Tom Tarlton Classic puts $21,000 up for grabs at Kings, and Series makes highly anticipated return to PlacervilleHANFORD, CA (September 12, 2023) – One more weekend of California Dreamin’ awaits the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in 2023.The Greatest Show on Dirt will carry a hotly contested points battle into a pair of “Golden State” facilities to wrap up this year’s west coast swing. First up is a Friday, Sept. 15 stop at Hanford, CA’s Kings Speedway for the Tom Tarlton Classic. As a nod to the longtime California car owner, the race will again award $21,00 to the winner. The next night takes the tour north where Placerville Speedway is waiting and ready to host the World of Outlaws for the first time in four years at the Federated Auto Parts 49er Gold Rush Classic.The World of Outlaws full-timers head into the weekend looking to rebound after being kept off the podium at Silver Dollar Speedway. And the Cali Clique aims to defend home turf at two more facilities.BUYS KINGS SPEEDWAY TICKETSBUY PLACERVILLE SPEEDWAY TICKETSLet’s look at the weekend’s top storylines:HOME IN HANFORD: Carson Macedo’s hometown of Lemoore, CA is a mere 10 miles down the road from Hanford, making Friday’s race as close to a home game as you can get for the World of Outlaws competitor. On top of the significance of racing where he’s from, the man that the race salutes – Tom Tarlton – played a major role in Macedo’s career.The father-son duo of Tom and Tommy Tarlton own the Fresno based Tarlton Motorsports, and Tom happens to be Macedo’s uncle while Tommy is his cousin. When Macedo was struggling early in his career, the two stuck behind him and helped him arrive at where he is today. The 27-year-old’s first World of Outlaws win came behind the wheel of the Tarlton #21 in 2014.Macedo has brought out his best talents each year for this event. The first wasn’t World of Outlaws sanctioned in 2020, but he was able to be in attendance and held off Kyle Larson for the triumph. The next year he went back-to-back. Last season his bid for a third straight $21,000 check fell a little short as he lost the lead late, so he’ll be hungry to climb back atop the podium this Friday.On a relevant note, it’ll be Carson’s brother – Cole – owning the honors of driving the Tarlton machine this weekend.SLIDIN’ INTO THE CENTRAL VALLEY: Friday’s race in Hanford is close to home for another team on the tour, too. Roth Motorsports brings a two-car stable to Kings Speedway, which is less than an hour south from their Fresno shop. James McFadden and Buddy Kofoid will pilot the pair of #83 machines with hopes of grabbing the trophy for Dennis and Teresa Roth.McFadden has competed five times at the Hanford oval, three times with the World of Outlaws and twice with the Northern Auto Racing Club (NARC), and been on the podium four times but is still chasing a win. Kofoid has never competed there with the World of Outlaws but has been in the top five with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour (SCCT) 360 Sprints.RETURN TO P-VILLE: Circumstances outside of Series and track control caused the cancelation of the Placerville Speedway date over the last three years, but the World of Outlaws are set to return to the bullring on Saturday for the first time since 2019.The night will mark the World of Outlaws’ 10th visit to the El Dorado County quarter mile since the first trip back in 1985. Through nine Placerville races to date, seven different drivers have gone to Victory Lane. The most recent five have yielded no repeat winners.Four years ago, when the World of Outlaws last rolled into Placerville, it was a California local claiming the checkered flag in the form of Shane Golobic. The Rocklin, CA driver is fresh off a sixth place showing at Gold Cup and will finally get the chance to defend his win this weekend.THE BIG CAT’S BACK: One driver especially looking forward to the return to Placerville is Brad Sweet. The four-time Series champion is originally from Grass Valley, CA and now calls the Placerville area home. Sweet has a hand in helping promote this Saturday’s race.Sweet has been stout recently at his home state bullring. In his last four Series starts at Placerville, he’s finished no worse than sixth and picked up a 2018 victory.“The Big Cat” rolls into the weekend with the points lead and looks to add more cushion to the 82-marker margin that separates him and David Gravel.OUTLAWS VS. CALI CLIQUE: The Cali Clique was clicking this past weekend in Chico, and the World of Outlaws hope to regain the upper hand on the rivalry with the “Golden State” gassers this weekend.At Kings, Logan Schuchart stands out as a prime candidate to score one for the World of Outlaws. He’s topped two of the last four Series visits including a wild charge from 19th in 2017. Donny Schatz and David Gravel are also former Hanford winners. The locals typically haven’t excelled at Kings, but Tim Kaeding did claim one for California in 2003.Over at Placerville, Donny Schatz (2015), David Gravel (2017), and Brad Sweet (2018) have won as World of Outlaws competitors and will be looking to do so again this Saturday.Corey Day leads the California locals fresh off topping Gold Cup for his first career World of Outlaws win. Now he heads to Kings, where he’s already won four times with NARC in his young career. The Clovis, CA native has bested NARC at Placerville as well.As previously stated, Shane Golobic is the most recent Series winner at Placerville. Since that 2019 triumph, the pilot of the NOS Energy Drink #17W has collected six Placerville wins in 360 Sprint Car competition.After bagging a pair of runner-ups at Gold Cup, Justin Sanders is hungrier than ever for that first World of Outlaws win. The Aromas, CA native owns a stout résumé at Placerville with 10 Sprint Car triumphs at the quarter mile since the beginning of 2021.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action live on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHEREFriday, September 15 at Kings Speedway in Hanford, CASaturday, September 16 at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, CAON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (57/72 Races):1. 49 – Brad Sweet (7686PTS) 2. 2 – David Gravel (-82PTS) 3. 41 – Carson Macedo (-106PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-322PTS) 5. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-356PTS) 6. 15 – Donny Schatz (-358PTS) 7. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-452PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-580PTS) 9. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss (-1040PTS) 10. 7S – Robbie Price (-1422PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (16 Drivers):10 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)7 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)6 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S)5 wins – Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)4 wins – Kyle Larson (Silva Motorsports #57)3 wins – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17)1 win – Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports #21), Anthony Macri (Macri Motorsports #39), Brian Brown (Brian Brown Racing #21), Gio Scelzi (KCP Racing #18), Spencer Bayston (CJB Motorsports #5), Corey Day (Jason Meyers Racing #14)FEATURE LAPS LED (20 Drivers):261 laps – Brad Sweet209 laps – James McFadden204 laps – Rico Abreu195 laps – Carson Macedo193 laps – David Gravel172 laps – Logan Schuchart118 laps – Kyle Larson108 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild102 laps – Donny Schatz93 laps – Buddy Kofoid57 laps – Gio Scelzi43 laps – Brent Marks40 laps – Spencer Bayston, Corey Day24 laps – Brian Brown11 laps – Anthony Macri10 laps – Cory Eliason4 laps – Cole Macedo3 laps – Brady Bacon, Danny Varin1 lap – Austin McCarlSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (17 Drivers):13 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo10 QuickTimes – David Gravel5 QuickTimes – Logan Schuchart4 QuickTimes – Rico Abreu3 QuickTimes – Sheldon Haudenschild2 QuickTimes – Anthony Macri, Bill Balog, Justin Peck, Gio Scelzi, Brad Sweet, Tanner Holmes1 QuickTime – Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, James McFadden, Jacob Allen, Kyle LarsonHEAT RACE WINNERS (40 Drivers):28 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo23 Heat Wins – David Gravel15 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet14 Heat Wins – Donny Schatz12 Heat Wins – James McFadden, Buddy Kofoid, Logan Schuchart11 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild10 Heat Wins – Gio Scelzi9 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu7 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston5 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Justin Peck, Cory Eliason3 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Brian Brown, Bill Balog, Parker Price-Miller2 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Noah Gass, Kerry Madsen, Robbie Price, Tim Kaeding, Sam Hafertepe Jr.1 Heat Win – Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Mark Dobmeier, Kasey Kahne, Austin McCarl, Lachlan McHugh, Ryan Timms, Tim Estenson, Kyle Larson, Shane Stewart, Lance Dewease, Cole Macedo, Chase Randall, Ian Madsen, Tanner Holmes, Dominic ScelziTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (45 Drivers):38 Dashes – Carson Macedo36 Dashes – David Gravel34 Dashes – Brad Sweet27 Dashes – Logan Schuchart25 Dashes – Gio Scelzi22 Dashes – Donny Schatz21 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild20 Dashes – James McFadden18 Dashes – Rico Abreu, Spencer Bayston15 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid8 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Brent Marks, Cory Eliason, Brock Zearfoss5 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck, Robbie Price, Kasey Kahne4 Dashes – Brian Brown3 Dashes – Danny Dietrich, Parker Price-Miller, Tyler Courtney, Kyle Larson, Corey Day2 Dashes – Garet Williamson, Austin McCarl, Bill Balog, Cole Macedo, Tanner Holmes, Justin Sanders1 Dash – Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Chad Trout, Dylan Norris, Cap Henry, Stuart Brubaker, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Shane Stewart, Danny Varin, Ian Madsen, Shane Golobic, Dominic ScelziMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (33 Drivers):4 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild, Spencer Bayston, Robbie Price2 LCS Wins – Parker Price-Miller, Noah Gass, Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo, Brock Zearfoss, Tim Estenson, James McFadden1 LCS Win – Gio Scelzi, Hunter Schuerenberg, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Kraig Kinser, Freddie Rahmer, Henry Malcuit, Cole Macedo, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry Madsen, Sye Lynch, Cory Eliason, Donny Schatz, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, Jacob Allen, Daryn Pittman, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Jamie Veal, Kaleb Johnson, Lachlan McHugh, Tanner Holmes, Austen WheatleyKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (35 Drivers):5 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden3 Hard Chargers – Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Rico Abreu, Brock Zearfoss2 Hard Chargers – Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Justin Peck, David Gravel, Spencer Bayston, Corey Day, Robbie Price1 Hard Charger – Gio Scelzi, Blake Hahn, Buddy Kofoid, Joe B. Miller, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Moody, Freddie Rahmer, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin Pierce, Brenham Crouch, Tim Kaeding, Jacob Allen, Caden Englehart, Zeb Wise, Carson Macedo, Dale Blaney, Tasker Phillips, Brent Marks, Kaleb Johnson, Tanner HolmesPODIUM FINISHES (26 Drivers):26 Podiums – David Gravel24 Podiums – Brad Sweet16 Podiums – Carson Macedo13 Podiums – Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Rico Abreu10 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild8 Podiums – James McFadden, Buddy Kofoid6 Podiums – Kyle Larson5 Podiums – Brent Marks, Gio Scelzi4 Podiums – Spencer Bayston3 Podiums – Brian Brown, Jacob Allen, Corey Day1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Parker Price-Miller, Brady Bacon, Anthony Macri, Garet Williamson, Dave Blaney, Tanner Holmes, Justin SandersTOP 10 FINISHES (60 Drivers):51 Top 10s – Brad Sweet48 Top 10s – Carson Macedo47 Top 10s – David Gravel40 Top 10s – Gio Scelzi39 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart36 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild35 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, Spencer Bayston32 Top 10s – James McFadden28 Top 10s – Rico Abreu23 Top 10s – Buddy Kofoid14 Top 10s – Jacob Allen11 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Brent Marks10 Top 10s – Kasey Kahne9 Top 10s – Cory Eliason8 Top 10s – Kyle Larson7 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney, Brock Zearfoss6 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich5 Top 10s – Corey Day4 Top 10s – Tanner Holmes, Justin Sanders, Dominic Scelzi3 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Bill Balog2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Blake Hahn, Brady Bacon, Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Freddie Rahmer, Cole Macedo, Tim Kaeding, Chase Randall1 Top 10 – Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brandon Rahmer, Chad Trout, Lance Dewease, Cap Henry, Stuart Brubaker, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin McCarl, Garet Williamson, Shane Stewart, Dave Blaney, Larry Wight, Dale Blaney, Noah Gass, Rusty Hickman, Kerry Madsen, Jason Solwold, Shane Golobic, Chase Johnson2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)14. Fri, April 28 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL / David Gravel (4)15. Sat, April 29 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)16. Fri, May 5 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)17. Sat, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)18. Wed, May 10 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Anthony Macri (1)19. Fri, May 12 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brad Sweet (4)20. Fri, May 19 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Donny Schatz (1)21. Sat, May 20 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Donny Schatz (2)22. Fri, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Brad Sweet (5)23. Sat, May 27 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (2)24. Mon, May 29 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / James McFadden (3)25. Fri, June 2 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / David Gravel (5)26. Sat, June 3 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Carson Macedo (3)27. Fri, June 9 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brian Brown (1)28. Sat, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (6)29. Fri, June 16 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Gio Scelzi (1)30. Sat, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)31. Wed, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Kyle Larson (1)32. Thurs, June 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / James McFadden (4)33. Fri, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Logan Schuchart (2)34. Sat, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / David Gravel (7)35. Fri, June 30 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Brad Sweet (6)36. Sat, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / David Gravel (8)37. Sat, July 8 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Carson Macedo (4)38. Tues, July 11 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (2)39. Fri, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Carson Macedo (5)40. Sat, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Donny Schatz (3)41. Thurs, July 20 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / David Gravel (9)42. Fri, July 21 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Logan Schuchart (3)43. Sat, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Rico Abreu (4)44. Sun, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (10)45. Fri, Aug 4 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Spencer Bayston (1)46. Sat, Aug 5 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Kyle Larson (3)47. Sat, Aug 12 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Kyle Larson (4)48. Thurs, Aug 17 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / James McFadden (5)49. Fri, Aug 18 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / James McFadden (6)50. Sat, Aug 19 / Jackson Motorplex / Jackson, MN / Carson Macedo (6)51. Fri, Aug 25 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / Logan Schuchart (4)52. Sat, Aug 26 / Red River Valley Speedway / West Fargo, ND / Logan Schuchart (5)53. Thurs, Aug 31 / Skagit Speedway / Burlington, WA / Sheldon Haudenschild (3)54. Fri, Sept 1 / Skagit Speedway / Burlington, WA / Rico Abreu (5)55. Sat, Sept 2 / Skagit Speedway / Burlington, WA / Brad Sweet (7)56. Mon, Sept 4 / Grays Harbor Raceway / Elma, WA / Logan Schuchart (6)57. Sat, Sept 9 / Silver Dollar Speedway / Chico, CA / Corey Day (1)

