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CAPPS DEBUT IN GR SUPRA ENDS WITH FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE IN CHARLOTTE

Four-Wide Nationals Prove Daunting for Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters

CONCORD, N.C. (May 1, 2022) – The first race for defending Funny Car Champion Ron Capps behind the wheel of the new GR Supra resulted in a final-round appearance in the four-wide nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina. Capps would finish in the third position and ultimately take semi-final points. The Toyota Top Fuel dragsters of Justin Ashley and Doug Kalitta made it to the second round, but in a day full of upset winners, their respective days ended in round two.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

zMax Dragway

Race 6 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS  —  Race Winner:    Mike Salinas

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Justin AshleyPhillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 2W. 3.735 vs. 3.841 (Ferre) vs. 5.623 (Brown) vs. 28.0 (Prock) L. 5.547 vs. 3.708 (Salinas) vs. 3.924 (Ferre) vs. 4.344 (Kalitta)
Doug KalittaAutodesk Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 2W. 3.725 vs. 3.765 (Salinas) vs. 3.806 (Laughlin) vs. 4.082 (Foley) L. 4.344 vs. 3.708 (Salinas) vs. 3.924 (Ferre) vs. 5.547 (Ashley)
Steve TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L. 3.967 vs. 3.748 (Millican) vs. 3.788 (Hart) vs. 4.028 (Langdon)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L. 5.623 vs. 3.735(Ashley) vs. 3.841 (Ferre) vs. 28.0 (Prock)
Shawn LangdonCMR Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L. 4.028 vs. 3.748 (Millican) vs. 3.788 (Hart) vs. 3.967 (Torrence)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS  — Race Winner:   John Force

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Ron CappsNAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSemi-FinalsW. 3.923 vs. 3.892 (Todd) vs. 4.020 (Creasy Jr.) vs. 4.026 (Green) W. 3.954 vs. 4.031 (McIntire Jr.) vs. 8.168 (Hagan) vs. 10.389 (Todd) L. 4.253 vs. 3.914 (Force) vs. 4.038 (Hight) vs. 9.391 (McIntire Jr.)
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarRound 2W. 3.892 vs. 3.923 (Capps) vs. 4.020 (Creasy Jr.) vs. 4.026 (Green) L. 10.389 vs. 3.954 (Capps) vs. 4.031 (McIntire Jr.) vs. 8.168 (Hagan)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarRound 1L. 3.899 vs. 3.878 (Tasca) vs. 3.892 (Force)

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Finals

What can you say about your first race weekend in the GR Supra Funny Car?

“Close to being a dream weekend, but I can’t thank Toyota enough for moving up the chance to run this GR Supra body. To be able to do this at four-wide and really have the data from everybody and really my first time driving the GR Supra was when we went out there in Q1 and went right down the track, which was – I probably gave Guido (crew chief) the biggest hug I’ve ever given him. I was so relieved and so happy. Having Slugger (Labbe, TGRNA) and all the guys that worked so hard to make this happen – just ecstatic really. A lot of hard work had to come together for us to be here and do this. Everyone from the design of the car, the paint scheme, but now we get out other Supra body and we’ll be raring to go for Richmond and we can start getting after it.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Round 2

How did the win in round one help your team continue to learn and move forward?

“We’ve just been struggling for whatever reason and stupid little things happen and some things are out of our control, but nonetheless, don’t worry about the past. We’re looking into the future. It would be a good day to win here at zMax for Toyota Gazoo Racing North America, DHL, CMR and all of our sponsors that are here this weekend. I was ready and I was third off the line and I thought I wasn’t that late. It’s tough out here right now in Funny Car.” 

JUSTIN ASHLEY CLAIMS FIRST TOP-QUALIFIER

Addition of Capps Means Three GR Supra Funny Cars at Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. (April 30, 2022) – Justin Ashley claimed his first career top-qualifier with a 3.669 second run during Friday night’s qualifying session at the 4-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina. Thursday’s announcement of Ron Capps joining the Toyota Gazoo Racing North America family means that three GR Supra Funny Cars will take to the track for Sunday afternoon’s event. In Capps’ inaugural race with Toyota, he took the number three qualifier position at 3.873 seconds.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

zMax Dragway

Race 6 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
Justin AshleyPhillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster1 – (3.669)C. Ferre (3.854)A. Prock (3.719)A. Brown (3.729)
Doug KalittaAutodesk Toyota Top Fuel Dragster4 – (3.700)A. Laughlin (3.777)M. Salinas (3.706)D. Foley (3.774)
Steve TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster3 – (3.694)S. Langdon (3.798)J. Hart (3.715)C. Millican (3.756)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster9 – (3.729)J. Ashley (3.669)C. Ferre (3.854)A. Prock (3.719)
Shawn LangdonCMR Toyota Top Fuel Dragster14 – (3.798)S. Torrence (3.694)J. Hart (3.715)C. Millican (3.756)

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

NameCarQualifying PositionFirst Round Opponent
John ForceJFR Funny Car*1 – (3.850)B. Tasca (3.909)A. DeJoria (3.936)
Ron CappsNAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra3 – (3.873)J. Todd (3.893)D. Creasy Jr. (4.100)C. Green (4.002)
J.R. Todd DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car6 – (3.893)R. Capps (3.873)D. Creasy Jr. (4.100)C. Green (4.002)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car

GOLDEN DRIVE AT SILVER DOLLAR: DAY CRUISES TO DOMINANT CHICO WIN IN DAVID TARTER MEMORIAL

(4/30/2022 – Alex Nieten) Chico, CA… The legend of Corey Day continues to grow.

The second-generation driver crushed the field in Saturday’s David Tarter Memorial at Silver Dollar Speedway to pick up his third career NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car victory in just his 15th series start at just 16 years of age. Day led all 35-laps of the Fujitsu Feature en route to what amounted to a $5250 payday factoring in the lap money he earned for pacing every circuit.

With the victory Day put his name next to the likes of Brad Sweet and Gio Scelzi on the all-time series win list, and he was quick to credit his crew for preparing a perfect race car and allowing him to do so.

“I’ve got to credit my dad again,” Day said in victory lane. “This thing basically drove itself tonight. I also can’t thank HP and Eddy enough. They made the five hour trip up here this weekend to help us.”

Day led the field to green in the Four CCCC’s Construction No. 41 with Blake Carrick alongside him. On the first circuit Landon Brooks, making just his third series start, drove around Carrick to secure second. Day distanced himself early on and just as he neared traffic the race’s first yellow flew as Tim Kaeding spun in turn two.

On the restart Justin Sanders jumped onto the podium in the Mittry Racing/Farmers Brewing Co. No. 2X by passing Carrick, but another yellow flew just two laps later as Max Mittry and Austin Wheatley tangled.

When racing resumed Sanders snatched second from Brooks, and a hard charging Sean Becker climbed to fourth after starting 13th. On lap 15 Day faced his only real challenge when, stuck in traffic, Sanders cleared him with a turn three slider, but a yellow for none other than Sanders’ teammate stopping negated the pass.

“I saw his (Sanders) teammate, Max Mittry, go off the edge and slow down,” Day recalled. “I was thankful for that because I knew that if he would’ve gotten the lead he would’ve probably left me. That yellow definitely saved our race there.”

On the restart Brooks stole second back from Sanders while Day drove away. As Day negotiated traffic Brooks began to fade as Sanders, Becker and a surging Dominic Scelzi went by him. Day’s lead continued to grow and grow in traffic as Scelzi began to battle with Sanders for second.

“The track was great,” Day said of what helped him in traffic. “Hats off to Colby (Copeland) and the whole track crew. It was really racy. There was a good bottom, a good top, and you could even roll through the middle there. It made getting through lap traffic a little easier with multiple lanes there.”

Ultimately Day crossed the line with a commanding margin of victory, his lead at the checkered flag a whopping 6.6 seconds, or roughly half the time it takes to circle Silver Dollar Speedway in a sprint car. Day’s David Tarter Memorial victory netted him $5250, and the wise teenager has prudent plans for the prize.

“Put it in the bank,” Day said of where the winnings will go.

Sanders held on to the runner-up spot.

Scelzi completed a solid charge from 10th to third in the Red Rose Transportation/Whipple Superchargers No. 41, his second consecutive podium to start the year in his bid for back to back titles.

“We were really good all feature long,” Scelzi said. “We just got a bad really bad start. We started on the outside, and I didn’t think that was a problem. I just got into (turn) one, and everybody sort of checked up and I kind of played it safe… To come from 10th after my crappy start I’m happy with that, another podium. We’ve got the speed. Guys like Corey and Justin, they’ve done their homework and got better, and it’s made it a lot of fun to race.”

A notable name could be found 15th in the rundown. Making his final Silver Dollar Speedway start in Clyde Lamar’s TRI-C Machine, Paul McMahan drove from 22nd to secure a solid 15th place result in his first Chico appearance since 2017.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (35 laps): 1. Corey Day 41X 2. Justin Sanders 2X 3. Dominic Scelzi 41 4. Sean Becker 16A 5. Tanner Carrick 83T 6. Shane Golobic 17W 7. Ryan Bernal 17WX 8. Kalib Henry 17 9. Blake Carrick 38B 10. Bud Kaeding 69 11. Joel Myers Jr. 83V 12. Mitchell Faccinto 21 13. Landon Brooks 5V 14. Willie Croft 29 15. Paul McMahan 3C 16. John Clark 12J 17. Tanner Holmes 18T 18. Tim Kaeding 42X 19. Chase Johnson 24 20. Michael Faccinto 56 21. Garen Linder 22 22. Billy Aron 26 23. Austin Wheatley 44W 24. Max Mittry 2XM

HOOSIER TIRE LAP LEADERS: Corey Day 1-35

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Sean Becker 13th to 4th

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (30 cars): Max Mittry 12.525

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (10 laps): Golobic, Wheatley, Brooks, Faccinto, Kaeding, Mittry, Johnson, McMahan

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (10 laps): Scelzi, Carrick, Sanders, Faccinto, Holmes, Linder, Foland Jr.

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (10 laps): Becker, Henry, Croft, Clark, Aton, Fielding, Strole

KAEDING PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (10 laps): Bernal, Day, Carrick, Myers Jr., Kaesong, Kent, Bell

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (6 laps): Day, Carrick, Brooks, Henry, Sanders, Croft

STARR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SEMI (12 laps): Mittry, McMahan, Johnson, Kent, Linder, Forler, Strole, Foland Jr., Bell, Fielding

Runner Up Finish for Julie Nataas at Final SpringNationals

Apr 27, 2022 | Featured, Julie Nataas, Race Results

When it was announced that there would be one final race at Houston Raceway before they closed their doors, Randy Meyer Racing knew they had to honor their past success there and give it one more go with drivers Julie Nataas and Hunter Green. Nataas scored another No. 1 qualifier and reached her 11th national event final round while Green went to the quarterfinals at the NHRA SpringNationals. 

Coming into raceday, Julie continued her dominating performance as she drove straight down Houston Raceway in the final session to grab the No. 1 qualifying position with a 5.208-second pass at 279.27 mph. Green qualified No. 10 with a stable 5.394, 262.90.

First round, Julie used a major starting line advantage and a 5.305, 272.01 to defeat Buddy Domingue’s 9.003, 109.90. Hunter Green followed right behind with his first career national event round win with an .024-second reaction time and a 5.401, 264.49 to take out Steve Collier’s 5.488, 266.11.

Second round, Hunter Green once again had a large starting line advantage over his competitor Madison Payne but his 5.437, 267.32 wasn’t enough to outrun Payne’s 5.316, 272.94. Julie broke the beams on her bye run and pushed back to prepare for Sunday’s eliminations in the quarterfinals. 

In the semifinals, Julie staged up against Madison Payne. Julie was .039 on the tree and never looked back. Her 5.216, 279.79 lit up her win light in her left lane over Payne’s 5.349, 273.11. 

In her 11th career national event final round, Julie took on Joey Severance; the pair had both won three times against the other in elimination rounds in prior events. Nataas and Severance left together on the starting line and the battle was on. Julie had to pedal her dragster but recovered with ease and still managed to clock in with a 5.358, 278.69 but it wasn’t enough to edge out Severance’s 5.239, 276.35.

