and most recently a 2021 Dodge Drag Pak. Davies’ NHRA debut event was Norwalk, 2021 and since that event the racer from Kirtland, Ohio, has been a regular qualifier and is pursuing his first Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Series national event win.
 
For more information about Mission 22, please visit www.Mission22.com or call 503-908-8505
 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 7, 2024) – The opening Mission SuperTwins victory of the 2024 Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, season went to Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) in a Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I that contained far more drama than Daniels’ final 3.769-second margin of victory would seem to indicate. For much of the night – including the opening half of the Main Event – the fans that packed the Daytona International Speedway Flat Track grandstands thought they just might just witness Sammy Halbert (No. 69 Dodge Bros. Racing/Castrol Harley-Davidson XR750) give the iconic Harley-Davidson XR750 its 503rd Grand National Championship race win more than five decades after its first. In fact, Halbert topped a session in both practice and qualifying, won his heat race, and then proved victorious in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge aboard the venerable machine. He followed that up by grabbing the holeshot in the Main Event and then stretching open more than a second’s worth of padding at the front. That advantage was further aided by the stiff fight Brandon Price (No. 92 Memphis Shades/Corbin/OTBR Yamaha MT-07) provided all comers while running second despite the likes of Daniels, Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), and Briar Bauman(No. 3 Rick Ware Racing/KTM/Parts Plus KTM 790 Duke) all seeking a way through. Daniels finally managed to make a pass that stuck a little over six minutes remaining on the clock and immediately went about eating up the gap to Halbert. However, what promised to be a thrilling dogfight for victory was spoiled when Halbert’s machine began to smoke heavily with half of the race still remaining. The Estenson Racing Yamaha ace dove through to steal away first. Moments later, the black flag was (first) shown to Halbert, who continued to push for several laps before finally heeding the instruction. Halbert’s misfortune saw Price move back up into second with Bauman third, while Daniels weaved his way through traffic out front en route to victory. After the contest, Daniels – who will now look to equal last year’s season-opening double victory at the venue – said, “This track was so technical. It was nothing like last year where you could just kinda go in and get it on. What a ride for the team. We kind of struggled all day, and I was just chipping away. I started catching up to Sammy, and he started to blow up and coolant was getting in my face. (Once in front), I started looking back a lot. For some reason I got nervous, but the last five laps, I really buckled down and those were my fastest laps of the race. “After Springfield, we left a little bitter. It didn’t feel good. That whole offseason we worked hard. To get three in a row at Daytona feels good. That Main Event, I had so much fun plugging away. I would prefer to get the holeshot and be out front but being able to come through and dig my way to the front felt good.” Price held on for a most welcome runner-up finish in his all-new team’s maiden outing, while Robinson moved through on a fading Bauman to earn the final spot on the podium. In fact, Bauman’s tumble down the order wouldn’t end there, as he was also displaced by Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), nine-time Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Rogers Racing/SDI Racing/Indian Motorcycle FTR750), and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Ohio Indian FTR750) before finishing seventh in the end. Cameron Smith (No. 34 RVR/KTM/Schaefer’s Motorsport KTM 790 Duke) picked up eighth, one spot ahead of Dan Bromley (No. 62 Big Red Super Twins/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Transalp), who took ninth in the new Honda-powered effort’s debut. Mission SuperTwins rookie Trevor Brunner(No. 21 Mission Foods/Zanotti Racing KTM 790 Duke) completed the top ten. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Double defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion Kody Kopp (No. 1 Rick Ware Racing/Parts Plus KTM 450 SX-F) opened his quest for an unprecedented third class crown in near-perfect fashion, walking away with the Main Event after earlier winning both his heat and the Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda Challenge. It was a fine way to not just start his title defense but also an all-new partnership after joining the Rick Ware Racing outfit just days prior to the opener. While Kopp claimed the checkered flag running alone in the end, it wasn’t quite that simple in the doing. Despite grabbing the holeshot, he was actually overhauled by former class champ Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F) before completing the first lap. Gauthier then pulled some space at the front while Kopp had his hands full with projected title rivals Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 JPG Motorsports Honda CRF450R). But Kopp found his groove at mid-distance, putting in a charge that allowed him to reclaim the lead and power forward to secure the victory by 1.502 seconds over Gauthier. “We just kept our heads on straight the whole offseason,” said Kopp. “I love this track, and I love Daytona. Huge shout out to Rick Ware for coming on the program a little over a week ago. We pulled it together, and we got a win tonight. Wally Brown built one heck of a KTM 450 – arguably even better than the factory bikes I might say.” Meanwhile, the final spot on the box went to neither Drane – who crashed on the last lap and was ultimately credited in 15th – nor Saathoff. Rather it was Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), who finished third by battling his way back through the pack after being pushed wide and well down the order in the early stages of the Main. Saathoff finished fourth another 0.309 seconds back with Justin Jones (No. 91 J&H Racing Husqvarna FC 450) rounding out the top five. Tyler Raggio (No. 55 Raggio Racing/Sluggo Racing KTM 450 SX-F), James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions/Media HT Husqvarna FC450), Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/A.M Ortega KTM 450 SX-F), Jared Lowe (No. 63 BigR/Little Debbie Racing Honda CRF450R), and Logan Eisenhard (No. 66 Hannum’s Harley-Davidson KTM 450 SX-F) finished sixth through tenth, respectively. Earlier in the evening, Taia Little (No. 11 Royal Enfield/Parts Unlimited) kicked off the Main Event program by winning the Royal Enfield Build. Train. Race. season opener in runaway fashion. Next Up: The world’s premier dirt track motorcycle racing series will return to action tomorrow night with the second half of the double opener, the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/daytona-short-track-ii-86992 to secureyour tickets now. For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at http://flosports.link/aft. FOX Sports coverage of the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, March 16, at 9:30 a.m. ET (6:30 a.m. PT), while the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA II will air the following day, Sunday, March 17, at 12:00 p.m. ET (9:00 a.m. PT).