Josh Hart Focused on Starting Countdown 
with Maple Grove Raceway Win

OCALA, FL (September 12, 2023) — Since the beginning of the season Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers team have been working towards winning their first NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel world championship. After 15 regular season races crisscrossing the country Hart and his Ron Douglas tuned 11,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragster will have six races starting this weekend at the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway to make that dream a reality. For a team owner and driver who believes and has proven “Anything’s Possible” the NHRA Countdown is a perfect playoff for Hart and his R+L Carriers team.
 
“We didn’t have the success we wanted in the regular season but thanks to the NHRA Countdown we made up 361 points coming out of Indy when they reset the standings,” said Hart, who will enter the playoffs as the No. 10 seed. “There are six races left and we are 121 points out of first place. That is a very manageable deficit to overcome with some race wins. I feel good about our chances heading into Maple Grove Raceway.”

Josh Hart and R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team eager to head to Maple Grove Raceway, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

 
In his rookie season Hart turned heads winning twice and racing to nearly half a dozen semifinals in a limited schedule. In 2022 Hart invested heavily into new equipment and spent the season racing the full schedule for the first time in his career with limited success. This year with a young team and the support of R+L Carriers and TechNet Hart has raced to a final round in Chicago as well as a handful of semifinal finishes. The results have not been what Hart wanted in the regular season, but the flashes of success have the multiple time Top Fuel and Top Alcohol Dragster winner focused on the positives.
 
“We have made good runs in qualifying and we have had some really strong race days,” said Hart. “We just need to have everything come together on the same weekend. When you look at the forecast for this weekend, we could see some great conditions and those play into our hands. I know my crew chief Ron Douglas can throw down with any of these other teams.”
 
Hart and the R+L Carriers team will be looking for their first round at Maple Grove in their third appearance at the track located an hour outside of Philadelphia. In 2021 Hart lost to Billy Torrence in the first round and Torrence went on to win the race and the following year Hart was ousted by Antron Brown who races to the semifinals before he was beaten by eventual winner Austin Prock.
 
“We have run into some tough matchups this season and lost some close races to the eventual winner of the race,” said Hart. “I am getting better behind the wheel and every pass down the track we get more data so I am focusing on the fact that we will be better in the Countdown than we were in the regular season. The playoffs are about momentum and I feel like if we get off to a good start this weekend we will be right in the mix.”
 
History could be on Hart’s side considering Robert Hight raced to the 2009 Funny Car championship from the No. 10 seed. That season Hight was winless in the regular season with just one final round appearance. He took the win at the first playoff race and jumped to third place in the points and a second consecutive playoff win moved him into first place. He held on to win his first championship and paved the way for the playoffs to be a wide-open competition.
 
“You look at what Robert did in 2009 and that definitely gives us hope,” said Hart. “I think we have a chance and that is all anyone can ask for. We need to make our own luck and just take every run as an opportunity to get better. We start with two runs on Friday at the Pep Boys Nationals we need to be one of the quickest race cars off the trailer. We are going to take it one round at a time and just keep working hard.”
 
Hart would also like to start the playoffs the same way he started the season with a win at a Pep Boys sponsored event. Prior to the Gatornationals Hart and his R+L Carriers team won the Pep Boys All-Star Callout race and its $80,000 top prize. This weekend’s event, the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals, would be another great opportunity for Hart to stand in another Pep Boys’ winner’s circle.
 
“It seems like forever ago that we won the Pep Boys All-Star Callout, but I would definitely like to stand in another one of their winner’s circles,” said Hart. “I am out here to compete with the best of the best and these next six races will be a great test for our team. We had some time after Indy to get prepared and now it is time to get after it. I got to talk with Big Daddy Don Garlits before this race and I am ready to go.”
 

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (Sept. 12, 2023) – For the second consecutive year, Oklahoma will be home of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota championship finale – one that’s already poised to be a barn burner.

Before the $25,000 championship check is handed out, drivers will contend at Port City Raceway, in Tulsa, OK, on Thursday, Oct. 12, and then run a doubleheader at I-44 Riverside Speedway, in Oklahoma City, OK, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 13-14.

With six races left – starting with Jacksonville Speedway on Sept. 15, Highland Speedway on Sept. 16, and Red Hill Raceway on Sept. 17 – Oklahoma’s Cannon McIntosh holds a narrow seven-point lead over Jade Avedisian. Gavin Miller and reigning Series champion Zach Daum are also still in the fight, 72 and 75 points back, respectively, from the lead.

Last year, Daum, McIntosh and Avedisian walked away as Oklahoma winners. Daum’s win at Port City and McIntosh’s win at I-44 were their first wins with the Series. Avedisian’s I-44 win was her second after becoming the first female driver to take the checkered flag in a national Midget event.

The weekend will also feature the POWRi Midgets and host the final three races of the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series, paying out $2,500 to the winner. There’s another tight points battle in that hunt with Daum leading Avedisian by five points.

What you need to know:
DRC Sooner State 55 at Port City, Oct. 12
More Event Info

Track: 1/8 mile in Tusla, OK
Portcityraceway.net

Times (CT):
12 p.m. Pit Gates Open
5 p.m. Grandstand Gates Open
6 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Tickets: Available at the track

Last Race Video Recap (Oct. 13, 2022):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hcy6oiw5aw

Previous winner:
2022 – Zach Daum on Oct. 13

I-44 RIVERSIDE, Oct. 13-14
More Event Info

Track: 1/5 mile in Oklahoma City, OK
i44riversidespeedway.com

Times (CT):
3:30 p.m. Pit Gates Open
6 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying
-Racing to follow

Last Race Video Recap (Oct. 15, 2022):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlyzmp50UoQ

Previous Winners:
2022 – Cannon McIntosh on Oct. 14, Jade Avedisian on Oct. 15

PLAINVIEW, NY (September 12, 2023) – Throughout the NHRA regular season Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota team were focused on consistency and excellence with the goal of entering the Countdown as the No. 1 seed. This weekend Ashley, who secured a category leading six regular season wins, will start the six race playoffs as the team to beat and with the largest lead in the Countdown era thanks to team’s success in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge specialty races. Ashley will have a 31-point cushion over the No. 2 seed going into the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals this weekend at Maple Grove Raceway.
 
“We accomplished everything we wanted to in the regular season but that is behind us now,” said Ashley, whose previous best playoff seed was No. 3 last year. “We wanted to go into the Countdown as the No. 1 seed and collect a large number of Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge championship points. We feel good about that but understand that at this point in time our focus is solely on being successful in Reading.”

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

 
Ashley finished the final four races of the regular season with two wins and two semifinal finishes. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year won back-to-back in Sonoma and Topeka before racing to the final four in Brainerd and Indianapolis, losing to eventual winner Antron Brown at the biggest race of the year. Ashley’s seven final rounds and six wins in the regular season are both career best marks and have the fourth-year team owner and driver confident but cautious.
 
“If you choose to be overconfident this sport will humble you very quickly,” said Ashley. “Every Top Fuel team on the property can win the race. That’s why we believe the best approach revolves around constant improvement and being the best version of ourselves that we can be. Our Phillips Connect Toyota Racing team is incredible and works tirelessly to win both on and off the racetrack. As we head into the toughest six races of the season I am proud to be a small part of that group.”
 
Going into the Countdown Ashley will have a 31-point lead over the second-place team thanks to 21 points earned in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Steve Torrence was second best in the Saturday specialty race competition earning 11 points, so Ashley netted a 10-point advantage at the end of the regular season. The past few seasons have seen championships decided by three points in Funny Car last year and by three points in Top Fuel in 2019.
 
“I have to thank Mission Foods for sponsoring the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge,” said Ashley. “It created meaningful racing for the teams, fans and drivers. Every point is critical whether they come from round wins, qualifying points, or the Mission Foods Challenge. So, I cannot express the importance of adding another 21 points to our total. This championship battle will be tight and everything matters.”
 
Starting the playoffs at Maple Grove Raceway for the third season in a row has Ashley feeling good considering he has raced to the final round in both of his appearances at the quick and fast track nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Pennsylvania. Last year as the No. 2 qualifier Ashley defeated Jeff Chatterson, Doug Kalitta, and Mike Salinas before dropping a close race to Austin Prock. The year before that he started the race as the No. 6 qualifier and outran Doug Kalitta, Clay Millican and Steve Torrence before losing to Billy Torrence in the final.
 
“We have had a few good races at Maple Grove Raceway and it’s generally a very fast track,” said Ashley, who has two No. 1 qualifiers this season. “The key will be to get two good runs on Friday in qualifying and then we can start focusing on getting ready for race day with the remaining two qualifying runs. Mike Green and Tommy Delago work so well together and I consider myself very fortunate to work closely with them and our entire team. We will be ready for any kind of track conditions, including those that may present an opportunity to join the Phillips Connect 300 MPH to the 1/8 club.”
 