chevy racing–indycar–grand prix of alabama advance

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GRAND PRIX OF ALABAMA BARBER MOTORSPORTS PARK BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE APRIL 27, 2022
Better at Barber: Chevrolet Riding Strong History to Alabama GPTeam Chevy on rare run to open 2022 racing seasonDETROIT (April 27, 2022) – Chevrolet is hoping to add to a stellar start to the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES this weekend when its teams head to scenic Barber Motorsports Park for the Grand Prix of Alabama. Team Chevy is on a three-race win streak to open the season and heads to a venue where it has enjoyed incredible success during the past decade. It has been 10 years since Chevrolet opened an INDYCAR season with four consecutive victories to signal its return to North American open-wheel racing. The 2017 season was the last time the Bowtie Brand won four races in row when it won five times late the season. The odds appear to be in Team Chevy’s favor this weekend. A Chevrolet driver has won six times with the 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn circuit just outside Birmingham including four straight from 2015-18. “It’s a gratifying feeling to be able to celebrate with our Chevrolet engineers, drivers and teams at the end of every race win,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “To do so three times to start this season is extra special. I wouldn’t say we are completely surprised because we expect to win every race. But we also recognize the high level of competition in INDYCAR at the moment. Our engineers will continue to work hard to find improvements with our teams to keep Chevrolet at the front each weekend. “As to Barber itself, the track presents a number of challenges. It’s the first natural-terrain road course of the year. That means lots of elevation change and punishing runoff areas that always get the attention of drivers. Consistent power application and fuel management across the hills and around all 17 corners will be key. There’s nothing more we’d like than to go into the month of May and Indianapolis with another victory.” Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden is the hottest driver in INDYCAR with the points lead and consecutive victories at Texas and Long Beach. Now he heads to a Barber Motorsports Park where he has won three times – the most of any driver in the series. A win there by the No. 2 Team Penske Hitachi Chevrolet would net Newgarden the PeopleReady Force for Good Challenge, which rewards the first driver to win on an oval, street circuit and road course in the same season. That driver will share $500,000 with his or her team and donate $500,000 to that driver and team’s chosen charity. Penske teammate Scott McLaughlin won the season’s opening street race at St. Petersburg and sits second in points. With two pole positions in three races, Chevrolet also leads the Engine Manufacturer Championship. In addition to Team Penske, Ed Carpenter Racing has found its share of success at Barber. It won with Newgarden in 2015 and has two additional top-10 finishes at Barber. Chevrolet and the NTT INDYCAR Series continue the 2022 season at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 1 from Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala. The race will air live on NBC, the Peacock streaming service and SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160). Live timing and scoring will be available at racecontrol.indycar.comTEAM CHEVY QUOTESJOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE: “I love Barber and how close it is to Nashville. Before the Music City Grand Prix, it was kind of my home race to some degree. I love the high-speed nature of Barber. It’s a lot of high-speed commitment from a lot of the corners which makes it a lot of fun to drive. It suits my style, for sure. It’s all about flow and carrying big speed and putting the car on the edge. That’s what I like most about it.””It’ll be fascinating to see how we go on a permanent road course. I think we’ve proven we can have a good street-course car and a good oval car, but we need to have a good road-course car to complete the set. So I’m really looking forward to it.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 SONSIO CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET: “Excited to head back to Barber. I think for me it was my first race last year in INDYCAR and it was just trying to take it all in at that point. Now after having a year and a few more races under my belt I am excited to head back to a track I actually originally enjoyed. I love the track. I think it is a roller coaster. It reminds me a lot of the bravery and commitment you need on some of the big tracks in Australia. I think with the experience I’ve gained in the last 18 months, I feel really strong and excited to head back to a track. It really kicks off our road course campaign. It’s the first road course we’ve had this year. I’m excited to see how the car feels like. What the changes we have made in the off-season feels like. It’s been good on the street circuits and ovals. This will be our first road course test and I think we can be right at the front and put Team Chevy in Victory Lane.”  DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE INSULATORS CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING: “Can’t wait to get on track at Barber. Barber’s always been one of the cool tracks on thecircuit–it’s a well-maintained, well-put-together circuit. It’s a fun track to drive and challenging physically. It can be hard to pass so we’ll have to be working on that. Obviously qualifying is going to be super important so we’ll be keeping that theme of focusing really aggressively on qualifying through the practice and getting ready for those qualifying runs to get a good start for the race. Looks like ticket sales are going great so looking forward to a busy weekend with all the INDYCAR fans there. The No. 4 K-Line Insulator crew will be ready.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET, ARROW McLAREN RACING SP:“I love Barber. It’s one of my favorite racetracks because it’s a very high commitment track. I’ve always said it’s one of the most beautiful and well taken care of facilities I’ve ever been too. It’s always a great turnout; I also heard it’s going to be a sold-out event on Sunday so I’m sure it’s going to be a great event for everyone to watch and for us to entertain. Looking forward to continuing on the momentum we have built and getting some great points for our championship.” FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 VUSE ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET,ARROW McLAREN RACING SP: “It’s good to be going back to a proper road course, Barber, it’s the first one this year. It’s a great track; it’s a cool, physical, and mental challenge. It’s always a great joy to drive that track. I think as a team both Pato and I, and everyone working on the cars, are ready to have a solid result. We are looking forward to getting some good points to get the season going.” TATIANA CALDERON, NO. 11 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING: “I’m really looking forward to Barber. Although I have been there in Star Mazda, I have to say I had to watch a lot of onboards to remember the whole track, so it will be a new track to learn for me. The only thing I remember from Barber was that I had my first podium in Star Mazda there. It’s our first permanent track of the year so I’m excited to be able to explore the limit of the car a bit more freely than in the first two rounds– it’s always tough to do that on a street circuit.  “I have spent the last couple of weeks training hard in Florida (good for heat training), as according to some of the drivers and engineers, Barber is one of the toughest tracks physically. I have done a bit more strength work ahead of this weekend and the different format of having only the race on Sunday (and no warmup) may help for that. I expect a big challenge regardless and for sure trying to catch up as quick as possible as most of the drivers or rookies have tested in Barber recently. My goal is still the same to start off where we left in Long Beach and keep improving every session.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G CHEVROLET, TEAM PENSKE: “Barber will be interesting. People have tested there, so it could a tough race for us. I finished second there last year so hopefully we can build on the setup a little bit and be pretty good when we get there.” KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 ROKIT CHEVROLET, AJ FOYT RACING:“Looking forward to Barber, it’s an awesome race,” Kirkwood said. “I heard it’s sold out and we’re looking forward to getting back on a permanent road course. It’s a track I’m familiar with and a track that the team’s familiar with, and they’ve had pretty good races there in the past so hopefully that momentum continues and we’ll have a good weekend.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING:“Barber is a place where we have been able to test. It’s very fresh in our minds and is a very well-manicured circuit. It’s very different from our street races, obviously. But it also is one of the most physically demanding circuits on the schedule because it has very high G-loads and high levels of grip. It’s an enjoyable circuit to drive. It’s a tougher race circuit until the tires start to wear out and that creates some overtaking. The straights aren’t super-long but it’s a fun track. It’s a little narrow but it doesn’t seem as narrow as a place like Road America, for example.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 SONAX CHEVROLET, ED CARPENTER RACING:“Before Long Beach, we had a great test at Barber Motorsports Park and it made me even more excited to get back there! We have a fast car that can challenge for a Top 5. Ed Carpenter Racing has a strong history at Barber, which is also very good. I really like the track and it’s pretty beautiful in the spring. I might also get a haircut at Barber because it makes sense.” CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 JUNCOS HOLLINGER CHEVROLET, JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING: “After testing the oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week, we are looking forward to our first road course race of the season at Barber. Luckily I got the chance to test at Barber and iron out any little issues we may have had so hopefully we can hit the ground running at Barber. It’s a fun track. It will be difficult to overtake in the race, but hopefully we can get a better qualifying run and move up a few places. Otherwise the weather looks a bit questionable so that could make it a bit interesting, but we will have to see. It would be nice to see what this car is like in the wet.”  BY THE NUMBERS: CHEVROLET IN INDYCAR· 1: Chevrolet’s position in the INDYCAR Engine Manufacturer standings after three races· 3: Career Barber wins for Josef Newgarden. All have been in Chevrolet-powered entries· 3: Consecutive victories by Chevrolet to open the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin won the pole and race at St. Petersburg. Penske teammate Josef Newgarden won at Texas and Long Beach.· 6: Wins for Chevrolet INDYCAR teams at Barber Motorsports Park· 6: Different Chevrolet drivers to win races dating back to the start of 2020. Scott McLaughlin was the most recent at St. Petersburg· 6: Number of Manufacturer Championships in the NTT INDYCAR Series since 2012· 6: Number of Team Chevy Driver/Entrant championships since 2012· 9: Wins from pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver· 13: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including past 10 with Chevrolet· 25: Wins by Will Power since 2012. All have come with Chevrolet, giving him the most of any driver with same manufacturer· 39: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver· 98: Chevrolet victories in NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012· 109: Earned poles by Chevrolet since 2012· 168: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR

DEX Imaging Team Ready To Take On Dover


April 27, 2022


Dover Motor Speedway bills itself as the Monster Mile, but Brian Wilson, crew chief of the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang, said he’s not intimidated over the prospects of racing on the fast, one-mile concrete oval.

In fact, he enjoys the challenges of racing there.

“Personally I think Dover is the most underrated track that we go to,” Wilson said. “I love the speed that we’re able to carry on entry [into the turns], the unloading on entry followed by the big landing moment in the center of the corner. 
 
“I love that you can run a diamond in the center of the corner and also have to pay attention to how the track takes rubber with how that affects the line you run. 
 
“It’s a very challenging race track for cars historically with the amount of load that suspension parts see, but it’s also challenging for crew chiefs in that you have to keep up with the track. 
 
“All of that makes it incredibly rewarding when you run well there.”
 
Wilson said he, driver Harrison Burton and the rest of the DEX Imaging crew are anxious to get back to the race track and put a disappointing Talladega finish behind them.
 
“I know that everyone on our team is looking forward to the race on Sunday with plans to continue our team’s progress forward,” he said.
 
Practice for the DuraMAX Drydene 400 is set for Saturday morning at 10:30 Eastern Time followed by qualifying at 11:15.
 
Sunday’s 400-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 3 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1.
 
Stage breaks are set for Laps 120 and 250.
 

Hart to Race with TechNet at Circle K Four-Wide Nationals

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 26, 2022) — Every racer eventually finds a race track that for whatever reason they have consistent success throughout their career. This weekend Josh Hart is hoping zMax Dragway outside of Charlotte, North Carolina, will become that track for the second year Top Fuel racer. The team will be racing under the TechNet banner for the first time this season. They will be riding with the two-time Top Fuel winner at the Richmond national event as well. Hart’s relationship with TechNet extends well behind the pit area of his race team.

“I am excited to be running the TechNet Top Fuel dragster this weekend in Charlotte and for the next couple of races,” said Hart, who owns and operates Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida. “They are an amazing partner for us at the track and at Burnyzz. We are proud to be a part of the TechNet family because they do things the way I do things which is offering only the best service and exceptional care.”

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Josh Hart, TechNet Top Fuel dragster

TechNet Professional Automotive Service is an elite network of more than 15,000 repair shops across North America. They are locally owned and care about delivering exceptional customer care and service. Their staff is well-trained and only uses quality parts. Much like Burnyzz Speed Shop that are also very tied into their local communities.

The beginning of this NHRA season has seen Hart battle several issues including shaking down a brand-new 11,000 horsepower race car to random gremlins that have short circuited his success. Hart is putting all those issues behind him and heading to a track where he parked his race car in the winner’s circle the last time he was on the property and raced the final quad in his first attempt at four-wide racing.

“I am not a superstitious person, but I do think there are some tracks where racers just have better performance for whatever reason,” said Hart, who won the Carolina Nationals Top Fuel title last fall. “I think the facility at zMax Dragway is one of the nicest we go to on the tour and they have a great crowd. We just need to string together some good runs and put some of these weird issues that have hurt us in the rearview mirror.”

The highlight of the 2022 season has been a semifinal finish at the Arizona Nationals where Hart started as the No. 8 qualifier and then outran Leah Pruett and Rob Passey before dropping a close race to eventual winner Mike Salinas. The consistently quick elapsed times and momentum have popped up at the following two national events, but the team is focusing on building a strong foundation.

JUSTIN ASHLEY TAKING MOMENTUM TO CIRCLE K FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS

CHARLOTTE, NC (April 26, 2022) — After a strong showing last weekend at the NHRA SpringNationals in Houston, third year pro Justin Ashley will head to the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals in search of his first four-wide win at the unique event. Ashley powered his Mike Green tuned Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot to the No. 4 position in qualifying and then raced to his second final round of the season. Ashley is solidly in third place in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Fuel point standings five races into the season. 

“The Top Fuel category is very competitive, and it’s shown throughout the first few races of the season,” said Ashley. “Each round of racing is equally as important as the next and teams are ready to capitalize on every opportunity. I am looking forward to joining our team in competition at the Circle K Four-Wide Nationals this weekend.”

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Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot, photo by Ron Lewis

The 2020 Rookie of the Year collected his third career victory at the season opening Winternationals and has added an additional semifinal finish to his ledger prior to the runner-up finish in Houston. Consistent qualifying times have put the young driver in a great position to succeed. As the second four-wide national event of the season opens this weekend with two qualifying runs on Saturday Ashley knows it will be critical to maximize every pass down zMax Dragway.

“The four-wide events present a unique style of racing we only participate in twice a year,” said Ashley. “One of the major benefits is having an extra qualifying session to get comfortable behind the wheel and collect data. Mike Green and Tommy DeLago do an outstanding job of dissecting that data. Using our technical alliance with Antron Brown Motorsports will be critical at a race like this because of the extra information and number of lanes.”

While the four-wide format has not been kind to Ashley he has enjoyed success at zMax Dragway including two semifinal finishes at the Fall national event. Ashley made his professional debut at the track located just 25 minutes from downtown Charlotte in 2019 qualifying No. 12 and then beating Mike Salinas and Auston Prock before losing a close semifinal race to eventual world champion Steve Torrence. Ashley unveiled a new sponsor at zMax Dragway and this weekend he has donated the firesuit he wore at that event to Speedway Children’s Charities to be auctioned off along with a meet and greet in his pit area. Fans can bid on the firesuit here.

“The work Speedway Children’s Charities does at SMI tracks across the country is amazing,” said Ashley. “When they asked about auctioning off my firesuit I was all for it and I am looking forward to handing it over to the lucky winner in our pits on Saturday. We had a lot of success in that firesuit, including winning the Stampede of Speed Texas Fall Nationals race in Dallas, and I am honored to pass it along in an effort to do our part in helping their cause.”

In addition to the firesuit charity auction Ashley in conjunction with primary sponsor Philips Connect has been raising money for families affected by the situation in Ukraine. Donations have been collected over the past several races with contributors’ names highlighted on the front wing of his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Shot. Ashley sees these types of initiatives as being part of a larger movement to be a strong corporate citizen and has aligned himself with companies who share his focus.

Throughout his career he has built successful marketing and awareness programs with Auto ShockerLucas OilKATO Fastening Systems just to name a few. The young businessman is always looking to work with companies who see the value of NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and the diverse community of fans.

Four rounds of qualifying will highlight Friday and Saturday with final eliminations beginning at noon ET on Sunday. The race will air on FS1 beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

Five Teams Compete for O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year

Batavia, OH (April 26, 2022) – Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series officials are thrilled to share the names of five teams that have declared to compete for the title of O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year in 2022: Aston Winger (Team 22, Inc.), Daulton Wilson (JRR Motorsports), Garrett Alberson (Roberts Motorsports), Ross Robinson (Dutch Star Motorsports), Spencer Hughes (PCC Motorsports).  Ashton Winger began his racing career in 2009 and has quickly established himself as one of racing’s bright young stars. The youngest driver challenging for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year in 2022; Winger has over 40 career Late Model victories, including major events like the Coors Light Fall Classic and the Billy Clanton Classic. Winger recalls his most memorable moment as winning the Scott Thompson Memorial at East Bay Raceway Park in 2018.    Winger has big goals in mind for the year. “I’m thankful for GR and Stacey Smith, and JC Clary for the opportunity. Rookie of the year would be nice but our goal the entire time has been a points championship.”
Driver of the #89 Longhorn Chassis powered by Cornett Racing Engines, Winger hails from Hampton, GA. For more information about Winger, visit www.ashtonwinger.com. Daulton Wilson is looking to capitalize on his recent success this season. The 25-year-old has won prestigious races in the Southeast such as the Prelude to the Finals, Cash Money 100, and Carlton Lamm Memorial winner. Stepping into the JRR Motorsports entry this season, Wilson is looking forward to competing in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series in 2022 and achieving his lifelong goals. “Racing at a national level has always been a lifelong dream of mine,” stated Daulton Wilson. “Thanks to James, Justin and the entire JRR Motorsports organization, that dream will come true this year. I look forward to the opportunity to represent everyone that has supported my racing career as I pursue the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Rookie of the Year title in 2022.”
The Fayetteville, NC driver, Wilson, pilots the #18D Longhorn Chassis powered by Pro Power Racing Engines. Garrett Alberson brings nearly two decades of experience in his quest for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year. Alberson has been a staple on the Lucas Oil MLRA tour in recent years, winning the midwest regional tour’s Rookie of the Year title in 2020 and finishing second in the series’ championship standings in 2021. Alberson served as Crew Chief for the four-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion, Earl Pearson Jr., in 2018 and 2019. He has over 50 career victories, including major events like the Thawl Brawl and Harvest 50. “I’m so honored to be a part of this group of rookies taking on this challenge,” said Alberson. “This is for all the car owners and people that have put time and money into helping me pursue this level of racing, I hope I can make them proud. Big thanks to Ken Roberts for believing in me and giving me what it takes to go for it. I’m hoping we can race hard, fail gracefully, and learn what it takes to be competitive at the highest level in dirt late model racing.”
Alberson drives a Black Diamond Chassis powered by Clements Racing Engines. For more information on this Las Cruces, NM driver visit www.garrettalberson.com.   In 2022, Ross Robinson is celebrating his 25th year of racing by tackling the Lucas Oil Late ModelDirt Series. The Delaware ace began his career in 1997 at the age of seven. Ten years later, Ross made the move to super late models and has since garnered multiple track and regional series championships. Robinson and the Dutchstar Motorsports team now have their focus on achieving national success. Robinson was quick to say, “Being able to join the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series full time and make a run at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the year is more than just a dream come true. It’s a thank you to every person who believed in me and my dream of being a full-time racer. Also, it’s a way to honor my father, who passed away in September, who wanted nothing more than to see me on a national level. This year is going to be a great experience and I can’t thank everyone enough for making all of this possible.”  Robinson drives the #7 Longhorn Chassis powered by a Clements Racing Engine. For more information about the Georgetown, DE native visit his website: www.rossrobinson7.com.  Spencer Hughes began his racing career in karts in 2008. After much success, he moved to street stocks in 2015 and has since accumulated over 80 career wins along with multiple track championships in street stock, open wheel modified, crate late model and super late model. Now piloting the Indiana-based, PCC Motorsports entry, Hughes aspires to be one of the top performers in our sport. 
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to compete in the 2022 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year,” said Spencer Hughes. “A huge thank you to O’Reilly’s for stepping up and being the title sponsor for the Rookie of the Year! As always, I would like to thank PCC Motorsports for giving me this opportunity to be able to compete at the highest level.”
The driver of the #11 from Meridian, MS has Longhorn Chassis’ that are powered by Clements Racing Engines and Cornett Racing Engines. For more information about Hughes, visit www.pccmotorsports.com.  
The O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year program will pay $15,000 to the winner, $5,000 to the runner-up, and $2,500 to the 3rd place finisher in the Rookie of the Year standings. In addition to the increased cash awards, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year will receive additional product awards from multiple motorsports manufacturers that have partnered with the series in 2022.
In addition to the increased cash awards for the Rookie of the Year program, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will pay a $100 cash award to the highest finishing rookie in each feature event from the time of declaration and will be paid out at every feature event throughout the season.  O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year Standings: 