LINCOLN, Neb. (03/07/24) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is pleased to announce MyRacePass as the preferred online ticketing partner for the 2024 season.  Promoters, who use MyRacePass Online Tickets for their Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events, will have their tickets shown for sale directly on LucasDirt.com, the track website (if applicable), the series profile at MyRacePass.com, and the MyRacePass App. Additionally, the online tickets links are also displayed on the schedule pages of driverwebsites hosted through MyRacePass. MyRacePass Online Tickets allows promoters and scorers to promote their pre-sale tickets online with a variety of features including ● General Admission Seating● Reserved Seating, Camping, Pit Stalls, Tailgating and Parking● Multi-Day Passes● Digital Season Passes● Digital Punch Cards● Ticket Promos With convenience in mind, the new Box Office System allows track staff to print event tickets at the gate on race day. These tickets can then be quickly scanned using the MyRacePass app.  Promoters receive 100% of the funds from each ticket sold. Additionally, MyRacePass handles all event cancellation refunds and handles any potential individual event chargeback.  Following the event, promoters can use the enhanced analytics page to review their ticket sales for events, track locations of sales, and view numerous demographic information to help improve future sales. Promoters are able to interact with their purchasers for future online marketing campaigns as well.  MyRacePass Online Tickets is free to use for any promoter currently using the MyRacePass Race Management Program. Promoters interested in learning how MyRacePass can help you with your next event are encouraged to visit MRPTickets.comor email Support@MyRacePass.com. MyRacePass works with nearly 800 weekly promoters across the United States and Canada, including circle tracks, both asphalt and dirt, as well as recently expanding into the drag racing genre of grassroots motorsports. Specializing in Website Development, Race Management Systems, Online Ticket Sales, and of course the ever-so-popular and race fan engaging MyRacePass App, MyRacePass has grown to be the industry leader in motorsports technology.

CONCORD, NC (March 7, 2024) – The wave of youth in national Midget racing continues to sweep through the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota with the addition of 14-year-old Elijah Gile to the list of 2024 championship chasers.

Gile, of Phoenix, AZ, has been a presence in the Micro Sprint ranks for the past two years and will take on the biggest challenge of his career this year, piloting the Racecraft-sponsored Spike/Stanton No. 13 Midget for all 30 races on the Series schedule.

“I’ll give it my all, and I feel like we’ll have a really good year,” Gile said. “I’m excited to run with them. I’m glad I have this opportunity and can’t wait for the races coming up.”

Elijah will hit the road with his father, Dennis Gile, sporting the colors of Dennis’ newly founded motorsports coaching brand Racecraft. Elijah was one of the first students of the program – which pairs young drivers with an experienced professional for one-on-one, at-track coaching – and received his first lessons with World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series driver Logan Schuchart during the Germfree Southern Sprint Car Shootout at Volusia Speedway Park in January.

“We didn’t make the A-Main the first night but we for sure improved the second night,” Elijah said. “We got faster in Qualifying; we did a little bit better in the Heat Race, we made the A-Main. We got laps under our belt, and it was just a good week; a lot of learning.”

Elijah also has plans to contest several dates with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS), which World Racing Group recently acquired, in addition to the Xtreme Outlaw Midget schedule. He posted his best career finish on the national scene during the Xtreme Outlaw season finale last October at I-44 Riverside Speedway, starting 21st on the grid and advancing to 10th by the checkered flag.

“I got into the A-Main, got some laps down and got a top 10,” Gile said. “We were racing with Daison Pursley, throwing slide-jobs. I was just trying to get around the pack to get up front. That boosted my confidence, and that’s what I can hope we do this year to get a championship.”

Now, the young Arizonan turns his attention to the 2024 regular season, where he’ll encounter several tracks he’s yet to race at. He’s ready for the challenge of racing against some of the best drivers the national Midget circuit has to offer each night, and above all, is looking to learn as he navigates his most hectic season planned to-date.

“Just go out there, have fun, and if we have our downs, we can get it next time,” Gile said. “Pass as many cars as we can, get the best finishing spots. Every race, just be confident and tell yourself you’re good enough to race with these guys, you’ve proved it before, and see what we can do from there.”

