CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA INDYCAR MEDIA DAY TRANSCRIPT – GROUP 1May 25, 2023 CONOR DALY, NO. 20 CHEVROLET AT ED CARPENTER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript: CHANGES TO THE AERO MAP OF THE CAR. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE RACE FOR PASSING – IS IT GOING TO BE HARD?“I read Pato’s (O’Ward) comments last week. He says things aggressively, which is good, I like that. And I think he was pretty accurate. It seemed like at first in the test, the passing and racing – you could run a little bit closer. But I don’t know if that’s actually what it’s going to be like. I think the first two cars can pass each other every straight if they wanted to. But if you’re the third car back, fourth car back, it is really, really hard.. it doesn’t matter how good you feel or how heroic you are. If you look in practice, you had two Ganassi cars and then all of a sudden, you’d have a Foyt car or whoever – it didn’t matter who it was, the line doesn’t change until something else happens. So I think the most interesting thing will be the end of the stint because cars seem to be burning off tires more than others and that will be the most interesting part. I think like lap 18 to 28 of the stint is going to be more telling than the beginning. It will be exciting for the first couple of laps, and then I think you’re going to see a lull. And then it could be like people have vibrations so bad they can’t see or they’re like burning off the tire. You always get vibrations here because the tires get old and you’re pushing them to the limit. It’s not a Firestone problem.. I think we’re pushing the cars faster than we’ve gone in the last literally 30 years – 1996 or whatever it is. So I think that’s the thing.” IF YOU’RE COMING TO THE WHITE FLAG, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO BE SITTING?“Yeah, you want to be second (laughs). But it depends on the raw speed. I would say that if you can follow really close in (turn) four, maybe you can make that move before the start-finish. It depends how well you toe-up. Some cars toe-up better than others. Like I’d see some cars that really have to pop late, but if you can stay really locked-in behind the car in front of you, you can probably make a move before the start-finish. Yeah, it just depends on everything, but I would rather be second – well no, I’d rather be first heading into (turn) three on the last lap. But definitely make the move before you get there. Hypothetically, I’d like to lead all of the time (laughs). I think the goal is just to lead whenever you can, especially on that last stint. Anything can happen, as you said. People are literally going to have to be on the verge of crashing to make a pass because you just have to trust that if you can get a little bit of air to that left-front corner of the wing, you’re going to get a little bit of grip and enough to launch yourself around the car in front of you.” INAUDIBLE..“That’s actually interesting.. I hadn’t really thought about that. I think no matter what, everybody’s going to be aggressive here. It doesn’t matter if this race is worth a million points or zero points – you’ll still be fighting for everything that you’ve got. I don’t think anybody is thinking championship here.” DOES YOUR RACECAR FEEL MORE LIKE IT DID IN 2021 OR 2022?“Oh man, 2021 is hard to beat. That car was a really, really good one. I would say I would feel more confident this year than I did last year, and last year I ended up being pretty good. I think we just have to end up using the last two weeks of experience and kind of just formulate the right situation. We have a few things we want to run through at Carb Day, too. There is more aero stuff that you can do.. I mean there’s a lot more aero stuff that you can do, so it’s just a matter of figuring out what is enough grip, but also not dragging. You really have to be able to create a run. One run could change your whole race – like if you happen to get by someone that is really struggling to hold everyone up. But yeah, we’ll see.” WHAT’S YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL RIGHT NOW?“Honestly, I would say we’re in a region of four to six cars that have been probably quite strong every day of practice, when it comes to running in race trim. Like if I’m going to list them, it’s Pato (O’Ward), Felix (Rosenqvist), (Scott) Dixon, (Alex) Palou and I would say me and Rinus (VeeKay) are probably in that arena, too. Ed (Carpenter) hasn’t been bad, as well. Other than that, I haven’t seen a ton of cars – like Josef (Newgarden) looked like he was having a difficult time. He was pitted right in front of me on Monday. But those guys always show up.. it’s not like they’re not going to be good. But those are the cars I’ve seen, more often than not, look like they’re quite strong. We’ll see.. we’ll see. But I definitely don’t feel like we’re not in the game, like when it comes to cycling our way forward. We have good tire life. We have not struggling with burning tires off. I would say we’re in better shape than a lot of other people when it comes to tire life.” THE NAMES YOU MENTIONED, A LOT OF CHEVY’S IN THERE. DO YOU FEEL LIKE CHEVY HAS BROUGHT AN IMPROVED PACKAGE FROM LAST YEAR?“Yeah, Chevy has done a great job. Both manufacturers, when you look at it, I think this year is closer than ever. Yeah, there’s a Honda on the pole, but there’s two Chevy’s on the front row, as well. I would say this year, more than ever, you don’t really know. Last year, it was like – alright, it looked like one was stronger than the other. But Chevy has done a great job I would say at getting us right into the game. They want to win this race I think more than anyone, too. It’s going to be cool.” ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 CHEVROLET AT ED CARPENTER RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript: HOW DO YOU THINK YOUR MONTH HAS BEEN GOING?“I think it’s been a pretty successful month, so far. I didn’t qualify ultimately as high as I had hoped, but at the same time I’ve been really happy with the racecar the whole time I’ve been here. I think the race runs have been strong. Looking forward to Sunday. Obviously, I have a bit of work to do from 13th to get up into the lead group, but I believe I have the car and team to do it.” LOOKING BACK AT YOUR FIRST YEAR, WHAT WAS THAT ‘WELCOME TO THE INDY 500’ MOMENT?“I think the first one is always the big one. You don’t know what to expect the whole way through – from the qualifying format, through the race. My first one was tough, too; we had a rain delay in the middle of it and I didn’t last too long after the rain delay. It’s great to get the first one out of the way. You learn things the whole way through. It’s a hard month, it’s a grind going through qualifying and even race week when we’re not in the car and on the track as much there are still so many things going on. When you’re young and haven’t experienced that you have to figure out how to manage your time and how to manage your energy and focus because things ramp up and ramp down and we’re pulled in a lot of different directions. I think the older you get you learn how to manage all that beyond just knowing what you need out of your racecar on the days you are in it.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT RINUS (VEEKAY) MANAGING TO PUT THE CAR ON THE FRONT ROW?“He has always been comfortable here. I think his driving style suits the track really well. To be fast here, whether you have a fast car or now, you have to be willing to put it to the limit, and he certainly puts himself in the right head space and has the ability to do that. I’m really proud to have him as part of the team.” HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM ABOUT THE START OF THE RACE?“Not necessarily about the start. He’s been up in that area, so he knows what it’s going to be like. All of our conversations, whether it’s between teammates or the whole engineering room, has been what we need out of the cars. We have two hours tomorrow to zero in on those last little adjustments.” HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR RACECAR FOR THIS SUNDAY?“I feel strong. I feel we’ve made improvements from last year beyond just the improvements the series gave us with extra downforce. I think we were OK last year. I think we could have been better; we maybe didn’t make the best decisions going into the race. I think we’ve taken a pretty decent step forward this year. Our cars were pretty similar in ’21 and ’22, and I think we’ve found some things and all three of us a pretty confident. Looking forward to Sunday to see if that holds true and how we stack up with the competition.” YOU’VE COME CLOSE TO WINNING; WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO WIN?“We’ve led a lot of laps here; I’ve finished second and top five a couple of times. It’s just a very hard race to win. I think we have all the tools to do it with Chevrolet, we have a great partner in Bitnile.com that gives us everything we need, so it’s just going to come down to execution from myself and our other drivers and the pit crew. I think we’re stronger now than we’ve ever been, and we have a great opportunity in front of us.” ANY CLUES YET ON FUEL MILEAGE FROM YOUR RACE RUNS AND WILL IT BE A FACTOR?“It’s always a factor. We know where we are, but I don’t know if you truly know where everyone is at until race day and see what people are doing. I know we’re going to have what we need to get the job done. Chevrolet has brought a lot this month. I think they took a pretty good step forward in all aspects of the engine – from power to economy – so I’m looking forward to it.” WHERE ARE YOU ON THE RACE CAR COMPARED TO 2021 AND 2022? IN 2021, YOU WERE HAPPY, LAST YEAR, LESS SO.“I think we were okay last year. I think we probably could’ve been better. We could’ve just maybe didn’t make the best decisions going into the race. I think we’ve taken a pretty decent step forward this year. Our cars were pretty similar in 2021 and 2022, kind of year over year, and I think we kind of found some things. That’s probably the most different our race package has been in the past couple of years, and all three of us feel pretty confident that we’ve made improvements. Looking forward to Sunday to see if that holds true and how we stack up to the competition.” AS A DRIVER, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE NEW AERO CHANGES?“I mean, I think it’s good. It’s interesting. I don’t think there is total consensus across the field which is cool. That’s the nice thing about having options. From practice on Monday, I think there is still people trying to come to a final conclusion on how they want to run their car. I think we are pretty confident with the configuration that we will be in. It just now comes down to the exact amount of downforce that we’ll choose for the day given what the temperature and conditions, the track temp, etc. I think INDYCAR made the right choice in bringing us some more options. I think it’s going to be good for the show.” ARE CHEVY AND HONDA CLOSE TO THE SAME HERE?“It seems pretty close. I think Chevrolet has done a fantastic job this year. We won’t truly know, well we’ll maybe get a sense tomorrow, but on race day, qualifying specs and race specs are a little different, and everyone’s just now putting their race engines in. To be determined exactly who’s got an edge come Sunday.” RYAN HUNTER-REAY, NO. 23 CHEVROLET AT DREYER & REINBOLD RACING, Indy 500 Media Availability Transcript: WHAT HAS GRAHAM (RAHAL) BROUGHT TO THE TABLE ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE?“He’s a pro, right. He knows what he’s doing. He’s one of the best INDYCAR drivers out there, and he’s current. He’s got a great relationship with the Wilson family; good relationship with Dennis Reinbold and the team. He’s one of my good friends. I think when you put all the factors together, it was the perfect fit to fill in for Stefan (Wilson).” WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE BACK AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY?“It’s great to be back – it’s awesome, love it. Loving every day on track. It’s been a lot of fun with the team and I really enjoy it. It’s a smaller program than I’m used to; a smaller effort than I’m used to. It’s really interesting to see the difference with a team that focuses just on Indy, as opposed to the other programs that are really in the midst of a grind – a full season grind. It’s a quite a bit different atmosphere. Everybody has big smiles on their faces when they show up to work in the morning and that’s important.” CAN YOU RELAY A LITTLE BIT OF THE EMOTIONS THAT GRAHAM (RAHAL) WENT THROUGH BECAUSE YOU WENT THROUGH THAT YOURSELF BACK IN 2010 OR 2011, WHEN YOU DIDN’T GET IN?“Yeah, its tough because you’re basically going to another garage, right. In that scenario in ’11, I was on my way home. The team called up and basically the partners said – why are we in INDYCAR if we’re not going to be in the biggest race. So I certainly understood that. But it wasn’t straightforward. You have to go into another team’s garage – get in there and meet all new people. Everything is new – a different car, different steering wheel. It’s a lot to get done within a short amount of time. It’s anything but straightforward.” FROM GRAHAM’S (RAHAL) POSITION, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE PROCESS OF CHANGING MANUFACTURERS AND CHANGING TEAMS?“I just made kind of a similar switch, right. I was with Honda for many years and now I’m back with Chevy. I won the championship with Chevy, so I’ve got a great relationship with them. Really happy to be back with them. I can give him some tips on the nuances of the drivability of the Chevy versus a Honda. Some of the details of pit lane – launching out of the pit box is a little bit different. So just helping him get up to speed on that stuff so it’s not a surprise. But Graham (Rahal) is a pro, he knows what to do. It’s an INDYCAR and he knows his way around this place, around IMS. Like I said earlier, I spent some time with him, discussing what I thought would be the major points that would help him get acclimated quicker. I’m an open book to anything that he needs. I think he’s going to like the car.” WHAT’S THE FEELING FROM THE TIME THAT YOU WERE OUT OF THE SERIES TO NOW. ARE YOU FEELING BACK HOME?“Yeah, I was here last year in a consulting role and I really enjoyed it. After being in INDYCAR, generally let’s call it, for 20 years, it was nice to take a step back for a moment and try some new things. I raced in IMSA and I did SRX, as well. To be at this event last year, from the outside looking in so to speak, I think it was good for me in a lot of ways. Like I’ve said before, it allowed me to come back a bit reenergized and focused. Getting some perspective is sometimes important on that. We’re so deep in the trenches at times when you go from year-to-year-to-year, especially for me in the same program for 12 years and more than half of my career. But yeah, it was good to take a step back for a second and just kind of look at everything. I got to do a lot of things with my kids that I would have never had the opportunity to do, like coaching their sports teams and things like that. Being there for them – they’re at such an impressionable age, so that’s very important. I wouldn’t have done anything different.” YOU SAID THE TEAM WILL TELL HIM TO GO TO ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR?“Correct. He’s not getting a lot of information. Basically, it one is a different map based on fuel, maybe drivability, all this other stuff. The extent of the information that he’s being given is – we are going to tell you which map to go into and that’s all the information you’re getting. And I get it. I mean he’s coming over for one weekend and next weekend, he’s going to be back with the competition again, which is Honda. I get it – it’s a sensitive situation and big props to both manufacturers for making it happen because quite honestly, that seems like that might have been the biggest hurdle.”