Cadillac takes momentum into Laguna Seca race

Cadillac DPi-V.R entries aim to complete sweep of podium in West Coast events
DETROIT (April 26, 2022) – Completing a West Coast podium sweep is the goal of Cadillac DPi teams this weekend in the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R won the 100-minute race April 9 on the streets of Long Beach (California) to lead a 1-2-3 Cadillac finish in the ultra-competitive class, and the four Cadillac teams will seek a repeat performance May 1.
Cadillac Racing Laguna Seca fast facts: Storylines, notes, statistics, driver info and moreCadillac Racing 2022 media guide: Historical statistics, technology transfer and more
Following 24-hour, 12-hour and 100-minute races, the 2-hour, 40-minute race on the technical 2.238-mile, 11-turn natural-terrain road course will present its own set of car set-up, strategy, and traffic and tire management issues. Additionally, while the race is longer than the most recent event, the pace will be as intent.
“It’s going to be all out,” said Alex Lynn, co-driver of the No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R that holds the class points lead. “On our side, we have to maximize everything. It’s about executing the plans, about executing performance and just a lot of focus. Maximizing every single time you’re on track the game plan of each session and being very meticulous in preparation usually pays dividends.”
Added Tristan Vautier, co-driver of the No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R: “The track is very unforgiving so it’s just finding that right balance because when it’s time to go it’s time to go. You still have to push and be at the limit, but the track grip is so low that it’s very easy to make mistakes.
“So, it’s just about finding that right balance between trying to make the most of it without overdriving.”
Vautier and co-driver Richard Westbrook, who have finished on the podium in all three races, are three points arrears of Lynn and co-driver Earl Bamber in the DPi standings. The No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R won at Sebring in March and was runner-up to its sister entry at Long Beach. The victory at Long Beach marked the 25th for Cadillac since the inception of the DPi class in 2017.
Cadillac DPi entries finished second and third at Laguna Seca in the 2021 race, held on Sept. 12.
Green flag is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 1. The race will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock starting at 3 p.m. ET/noon PT. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
Cadillac DPi roster for Laguna Seca
No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac Racing)Renger van der Zande, Sebastien BourdaisVan der Zande and Bourdais co-drove the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R to the victory on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting from the pole. … It was the 16th IMSA victory for van der Zande and eighth for Bourdais. … Bourdais set the qualifying lap record time in the event. He set the lap record time in earning the pole for the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Van der Zande and Kevin Magnussen co-drove to a second-place finish in 2021 at Laguna Seca. … Van der Zande teamed with Marc Goossens to win the 2017 race at Laguna Seca. He also won the Prototype Challenge race in 2014. No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R (Cadillac Racing)Earl Bamber, Alex LynnFirst-year entry in expanded Cadillac Racing DPi program. Bamber and Lynn co-drove to a runner-up finish on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting second. … They, along with Neel Jani, co-drove to victory March 19 in the Twelve Hours of Sebring. … Bamber and Lynn are the DPi championship points leaders entering the Laguna Seca race weekend.
No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R (JDC-Miller MotorSports)Tristan Vautier, Richard WestbrookVautier and Westbrook co-drove to third place on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting fifth. Vautier and Westbrook, joined by Loic Duval, drove to second place in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring and opened the ’22 season by starting second and finishing third at the Rolex 24 At Daytona. … Only DPi team to finish on the podium in all three races. … Trails in the DPi championship standings by three points. … Westbrook is a three-time winner in IMSA competition at Laguna Seca (Daytona Prototype-2012, Prototype-2015, GTLM-2016).
No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R (Action Express Racing)Pipo Derani, Tristan NunezDerani and Nunez co-drove to fifth place on the streets of Long Beach on April 9 after starting fourth. … Derani and Nunez, joined by Mike Conway, started second and finished third in the March 19 Twelve Hours of Sebring. … The three-driver team started seventh and finished fourth in the Rolex 24 At Daytona to open the season. … Derani and Felipe Nasr were the 2021 IMSA DPi Driver Champions and Whelen Engineering/Action Express Racing was the Team Champion. See the Cadillac lineup
Spectators have the opportunity to view an array of Cadillac vehicles, including the exciting CT5-V Blackwing and Escalade-V, at the Cadillac display at the racetrack. Hours are 8 a.m-5 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.
Cadillac Racing DPi-V.R Laguna Seca results 2021-2017 2021: Second (No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R) start third – Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen         Third (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr         Sixth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval2020: Third (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr          Sixth (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start eighth – Renger van der Zande, Ryan Briscoe          Seventh (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Sebastien Bourdais, Tristan Vautier          Eighth (No. 84 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Stephen Simpson, Matheus Leist2019: Third (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr          Fourth (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start third – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor          Fifth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa        Eighth (No. 85 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start eighth – Tristan Vautier, Misha Goikhberg         Ninth (No. 84 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start 10th – Stephen Simpson, Simon Trummer2018: Fifth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran        12th in class, 30th overall (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first* – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor * pole        DNS (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start ninth — Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa2017: Second (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Eric Curran, Dane Cameron         Third (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first* – Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor * pole      Fifth (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Bristol Bash Brings Sprint Cars Back to The Last Great Colosseum

Sprint Cars and Late Models Racing for $25,000-To-Win Both Nights at 1/2-Mile

BRISTOL, TN – April 26, 2022 – One of the most anticipated events of the 2022 season, the Bristol Bash, takes center stage this weekend.

The Greatest Show on Dirt is returning to The Last Great Colosseum for an epic doubleheader featuring the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series.

Fans will witness a star-studded field of gladiators battling for $25,000-to-win paydays on both Friday and Saturday at the dirt-covered Bristol Motor Speedway 1/2-mile. For those unable to attend the breathtaking event, you can watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

BUY BRISTOL TICKETS (Thur-Sat)

Here’s what to watch for this weekend in Tennessee:

GRAVEL THE GLADIATOR: After a 20-year hiatus from the Bristol dirt, the World of Outlaws returned last year, and Watertown, CT’s David Gravel promptly swept the weekend in his Big Game Motorsports #2. A veteran of the wicked fast 1/2-mile surfaces, DG timed in first and second, won both of his heats, started front row both nights, and parked in victory lane after each Feature.

This weekend, Gravel gets a chance to overtake Sammy Swindell as the winningest Sprint Car driver in Bristol Motor Speedway history with a third triumph. The 29-year-old star enters the Bristol Bash third in points with two victories this season, both of them coming on 1/2-miles at Volusia (FL) and Perris (CA).

DOUBLE DUTY: Two weeks ago, reigning NASCAR champion Kyle Larson finished fourth on the Bristol dirt in the Cup Series. Now, the Team Hendrick superstar is trading his NextGen #5 for Paul Silva’s #57 Sprint Car and Kevin Rumley’s #6 Late Model as he returns to Bristol this weekend as the only driver doing double duty.

The Elk Grove, CA native is a 25-time winner with the Sprint Cars and two-time winner with the Late Models, the only driver in history to win with both premier Series in the World of Outlaws. He’s a NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series winner on the concrete but still remains winless through eight starts on the dirt. A weekend sweep would mean a $100,000 payday in Bristol.

BEEN HERE, DONE THAT: 10-Time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz is set to become the only driver to compete in every one of the eight Sprint Car events at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend. More impressively, the Fargo, ND native has been a contender to win each of his previous appearances at the high-banked, high-speed 1/2-mile.

In the Features he finished, Schatz’s Bristol average is 3.0 with a 2001 victory to his credit. The only race he didn’t finish was due to a radiator while he was leading the first half of the race. The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Ford Performance #15 was one of three drivers to finish in the top-five both nights last year with his best running coming in second on night two. He’ll be going for his second win at the track and second win of the season this weekend.

EN FUEGO: One of several outsiders making the trip to Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend is the hottest Sprint Car driver in the country, Anthony Macri. The Dillsburg, PA native is up to eight 410 victories in 2022 with six of those wins coming in a 10-day stretch over the last week and a half.

The Concrete Kid beat the All Stars at Bloomsburg (PA) and Port Royal (PA) to go along with unsanctioned wins at Port Royal again, Williams Grove (PA), Selinsgrove (PA), and Bridgeport (NJ). He holds an average finish of 1.6 in April as the #39M prepares to hit the Bristol 1/2-mile for the first time this weekend.

BACK-TO-BACK: When it comes to the World of Outlaws tour, Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing #41 enter Bristol with the most momentum following back-to-back wins at I-55 (MO) and Tri-State (IN). The Albaugh entry is currently sitting second in the championship standings (-44) and already owns four wins in 2022, twice as much as any other competitor.

With Philip Deitz on the wrenches, Macedo was impressive in his Bristol debut last year with finishes of third on night one and sixth on night two. The Lemoore, CA native is already the first back-to-back winner this year, and now looks to become the first to record a three-peat in 2022.

STREAKIN’ TO BRISTOL: Both the current championship leader in Brad Sweet and current Rookie of the Year leader in Spencer Bayston will take two of the most impressive streaks on tour to the Bristol 1/2-mile this weekend. Both drivers peaked with an eighth-place result last year in Tennessee, and hope for some improvement as they look to extend their stretches.

Since a season-opening trip to the work area which resulted in a 16th-place run, Sweet and the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 have been nearly flawless with 14 consecutive top-seven finishes. The Grass Valley, CA native leads the Series in Podiums (8) and Top-Fives (12) with his closest challengers several away.

Although winless, Bayston and the CJB Motorsports #5 team have proven themselves as legitimate season-long contenders in only their first foray together. The 23-year-old Lebanon, IN native is at a career-best six straight top-10 finishes including a season-best second-place finish at Lake Ozark. Both Bayston in the Indy Race Parts #71 and CJB with Paul McMahan at the wheel were top-10 finishes at Bristol last year.

NEW CHANCES: For Logan Schuchart and Aaron Reutzel, this weekend represents a new chance at a Bristol win after coming so close in 2021. Both drivers were David Gravel’s biggest competition in stopping the sweep last year but barely missed out on sealing the deal.

Schuchart, of Hanover, PA, controlled the opening 23 laps of last year’s finale before engine issues saw $25,000 slip away from the #1S. The Shark Racing, DuraMAX, Drydene Performance Products #1S enters this weekend with their best streak of the year following three consecutive top-five finishes through Missouri and Indiana.

After finishing on the podium both nights last year in the Roth Motorsports #83, Reutzel returns to Bristol this week in the RSR, Toyota Racing, Mobil1 #8. The Texan sat on the pole of this year’s season opener and earned a third-place finish at the Volusia 1/2-mile.

Cruz pedregon–charlotte advance

NHRA® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Charlotte

Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon loves a good four-wide race and he and the team are looking forward to strengthening their fourth place standing in the NHRA Funny Car ranks this weekend. Fans will remember Cruz’s 2018 win in Charlotte that reenergized the team and earned him his 36th Wally as a Funny Car pilot. Heading into North Carolina, the team is coming off a quarter final finish in Houston last weekend and has worked to resolve some clutch issues to have the Snap-on® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge® SRT® Hellcat® ready for the zMAX Dragway Friday.

“Four-wide is my favorite format and at this sixth-race point in the season we’re solid, hanging right in there – that’s been our goal,” says Cruz. “We’re a top five car and we’re proving it since we’ve qualified top five for the first five events. It shows how fast and consistent our car is. We just need to get a little race luck and this weekend we plan to make our own luck.”

For the race, the Snap-on Dodge will once again sport the car body that highlights primary sponsor Snap-on’s call to the Makers and Fixers to share their stories at makersandfixers.com. The Nitro Franchisee on the side of Cruz’s car this week is a “maker and fixer” himself. Matt Hemby was an auto technician before he became a Snap-on franchisee six years ago. This will be his first NHRA race, so it will be a baptism by nitro for this self-proclaimed gearhead. Cruz will be riding along with Matt on his Snap-on route Thursday meeting customers and talking tools and NHRA racing.

CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA

Monterey on our MindGTD PRO points lead for Garcia, Taylor, No. 3 Corvette and Chevrolet
DETROIT (April 26, 2022) – Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Corvette Racing will complete the west-coast swing of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship this weekend with an eye toward the horizon and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 
Sunday’s Monterey Sports Car Championship is the final IMSA round for Corvette Racing ahead of the team’s challenge for a ninth class victory at the French endurance classic. But first thing’s first: maintain the lead of the new GT Daytona (GTD) PRO championships in the Driver, Manufacturer and Team standings heading into the break.
Garcia and Taylor lead in points as they seek their third straight IMSA championship together, having taken the GT Le Mans (GTLM) titles in 2020 and 2021. This time around, they’re in the GTD-spec No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R that differs from the GTLM version in a couple of key ways.
For one, the Corvette has 80 additional kilograms of mass (176 pounds) and a 12 percent decrease in air flow, per updated GTD rules. The other big difference is the use of customer Michelin tires for GTD instead of specially designed Michelins that were allowed in GTLM.
Lots of testing and hours of hard work have paid off as the team continues to understand how best to extract the maximum amount of performance from the current Michelin tire. That should come in handy given the high amount of tire degradation that typically occurs around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn circuit. What’s more, this is the first “normal” two-hour and 40-minute IMSA race of the season. The previous three events have been 24 hours (Daytona), 12 hours (Sebring, a Corvette victory) and 100 minutes (Long Beach).
CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION
Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship. Materials include:
· IMSA race advance and quotes· Summary of changes to the GTD PRO Corvette C8.R· Corvette Racing Laguna Seca stats and figures· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies
Garcia and Taylor would like nothing more than to win on the Monterey coast and head into the Le Mans break with the championship lead. They placed second in GTLM the last two years, but there is a considerable amount of experience and success that they can use to challenge for a victory this year.
Corvette Racing has won eight times at Laguna Seca since 2004, and the circuit is one of two that the team has raced at in each of its 24 seasons to date. Sebring is the other, and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta will join the list at the end of the season with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans.
The Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship is scheduled for 3:10 p.m. ET/12:10 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 1. The race will air live on the NBC Network and stream on Peacock starting at 3 p.m. ET/Noon PT. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions at IMSA.com along with XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Laguna Seca always has been a track where you need to make the tire work at its best. Usually the performance window is narrower than it is anywhere else on our calendar. We’ve never run this specification of car there or this tire there. We have some information that can transfer from other tracks, so I hope we are in the right spot when we get there. Everything is so dependent there on weather conditions so we won’t know where are until we get to the track.”Away from the circuit: “Running in the area is always great around the Monterey coast. I try to do that every time I go there… one or two training sessions while I’m there. Golf, for sure. You have so many good options in the area. The food is usually really good in the area with a lot of great places. All three make a great trip and are really, really good.” 
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We’ve already learned quite a bit this year about tire management and how important tire degradation will be. Sebring was a great learning experience for us in a positive way for understanding the car and tire. Laguna Seca is usually a big tire degradation race. Whoever can manage that the best is usually at the front at the end. Historically we’ve run well there so we have a good understanding of what we need to do.”Travel tips for Monterey: “There is an Italian restaurant in Carmel with a little bar where you can watch the chefs cook right in front of you. It’s really good and most of the stuff is handmade. Running on the beach is cool there. It’s a great spot. Coming from Florida, there’s no humidity. At the track, I like going around the circuit. I always walk up to the Corkscrew and walk up turns Nine and 10. It’s great viewing up there when we have time to watch some of the other races.”
2022 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After Three of 11 Events)Driver Standings1. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 9902. Mathieu Jaminet/Matt Campbell – 9603. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 9194. Cooper MacNeil – 8305. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 816
Team Standings1. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 9902. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 9603. No. 14 VasserSullivan – 9194. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 8305. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 816 Manufacturer Standings1. Chevrolet – 1,0002. Porsche – 9603. Lexus – 9494. Mercedes-AMG – 9385. Aston Martin – 886 
CORVETTE RACING AT LAGUNA SECA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 24 years at Laguna Seca: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 23 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (later this year). • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2020-present).• 4: Laguna Seca victories for the current Corvette Racing lineup – Antonio Garcia (three) and Jordan Taylor (one).• 8: Number of Laguna Seca victories for Corvette Racing dating back to 2004.• 12: Victories at Laguna Seca for Chevrolet in IMSA competition.• 13: Drivers who have competed for Corvette Racing at Laguna Seca. Of those, eight went on to win at Monterey.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 25: 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, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen.• 121: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 109 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 254: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 13,294.73: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 23 previous trips to Laguna Seca. That represents 6,023 laps… or more than 780 trips around Carmel’s famous 17-Mile Drive.• 339,546.96: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history – covered “just” 248,655 miles. Simply put, the program has raced to the moon and back… and then some.
Corvette Racing at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (wins in bold)1999No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel – 2nd in GTS
2000No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Justin Bell/Kelly Collins – 4th in GTS
2001No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2002No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 5th in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2003No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 3rd in GTS
2004No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GTS (O’Connell fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Beretta pole)
2005No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap)
2006No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Beretta fastest race lap)
2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1
2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 10th in GT2
2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 6th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2
2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT
2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap)
2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 9th in GT
2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM
2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 7th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM
2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM
2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 8th in GTLM
2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM (Gavin pole)
2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2020No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM (Tandy fastest race lap)