Elijah Gile begins his season with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota with the opening events – Friday-Saturday, March 15-16, inside the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, IL.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t be there in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETERSBURG ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE MARCH 7, 2024 CHEVROLET KICK-STARTS DRIVE FOR NINTH NTT INDYCAR SERIES MANUFACTURER TITLE IN ST. PETERSBURG DETROIT (March 7, 2024) – The Team Chevy drivers and teams of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES kick off the 2024 season on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. this weekend with the 20th running of the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Chevrolet earned its eighth NTT INDYCAR SERIES Engine Manufacturer Championship of the 2.2-liter twin turbo direct-injected era since 2012 after the 2023 season and carries significant momentum heading into 2024. The drive for a ninth title starts in Round 1 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Fla., a 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary circuit featuring city streets and a section of the Albert Whitted Airport’s runway, with long straights and heavy braking zones. “While 2023 is in the rearview mirror, 2024 is a great opportunity for everyone at Chevrolet to drive towards our ninth engine manufacturer title, potentially our third-in-a-row in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, said Mark Stielow, Director of Motorsports Competition Programs at General Motors. “We’re carrying positivity, talent, and momentum from our successful season last year with all our teams and drivers, and look forward to racing with new drivers, engineers, and team members as well.” “St. Petersburg provides an excellent opportunity to kick the new season off successfully and provides a strong challenge with a field that’s ever-evolving competitively,” continued Stielow. “We’re looking forward to getting on track in St. Petersburg soon.” Entering the weekend for the 200th race of Chevrolet’s V6 era, the Bowtie brand holds eight victories on the Streets of St. Pete as well as eight earned NTT P1 Pole Awards. Team Chevy has also scored 20 podiums and 684 laps led since 2012 at St. Petersburg and looks to return to Victory Lane this year. Leading 23 of Chevrolet’s 61 laps in the 2023 event and finishing on the podium, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 for Team Chevy, notes of excitement heading into a new year. “I’m always pumped to go back to St. Pete every year because that means we’re starting a new season,” said O’Ward. “It’s a track that I’ve had the pleasure of driving on multiple types of open wheel cars through the years and can’t wait to add another one to the books. The team and I are coming off a strong test in Sebring and are ready for the challenges that lie ahead this year.” With a strong showing in 2022 that saw Team Penske and Chevrolet capture both the NTT P1 Pole Award and the St. Pete victory, and a solid race effort in 2023, Scott McLaughlin returns searching for his fifth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES win. “I’m really excited to head to St. Pete for the first round of the season,” said McLaughlin. “2024 is going to be a really big year for the Thirsty 3s. I’m back to DEX Imaging’s home round at the Tampa region. St. Petersburg is awesome, and I just have really good vibes heading into it. We nearly won it; we nearly went two-for-two last year and were really close without the problem we had toward the end of last year’s race. I have a lot of confidence in my group and the DEX Imaging Chevrolet to make sure we can get to the front again and start the season off strong.” The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg kicks off with Practice 1 at 2:45 p.m. ET on Friday. Practice 2 starts at 9:35 a.m. ET on Saturday, with qualifying following at 2 p.m. ET. A final warm-up at 9:10 a.m. ET on Sunday will lead into the noon ET race start. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYINGJosef Newgarden, No. 2 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“It has been a very long, very busy off-season. From the residual effect of winning the Indianapolis 500 to helping push the hybrid program forward, it has been nice to settle in and get ready for St. Pete over the last few weeks. I love starting the season down there. It has become one of the top events on our schedule. I couldn’t imagine starting the season anywhere else. Fans will get to see our beautiful No. 2 PPG Chevrolet this weekend too. Hopefully we can qualify well, stay up front and get another St. Pete win.” Will Power, No. 12 Chevrolet at Team Penske:“I really feel as ready for the start of the season as I have in a long time. It was a long off-season, but it has been anything but quiet with helping get the hybrid system into a good spot. Our test at Sebring last week was very strong. Chevy has done a lot of work to the current car while working on the hybrid, which is amazing. They’ve absolutely gone to work to improve the 2.2-liter product with an eye on the hybrid, which takes a lot of work. So, we’re all ready to get the No. 12 Verizon Business Chevy on track at a place I love in St. Pete.” Callum Ilott, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren:“It’s been a crazy schedule to make this all work, and I’m very grateful to finally be here and to make it happen. The Homestead test was very positive, and then we got the ball rolling again at the shop this week to get last minute preparations in. It’s going to be good, I think. I’m very impressed with the team and how they operate, and I’m excited to see what we can do. I had a good race last year at St. Pete and I’m coming off the back of a good race in Qatar in the World Endurance Championship, so the mindset is good. There’s a lot to discover and a lot to learn.”*Note: Ilott is filling in for David Malukas in St. Petersburg who is currently recovering from a hand injury sustained off track. Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren:“I am so excited to get to St. Pete to kick off 2024. It has been a very long off-season, but at the same time, it has been incredibly productive. It is amazing to see how far we’ve come since the season opener last year, and we have a lot of confidence as an entire organization. As always, it’s important to start the year off with some positive momentum and that is exactly what we are looking to do this weekend. I can’t wait to see everyone at the track wearing papaya.” Gavin Ward, Team Principal at Arrow McLaren:“It’s been a long off-season, but we’re finally here. I’m excited to get down to St. Petersburg and compete with a really talented group that’s worked hard all winter to improve many of our processes. I think we’re in a really strong place and hopefully we can roll off the truck strong to, frankly, take care of some unfinished business here from last year. I couldn’t imagine a better group to go racing with, and I’m looking forward to getting this season started the right way.” Christian Rasmussen, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“I am very excited to get back to racing! The anticipation has been extra big this year with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg being my debut in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES! This has been my dream for many years now and I can’t wait to get started with Ed Carpenter Racing and Team Chevy!” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“St. Pete is right around the corner! I am really excited to get the season going, it’s been a pretty quiet offseason for us with not many days of testing. We are ready to show the progress that we have made as a team and get started on the right foot! Of course, the car looks great in its new color thanks to askROI! Green has been a successful color for me, now to make that translate to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES!” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Very much looking forward to another year with Chevrolet power and being part of AJ Foyt Racing. I think St. Pete can be a solid kickoff. Chevy has made some incredible improvements over the offseason. I think that showed in preseason testing and I’m excited to see what we can do during the race weekend.”  Sting Ray Robb, No. 41 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“St. Pete is a great place to kick off the start of the NTT INDYCAR season. I’m looking forward to heading back there with more experience and with a new team in AJ Foyt Racing. Joining Team Chevy is a welcome change as well, as it will be the first time in my career, I get to race the brand associated with my namesake. There’s a lot to look forward to.” Romain Grosjean, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“Looking forward to start the adventure for Juncos Hollinger Racing, after limited but positive testing, I am looking forward to going back to St Pete. I really like the race track, I’ve had some great memories there, and I’m looking forward to see what we can do with the car and the team, during the first race of the season. Very happy to get back to racing after a long time of non-IndyCar racing.” Agustin Canapino, No. 78 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:“We start a season with great enthusiasm to be able to continue our evolution, on a personal size and with the team. We finished in very good shape last season and the tests were also positive, the team has grown during the break and all of us who are part of it are in better shape. The objective will be to start this first race by adding as many points as possible, in an always very demanding circuit where anything can happen throughout the 100 laps.”