The Wooster native hopes for more home state success this weekend at AtomicCHILLICOTHE, OH (May 25, 2023) – A group of race fans gather around the back of the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing hauler on a Friday afternoon at Attica Raceway Park.They’re waiting to get a word or take a photo with their home state hero — Sheldon Haudenschild. He’s the kid who thrilled them early in his career on the Ohio ovals on his way to Sprint Car stardom. He’s the son of the legendary Jac Haudenschild, who also left an impression on these same fans with his courage behind the wheel. He’s the man who receives a warm applause everytime his name is announced in “The Buckeye State.”Haudenschild cut his teeth in Ohio, racing near his hometown of Wooster. He followed in his father’s footsteps — perfecting the “Haud line” and racking up checkered flags at tracks like Attica, Wayne County Speedway, Waynesfield Raceway Park, and more. And it’s because of those reasons Haudenschild is so admired in the community.The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are halfway through a four-race stretch in Haudenschild’s homeland. The final two nights are set for this weekend (May 26-27) at Chillicothe’s Atomic Speedway, a little over an hour south of Ohio’s capital of Columbus. As the 29-year-old navigates his seventh season with The Greatest Show on Dirt, trips home become more and more welcome.“It’s always good to be home a little bit and kind of get your mind off things for a minute,” Haudenschild said. “And then show up to tracks that we’ve raced in the past and kind of grew up racing — especially Attica and Chillicothe, kind of where me and (crew chief Kyle) Ripper got our start, just places where you adapt to quick once you get back there and kind of feel like you never left.”Haudenschild’s 2023 campaign to this point has been one of peaks and valleys. After beginning the season with four top 10s in the first five races, he missed the top 10 in three of the next five. The highlight of his year is a victory at U.S. 36 Raceway in early April. He’s reached the podium on three other occasions, including a runner-up at Tri-State Speedway on a night when he led 16 laps of the Feature. After 21 races, he sits sixth in points.The performance aboard the NOS Energy Drink #17 has left Haudenschild with mixed feelings. The comfort in the car is there, but he wishes that comfort led to slightly better results.“I feel like it’s just kind of OK,” Haudenschild said to describe his season. “I feel good in the car, and I’m happy car-wise, just kind of not on paper where we want to be. Obviously, we’d like a couple more wins and feel like we’ve had some good runs going that maybe didn’t go our way, but that’s all part of it. You’ve got to enjoy the lows and the highs.”Fortunately for him, the most recent weekend of racing yielded his most consistent pair of races so far. In front of hometown fans, Haudenschild finished fourth on Friday at Attica and came home third on Saturday at Sharon after charging from 11th.History suggests Haudenschild should continue building momentum this weekend at Atomic. He’s the most recent World of Outlaws winner at the 3/8ths mile, and during his most recent All-Star Circuit of Champions visit to the Chillicothe facility in 2016, he won. In five of his past six Sprint Car starts at Atomic, Haudenschild has finished on the podium.Haudenschild’s success on home turf isn’t merely due to the number of laps. It’s as if the Ohio racetracks are built for his style. High-banked. Slick. A big cushion to rip. Those characteristics create a track right in Haudenschild’s wheelhouse.“I think they (the tracks) definitely get a lot slicker than some of the places we go,” Haudenschild explained. “I think it’s having laps and being comfortable and knowing how the track plays out through the night from being here in the past is helpful. It’s a comfort level.”The Ohioan will carry that comfort level into this weekend’s two-night tilt at Atomic looking to add to his history of home state success. But no matter the results, the fans will support him all the same. They’ll take photos. They’ll get autographs. They’ll watch proudly as one of their own continues to cement himself as one of the most talented and exciting drivers to ever wheel a Sprint Car.“It’s just stress free being home,” Haudenschild said. “And I’m just enjoying it.”For tickets to Atomic Speedway this weekend, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action on DIRTVision.

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 25, 2023) – The voting is now open for the Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver Contest. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Most Popular Driver Contest is based solely on the fan votes.  The winner of the Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver award will be announced during the annual Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Awards Banquet on December 8, 2023. The Most Popular Driver will receive a $500 cash bonus and product certificate from Deatherage Opticians. Voting will continue through December 1, 2023. Fans can vote for their favorite driver by visiting https://www.lucasdirt.com/most-popular-driver. There will also be a Deatherage QR code sign in the midway at series events that fans can scan that will take them to the voting page as well. To be eligible for the 2023 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series – Deatherage Opticians Most Popular Driver Award, a driver must maintain 100% attendance on the tour. Fans may vote for one (1) eligible Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series driver per ballot submission. Voting is limited to one (1) vote per person. Deatherage Opticians is a family-owned business for over 38 years founded by Terry Deatherage, now owned and run by his son Greg Deatherage. Greg is an avid dirt late model fan and has helped several dirt late model drivers with their personal eyewear. For all your eyewear needs visit www.deatherageopticians.com For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

Coca-Cola 600Charlotte Motor SpeedwayConcord, North CarolinaMay 28, 2023

NASCAR AT ‘HOME’ FOR TRIPLEHEADERWith the return of NASCAR’s Memorial Day tradition, NASCAR’s three national series will come together for a tripleheader race weekend at one of the most historic venues in the sport’s history – Charlotte Motor Speedway. ‘America’s Home for Racing’, the 1.5-mile oval holds one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ (NCS) oldest and most prestigious races – the Coca-Cola 600. A crown jewel event, Sunday’s 400-lap, 600-mile race marks the longest race on the series’ schedule to close out the day famously known as the ‘Greatest Day in Motorsports’.    The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) will drop the green flag on the tripleheader race weekend in Friday’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200. Chevrolet will look to keep its hot streak alive with the manufacturer heading into the race weekend looking for its fourth-consecutive NCTS victory this season. Returning from an off-weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ (NXS) season continues with Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300 – marking the series’ halfway point in the 2023 regular-season.

‘GREATEST DAY IN MOTORSPORTS’ HITS HOME FOR CHEVROLETThe Sunday of Memorial Day weekend has historically been considered the ‘Greatest Day in Motorsports’. Packed with three of the most iconic races in motorsports, the day kicks-off with the Monaco Grand Prix (Formula One), followed by the Indianapolis 500 (INDYCAR) and the Coca-Cola 600 (NASCAR). Unique to its competitors, Chevrolet is the only manufacturer that competes in the two U.S.-based marquee events.  Along with its series-leading 25 all-time Coca-Cola 600 victories, Chevrolet also has a history of success in ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing’ – registering 11 all-time Indianapolis 500 victories. General Motors brand Oldsmobile has also accounted for five wins in the prestigious event.

Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet2021 Coca-Cola 600May 30, 2021Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet2019 Indianapolis 500 WinnerMay 26, 2019

LEADING THE WAYWith more than six decades of history in NASCAR, Charlotte Motor Speedway has hosted 124 races for NASCAR’s premier series – the fourth most of any circuit in series’ history. Chevrolet planted early roots in the sport’s legacy at the 1.50-mile North Carolina venue with Joe Lee Johnson driving Chevrolet to the victory in the series’ inaugural 600-mile race (June 19, 1960).  Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 47 all-time NCS wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The most recent of those triumphs came in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 by Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet team. Setting up to what turned into a career season for the 30-year-old California native, Larson’s triumph delivered the Bowtie brand its 25th trip to victory lane in the crown jewel event – a manufacturer-leading feat.

CONQUERING IN CROWN JEWELContested in the epicenter of NASCAR, the Coca-Cola 600 is a crown jewel victory that holds a special place on the resume of some of the sport’s greatest drivers. NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series with five career Coca-Cola 600 victories – all recorded in a Chevrolet-powered machine. Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson sits next on that list with four triumphs in the event. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion will have the chance to tie Waltrip’s all-time win record this weekend as the 47-year-old California native is slated to make his next start behind the wheel of the No. 84 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camaro ZL1 in Sunday’s event.

GOING THE DISTANCEOn the horizon of the longest race of the year, Team Chevy drivers have proven success in the NASCAR Cup Series’ endurance-based events. Since the debut of the Next Gen vehicles at the beginning of the 2022 season, there have been nine races that have a scheduled distance of 500 miles or more, with Team Chevy drivers accounting for triumphs in seven of those events. In fact, the manufacturer has taken the victory in the series’ past five consecutive long-distance races – each recorded by a different Team Chevy driver:

–        Talladega Superspeedway (521 miles; April 23, 2023): Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 –        Daytona International Speedway (530 miles; Feb. 19, 2023): Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1-        Talladega Superspeedway (500 miles; Oct. 2, 2022): Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1-        Texas Motor Speedway (501 miles; Sept. 25, 2022): Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1-        Darlington Raceway (501 miles; Sept. 4, 2022): Erik Jones, No. 43 LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Camaro ZL1

CHASING BACK-TO-BACK AT CHARLOTTE Chevrolet heads into the weekend not only as the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ most recent winner, but also the series’ defending winner at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Looking for his first win of the season, Josh Berry and the No. 8 JR Motorsports Camaro SS team will look to repeat their 2022 performance at the 1.5-mile North Carolina oval and make it back-to-back trips to victory lane in Saturday’s 200-lap event. The NXS made its debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1982. Chevrolet’s first triumph in the series at the track came in 1991 – recorded by Dale Earnhardt Sr. In the series’ 77-race history at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has amassed 22 all-time NXS wins at the track.

Josh Berry, No. 8 JR Motorsports Camaro SSCharlotte Motor Speedway – May 28, 2022

THREE-IN-A-ROW AND COUNTINGThe Bowtie brand has hit a stride in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series unlike its manufacturer competitors with Kyle Larson’s triumph at North Wilkesboro Speedway marking the third consecutive victory for the Silverado RST this season. The manufacturer sits at an impressive winning percentage of 60 percent with five different Team Chevy drivers winning a combined six of the series’ 10 races this season. In 20 NCTS appearances at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chevrolet has found victory lane a series-leading 11 times – most recently one year ago with NCS regular Ross Chastain driving the No. 41 Silverado RST for Niece Motorsports to the win.

Ross Chastain, No. 41 Niece Motorsports Silverado RSTCharlotte Motor Speedway – May 27, 2022 

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       Victories by active Chevrolet drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway: Jimmie Johnson – eight (series-leading; 2016, 2014, 2009, 2005 sweep, 2004 sweep, 2003)Kyle Larson – one (2021)Chase Elliott – one (2020)Kyle Busch – one (2018)Austin Dillon – one (2017) ·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 25 all-time Coca-Cola 600 victories, most recently by Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson (May 2021).  ·       NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip leads the series with five career Coca-Cola 600 victories. Currently sitting second on event’s all-time wins list with four triumphs, Jimmie Johnson could potentially tie Waltrip’s win record in Sunday’s 600-mile race.  ·       10 drivers in series’ history recorded their first career NASCAR Cup Series win at Charlotte Motor Speedway – most recently by Team Chevy’s Austin Dillon (No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet) in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600.  ·       Only three drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series are repeat winners this season, all coming from Team Chevy (William Byron – Las Vegas, Phoenix & Darlington; Kyle Larson – Richmond & Martinsville; Kyle Busch – Auto Club and Talladega).  ·       In 13 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (eight), top-fives (30), top-10s (55), stage wins (14) and laps led (1,748). ·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with eight victories in 13 NASCAR Cup Series races, seven victories in 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and six wins in 10 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of more than 50%. ·       With Grant Enfinger’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at Kansas Speedway, GMS Racing is tied with Kevin Harvick Incorporated as the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS history with 43 all-time wins.  ·       Chevrolet’s series-leading eight NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from three different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports). ·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 14 of the 26 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (six; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (two) and Chase Elliott (one).  ·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 38 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 36 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 30 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  ·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 841 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.  