Showtime Motorsports Battle Hard at Laguna Seca, Head to Sonoma for Better Luck

Salinas, CALIFORNIA – April 25, 2022 – The Franklin Road Apparel Showtime Motorsports team has become accustomed to podium and high place finishes this season in both the TA and TA2 classes. This weekend the Tennessee-based outfit experienced the other side of the motorsports coin with both Cameron Lawrence and Carl Rydquist enduring the kind of misfortune that tests any driver’s patience with circumstances beyond their control. Round 4 of the 2022 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season TA2 Class turned into a very rough race for Texan pilot Lawrence, who entered the event running P2 in the Championship.
Past champions Lawrence and Rydquist lined up on the grid full of anticipation having qualified in P9 and P12 respectively in times of 1:28:996 and 1:29:374. This put both drivers in the top quarter of the crowded TA2 field. However, Cameron got spun round at Turn 3 on the very first lap after contact dropped him down to P21. By Lap 7, the two Franklin Road drivers were in P16 and P17, picking off the cars in front of them when the opportunity arose.
Unfortunately, a braking issue meant that Carl found the gravel on Lap 17 but he remained positive afterwards, “Overall the weekend’s been really promising for the whole team. We have a car under us with a set up that’s much more drivable. I was really looking forward to the race. But then we have a brake leak issue that we thought we’d sorted out. It came back yesterday morning and we thought we’d identified what was wrong, but it materialized on Lap 3. I was hoping to finish the race but in the end the pedal went all the way down and I ended up in the gravel. Looking forward to Sonoma, we’ll be able to recover, and the car is intact. We’re super excited. The cars are very promising and qualifying within .75 of (2021 champion) Rafa (Matos), that’s a personal milestone.”
Meanwhile, Cameron Lawrence had battled his way back to the top ten and was having an epic duel with Adam Andretti. At the final restart there was contact on track with multiple cars and Cameron was forced off the track. Showtime principal Ken Thwaits alluded to the rough nature of the race when we spoke to him afterwards.
“It was a pretty exciting race for TA2 today. They went green the first half of the race. Cameron was battling and made it to the top ten and then on the last restart he got roughed up badly. Unfortunately, the driver and owner meetings don’t seem to be accomplishing anything, at least not for us.”
“For TA2 at Sonoma we’ll replace body panels and brake pads and we’ll be ready to go. We’ve got solid cars. Every race the chalkboard is clean. We had a great time here at Laguna. We just don’t have the results to show for it.”
Next up for Carl, Cameron and the Showtime team will head to the second leg of the California doubleheader continuing to Sonoma next weekend.
CBS Sports Network Air Times
This weekend’s races from Laguna Seca will air on CBS Sports Network the week following the event. TA/XGT/SGT/GT will premiere on Thursday, April 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET, with an encore presentation on Saturday, April 30 at 11:00 p.m. ET.
TA2 will first air on Sunday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET, with an encore later that night at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Check out all the action on the Trans Am Series channel here: https://youtube.com/c/TheTransAmSeries
Fans can find the Franklin Road Apparel Trans Am clothing online here: https://www.franklinroad.com/search/trans+am/
Visit the team’s website for Showtime Motorsports showtimemotorsports.net. Learn more about the Showtime Motorsports team partner, Road Apparel, at franklinroad.com and keep up to date with the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli at gotransam.com. #GoTransAm
Check out the Showtime Motorsports Facebook page: facebook.com/showtimemotorsp/ and @ShowtimeMotorsp on Instagram.
About Showtime Motorsports:
The Showtime Motorsports brand includes Ken Thwaits’ racing team and racecars, and an outstanding classic Camaro collection. Showtime Motorsports brings together a dynamic staff who employ diverse talents and share a passion for cars, racing and caring for clients like they are our own family members.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: World of Outlaws Late Models Take on The Bristol Bash

Erb, Blair, Richards, Bloomquist and more get ready for Thunder Valley

BRISTOL, TN– April 25, 2022 – A rumble of high-speed thunder rolls through the Volunteer State as the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models return to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bristol Bash. 

For the second consecutive April, The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet hit the high banks of “The Last Great Colosseum” in search of a win at one of the world’s iconic facilities. 

Joining the Late Models at the three-night spectacular is the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars—the only time you’ll see both premier Series’ together until the World Finals in November.

The Bristol Bash kicks off Thursday, April 28 with a practice session before racing action begins on April 29-30.  

Drivers will run a pair of 30-lap CASE Construction Equipment Features with $25,000 on the line, and the iconic Bristol sword.  

TICKETS: https://bit.ly/39egVMG

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App.

Here are the storylines to keep an eye on entering the Bristol Bash:

Tune Up the Band: Dennis Erb Jr. has caught fire to start the 2022 World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series title. The Carpentersville, IL driver extended his points lead last weekend at Atomic to 44 points over Rookie of the Year contender Max Blair. 

After driving through the field to score back-to-back top-fives, Erb has shown he’s a factor in every race he enters.

His lone World of Outlaws win this season came at Volusia Speedway Park, a similar track to Bristol Motor Speedway in size. Erb hopes to keep his momentum rolling at a track he struggled at in 2021—his best finish is a 13th. 

Pennsylvania Power: Blair is also off to a fast start in 2022. 

In his last five World of Outlaws races, the Centerville, PA driver hasn’t finished outside the top ten, including a win at Cherokee Speedway and three top-fives. 

While there’s a learning process in his first year on a National Tour, he tends to be better on the second night on a new track. This weekend will be the first laps he turns on the Bristol Motor Speedway surface, one he’ll have to tame to stay within striking distance of Erb. 

Blair is also coming off a victory on Sunday night, scoring a $10,000 triumph at West Virginia Motor Speedway. 

Rocket Repeat: Last season was the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models’ first appearance in Thunder Valley. The inaugural winner was one of the two most accomplished drivers in Series history—Josh Richards.

The “Rocket Man” inherited the lead from Jimmy Owens and held on to win the event in the Clint Bowyer Racing #14 car. 

This season, he returns to Bristol behind the wheel of a car owned by fan-favorite Boom Briggs. 

If Richards can find Victory Lane again this weekend, it’ll be his 79th career Series triumph, breaking the tie for most wins with reigning champion Brandon Sheppard. 

He enters the weekend eighth in the points standings, 204 points behind Erb. 

Rookie Shine: The Outlaw Invasion at Atomic Speedway saw Tyler Erb and Brandon Sheppard grab victories, but it was also a good weekend for the 2022 World of Outlaws Rookie Class. 

Blair, Tanner English, and Gordy Gundaker scored a top-five over the weekend, while Kyle Hammer grabbed a top ten during Saturday’s event to go along with a Heat Race win. 

While Blair has a stranglehold over the field in the battle for Rookie of the Year, they have shown they may be able to find Victory Lane on any given night as the season moves forward.

Yung Money Double: Only one driver is pulling double-duty this weekend with the World of Outlaws Late Models and Sprint Cars—2021 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson. 

“Yung Money” is looking for his first win on dirt at Bristol and will make his first appearance in World of Outlaws CASE Late Models competition at the track this weekend. 

The Elk Grove, CA, driver scored two Series wins in 2021 and finished third in his only appearance with the Series this year at Volusia Speedway Park. 

Larson could take home a potential $100,000 if he sweeps all four Features at the track this weekend. 

Smokin’ Hot: No driver has had more success at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2022 than Chris Madden. 

“Smokey” has two victories at the half-mile already this year and has the chance to make it four by the end of the weekend. He also owns the track record. 

The last time we saw the Gray Court, SC driver, he was in Victory Lane at Volusia Speedway Park and missed out on a DIRTcar Nationals “Big Gator Trophy” by one point. 

Madden is searching for his 34th career Series Victory.  

Superman Returns: Jonathan Davenport makes his return to World of Outlaws CASE Late Models competition this weekend at Bristol. 

The last time “Superman” raced with the Series, he swept the World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte and comes into the weekend with momentum.

Davenport scored his first win of 2022 last weekend at All-Tech Raceway and hopes to find a potential $50,000 in his bank account with a Bristol sweep. 

The Blairsville, GA driver, finished eighth and 11th at last year’s Bristol Bash. 

Black Sunshine is Back: 2004 World of Outlaws Series champion Scott Bloomquist is expected to return to Series competition this weekend at “The Last Great Colosseum.”

“Black Sunshine’s” last Victory came in 2020 at Thunder Mountain Speedway, but the Mooresburg, TN driver, has been knocking on the door for a checkered flag recently. 

Bloomquist scored a fourth and a sixth at Bristol earlier this year and hopes to bring home state fans to their feet with a win this weekend.  

LAST TIME OUT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models are coming off a weekend at Atomic Speedway that saw Brandon Sheppard and Tyler Erb grab their first Series wins of 2022. 

For Sheppard, it was his 78th career CASE Feature win tying him with Josh Richards for most all-time. 

Tyler Erb’s victory was his third career World of Outlaws win—all at Atomic Speedway. 

WHEN AND WHERE

April 28-30, Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN

ABOUT THE TRACK

Bristol Motor Speedway is a 1/2-High Banked track


Online – www.bristolmotorspeedway.com

PREVIOUS WINNERS
2022- Josh Richards on April 9, Devin Moran on April 11

TRACK RECORD
14.950 set by Chris Madden on April 1, 2022

On the Internet
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel Wisconsin for the 2nd Annual Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, WI. 

WHEN AND WHERE

April 28-30, Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, TN

ABOUT THE TRACK

Bristol Motor Speedway is a 1/2-High Banked track

Online – www.bristolmotorspeedway.com

PREVIOUS WINNERS
2022- Josh Richards on April 9, Devin Moran on April 11

TRACK RECORD
14.950 set by Chris Madden on April 1, 2022

On the Internet
World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Series
Twitter – Twitter.com/WoOLateModels – @WoOLateModels
Instagram – Instagram.com/WoOLateModels – @woolatemodels
Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsLateModelSeries
YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month

Around the Turn: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet travel Wisconsin for the 2nd Annual Dairyland Showdown at Mississippi Thunder Speedway in Fountain City, WI.

Feature Winners: (10 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

  1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA- 2
    Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
    Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
    Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-1
    Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-1
    Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
    Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
    Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
    Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1

HEAT RACE WINNERS (23 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

  1. Dale McDowell-Chickamauga, GA-6
    Brandon Sheppard- New Berlin, IL-6
  2. Chris Madden-Gray Court, SC-5
  3. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-3
    Devin Moran-Dresden, OH-3
  4. Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2
    Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-2
    Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-2
    Ricky Thornton Jr., Chandler, AZ-2
    Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-2
    Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-2
    Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-2
  5. Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
    Ross Robinson, Georgetown, DE-1
    Mark Whitener, Middleburg, FL-1
    Frank Heckenast, Jr., Frankfort, IL-1
    Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
    Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
    Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
    Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1
    Josh Rice, Verona, KY-1
    Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
    Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1

Last Chance Showdown Winners (20 Drivers)
Rank- Driver- Hometown-Wins

  1. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-3
  2. Cade Dillard-Robeline, LA-2
    Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
  3. Hudson O’Neal- Martinsville, IN-1
    Logan Martin, Plains, MO-1
    Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1
    Chris Simpson, Oxford, IA-1
    Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1
    Spencer Hughes, Meridian, MS-1
    Mike Norris, Sarver, PA-1
    Chase Osterhoff, Kankakee, IL-1
    Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
    Boom Briggs, Bear Lake, PA-1
    Josh Richards, Shinnston, WV-1
    Anthony Sanders, Spartanburg, SC-1
    Banjo Duke, Sumter, SC-1
    Steve Casebolt, Richmond, IN-1
    Austyn Mills, Cincinnati, OH-1
    Frank Heckenast Jr., Frankfort, IL-1
    Andy Bond, Coolville, OH-1

PODIUM FINISHES (19 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Podiums

  1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-4
    Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-3
    Max Blair, Centerville, PA-3
  2. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-2
    Darrell Lanigan, Union, KY-2
    Chris Madden, Gray Court, NC-2
    Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-2
  3. Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, CA-1
    Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
    Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-1
    Chase Junghans, Manhattan, KS-1
    Mike Marlar, Winfield, TN-1
    Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-1
    Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-1
    Ross Bailes, Clover, SC-1
    Daulton Wilson, Fayetteville, NC-1
    Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-1
    Josh Rice, Verona, KY-1
    Tanner English, Benton, KY-1

FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER (9 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – H.C.

  1. Gordy Gundaker, St. Charles, MO-2
  2. Hudson O’Neal, Martinsville, IN-1
    Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-1
    Tanner English, Benton, KY-1
    Max Blair, Centerville, PA-1
    Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-1
    Brent Larson, Lake Elmo, MN-1
    Carson Ferguson, Concord, NC-1
    Tyler Bruening, Decorah, IA-1

SLICK WOODY’S QUICK TIME Award (8 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – QTs

  1. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-2
    Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-2
  2. Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-1
    Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-1
    Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-1
    Shane Clanton, Zebulon, GA-1
    Trent Ivey, Union, SC-1
    Josh Rice, Verona, KY-1

CASE Feature Lap Leaders (13 Drivers)
Rank – Driver, Hometown – Laps Led

  1. Dale McDowell, Chickamauga, GA-65
  2. Max Blair, Centerville, PA-60
  3. Brandon Sheppard, New Berlin, IL-52
  4. Tyler Erb, New Waverly, TX-40
  5. Dennis Erb Jr., Carpentersville, IL-39
    Ashton Winger, Hampton, GA-39
  6. Chris Madden, Gray Court, SC-29
  7. Brandon Overton, Evans, GA-25
  8. Michael Brown, Lancaster, SC-25
    Kyle Hammer, Clinton, IL-18
  9. Kyle Strickler, Mooresville, NC-15
  10. Devin Moran, Dresden, OH-11
  11. Ryan Gustin, Marshalltown, IA-2

2022 World of Outlaws Late Model Schedule & Winners

No./ Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Thursday, Jan. 20 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Dale McDowell (1)
2. Friday, Jan. 21/Volusia Speedway Park/Barberville, FL/Ashton Winger (1)
3. Wednesday, Feb. 16/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Brandon Overton (1)
4. Thursday, Feb. 17/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dale McDowell (2)
5. Friday, Feb. 18/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Dennis Erb Jr. (1)
6. Saturday, Feb. 19/Volusia Speedway Park, Barberville, FL/Chris Madden (1)
7. Friday, March 25/Cherokee Speedway, Gaffney, SC/Michael Brown (1)
8. Saturday, March 26/Cherokee Speedway, Gaffney, SC/Max Blair (1)
9. Friday, April 22/Atomic Speedway, Waverly, OH/Tyler Erb (1)
10. Saturday, April 23/Atomic Speedway, Waverly, OH/ Brandon Sheppard (1)

ASHLEY MAKES FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE IN FINAL HOUSTON EVENT

J.R. Todd’s GR Supra to Semi-Finals

HOUSTON (April 24, 2022) – Justin Ashley drove his Toyota Top Fuel dragster to the final round in Sunday’s final NHRA national event at Houston Raceway Park. Ashley lost to a holeshot by race winner Brittany Force. J.R. Todd made a semi-final appearance with his GR Supra while Toyota teammate Alexis DeJoria was involved in an accident in Round 1, but was okay following the incident.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Houston Raceway Park

Race 5 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS  —  Race Winner:  Brittany Force

NameCarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
Justin AshleyPhillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel DragsterFinal RoundW. 3.74 vs. 5.078 (Foley)W. 3.792 vs. 3.803 (Prock)W. 3.760 vs. 3.778 (S. Torrence)L. 3.763 vs. 3.767 (B. Force – holeshot win)
Steve TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-FinalW. 3.711 vs. 4.041 (Hull)W. 3.744L. 3.778 vs. 3.760 (Ashley)
Billy TorrenceCapco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel DragsterSemi-FinalW. 3.726 vs. 3.772 (Kalitta)W. 3.799L. 3.924 vs. 3.848 (B. Force)
Shawn LangdonDHL Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 2W. 4.774 vs. 4.973 (Pruett)L. 5.589 vs. 3.773 (B. Force)
Doug KalittaMobil 1 Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L. 3.772 vs. 3.726 (B. Torrence)
Antron BrownMatco Tools Toyota Top Fuel DragsterRound 1L. 5.439 vs. 3.754 (Millican)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS  — Race Winner: Matt Hagan


Name
CarFinal ResultRound-by-Round
J.R. ToddDHL Toyota GR Supra Funny CarSemi-FinalW. 4.008 vs. 5.475 (Tasca III)W. 4.004 vs. 4.074 (Campbell)L. 10.851 vs. 3.937 (Hagan)
Alexis DeJoriaBandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny CarRound 1L. (accident) vs. 3.957 (Bode)

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports

Final Result: Final Round

Can you talk about the day overall and specifically the run in the final round?