CHEVROLET IN ST. PETERSBURG:Wins at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (since 2012): 82012 – Helio Castroneves2013 – James Hinchcliffe2014 – Will Power2015 – Juan Pablo Montoya2016 – Juan Pablo Montoya2019 – Josef Newgarden2020 – Josef Newgarden2022 – Scott McLaughlin Earned Pole Awards in St. Petersburg: 82012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020 – Will Power2022 – Scott McLaughlin Chevrolet Driver with the Most St. Petersburg Street Course Wins (since 2012): Juan Pablo Montoya (2015, 2016), and Josef Newgarden (2019, 2020) – 2 Chevrolet Driver with the Most St. Petersburg Street Course Pole Awards (since 2012): Will Power, 7 (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) Number of Team Chevy Podiums on the St. Petersburg Street Course (since 2012): 20 Number of laps led by Team Chevy on the St. Petersburg Street Course (since 2012): 684

2024 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:199: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.  111: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.  127: Earned poles since 2012. Chevrolet holds 132 pole awards in total, with five recorded based on points for weather. 8: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.  7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.  12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.  9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.  46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Dirt racing’s premier broadcaster adds top pavement series 500 Sprint Car Tour to lineup

CONCORD, NC (March 7, 2024) – The 500 Sprint Car Tour, a pavement non-wing Sprint Car series which features the famed Little 500, will be broadcast on DIRTVision in 2024.

Formed by Anderson Speedway in Indiana, the 500 Sprint Car Tour includes 10 race days across Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. The first two champions of the series were three-time Little 500 winner Kody Swanson and two-time Little 500 Winner Tyler Roahrig. The legendary 76th Little 500 runs May 25 at Anderson Speedway.

The Little 500 was first run in 1949 with Sam Skinner earning the victory. Many of racing’s legendary drivers have competed in the event, dating back to the likes of Parnelli Jones and Johnny Rutherford.

The 500 Sprint Car Tour is the first major pavement series DIRTVision will broadcast.

“In the storied history of the Little 500, many dirt Sprint Car drivers have crossed over and raced this event on pavement,” DIRTVision’s Brian Dunlap said. “The Little 500 and the 500 Sprint Car Tour is the pinnacle of open wheel paved short track racing, it’s an honor to be chosen as their broadcast partner and showcase their events alongside The Greatest Shows on Dirt.”

The first event will be Saturday, April 6, at Anderson Speedway. Other venues on the tour include Berlin Raceway and Kalamazoo Speedway in Michigan, Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Salem Speedway in Indiana, and Toledo Speedway in Ohio.

“We are very excited to bring DIRTVision on as our broadcast partner for the 2024 season,” said Jared Owen, 500 Sprint Car Tour Series Director. “As a pavement series, we will be exposed to an entirely new demographic being on a predominately dirt racing platform. We can’t wait to put on a great show for all the fans out there.”

OSBORN, MO (March 7, 2024) – For one night only on April 5, Missouri fans will get to see the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars and Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota on the same night at US 36 Raceway. The event will be the first time the two Series visit the high-banked 3/8-mile track together and the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets’ debut there.Sheldon Haudenschild put on a show for fans last year, dueling with Carson Macedo and David Gravel for the win – scoring his second straight World of Outlaws victory at the track. They’ll be back to battle again against fellow Series stars like 10-time champion Donny Schatz, 2023 Rookie of the Year Gio Scelzi, Logan Schuchart, Buddy Kofoid and more. The Xtreme Outlaw Midgets will also have a star-studded field with 2022 Series champion Zach Daum back to score another title against an abundance of new contenders like Brayton Lynch, TJ Smith, Trevor Cline, Peter Smith and South Africa’s Luke Drotschie. It’ll be a true showcase of the open-wheel ladder system as many of the Midget drivers may find themselves as the future stars of the World of Outlaws tour, taking the same path as Kofoid. The event will also be the site of the World of Outlaws’ next documentary, which will air on CBS later this year, giving fans a chance to see themselves on the prime network. EVENT INFO: Date – Friday, April 5 Track – 3/8-mile oval Track Record (Sprint Cars) – 9.846 sec. by Paul McMahan on May 5, 2006 Tickets – WorldofOutlaws.com/tix How to Watch – DIRTVision.com / download the DIRTVision App Times (Central) 2PM Gates Open 5PM Grandstand Gates Open 6:30PM Hot Laps/Qualifying –Racing to follow Last Year’s Replay (Sprint Cars) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nxiKJAF1S4 Previous Winners (Sprint Cars): 2023 – Sheldon Haudenschild on April 7 2020 – Sheldon Haudenschild on Aug. 29 2016 – Joey Saldana on Sept. 17 2009 –Joey Saldana on June 26 2007 –Jason Meyers on May 11 2006 – Jac Haudenschild on May 5

March 7, 2024

This weekend’s Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway will offer Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Draiver team their first at-track experience with NASCAR’s new short-track aero package. The first three races of the 2024 season were held at different types of tracks, with Daytona and Atlanta offering superspeedway drafting, and Las Vegas Motor Speedway a more traditional intermediate-track race.

Phoenix’s one-mile oval is treated by race teams like a short track despite being longer than traditional shorter tracks such as the half-miles at Bristol and Martinsville.

Also new this week is the primary sponsor. The No. 21 Mustang Dark Horse will carry the colors and logos of Draiver, a technology-based company that connects independent drivers with companies needing to move vehicles.

“We’re excited to have a new sponsor on the car with Draiver this week,” said crew chief Jeremy Bullins.

“Our Mustang Dark Horse looks great in their colors, and we will get a longer practice this week to get the set-up dialed in.

“It’ll be interesting to see how the new short-track aero package affects the racing.

“Hopefully we can make the most of it.”

Burton told reporters that he too is anxious to try out the new package.