TUNE IN: ·       NASCAR Cup Series: Coca-Cola 600Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. ET(FOX, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) ·       NASCAR Xfinity Series: Alsco Uniforms 300Saturday, May 27, at 1 p.m. ET(FS1, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) ·       NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: North Carolina Education Lottery 200Friday, May 26, at 8:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 ADVENTHEALTH CAMARO ZL1 How do you prepare for the Coke 600?“This is the longest race of the year and preparation begins well before the weekend to hydrate and be able to sustain a solid pace for such a long race. It’s so easy to think this is just another race weekend but you have to always have in your mind that there is a fourth stage and you still want to be as focused in that stage as you were in the first. It’s actually a really important race to have something to snack on in the car during the race. I typically have some sort of protein bar that I can eat during a stage break just to try and keep my stamina up. The weather plays a big role in the race too. Sometimes it’s really hot and it’s a lot easier to get worn out and other times the temperature is pretty mild.” What would it mean to win at Charlotte?“We led a bunch of laps last year at this race and I hope to repeat the same this year. Phil Surgen and the guys continue to bring me fast cars and my pit crew is very consistent and helps me out on pit road. It would be awesome to go to victory lane at Charlotte for the 600 mile race because it’s so close to the shop and it’s one of the marquee events of the year.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1 “My two favorite races of the year are the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600. Charlotte is a body killer. It’s a rough track. 600 miles there is a grind and I really love that race. I was able to win the Coca-Cola 600 in 2017 and very close last year to getting another win. Hopefully, Charlotte Motor Speedway owes us one more and we can go and get it done. You just know after years of being in the 600 and being able to win that race you are in for the long haul, it’s a grind because it’s so long, and mentally you must stay in it to have a chance to win. It all comes down to that last 100 miles. It’s probably the most challenging 100 miles we race all year. Leading up to 600 miles you have to be flawless. It’s a mental and physical task. The Coca-Cola 600 is a great race to be a part of.” You think about the cool trophies NASCAR has, how does the Coca-Cola machine you won in 2017 Rank up there?“It’s an awesome trophy. It’s a throwback with that fridge. Coca-Cola does such a great job of bringing something unique to us drivers to win. I’m proud that I have one and I want to win another.” What does it mean to you to be able to do things with Coca-Cola at Charlotte Motor Speedway and to be a winner of the Coca-Cola 600? “It’s a special weekend for the Coca-Cola racing family, obviously, I’m always carrying the red label and Coca-Cola. It’s a fight to see who wins it from the Coke family and hopefully, the No. 3 Chevrolet takes it home for them.” You’ve found success at Charlotte Motor Speedway, what is it about that track that suits your driving style?“I had a test one year there and I felt good about my arch in turn 3. I think the biggest thing as a kid was, I always sat in the condo in turn 1 and watched Jimmie Johnson win a lot of races there. I know where the car needs to be, and car placement is key there.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1Your victory in the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 was one of the most dominating performances of your career. How special is that win? “To me the 2018 Coca-Cola 600 is one of the most dominant performances of my career and I think it’s a very special one. I say that because we led so much of that race and had such a fast car, a dominating car, and our team did everything perfectly. During that race they had PJ-1 sprayed down and a lot of guys were running in the PJ-1 to make time. Our stuff was good and we were so fast that we didn’t even have to use it and run in it. We could beat everybody outside of it and that really helped our tire life and our long run speed where people would wear their tires out in the glue and just take life out of their tires by having to run up there. That was a really cool win and that was the final track that I needed to get a points-paying win at that was still on the schedule. I accomplished winning at every single venue on the schedule at that point and time and it was really cool to have that honor.” Since there is only one race each season on the Charlotte oval, does that make it extra special when you perform well?“With only going to the oval once I think it just makes it extra special and because it’s the Coca-Cola 600. You still look at that race as one of the bucket list races of the season, one of the crown jewels, and so you definitely want to win that one. I think that race really means a lot, especially on Memorial Day weekend.” You will recognize fallen service member Jack William Roper at the Coca-Cola 600. Mr. Roper is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah and during World War II he served as a radio technician second class aboard the USS Mahan (DD 364), a destroyer that played a pivotal role in the Pacific theater. What does it mean to you to honor men like Mr. Roper each year?“I enjoy the fallen service member program that NASCAR does by putting the name to recognize a fallen service member on the windshield. I feel as though when you win that’s extra special to the families that are there. You get a chance to honor them and celebrate with them and have them be in victory lane with you. That’s really, really fun. We did that in 2018 and it was super cool. It’s not that easy to win, so you’d love to be able to reward those families, but you also tell them how appreciative you are. This year we get a chance to work with Jack William Roper family who is a native of Salt Lake City, Utah. It’s going to be really cool to honor him and his family.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1Elliott on looking ahead to the longest race of the season: “It is a long race, but it doesn’t necessarily feel much different to me. Don’t get me wrong, it is a long race. It can certainly drag on. I just feel like when you are in the heat of the moment, racing and focused and set on a goal, it doesn’t really seem a lot different. Winning the Coca-Cola 600 is certainly a box I’d like to check and we’ve come close once or twice. I think we have as good a shot as anyone this weekend.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1Gustafson on preparing for the longest race of the year: “All of the components in the car are pretty standard, so you just want to make sure you have it all in good condition and dot all your i’s and cross your t’s. There’s not much we can do to the car itself. I think the biggest thing is just the opportunity you have over the course of the event. There’s more pit stops, there’s more restarts, there’s more strategy calls and there’s more laps. There’s more everything. Preparing for that and being able to keep yourself in good position. Not making mistakes or get yourself behind or get yourself in trouble. Mentally you need to be ready for how long that race really is and how much focus it takes, I think it’s pretty crucial, not only from the team side, but for Chase (Elliott) and for the pit crew.” Gustafson on the team’s second mile-and-a-half start with Elliott behind the wheel this season: “Kansas (Speedway) was an important race for us because it just took us a while to kind of get back in the flow (after Chase’s return). Kansas was one of the first races I feel like that we got to where we needed to be and focused on the right things. We executed the race for the most part, we were competitive and towards the front. I feel like from there on, you need to continue to perform at higher levels. So, I think we need to be better yet. Charlotte (Motor Speedway) is a good place to be able to do that and build off of our Kansas performance.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1 “Memorial Day weekend is always a special weekend at the track. What we are representing is bigger than the race and we’ll take a lot of pride in having our patriotic No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet on track this weekend to honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country. This is the longest race we have so it’s a mental and physical challenge, but it’s also a race that can be very enjoyable as well if it goes well. I’m excited to be back to run the 600.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY CAMARO ZL1 “This is a special weekend for everyone. The Coca-Cola 600 is a great race for the fans and it’s a ‘home’ race for the team. We have a special tribute on the car with Gunnery Sgt. Menusa which has special meaning to everyone at Black Rifle Coffee Company. I am thankful to all who have served and to meet the Gold Star families who are guests of our team this weekend. My family will be in town too, so I’m looking forward to the 600. We have had great cars on these types of tracks, it’s a long race and we plan to go the distance.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1“Charlotte will be fun, the Coke 600 is one of my favorite races of the year for a couple of reasons, honoring the troops on Memorial Day weekend and to be able to represent the life of Major Del Bagno is something that is hard to put into words. Having a sponsor as important as the United States Air Force representing our Chevrolet is something that not a lot of people have the opportunity to do, and I have been very appreciative of the relationships we have developed over the years and hope to continue that. The 600 miles endurance race is fun and always a good time, we ran well last year, and we usually run well in Charlotte, but this is considered one of the “Crown Jewels” for us drivers, last year was intense and was over a five-hour race, it was one of, if not the longest Coke 600 in history. I am excited for that whole week, memorial day weekend is one of my favorite parts of the year and I am honored to have legacy of Major Del Bagno on our Camaro.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COCA-COLA CAMARO ZL1“We remember those who answered the call of duty with immeasurable selflessness and the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day weekend, and we humbly unite to remember them with reverence.  I ran my first ever Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway and it’s a track I’ve always ran well at. Last year, we had a competitive race car. We would love to have a shot at winning this crown jewel of the sport. We have a good shot based on how we ran at Dover (Motor Speedway) and Darlington (Raceway). We feel like that will translate to Charlotte.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CLUB WYNDHAM CAMARO ZL1“It is great being back in Charlotte, it’s been a while. I’ve had so much success over the years at this track, it’s so special to me. This weekend is so important to so many, and I always treasure the time we get to spend with the families of the fallen soldiers who are on our race cars. I hope to have a good solid race this weekend, as last time out (COTA) I didn’t even get to take a lap. Happy to have Club Wyndham on the car this weekend and as soon as we are finished in Charlotte I will be heading to France and fulfilling another bucket list item – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1Did you gain momentum at North Wilkesboro?“The No. 99 team has had a lot of speed lately, but we haven’t had the execution and the results. We’ve been very tough on ourselves. It was good to go to North Wilkesboro, get the pole with the pit crew, win our heat race, lead a bunch of laps and have a lot of fun. Hopefully, we can keep it going this weekend in the Coca-Cola 600 Sunday.” What is the key to success in such a long race as the Coca-Cola 600?“As a driver, your goal is to be as fresh at the end of the race as you are at the beginning. That’s important. It isn’t about making it to the end of the race. It’s about being at your best at the end and taking advantage of other drivers who are tired.” How do you prepare for Sunday?“As a human being you try and perform at 100 percent the entire time, but when you’re running a marathon, you’re not going to be as strong in the last 30 minutes. That’s normal. Fatigue is setting in, your muscles are tired, you’re running out of fluid, and you’re hungry. Racing is the same way, especially in the Coca-Cola 600. We start running out of energy and you’re mind gets tired after four hours of racing. But I look to this race as a marathon, and you have to be on top of your game for the last part of this race. So, I always try to keep that in my mind when I’m in the car. This isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.” GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTWhat makes Charlotte Motor Speedway such a challenging racetrack?“Charlotte is a pretty unique mile-and-a-half racetrack considering how bumpy it is. I guess it’s because the track was built on a landfill; but there are just so many violent bumps around that place, especially going off into turn 3. You’ve gotta have a truck good enough to be able to maneuver through those and still be able to get to the bottom if you need to. The past few years, we’ve had the track compound which has given us more of an outside groove there than what we’ve had in years past. In order to win the race, you’ve got to be able to run well on the bottom of the track as well as up on the top. I feel like Charlotte is probably one of the trickiest tracks on the schedule in terms of how much the weather conditions from the daytime practice to the nighttime race change the handling characteristics for us. It’s a really fun place when you’re dialed in, but it is easy to miss the setup there and have a long night. Hensley and I have worked hard at this place and I’m sure we will unload our Champion Power Equipment Chevy with a good package. We’re taking the same truck that we won Kansas with, so hopefully we can go out there and contend for another win with it on Friday night.” RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 WENDELL SCOTT FOUNDATION SILVERADO RSTThis will be your third time pulling double duty with the Truck and Xfinity car, how much of a benefit has that been for you in the past?“Running double duty in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series and Xfinity Series is going to be a big help especially when it comes to having the extra track time. I’ve been to Charlotte before, both in the ARCA Menards Series last season and in testing the Xfinity car earlier this year. To be the first one on the racetrack and know where I need to place the vehicle as well as knowing what parts of the surface have the grip and where it’s going to be optimal to run for lap time will be very beneficial. I feel good about getting a good result for everyone at the Wendell Scott Foundation and all the men and woman on my No. 24 Chevy team. We’ve had really good pace the past few weeks but have only had one decent result to show for it, so we’ll just keep it going and give it our all this weekend.” DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 RACETOSTOPSUICIDE.COM SILVERADO RSTSince you’ve raced at Charlotte Motor Speedway before, what are some of the unique characteristics of this track that separates it from most intermediates?“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to getting to Charlotte since I’ve raced there before and already have a couple of mile-and-a-half races under my belt in the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series. Charlotte is different compared to a lot of these other places because it’s very bumpy and rough. I know the GMS Racing team has had some success there in the past, and based off of what we were able to learn in Kansas a few weeks ago I think Blake and the rest of our No. 43 crew guys will bring us a fast truck to compete with.” CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RST You’ve had three top-10 finishes on mile-and-half tracks this year. Are you looking forward to Friday?“I’m excited to get to Charlotte and the chance to race on another mile-and-a-half track. We’ve shown a lot of speed and we’ve had some good runs on those types of tracks this year. Our most recent one, I thought we had a truck capable of winning and just some unfortunate things happened. Hoping to change some of that luck around and have a good weekend!” Is the Charlotte race one of the bigger races on the Truck Series schedule?“Charlotte is always a big one because everyone wants to win at home. This race is in everybody’s back yard and to win this one it would be really special. It makes a statement to go out and win in front of everybody in your back yard. I’ll have a lot of family and friends at the track so this will be a big weekend for us.” Does the first race of the Triple Truck Challenge make it an even bigger race?“Obviously everybody wants to make as much money as they can on a normal weekend but since this is one of the Triple Truck Challenge races it definitely ups the stakes a little bit. I’m going to approach the weekend like it’s a normal race, go out there and try to put everything together and win. Our trucks are fast enough to do it, we just need to limit our mistakes.” JACK WOOD, NO. 51 EBERLESTOCK SILVERADO RSTAre you looking forward to getting back behind the wheel at Charlotte after recently having a break in your Truck Series schedule?“Yeah, I’m looking forward to Charlotte. I think more so than any place that I’ve raced at this year it is more of a driver’s race track — it’s easier to gain and lose track position. It should be a better race for us. Having this break on my schedule since Texas I’ve been able to take advantage of being behind the scenes and seeing how the crew chief and the team operate and I think that will help improve our communication moving forward. We’ll be better now than we were before and I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be a busy day Friday as I’m doing double duty running the ARCA Race as well. With being out of the truck for a while running that race will help me knock some of the rust off and I’ll have more track time than most of the guys in the Truck Series. I’m just going to have to be on point with understanding the two different balances of the vehicles and not getting the driving styles mixed up between the two of them.” Talk about the paint scheme you are running as part of NASCAR Salutes.“It’s exciting to have Eberlestock back on the truck for a second time this year, this time with the Green Beret Foundation as well as Montana Knife Company as associate partners. The paint scheme turned out really cool. This weekend is a big one for our country and especially the sport of NASCAR. It’ll be exciting to have them there and to honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice. My helmet also has a special scheme — stay tuned to my social channels as we are going to be doing a special giveaway and some other cool stuff.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 8Poles: 4Laps Led: 1,748Top-five finishes: 30Top-10 finishes: 55Stage wins: 14·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)·       William Byron – 6 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover)·       Kyle Larson – 2 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt)·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega) CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 841 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 738Laps led to date: 247,292Top-five finishes to date: 4,251Top-10 finishes to date: 8,767                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,175           Chevrolet: 841           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 821                                                                      Ford: 721           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 174

Reimer charges to second from 12th, McDermand with fourth-straight podium in P3

SALISBURY, NC (May 24, 2023) – Since moving to North Carolina from Oklahoma over the offseason, Cannon McIntosh has made Millbridge Speedway his new home-away-from-home. He faced 22 other invaders at his weekly race place Wednesday night and expelled every one for the second-straight night, winning the DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown in a sweep of the week’s events.

With eight wins in weekly Micro Sprint competition already this season, McIntosh was among the most prepared drivers in the field for the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota’s return to the 1/6-mile speedway. It came at exactly the right time after he was bested by Chase McDermand in back-to-back races three weeks ago in Kansas.

But this week, McIntosh was simply not going to be denied. Not in his own backyard.

“It’s definitely rewarding after running second a couple weekends,” McIntosh said. “Being able to come back here and show resilience and show what the team’s about.”

He and the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports team showed what they were about early, turning in a fastest Qualifying lap of 9.884 to snag the Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Award. From there, a fourth-to-second run in Heat #3 put him fifth on the starting grid for the Toyota Racing Feature.

McIntosh, 20, of Bixby, OK, immediately jumped to his preferred lane on the outside, right up against the wall at the drop of the green and began picking off his forward opponents. By Lap 10, he reached the rear bumper of his most formidable foe – Chase McDermand – and wasted no time in getting by with a big slide job in Turns 3-4 to take the lead.

“I kinda just went off of feel and when I could feel the car load-up, and then get back to the throttle,” McIntosh said. “We’d get really good runs on guys there. I just started making moves, and it started clicking once I got by the first car. I got into a rhythm, and we were really good in traffic.”

McIntosh was strong in traffic, having zero issues getting through multiple waves of slower cars and maintaining his gap on the field until a handful of caution periods slowed the race’s pace down after the halfway point.

Further back in the field, Taylor Reimer was mounting a big charge to the front from her 12th-place spot on the starting grid. She had advanced her Keith Kunz Motorsports #25K all the way to fourth before the halfway point and was hot on the tail for a podium spot as the race dipped under 10-to-go.

“I just ripped through the middle, honestly,” Reimer said. “There were a couple guys on the bottom, a lot were trying the top. From the Micro race, I knew there really wasn’t anything on the top. It was fine for the Micros, but I knew once it got to the Midgets with all the horsepower we have, it was gonna be tough to run up there.”

Reimer, 23, of Tulsa, OK, was one of the few drivers in the field also piloting a Micro Sprint over the two-day stretch and used the extra seat time to her advantage. After getting by her KKM teammate Gavan Boschele for third, she set her sights on McDermand in second.

One final restart with three circuits remaining put Reimer right on McDermand’s bumper. The two battled for the spot relentlessly until McDermand’s slide job attempt forced contact between them in Turn 3, shooting McDermand way up the track in Turn 4 and allowing Reimer to grab the spot from underneath him.

“She came all the way up to the wall that time, so I just had to throw it down underneath of her,” McDermand said. “I realized at the last second that I probably wasn’t going to clear, so I tried to throw it sideways and that’s when my right-rear hit her.”

“He slid me because he had so much momentum; he wasn’t just going to let off,” Reimer said. “I was ripping through the middle, he slid me, and we made contact there. It pushed him up the track, thankfully it didn’t wreck either of us and we were able to continue on.”

Back out front, McIntosh was on cruise control as he crossed underneath the checkered flags unchallenged to bag the $5,000 grand prize.

“We were able to stay out of trouble and keep our nose clean,” McIntosh said. “That was our key to being able to win this week. I felt like we had the speed all week, it was just a matter of staying out of trouble and keeping this thing in one piece.”