“It was a good day. Truthfully, I didn’t do my job in the final round and that cost us the win and it’s very disappointing. We gave it all that we had today and the team did a great job. We had a little bit of an issue ther in the semi-finals and they were able to turn the car around and make it happen in time, which is just incredible. It’s a testament to the team and the entire group that I have. This one’s on me. We’ll regroup and get to Charlotte to get after the win.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Semi-Final

How do you feel about your progress in today’s event?

“This race track can definitely be the equalizer that we need, especially when the sun can get on the track. It has bumps and a lot of character. We’ve won here in the past so we know how to get it done. This is some good momentum with our GR Supra, but we’re still learning but making progress. Thank you to everyone at DHL and Toyota Gazoo Racing North America for the support.”

SHAWN LANGDON, DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Round 2

In Round 1, you won a ‘pedalfest’ against Leah Pruett, what was that like from the driver’s seat?

“Well I didn’t show it, but we got the win light which was good. It’s so hard at this track — it’s a good track, but it’s just getting through the whoop sections out there is a little bit difficult to navigate. I was just a little aggressive on getting back on the pedal and it kept smoking the tires and I really got lucky to get that round win. I didn’t really do a great job but better than our opponent and that’s all that matters. Got a round win and that’s good. We need that for DHL and CMR Roofing and Toyota, everybody. Everyone that has stuck with us through some challenges in recent races.”

ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports

Final Result: Round 1

What happened in Round 1 when the car made contact with the wall?

“I’m mad at myself. I just tried a little too hard and the backend came out on me and I hit the wall. Sorry to my guys. They have a lot of work to do. I think the chassis is messed up so that’s never a godo day. Just really mad and just sorry to everybody, especially my team. Just tried really hard and missed it.”

NARC SPRINT CARS HEAD TO CHICO FOR DAVID TARTER MEMORIA

(4/25/22) Sacramento, CA … The NARC Fujitsu General 410 Sprint Cars will travel to the historic Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California this Saturday, April 30th for the tenth annual David Tarter Memorial.

The event honors the late driver who tragically passed in 2012, less than a year after he claimed Silver Dollar Speedway’s Rookie of the Year honors. On top of being a promising talent behind the wheel, the Chico native was admired in the community, and his home track has hosted a night of racing in his honor since 2013. Saturday’s Fujitsu General  USA Feature will award $3500 to the winner as a tribute to Tarter’s car number.

Proceeds and donations raised at the event will go to the David Tarter 35 Foundation which benefits the pediatric ward of Chico’s Enloe Medical Center. The foundation has already helped raise more than $20,000 for Enloe.

Saturday will mark the second race of the 2022 NARC campaign. The West Coast’s premier 410 sprint car series has made more than 200 trips to Silver Dollar Speedway since the first visit back in 1968, but this will be the first since the promising new promotional group, SLC Promotions, took the reigns.

The trio that composes the group, Brad Sweet, Kyle Larson, and Colby Copeland, are excited to welcome NARC for the special event as they continue to usher in a new era at the quarter mile dirt oval.

“Tarter was a great guy on and off the track because he would do anything for anyone to help them out,” Copeland said. “He didn’t have a very big budget at all but would give his shirt off his back if a guy needed it.

“It’s cool to help the David Tarter Memorial race keep going because he was loved by so many people,” Copeland added. “It’s awesome to see how many friends and family come out to support the Tarter race. Hopefully we can do a good job and live up to the hype the Tarter Memorial brings.”

Championship Chase

After high winds forced the cancellation of the Anthony Simone Classic, the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car standings look the same as they did after the season opener at Stockton early this month.

Colby Copeland leads the way courtesy of his dominant win at the NARC opener. However, with his promoting obligations this weekend Copeland will have to exit the cockpit and relinquish the points lead.

Full-time series drivers Dominic Scelzi (2nd in points), Mitchell Faccinto (3rd), and Willie Croft (5th) are primed to take over the point lead early in their championship hunts. A host of others chasing the title are also hoping to make leaps in the standings this weekend.

Who to Watch

A driver everyone will be keeping their eyes on is Elk Grove native Paul McMahan. The 1994 & 1995 NARC runner-up is flying in from his home in Tennessee and is climbing back in Clyde Lamar’s iconic TRI-C Machine with hopes to wheel it to Silver Dollar Speedway victory lane one more time as the ultimate tribute to the late car owner. Before he became a star on the World of Outlaws tour, McMahan cut his teeth in California and picked up his fair share of checkered flags in the No. 3C. McMahan is a four-time NARC feature winner at Silver Dollar Speedway with a trio of those coming in the TRI-C Machine. Also helping to honor Clyde Lamar will be a celebration of life at the track at 12:30 P.M. on Saturday.

“I’m semi-retired,” McMahan said. “But I couldn’t retire without driving Clyde Lamar’s car in Chico one last time.”

There is no track more synonymous with success on Tim Kaeding’s NARC resumé than Silver Dollar Speedway. Of TK’s 71 series victories, 18 of them have come in Chico. During one stretch of the San Jose driver’s career from 2003 to 2008, Kaeding put together a run of 20 consecutive NARC top-fives at Silver Dollar Speedway including 11 of his 18 total wins.

Aromas’ Justin Sanders has developed a reputation as one of the best on the bullrings, and he’ll look to add to that this weekend. Sanders has won in two of his last three series starts at Silver Dollar Speedway including NARC’s most recent trip for last year’s Louie Vermeil Classic finale.

A driver hungry to get to victory lane with a good shot Saturday is Colfax’s Willie Croft. Croft hasn’t snagged a NARC checkered flag since a 2018 triumph at none other than Silver Dollar Speedway. The track is also home to his inaugural series win back in 2004.

Also expected to compete this Saturday are Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Hanford brothers Mitchell and Michael Faccinto, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Hanford’s D.J. Netto, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., Australian Kerry Madsen, Clovis’ Corey Day, Roseville’s Sean Becker, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal, Idaho’s Logan Forler, the brothers from Lincoln Tanner and Blake Carrick, Angelique Bell from Sacramento, and more.

Fan & Competitor Info

The NARC-King of the West Hoosier Tire format will feature ARP Fast Time Qualifying, four 10-lap Heat Races, a six-lap Sunnyvalley Bacon Trophy Dash, a Kaeding Performance Semi and the Fujitsu General USA Feature.

The pit gates will open at 2:00 P.M. with the front gates following at 4:00 P.M. The drivers meeting will take place at 4:45, and cars will hit the track for wheel pack at 5:15 with hot laps and qualifying set to follow.

Adult General Admission tickets are $25. Seniors ages 60+ and juniors ages 12-15 will be admitted for $20. Kids ages 11 and under will be admitted for just $5. Tickets can be purchased at the gate or in advance via the following link: https://www.eventsprout.com/event/silver-dollar-speedway-2022.

Silver Dollar Speedway is located on the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds at 2343 Fair St, Chico, CA 95928. For more information visit silverdollarspeedway.com or call (530) 891-6535.

The David Tarter Memorial will be broadcast live on floracing.com along with the entire NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Car schedule.

NARC RACE TEAMS:  Flowmaster or Spintech mufflers are required at Silver Dollar Speedway.

David Tarter Memorial Winners
2013 – Sean Becker
2014 – Kyle Hirst
2015 – Craig Stidham
2016 – Kyle Hirst
2017 – Kyle Hirst
2018 – Kyle Hirst
2019 – Kyle Hirst
2020 – cancelled due to COVID-19

2021 – Justin Sanders

2022 NARC King of the West Fujitsu 410 Sprint Car Series
Championship Points Standings (After one event in 25-race series)

  1. Colby Copeland, Roseville – 117
  2. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 115
  3. Mitchell Faccinto, Hanford – 113
  4. Shane Golobic, Elk Grove – 112
  5. Willie Croft, Colfax – 111
  6. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 110
  7. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 109
  8. Tanner Carrick, Lincoln – 108
  9. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 107
  10. Corey Day, Salinas – 106
  11. Michael Faccinto, Hanford – 105
  12. Max Mittry, Redding (R) – 104
  13. Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR – 103
  14. Kerry Madsen – Sydney, AUST – 102
  15. Colby Thornhill, Emuclaw, WA – 101
  16. DJ Netto, Hanford – 100
  17. Billy Aton, Benicia (R) – 99
  18. Logan Forler, Boise, ID (R) – 98
  19. Blake Carrick, Lincoln – 97
  20. Dylan Bloomfield, Discovery Bay (R) – 96
  21. Geoffrey Strole, Hanford (R) – 95
  22. Joel Myers Jr, Sebastopol (R) – 94
  23. Josh Weisz, Colfax (R) – 93
  24. Angelica Bell, Sacramento (R) – 92
  25. Austin McCarl, Altoona, IA – 91

The NARC Fujitsu General USA Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires and Floracing.com.  Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, Dirt.Travel, FK Rod Ends, Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Products, Maxim, Pyrotect, Roth Motorsports, Safecraft Safety Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, SCI Racing Products, Scelzi Enterprises, Starr Property Management, Swift Metal Finishing, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Vortex Wings, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.

SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NARCKingoftheWest
Facebook (history page):  https://www.facebook.com/NARCSprintCarHistory
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NARC410
Instagram: www.instagr
am.com/narc410
YouTube: NARC410

Live Stream PPV:  Floracing.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 13 – Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare – Peter Murphy Classic (Night One)
May 14 – Keller Auto Speedway, Hanford – $11,000 to win Peter Murphy Classic
May 21 – Petaluma Speedway, Salute to First Responders
May 26 – Southern Oregon Speedway, Central Point, OR – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
May 27 – Willamette Speedway, Lebanon, OR – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
May 28 – Grays Harbor Raceway, Elma, WA – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
May 29 – Grays Harbor Raceway, Elma, WA – Fastest Four Days in Motorsports

Second Wally Trophy of Season for Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car with Hagan Win in Final NHRA SpringNationals at Houston

  • Matt Hagan captured Tony Stewart Racing’s second Funny Car victory of the team’s inaugural season in the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Camping World Drag Racing Series aboard the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat at the SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park
  • Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from a No. 8 qualifying position to his 41st career win and the team’s fourth consecutive final round appearance in five national events to maintain their lead in the Funny Car championship points standings
  • TSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett qualified her Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection supported dragster No. 7 for eliminations and fought in a pedal-fest in the opening round
  • No. 3 qualifier Cruz Pedregon drove his Snap-on® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a quarterfinal appearance at the sea-level track and remains fourth in Funny Car standings

April 24, 2022, Baytown, Texas —Matt Hagan powered his Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat to victory at the 35th and final National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park, giving Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) its second Funny Car Wally trophy of the team’s inaugural season in the Camping World Drag Racing Series.

It was Hagan’s 41st career win and his third final round appearance at the SpringNationals after earning his first career Funny Car victory in 2010 and a runner-up finish in 2019 at the Houston dragstrip which announced earlier this year that it would no longer host an event after the property was sold.

“Congratulations to Matt Hagan and the Tony Stewart Racing team for charging to the win aboard the Dodge Power Brokers Funny Car at Houston,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand Chief Executive Officer – Stellantis. “It’s great to see Matt continue to perform at the level that enthusiasts have come to expect from Dodge//SRT performance and bring attention to what Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection can do for their rides.”

After securing the No. 8 qualifying position, Hagan kicked off eliminations against No. 9 qualifier John Force by taking the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat for a stout 3.954-second run at 325.77 mph run to turn on his first win light of the day and gain lane choice over No. 1 qualifier Ron Capps in the next round.

Hagan had the early advantage against the defending Funny Car World Champion and fellow HEMI®-powered driver and, while his opponent smoked the tires, set the low elapsed timed run of the round to advance with lane choice over No. 13 seed J.R. Todd for their semifinal matchup. While Todd’s ride went up in smoke right at the hit, the Dodge Power Brokers Dodge Power Brokers and Direct Connection supported Funny Car powered to another strong and straight run to take the TSR team to a fourth consecutive final round and Hagan’s 75th career final round.

The final showdown was a nail biter as Hagan battled closely with No. 11 seed and rookie driver Bobby Bode who was making his first career final round appearance. After Hagan had the quicker start, the two 11,000 horsepower nitro machines battled neck and neck with Bode leading slightly at the eighth-mile mark. Hagan retook the lead just as his opponent began to drop cylinders and then blew the supercharger and the body of his Funny Car into the air. Hagan crossed the finish with a 3.982-second elapsed time at 326.63 mph, his third consecutive 3.9-second run in a row, leaving no doubt about the consistency and winning performance of the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat.

The win was noteworthy as the final one at the venue but also because the team had extra incentive as Hagan’s ride carried a special decal this weekend to honor Houston native and Crew Chief Dickie Venables’s father, Dick Sr., who passed away in December. 

It was also TSR’s fourth final round appearance in five national events to maintain the lead in the Funny Car championship points standings following runner-up finishes at the Arizona Nationals in February and the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas in early April, along with team’s first win at the Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida.

“Dickie (Venables) has been such a big part of this, and this is such a special event,” said Hagan. “I won my first race here in Houston with a pedal job and its crazy how history works. This is for Dickie and his dad in remembrance of him. We’re leading the points now and we’ve got a second win for Tony Stewart Racing. Our crew is doing a hell of a job.”

Sitting fourth in the Funny Car standings heading into Houston, Cruz Pedregon returned to the site of his first career nitro win as a rookie in 1992 by taking his Snap-on® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the third quickest run of the first qualifying session with a repeat performance in the second session. He continued his string solid qualifying efforts this season by earning the No. 3 spot on the eliminations ladder for race day, his fourth top-five start in the first five national events.

His opening round opponent, No. 14 seed Paul Lee, had a quicker start but the Cruz Pedregon Racing Hellcat quickly took over lead and headed straight for the finish to turn on the win light. Staged next to No. 11 seed Bode in the quarterfinals, Pedregon launched first but saw the 20-year driver make the pass and race to the finish first, ending his run through eliminations at the last national event for the Houston track.