Throughout the season Ashley has been mindful of balancing his schedule between sponsor appearance, fan engagement and on-track excellence. His marketing partners including KATO Fastening Systems, Lucas Oil, Strutmasters.com, Toyota and Mac Tools have all highlighted his on-track success as well as his growing popularity amongst NHRA fans. Ashley spends time with Junior Dragster drivers on Fridays of each race and has been an active participant in numerous fanfest events. The championship contender knows that the balance is necessary to grow his Maynard Ashley Racing team’s success.
 
“I always felt that when you are busy at the track it means you’re doing something right,” said Ashley. “The key is to find balance. We have a great team and our partners all know what it takes to win. The best part of the day is running well and then coming back to a hospitality area full of guests and spending time with the people that make it all possible. Our partners are the reason we are in the position that we are today.”
 
The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team will be on track on Friday for two qualifying runs at 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. with two more qualifying runs on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Final eliminations will start on Sunday September 17 at 10:30 a.m. ET. The race will be televised nationally on FOX.
 

MOORESVILLE, NC (September 12, 2023) — Second year Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso made major strides during the regular season setting up a serious run for her first NHRA Pro Stock world championship. The 25-year-old driver, racing the Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro with power from KB Titan Racing, is focused on starting the six race playoffs this weekend from Maple Grove Raceway with a strong start and a move up the point standings. Entering the Countdown as the No. 9 seed, less than 100 points behind the No. 1 seed has Caruso excited and eager to get on track for the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals.   “We made a lot of positive strides this year. We got our first win and won the Pro Stock Allstar Callout but we still have a big goal,” said Caruso. “We want to win the Pro Stock world championship. This Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro team is ready for the next six races. I am looking forward to getting back to Maple Grove Raceway for the second time and seeing if we can get another win this season.” Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photo by Innovation Creative Experts  Caruso captured her first win this year at the Arizona Nationals and then at the Gerber Collision & Glass Rt. 66 Nationals in Chicago she turned heads when she outdueled seven other Pro Stock competitors to take the first Pro Stock Allstar Callout title. Those two victories have the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year feeling confident heading to the Countdown.   “We are less than 100 points out of first place,” said Caruso. “Earlier this season we lost in the first round at Gainesville and then won in Arizona and we moved from 12th to 2nd in the points. If we can come out of the gate strong in Reading, we can get right in the mix for the Pro Stock championship. I have a great team around me and our KB Titan Racing support is the best in the class.”   Last year in her first pass through the Countdown Caruso was battling to wrap up her rookie season as an independent team and the team owner and driver. The weight of the full season had the top ten regular season finisher, who raced to a final round at the Spring Nationals in Houston, battling for consistency over the last six races.   “We were spent at the end of last season and really didn’t have our best showing in the Countdown,” said Caruso, who is still looking for her first round win in the playoffs. “Our team never gave up, but we were just not at our best. This season it is like night and day. We have a whole operation supporting us and I don’t feel like I have to do everything. I feel good and after Indy we made some slight adjustments to get ready for this last six race push.”   The KB Titan Racing team that Caruso is a part of has been dominant this season with teammates Dallas Glenn, Matt Hartford, and Deric Kramer all collecting wins while Pro Stock legend Greg Anderson and Kyle Koretsky each having a final round to their credit as well. All the drivers work together throughout qualifying to make each other stronger and the data collection from having multiple cars make runs has paid dividends on race day.   “Being a part of KB Titan Racing has made a huge difference this season,” said Caruso. “All the crew chiefs work really well together, and I have never felt more comfortable in my race car thanks to feedback from Dallas, Greg, and Kyle. If I can’t get this championship, I will be pulling for one of these KB Titan Racing Camaros to get the big trophy.”   In addition to Caruso’s driving duties she has been active on the marketing front making sure her team is fully funded and her marketing partners get maximum return on and off the track. This season Caruso has continued to work with Powerbuilt Tools, Tequila Comisario, VP Racing Lubricants, Big Jeff Audio, and DENSO to host guests at the track and promote their brands through social media.   “We have a great group of marketing partners and we want to make sure we get them into as many winner’s circles as possible,” said Caruso. “That being said we can’t win every race, so we try and do all the little things from NHRA autograph sessions to special Q&A events throughout the season in the pits to pit tours during the races. All these things have to work together to make this team have success and I can’t thank all my sponsors enough for their support.”   The Tequila Comisario team will be on track on Friday for two qualifying runs at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. with two more qualifying runs on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Pro Stock final eliminations will start on Sunday, September 17 at 11:30 a.m. ET. The race will be televised nationally on FOX.   About Camrie Caruso Camrie Caruso is a third-generation driver with Caruso Family Racing. The 25-year-old Pro Stock rookie is following the career path of her father, former Pro Mod racer Marc Caruso and her grandfather, “Papa Joe” Caruso, who competed in Super Gas, Top Sportsman, and Pro Mod. Racing a Chevrolet Camaro with KB Titan Racing Caruso, the reigning Rookie of the Year, will be chasing her first world championship in 2023. She first got behind the wheel of a race car when she was eight years old competing in the NHRA Junior Dragster League. She has continued to move up through the NHRA competition classes for over a decade rising to Top Alcohol Dragster as well as Elite Top Dragster and Pro Outlaw 632 in the PDRA. Caruso has a Finance degree as well as a Marketing degree from SUNY Empire State College. In 2018 she was recognized by Drag Illustrated magazine as a 30 Under 30, drag racing personality. For more information on Camrie visit www.camriecaruso.com and follow her on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

CAMRIE CARUSO EAGER TO TACKLE  SKIP BARBER FORMULA RACING SCHOOL  MOORESVILLE, NC (September 11, 2023) — Reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso is looking to take on a new challenge beyond racing her Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock racecar at over 210 mph. The third-generation drag racer will attend the Skip Barber One Day Formula Racing School at COTA outside of Austin, Texas, on September 25.   “I am super excited to get behind the wheel of this Formula Car and take on this new experience,” said Caruso, who notched her first Pro Stock national event win at the Arizona Nationals. “I am always looking to find ways to become a better driver, and I think getting this unique perspective will be very helpful. Skip Barber Racing School is top of the line, and I look forward to being put through the paces in a completely different racing style.”  Camrie Caruso will be trading in her Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro on September 25 for a Skip Barber One Day Formula Racing School. photo by Innovation Creative ExpertsThe One Day Formula Racing School is the perfect program for people who want to build their racing skills. This daylong experience allows the driver to experience a Skip Barber race prepared Mygale Formula 4 car on iconic racetracks throughout the US, including COTA, Laguna Seca, Sonoma, Sebring, VIR, Road Atlanta, and Lime Rock Park. Graduates include Sergio Perez, Michael Andretti, Joseph Newgarden, Colton Herta, Ross Chastain, Joey Lagano, Patrick Dempsey, and Ron Capps, to name a few. This school begins with an in-depth classroom session reviewing the racing line and vehicle dynamics. The program rapidly picks up the pace as students experience the thrill of these high horsepower, high grip race cars with lead follow laps on the racetrack.   “Skip Barber Racing School has been developing champion caliber drivers for over 45 years since 1975, and we look forward to working with Camrie as she becomes an SBRS graduate,” said Anthony DeMonte, Chief Executive Officer.    “I know this style of racing will be completely foreign to me when I get started, but after the classroom session and then time training on track, I hope to make some progress,” said Caruso, who has worked her way up the drag racing ranks since she was a young girl. I look forward to just taking in the whole experience and seeing how comfortable and challenging these cars are. My Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro is a handful to shift and drive straight in just over six seconds at 210 mph, so I am curious to see what it is like to experience new speeds on a road course.”

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Nationals – Reading

Pre-Race Report

It’s time to build off a strong showing at Indy for Cruz Pedregon and team to make this weekend’s race at Maple Grove Raceway, the first race of the NHRA Countdown, a solid one for the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^®. 

“The first three races of the Countdown are always critical, and we really feel like the potential to see what the Snap-on Funny Car can do is ahead of us,” Cruz says. “After winning three rounds and making it to the semis on race day last weekend, we feel like that was a real turning point for us. J.C. (John Collins), Ryan (Elliott), Lee (Beard), and I have a solid plan in place, and we’re looking forward to how fast that concrete track at Reading surrounded by all those trees can be.” 

Cruz has won twice at Maple Grove and been the runner-up twice. He’ll be looking for that positive energy from his successes there and the fans in the stands will bring. And for those “Makers & Fixers” who’ll be watching, he’ll once again honor them with the paint scheme that pays tribute to the value of their work as does the Makers and Fixers on Instagram. To submit your photos to be featured, visit makersandfixers.com.

Maker and Fixer Brandon Hoover is the Nitro Franchisee on the side of the Snap-on car this weekend. He’ll have Cruz along for the ride in his mobile store visiting automotive and heavy duty shop customers prior to the race. Brandon worked on and sold trailers before taking on his Snap-on franchise. He says he genuinely enjoys what he does, especially meeting all kinds of people in his work. In his spare time, you’ll likely find Brandon riding dirt bikes.