Reimer was able to gather her car back up after the contact with McDermand and crossed the line in second, notching her best Series finish of the year thus far.

“I’ve been struggling a little bit; my guys always give me a great car and I just felt like I haven’t delivered yet,” Reimer said. “To get this for them is really important to me. I’m still chasing that win. I know if I just keep doing well and finishing top-fives, top-threes, the win will come.”

McDermand crossed in third for the second night in-a-row, making for his fourth-straight podium in his last four Series starts. Though he lost some ground in the points standings to McIntosh, he’s still confident in what’s to come this season.

“There’s a lot of tracks left to go,” McDermand said. “I feel like maybe the bigger tracks are more in my wheelhouse, so hopefully that’ll kinda turn the tides back toward us.”

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota jumps back into action next weekend at Tri-City Speedway (June 1) and Wayne County Speedway (June 2-3) in Illinois.

Tickets will be on sale at the gates on race day. If you can’t be at the tracks, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (35 Laps): 1. 08-Cannon McIntosh[5]; 2. 25K-Taylor Reimer[12]; 3. 40-Chase McDermand[1]; 4. 5G-Gavan Boschele[4]; 5. 97-Gavin Miller[3]; 6. 71-Jade Avedisian[8]; 7. 67-Ryan Timms[2]; 8. 98-Briggs Danner[6]; 9. 55D-Nick Drake[10]; 10. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[7]; 11. 71E-Mariah Ede[14]; 12. 26-Chance Crum[15]; 13. 55-Trevor Cline[9]; 14. 7U-Kyle Jones[11]; 15. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[19]; 16. 71M-Jake Andreotti[13]; 17. 5LK-Kyle Strickler[21]; 18. 97K-Carson Hocevar[17]; 19. 17B-Austin Barnhill[20]; 20. 2X-Landon Brooks[16]; 21. 5D-Zach Daum[18]

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 24, 2023) – Centerville, Pennsylvania native, Max Blair will follow the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time in 2023, with his sights set on the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year title. Blair comes from an accomplished racing family. His father, Rob Blair started his racing career at the age of 14 and over the years, his commitment to racing and driving ability have won him numerous racing titles and awards. Since 1996, his rookie season in the late model division, Rob has won over 180 races, including 43 sanctioned events. Rob has also accumulated 4 series championships, and 9 track championships to add to his resume.   Blair started his career in 2005, also at the age of 14. Since then, Max has accumulated over 75 career victories. To add to his win total, Blair has also won 17 championships, including multiple Zimmer’s United Late Model Series, RUSH Late Model Series, FASTRAK Northeast Regional Series, and FASTRAK National Weekly Series titles. “So far we’ve really enjoyed racing with Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, I’m looking forward to a great year with the tour,” Blair said. “The goal is to be competitive and win the Rookie of the Year title. I’m able to race close to home a little more. I’m looking forward to the Firecracker. Raceway 7, a place I grew up racing, I’m really looking forward to that.” Max Blair has enjoyed a noteworthy start to his maiden season with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. In 18 completed A-Mains, Blair has registered eight top ten performances, including two Big River Steel podium appearances. Blair also has a pair of heat race wins to his Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series resume. Blair’s Briggs Transport, Inc.-owned, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Clements Racing Engine and sponsored by Excess Storage, Murphy’s Logging, Creekside Auto Sales, Valvoline, Penske Racing Shocks, C and J Dairy, Corner Stone Builders LLC, Previty’s Auto Wrecking Inc, Meridien Hardwoods of PA Inc, Three Rivers Karting & Axe Throwing, Northeast Paving & Sealcoat, CJ’s Auto Transport, Bulldog Rear Ends, Wilwood, Keyser Manufacturing, Simpson, XS Power, Fast Shafts, MWB Designs, Performance Bodies, BRINN, Sweet Manufacturing, TruForm Race Products, Swift Springs, Beyea Headers, STAKT Products, Accu-Force Dynos, Gotta Race, Wieland, Allstar Performance, Colonial Metal Products Inc, and VP Racing Fuels. To learn more about Team Blair Racing, visit them online at www.teamblairracing.com.  The O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year will pay an industry record $20,000 to the winner in 2023. Additionally, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year will receive multiple product awards from various motorsports manufacturers, valued at over $10,000. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com.

May 24, 2023 | Featured, Pre-Race Releases, Special Announcements

As the Funny Car Chaos and Nitro Chaos series settle into Eddyville Raceway Park for a double event this weekend, May 26-28, Randy Meyer Racing is bringing all four cars in its stable to chase victories in both series. With three nitro-injected A/Fuel dragsters in Nitro Chaos and one A/Fuel Funny Car in Funny Car Chaos competition, “Chaos in the Cornfield” will be the team’s first time fielding four cars in one weekend. 

Sisters Megan and Rachel Meyer will drive the team’s pair of GUNK-branded dragsters, with Rachel making her return to driving for the first time since 2021. Julie Nataas, who usually fields one of the RMR dragsters to compete for an NHRA Lucas Oil Series Top Alcohol Dragster world championship, will drive the A/Fuel Funny Car. Matt Sackman will return to the driver’s seat for his first Nitro Chaos appearance in the team’s third A/Fuel dragster. 

“We want to try to put on the best show that we can for the fans that are coming up to Iowa for the Chaos races, so we decided to bring all four cars to try to maximize our experience and chances of winning,” said team owner and tuner Randy Meyer. “This is a first for our team and we’ve got our best crew guys coming in to put on a good show.”

Megan, a two-time NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champion, leads the charge with her GUNK dragster, which she’s running in the full Nitro Chaos series to contend for a championship. She started the season by qualifying No. 1 at the Edgewater race in early May, though she lost in the second round due to a red light. 

“It felt great to get back behind the wheel at Edgewater for the first Nitro Chaos race, and it was a good reminder for me to understand how difficult racing can be,” Megan said. “I wasn’t 100% prepared in the second round, and to be a winning drag racer you need to be on your game at all times. It’s knowing when and how to react and not letting what other people say and do affect your outcome, and I did not perform at my best which, resulted in the red light, naturally. So I’ve been preparing mentally and physically to be at my very best for the Eddyville Nitro Chaos race because I know there is going to be a lot of tough competition, including my own teammates, and I want to show off the skills that my crew and this Gunk nitro dragster have.”

Rachel, the 2021 NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world champion, is making her Nitro Chaos debut behind the wheel of the second GUNK dragster. She served as Megan’s crew chief at the Nitro Chaos season opener, and this weekend will be her first event back in competition since her championship-winning run at the end of the 2021 season. 

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little nervous just because it’s been so long since I drove,” Rachel said. “Thankfully, I’m gonna go down Friday and hopefully I can get a test pass in just to get the rhythm back down of how to drive. I really did enjoy being the starter for Megan and helping try to tune her car because I still really enjoy that aspect of it, but I’m pretty excited to drive again.”

Nataas currently leads the NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster national points with one national event win and two regional event wins. She’ll make her second Funny Car Chaos appearance of the season driving RMR’s A/Fuel Funny Car. At the first race of the season, she qualified third out of 51 cars and reached the semifinals of the A-field. 

“We made some great progress (and passes) in the Funny Car both in testing and at our last Funny Car Chaos event in Texas,” Nataas said. “It’s not perfect yet, so I look forward to working on it and seeing how much more progress we can make this weekend.”

The RMR A/Fuel Funny Car first hit the track last season. It’s a unique learning opportunity for Nataas as a driver and Meyer as a longtime tuner of nitro-fueled dragsters. Though they’re not competing for the Funny Car Chaos championship, Nataas and her team still take their handful of appearances in the series seriously. 

“The FCC races and the Funny Car is a fun project for the driver, crew chief, and team, so we are probably more relaxed at the races,” Nataas said, “and right now we are happy with making progress every pass. With that being said: we might say we are relaxed, but I’m a competitive person and the whole team is the same. We want to win no matter what or where we are racing, so that’s our goal in the Funny Car too.”

Rounding out the RMR lineup at Chaos in the Cornfield is Matt Sackman, who previously drove this season at the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas. He’s also worked as a crew member on the RMR cars at several races, though he’s eager to get back to driving this weekend. He’ll drive the OTG dragster typically driven by Nataas. 

“I’m looking forward to hitting the gas,” Sackman said. “Sometimes the opportunities to hit the gas in an injected nitro car are few and far between. This is kind of a last-minute deal. I was pretty disappointed after I red-lighted in the first round in Vegas, and I wasn’t sure when I’d get to drive one of Randy’s cars again. This is a great opportunity to try to redeem my mistakes there in Vegas and just have some fun this weekend. I have some really good friends that work on a few nitro teams in Indy, and they’re coming over to Eddyville to help work on Randy’s cars. Randy has one of the best operations out there, and I’m sure we won’t have any issues running all four cars.”

The four RMR drivers will get two qualifying sessions on Saturday, with a final third session set for Sunday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.

Fans who can’t make it out to Eddyville Raceway Park for Chaos in the Cornfield can watch the race live on FloRacing.com. 

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

TEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCE

MAY 24, 2023

DETROIT (May 24, 2023) – The month of May, as well as the 2023 NTT INDYCAR Series season, has already shaped up to showcase the tight competition and excitement both have to offer. As Chevrolet enters the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, 17 Chevy-powered drivers and teams eye capturing the famed Borg-Warner Trophy for the 11th time in manufacturer history.

Starting with Rick Mears in 1988 and continuing with nine drivers over the next 11 victories, Chevrolet eyes to add a 12th for the Bowtie brand, in addition to six prestigious pole awards during that time. The last to capture victory for Chevrolet was Simon Pagenaud in 2019, winning from the pole that year and adding a fourth victory in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injection era.

Additionally, Chevrolet will once again bring the famed field off 33 to the green flag on Sunday, pacing the Indianapolis 500 field in the beautiful Red Mist Metallic 2023 Corvette Z06 hardtop convertible. The first generation of the Corvette to offer a hardtop convertible, the pace car features two-tone Jet Black and Sky Cool Gray with Torch Red accents, as well as Spider-designed forged aluminum wheels finished in Tech Bronze for a race-ready look. This year’s honorary Pace Car driver is Indiana Pacers player Tyrese Haliburton.

“First, we all send our very best wishes to Stefan Wilson for a speedy recovery, said Rob Buckner, IndyCar Program Manager at General Motors. “After the intensity of two days of qualifying, we have forward focused on Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

We will maximize our final practice to fine-tune our Chevy-powered cars to be race-ready. Winning the Indianapolis 500 is one of our primary goals at the beginning of the season. Our Chevrolet engineers have worked tirelessly with our teams to give all 17 of our drivers their best opportunity to win the biggest race in the world. The Borg Warner Trophy is the one we want to award to a Chevrolet driver, not to mention the Corvette pace car. We are well prepared and ready for Drivers Start Your Engines on Sunday.”

The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge takes the green flag live on NBC at 11 a.m. ET Sunday, May 28, 2023.

2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:

291: NTT INDYCAR SERIES podiums as a V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.

187: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR. 

108: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012. 

121: Earned poles since 2012. 

11: Indianapolis 500 victories, historically.

7: NTT INDYCAR SERIES by Chevrolet drivers in 2023 so far.

7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012. 

7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012. 

6: Indianapolis 500 Pole Awards since 2012.

4: Indianapolis 500 victories since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injection era.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 VICTORIES BY CHEVROLET:

1988: Rick Mears

1989: Emerson Fittipaldi

1990: Arie Luyendyk

1991: Rick Mears

1992: Al Unser, Jr.

1993: Emerson Fittipaldi

2002: Helio Castroneves

2013: Tony Kanaan*

2015: Juan Pablo Montoya*

2018: Will Power*

2019: Simon Pagenaud*

*V6 2.2-liter twin turbo injection era.

INDIANAPOLIS 500 POLE AWARDS (SINCE 2012):

2012: Ryan Briscoe

2013: Ed Carpenter

2014: Ed Carpenter

2015: Scott Dixon

2018: Ed Carpenter

2019: Simon Pagenaud

May 24, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team are headed into the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a dual mission. They’re hoping for a strong run in Sunday’s race, the longest race, distance-wise, on the Cup Series schedule. And they intend to honor a fallen servicemember as part of the track’s annual 600 Miles of Remembrance.

Crew chief Brian Wilson said he and the other members of the DEX Imaging team, like people across the country this weekend, will be remembering those who gave their lives in service of their country.

“Heading into Memorial Day weekend, everyone on the No. 21 Ford is thinking about those who served, and currently serve our country,” Wilson said, adding that he has family members for whom Memorial Day has an extra special meaning. “Both of my grandfathers served in World War II, and both of my brothers-in- law were also in the Armed Forces.”

This weekend, Wilson will be a part of paying tribute to a young soldier who gave his life for his country.

“The DEX Mustang will proudly honor Sgt. Shawn M. Dunkin, who served in the Army,” Wilson said. “We’re planning to host members of his family this weekend and hope to make them proud with our performance.”

Sgt. Dunkin, who lived in Columbia, S.C., joined the Army in 2001. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq on Feb. 19, 2007, when he died from injuries suffered when his vehicle was struck by a bomb. Two of his fellow soldiers, Matthew Bowe and Adare Cleveland, also were killed.

At that time Dunkin was serving as a calvary scout leader with B Troop, 1^st Squadron, 89^th Calvary Regiment, 2^nd Brigade Combat Team, 10^thMountain Division out of Ft. Drum, Ky.
He was 25 years old. 

His military decorations include the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Action Badge.

In interviews after Sgt. Dunkin’s death his family members told reporters stories they’d heard about him, including his giving the family Bible to a fellow servicemember who was struggling. And they learned that at the time of his death, Sgt. Dunkin had given up his leave so a younger soldier could return to the States and see his newborn child.

In another interview, Michael Dunkin described his son as “an All-American boy” who loved hunting, fishing and just being outside.

Having the Dunkin family in their pit area this weekend at Charlotte and having Sgt. Dunkin’s name on the No. 21 DEX Mustang gives the Wood Brothers team added motivation to build on the speed they’ve shown in recent races on intermediate-length tracks like Charlotte.

“We believe we hit on a setup in Kansas that Harrison liked and which produced very competitive lap times,” Wilson said. “We took those same setup ideas to Darlington, where we came away with one of our most competitive weekends this season. 

“We’ll head to Charlotte with a building notebook and hopes of improving on our competitiveness.”

Practice for the Coca-Cola 600 is set for Saturday at 7 p.m., and will be followed by qualifying at 7:45. 