In Top Fuel action, TSR pilot Leah Pruett’s best qualifying effort of the weekend came in the final session as she wheeled her Dodge Power Brokers dragster to a stout 3.711-second pass at 329.26 mph to earn a bonus point for setting the third quickest run of the session. That put her in No. 7 spot on the eliminations ladder for Sunday’s SpringNationals where she would line up next to No. 10 seed Shawn Langdon for the opening round.

Pruett powered off the starting line first with a 0.052-second reaction time to her opponent’s 0.072-sec. start, but both lost traction early and pedaled their machines down the track look for the finish line. Unable to get her machine to hook up, Pruett couldn’t reach the line first and saw her race day end prematurely.

The Dodge//SRT and Mopar supported drivers and teams will be back on track next weekend in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway, the sixth of 22 NHRA national events on the schedule this season.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES:

Leah Pruett, Dodge Power Brokers Top Fuel Dragster 

(No. 7 Qualifier – 3.711 seconds at 329.26 mph)

Round 1: (0.052-second reaction time, 4.973 seconds at 201.04 mph) loss to No. 10 Shawn Langdon (0.072, 4.774/197.48)

“Overall, we feel this has been a very generous weekend in the form of information that this team is accruing in order to find our window of performance. It was great to qualify seventh because there is a super tight field. We are just a couple of hundredths (of a second) behind. 

“Our challenge right now is that we backed the car up to where we thought it would get down the racetrack and it smoked in a very prime zone. I did not do a platinum job of pedaling the car. I have been working really hard on my reaction times and that is a huge win to be able to leave before Shawn (Langdon). In all of my 10 years of racing in Top Fuel, I have never been in a pedal situation like that where I pedaled it, smoked it, and Shawn was ahead of me. However, I see myself at about half track gaining on him and I am trying to look at the distance of the finish line and how much I am gaining on him. In my calculation process, he had gotten back ahead of me, but he wasn’t on a full pull. I couldn’t see that his parachute was out. It was a very weird anomaly of what happened to him in his lane. For me, I couldn’t get myself to pedal the car again at half-track and regain traction because it looked to me that I could already be gaining on him.

“It is a testament to our Dodge Mopar parts that stayed together during the run. While it didn’t put the win lights on, between our performance and our team’s visit with NASA and their engineers, we feel very inspired seeing all of their technology and that will help our team dig a little deeper. Everyone’s head is held very high. We get to go back to four-wide racing in just a couple of days and I am excited about that. We have a hot rod and I can’t wait to put it back on the track.”

Matt Hagan, Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car  

(No. 8 Qualifier – 3.924 seconds at 329.34 mph)

Round 1: (0.056-second reaction time, 3.954 seconds at 325.77 mph) defeats No. 9 John Force (0.033/4.010/328.06)

Round 2: (0.051/3.933/326.87) defeats No. 1 Ron Capps (0.073/8.017/95.44)

Round 3: (0.077/3.937/323.97) defeats No. No. 13 J.R. Todd (0.051/10.851/81.82)

Round 4: (0.058/3.982/326.63) defeats No. 11 Bobby Bode (0.074/4.046/282.95)

“First of all, Bob and (driver) Bobby Bode are doing a great job. That kid is doing a great job driving and I am super proud of him. We need youngsters like that coming up in the sport. I hated to rain on his parade for his birthday weekend. That is drag racing though. I am here to do a job and to win.

“It was so special for Dickie Venables (crew chief) to have his whole family here for the win, following his dad’s passing at the end of last year. Dick Venables is a huge part of Dickie and what he has been able to accomplish in his career. It’s so special for Dickie to have that inspiration from his dad. This race means so much to me because I won my first race here in 2010. I got in on a pedal job and won on a pedal job. To close it out at Houston Raceway Park with a win and honor Dickie and his dad means a lot. It is a sad, sad thing, but we are going to end [the weekend] on a really good note. To be able to give Dickie and his family the trophy this weekend is massive. Dickie means so much to me and it’s so cool because racing is his life.

“To be able to come out of here with a win is huge. I’m excited that our Dodge Power Brokers car is running well. We’re the points leader and we’ve been to the final in four out of five races. We are making a statement this year. We got through a lot of heavy hitters today and there were no easy runs. All in all, it’s a really great weekend.”

Cruz Pedregon, Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 3 Qualifier – 3.881 seconds at 324.67 mph)

Round 1: (0.138-second reaction time, 3.925 seconds at 319.67 mph) defeats No. 14 Paul Lee (0.112/3.979/323.43)

Round 2: (0.073/4.030/318.69) loss to No. 11 Bobby Bode (0.083/3.991/315.05)

“The fifth race of the 2022 season has been solid for the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and our nitro Funny Car team. We’ve still in fourth in points and we’re hanging right in there. We went to the quarterfinals today, which was a strong effort. Obviously, we would have liked more, but we lost a little momentum there with the clutch no working like it was supposed to. We lost some half-track speed and our opponent, Bobby Bode, just went out there and made a nice run. We were low e.t in the first round with a 3.92, which was the best of the class but then we fell off more than we had anticipated.

“We have qualified top five consistently. Our Hellcat is fast, it’s consistent, but we just need to get a little race luck and make our own luck, but it was still a good race that today. Can’t hang our heads. We’re fourth in points, and we’ve always said we’re a top five car and we’re proven it after five events. Now we’re going into Charlotte for four-wide racing. It’s still my favorite format. I love the four-wide racing.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the NHRA SpringNationals at Houston Raceway Park

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 507 (2)

2.  Robert Hight: 447 (2)

3.  Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 420 (1)

4.  Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 282

5.  John Force: 249

6.  Alexis DeJoria: 241

6.  J.R. Todd: 241

8.  Chad Green: 237

9.  Bob Tasca III: 229

10. Tim Wilkerson: 217

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1.  Brittany Force: 420 (2)

2.  Steve Torrence: 388

3.  Justin Ashley: 367 (1)

4.  Mike Salinas: 349 (1)

5.  Clay Millican: 281

6.  Austin Prock: 253

7.  Tony Schumacher: 227

8.  Josh Hart: 220

9.  Doug Kalitta: 206

10. Antron Brown: 198

13. Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 171

DodgeGarage: Digital Hub for Drag Racing News

Fans can follow all the NHRA action this season at DodgeGarage, the one-stop portal for Dodge//SRT and Mopar drag-racing news. The site includes daily updates and access to an online racing HQ, news, events, galleries, available downloads and merchandise. For more information, visit www.dodgegarage.com.

@DodgeMoparMotorsports on Instagram

The @DodgeMoparMotorsports Instagram channel continues to share content capturing Dodge//SRT Mopar drivers on the track. Fans can see action from the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series and NHRA Sportsman grassroots racers, competing in classes such as Factory Stock Showdown, Stock and Super Stock, as well as additional motorsports series.

Dodge//SRT

For more than 100 years, the Dodge brand has carried on the spirit of brothers John and Horace Dodge. Their influence continues today as Dodge shifts into high gear with muscle cars and SUVs that deliver unrivaled performance in each of the segments where they compete.

Dodge drives forward as a pure performance brand, offering SRT versions of every model across the lineup. For the 2022 model year, Dodge delivers the drag-strip dominating 807-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock, the 797-horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Redeye, the most powerful and fastest mass-produced sedan in the world, and the Dodge Durango SRT 392, America’s fastest, most powerful and most capable three-row SUV. Combined, these three muscle cars make Dodge the industry’s most powerful brand, offering more horsepower than any other American brand across its entire lineup.

In 2020, Dodge was named the “#1 Brand in Initial Quality,” making it the first domestic brand ever to rank No. 1 in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS). In 2021, Dodge brand ranked No. 1 in the J.D. Power APEAL Study (mass market) — making it the only domestic brand ever to do so two years in a row.

Dodge is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.

RCR NCS Post Race Report: Talladega

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off Road Chevrolet Team Race to Second-Place Finish at Talladega Superspeedway
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“I’m really proud of this No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / Tracker Off Road Chevy team. Second-place at Talladega is something to be proud of. We managed to stay out of the wrecks around us and run with the draft to stay up front. We came from eighth there on that last lap. We rode the bottom and got people baited off the top. We had a good push there at the end. I think I was actually the one to push the No. 1 to the win. I gave him a good shove off of Turn 4 and he drove away. Our team has been really close to getting to Victory Lane a couple times this season and our win is definitely coming. I appreciate all of the hard work from everyone at RCR and ECR, and to Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER Off Road for their support.”
-Austin Dillon
Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 BetMGM Chevrolet TeamFinish 39th After Early Race Mechanical Issue
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“It was an unfortunate day for our No. 8 BetMGM team. We started 10th and were just focused on staying out of trouble and running with the pack. As a driver, you know you need to be there at the end. We started falling back and just weren’t able to come back from it. I felt like we were starting to make up some ground in the middle of Stage 1 but then we had an engine issue that ended our day. We have run thousands of miles without an issue so it’s just tough. But, we have a team that doesn’t give up. Everyone at RCR and ECR work so hard each week to bring us fast and competitive racecars, we’ll bounce back and come back stronger at Dover next week.”-Tyler Reddick