BATAVIA, Ohio (September 12, 2023) – The 19th running of the Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals is set for this Thursday thru Saturday, September 14-16 at the famed Knoxville Raceway. It is the only annual late model event at the “Sprint Car Capital of the World,” bringing the nation’s elite dirt late model teams together on one of motorsports’ biggest stages. Over $290,000 in purse money will be paid out during three nights of racing on the historic black-dirt, half-mile oval at the Marion County Fairgrounds. The festivities on Thursday and Friday, September 14-15 will feature a complete program of: Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 25-lap, $7,000-to-win main event. Drivers will earn points in each of the two preliminary nights, with their best of the two nights determining the line-ups for Saturday night’s Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals finale. Saturday night’s program will include Dirt Draft Hot Laps, B-Mains, and the 75-lap, $50,000-to-win main event for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The Malvern Bank Super Late Models will serve as a support division on Saturday, September 16. Numerous off-track activities will take place surrounding the three-day event. The Hall of Fame Auction will take place at the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum, behind turn two, on Saturday at 11:30 AM. There will be a Dirt Racing Outreach service in the Main Show Barn outside turn four at 1:45 PM, with an autograph session to follow at 3:00 PM, on Saturday. This half-mile speed-plant is located within the Marion County Fairgrounds, in the heart of Knoxville, Iowa, just a short drive from Des Moines. Three-day ticket packages and single-night tickets are available at www.knoxvilleraceway.com or by calling the ticket office at 641-842-5431. Ricky Thornton Jr. leads the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – Presented by ARP standings. Hudson O’Neal is second followed by Jonathan Davenport and Brandon Overton. Completing the top eight are Tim McCreadie, Devin Moran, Daulton Wilson, and Tyler Erb. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com.  Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Thursday, September 14:B-Main Purses: 1. Transfer + $100, 2. Transfer + $100, 3. Transfer + $100, 4. $200, 5. $200, 6. $200, 7. $200, 8. $200, 9. $200, 10. $200, 11. $200, 12. $200, 13. $200, 14. $200, 15. $200, 16. $200, 17. $200, 18. $200, 19. $200, 20. $200, 21. $200, 22. $200, 23. $200, 24. $200 = Total $4,500 A-Main Purse: 1. $7,000, 2. $4,000, 3. $3,000, 4. $2,000, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,000, 7. $900, 8. $800, 9. $700, 10. $600, 11. $580, 12. $560, 13. $540, 14. $520, 15. $500, 16. $490, 17. $480, 18. $470, 19. $460, 20. $450, 21. $440, 22. $430, 23. $410, 24. $400 = Total $28,230 Friday, September 15:B-Main Purses: 1. Transfer + $100, 2. Transfer + $100, 3. Transfer + $100, 4. $200, 5. $200, 6. $200, 7. $200, 8. $200, 9. $200, 10. $200, 11. $200, 12. $200, 13. $200, 14. $200, 15. $200, 16. $200, 17. $200, 18. $200, 19. $200, 20. $200, 21. $200, 22. $200, 23. $200, 24. $200 = Total $4,500 A-Main Purse: 1. $7,000, 2. $4,000, 3. $3,000, 4. $2,000, 5. $1,500, 6. $1,000, 7. $900, 8. $800, 9. $700, 10. $600, 11. $580, 12. $560, 13. $540, 14. $520, 15. $500, 16. $490, 17. $480, 18. $470, 19. $460, 20. $450, 21. $440, 22. $430, 23. $410, 24. $400 = Total $28,230 Saturday, September 16:B-Main Purses: 1. Transfer + $200, 2. Transfer + $200, 3. Transfer + $200, 4. $500, 5. $500, 6. $500, 7. $500, 8. $500, 9. $500, 10. $500, 11. $500, 12. $400, 13. $400, 14. $400, 15. $400, 16. $400, 17. $400, 18. $400, 19. $400, 20. $400, 21. $400, 22. $400, 23. $400, 24. $400 = Total $9,800 A-Main Purse: 1. $50,000, 2. $25,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $8,750, 5. $7,500, 6. $7,000, 7. $6,500, 8. $6,000, 9. $5,500, 10. $5,000, 11. $4,500, 12. $4,000, 13. $3,500, 14. $3,400, 15. $3,300, 16. $3,200, 17. $3,100, 18. $3,000, 19. $3,000, 20. $3,000, 21. $3,000, 22. $3,000, 23. $2,700, 24. $2,700, 25. $2,500, 26. $2,500, 27. $2,500, 28. $2,500, 29. $2,500, 30. $2,500, 31. $2,500, 32. $2,500 = Total $196,650 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Thursday-Friday, September 14-15:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials and Heat Races Saturday, September 16:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4 Previous Lucas Oil Late Model Knoxville Nationals Winners:2022 – Jonathan Davenport2021 – Mike Marlar2019 – Jimmy Owens2018 – Jimmy Owens2017 – Mike Marlar2016 – Mike Marlar2015 – Jared Landers2014 – Brian Birkhofer2013 – Darrell Lanigan2012 – Steve Francis2011 – Don O’Neal2010 – Billy Moyer2009 – Scott Bloomquist2008 – Tim McCreadie2007 – Brady Smith2006 – Brian Shirley2005 – Scott Bloomquist2004 – Brian Birkhofer

About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2023, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 56 events across 16 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap.  The series receives national exposure through a television package streamed live via MAVTV on FloRacing, with select broadcasts on MAVTV Motorsports Network.   The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.

First Indy race for program since 2014 with major GTD PRO title implications DETROIT (Sept. 12, 2023) – Corvette Racing and Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They are two of the most iconic names in motorsports and finally come together after nearly a decade apart when the team returns this weekend with the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Sunday’s TireRack.com Battle on the Bricks is the next-to-last IMSA race for the season and a critical event for Corvette Racing’s championship hopes. The No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R – in the hands of drivers Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor – enters off a victory in the most recent round at Virginia International Raceway.

It kept the Corvette team, its drivers and Chevrolet very much in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO title hunt with Indy and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans still to go. The gap to the championship-leading Lexus in the Drivers, Manufacturers and Teams standings is 144 points with 770 possible points available in the final two races. The 2.439-mile, 14-turn road course inside the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the only track on the current IMSA calendar where Corvette Racing hasn’t recorded a victory. That should not be too much of a surprise considering that the team only competed at the Indy Road Course in 2014 – the first season of the Corvette C7.R. Corvette Racing finished fourth and fifth in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class that year. Garcia was part of that effort, and both he and Taylor have multiple starts in GT and prototype machinery at Indianapolis, although neither have been on the podium yet. Given the championship scenario, there’s no better time to fix that than Sunday. Although the team hasn’t tested at Indianapolis, valuable information is available to Corvette Racing from Chevrolet’s NASCAR and IndyCar programs – both of which competed on the Indy Road Course earlier this year. Correlating data on track conditions and features as well as tire performance will be a focal point for the Corvette engineering team in order to arrive with an ideal baseline for the weekend’s two practice sessions ahead of Saturday qualifying. Chevrolet has a sterling record at the Brickyard in stock car, open-wheel and sports car competition. The manufacturer’s NASCAR Sprint Cup and Xfinity teams have won 23 times in 42 races at Indianapolis dating back to the first Brickyard 400 in 1994. In IndyCar competition, Chevrolet teams have won 12 times at the Indy 500 with nine additional wins on the IMS Road Course.  In IMSA competition, Action Express Racing won the last time the series raced at Indy in a Corvette Daytona Prototype. A Chevrolet Camaro also won at IMS in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge in 2012 and 2014. The TireRack.com Battle of the Bricks is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept.17. The race will air live on NBC beginning at 1 p.m. ET and stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.comoutside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday’s practice at IMSA.comwith the race call also on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of IMSA’s TireRack.comBattle of the Bricks. Materials include Corvette Racing event advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Racing racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts, driver biographies and Corvette Racing photography, among other items.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It will be good to go back to a historic place like Indianapolis. We just need to carry on doing what we are doing. I think we’ve shown that we know how to win over the last few races. Keeping the momentum is key. We haven’t tested at Indianapolis, but Corvette Racing is good enough to overcome and deal with that. Let’s keep everything running the same way and putting pressure on everyone. If we do our thing, people will focus on us and that’s what we need. If they are focusing on us, then maybe they will make mistakes and we can capitalize. That’s the strength of a team and reputation like Corvette Racing.

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’ve driven a Camaro at Indianapolis in 2012 so there’s some of that experience there. I’ve good and bad memories from races there, but it’s always a fun place to compete. This is the first time they’ve opened the infield for camping, so that’s pretty cool. I’m sure we’ll draw a good crowd there. It’s a racing town, so to have a sports car race there is a really big deal. There’s been testing there that we didn’t do, but we’ve gotten some good simulation time to get ahead of it. Hopefully we’ll have a decent car there. I’m sure there is some track-dependent things that the engineers have correlated from IndyCar. That’s the good thing about a big GM family and a simulator that is shared between all the platforms so we can share information between all the different series as a manufacturer, especially with track details like curbing changes and things like that.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After nine of 11 events)Driver Standings1. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 3,1652. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3,0213. Klaus Bachler/Patrick Pilet – 2,9154. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon – 2,8865. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,774 Team Standings1. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 3,1652. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 3,0213. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2,9154. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 2,8865. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,774 Manufacturer Standings1. Lexus – 3,1652. Chevrolet – 3,0213. Porsche – 2,9154. Mercedes-AMG – 2,8865. Aston Martin – 2,785 CORVETTE RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette• 5: Combined starts for Corvette Racing’s Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor at Indianapolis in IMSA competition. Both placed fourth in their class in the 2014 event• 9: Years since Corvette Racing’s only other appearance at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2014 with the C7.R• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship• 47: Combined victories for Chevrolet at Indianapolis in stock car (23), open-wheel (21) and sports car racing (three)• 127: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 115 in North America, nine at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC• 281: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 360,480.64: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Indianapolis2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX OF MONTEREY WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA SALINAS, CALIFORNIA TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT SEPTEMBER 10,2023 SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN LEADS THE CHARGE FOR TEAM CHEVY AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY AS THE 2023 NTT INDYCAR SEASON ROLLS TO A CLOSE Chevrolet won the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturer ChampionshipMcLaughlin’s runner-up finish is his fourth of the year-plus a win at Barber-and 24th podium for ChevyMcLaughlin ended the season third in the final standingsTeam Chevy drivers scored six of the top-10 finishesWill Power – 4thCallum Ilott – 5thAlexander Rossi – 7thPato O’Ward – 9thRyan Hunter-Reay – 10th The 95-lap race was slowed by eight caution periods for 35 laps MONTEREY, CALIF (September 9, 2023) – Scott McLaughlin launched his No. 3 XPEL Team Penske Chevrolet from his front-row starting spot at the drop of the green flag ready to lead the field to turn one. But the newly re-paved 2.2-mile WeatherTech Raceway had other ideas. As drivers headed to turn two a melee ensued with cars slipping and sliding off into the gravel pit that set the pattern for the remainder of the 95-lap race. Differing fuel strategies and timing of yellow flags made for an exciting albeit chaotic race. Pole winner Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet was in the lead group until another dust up pushed him down in the running order. He was credited with a 19th place finish. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, had a fast car and led for 15 laps, but pit strategy with a ill-timed caution dropped him back. He fought his way back to finish ninth. Chevrolet in the INDYCAR Series will resume competition early 2024.  CHEVROLET AT LAGUNA SECA (V6 era), since INDYCAR’s 2019 return:Wins: 0Pole Awards: 2Podiums: 4  WHAT THEY ARE SAYING: Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”Our race was looking so strong, and that was a very disappointing end to what could’ve been a great result. We kept our nose clean, did a nice job on track, and the team nailed it in the pit stops. It’s frustrating having our day thrown away by other people’s mistakes. “It’s been a strong season for us and performance has been consistent. We still need to clean things up here and there, but I’m proud of the job that I’ve done. We’re going to come back next year even stronger and see where we can stack up, racing hard and pushing for wins.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”What a ride. It really was a roller coaster for my final drive with Arrow McLaren. We started on pole with a mega car and a strong first half of the race. Then Marcus came into me and our day was ended from there. The No. 6 crew fought hard to stay in the race, but it’s a shame considering the potential we had going for us. I have to thank the team and especially my crew for the speed we had all season long. To have two poles and two podiums in the wild season that we had, I’m really proud of us and I leave with my head held high. It’s been really special racing with Arrow McLaren, and now I’m excited for what’s to come in 2024.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”I think we learned a lot this year. There were a lot of very positive things to draw upon. It was just a year of a lot of weird things. Today’s race was a perfect example. We had to manually jack the car up for the last two pitstops. It’s the little things like that that we need to work on, but ultimately the team grew massively. On the No. 7 side, I feel like we improved tremendously throughout the year and have a lot of things to learn from when we see all these tracks again for the second time together next year. We’ll focus on the positives, try to improve on the negatives and go into the off-season.”  Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 EXPEL Chevrolet at Team Penske:THE STRATEGY PLAYED IN YOUR FAVOR AND THERE IS A SMILE ON YOUR FACE, LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT “Halfway through the race, I was like, this is not working out and this is not our day.  At the start of the race the Xpel Chevy was just not getting off and I was mad there for a bit. It was just annoying and I had a really fast car, but we just kept our heads down. I had a mega restart and got a heap of spots that put us in position there.  So yeah, just super proud.” YOU LOCKED DOWN THIRD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND I THINK THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH WHAT THE THUMBS UP WAS TO THE FANS THERE “Yeah, ultimately, we didn’t win as many races as we did in 2022, but I think it was a better season overall.  I mean we were solid when we needed to be and we haven’t been out of the top 10 since the Indy 500 and just these guys and girls on the team, the pit stops were phenomenal.  When I had left front wing damage, they fixed it straightaway to get me out. It’s a really good team and we are really building toward 2024.  I said to the guys today, next year starts today, and I am very proud of that.”   Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet at Team Penske:“I just can’t believe we got back to fourth, that was crazy. We probably could have been a bit better actually.” SOME OF THOSE RESTARTS WERE REALLY, REALLY WILD WITH THAT FINAL RUN INTO THE CORNER. WHAT WAS YOUR TAKE ON SOME OF THE CHAOS YOU SAW? “I reckon they will basically change that rule next year because those dive bombs just create more yellows.  You shouldn’t be able to pass until you are out of the last corner at least.” Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“It was a good day for the No. 20 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet team. Mission accomplished is what we see here at the end. It’s always tough when you are trying to points race while also being aggressive and competitive. We tried to balance those two in what was a pretty chaotic race. It was difficult at times to think about points but also wanting to move forward. All in all, we ran in the Top 3, finished in the Top 10 and secured a position in Leaders Circle. Mission accomplished!” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:”I stayed out of the initial chaos in Turn 2, but then got hit by (Scott) Dixon. They gave him a drive-through penalty, which then helped him get on the right strategy. How lucky can he be and how unlucky can I be? It took three minutes to get my car restarted which was very frustrating. I felt like I was trying to create a tornado with my hand, signaling the safety team over! But from there my race was pretty much over, I just had to concentrate on staying out of all of the mess. It was a good day for the team, good day for Ryan (Hunter-Reay) and good to get both cars in Leaders Circle. Unfortunately, just not a great finish for the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet, we should have had a shot at winning. Now we will wait a few months and try again!” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Honestly it was going to be a solid day and an easy top 10 finish for the team. On the last restart, they checked up on the bottom, and when they started to crash, one of the cars came out and jumped in front of me and I had nowhere to go. Overall, the team did a fantastic job all day, it’s just a shame that we have nothing to show for it.”  Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“Definitely one of the craziest races of the whole year. Happy to have finished it. Finished p16 so one of our better road course results for the year. I think we had quite a bit in the bank still but unfortunately got hit on one of the restarts and cycled to the back. I think if that wouldn’t have happened, we were on track to be P-7 or right around there. With such a crazy race happening, to have finished p 16, which is one of our better results, I’m pretty pleased to finish the year that way–and also helping Chevrolet get the manufacturer’s championship. Looking forward to next year.” “I think it’s the nature of the track especially now with the new pavement and how much faster the cars are going. That makes it even harder to follow closely so I think it will be really interesting. I don’t think the tire deg is going to be bad either so I think for everyone its going to be a matter of not making any mistakes in the race.” Callum Ilott, No. 77 Chevrolet at Juncos Hollinger Racing:YOUR FINISH HELPED CHEVROLET WIN THE MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP TODAY “I think they were quite happy with that, and they weren’t expecting that.  It was a great day all around for us. Obviously, I wish it was a bit more, because we would have been in for a good position unfortunately.  But yeah, great finish.” HOW NICE IS IT TO HEAD INTO THE OFFSEASON WITH SOME WIND IN YOUR SAILS AND A TOP FIVE FINISH, MATCHING A CAREER BEST? “Yeah, I can’t complain. Honestly, it’s been a tough year and putting it together a bit more at the end there, with the way the race panned out, it was a good one. I think we are going to have a nice offseason.”