Sunday’s 400-lap, 600-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6 p.m. with TV coverage on FOX. Stage breaks are planned for Laps 100, 200 and 300.

Cadillac Racing principals from 2000-02 LMP program talk about return to France

Cadillac Racing enters the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time in 21 years with three Cadillac V-Series.Rs in the Hypercar class and ambitions to fulfill. Interviews (below and links) with individuals at the heart of Cadillac Racing’s 2000-02 LMP program for editorial use: Q&A with Jeff Kettman, the GM Racing Le Mans Prototype manager for the start-up program who previously was the GM NASCAR program manager:

Knowing the teething pains of a new program and watching the Cadillac V-Series.R from afar, what are your thoughts?“I see parallels to what we went through in the late ‘90s, early 2000s in that it is new technology for the time. I have a lot of respect for the program, and it blows me away the amount of technology they are doing with the hybrid. As far as the teething pains, it’s chewing off a lot to run in two series on two continents. We did that a little bit with hiring the DAMS team to help us. A big part of the reason we did that was to have a French connection so that it would ease our path into Le Mans after 50 years away. The DAMS team was both a good team and also had more knowledge of how things operated in Europe. Running two programs does enhance the knowledge base. However, it was also challenging to support four cars. We were being outspent by Audi by a large margin and that also showed in their presence at the track.

Complementary voicesClick on the links for perspectives of more principals with program. Max Angelelli drove the Cadillac LMP all three years. Doug Duchardt, previously GM Racing Group manager, oversaw progress in 2002. Dave Spitzer oversaw the engine program and went on to lead the GT program.

Many design and development aids today were either in their infancy or not available yet, right?“We were using computer-aided engineering, but we didn’t have CFD back then. We were still doing 40 percent scale models. We didn’t have the simulation that they have today. There definitely wasn’t a driver simulator where they could sit in it, so everything was more like the old school way of building parts, going to the track and testing. Obviously, making sure they were structurally sound before they were built through computer engineering, but there wasn’t the simulation like you have today.” Cadillac Racing at the 24 Hours of Le MansHow do you regard the three-year program with the emphasis on Le Mans?“The return from 50 years was a big deal and I would say from a marketing perspective it succeeded because back then ‘Arts & Sciences’ was the Cadillac marketing theme and this was the bridge from the vinyl top Cadillacs to the CTS-V, which 2003 was the first year of the production car. The whole reason that Cadillac got involved in motorsports was to shift the public perspective of Cadillac to more of a sporty vehicle. We didn’t have the results on the track but the fact that we didn’t have major problems was impressive. We really didn’t have that much time; less than a year before the first race from getting the car built from the ground up.”What did Max Angelelli bring to the program?“Wayne (Taylor) wasn’t afraid to say what he was thinking. Max, coming from where he was, would tell it like it was and pushed us to really get better in a lot of areas in the car development. Max, being from Italy, kind of had the tie with Pirelli tires. They did develop a tire specifically for us and we thought that could be an advantage. Everybody else who was successful, including Audi, was running Michelins, so we thought that the Pirelli tie-in would give us an advantage. In reality, it was a disadvantage because we couldn’t compare ourselves. We didn’t know if our speed was the car, the tire or something else. So, we got some Michelins and ran a test and found that we were faster. That was part of the decision in year two to switch to Michelins. There were a whole lot of changes after year one. Max, I still appreciate. He was a very aggressive driver. Wayne was more of the endurance driver and could keep a car together for the long period and Max would be more of the let’s push it and see how hard it can go, and we needed that. It was a good balance.”

What was your initial thoughts about the spectacle of Le Mans?“I had a background in IMSA road racing with Peerless Racing; we ran a Corvette GTP car in the late ‘80s, so I had been to the 24 hours of Daytona, Sebring, but the whole pageantry and spectacle of Le Mans – the scrutineering downtown, the parade with the drivers and just the history – was definitely noticeable. The first year it was a lot of things that were above and beyond for me as a program manager because I was involved in marketing and things like that, so it was a lot of involvement beyond the actual racetrack event. The amount of interest that we had in us as the American team as General Motors and Cadillac was kind of surprising. We were quite well-received. They like the American V8. The fact that the Corvettes were coming too was a big thing.”

What does it take to win Le Mans?“The perspective I like is that between the 24 hours of Daytona and 24 hours of Le Mans the amount of daylight is a big difference. Le Mans, it’s not getting dark until 10 o’clock at night and the sun is coming up at 5. So, you do look for the car setup in the sunny, warmer weather ideally, but you also don’t know what you’re going to get at that time of year. In our era, it was already shifting from you couldn’t just sit back and ride for 22 hours and race the last two. It was getting in the early 2000s you had to go hard much the whole time, and I see it that way today, too. It’s a combination of the ability of the cars and the ability of the drivers. You see the drivers that are pushing it from the beginning.

“It’s always preparation and being ready for any unexpected event – having spare parts, having everything already laid out and tested – that’s where you can gain an advantage.“— Jeff Kettman

“It’s always preparation and being ready for any unexpected event – having spare parts, having everything already laid out and tested – that’s where you can gain an advantage. There’s no substitute for miles on the track, which again because of budget reasons and other reasons we were not running a full schedule back then. But after Sebring we stayed a couple of extra days and ran another 12-plus hours to get real track miles on the car. You can simulate as much as you want in a lab or computer, but it doesn’t match what you run into. And even then, it’s not the same as running in a race. That is the other part – getting your crew sharp – and that only comes from running in a race.”

How did the car between the first year and 2002 change?“The car evolved. We worked with Riley & Scott in the beginning because they were very successful and were probably the top U.S. constructor at the time. They did a new carbon monocoque, which was new for them. But the reality was they were a couple years behind when we looked at what was going on in Europe. So, Wayne put together 3GR with Nigel Stroud and Jeff Hazell and they were based in England right in the heart of the F1 cottage industry. We didn’t have enough time to do a complete new car for ’01 so they modified what we had and made some improvements. The car basically became a European design for ’02 and made leaps and bounds improvements in car handling. The engine was kind of tweaked and fine-tuned. It was figuring out where the weak links were, just like any racing program. The engine itself always seemed to have enough power and durability-wise I don’t recall us having any major engine issues. In the first year of the program, we learned about the level of competition we faced. In the second year, we focused on collecting data and accumulating experience while racing a highly modified LMP01 chassis. In the third year, we introduced the new Cadillac Northstar that incorporated the lessons we learned and embodied the knowledge we gained.”

NOS 101: Nick Hoffman Nets First Career World of Outlaws Win at Stateline

The Mooresville, NC driver becomes the 101st different winner in Series history

BUSTI, NY – May 23, 2023 – Nick Hoffman’s first trip to Stateline Speedway will always be memorable.

The Mooresville, NC driver led all but one lap Tuesday night to score his first career World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series win.

Hoffman and Gordy Gundaker brought the 24-car field to the green flag as both drivers fought for the top spot on Lap 1.

Gundaker had the early advantage on the inside, nosing ahead of Hoffman on the backstretch and holding that momentum as they finished the first lap.  

But on Lap 2, it was a different story. 

The “Thrill from Mooresville” kept his Tye Twarog Racing #9 car rolling on the outside, this time his momentum pushing him ahead of Gundaker off of Turn 2.  

That burst of speed allowed Hoffman to clear Gundaker as they entered Turn 3, pulling ahead to lead Lap 2.

“I knew he had to take off first, but I knew if I could just roll speed through the middle of the racetrack and keep him pinched down where he couldn’t circle, I knew I could maybe clear him after a lap or so,” Hoffman said.

“That’s kind of what happened there. I was able to stay to his outside, and obviously, we’re buddies, so he isn’t going to run me into the fence. I was able to roll speed fast enough to get all the way alongside him coming to the first lap and then clear him off of [Turn] 2.”

It was a lead Hoffman wouldn’t relinquish. And despite a late charge from Max Blair, it was enough to put his name in the history books as the 101st different winner in World of Outlaws CASE Late Models history.

“It’s just really unbelievable to do it at a place I’ve never been before,” Hoffman said. “Obviously Max [Blair] was going to be the heaviest hitter here. I feel like everyone was looking at him as the guy to beat.

“Our racecar is so good right now. We just have to keep it rolling.” 

Hoffman’s $10,000 victory vaulted him to fourth in the points standings—34 points behind Chris Madden.

Blair settled for second, hoping to grab a second World of Outlaws win at Stateline.

The Centerville, PA driver moved past Gundaker for second on Lap 12  before he made a last-ditch effort to get by Hoffman in the final five laps. 

As Hoffman caught the back of the field, Blair swung his Rocket Chassis to the top of the racetrack but couldn’t get enough grip to make the pass. 

Blair said he thought if the race stayed green, he might’ve had a shot at passing Hoffman. 

“I gave it one last effort with a couple of laps to go, there just wasn’t enough left,” Blair said. “I think if it would’ve stayed green earlier in the race when there was lap traffic when you could still move around a little bit, maybe we had a shot at it, maybe we didn’t.”

“We’ll take second and roll on down the road.”

Bobby Pierce took advantage of a Lap 25 restart to move from fifth to third, grabbing his second podium finish of the 2023 World of Outlaws season. 

Pierce quickly moved to the top when the green came out, getting around Madden.

After he cleared the Series points leader, he only needed a few more laps to get around Gundaker, thundering his Longhorn Chassis into third on Lap 29. 

It’s the Oakwood, IL driver’s second straight top five finish, enough to move him into fifth in points, 52 behind Madden. 

“Fortunately enough, those guys got kind of bottled on the bottom,” Pierce said. “I hit my marks pretty good, but not great. But it was enough to get around Madden. Then I got next to Gordy, and on the next lap, I passed him.

“It was a really good run for falling back to fifth.”

Gundaker crossed the line fourth, and original Dirty Dozen member Chub Frank rounded out the top five.

Madden finished sixth, extending his points lead over Ryan Gustin to 22 points.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models head to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH, for the Battle at the Border May 25-27. The Series will battle in three complete shows, including a 60-lap, $25,000-to-win finale on Saturday, May 27. 

SALISBURY, NC (May 23, 2023) – Tuesday night turned into a house party for Cannon McIntosh.

The house: Millbridge Speedway. The party: his third win of the season with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented Toyota.

The Oklahoma native moved to Mooresville, NC in the off season and made Millbridge a new home for racing – helping build a Micro Sprint team with his dad and winning weekly shows at the 1/6-mile track himself.

On Tuesday night, he scored his biggest win yet at the track during the first night of the DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown with the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets – accompanied by a $4,000 payday.

“It was nice to come back here and do what we know how to do and put this thing back in Victory Lane,” McIntosh said. “This thing was lights out all night. I felt pretty confident in what I was doing on the track. All the pieces came together and we were able to win.”

McIntosh was never shy about his speed all night, running the fastest time in his Hot Lap group, running the fastest time in his Qualifying group and winning the TJ Forged Heat Race. That placed him as the second highest points earner behind Hayden Reinbold, who scored the Whitz Quick Time Award and also won his Heat Race.

However, with Reinbold drawing the number six pill in the invert draw that placed Chase McDermand – who won the last two Xtreme Outlaw Midget shows – on the pole and McIntosh in fifth for the 30-lap Feature.

When the main event commenced, outside polesitter Gavin Miller, looking for his first career national Midget win, rocketed around the outside of McDermand to take the lead on the first lap.

While McDermand tried to hunt him back down, McIntosh was already on the move behind them, up to third by Lap 4. Two laps later, up to second past McDermand.

He wasn’t the only one on a climb too. After fading in the first two laps, Jade Avedisian was climbing her way up through the field, getting back to third by Lap 9 and looking to spoil McIntosh’s appetite for the win, which eluded him last year.

Miller, McIntosh and Avedisian waged a war for the lead by the halfway point, trading slide jobs like it was a choreographed dance. McIntosh ended up having the better footing, winning the battle with a slider through the middle of Turns 1 and 2.

With the lead in hand, McIntosh stayed glued to the top and let the party rage on behind him. And while he had already won the war for the lead, Miller and Avedisian kept it going for second. The close racing between the two Keith Kunz Motorsports drivers resulted in contact in Turn 3, sending Avedisian into the wall and collecting six other cars with her. She was able to continue and rally back for a ninth-place finish.

With 10 laps to go, McIntosh worked on making qualifying laps out of each one. When the white flag hit the air, he had a straightaway lead on Miller. Then, a caution.

Green-white-checked finish.

Miller pushed his #97 Toyota-power car as hard as he could in the final two laps, looking underneath McIntosh in the final corner, but the GEARWRENCH #08 car for Dave Mac Dalby Motorsports was perfect around the top and sprinted with ease to the checkered flag first.

“I couldn’t see behind me, but I felt like we had a really good car,” McIntosh said. “I felt confident every lap, so I knew if I just hit my marks, we’d be fine. Don’t know how close [Miller] was behind us but felt really good. It was about as good as you could ask for in a car and try to go back and do the same thing tomorrow.”

While Miller had to settle for second, it was his third straight top-10 finish and second straight podium with the Series – in his first start at the North Carolina track.

“I struggled off exit,” Miller said. “I just needed to be up a little higher. Cannon could get through a little better than we could, but we’ll figure it out.”

McDermand finished third, ending his winning streak, but still satisfied as it was also his first time at Millbridge.

“Really just needed to get off the corner better, needed more forward drive there,” McDermand said. “Once the track progressed throughout the race, I fell off a little bit. Just struggled to get off the corner.”

Rounding out the top five were Briggs Danner in fourth and Mariah Ede in fifth – career best finishes for both and their first top five with the Series. Gavan Boschele, the inaugural Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota winner, was the DIRTVision Hard Charger, going from 20th to sixth.

McIntosh’s house party brought him his fourth career Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series win – now the winningest drive with the Series – and added 40 points to his lead in the championship standings over Avedisian (-71).

UP NEXT: The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota returns to Millbridge, Wednesday, May 24, for the final night of the DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown. Tickets are available at the gate, or you can watch the race live on DIRTVision.