“The cars certainly might drive worse, which is going to be fun for us,” he said. “I don’t think it’s going to be crazy different, but it’s definitely going to be a little bit less grip and more to manage.”

He predicts the change will be appreciated by drivers and fans alike.

“It should make the racing a little bit better, so I’m excited for that,” he said. “I’m excited to get out there and feel what it’s like.

“I know there’s been some testing done with that package, and from what I saw it looked like a good time to drive it so I’m excited.”

Burton also said he’s anxious to visit the Arizona track and its surroundings.

“I love Phoenix,” he said. “It’s a cool area, cool race track, cool fan base, so its always fun to go out there.”

Practice for Sunday’s 500-kilometer race is set for Friday from 3:05 p.m. to 3:55 p.m. local time (5:05-5:55 p.m. Eastern Time).

Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday at 12:10 p.m. local time (2:10 p.m. Eastern).

Sunday’s 312-lap race is expected to get the green flag just after 12:30 p.m. local time (3:30 p.m. Eastern) with TV coverage on FOX.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 60 and 185.

In 139 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, Richard Childress Racing has scored six victories, led by Kevin Harvick with four wins (a sweep of both races in 2006 plus the fall races in 2012 and 2013). Ryan Newman was victorious in the 2017 Spring event. Dale Earnhardt won in 1990 to claim his ninth victory of the season enroute to his fourth of seven Cup Series championships. Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway… RCR has three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins by three different drivers at Phoenix Raceway: Elliott Sadler (2012), Clint Bowyer (2007) and Kevin Harvick (2006). The victory by Sadler ended a 91-race winless streak, while Bowyer led the most laps (120 of 200) on the way to the Winner’s Circle. The win by Harvick was one of nine victories he claimed on the way to his second Xfinity Series title with RCR.    Catch the Action on Saturday… The NASCAR Xfinity Series Call 811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Saturday, March 9, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Follow Sunday’s Action at Phoenix Raceway… The NASCAR Cup Series Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway will be televised live on Sunday, March 10, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. The race will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Phoenix Raceway… Austin Dillon has 20 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Phoenix Raceway to his credit, earning two top-10 finishes. He earned his best finish of eighth in November 2018. In his most recent appearances at the track, Dillon finished 16th (Spring) and 12th (Fall). He has 11 starts at the 1.0-mile oval in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with a career-best finish of second in November 2016. Dillon has three top-10 finishes and one top-five finish in three starts in the NASCAR Truck Series at Phoenix Raceway. By The Numbers… According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Dillon ranks fifth among all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in Average Speed Late In A Run at Phoenix Raceway. He ranks ninth in Green-Flag Passes. Welcome Morgan & Morgan… As America’s largest injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan has recovered more than $15 billion for over 300,000 clients. Throughout the United States, our attorneys fulfill our “For The People” commitment in over 50 practice areas, including national mass torts and class actions, labor and employment, civil rights, and product liability, among many others. We co-counsel with hundreds of other law firms, who refer thousands of cases to us. Our firm has taken on some of the biggest corporations across the globe, including BP, Facebook, Google, Monsanto, and Lockheed Martin, and recovered billions in complex national litigation, including $1.8 billion in the Porter Ranch Gas Leak case in 2021. Learn more at www.forthepeople.com. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:What are your thoughts on Phoenix Raceway?“Phoenix Raceway is a tough short track and one of those places where you hit it or don’t. In the last few years, Phoenix has seen changes and I think it’s made the track more challenging and that makes it fun for drivers. It could be a good place for the No. 3 Morgan & Morgan team.” Where do you see yourself now in the sport, and where do you see yourself in five years?“I feel like I’m at a place where I need to step up and take that next step, to try and get to a multi-win season and go further than I’ve ever gone in the NASCAR Playoffs. My ultimate goal since I’ve got to the Cup level is to be the first guy to win a championship at all three levels. That is still where my head is at. I’ve been able to see a lot of changes throughout my career, starting when Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Dale Jr. were in the NASCAR Cup Series and I got to race against those guys. Now, we’re experiencing a whole new car, a new racecar, new style of racing, so I’m going to try and do my best to put myself and my name back in that top tier of guys. Last year was one of those years where you just got kicked and kicked, and I was wondering when it was going to end. This year is a fresh start. Everybody is excited to go, my family, everybody being at the track to support us, so it’s going to be a good year. I just want to put myself where I feel I can be, and that’s in that top tier. I’ve been there before, and I want to be a multi-win guy at the Cup level.”

Kyle Busch and the No. 8 zone Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Phoenix Raceway…  Kyle Busch will be making his 38th career Phoenix Raceway start in the NASCAR Cup Series start this weekend. Busch has three wins (2005, 2018, and 2019) along with 12 top-five finishes. The Las Vegas, Nev., native is the youngest winner in track history (20 years, 6 months, and 11 days). He is tied with Ryan Newman for most pole positions all-time at Phoenix (4). Busch has 26 top-10 finishes, the most among active Cup drivers at the 1.0-mile desert oval. His average finish of 10.946 is best among active drivers and he has logged a top-10 in 70.27 percent of his starts. The driver of the zone Chevrolet is also the all-time lap leader at Phoenix (1,190).  Points Update…Busch is sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series driver standings, 23 points behind the leader.    Did You Know?… Busch has led at least one lap in all three Cup Series races this season (58 total laps) and is one of just seven drivers to complete all 727 laps.  Welcome zone™… the latest innovation from ITG Brands, zone is the next generation of nicotine pouches that delivers a superior tobacco-free experience and outperforms competitive products where it matters most. Available in 6mg and 9mg strengths and 7 flavors, zone pouches are made with top shelf ingredients and high-quality materials to provide extra soft comfort, longer-lasting flavor, and immediate nicotine intensity. zone’s pouches are carefully crafted and designed to meet the needs of adult nicotine consumers, providing the best experience from the first pouch to the last. For more information, visit zonepouches.com. KYLE BUSCH QUOTES:Is there a fine line at Phoenix between hitting the setup and running well versus being really off the mark?“Phoenix has always been a tricky track to hit the proper setup and making sure that you are fast. Kevin Harvick has had a really good time of being able to hit that ever since the repave at this track where I feel as though I might have been better at the old surface but have still seen success in Trucks, Xfinity and Cup winning races.”  How does having the practice session on Friday change your strategy for the weekend? “Anytime you’re able to get a little bit more practice should allow you time to dissect the car and make the necessary changes that you think you need as a driver to be able to have a good race car. I felt like we had a pretty decent race car there last fall when we had the added practice and if it weren’t for getting set behind on pit road, we would have had a pretty good race.”