ROSS CHASTAIN VICTORIOUS IN FINAL LAP BATTLE AT TALLADEGA

Sixth NCS Victory of 2022 for Camaro ZL1TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 24, 2022) – In true Talladega Superspeedway fashion, it was an all-out fight to the finish, with a last lap pass that saw Ross Chastain take the checkered flag in his No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1. With one lap to go, Chastain was running third behind Chevrolet teammates, Erik Jones and Kyle Larson. In the effort to keep the lead, a block gave Chastain the window to pilot his Chevrolet-powered machine to the front, capturing his second NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) victory of 2022 by just .105-seconds.
“I’m always the one going to the top too early, making the mistake,” said Chastain in front of the packed Talladega grandstands. “There at the end it was like eight (laps) to go, I was like – I’m not going up there again. I did that a couple times today. I’ll just ride on the bottom. If it works, I’m not going to lose the race for us. I’ll just let them.”
Chastain’s victory came after the 29-year-old Florida native led just one lap of the 188-lap race, but it was the lap that mattered the most that led him to his second-career victory in NASCAR’s premier series. With 10 points-paying races in the books, Chastain is now just the second driver in the series to become a repeat winner thus far this season, joining fellow Chevrolet driver, William Bryon, on that elite list. While a young team in only its second full-time season in NASCAR Cup Series competition, the feat marks Trackhouse Racing’s second NCS victory, proving that they are a force to be reckoned with.
The bowtie brand made a strong showing throughout the race, with six of the top-10 in the final running order being taken by the Camaro ZL1, represented by four different Chevrolet teams. Austin Dillon posted his fifth top-10 finish of 2022, bringing home a runner-up finish in his No. 3 Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Camaro ZL1 to make it a 1-2 finish for Chevrolet. In his best performance on a superspeedway, Kyle Larson battled to a fourth-place finish in his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to round out the top-five for the bowtie brand.
Erik Jones showed the speed of his No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1 all day, scoring a top-10 finish in both stages and recording 25 laps led. Taking the white flag in the lead, Jones put up a valiant fight for the win, navigating his way through last-lap chaos to finish in a strong sixth-place position. Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, brought their Camaro ZL1’s to the finish in the seventh and ninth-place spots, respectively.
The victory marks the sixth of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season for the Camaro ZL1 and the 42nd at the 2.66-mile Alabama Superspeedway, extending its lead over all manufacturers. As the winningest brand in NASCAR, Chevrolet now sits at 820 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series. Leaving NASCAR’s longest oval of Talladega Superspeedway, Chevrolet continues to lead in both the NCS Driver and Manufacturer point standings, with eyes set on defending its championship titles. Chase Elliott’s solid top-10 finish kept his spot on top of the driver standings, extending his lead by a 21-point advantage over the second position.
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Dover Motor Speedway with the DuraMAX Drydene 400 presented by RelaDyne, on Sunday, May 1 at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage will air on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1 – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We have now been joined by our race winner at Talladega, Ross Chastain.
ROSS CHASTAIN: For me, it’s his confidence in the way he answers that, is the whole reason we’re not underdogs. It starts at the top.
I can go into a long spiel about it, but it truly just starts with when he answers that question, that’s the reason why. That’s the reason why we believe it.
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: I would be lying if I told you I remembered exactly what he said, so… Whatever he said, that’s what he said.
Q.Your dad was not at COTA. The first win he said he’s ever missed. He was here today. What was it like?ROSS CHASTAIN: It was awesome. I realized that immediately at COTA that he wasn’t there. Yeah, that’s special. He comes a lot, he puts a lot of effort into being here, my mom does, my brother does, my family. They make the evident to drive, fly, whatever it takes. It means the world.
He is the reason that I’m here. He is the reason I fell in love with racing and why I stayed out of, I don’t want to say trouble, but like it gave me an avenue to be successful. I fell in love with it.
He didn’t push me early on. I mean, he did, but it wasn’t like other kids we were racing against. I think the way he did it was the perfect way.
We had fun racing locally. We got to this level, did a few races, kept doing more.
Beyond all that, back to the question, my dad was here, we won a Cup race, that’s so cool.
Q.A year ago a lot of things were uncertain about your future in the Cup Series. Does it just seem surreal at times?ROSS CHASTAIN: It does not seem real at all. I keep waiting to wake up from this dream and realize it’s all not what I think I’m living.
But I’ve got great groups of people from Trackhouse, the competition and business side, my family, people in Charlotte and around Moorseville that keep reminding me and keep showing me this is real.I talked about it earlier, sitting right here at this spot, I’m right where I want to be, and I have the people around me. They keep me remembering and keep reminding me and keep pushing me to make this the best we can make it.
We’re not resting on any of this stuff. Like Justin said, I might not be quite as sharp in the morning to get to work on Dover, but I’ll get to work on it at some point tomorrow.
Q.When you brought out the watermelon, it got a pop from the crowd. What was it like to stand on top of your car with the melon, Talladega grandstands going crazy?ROSS CHASTAIN: Unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Roy brought it out. Mr. Roy gets it every week for us. It’s a long way down there for him. I like to remind him, at his age that’s no small feat.I knew I wanted to stand on the car. Like I want it to smash. I don’t want it to just bust open. Yeah, my Bell helmet, I’m running ear cuffs, noise-canceling ear cuffs, and ear molds. I heard them and I felt them. The car was shaking. Then my legs started shaking. My arms were shaking. I took a second, scanned left to right, so like from the start/finish line was in my peripheral, I scanned down to the tri-oval. People were going crazy. It was wild.
Smashed it and they erupted again. Yeah, it’s indescribable. Like, I don’t have the words, but just the feeling they pumped into me, that I got, was what you dream of. Like that’s what I wanted to do when I first wanted to show watermelons, if I was ever able to win a race, I wanted that feeling. I wanted that reaction. We got that.
Q.I know the first win is the biggest. To win a race like this with patience more important?ROSS CHASTAIN: It is now because it was a mental decision I made. Whenever I got in line there on the bottom pushing Larson, I had J.J. behind me. I’ve made the mistake, I don’t want to say I let him, but I made the mistake several times in Xfinity cars, had like track position on him, and equal cars, I moved up or made a move, he went on to win the race.
I knew he would stay on the bottom. He won so many races that way. If he pushed me and I pushed the 5, we’d have the best shot. Make the bottom the best it could be.
It’s not that I was complacent or anything. I thought my best chance of winning was to just push the bottom. That was wrong because the 43 still cleared all of us, but still I thought it was going to put me in the best position to win.
So, yeah, the patience side, it’s hard. It’s so hard every split-second decision has to be quick, but also you have to be able to live with the consequences of it.
I just thought that was my best maneuver, which I never thought that before. It’s not like, Oh, I should have always done that in the past. It just worked out this time.
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: No, I think he went up to pass the 43. That’s how I remember it.
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: What?
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: I was never going up. I mean, I might have — it’s a blur. Coming to the finish, Kurt is on my right rear, I’m trying to keep whoever, I don’t even know if there was anybody still behind me, no matter where the car went, the mental decision was not to go to his right rear because I had somebody on my outside, so…
That’s cool that he thought I did it, though. Let’s let him think that.
Q.I have really important questions. How old is this watermelon?ROSS CHASTAIN: It got purchased right after COTA. So it’s been a few weeks. It was on its last leg.
Q.How does last-leg watermelon off the pavement and after 800 miles taste?ROSS CHASTAIN: Never sweeter. Oh, my goodness. There was so much watermelon juice on my face, running down me. I looked down at it and there were no seeds. I am like, They’re either all on my face and Regan is not saying anything again. I called him on it, Are you going to tell me this time? Help a brother out.
Just knowing what that means, not to get too longwinded, but back to our family’s history, what has put food on our table for generations, to get to do that in front of let alone this crowd, but national, worldwide attention, is just all I have ever wanted to do as a race car driver, is help promote watermelons.
Q.Have watermelons ever gotten this much exposure? This platform, are you noticing the attention?ROSS CHASTAIN: I mean, I am. I’ve noticed attention on watermelon forever. I work with different state associations, the National Watermelon Association, there’s a National Watermelon Promotion Board. We incorporate into safe driving campaigns, paint schemes whenever we can. So I’ve always had obviously the attention to it.
I mean, I still have Google alert set for watermelon race truck, watermelon driver, watermelon race car driver, to an old email address that I’ll check every now and then. I’d send off a story to the board or to the association to show them what we were doing.
I don’t know. That might be a question for somebody a little bit older than me, might know if watermelons have ever gotten this much attention. I’m going to guess not. I mean, Gallagher, right?
Q.When Justin was in here, he talked about how Talladega is hallowed ground in NASCAR. As you’ve been coming up in the sport, where was Talladega’s place in your mind, where you would want to win?ROSS CHASTAIN: It is. It is. It was said today, like they don’t race ’em anywhere else like they race ’em at Talladega. I think Barney Hall said that, I think.
Yeah, we’ve all been watching races here forever. I mean, I come here with the — I used to come here really worried, try to focus my first couple years, try to, like, plan out every move. I realized pretty quickly that’s not possible.
Johnny Sauter said one time, Why are you worried? You’re going to be backwards in the grass at 200 miles an hour, if you don’t hit anything you’ll still have a chance to win, relax.
He just said it in passing. I don’t even know if it was driver intros or after the race. It stuck with me. I was like, You know what, he’s right. I should come here a lot more relaxed and learn and try to prepare. I prepare. I try to be the best race car driver I can be, but I’m no better because we won.
There was 25 cars today that could legitimately win this race. In theory there were 39, but 25 legitimate chances. We were just the lucky ones, the cars parted and they all hung right coming to the tri-oval, that was it.
Q.The same car as COTA. Does that make this more special?ROSS CHASTAIN: It makes it so special that Jim France and the NASCAR family, the France family, their vision for this car, that you can win a race on a road course. Is it a month? Has it been a month or two months since COTA? In a month you can bring a car back you win at a road course and win at Talladega. That hasn’t happened since the ’60s. I don’t know, farther back. I have no idea. They would have different cars.
It’s wild. That’s more what it means to me, that this car is capable of that. Change the geometry, the suspension, shim the body a little bit, go race. Put different tune in the motor for a superspeedway, adjust your rear diffuser, adjust everything, and the same car can come race. That’s just wild.
I’m not sitting here going to say it’s any cheaper yet. I don’t think it’s cheaper for us than just building a new car like in the past. I don’t know. I don’t know the business behind what we’re doing. I just drive the cars.
It is special, though.
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: I’m not. I mean, I like that we still have my first-ever race truck, my Monte-Carlo race car back home. We have my brother’s first car. That kind of stuff is neat. I will probably never get rid of those.
You honestly can’t tell. The first time that ever happened for me, you can always tell something between each car, there’s always a little something different. I wrecked in the Duel last year in the 42 car, wrecked the car. We went to a backup. I got in for practice the next day, and I called them out. There’s no way, this is the same car, same interior.
They’re like, No, it’s all new, but it’s all that good. It’s that well-prepared. They prepare it that close that you can’t tell a difference. Same thing with these cars. I can’t tell a difference week in, week out. I can’t tell that it’s the same car because I can’t tell that one’s any different.
Q.Your first Cup victories have come at two distinct tracks. Is that mind-blowing for you?ROSS CHASTAIN: Absolutely mind-blowing, it is. I grew up short-track racing, so I just assumed and thought that was where I was the best. Turning right was hard, drafting was hard. I just thought I would never be able to catch up to guys that had been doing it so much longer than me. A lot of time and work and really good people surrounding me, we’ve closed the gap. There’s still a long ways to go.
But, yeah, it’s absolutely mind-blowing.
Q.Where does this rank among your victories?ROSS CHASTAIN: I don’t put any of them ahead of any other one. This one and COTA, yeah, I mean, it’s Cup, it’s different, but, I mean, I put it right next to the Iowa Truck win.
Q.Justin has talked about this team being a disruptor, doing things in a different way. How has he impacted you, and how has he impacted this team, especially when he’s more based in Nashville?ROSS CHASTAIN: I’d say as much on the business and public side, he’s a disruptor. His messaging to me is like I don’t have to be a disruptor anymore. On track, it’s okay, I can take a breath, I don’t have to drive every lap.
I would say I was a disruptor through trucks, Xfinity, early on in Cup last year. It took several different people that I have a lot of respect for, some that at the time I didn’t really know why they were telling me these things because I didn’t know them that well.
Justin, like this year, It’s okay, stop, just stop. You’re okay. Just go drive the car, but you don’t have to win every lap. Win the day, be as good as we can that day.
Yeah, as far as everything else, Trackhouse is maybe a disruptor in that sense. For me, it’s almost been the opposite.
Q.I noticed they showed probably with about five laps to go the different winners throughout the year. Maybe all but Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were younger drivers. Coming into the Cup Series, seeing all these drivers you raced with doing well, does that motivate you at all?ROSS CHASTAIN: I don’t look at any car, anything farther than how do I pass ’em or how do I race ’em. I think there are more of us that are in our 20s, 20-year-old range. Yeah, I see what everybody is talking about. I do see the trend. Those guys are good. They have forgotten more than I’ve ever learned. That’s been the hardest part about Cup, is trying to catch up to that.
Even though it’s a different car, totally different environment on track, with everything about this new car, still they’re that good that they will adapt. Trying to come as prepared as I can be every week, I still look to those guys.
I’m studying them to try to be the best race car driver I can be, so I think they’re the best.
Q.Did you get a chance to talk with Pitbull at all?ROSS CHASTAIN: I haven’t. That’s twice in a row in Victory Lane, I’m running around, hugging, jumping on people. Justin, they’re off on the side where they can actually hear him.
I’ll have a text from him. We text every so often. He’s always motivating. He wants to be here, he does. We’re going to catch up down in south Florida because our homes aren’t that far apart. Couldn’t probably be farther environment and socially, a farther distance in the world. Yeah, we have the same passion for this right now.
I mean, he’s Mr. Worldwide. The thought he’s going to be here, like Justin said, every week, is a dream. He’ll be here. He’s going to be here for one of these wins.
I think rolling off today, Daniel, I thought he had one of the fastest cars. Honestly the wreck that took them out coming to the restart, I shut the car off to try to keep it cool, saving gas, coming to the restart I popped the clutch, the ignition was off. I lagged back.
I took off but I didn’t actually catch up. That’s when Joey got turned in turn one, they all wrecked, I was barely able to slow down enough. I would have been in that wreck with Daniel but for that mistake. I feel like Daniel, I truly believe, I see the preparation, the 1 and 99, he’s going to win races. When he does, he’s going to rattle them off. He’s that level, that caliber driver. The 1 and 99 are building together.Yeah, I haven’t gotten to talk to Armando yet.
Q.A lot of special things about today’s win. How would you sum up what you’re going to remember years from now about this?ROSS CHASTAIN: I mean, I’m going to remember that I crossed the line. I honestly didn’t know if we won. I mean, I knew that I quit blocking I think the 3. Did the 3 finish second? I had saw the 5 and the 43 hanging right. I was just motoring on the bottom. Brandon said, Go to the top.
I’m like, That’s weird. The 3 is going to push me.
I knew I was coming to the checkered. I crossed the line. They were all slowing down. I was like, Did we win? Like, we won? Everybody is slowing down. I was like, We won the race. That’s wild.
So, I mean, that’s the first thing. Then for the first time ever I blew the rear tires doing burnouts. I felt them unraveling, I didn’t care. I had it in second gear, wide open. I’ll take the hit on that, whatever we got to do to fix it. In the moment I couldn’t control myself.
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: Terrible. Terrible, yeah. I just cost us the race I thought. Absolutely. I didn’t think there was any way.
I knew there was a way to get back in it. Honestly, I knew it would be hard. Just track position, man. We had cycled out to be fifth. The whole rest of the race, I had to watch the 43, watch Erik up there dicing it up, if nothing else, learning how to race with the leaders.
I’m 12th in line at the bottom, 13th in line on the top. I’m just stuck. Tried the very top a couple times, tried to work with a few guys, hung guys out, got hung out.
Took Phil Surgen, strategy, key move. When we had the speeding penalty, I didn’t get down. It was like, Well, make it a whole lot harder. We had just jumped so many guys to come out fifth.
Q.(No microphone.)ROSS CHASTAIN: Yeah, the field was counted down. Brandon counted down leaders, side-by-side, two-by-two. McDowell had slowed down when I had to do my pass-through, I don’t know why he was that far back. He slowed down so we could draft together. That prolonged us going down a few laps.I knew I had to race him for the free pass, Brad was in the pack, at the tail. Off of two I started dragging back to get gapped off of Michael, get a little momentum for him.
Into three, it’s a decision I made on my own. I offset to the right of Michael, so he was on the bottom, and I went to the right. I’m about a car length or a little bit less back.
I knew that that put everybody either going two-by-two above me, which I would probably have to give it to them. When I saw the 5 split to the bottom, I disrupted the field. That was my goal, was create turbulence where I can catch up and they don’t put me all the way to the back.
I mean, I thought about it for a few laps. It’s not something I would do every time. In that situation I felt the risk of what I was doing was enough to get the free pass at the stage break, to get around the 34 and stay ahead of Brad. Turns out it probably wasn’t enough.
They both got their laps back a couple cautions later. I knew to get the first free pass at stage one end, I had to disrupt the field. If not, they would blow by me. Michael, me and Brad would all be at the back of the line, then we’d be stuck. If I was behind one of them, I’d never pass them.
Yeah, I’m sure Kyle wasn’t super happy with me. Might have cost him the lead. I felt like it was a risk worth taking and it was on purpose.
THE MODERATOR: Ross, congratulations.
JUSTIN MARKS, OWNER AND FOUNDER, TRACKHOUSE RACING – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We’re moving on to the race-winning owner, Justin Marks.Justin, thanks for joining us. Congratulations on that second win. Take us through the final laps from your spot on the pit box.
JUSTIN MARKS: I wasn’t on the pit box. I was on the bus. I was trying to keep my world a little quiet at the end. These things end up being so circumstantial at the end of the races.
What was interesting about this race, and we talked about this in the bus about 15 to go, everybody is in a single file line. We’re all kind of cruising. Everybody is thinking about what they’re going to do at the end. Then you see a whole bunch of plans try to be executed at one moment. But they don’t all jibe with everybody else’s plans. It’s just madness.
I really liked where Ross was. He was painting the bottom, being patient, riding with some Chevrolet friends there. When things got crazy, Ross is in a spot right now where he’s making pretty intelligent decisions.
I mean, I’m a fan alongside the other 150,000 people here on the property at the end of the race just cheering for my guy. He did a great job.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions for Justin.
Q.Ross won this race with patience. Did you think he would win a race with patience?JUSTIN MARKS: That’s a very, very interesting question.
I’ve said this a number of times. Ross has spent a number of years in his career fighting every lap of every race because tomorrow wasn’t given because next week was not guaranteed.
I’ve seen and continue to see so much talent in him that my goal was to put him in a position where he didn’t have to do that, where he had some job security, he felt like he could build this team around him.I told him this year that if he slowed down a little bit for me, just took a deep breath, slowed down 5%, that we can do great things. I think that’s where that comes from, right?
He’s now comfortable in his job and skin, understands and knows this team is being built around him. He can take a breath, be more calculated, not try to get it all right now in this moment.
I think at a place like Talladega, there’s equity in that. You have to be really intelligent and cerebral about how you approach the end of these races. He just did a perfect job today.