RESULTS
Feature (31 Laps): 1. 08-Cannon McIntosh[5]; 2. 97-Gavin Miller[2]; 3. 40-Chase McDermand[1]; 4. 98-Briggs Danner[7]; 5. 71E-Mariah Ede[12]; 6. 5G-Gavan Boschele[20]; 7. 26-Chance Crum[18]; 8. 67-Ryan Timms[17]; 9. 71-Jade Avedisian[3]; 10. 7U-Kyle Jones[15]; 11. 11X-Brent Crews[10]; 12. 17B-Austin Barnhill[13]; 13. 55-Trevor Cline[19]; 14. 25K-Taylor Reimer[8]; 15. 5D-Zach Daum[11]; 16. 97K-Carson Hocevar[14]; 17. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[9]; 18. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[6]; 19. 55D-Nick Drake[4]; 20. 2X-Landon Brooks[16]

May 23, 2023 — TOKYO, Japan

• As 2026 F1 regulations will boost electrical power by three times, Honda enters F1 with a new partner.
• Honda will hone its e-motor and battery technologies through new F1 challenges and feed them back to mass production.

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced plans to participate in the FIA¹ Formula One World Championship (F1) from the 2026 season as a power unit supplier. Honda has agreed to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team to supply power units compliant with the new F1 power unit regulations which will take effect in the 2026 season. 

In pursuit of its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, starting from the 2026 season, F1 will implement new regulations with an engine/electric motor maximum power output ratio of 50/50. This will represent a significant increase in the deployment of electrical power compared to the current ratio², while use of a 100% sustainable fuel is also required.

Specifically, the 2026 regulations require a reduction of engine output while tripling the output of the energy recovery system (ERS), which recovers kinetic energy under certain situations such as braking, and converts it into electrical energy. This will result in maximum power output that is roughly even between the engine and motor.

These changes in F1 power unit regulations are consistent with the direction Honda has been taking toward the realization of carbon neutrality. Working to these regulations will have profound significance in terms of providing Honda important opportunities to pursue the development of future technologies toward that direction. Based on this belief, Honda made the decision to take on a new challenge in F1 racing.

The Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), which has become responsible for both auto and motorcycle motorsports activities since 2022, will assume responsibility for the development of power units, race participation and the management for F1 racing as well.

• Comment of Toshihiro Mibe, Global CEO of Honda

“One of the key reasons for our decision to take up the new challenge in F1 is that the world’s pinnacle form of racing is striving to become a sustainable racing series, which is in line with the direction Honda is aiming toward carbon neutrality, and it will become a platform which will facilitate the development of our electrification technologies.

Honda is a company that has a history of growing by taking on challenges and winning world-class races. With the new 2026 regulations, the key for winning will be a compact, lightweight, and high-power electric motor with a high-performance battery capable of handling high and swift power output, as well as the energy management technology. We believe that the technologies and know-how gained from this new challenge can potentially be applied directly to our future mass production electric vehicles, such as an electric flagship sports model, and electrification technologies in various areas, including eVTOL which is currently under research and development.

Honda and our new partner, the Aston Martin F1 Team, share the same sincere attitude and determination to win, so starting with the 2026 season, we will work together and strive for the Championship title as Aston Martin Aramco Honda.

Honda has the utmost respect for the FIA, which made a bold decision to introduce these new and challenging regulations to ensure the sustainability of both racing activities and the global environment, and for the Formula One Group³, which has been enhancing the brand value of F1 and ensuring F1’s evolvement as the most prestigious automobile racing in the world.”

• Comment of Lawrence Stroll, Executive Chairman of Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team

“I would like to welcome Honda and HRC to the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team. We share a mutual drive, determination, and relentless ambition to succeed on track. Honda is a global titan and its success in motorsport is longstanding and incredibly impressive. I would like to thank Mr. Mibe and Mr. Watanabe, and the whole team at HRC as we embark on this exciting future together from 2026.”

• Comment of Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation

“In the midst of major changes in our business and the motorsports environment leading toward the transition to a carbon neutral society, we have re-established HRC as an optimal platform to sustain and further evolve motorsport activities as a Honda strength. We will establish  sustainable operational structures for our racing activities and continue to deliver more dreams and excitement for motorsports fans all around the world.”

• Comment of Martin Whitmarsh, Group CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies

“I have been fortunate in my career to work with Honda over the years and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with HRC and the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team from 2026. The new 2026 F1 power unit regulations are a huge and important change but one which we are confident we can navigate successfully together. Jointly with our strategic partner Aramco, we can look forward to open collaboration towards a common goal. Our future works partnership with Honda is one of the last parts of the jigsaw puzzle slotting into place for Aston Martin’s ambitious plans in Formula One. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to our current power unit supplier who we will continue to partner with for the next few seasons.”

1. Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile
2. Under the current 2023 regulations, the required ratio of electric motor contribution to power output is slightly less than 20%.
3. The Formula One Group is an organization consisting of multiple companies responsible for the entire commercial field of F1 racing, including Formula One Administration (FOA) responsible for exercising of F1’s commercial rights and Formula One Management (FOM) responsible for promotional and marketing activities for F1.

Honda’s Participation in F1 Racing
1964 – 1968     Participated as an “all Honda” team responsible for both the engine and chassis,
                        marking Honda’s first victory at the Mexican Grand Prix in 1965
1983 – 1992     Participated as an engine supplier
1986: Won the Constructors’ Championship title as Williams Honda
1987: Won both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles
1988-1991: Won both Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles for four consecutive years as McLaren Honda
2000 – 2005     Participated as an engine supplier and joint developer of the chassis for BAR Honda
2006 – 2008     Participated as an “all Honda” team responsible for both engine and chassis
2015 – 2017     Participated as a power unit supplier. Supplied the power unit to McLaren team
2018-               Started supplying power units to Toro Rosso (currently, Scuderia Alpha Tauri)　
2019-               Started supplying power units to Red Bull Racing
2021                Max Verstappen won the Drivers’ Championship title for Red Bull Racing Honda
                        Honda Concluded F1 participation
2022                HRC began providing technical support to Red Bull Powertrains
                        Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen won both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championship titles

About Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One® Team
Location:         Silverstone, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom
Team Principal:   Mike Krack
First F1 race:        2021
Official website:   https://www.astonmartinf1.com/

The legendary Aston Martin marque first raced in Formula One in 1959 and returned to the sport in 2021 under the leadership of Canadian entrepreneur Lawrence Stroll. With a team of passionate people at its heart, and a talented squad of drivers – including double World Champion Fernando Alonso and Canada’s Lance Stroll – this is a team with both a rich heritage and a fresh perspective. Alongside collaborative and strategic partners, the Silverstone-based team is bringing new energy to the sport with a determination to shake up the order and compete at the sharp end.

www.astonmartinf1.com

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 23, 2023) – The Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism will be the second event of the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup in 2023. After finishing second at the FALS Spring Shootout on May 13th at Fairbury Speedway, Daulton Wilson leads the point standings for the Arizona Crown Jewel Cup followed by Brandon Overton, Jimmy Owens, Spencer Hughes, and Devin Moran. The mini-series within the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule consists of sixteen (16) events that pay $30,000 or more to the winner. Drivers with perfect attendance on the tour will earn points in these sixteen (16) events based on their respective finishes. The driver that earns the most points at the sixteen (16) Crown Jewel Cup events will be crowned the Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Champion – earning a $15,000 cash bonus at the year-end awards banquet. The drivers who finish second through fifth in the Crown Jewel Cup standings will earn $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 in cash, respectively for a total point fund of $30,000 for these sixteen (16) events. “The Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup is another lucrative bonus program for drivers that follow the series. We want to thank Gerald Newton and Arizona Sport Shirts for their continued support of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series,” stated Wayne Castleberry, Sales, and Marketing for Lucas Oil.  Arizona Sport Shirts will continue to have a presence at all Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events as the Official Merchandise Provider for the series along with their extensive online store at https://www.gottarace.com/collections/lucas-oil-late-model-dirt-series For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. 2023 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Schedule:Sat. May 13 – Fairbury Speedway – Fairbury, IL – $30,000Sat. May 27 – Lucas Oil Speedway – Wheatland, MO – $50,000Sat. Jun. 3 – West Virginia Motor Speedway – Mineral Wells, WV – $50,000Sat. Jun. 17 – Smoky Mountain Speedway – Maryville, TN – $50,000Sat. Jun. 24 – Lernerville Speedway – Sarver, PA – $50,000Sat. Jul. 1 – Muskingum County Speedway – Zanesville, OH – $30,000Sat. Jul. 8 – Deer Creek Speedway – Spring Valley, MN – $50,000Sat. Jul. 22 – Huset’s Speedway – Brandon, SD – $53,000Sat. Aug. 12 – Florence Speedway – Union, KY – $75,000Sat. Aug. 19 – Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, AR – $50,000Sat. Aug. 26 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, PA – $50,000Sun. Sep. 3 – Tyler County Speedway – Middlebourne, WV – $30,000Sat. Sep. 16 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, IA – $50,000Sat. Sep. 23 – Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, IN – $30,000Sat. Sep. 30 – Pittsburgh’s PA Motor Speedway – Imperial, PA – $30,000Sat. Oct. 21 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH – $100,000

Inside Line Promotions – PETALUMA, Calif. (May 23, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi is heating up as he captured the Salute to the First Responders feature victory last Saturday at Petaluma Speedway.

It marked his third NARC 410 Sprint Car Series triumph in the last four races and pulled him to within seven points in the championship standings a third of the way through the season.

“We’ve been very consistent,” he said. “I feel we have a car that can win any time we get on the track. We need to keep putting ourselves in contention to win. And when we don’t we need to come up with the best possible finish we can. My goal and the key to winning the championship is turning the second-place runs into the wins.”

Scelzi qualified sixth quickest to kick off the competition on Saturday. He then placed second in a heat race.

“It was one of the best nights in terms of playing out to our success,” he said. “We rolled in there and there weren’t many cars so they did two heats instead of three. We started second in a heat race and we thought we had to win it, but because there were only two heats they took the top two fastest in each heat and the heat race winner to the dash redraw. I was second, but the fastest guy won the heat so that got me in.”

Scelzi drew the pole position for the first dash and he won the race to garner the pole for the main event.

“The track was one lane from the word, ‘Go,'” he said. “I just lucked into the starting spot in the dash and won it. I was able to get a good start in the feature and lead all 30 laps. It was just right through the middle. The bottom was really greasy and the top was greasy. We were able to get through traffic pretty good. We had a yellow with about 10 laps to go. I don’t think that helped or hurt. It was about as uneventful of a race as there could be, which you don’t mind when you’re on the pole.”

The victory was his fourth in the last seven races this season.

Scelzi will take this weekend off before competing on June 2-3 at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., during the 32 ^nd annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour.

QUICK RESULTS –

May 20 – Petaluma Speedway in Petaluma, Calif. – Qualifying: 6; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 1 (1); Feature: 1 (1).