Jesse Love and the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet Camaro SS at Phoenix Raceway… Jesse Love will make his inaugural Xfinity Series start at Phoenix Raceway this Saturday. Despite making his maiden voyage at the Arizona speedway behind of the wheel of the No. 2 Whelen Chevrolet, the 19-year-old has completed over 1,000 laps at the one-mile track. Love has one NASCAR Truck Series start at Phoenix Raceway, earning a fourth-place result (2023) in just his third series event. In addition, Love has seven starts in ARCA Menards Series competition at the facility, posting a best finish of second (2022) and three top-10 results.   ROTY Leader… Through three races, Love continues to lead the Sunoco Rookie of the Year point standings. After a competitive outing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Menlo Park, California native extended his lead to 36 points over second-place Shane van Gisbergen.   About Whelen Engineering… Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce. Meet Love… On Friday, March 8 at 4 p.m. local time, Hill and his RCR teammate, Austin Hill, are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Phoenix Raceway. Stop by to meet the RCR Xfinity Series driver lineup and purchase new gear. JESSE LOVE QUOTE:Talk about your relationship with new crew chief, Danny Stockman. “I could talk about Danny Stockman for a long time. Anyone who knows him, knows how good he is. Anyone who knows him, knows how high strung he can be, because he’s so intense. I think his intensity has woken up part of the shop, and he focused on building a really great team around us on the No. 2 team. To start the season with the speed that our Whelen Chevrolets have had, it speaks to how good our cars are and how good Danny is at building fast race cars. There are small things that crew chiefs can do right now to make speed, and I still feel like it’s being conservative to a point. Danny has been awesome to work with so far, but so have all of the guys on this team. Everyone is working so hard. I’m looking forward to having a bad night one race to see how Danny and we as a team react to that, since we are pretty much the same.”

Austin Hill and the No. 21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet Camaro SS at Phoenix Raceway… Austin Hill has four career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Phoenix Raceway, earning a best finish of seventh twice (both 2023 races) while piloting the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. In addition, Hill has five NASCAR Truck Series starts at the Arizona speedway, notching one pole (2019) and one top-10 result (2021).  Top of the Standings… Through three races, Hill remains the Xfinity Series driver championship points leader. The 29-year-old holds a 22-point lead over second-place Chandler Smith.   Did You Know? Hill is one of four drivers who currently hold the longest active streak (three races) for top-10 finishes at Phoenix Raceway.    About Bennett Family of Companies… McDonough-Ga. based Bennett Family of Companies is a woman-owned, Women’s Enterprise Business Council (WBENC) certified, diversified transportation and logistics company. Through its 14 affiliated operating companies, the Bennett Family of Companies delivers integrated transportation and supply chain management solutions worldwide. Bennett has 4,625 drivers/owner-operators, over 1,000 employees and 600 agents located across the United States. For more information, visit www.bennettig.com. Meet Hill… On Friday, March 8 at 4 p.m. local time, Hill and his RCR teammate, Jesse Love, are scheduled to sign autographs at the RCR Merchandise Trailer located in the Midway at Phoenix Raceway. Stop by to meet the RCR Xfinity Series driver lineup and purchase new gear. Following the autograph signing, on Friday, March 8 at 5 p.m. local time, the Winston, Georgia native is scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer session at the Fanshield Infield Stage located behind Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway.  AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:You are returning to Phoenix Raceway, after what was one of your best runs at the track since joining RCR. What is the outlook heading into the race this weekend? “I thought we had improved on our package last fall when we went back to Phoenix Raceway for the season finale. That should allow us to have a solid starting point when we hit the track for practice on Saturday morning, and we can fine tune it from there. There isn’t a lot that we can take from these first three races and apply to Phoenix, but I do think there is some knowledge with the new slits in the rear glass that can be applied. Our Bennett Transportation & Logistics team has good momentum as a team with three straight top-five finishes, so hopefully, we can keep that rolling.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 7, 2024) – The 2024 Progressive American Flat Track season, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, kicks off this week with the Royal Enfield Short Track at DAYTONA I & II on Thursday, March 7, and Friday, March 8, in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Mission SuperTwins and Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship contenders prepare to open their season-long battles with the first practice scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) on both days. For those that can’t catch the action from Daytona International Speedway, FloRacing is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action, starting with Practice and Qualifying and concluding with the Victory Podium, at http://flosports.link/aft. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

6 March 2024 – Stalwart LMP2 sportscar squad DragonSpeed will continue its quest for the Michelin Endurance Cup at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, second round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The classic enduro will see the return of regular Bronze driver Henrik Hedman alongside new teammates Malthe Jakobsen of Denmark and Swede Rasmus Lindh, with enhanced backing from long-time sponsor Flex-Box, a leading global producer of shipping containers.

20-year-old Jakobsen has stepped up to the World Endurance Championship as test and reserve driver for the factory Peugeot Hypercar program while continuing to race LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series. Lindh, age 22, has been a standout in the INDYCAR ladder classes while also establishing himself as a rising star in sportscars.