September 11, 2023 — MONTEREY, CA

• Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon comes from behind yet again to score his third victory of 2023; and series-leading 12th win for Honda
• Teammate and series champion Alex Palou runs third in season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
• 12 victory season for Honda best since 2005

For the third time in the last four races, Scott Dixon overcame early adversity to win, claiming his 56th career victory in today’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, season finale to the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

Caught up in an opening-lap multi-car crash and resulting “drive-through” penalty, Dixon and his Chip Ganassi Racing team once again went “off strategy” early in the 95-lap contest, and combined speed with excellent tire strategy and fuel saving to emerge with a late-race lead he easily maintained to the checkers at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Already a five-race winner this season, Dixon’s teammate Alex Palou led a race-high 51 laps to control much of the first half of the race. But a series of mid- and late-race cautions worked to Dixon’s advantage as he assumed command on Lap 76 and remained at the front for the remaining laps.  The Ganassi organization completed an outstanding season as Marcus Armstrong secured series Rookie of the Year honors with an eighth-place finish.

Today’s victory at Laguna Seca was a series-high 12th for Honda in the 17-race 2023 season, as the manufacturer scored wins on every type of circuit visited by INDYCAR: road, temporary street and oval.  It also marked the eighth time Honda has scored double-digit victory totals in a single Indy car season and a “win rate” of just over 70% this year.

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Honda Race Results                     

1st Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
8th Marcus Armstrong-R	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th Romain Grosjean	Andretti Autosport Honda
12th Sting Ray Robb-R	Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
13th Helio Castroneves	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
15th Marcus Ericsson	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
20th David Malukas	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
21st Devlin DeFrancesco	Andretti Autosport Honda
23rd Colton Herta	Andretti Autosport Honda [Did not finish – contact]
24th Juri Vips-R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
25th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport Honda
26th Tom Blomqvist-R	Meyer Shank Racing Honda [Did not finish – contact]
27th Graham Rahal	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda [Did not finish – contact]

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (Final, unofficial, after 17 rounds)
1. Chevrolet                  1,437 points
2. Honda                      1,425 points

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings
1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda                 656 points
2. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda                –  78
3. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske                              -168
4. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren                                   -172

Honda Indy car seasons with 10 or more victories
2023           12 wins       17 total races
2021           10 wins       16 races
2018           11 wins       17 races
Note: Honda was the single engine supplier 2006-2011
2005           13 wins       17 races
2004           14 wins       16 races
1999           12 wins       20 races
1998           13 wins       19 races
1996           11 wins       16 races

Quotes
Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Race winner, third win of 2023 and 56th career INDYCAR victory: “Wild day! Obviously starting with a penalty and then getting a penalty right at the start was not great, it was very up-and-down. Ultimately, having the option to do fuel mileage when we needed to and jump the pack when we needed to was great. I was shocked to see the 28 and the 5 pit when they did. That Honda fuel mileage made it really easy to run out front today and we had great speed too. All-in-all, to finish the year on a win is huge.” 

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished third today; 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion with five race wins, his second drivers’ title in the last three years: “It’s been an amazing year. Five wins, 10 podiums! And today was going to be a really good race as well. The yellows didn’t help us, but it was a fun race. Everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing did an awesome job giving us the cars we needed and I’m super happy to get our second championship together.” 

Kelvin Fu (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Honda’s 12-race win season: “A great end to a great season here at Laguna Seca. Congrats to everyone at Honda, HPD and Chip Ganassi Racing on another race win—our 12th of the year, and a championship 1-2 for Alex Palou and Scott Dixon, as well as Rookie of the Year honors for Marcus Armstrong. We’re looking forward to fighting for more next year with the new IndyCar Hybrid engines” 

Fast Facts

• Honda’s 12 wins this season is the highest win total in a 17-race series in the 12-year history of the company’s 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 design.  That’s a win rate of just over 70% in 2023.
• Honda’s best previous season with this engine was 11 wins in 2018, This engine, which carries the internal designation “FC8” and built and developed at HPD, has won 88 Indy car races since its introduction in 2012.
• In addition to sweeping all five temporary street circuit races this year, Honda drivers and teams won on six of the seven permanent road circuits, and at the World Wide Technology Raceway oval, every circuit type on the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule.

Next
Today’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey concludes the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES.  The 2024 season gets underway March 8-10 with a return to the Florida Gulf Coast for the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

September 10, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Menards/MasterForce team were working their way forward with about 100 laps remaining in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway only to be collected in a crash just as he was poised to join the top 15 after starting 29th.

With his Menards/MasterForce Mustang too damaged to continue, Burton wound up 35th in the final running order.

The first 80-lap Stage saw Burton fall a lap off the pace, but the team gained it back by taking the wave-around when the caution flag flew at Lap 64 for a spin by William Byron.

Burton ended the Stage in 29th place, then worked his way to 22nd at the end of Stage Two.

The Menards/MasterForce team made a pit stop during the caution period at the end of the Stage and took the green flag for the restart in 23rd place.

In the opening laps of the final segment of the race Burton picked up seven spots before contact with another car led to a collision with the outside wall that resulted in significant damage to the front and rear of the No. 21 Mustang.

Next up for Burton and the No. 21 team is a Saturday night 500-lapper at Bristol Motor Speedway.

DETROIT (Sept. 10, 2023) – Chevrolet has won the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES (NICS) Manufacturer Championship for the eighth time since it returned to the Series in 2012. “It is an honor to receive the 2023 INDYCAR Manufacturer Championship trophy on behalf of Chevrolet,” said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance and Motorsports. “This championship is a result of teamwork, preparation, and execution on track throughout the season. Thanks to our powertrain engineers, our technical partners at Ilmor and our race teams, including Team Penske, Ed Carpenter Racing, Arrow McLaren, AJ Foyt Racing, Juncos Hollinger Racing and Paretta Autosport for their combined efforts that resulted in delivering our eighth championship since 2012.” In the 12 seasons of the Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo direct injected INDYCAR engine, Team Chevy drivers have amassed 111 wins of the 198 races to date – an impressive 58.6%. Team Chevy drivers have been crowned champion seven times since 2012 and scored five Indianapolis 500 wins. All of Chevrolet’s full-time teams contributed valuable time and effort toward the seventh NICS Manufacturer Championship. Team Penske, with drivers Will Power, Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin; Ed Carpenter Racing, with drivers Rinus VeeKay and Ryan Hunter-Reay; Arrow McLaren, with drivers Pato O’Ward, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi; AJ Foyt Racing, with drivers Santino Ferrucci and Benjamin Pedersen; and Juncos Hollinger Racing, with drivers Callum Ilott and Agustin Canapino, were instrumental in Team Chevy’s success.  Although having less than half of the total car count, Chevy powered drivers maximized all their available support, engineering tools and simulator time to enable performance growth that translated to consistency and strong results. Since 2012, in addition to the eight Manufacturer Championships, Chevrolet has won seven driver championships with Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Power (2014 and 2022), Scott Dixon (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016) and Newgarden (2017 and 2019).  Additionally, the Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 engine powered drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 with Tony Kanaan (2013), Juan Pablo Montoya (2015) Will Power (2018), Simon Pagenaud (2019) and Josef Newgarden (2023). Previously, Chevrolet competed in Indy-style racing as a manufacturer of V8 engines from 1986-93 and 2002-05, powering 111 wins, one manufacturer championship in 2002, seven Indianapolis 500 wins and six driver championships.