Q.You have two wins. How do you start preparing this team for a significant Playoff run? Do you not even start thinking about that?JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, I don’t even think we begin to have those conversations. I mean, I think that we’re here today, and we were where we were at COTA, the races leading up to COTA, just because we have a process that works. I think we just have to fundamentally stay committed to that process.I think when you start talking about Playoff strategy, how you’re going to mount a run for the championship, that kind of mental bandwidth is reserved I think at this point for the teams that have been there a long time, right? That’s something that Gibbs talks about, Hendrick, and Penske talk about.Trackhouse is so new, we can’t start thinking that way. We just have to focus on what we’re doing every week, just the execution of what we’re doing every week, that’s putting us in that position.
Obviously we’re contending for wins week in and week out. We just have to commit to that. I don’t think there’s going to be any conversation about Playoff strategy for the foreseeable future.
Q.The objective in this sport is to win anywhere you can. Talladega, there’s a certain cultural hold, mystique. As you continue to build Trackhouse, what does it do for your team as an organization, as a brand, to have staked your claim to having won at this racetrack?JUSTIN MARKS: That’s a great question, an important question, because Talladega is so important in the history of this sport. It’s hallowed ground.
We were flying in here 10:00 this morning looking at all the campers, all the people here, going, Man. I flew with Tim Dugger. He said, When I close my eyes and think about America, I picture Talladega Superspeedway on NASCAR weekend.
How important this place is for Trackhouse, a new team. Obviously we won at COTA, sort of a new track. To come to hallowed ground like this and win, I mean, winning at Talladega, it’s just incredible. It’s incredible.
Q.I know you’re not thinking about how to manage the Playoffs yet, but where does Ross fit in right now in terms of title contenders? Only a couple guys with two wins.JUSTIN MARKS: Things can change really quickly in this sport, right? We have a lot of momentum right now. Everybody is doing a great job bringing fast race cars to the racetrack. Things can change quickly, right?
Other teams, other manufacturers, they can find something really quickly. We’ve seen Tony Stewart do what he does through summer stretches, through the Playoffs. Resurgence or momentum can sort of come from anywhere, at any time.
I’m being honest when I say that “Playoffs” isn’t a word that’s uttered in our building at all. We still have to go to a lot of tracks with this race car that we’ve never been to before. We still have a lot to learn. We’re committed to the process of learning this car, figuring out the right approach to this car.
I’m being totally honest with you. We don’t talk about that at all because it’s so new, everything is just so new. We’re just trying to do a good job every day, you know what I mean?
Q.This morning Trackhouse Racing announced another new partner for the 2022 season and beyond. How much inventory, if any, do you have left for 2022 available?JUSTIN MARKS: We don’t have any left in ’22. Honestly, we probably don’t have anything left in ’23. We’ve got a lot of momentum right now. What we’re doing is resonating with a lot of people. We’re authentic, we’re real. Obviously we’re winning, which is important.
This is a great sport. I mean, this is a sport where companies can come in and they can build brand awareness, they can grow their business. We’re just trying to position ourselves at Trackhouse as the most viable place for companies to come and do that.
I take a lot of pride in bringing two new companies to the sport, not only Worldwide Express, but Jockey that we announced on Monday. Tootsies, all the other stuff we have going on.
I just think that what we’re trying to do here is being successful, because I think this is a partnership-based business, and the partners are seeing that Trackhouse is a great place to be.
Q.Two wins in 10 races. You call yourselves disruptors. That’s quite a disruption in the sport. Is that what you expected at the beginning of the season?JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, I mean, I get that question a lot. My answer to that is, you know, all of us would not have put the work in to starting Trackhouse to just be here also, right, to be here, try to contend, try to do this.
We’re trying to establish ourselves, Trackhouse, as a company that can contend for championships in this sport for decades to come.
I would say that the expectation was that we would be here, but it’s happened quickly. Obviously it’s happened very, very quickly.
What comes with that, a lot of responsibility comes with that, too. Like I said earlier, it’s not going to be like this forever, right? There’s going to be a trough that we go through. There’s going to be times when — and it can happen at any point — other teams are strong, other OEMs are strong. We have to build a strong foundation so when those headwinds come, we can navigate them. We’re not a flash in the pan, we’re not, Remember when Trackhouse showed up and they were good for this period of time.That fundamental work comes in just establishing what’s working right now, which is the fact we’re building a great culture. Everybody that works for Trackhouse loves working for the company, they’re excited about this car, they’re excited about the opportunity. That ends up being speed in the race car I believe with this new car. So yeah.
Q.(No microphone.)JUSTIN MARKS: No, no. I had success, right? But my goals in 2022 were not in numbers of wins, points positions, one car makes the Playoffs. It was, and continues to be, making sure every week we get better and that we invest in each other and we learn this race car and we constantly improve. Those are the goals every week at Trackhouse, right?
The wins are nice, the results are nice, but that’s a by-product of the work we put in Monday through Friday. That just continues to be where we focus our attention.
Q.Do you think of yourselves as a model organization for any new ownership groups coming in?JUSTIN MARKS: I hope so. I mean, I think that an element of what Trackhouse is doing feels a bit of a responsibility to do everything that we can to elevate the sport, right, to amplify the sport, to be good stewards of the sport.
If we’re doing great things out there, and it attracts people to emulate or inspires new ownership or other teams to do things, then I think that’s all good, right?
Everybody says, I spent a ton of money making the haulers look good, right? People have come up and said, Your haulers look awesome, haulers look amazing.
In a way it doesn’t really matter. But it does matter, right? If everybody comes in and goes, Your haulers look incredible, if that inspires every other team in the series to get super creative with how they manage their branding and their optics, and how they wrap their haulers, their pit boxes, their toolboxes, it’s sort of a rising tide. Raises all ships.
Trackhouse exists fundamentally because we freaking love NASCAR racing, love it. I love it. Like, I want to do something in this sport that’s great for Trackhouse. If I can contribute something that inspires all the other teams, new owners, then great, awesome, c’mon.
Q.Your relationship, friendship, with Kid Rock, how did that come to be? What is his involvement with the team?JUSTIN MARKS: He just hangs out because he likes to go to the races. He’s just riding our coattails (laughter). I’m kidding.
We have a great partner in Tootsies. That partnership is so much more than just a bar on Broadway. Steve Smith, who owns Tootsies, owns Kid’s Rock, Honky Tonk Central, Rippy’s, The Diner. He’s a major hospitality powerhouse in Nashville. So being able to be partnered with somebody like him really brings the Nashville connection to what we’re doing. Bob is a huge supporter and friend of what we’re doing. Obviously him and Steve have that honky-tonk, Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk on Broadway.
It’s the power of Trackhouse in that town a little bit. People just love it and want to be a part of it.
Q.Chip Ganassi Racing only got two wins in its final two seasons. Since you brought over pretty much a majority of people who worked under that banner, different car, do you measure what you’re doing now compared to what Ganassi was able to accomplish in its closing days?JUSTIN MARKS: It’s easy to do that. That’s pretty low-hanging fruit. In a time of transition you’re trying to measure yourself against what was before.
But honestly, I don’t really think about it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Chip Ganassi. I mean, I’ve raced for him for a number of years. I’ve been inspired by watching him and his teams race.Things are just so different. I mean, we’ve kept a lot of people, but it’s an entirely new culture. The building looks different. We have this new car, new schedule.
That doesn’t really ever come to mind just because we’re just trying to do — our business strategy, our business model, is just so different.
To your point, it’s important to recognize, Chip Ganassi and Chip Ganassi Racing, they have some ownership in this win and in our win in Austin. We have so many people that work for Trackhouse that worked at Chip Ganassi Racing, out of that building and everything.
But, you know, Trackhouse just can’t compare to Chip Ganassi because what we’re doing is just so different.
Q.I confirmed with Andy Pitre today the No. 33 skull car sitting at Trackhouse is the one that got the four wins in September of ’91. What drove you to get that car?JUSTIN MARKS: I’m a huge fan of the sport. I want to be a steward of the sport’s history and the sport’s future. I’m fortunate enough at my house to have a Tim Richmond Blue Max Racing suit hanging on my wall. Liz Allison gave me one of Davy’s suits from ’93 that I have in the house.
If Trackhouse can make investments to help preserve the history of the sport, that’s kind of what we want to do. We want to honor the history of the sport.
Mr. September, here again, won all those races in that car for Andy Pitre. I told Andy, If you ever want to sell that car, I’ll buy it. It’s sitting right there.
I want NASCAR — I want to ask NASCAR if they’ll let me take a couple laps in it at Darlington on throwback weekend. I haven’t asked that question yet, but I’m asking it now (smiling).
THE MODERATOR: We’ll make sure it gets to the right spot.
Q.You’ve been preaching about balancing, building the culture. You know other teams are coming. How do you balance allowing your organization to enjoy and celebrate these successes but not getting too high?JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, I mean, I think celebrate it quick and get over it quick, right? After we won COTA, I told Ross, we were doing a bunch of media in the shop Tuesday afternoon, I’m like, I’m over Texas. I’m all about Richmond right now.
Just like we’re all going to be, what’s next, Dover, we’re all going to be Dover this week, right?I think it’s what I’ve said about the fact that we’re super, super committed to just the day in and day out process. Our model of doing the work. That’s proven to be successful.
It’s a challenge. I mean, managing success is every bit as difficult. There comes a lot of responsibility with success. That means committing fundamentally to what got you there and the process of getting there, not expecting to be the team every week. Just basically us waking up, going to the shop on Monday morning, going we could suck at Dover this weekend, both cars could suck. The competition is out there to crush you every single week. That’s kind of how we think.
Q.(No microphone.)JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, for sure. That just comes with how we support each other and how we manage the narrative in the shop of just going, We’re doing something special here, but it’s an exercise in managing expectations too, because we have a lot of experience at Trackhouse. We’re a new team, but we have a lot of experience.
The cumulative experience of people that work for this team is hundreds of years in this sport. There are a lot of people in the company that would say, We’ve been on this ride before, too. We’ve won races, then just gotten crushed for a while.
We’re all doing a good job of how we manage the highs and the lows. I don’t think we get that low, and we don’t get that high. Today is fun. But this week we’ll be focused on Dover, know that’s an entirely different challenge again.
Q.Armando missed another win.JUSTIN MARKS: When Armando said, I’m going to be at every race, that was an expression of passion, not scheduling, right? Look, I mean, it’s Pitbull, right? He’s touring, recording songs, releasing a song in two weeks, they’re doing a bunch of press around that.
I promise you that I will again call him this week and give him a bunch of shit for missing a race because he needs to be in Victory Lane with us.
Q.Has anyone heard from him?JUSTIN MARKS: Oh, yeah, we were on the phone with him in Victory Lane.
Q.An update on your plans for Nashville. Now that you’re in the Ganassi shop, you’re changing things, where does Nashville stand?JUSTIN MARKS: Look, the idea very, very early on was to try to build a race team based out of Nashville. That was the strategy when we were just shopping for a charter, then shopping for a charter became an acquisition of Chip Ganassi Racing, which changed from building a company in Nashville to uprooting a company and moving it to Nashville, which was no longer viable, especially the relationship we have with Chevrolet and the tech center they’re building in Concord.
Trackhouse is more than a racing team. It’s a brand where we’re trying to inspire, we’re trying to activate in the intersection point between entertainment and motorsports.
We talked about it today. We had a number of conversations. It’s very much still in the business development strategy to have a brick-and-mortar presence in Nashville. It’s a matter of figuring out how that looks with our goals scaling as a race team.
A lot of it’s up in the air, but Nashville is so important to us. I think we’ve got some momentum in getting something special going there.
Q.How vital and how important has Ty been to just the infrastructure, the organization? Obviously his résumé suggests he’s done this before.JUSTIN MARKS: Yeah, thank you for that.
Ty was the first person that I called when I really needed to have a meaningful discussion about what my ideas for this vision was. I needed to bounce it off of somebody that’s seen the highs, the lows, people come and go.
How many times have we seen in this sport, somebody comes in, they’re going to be the next great thing, it ends up not working out. I was business partners with Harry Scott for four years, right?When I called Ty, I said, Look, I have this idea, it revolves around this new car. I need like a real bullshit meter. I need somebody to tell me this is a bad idea.
Ty saw it really, really quickly. He’s been instrumental because he knows so much about how this garage works, about how this business works. He continues to contribute so much to this company because he just has such a great understanding of how the sport works.
But he’s also at a point in his life where he’s not getting any younger, he’s about to be 57. He sees Trackhouse as his swan song in the sport. He worked for Dale Earnhardt, NWR, and Toyota. I think he gets really excited about this Trackhouse project really challenging him. Everything that he’s done in his life, that final kind of thing in his career that he really makes an impact in this sport.
He’s a soldier, super loyal. The guy works way harder than I ask him to work. He’s super, super vital to us.
Q.He said everybody has brought up the glory days with Jeff and the 3 car. He said right now these are the glory days, he’s going to look back on it like that.JUSTIN MARKS: I love hearing that. I want everybody that works for this company to feel like they’ve got a great job and feel like they’re doing important work.
Q.We talked in L.A. about when you were first brought onboard, overriding the underdog mentality. You said you’re no longer the underdog, you’re a contender. Could you provide me insight into that conversation, how important that was into getting into a championship mindset?JUSTIN MARKS: I’m going to answer that first and then let you have the stage because I’m going back to Nashville.
ROSS CHASTAIN: Can I go with you?
JUSTIN MARKS: Yes. You got to talk quick, can’t do the long answers.
I don’t even remember the question.
Q.(No microphone.)JUSTIN MARKS: Thank you.
I met Ross 10 years ago, 10 or 11 years ago. I’m a huge, huge fan of his talent. What I told him when the Ganassi acquisition happened, when I offered him the job, was that Trackhouse sees an opportunity, that my goal for Trackhouse, what it’s doing, is an opportunity to be great in this sport, and you are a championship driver.
I’ve seen the whole time I’ve watched him race, raced against him, watched him come up, this is a championship-contending talent at the NASCAR Cup Series level, period. This new car represents an opportunity for us to make a statement quickly to where if we came in with a Gen-6 car, the Gen-5 car, we’re up against teams that have so much engineering depth and money. Now we’re all kind of playing with the same ball. I say if we can build a team around this ball, give you control of it, we can really, really do great things.
So it’s like we’re not an underdog in the sense that I feel like we can go on any weekend and win. But I have so much respect for these organizations that race in this series. We can’t come in here and say, We’re better than Hendrick or Gibbs.
Like I said earlier, any one of these teams have so much talent and engineering depth, at any point they can find momentum and we can get knocked back a little bit and have to find our way out.I do believe that Trackhouse is here to stay, we’ve arrived, and what we’re doing is investing a lot of money, time, and resources into establishing ourselves as a championship-contending team for decades to come.
THE MODERATOR: Justin, thank you.
JUSTIN MARKS: That was the short answer (laughter).
PHIL SURGEN, CREW CHIEF, NO. 1 MOOSE FRATERNITY CAMARO ZL1 – PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT: THE MODERATOR: We’re going to get started with our post-race press conference here at Talladega Superspeedway, at the GEICO 500, with our race-winning crew chief, Phil Surgen.
Take us through those last laps from your seat on the pit box.
PHIL SURGEN: It’s a speedway race, so I’ve grown to expect that with five to go, you can’t tell what’s going to happen at the end. With two to go, you can’t tell what’s going to happen at the end.
Frankly, coming off of four in the top group of cars, you don’t really know what to expect yet. You know there’s going to be a wreck at the start/finish line. So many times I’ve been on the other end of it.
Unlike downforce races or road course races where you know you have a good car, a bad car, here you don’t know what’s going to happen.
It’s a little bit nerve-wracking, but you kind of stay calm. As it transpires, it’s like, Man, it becomes more and more clear in the last few seconds that we won the race. A great day for us.
THE MODERATOR: Based on some of the notes we have, this car that you won with today is the same car you won with in COTA, is that correct?
PHIL SURGEN: That’s correct.
THE MODERATOR: Can you tell us about that.
PHIL SURGEN: Really comes down to just the whole Next Gen platform. All the cars are the same, have the same range of adjustments, same group of parts.
All the cars right now are essentially universal. We took that car after it was done at COTA, cleaned it up, set it up a little bit differently to come here. There’s no reason it can’t race at a different type of track, an oval, next time, downforce oval.
THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions.
Q.Ross was saying he was going to stay there and not move. He didn’t want to make a mistake. Did you talk about that or did he come to that decision on his own?PHIL SURGEN: In the moment he comes to that decision on his own. Obviously leading up to the event, we’ve talked through a lot of different scenarios. One word that keeps reoccurring is “patience.” You have to be calculated in your moves and have patience. That’s exactly what he did. He executed perfectly.
Q.Two wins. Did you have any idea you guys had that in you?PHIL SURGEN: I knew this group of guys had the potential in them. Whether we were going to get ’em or not is a different story. After the first win and really after the consistency in the top five, the instances we haven’t finished in the top five, honestly it’s been engine, it’s been wrecks. We’ve had strong-performing cars everywhere.
I have all the confidence in the world in this group that we can continue to run, be a contender every week.
Q.Can you use this car every week?PHIL SURGEN: It would be really difficult to turn it around every week. Every third or fourth week, with the cleanup and the prep time that goes into it, you could use it every third or fourth week pretty easily.
Q.Do you know, is this car, for whatever reason, a better car than the others in your fleet?PHIL SURGEN: No, I would say it’s exactly the same. In fact, there’s so many parts on ’em that are interchangeable, there’s likely a different group of parts on this car than there was, on the chassis element, than there was on the car when it raced at COTA.
Q.Ross has talked about he’s always been an aggressive driver, but trying to control that in certain situations. Patience may have played a role in what he was able to do today where maybe he wouldn’t have been able to have done as well at some other point.PHIL SURGEN: I’ve certainly seen a little evolution in my time with Ross. I didn’t work with Ross before the start of the ’21 season. Likely it was different prior to that.
But just from last year to this year, I certainly have seen that evolve a little bit. His patience inside the car has been better. He’s just generally calm. That comes with confidence and that comes with us providing him cars that are capable and crews that are capable of working on ’em and pitting ’em.
Q.These 20-something-year-old drivers are winning week after week. From your time in the sport, are you continuing to be surprised about this? Is it the new car? Are you riding that wave with Ross right now?PHIL SURGEN: There certainly is an element of the new car this year. It’s kind of mixed things up a little bit.
I’m not surprised to see the younger drivers contending every week. If you look back maybe over the last 20 years, the level of preparation has changed over time.
Right now the guys that are the 20-somethings got into the sport when that level of preparation had elevated itself. The guys that are 20-somethings right now are doing things a lot differently than the veterans have in the past.
Some of the veterans have tried to adapt, but that’s an edge that the younger drivers have.
Q.When the season started, would you have picked a road course and a superspeedway as the two tracks where Ross would break through?PHIL SURGEN: In my opinion, superspeedway, no. Road course, yes. I think you look back at our results from last year, we were strong at all the road courses, arguably stronger than we were on the ovals. I expected to be strong on the road courses this year.
Superspeedways, I feel like we have all of the elements to compete, but there’s always that element of luck that you never can count on.
Q.What was the mindset or strategy, how pitting worked? Seemed like passing was difficult, it was kind of about leapfrogging on pit road.PHIL SURGEN: Yeah, generally speaking, when it comes to the manufacturer’s strategies, it’s a pretty tall order to get that many people organized and communicated appropriately to choose a pit lap or to choose a pit scenario, how many tires, how much fuel. You use more fuel in the front of the pack than you do in the middle of the pack.
Trying to accommodate the group you’re going to pit with, communicate all that well, and execute, is the most difficult element of that.
We can look back at history, we can look back at early in this race. When we were in stage three, we looked back early in the race to see what happened to try to identify any elements of that that might be advantageous to incorporate in the strategy in the closing laps.
THE MODERATOR: Phil, congratulations. Thank you.