Henrik Hedman: “It will be a pleasure to be back in the 81 car for Sebring. I consider it my home track and number one target after winning Daytona and Le Mans. The LMP2 field is deeper than ever, but after some near misses at Sebring in my ten years with DragonSpeed, we are aiming for the top step with the help of our first all-Viking lineup of Flex-Box, Malthe, Rasmus, and myself!”

Malthe Jakobsen: “I’m really excited to join DragonSpeed for my return to Sebring, one of my favorite races. I have my LMP3 experience from 2022, DragonSpeed’s LMP2 record speaks for itself, and I’ll have great teammates in Henrik and Rasmus, so I can’t wait to get started.”

Rasmus Lindh: “I’m thrilled to be part of successful team like DragonSpeed for the rest of the Michelin Endurance Cup season. Thank you to all involved for this great opportunity – let’s go racing!”DragonSpeed Team Principal Elton Julian: “It’s fantastic to have Henrik back with us for Sebring. This is the one that’s gotten away from us – so far. With increased support from Flex-Box and the addition of two young chargers in Malthe and Rasmus, we have what we need to fight for the win. I personally love everything about this race, not least the fans, and can’t wait to get stuck in.”

6 March 2024 – Stalwart LMP2 sportscar squad DragonSpeed will continue its quest for the Michelin Endurance Cup at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring, second round of the 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The classic enduro will see the return of regular Bronze driver Henrik Hedman alongside new teammates Malthe Jakobsen of Denmark and Swede Rasmus Lindh, with enhanced backing from long-time sponsor Flex-Box, a leading global producer of shipping containers.

20-year-old Jakobsen has stepped up to the World Endurance Championship as test and reserve driver for the factory Peugeot Hypercar program while continuing to race LMP2 in the European Le Mans Series. Lindh, age 22, has been a standout in the INDYCAR ladder classes while also establishing himself as a rising star in sportscars.

Henrik Hedman: “It will be a pleasure to be back in the 81 car for Sebring. I consider it my home track and number one target after winning Daytona and Le Mans. The LMP2 field is deeper than ever, but after some near misses at Sebring in my ten years with DragonSpeed, we are aiming for the top step with the help of our first all-Viking lineup of Flex-Box, Malthe, Rasmus, and myself!”

Malthe Jakobsen: “I’m really excited to join DragonSpeed for my return to Sebring, one of my favorite races. I have my LMP3 experience from 2022, DragonSpeed’s LMP2 record speaks for itself, and I’ll have great teammates in Henrik and Rasmus, so I can’t wait to get started.”

Rasmus Lindh: “I’m thrilled to be part of successful team like DragonSpeed for the rest of the Michelin Endurance Cup season. Thank you to all involved for this great opportunity – let’s go racing!”DragonSpeed Team Principal Elton Julian: “It’s fantastic to have Henrik back with us for Sebring. This is the one that’s gotten away from us – so far. With increased support from Flex-Box and the addition of two young chargers in Malthe and Rasmus, we have what we need to fight for the win. I personally love everything about this race, not least the fans, and can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Co-driver of No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R is four-time winner of the race

Reigning IMSA Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) champion Pipo Derani participated in a media Zoom call March 6 to preview the 72nd Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Presented by Cadillac on March 16. Derani, co-driver of the No. 31 Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R with Jack Aitken and Tom Blomqvist, is the defending and four-time winner of the endurance race at Sebring International Raceway. The Q&A with Derani:

What is it about Sebring that seems to resonate with you and how are you going to make it five (wins) next week?“Sebring has been very kind to me over the last few years. I won there in my debut in 2016, which was a very cool race win, and then had the luck to be involved with great teams and great lineups that allowed me to win a few more times. I think the GTP championship is extremely strong this year. We saw last year at Sebring that you have to be alive to try to win that race. Luckily, last year things turned toward the end. We weren’t meant to win but we won because we survived. The whole race we were there with the top five, fighting on the same lap, and after the final restart we all know what happened. Sebring is one of those places where you have to make sure you survive because it’s such a difficult race on man and machine. It’s a place that you can’t predict because you might have a strong pace during the day and it might differ at night when the temperature drops, so it’s a unique place to try to set up your car in the best possible way for the end but you don’t want to suffer for 11 hours and 30 minutes as well of the race. The GTP is extremely competitive. I think it’s going to take a lot this year to pull out a win. Focusing on trying to improve the last phase of the race will be crucial for us in such a competitive field if we want to go down a sprint the last 30 minutes of the race. You need to be on your toes and be very quick in this important part of the race if you want to achieve something. Looking forward to it. It’s perhaps physically harder than Daytona because it’s very warm, it’s very demanding. It’s not going to disappoint in terms of how tough the race is and how exciting it is for the fans.”

Media resources* Cadillac Racing results at Sebring since 2017 * 2024 IMSA statistics * Cadillac victories Race broadcastsFlag-to-flag streaming on Peacock plus IMSA Radio. USA joins at 4 p.m. ET.