SEASON STATS –

13 races, 4 wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 13 top 20s

UP NEXT –

June 2-3 at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., for the 32 ^nd annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES INDIANAPOLIS 500 INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA DREYER & REINBOLD RACING PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT May 23, 2023 DENNIS REINBOLD, DON CUSICK, AND GRAHAM RAHAL MET WITH MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY – Press Conference Transcript: THE MODERATOR: We’ll get started here this morning. Joining us today, Dennis Reinbold, owner of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing; on the far side Don Cusick, Cusick Motorsports team owner, and a special guest there in the middle. Dennis, we’ll turn it over to you to make the announcement.DENNIS REINBOLD: Okay, I guess this is not a shocker right here, but Graham is going to replace Stefan in the car for us the rest of the week and coming Sunday. That is our announcement. I guess we’re all done. No, it’s been a whirlwind. I don’t have a script, so that’s kind of consistent with how the last day has gone. We’re excited to put Graham in the car. It was a tough deal, we had the month going really well with Stefan. He is getting further evaluation today, I know, going in for X-rays here soon to sort of determine the path of what’s best for him. You saw the release yesterday that he was ruled out and what happened with all that.We had to do a lot of work yesterday afterwards to get things put together with Graham, and there were a lot of hurdles involved, and Graham can speak to some of those. A lot of things what I want to touch on is just how much the INDYCAR community really, in a situation like this, rallies around each other and all the help that we got from everyone in the paddock and elsewhere. We even had Mike and Sandy Fink, longtime friends, showed up with dinner for us last night as we were working to get our backup car prepared for Graham. It just goes all the way through the paddock, and it’s really a touching feeling that so many competitors can come together and work together. A lot of credit to the Chevy guys who we talked with. There’s just so many conflicts and things that we had to work through to put this together that — it’s the Indy 500, and people come together to make this event special and make it great like it is.I don’t know, I’m rambling on, but that’s kind of how I feel. It’s really been a moving experience, a lot of emotions through the last 24 hours, and just really touched by all the support that we’ve had. THE MODERATOR: Don, just your thoughts about the last 24 hours? DON CUSICK: Yeah, first I’d like to let everybody know I did speak with Stef this morning. Obviously he’s fairly crushed emotionally but supportive of what we’re doing here, and we can’t wait to get him better and get him back out here. He really appreciates all the outpouring and concern, and yeah, hopefully get him back here on Sunday and walk down the track with him. As far as all of this craziness goes, definitely a first for us. Definitely a first for me. Didn’t really expect to be sitting here having this conversation. But here we are. Very, very thankful to Dreyer & Reinbold, Dennis and Brett for putting this together, and super thankful that Graham was able to do this, as well. We’re excited for Sunday. It’s going to be a little bittersweet, obviously, but glad we can go forward and do it, and super appreciative of INDYCAR, the racing family and the individual sitting over here to my right. THE MODERATOR: Finally, Graham, to you. Now you’ll be hopping in the No. 24 DRR/Cusick Motorsports Care Keepers Chevrolet. Your thoughts. GRAHAM RAHAL: First off, I think as everybody said, I certainly feel for Stef. I know how much he puts into this, year in and year out, to get the opportunity to be here and to see what happened to him is never good. I know emotionally the roller coaster he’s on right now, unfortunately. I’ve just lived it, as well, and I know that he’ll be back really strong and better than ever. That said, too, the Wilson family certainly in my life has had a very strong impact. As I said yesterday, I told AC, everything in life happens for a reason. Sometimes it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but when I got the call from Dennis yesterday afternoon, right away I felt compelled that this was, for some reason, my calling was to be here, to be able to help as best I could and to fill in. Clearly this is Stef’s ride. It’s his seat. He’s done a great job to get it to the point that it is. It was an honor for me to receive the call. To Dennis, to Brett, to Don, everybody that made that happen, I certainly am very grateful.I must say, Dennis mentioned Chevy, and equally so Honda, for allowing me to do this. I think I told Dennis when he called me, I said, I’m not really sure I want to waste your time. I’ve spent my entire career in a Honda. I’ve never driven anything other than that. I’m not really sure that we’ll be able to get the releases in place to be able to make this happen. They really came together, two manufacturers, to allow this to take place, to allow us to go race on Sunday, and hopefully get this car moving towards the front and have a really, really strong run. It’s also kind of special for me in a way to come back. I drove for Dennis 13 years ago at Iowa. We had a really strong run there. Always admired what he’s been able to do with his team, and Chase, I think the entire organization does a great job, as proven this month. They came out with Ryan — I texted Ryan last Wednesday night, and I was like, damn, dude, you’re going to win this thing. It was the best car I thought I saw all day. Trust me, I’m excited at the opportunities ahead, as well. Make no mistake, I’ve made it clear, this is certainly Stef’s ride, and I’m fortunate to be able to be in the position to be able to help and fill in, and like I said, hopefully we can have a really, really great Sunday. Again, it’s kind of a weird thing, as well. Care Keepers, which is the primary, Gary and Dina Tennyson, who own Care Keepers, have been very, very close friends of ours and supporters of our foundation for six, seven, eight years. Again, how this world works sometimes, it doesn’t make sense at the time, but I remember when Gary called me about seven, eight months ago saying he was going to do this, I was thrilled for him. This is kind of a lifelong dream for him to work with Don, to get the opportunity to have his logo on a car here at Indy, and look where we are today. Who would have known. Sometimes weird things happen in this world, and as I said, you don’t have the answers for them up front, but we’re fortunate to be here. Q. You were very close to Stefan’s brother, he was your teammate when you came into the Champ Car series in 2007. I imagine you’re pretty good friends with Stef, also. When you think of that familial bond that you have with the Wilson family, you talked about a calling. Is that really something you reflected on?GRAHAM RAHAL: Oh, for sure. I think about Justin a lot. When the call came, right away it was an immediate connection. Frankly, I think in many ways, Justin helped — in more ways than one kind of shape my career, not only as a man and who you should be, how you should act, all that stuff, but also I remember in 2006 I was in Formula Atlantic. Of course I don’t know why, but we had a joint autograph session with the Champ Car guys. We were in Portland. I was still dreaming that hey, maybe someday Formula 1, and Justin Wilson was the guy who told me that it was way too political and I didn’t have the right filter to enter Formula 1. If it were not for him, I probably would have kept chasing a different dream. In many ways, he did help me, but I do know as a teammate, too, when I was with him at Newman/Haas and then again with Dennis at Iowa, he’s just a tremendous, tremendous guy, and Stef is right there with him. As I said, their entire family I have the utmost respect for, and in a scenario like this, I felt very — had it been something different, I don’t know how compelled I would have been, particularly with the storylines of the last couple days. Trust me, for me it was a little bit of a bittersweet moment, do I do it, do I not, is it appropriate, is it not, but in this circumstance with Dennis, with Don, with Gary, with Stef, it just felt right. As I said, I can’t thank Honda and Chevy and all the sponsors. It’s been a tough week for our sponsors, as well, and for everybody who’s been able to make this possible to release me to come over here. I’m super grateful. Q. Also from the depths of despair that you felt Sunday, hugging your daughter and crying into her face, knowing how you’re back in the race, how do you describe the lowest low and now a very high?GRAHAM RAHAL: Well, the positive, she’s two years old so she doesn’t really know what it was all about. All she told me when I hugged her was ooh, daddy, you’re wet. I was like, of course, I’ve been sweating for an hour. No, I felt every emotion over the last couple of days. But as I’ve always said, and Dennis knows this well, that’s Indy. It can put you through a vicious cycle, and you never know what’s going to happen, how it’s going to take place. We don’t know how it’s going to end up in five, six days’ time. But at the end of the day, when an opportunity like this comes, you certainly are honored to get the call. For me, I won’t lie, I really did feel excited to have the sense that another team had the respect at least for me to call. It was a great opportunity to come out here and try to perform and be able to race this Sunday. You go through it all, the highs, the lows, and I still, as I said, don’t want to step in and take over here. It is Stef’s role. He’s put this all together, he and Don and Dennis and everybody have put this entire program together. It’s a very unfortunate situation. I feel for him. When I saw the accident, I was very concerned for his back right away, when I saw the angle of the accident, and unfortunately I’m aware of those things because of being a taller driver. It is an issue we I feel like have a little more frequently. I feel terrible he’s in the role he’s at. But as Don said, I’m sure he’ll be back stronger than ever and come back here next year and put on a great challenge. Q. Graham, you mentioned you’ve been tied to Honda for as long as anybody can remember. Can you take us through what those conversations were like, and also conversations with your sponsorship over on that side?GRAHAM RAHAL: Well, Dennis will tell you, too, when he called, I had said to him, I don’t really want to waste your time; it’s probably best that you just speak to Dad. Because again, while I was very appreciative, I knew the hurdles were going to be massive. This wasn’t just as easy as saying yes. You know, I think we both, last night we were sitting there at about 10:30 and going, I can’t believe this actually happened, that both Honda and Chevy allowed this to happen. So we’re very, very appreciative of that. Frankly, that would be a better question for Dennis and Dad to answer than me because I knew that the challenges were far greater than me, and I needed to step aside because contractually I don’t know what all is said between RLL and Honda, RLL and our partners. But I know that this guy here to my right is a high-class individual, and I know he and dad spoke and worked things out right away. I’m surprised, but it was certainly exciting for me to hear late last night that we were going to be able to make this happen. Q. Any idea what it’s going to feel like going against your team on Sunday?GRAHAM RAHAL: Well, I think we start at the back, right? Isn’t that the rule? DENNIS REINBOLD: I think we do. GRAHAM RAHAL: I’ll still be starting. Jack hasn’t gotten rid of me yet. But look, it’s going to be very unique for me. This situation is super unique. I will go from here to sit in the car. You’ve got to think, everything is different. I’ve been in the same place for 12 years now. For me, steering wheel — literally I haven’t changed my steering wheel in 12 years. I still run the same base wheel that I’ve run since the Newman/Haas days, took it from Newman/Haas to Ganassi to RLL. The whole thing is going to be a very unique situation, obviously to drive with the Chevy power plan for the first time. I do know that Hunter-Reay already texted me and said hey, make sure later we need to talk about the yellow map and we need to talk about — because it’s different. It just is. The way that people operate. I’ve been so programmed and tuned into the Honda side for so long that this is going to be a unique scenario. But to compete against them, look, I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t think we had a chance to win and go forward. I think these guys will tell you, they’ve had a very strong car all week, and Ryan is going to be a great partner. He’s probably been my closest friend in the sport since I came into the sport. My first year here he was driving for my dad, and so Ryan and I have always been very close, so I’m excited by the opportunity. We’ve talked for years about eventually working together, and the situation is certainly unique, but I’m still excited to get to be with Ryan and see what we can do on Carb Day and make this thing go forward. I wish my team at RLL the best for sure. I certainly want to see them succeed. But I also wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t want to go win with Don and Dennis and Gary and this entire organization. That’s my job. So that’s what we’re going to try to go do. Q. Graham, you kind of touched on it, but what are the next couple of days leading into Carb Day going to look like for you?GRAHAM RAHAL: I thought they were filled with golf and kids. But you know, it’s right back to work. There’s a lot. There’s a lot to learn. But I feel we’re in good position as far as the individuals — obviously Jeff, who’s the engineer, I’m familiar with. Todd, Ryan’s engineer, was with our team at RLL for a long time, so I know Todd. Chase I’ve known forever, obviously the Selmans everybody knows, so I’ve known the whole family for quite a long time. There’s a lot of familiar faces there. Going to jump in, be a little bit of a quick learning experience, but it’s nothing that we haven’t done before. Just got to settle in here over the next couple of days and really make sure that we’re comfortable with all the switches and all the mapping and all of the things that are going to be of high importance. Clearly when it comes to feeling the car out for the first time, that’s going to be Carb Day, and there’s not a lot of time to do that. But luckily on Sunday, there’s 500 miles for us to — if the car is not in the window, get the car closer. But as I said, I feel like they’ve been — everybody has been very, very — Stef and Ryan have been very, very strong all week, so I don’t anticipate any major challenges there. Q. Do you need to not have debriefs with RLL drivers for the first time in a long time, I imagine. With this being a unique partnership, and I don’t know who’s best served to answer this, but from a sponsor’s standpoint, how is that going to work? Are any of your sponsors going to be on the car, coming over, crossing into the car?DENNIS REINBOLD: I tried to pass the buck there. From the start of this yesterday afternoon, Bobby immediately came over and spoke to me, and we put our heads down to try to figure out how we could make this happen, if we could. A lot of the concerns he had were with Graham’s sponsors, and we have some flexibility, and he stepped in, Bobby stepped in and really made it work out to where we could do different things and shift things around, and I worked with Don in that regard, as well. It’s just been a group effort to try to figure out what we can do, so yeah, our car will look a little bit different to accommodate some of those things in order for us all to work together and just get to the end goal. This was a dire situation for us. Graham had his situation Sunday. We’re trying to turn it into a win-win situation, hopefully win-win-win, being Sunday with the final win. That’s what we did. We just rolled up our sleeves and went to work. Yeah, we’re going to do some different things sponsorship-wise and accommodate what we can do. We’ve got some other announcements coming with Ryan’s car, as well. Both cars will look slightly different and tweaked and things like that. Working on it still. Q. Was Graham the first choice, and did you have a backup?DENNIS REINBOLD: Yeah, Graham was the first choice. A lot of it was we — well, it just was so sudden that there wasn’t a lot of time to think. For Don and I, sat down pretty much immediately and started thinking — once we found out Stefan couldn’t be cleared to run. There’s a short list because not a lot of guys are approved. And to be able to come out and just run without refreshers and things like that. Graham obviously doesn’t need a refresher. But my whole goal is to win this race, and Don and I talked about it, and we both agreed immediately that if we could somehow pull it off — I don’t know that we were optimistic we could, but we thought we would go down the path and explore the possibility of putting Graham in the car, so that’s how that evolved. DON CUSICK: I’d just like to say that for us, we replace one really class act with another one. That makes a difference, too. Q. Is the plan still to use the backup, the two-year-old chassis as the backup, and if so, I know Graham’s car wasn’t exactly fast on Sunday, but was there any consideration of using an RLL chassis instead of trying to get a backup prepared?DENNIS REINBOLD: No, it has to come from our stable. We’ve prepared our cars equally across the board, and so yeah, to go to the backup car is something that it was pretty much ready to go.  The guys are in there working on it now, and as soon as we’re done here, we’ll go get Graham fitted and things like that. We’re really not going to miss too much of a beat in that sense. Q. Graham, when you first got the call, did any thought go through your mind, like wait a minute, our driver hit your driver, why are you calling us? I’m not trying to be macabre there, but it was an interesting irony, right?GRAHAM RAHAL: Leave it to the Columbus, Ohio, guy to ask the question. To be honest, it’s an interesting situation across the board. I certainly don’t — as I’ve made clear all along, I don’t feel good about filling in for an injured driver. I feel for Stefan. I’ve said that numerous times here. I feel for him tremendously because I do know how much this means to him and how much work he puts in year in and year out to be here. Unfortunately in racing, things happen. Look at the last 48 hours in my life even; it’s been all over the board. As I said, and this is the truth, in some other situations, I don’t think that it would have excited me as much, but being that it was Stef and being that it was a Wilson, and in the situation that it was in, I just felt like it was my calling to jump in and help. I was very fortunate that Dennis and Don and everybody at DRR and Cusick Motorsports called me. It’s that simple. I was honored because on a personal level, too, as I said already, I felt it gave me a boost personally to get the call because I have driven for my dad for so long, you always wonder what everybody else thinks of you, so to speak. So it was a blessing. I want to make sure, like I’ve said all along, that for me, my job is to go out there and make everybody here proud, and that includes Stef. I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind, as Don said. I’m sure emotionally this is a very, very, very tough time for him. We just want to be there to support him as best we can and perform as best we can no matter what the scenario was or how it all took shape yesterday. Q. You were talking a while ago about getting up to snuff with the car itself. Will you just sit in the car and run through the buttons on the steering wheel, for example, things like that? Is there any kind of simulator you can jump in at this point?GRAHAM RAHAL: No, really just sit in there and speak with Ryan mainly to try to get his input because he’s been through a few different teams and stuff, so to get his input on how things work because everything is a little bit different team to team, the way the weight jackers work or the fuel mixers or trim switches and all these other things, where the radio button is, do they use a drink bottle or do they use a pump. There’s a variety of different scenarios there. But as Dennis also said, I do think that Dad and Dennis have been tremendous in working together, and I know a lot of my stuff, seat-wise, belts even potentially, all that stuff from RLL will be able to carry over, the chassis are all pretty much built the same by Dallara, so should be able to jump in and get going. The steering wheel is not one you can switch easy because the programming and the wiring and everything is pretty specific to the team. So we’ll sit in there and study as best we can, probably take a photo so that I can go home and look at the wheel and get the buttons memorized. All those things are going to be critical. But in this situation as a veteran, you’ve got to be a professional, and that’s what you’ve trained to do for years and years and you’ve got to be able to jump in and do it. Q. I’m not trying to put words in your mouth, but I think you feel like you’re stepping into a quality race car, too, right, based on their performance?GRAHAM RAHAL: Oh, yeah. There’s no doubt that it’s a great opportunity. These cars have been very, very strong. For me, I feel good about that, about our chances this weekend, and to move forward and put on a heck of a show. We’ve got 500 miles to do so, try to play it as we always do, put ourselves in a good position come the last couple stints of the race, and be able to move forward and hopefully make these two proud and Stef and everybody associated with the program. Q. Not trying to sound melodramatic or anything, but do you feel resurrected?GRAHAM RAHAL: I don’t know. This is a weird situation for me. I mean, it just is. My wife was just asking me, and I told her, I’m very excited at the opportunity, but I feel terribly for Stef, too. It’s a very unique situation to be in, but ultimately, as I said inside, it was exciting and it was an honor for me to get the call. I know the list of guys isn’t super long of drivers that could jump in and do it, but I also know some of the other names that are probably on that list are guys that are very, very, very qualified to go out there, who have a lot of experience and can do a great job. So for me to get the call, to get the opportunity, yes, it’s very exciting. Q. To follow up on that a little bit, I know when you were interviewed yesterday afternoon during the practice, you spoke about how you planned on going throughout this week and helping Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing get everything best positioned for Sunday with the knowledge that you have of being in the car and the experience with the team, experience of this race, et cetera. Did any of that play through your mind when you were deciding whether to take this opportunity? Did you feel at all compelled to turn it down and stay back with the team, given everything you guys have gone through?GRAHAM RAHAL: Well, you know, I certainly won’t lie that — yeah, I mean, things change in a hurry, don’t they? But for me, yes, there was a part of me that thought, when you look at RLL and where we were as a team, can I have more of an impact to try to help Jack and Christian and Kat perform better on the weekend, and of course even in their debrief session after. I always try to give them information and experience, but I felt compelled to give them a lot more right after the session and try to help them from what I could see studying their film and all that stuff. Of course now it’s a little bit of a different situation. Our focus and attention is completely dedicated to Dreyer & Reinbold and Cusick Motorsports to do the best that we can in the 24 car, and at the end of the day we’re competing now. That’s the reality of this situation. Things in motorsports — I tell people all the time, motorsports is one of the few sports where there just are no guarantees ever. Things can change immediately. That’s the situation that we’re in, and we’re going to go out there and do the absolute best we can to get in Victory Lane. It’s been a dream of mine my entire life. I think we’ve got a great opportunity to do so with Dreyer & Reinbold and with Don, and I’m excited by that. Q. Dennis, I know you’ve touched on it a little bit, generally speaking, but can you tell us a little bit more about how you and maybe more specifically the folks at Chevy and Honda were able to make this work, given Graham’s long ties at Honda?DENNIS REINBOLD: Well, it probably started with Don and I discussing it, and then we brought Bobby into the circle, and I had discussions with the Chevy guys to get their feel for it, and Bobby took over the Honda discussions, as well. We just kind of went off on our separate paths with this goal in mind to explore and to see if it was possible. They came back, and a couple hurdles later that we crossed, it started looking good. We kept crossing off things on our checklist that had to happen for this to be a possibility. There were a lot of things involved, and we spent a lot of time yesterday and into the night last night going through those things. I don’t know if that answers that, but it was a bit of a whirlwind, so I can’t keep it all straight in my head at this point.