Jones, Larson Lead Team Chevy with Top-Five Finishes at Kansas ·       Utilizing a two-tire pit strategy ahead of the overtime restart, Erik Jones drove his No. 43 Allegiant Camaro to the battle for the lead – ultimately taking the third position to lead Team Chevy to the checkered flag in today’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.  ·       Three Chevrolet teams collectively claimed top-10 finishes in race two of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 – led by LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones in third; Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson in fourth, Chase Elliott in sixth and Alex Bowman in 10th; and Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch in seventh.  ·       Heading into the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson maintains the top position of the points standings with a six-point lead over second-place Tyler Reddick.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS3rd      Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL14th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL16th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL17th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Casey’s General Stores Camaro ZL110th    Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1.        Tyler Reddick (Toyota)2.        Denny Hamlin (Toyota)3.        Erik Jones (Chevrolet)4.        Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)5.        Joey Logano (Ford)  The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 16 concludes at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Sunday, September 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1Finished: 13th“It was hard to recover after we got shuffled back in traffic on that one restart. We were just a few spots short of getting a top-10 for Kubota’s Geared to Give program but we’ll take a 13th-place finish and look forward to Bristol.” Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1Finished: 33rd“We had a really fast Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet this weekend at Kansas Speedway, so I hate that the results do not show what this team is capable of. We had a solid qualifying effort on Saturday, and the beginning of our race was really strong. I just pushed it a little too hard and ended up making contact with the wall in Stage 1. It knocked the toe out and ruined our race. No matter what we did after that, we couldn’t get our Chevy tight enough. We’ll keep working on it and head to Bristol Motor Speedway next week.” Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 4thLarson on the strategy to rally back to a top-five finish at Kansas Speedway: “Just picking and choosing your lanes the right way. We had a great No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy. It was good on the short runs and really good on the long runs compared to everybody else. I was struggling, as well, but I felt really good about my car.  It’s a bummer, but sometimes it goes that way. All-in-all, we were able to recover. I only got into the wall once today. We had two great cars to start the playoffs. You have to look at the positives. We got stage points, so that’s good, as well.” The call for four tires there at the end, what were you trying to do over those last two laps?“Obviously with the No. 99 (Daniel Suarez) staying out, you just don’t know what his grip level is going to be, so I choose the top. I just didn’t want to be in the same lane as him. Obviously with the pack, if I would have chosen the bottom, that’s where the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) ended up and he came out the winner. I need to see how the replay looks, but I thought I could get to Denny’s (Hamlin) outside, he blocked me. I went to the middle, got clear of him and then he just had a good run off of (turn) two and was able to get to the bottom and get in front of me. Maybe if I would have went to the bottom and protect it a little bit, I could have been leading that. I still don’t think I would have gotten to the lead, but maybe I could have finished second like he did.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Casey’s General Stores Camaro ZL1Finished: 7th “It wasn’t going to be a play to win the race, but it was going to be a play for our best finish. We just got a couple bad aero spots there with the last restart and probably lost one more spot than I should have, but all-in-all, that was better than we should have performed anyways. We fought hard with our No. 8 Casey’s Camaro and that’s all we had.” For Bristol, do you feel pretty confident about going there next week? “With the way everything is going right now, no.. but we’ll work as hard as we can and get what we can get.”  AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro ZL1Finished: 30th “I’m really happy with the speed we had in our No. 16 Dyna-Gro Seed Chevy. Disappointed with the small mistake there hitting the wall but really proud of my guys for bringing a competitive car. The speed we’ve had the last couple weeks is definitely encouraging and we’ll keep gaining on that. ” William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 15th You got all the way back to 15th, talk me through this run.“Our No. 24 RaptorTouch.com Chevy was loose. Once the track took a set in Stage One and kind of got all the rubber from yesterday’s race off, it seemed like we were just free from that point on. I didn’t know how free in that first stage – I just let the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) go and it just came around on me. We tried a lot of things to tighten it up after that point, but our Raptor Chevy just kept building to the same spot on the long runs. We were just starting tighter and it would build to a similar spot in 15 laps or so, I would say. We’ve got a lot of work to do to try and figure out what that was.  It’s just tough. We had to kind of maintain on the long runs and just finish a solid race. We really needed to finish there, so happy with that. Happy with our team’s effort. We worked really hard on it. We’ll go to work at Bristol (Motor Speedway). It looks like we’re plus-41 points, so we just have to have a good, solid couple of stages there.”  Carson Hocevar, No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Camaro ZL1Finished: 20th “To come from one lap down, really struggling myself to get a grip on the racetrack to finish in the top-20 is super big for me. We finished 15th in one of the stages, and were one or two restarts away from having a great finish. I plugged the fence once or twice and got myself a little bit behind, and by that point I was kind of deep. It was a lot of fun trying to get the balance right and learn this stuff. For it to be my first true mile-and-a-half and finish top-20, I can’t hang my head too bad on that. I’m thankful to Maury (Gallagher), Jimmie (Johnson), and Richard (Petty) for the opportunity to drive their Sunseeker Resorts Chevy and can’t wait for Bristol!” Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1Finished: 3rdThose last laps, what could have done differently? “I just needed to clear the No. 22 (Joey Logano) in (turns) three and four. I tried to do all I could, it’s just when a guy gets loose under you and kind of runs you up – I had to lift and the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) obviously had a big run there. You want to be frustrated, but you have to be happy with the run. All day, the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy was fast and we were up in contention. We were able to drive through the field a handful of times, so it was a good day. That was probably the fastest car we’ve had all year. We would have loved to get one there, but our year has been up-and-down and having a good run like that is just a good day for the team.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE NOTES: STAGE ONE·       Coming off a crown-jewel win in last weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Larson took his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to a second-place qualifying effort to lead the field to the green in today’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. ·       The first caution of the day came early on lap four, involving playoff driver Martin Truex Jr. With pit road open, the majority of the field opted to stay out. Running in the second position, Larson took the outside lane of the front-row for the restart with 71 laps to go in Stage One and quickly gained the lead for the first time on lap 10. ·       Pulling out to nearly a 2.5-second lead at the 25-lap marker, Larson reported that he was starting to fight free conditions on his Chevrolet as the field closed in on the first round of scheduled pit stops. Crew Chief Cliff Daniels called then-race leader Larson to pit road for four tires and fuel – returning to the field in the sixth position and quickly cycling back to the lead with 36 laps to go in the stage.  ·       After tagging the wall in practice and forcing the team to start at the rear of the field following repairs, Team Chevy playoff contender Kyle Busch quickly became the race’s biggest mover of the race – gaining 18 positions by lap 35 in his No. 8 Casey’s General Stores Camaro ZL1. ·       Lap 63 saw the second caution of the day for two separate incidents, with one including Team Chevy playoff contender William Byron who spun on the backstretch. Still scored in the ninth position, the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 team reported that there was no damage on his Chevrolet. Byron pitted under the caution with Crew Chief Rudy Fugle calling for four scuff tires and fuel – returning to the lineup in the seventh position with 11 laps to go in the stage. ·       Opting for the inside lane of the front-row for the restart, Larson took his Chevrolet back to the lead and continued to pace the field to the green-white checkered flag to claim his fourth stage win of the season. ·       Larson led Chevrolet to three top-10 finishes in Stage One: 1st           Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL14th           Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL19th           Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 STAGE TWO:·       Under the stage break caution, Larson reported to the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team that he would like to be a little tighter on throttle. Leading the field to pit road, Daniels called for four tires, fuel and an adjustment – going on to win the race off pit road to regain a position on the front-row for the start of Stage Two. ·       With a push from his Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate Chase Elliott, Larson jumped his Chevrolet to the early lead with 78 laps to go in Stage Two. The Team Chevy driver continued to build the gap back to second to over a three-second lead at the 105-lap marker. ·       Running in the second position when the caution flew on lap 107, Elliott reported to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 team that his car fired off better for that run. Crew Chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires and fuel – rejoining the field in the second position. In a three-way battle for the lead at the drop of the green, Elliott powered his Chevrolet to the lead when another caution flew at lap 114. Scored as the race leader for the restart, Elliott again took the lead – going on to pace the field until yet another caution flag just eight laps later. ·       The pair of Hendrick Motorsports teammates chose pit strategy under the caution, giving Elliott and Larson front-row starting spots for the restart. Track position paid dividends for Elliott on the restart with the Team Chevy driver able to regain and maintain his position at the top of the leaderboard. Working with older tires, Elliott was still able to build nearly a one-second cushion ahead of the second position in the closing laps of the stage. ·       Remaining under green-flag conditions to the end of the stage, Elliott tallied 47 laps led before losing the lead to a car on fresher tires with two laps remaining in the stage – ultimately taking the green-white checkered flag in the third position to end Stage Two. ·       Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-10 3rd        Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL16th        Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 FINAL STAGE / POST-RACE NOTES: ·       Erik Jones demonstrated the speed in his No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1 in the closing laps of Stage Two – working his Chevrolet up to a top-10 finish in Stage Two. Under the direction of Crew Chief Dave Elenz, Jones brought his Chevrolet to pit road under the stage break caution for four tires and fuel – gaining two positions on pit road to claim a top-five position for the start of the final stage. ·       With a strong restart, Jones challenged for the lead in the opening lap of the stage – going on to settle and maintain the fourth position during the first run of the stage. With green-flag pit stops underway at the midway point of the stage, Jones brought his Chevrolet to pit road for a scheduled four-tire and fuel stop – working his way back up into the top-five after the leaderboard cycled through. ·       Also re-entering the top-10 at the conclusion of the green-flag pit cycle, Elliott progressively picked up positions under the long green-flag run – entering the top-five at lap 233. The Team Chevy driver moved up into the third position when a caution flag flew for another playoff contender (Chris Buescher) with seven laps to go. ·       Looking at an overtime finish, pit strategy shuffled the leaderboard putting Team Chevy drivers in the top-three positions for the restart including Daniel Suarez, who opted to stay out for track position and a front-row starting position for the restart. Joining Suarez was Jones, who elected for a two-tire stop before the final restart of the race. ·       On what ended up being the final restart of the race, two fresh tires provided Jones an opportunity to contend for the lead in the final two laps of the race – ultimately claiming the third position to lead the manufacturer to the finish.

Engineering strategy, quick pit work help return Corvette to GTE Am podium; post-race penalty elevates team from third to second   OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Corvette Racing returned to the GTE Am podium on Sunday with a second-place finish for the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji. Drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone continued their historic run in this year’s championship with their fourth podium finish in six races. It adds to a phenomenal year in which they locked up the class Drivers and Teams titles in the previous round at Monza and took key victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

In its second appearance at Fuji – last year’s debut ended with a fifth-place finish in the GTE Pro category – the Corvette Racing team elected for an aggressive strategy of completing the race with only four pit stops compared to five for most of its competitors. That line of thinking appeared to be the winning call… were it not for two questionable in-race penalties that cost the Corvette team two minutes in the pitlane.

Keating began on pole in class following a stunning lap in Saturday’s qualifying session. He drove a pair of 70-minute stints while a majority of other GTE Am cars stopped 10-15 minutes earlier. His fuel economy with the Corvette’s flat-plane crank V8 engine put the team in prime position for a fourth victory of the season. Unfortunately toward the end of his stint, Keating was involved in side-to-side contact with the eventual race-winning Ferrari that resulted in a damaged right-hand door. The crew quickly repaired the hinge system and swapped out the door on the C8.R’s second pit stop as Keating handed over to Varrone. Adding insult to injury, though, Keating was judged by the race stewards to be responsible for the contact. The Corvette received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty, which Varrone served shortly after he got in the car at the two-and-a-half-hour mark.   The never-give-up spirit of Corvette Racing was evident once again as Varrone’s pace and fuel savings meant he was able to cycle back to the lead inside the final 90 minutes. However, the Corvette was assessed a 10-second pitlane penalty for contact with another GTE car toward the end of his stint. That left Catsburg to drive the final 65 minutes with aims of moving from third to second, but a late-race full-course yellow period hurt his chances and slowed his progress. He crossed the line third in class, but a 10-second, post-race time penalty to the No. 57 Ferrari elevated the Corvette to second. Corvette Racing closes its season in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, November 4.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTE AM: “It’s nice to come out of here with a podium. But it was clear that we should have won the race. Without the penalties, we by far had the best strategy. Ben and Nico did an amazing job fuel-saving. We had, I would say, two questionable penalties and without those we would have won by a country mile. It’s a shame but those are part of it. At least we have won the championship already, so we can’t complain too much. Those races are part of it as well. And it’s nice for the Ferrari boys to win as well. It was a good weekend in terms of execution but a bit of bad luck. But it doesn’t matter. It was a really nice time that we had here at Fuji, and I’m looking forward to coming back.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTE AM: “I think everything went according to plan. We came into the race hoping to do only four stops but it was five because of the penalty. But I still think we did our job the way we exactly planned to do it. I did 2.5 hours in the car; us and the 86 were the only two cars to go on that strategy, and I think it was the right strategy. “The contact with the 54… I can understand why they (the race stewards) viewed it the way they did. To me, we came together. I was right up next to him (Thomas Flohr) and it was my intention to make his braking line tighter. As I went to get close to him, he came over to get into the braking line and the fact is that we came together. But because the normal line is to go out wide for the brake zone, they deemed I went into him more than he went into me. I felt like it was a racing incident.  “All I care about is our race and how we finished. I was not happy with the retaliation, either. They turned him up and gave him some extra speed. Then he caught up to me and ran me off the track at the last turn. I don’t feel like that was the right way to go about a solution. I’m sure he’s mad at me, and I’m mad at him. It’s not the first time we’ve had this conversation. But I feel really good about the car and about our strategy.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – SECOND IN GTE AM: “It was a good stint and we managed to recover some time. Both stints were about saving fuel. I think we were doing good because as we saved fuel, we could start pushing and going for our target. We did a great job, and the car was very good. There were some penalties for Ben and me that we don’t agree with and I don’t think were fair. So that made us fall back. But I was really happy with the pace. The team was really, really good.”