After Daytona, does you motivation change any heading into Sebring?“I’ve been looking at Daytona with a very positive view. We put on a great show. We led a bunch of that race and came up just short because of a pit stop at the very end. We still had a fantastic showing through the week with pole position, led a lot of the race, the car was competitive from beginning to the end. The equipment ran flawlessly. If you look at all that, it’s very positive. Unfortunately, I didn’t take a Rolex home. It was a fantastic weekend and gives up great hope that we started the year strong. Sebring is a different animal. When you look at last year, we weren’t as quick as we wanted to be at night. With that race finishing at night, we were lucky to win but we had some things that we had to work on for this year. We have been working on those things and hopefully we have a stronger car at the end. In general, it’s been a positive start to the year. A lot of the boxes that we wanted to check from last year we’re already in the process of doing so. Last year was a very up and down year for everybody. On our side, we have been working hard on those points and hope it translates into a quicker car at the end of Sebring. On the other hand, the competition has been very strong and improving as well. I mentioned before the season that I believed Porsche Penske had some untapped potential from last year and it seems they are reaching that from last year. Their car was also quick from the beginning to the end of the race; very competitive, very reliable. We have to be on our toes and keep finding time. The stopwatch does not lie, and we need to be on our toes if we want to achieve a great result at Sebring. If we win, let’s say a proper way, we’ll feel a lot better than how we won last year. That’s our goal.”What have you been up to the five weeks since Daytona?“We’ve been doing some simulation work. With the GTP cars, it is quite demanding on the simulation side. There is quite a lot that you can learn. Been home with the family as well. I have a young daughter that demands quite a lot nowadays. The simulator has bene the biggest off-track thing that we’ve been doing between races. Sometimes before and after each race. That’s been the biggest workload since Daytona.” What do you think made this car so good around Sebring last year and will it be competitive knowing the strides the other manufacturers have taken?“I think last year was one of toughest races in terms of temperature changes at the track. I think it’s quite usual at Sebring that you get times of the day that the track is just so much quicker than others, and that was quite evident last year. For us, comparing to the DPi, I think we had in DPi a car that was stronger than the opposition at Sebring. I don’t that was the case last year, although I believe during the very warm period of the race – during the day – we were definitely stronger than the others. But I don’t think that’s the case when the night came, so it’s something to be seen. I really don’t know what to expect, but looking at last year’s event once the sun dropped the Acuras and Porsches were definitely quicker than us, which hurt because we led a lot of the race from the 01 to the 31 but knew at the end that we didn’t quite have the pace if it had gone through a green flag situation all the way through to the end. I think the car suited the heat but is one of the areas we as a team are working on to have a stronger car for the end of the race.”What’s your favorite part of the course to attack?“I think the hairpin is a nice area. It allows some overtaking to be done. Turn 1 as well is amazing with how quick it is and how bumpy it is and still how quickly you’re going through those bumps.” With the GTP and tools you have to work with, can you shrink that gap from day to night?“I wouldn’t say so. The tools that we have are not to compensate for temperature changes. It’s more about how you migrate brakes from the front to the rear and how you operate the hybrid system. It’s more about taking the car to a 7-post rig and trying to understand what you can do to the suspension and springs and suspension-wise that you could potentially find some pace toward the night. That’s what the team has been working hard on, and something that you have to be evolving and learning through the process of getting to know a new car. It’s still relatively new for us because it changed so much from the DPi in terms of how the car is built, how much heavier it is, how much fuel you carry through a stint, the tires have a different feeling. So, you have to balance the car not only on warm tires, but you have to find a compromise when you get out of the pits with them being cold. So, there is so much to this new GTP racecars that it’s not only about the tools we have in the car but understanding what’s the best way to operate this car.” Does going into Sebring as the defending champion give you more confidence in terms of the equipment, the engineering?“I think it certainly does give you a lot of confidence. Last year was very up and down and one of the goals for this year was be more consistent, more at the top throughout the whole season. Having Daytona be very positive for us also gives us great hope, even more so than winning the championship last year, that we will continue to be strong. There are many things that we need to improve on if we want to be at this level, but we believe we are on the right path and Daytona was a great result to prove to ourselves that we are working on the right things to be competitive. It’s details and experience that help you build and create a championship fight year. You can’t let yourself down once in a while because it will hurt you. Having the experience gives you even more confidence that you can achieve that year in and year out, so having gone through the ups and downs of last year it’s allowing us to be stronger this year and be more consistent at the front. If you are competitive and constantly putting yourself in that position to win without mistakes, without giving your adversaries a chance to do better than you, then I believe the year will be much better and wins will be a consequence and championships as well. It would be great for me to win the fifth, but I’m honestly not thinking of that. I’m just thinking of it as any other race to do your best. If we repeat the win, to be the only GTP car to win at Sebring would make it special.”Have you considered your legacy at Sebring and the racers who have raced there before?“I do sometimes think about how lucky I have been over the last few years, how lucky I’ve been to work with so many great teams and great people and great teammates that allowed me to have that much success. Not in my dreams would I have thought by the age of 30 I would have won four times at Sebring. When you look back over the years, it was only during the Audi dominance that someone was able to win as much as what I was lucky to win over the last few years. In itself, it’s quite nice, but it wouldn’t have happened without a great team and great people behind me. Come race week, you don’t allow yourself to think about that much because what happened is in the past. You want to do it all over again, like it was your first one. It’s nice to be able to walk into the track and see your name or walk into the hall fame and see how many great drivers have won Sebring. And to think you’ve done something nice in this very iconic and special race is nice, but I don’t look at it the same way once I retire. At the moment, I’m constantly trying to win more. Sebring will be up there with the best things I’ve achieved.” When you think back on 2016, do you look at Sebring and Daytona as what set you up for the career you now have?“Absolutely. I think more Sebring than Daytona. Daytona was a bit more shocking to many people because I was an unknown to most in America. But Sebring 2016 came in a different way because we weren’t leading in the last 30 minutes. We were I think P4 and I was able to overtake those guys and win in a very nice way. Some people, with truth, said we won Daytona only because the car was so good. That’s fair because you don’t get to win such a big race without a good car. Then, because we won Sebring because I did a very strong job at the end, I believe is what cemented myself as a new, young and perhaps up-and-coming star to the sport. It was for me a career-changing moment because up until that moment I was nobody. I was racing in Europe; I had done a year of WEC that went really well. It was my first two races in America and had been in a moment when I had just turned pro. So, I went from someone who had a dream of being a professional to then becoming a professional and immediately when that happened I managed to win two of the most prestigious races you have around the world. That helped cement my name and push me to where I am now. I would say Sebring ’16 was a very special one.”