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (September 10, 2023) – Given the CD Racing team’s travails in practice – a bedeviling electrical gremlin that grounded Chris Dyson’s intended car for the weekend – the two-time and defending Trans Am by Pirelli champion counted himself fortunate to be standing on the second step of the Winners Circle podium following the checkered flag at Saturday’s 100-mile Trans Am race at Watkins Glen International with his substantial 2023 championship lead still largely intact. “We had a strong test last week here at the Glen,” Dyson said. “The work we’d done on the car in the two months since Elkhart Lake significantly improved its performance and we were optimistic about our chances this weekend.” But when his #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang experienced electrical system woes in the final pre-qualifying Practice session, the decision was made to replace it with the car raced most recently by Adam Andretti at Sebring in March. “It was fortunate we had the sister car as a backup,” Dyson said. “But it had not been run on track since early this year and we didn’t have the time to transfer over all the detailed tweaks we’d made to my primary car. All things considered, I felt fortunate to qualify third. Justin (Marks) had a strong car and drove well all weekend. He had some issues in practice as well, but they got them sorted for qualifying. I knew going into race day that it was going to be a tough race for us.” Near the halfway mark Dyson passed Boris Said for second place. “But I knew my only chance for a shot at Justin was if there was a full course yellow. I had a good lead on the rest of the field, so I made sure I took care of the car and the tires. But there was no yellow. Generally, it’s not satisfying finishing second, but this time I’m grateful. From a points perspective this was a pretty good result.” Next Up: Meet Me in St. Louis The Trans Am Series’ next event for the headline TA class is September 22-24 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis. “I’m confident we will be bringing a strong car to Gateway” Dyson said. “We’ve got about ten days to get everything sorted. I like scoring well and leading the championship, but I want some more race wins before this campaign wraps up. I am looking forward to a great race.” Watkins Glen Rebroadcast Schedule A 60-minute feature on the Watkins Glen race will be broadcast this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices. For more on Chris Dyson Racing, visit chrisdysonracing.com GYM WEED, PLANTS WITH BENEFITS GYM WEED, the hemp infused sports nutrition products to help take your workouts to a higher level.  GYM WEED is paired with the power of Hemp Extract and additional functional ingredients to enhance performance and support recovery.  GYM WEED products are third party lab tested and THC FREE to ensure safe, high-quality ingredients at the right dose. allgram Your Data is Yours! allgram is the next generation decentralized Peer to Peer secure communication platform hosted on the blockchain and developed with cyber and information security as the core elements of the solution. Leveraging Digital IDs you can communicate securely via chat, voice, video, & social media knowing that nobody is accessing your data. DIGITAL ID – Digital IDs are authenticated through the blockchain for true identity verification. CHAT – Peer to Peer communication via text, voice and video with no central servers. SCHEDULE CALLS – Send meeting invites using allgram calendar for business or personal use. SOCIAL MEDIA – Create private or public clubs and share posts securely with no targeted advertisements.

The Clovis, CA phenom leads all 40 laps for Gold Cup glory in home state

CHICO, CA (September 9, 2023) – The Sprint Car world knew a Corey Day breakthrough on the big stage was imminent. And the day arrived Saturday at Silver Dollar Speedway’s California crown jewel event.

The Clovis, CA native has shined primarily on the west coast but also in other parts of the country over the past two years. Racking up wins against California’s toughest competition and impressing as he debuted at tracks in the Midwest suggested the kid was destined for stardom. And in Chico, CA, Day made the strongest testament to that path.

In the 69th running of the Curb Records Gold Cup Race of Champions presented by Riebes Auto Parts, Day started on the pole and drove a perfect race to claim his first career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victory. The 17-year-old led every circuit of the 40-lap finale to collect a $25,000 payday and a special triumph in his home state.

After the checkered flag flew, Day gassed the Jason Meyers Racing #14 around the quarter mile powered by emotion. After parking in Victory Lane, Day climbed completely atop the wing to a massive applause of the crowd happy to see one of their own take California’s biggest race.

“This is kind of where I got my start and really put myself on the map with my first breakout run,” Day said. “It’s unbelievable to be there. To do it in front of you fans is unreal. The amount of Corey Day shirts I’ve seen here this weekend is awesome. I appreciate you guys so much. I’m just at a loss for words. We’ve been close a couple times. We were close at Skagit, close at Perris and Bakersfield last year and couldn’t do it. This is a relief, for sure. It’s something I’ve dreamed about for a long time.”

The win came in only Day’s 19th career Feature start with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He became the seventh different driver to notch their first Series win at Silver Dollar Speedway and only the third, joining Kyle Larson (2011) and Jonathan Allard (2014), to do so in the Gold Cup finale. Day became the second competitor to earn their first victory this year along with Brady Bacon. The World of Outlaws all-time win list now sits at 151 different drivers. He also followed the footsteps of his car owner as Jason Meyers is a former Gold Cup champ (2010 & 2013).

For Day, the win came as a culmination of a nearly perfect night. After locking in the Toyota Racing Dash through his Thursday prelim night, the teenager was able to rest easy early on while most of the others competed in four Heat Races. When the time came to draw for Dash starting spots, Day was the last one to draw, and the one was all that was left, putting him on the pole. After trading a few sliders and crossovers with Buddy Kofoid, Day went on to top the Dash.

In the Feature, the main challenge became navigating a bevy of restarts early in the night. A collection of cautions interrupted the flow in the opening laps. But Day never got rattled. Each time the green flag flew, he would pull ahead of Buddy Kofoid.

As the race neared the halfway mark, the action ramped up behind Day. Kofoid tripped up on the cushion on Lap 15, allowing Justin Sanders and Carson Macedo by to take spots two and three. Then three circuits later, Macedo slipped by Sanders to take over the runner-up position. 

Macedo looked to be closing on Day, but then disaster struck for the Lemoore, CA native on the 25th lap when he went over the cushion in Turn 2 and fell to 10th by the time he regained control, effectively ending his hopes. Sanders took over the second spot with Macedo’s misfortune.

As the laps faded, Day’s biggest challenge became traffic and getting smoothly through a part of the racetrack. He began to have problems exiting Turn 4 inside 10 laps to go allowing Sanders and Kofoid to close. The gap dwindled from over three seconds to less than two.

“I didn’t know if they (Sanders and Kofoid) were on me or if they weren’t,” Day admitted. “Honestly, I sucked on the bottom of (Turns) 3 and 4. I could not get off (Turn) 4 and get through the center to save my life. I’ve lost races by getting passed around the top at this place, and I’ve won doing the same thing, so I didn’t know where to be. I was just trying to get around lapped cars.”

But even with the trouble getting ahold of that part of the track, it wouldn’t matter in the end. Ultimately, Day maintained the speed he needed to take the checkered flag with more than a two-second lead and cement his name in the history books in front of his home crowd.

“It’s a dream come true,” Day said. “It’s been one of my goals for ever since I started racing. When you start racing, you want to be an Outlaw one day. To have my name on the list of winners is unreal.”

Claiming the second spot for the second night in a row was Justin Sanders. The result also marked Sanders’ second runner-up in the Gold Cup finale with the other coming in 2017. Overall, Sanders came away very satisfied with the effort of he and his Mittry 2X Racing team but did feel a tinge of disappointment with being a spot away.”

“This is awesome to run second at a big race like this,” Sanders said. “It’s kind of a bummer being just one spot short both nights. I would’ve liked to at least get one of them, but we’ll take it. Like I said, congrats to Corey. He’s going to win a lot of them. Hopefully we can get one one day.”

Completing the top three was Buddy Kofoid to give California natives a podium sweep every single night of this year’s Gold Cup. Like the two ahead of him, Kofoid landed on the podium both of his nights after topping Friday’s prelim. The Penngrove, CA native felt his Roth Motorsports #83 was strong enough to contend for the victory had circumstances presented him with the right opportunity.

“I felt like we had a really good car,” Kofoid said. “I moved up early to try the top, and it was just super dirty because the bottom was so good. I just tried to work it in and probably got tight a couple times and launched myself off and would fall back to fifth. I’d drive back to third, get second, fall back to fourth, and get back to second. So, I thought we had a really good car. I feel like even towards the end with Justin and I racing we were catching the leader a little bit. It would’ve been nice to have a yellow, or if the top would’ve come in a little bit better I feel like it would’ve created an even better race.

Dominic Scelzi and Brad Sweet rounded out the top five.

An 18th to ninth effort gave Chase Randall the KSE Racing Hard Charger.

CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One went to Spencer Bayston. NOS Energy Drink Heats Two through Four were topped by Dominic Scelzi, Carson Macedo, and Logan Schuchart.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars complete the west coast swing with two more nights in California. First up is Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA on Friday, September 15 for the $21,000-to-win Tom Tarlton Classic. The next night takes the tour up to Placerville Speedway for the Federated Auto Parts 49er Gold Rush Classic. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the racing live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS:

NOS Energy Drink Feature (40 Laps): 1. 14-Corey Day[1]; 2. 2X-Justin Sanders[3]; 3. 83JR-Michael Kofoid[2]; 4. 41S-Dominic Scelzi[7]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet[9]; 6. 17W-Shane Golobic[5]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart[6]; 8. 5-Spencer Bayston[8]; 9. 57W-Chase Randall[18]; 10. 24X-Chase Johnson[12]; 11. 24-Rico Abreu[14]; 12. 41-Carson Macedo[4]; 13. 15-Donny Schatz[20]; 14. 17M-Kalib Henry[11]; 15. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[16]; 16. 2-David Gravel[10]; 17. 42X-Justyn Cox[24]; 18. 83-James McFadden[21]; 19. 20G-Noah Gass[15]; 20. (DNF) 18-Giovanni Scelzi[17]; 21. (DNF) 0-Jonathan Allard[23]; 22. (DNF) X1-Michael Faccinto[13]; 23. (DNF) 92-Andy Forsberg[19]; 24. (DNF) 22-Ryan Bernal[22]

ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 9, 2023) – For many years before strapping into a race car of his own, Hudson O’Neal came to Eldora Speedway and watched his father, Don O’Neal, compete in the world’s most prestigious Dirt Late Model race and come up empty-handed.

Now, at only 23 years old, Hudson has a globe of his own, bringing one of American motorsports’ most coveted trophies into the O’Neal home as victor of the 53rd World 100.

After a jubilant celebration in Victory Lane atop the Rocket1 Racing, Rocket/Durham #1, Hudson jumped down from the roof of his DIRTcar Late Model and immediately met Don – 2022 Class member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame – and shared a long, tearful embrace.

“[My dad] came so close so many times, leading and then would break, or had a chance and then cards didn’t play right and so on,” O’Neal said, recalling his days at the track as a child, watching his father race in the same event. “He came here, tried and tried and tried and just never could quite get it done.

“He’s told me for years that he wants me to win it more than he wanted to win it. It was special, the moment that we had up there. I’m just so happy he was here to witness and be a part of it.”

The next person with whom he shared a big hug – his car owner, Mark Richards. For 50 years, the Rocket Chassis co-owner had come to Eldora Speedway with the vision of one day being able to watch a car of his own pushed onto the World 100 Victory Lane stage. For 50 years, he was forced to wait for that experience, watching his own team drivers and those that he crewed for – Rodney Combs, Davey Johnson, and son Josh Richards – denied of the spotlight in the World 100.

That, too, changed Saturday night, as O’Neal crossed the finish line first to give the Rocket Chassis house team its first World 100 triumph and become the first driver from the State of Indiana to win the famed event.

“It just shows the passion that they take in what they do and how long they’ve been coming here, trying to win this race,” O’Neal said about what the win meant to him and his crew members. “Mark told me on the podium – it had been 50 years this year, 50 years he’s been coming here trying to win this race.

“I’m just very blessed to be the one to deliver that to him.”

O’Neal, of Martinsville, IN, delivered in dramatic fashion, passing five-time globe winner Jonathan Davenport in a slide-job/crossover battle that ensued from Lap 90 to Lap 92, when O’Neal sealed the pass with one final slide-job through Turns 1-2.

“I didn’t realize he was coming when he threw that slider, it kinda surprised me,” Davenport said. “I threw one back, we went back-and-forth, but just wasn’t good enough to hang with him.”

Now with the lead and an expanding gap on Davenport, O’Neal appeared to be directly en route to victory as he clicked the laps down and rounded Turn 4 to collect the white flag, but the yellow flag was displayed. A slowing Kyle Strickler had drawn a caution period and restacked the field for one final restart in green-white-checkered fashion.

“I saw the five-to-go [signal] and my shoulders started getting wider and wider,” O’Neal said. “Then, the caution came out, and it crushed me in my seat.”

With Davenport and Friday night Prelim Feature winner Brian Shirley now right on his bumper, O’Neal hammered the throttle on the restart and drove away out of Turn 2, gapping Davenport and coming back around to collect the white flag.

Try as he may, however, Davenport – the veteran driver from Blairsville, GA – was unable to catch the young Indianan out front and settled for runner-up.

“He just got up there and got a little bit more that I didn’t know was there,” Davenport said. “[O’Neal] and one or two others are the best at running the fence. I just ain’t quite as good as they are, and I just wasn’t set up to do that, really.”

Davenport had taken the lead from O’Neal on Lap 52 after a restart, slipping underneath him into Turn 1 and driving off with the spot. For the next 40 circuits around the half-mile, Davenport showed the way, but O’Neal never let him out of his sights.

“I was running pretty hard and wasn’t pulling away from [O’Neal] any,” Davenport said. “Just trying to move around a little bit and find a little bit extra to get a gap there. He obviously just found a little bit more up on the top.”

A fellow veteran of the Dirt Late Model world, albeit with less history, Davenport expressed his admiration and respect for the man in charge of the car that bested him, having competed against Richards’ cars for the majority of his national Late Model career.

“If anybody else is deserving of a win in this thing, it’s definitely [Mark Richards] for how long he’s tried to win it and how much he’s put in the sport,” Davenport said. “He’s put his heart and soul into this sport going up and down the road with his company.”

2005 World 100 winner Dale McDowell, 57, of Chickamauga, GA, claimed the final podium spot after snagging the final transfer spot in B-Main #1, starting 27th on the Feature grid and advancing 24 spots of position to come home third. Multi-time DIRTcar Late Model national champion Brian Shirley, of Chatham, IL, crossed in fourth, while Tanner English rounded out the top-five from 25th on the grid in his first career World 100 main event start.

RESULTS

53rd Annual World 100 (100 Laps): 1. 1-Hudson O’Neal[2]; 2. 49-Jonathan Davenport[5]; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell[27]; 4. 8S-Brian Shirley[9]; 5. 96V-Tanner English[25]; 6. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 7. 22-Chris Ferguson[3]; 8. 19R-Ryan Gustin[12]; 9. 1T-Tyler Erb[16]; 10. B5-Brandon Sheppard[18]; 11. 157-Mike Marlar[15]; 12. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[19]; 13. 9-Nick Hoffman[26]; 14. 40B-Kyle Bronson[4]; 15. 8-Kyle Strickler[10]; 16. 25F-Jason Feger[6]; 17. 20-Jimmy Owens[11]; 18. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[29]; 19. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[17]; 20. 25-Shane Clanton[23]; 21. 32-Bobby Pierce[13]; 22. 4-Brandon Overton[24]; 23. 99-Devin Moran[7]; 24. 87-Chris Madden[8]; 25. 2S-Stormy Scott[22]; 26. 58-Garrett Alberson[28]; 27. 23-Cory Hedgecock[30]; 28. 18-Shannon Babb[14]; 29. 11R-Josh Rice[21]; 30. 12-Jason Jameson[20]

Engineering strategy, quick pit work help return Corvette to GTE Am podium OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Corvette Racing returned to the GTE Am podium on Sunday with a third-place finish for the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji. Drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone continued their historic run in this year’s championship with their fourth podium finish in six races. It adds to a phenomenal year in which they locked up the class Drivers and Teams titles in the previous round at Monza and took key victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 1,000 Miles of Sebring.

In its second appearance at Fuji – last year’s debut ended with a fifth-place finish in the GTE Pro category – the Corvette Racing team elected for an aggressive strategy of completing the race with only four pit stops compared to five for most of its competitors. That line of thinking appeared to be the winning call… were it not for two questionable in-race penalties that cost the Corvette team two minutes in the pitlane.

Keating began on pole in class following a stunning lap in Saturday’s qualifying session. He drove a pair of 70-minute stints while a majority of other GTE Am cars stopped 10-15 minutes earlier. His fuel economy with the Corvette’s flat-plane crank V8 engine put the team in prime position for a fourth victory of the season. Unfortunately toward the end of his stint, Keating was involved in side-to-side contact with the eventual race-winning Ferrari that resulted in a damaged right-hand door. The crew quickly repaired the hinge system and swapped out the door on the C8.R’s second pit stop as Keating handed over to Varrone. Adding insult to injury, though, Keating was judged by the race stewards to be responsible for the contact. The Corvette received a 30-second stop-and-go penalty, which Varrone served shortly after he got in the car at the two-and-a-half-hour mark.   The never-give-up spirit of Corvette Racing was evident once again as Varrone’s pace and fuel savings meant he was able to cycle back to the lead inside the final 90 minutes. However, the Corvette was assessed a 10-second pitlane penalty for contact with another GTE car toward the end of his stint. That left Catsburg to drive the final 65 minutes with aims of moving from third to second, but a late-race full-course yellow period hurt his chances and slowed his progress. Still, it was a satisfying result in the team’s return to Japan. Corvette Racing closes its season in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the Eight Hours of Bahrain on Saturday, November 4.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THRID IN GTE AM: “It’s nice to come out of here with a podium. But it was clear that we should have won the race. Without the penalties, we by far had the best strategy. Ben and Nico did an amazing job fuel-saving. We had, I would say, two questionable penalties and without those we would have won by a country mile. It’s a shame but those are part of it. At least we have won the championship already, so we can’t complain too much. Those races are part of it as well. And it’s nice for the Ferrari boys to win as well. It was a good weekend in terms of execution but a bit of bad luck. But it doesn’t matter. It was a really nice time that we had here at Fuji, and I’m looking forward to coming back.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THRID IN GTE AM: “I think everything went according to plan. We came into the race hoping to do only four stops but it was five because of the penalty. But I still think we did our job the way we exactly planned to do it. I did 2.5 hours in the car; us and the 86 were the only two cars to go on that strategy, and I think it was the right strategy.”The contact with the 54… I can understand why they (the race stewards) viewed it the way they did. To me, we came together. I was right up next to him (Thomas Flohr) and it was my intention to make his braking line tighter. As I went to get close to him, he came over to get into the braking line and the fact is that we came together. But because the normal line is to go out wide for the brake zone, they deemed I went into him more than he went into me. I felt like it was a racing incident. “All I care about is our race and how we finished. I was not happy with the retaliation, either. They turned him up and gave him some extra speed. Then he caught up to me and ran me off the track at the last turn. I don’t feel like that was the right way to go about a solution. I’m sure he’s mad at me, and I’m mad at him. It’s not the first time we’ve had this conversation. But I feel really good about the car and about our strategy.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – THRID IN GTE AM: “It was a good stint and we managed to recover some time. Both stints were about saving fuel. I think we were doing good because as we saved fuel, we could start pushing and going for our target. We did a great job, and the car was very good. There were some penalties for Ben and me that we don’t agree with and I don’t think were fair. So that made us fall back. But I was really happy with the pace. The team was really, really good.”

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R overcomes issues to place 10th in the six-hour race

OYAMA, Japan (Sept. 10, 2023) – Spectators comprising record attendance of 54,700 for an FIA World Endurance Championship race at Fuji International Speedway were treated to an intriguing and dramatic six-hour race. It was much too dramatic in the eyes of the No 2 Cadillac V-Series.R team.

After qualifying in the top six of the Hypercar classification for the fourth time in six races, Alex Lynn was running in the top five through the lone safety car period of the race and the initial round of pit stops. Tire degradation late in Lynn’s second hour in the hybrid racecar on the 16-turn, 2.84-mile road course played a major factor in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R fading to eighth when he pitted and gave way to Richard Westbrook. Compounding the issue over the final 4 hours, 2 minutes were two drive-thru penalties for infractions and an eight-minute garage visit after the left-front wheel ring sheared off and the tire left the hub and out of harm’s way on the track. Earl Bamber brought the car to pit lane with 1 hour, 40 minutes left. After repairs, Bamber soldiered on for 10th place in class, tying the team’s lowest finish in the six races. The pole-sitting No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing LMH, featuring former Cadillac Racing endurance race drivers Kamui Kobayashi and Mike Conway, won its home race. Media resource: Cadillac Racing high-resolution images for editorial use The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R is still one of only five Hypercars to be running at the finish of every race. Cadillac Racing’s initial WEC season concludes Nov. 4 with the Eight Hours of Bahrain at the 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer), 15-turn Bahrain International Circuit.This week, the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R will look for victory in the penultimate race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.What they’re saying

Alex Lynn: “Unfortunately, it wasn’t our day for a few reasons, but we’ll learn a lot, regroup and go again in Bahrain.” Earl Bamber: “It was a disappointing race after a solid qualifying that put us in position to challenge for another podium. Being a completely new team in the WEC and the first time at the track with this car, we’re learning. We’ll take the lessons from Fuji and move on to Bahrain.” Richard Westbrook: “Tough race for us. We really turned things around after a difficult Friday. Alex did a fantastic job in qualifying. He gave us a lot of hope in the race, but we have a few headwinds. The car is just very difficult to drive over a double stint. We’ll learn, get better and look forward to Bahrain.”