Two more nights in Ohio and final trip to Indiana are next for The Greatest Show on DirtCHILLICOTHE, OH (May 23, 2023) – High banks and high speeds await the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars this Memorial Day weekend.First up is two nights at Chillicothe, OH’s Atomic Speedway (May 26-27) – marking the ninth and 10th visits for The Greatest Show on Dirt at the 3/8 mile. Then, on Monday, May 29, the Series heads to southeast Indiana where Lawrenceburg Speedway hosts the Federated Auto Parts Memorial Day Spectacular. The night will be Lawrenceburg’s 19th time welcoming the World of Outlaws.Add it all together, and the result is three races in four nights at two of the most exciting tracks that the Series invades all year.BUY ATOMIC TICKETSBUY LAWRENCEBURG TICKETSLet’s look at this weekend’s top storylines:TIGHT TOP-THREE: Through a quarter of the 2023 campaign, three names have separated themselves atop the standings, but they’ve been unable to separate from each other. Brad Sweet leads the way in pursuit of his fifth consecutive title with David Gravel (-20 points) and Carson Macedo (-30 points) close behind.Sweet’s one World of Outlaws appearance at Atomic resulted in a fourth-place effort last season. “The Big Cat’s” last seven starts at Lawrenceburg have seen him finish no worse than eighth, including a victory in 2018.Gravel also has only one World of Outlaws start at Atomic – finishing seventh last season. But the driver of the Big Game Motorsports #2 has made five All-Star Circuit of Champions starts there, earning three top fives, including a runner-up in 2011. In 10 Lawrenceburg attempts, Gravel owns top fives in half of them.Macedo’s made several laps at Atomic with the All-Stars, finishing as high as third in 2018. The Lemoore, CA native hasn’t had quite the performance he’d like at Lawrenceburg with only one top-10 finish in four starts, but he’ll look to change the trend on Monday.HOT SCHATZ: In only a few short weeks, Donny Schatz has gone from struggling to crack the top 10 to the hottest driver on tour.After seven consecutive finishes of 11th of lower, Schatz has rebounded in a massive way with five podiums in the last six races. Two of them are wins at Attica Raceway Park and Sharon Speedway this past weekend for his first two wins of the season.Schatz’ performance at the two tracks ahead this weekend suggests the stretch could continue. At Atomic, the pilot of the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 has topped four of the eight races in Series history. In seven starts at the Chillicothe oval, the Fargo, ND native’s average finish is 2.57.At Lawrenceburg, Schatz is a three-time winner and owns podiums in nine of his 15 starts.HUNGRY HAUDENSCHILD: This past weekend proved to be a productive outing in home territory for Sheldon Haudenschild.The Wooster, OH native finished fourth at Attica, then posted his fourth podium of the season at Sharon. With momentum on his side, Haudenschild hopes to find himself in Victory Lane at least once during the upcoming trio of races.As luck would have it, Haudenschild won the most recent Series visit at both Atomic and Lawrenceburg aboard the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17. Haudenschild is also a former All-Star winner at Atomic (2016).SHARK STRIKE?: The Shark Racing teammates – Logan Schuchart and Jacob Allen – have been so close to scoring a victory for Bobby Allen’s team at the tracks ahead this weekend.Schuchart made his first World of Outlaws start at Atomic last year. That night he came home in the runner-up spot. In Schuchart’s first five starts at Lawrenceburg, he didn’t finish within the top 10. But in his last two starts, Schuchart has posted results of second and third.Last year at Atomic, Allen followed Schuchart to the checkered flag to complete the podium in his first Atomic attempt. Allen hasn’t been quite as strong as his teammate at Lawrenceburg, but he did post his first top 10 at the facility during the most recent visit.HOOSIER HOPEFULS: The trip to Lawrenceburg is the last World of Outlaws race in Indiana for the season, so that means it’s the last opportunity for the tour’s two Hoosiers – Spencer Bayston and Bill Rose – to have strong outings in their home state.Bayston has stood in Lawrenceburg victory lane in the past – topping a 2018 United States Auto Club (USAC) race. Last year, with his current team – CJB Motorsports – the Lebanon, IN native finished fifth in the World of Outlaws trip to “The Burg.”Rose, out of Plainfield, IN, has made countless laps at Lawrenceburg in his Sprint Car career both with and without a wing. The 58-year-old finished second in a 1997 USAC race, and fast forward to 2009 when he earned another runner-up – this time with the All-Stars.ATOMIC ACES: With a strong local Sprint Car scene, a few Buckeyes stand out as drivers who could contend for a World of Outlaws upset.Cole Duncan undoubtedly leads the charge of local favorites. The Lockbourne, OH native has collected dozens of Atomic wins over the years including five in 2022. Last year, Duncan earned a World of Outlaws top-five finish when the Series visited Chillicothe.Last Friday, Cap Henry put together a strong run at Attica (sixth) to make Ohio proud and could do the same at Atomic. Henry has already earned a pair of top fives in Chillicothe this year including a second in April.More locals to watch include Travis Philo (Bowling Green, OH), Kory Crabtree (London, OH), Nate Reeser (Circleville, OH), and more.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHEREFriday and Saturday, May 26-27 at Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe, OHMonday, May 29 at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, INON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (21/80 Races):1. 49 – Brad Sweet (2934PTS) 2. 2 – David Gravel (-20PTS) 3. 41 – Carson Macedo (-30PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-126PTS) 5. 15 – Donny Schatz (-156PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-168PTS) 7. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-240PTS) 8. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-258PTS) 9. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss (-414PTS) 10. 1A – Jacob Allen (-450PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (11 Drivers):4 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2), Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)3 wins – Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)2 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17), Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports #21), Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S), Anthony Macri (Macri Motorsports #39)FEATURE LAPS LED (14 Drivers):106 laps – Rico Abreu104 laps – Brad Sweet92 laps – David Gravel65 laps – Carson Macedo60 laps – James McFadden46 laps – Buddy Kofoid44 laps – Logan Schuchart43 laps – Brent Marks37 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild36 laps – Donny Schatz11 laps – Anthony Macri10 laps – Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi3 laps – Brady BaconSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (9 Drivers):5 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo, David Gravel3 QuickTimes – Logan Schuchart2 QuickTimes – Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu1 QuickTime – Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Gio ScelziHEAT RACE WINNERS (21 Drivers):12 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo11 Heat Wins – David Gravel6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid5 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Gio Scelzi, Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen, Parker Price-Miller, Justin Peck, Brock Zearfoss1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Cory EliasonTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (32 Drivers):16 Dashes – Carson Macedo, David Gravel15 Dashes – Brad Sweet12 Dashes – Logan Schuchart9 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, Rico Abreu7 Dashes – Gio Scelzi6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen, Brent Marks5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Brock Zearfoss4 Dashes – Anthony Macri, James McFadden3 Dashes – Justin Peck, Danny Dietrich2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Cory Eliason, Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price, Tyler Courtney1 Dash – Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Garet Williamson, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Chad Trout, Dylan Norris, Cap Henry, Stuart BrubakerMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (17 Drivers):2 LCS Wins – Robbie Price, Sheldon Haudenschild1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Spencer Bayston, Logan Schuchart, Kraig Kinser, Freddie Rahmer, Henry Malcuit, Cole MacedoKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (18 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Blake Hahn, Buddy Kofoid, Joe B. Miller, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Moody, Freddie Rahmer, Brad Sweet, Sheldon HaudenschildPODIUM FINISHES (19 Drivers):10 Podiums – David Gravel9 Podiums – Brad Sweet6 Podiums – Carson Macedo5 Podiums – Rico Abreu, Donny Schatz4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid, Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild3 Podiums – Brent Marks2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, James McFadden1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Parker Price-Miller, Brady Bacon, Anthony MacriTOP 10 FINISHES (38 Drivers):19 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, Brad Sweet18 Top 10s – David Gravel16 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart13 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild12 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston11 Top 10s – Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu10 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid, Donny Schatz8 Top 10s – Justin Peck7 Top 10s – James McFadden6 Top 10s – Jacob Allen, Brent Marks5 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney4 Top 10s – Kasey Kahne, Danny Dietrich3 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Cory Eliason2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brock Zearfoss, Blake Hahn, Brady Bacon, Anthony Macri1 Top 10 – Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Parker Price-Miller, Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Larson, Brandon Rahmer, Chad Trout, Lance Dewease, Cap Henry, Cole Macedo, Stuart Brubaker2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)14. Fri, April 28 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL / David Gravel (4)15. Sat, April 29 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)16. Fri, May 5 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)17. Sat, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)18. Wed, May 10 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Anthony Macri (1)19. Fri, May 12 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brad Sweet (4)20. Fri, May 19 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Donny Schatz (1)21. Sat, May 20 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Donny Schatz (2)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 23, 2023) – Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, continues its run of three consecutive awe-inspiring Miles with the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington at the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, this Saturday, May 27. The Miles hold a special place in Championship lore, featuring a unique blend of shifting strategies, triple-digit speed, and inch-close racing that makes for one of the most spectacular forms of racing to be found anywhere in motorsport. And since first joining the Progressive AFT tour in 2017, the Red Mile has earned its place amongst the legendary Miles that have helped define the sport for decades. Despite being a relatively recent addition to Progressive American Flat Track, the Red Mile boasts its own storied history, serving as a famed horse racing facility for nearly a century-and-a-half. It’s since proven to be just as adept at hosting mounts with a hundredfold the initially envisioned horsepower, delivering fantastic competition along with lush accommodations and ideal sightlines. The Red Mile’s more recent history is tied directly to the development of reigning Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) as one of the sport’s great Milers. When he took the first Red Mile victory in 2017, Mees had just three prior Mile wins to his name. He comes into this year’s event in Lexington with 24 – including wins at the Red Mile in 2018, 2019, and 2022 – and in need of just one more to equal Bubba Shobert and Bryan Smith for third all time. However, Mees’ perfect record at the venue was blemished a year ago when he was beaten by Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). Mees did get a measure of revenge the next day, however, only after Daniels lost power while leading on the final lap. Daniels has since emerged as Mees’ primary title rival in 2023, currently boasting a 20-point championship advantage. Their rematch – both in Lexington and in the wake of Mees’ recent win over Daniels at the Sacramento Mile – is obviously the weekend’s lead story, but there is a plethora of riders who could factor for the win. In fact, it was JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) who looked like the odds-on favorite to reign supreme at the Red Mile a year ago before mechanical issues spoiled his chances. Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) showcased front-running speed in Sacramento despite suffering from some teething issues that negatively impacted his ultimate results. He’ll have a shot at redemption at a track where the KTM Duke sent shockwaves through the paddock when James Rispoli guided a Mission Production Twins-spec Wally Brown Racing-built KTM to the podium, finishing just fractions of a second short of taking the win himself. Speaking of, Wally Brown Racing will be back in action this weekend with reigning Production Twins champ Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Wally Brown Racing/Haversack KTM 790 Duke) now at the controls of the developing machine after winning a support class race in Lexington in ‘22. And then there’s Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750), who came up just 0.126 seconds short of stealing the win from Mees last year after Daniels faded from contention. The list goes on, including a stacked field of independent riders with the potential to battle up front, including Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750), Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke), and Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750). Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER As unpredictable as the premier class promises to be, it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite for the Red Mile Main Event in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Main Event class. That’s no hyperbole considering the season has already seen five different riders representing four teams and three makes stand atop the podium. The discussion always begins with defending champion and points leader Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F). That said, Kopp is still seeking a career-first Mile win, although he did come within 0.053 and 0.111 seconds of snagging one here a year ago. Instead, the two wins went to Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), adding to American Honda’s remarkable record of Miles success in recent years. Mischler will be joined in the effort to continue that streak by rolling teammates Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), the pair combining to score a win, three seconds, and a third in the season’s last three Main Events. Gauthier has since switched allegiances, forming an all-new KTM satellite outfit. He should be considered a favorite nonetheless, as should Kopp’s teammate, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F), who was less than two tenths away from a pair of Red Mile wins himself last season. Estenson Racing Yamaha boasts its own Mile aces in Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) and Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), the latter fresh from his maiden victory at the Sacramento Mile. Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450) and James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450) have each come close to making it four different makes of winners in 2023, and Cose, in particular, was right there in the hunt at Sacramento. And finally, there’s Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F), the class’ greatest-ever Miler, who teased that form last time out despite doing so without her dedicated Mile motor. And since it’s Parts Unlimited AFT Singles, there’s always a chance for an emerging rider to step forward and battle it out with the established powers the way Travis Petton IV (No. 82 ECG Racing/3 Bros KTM 450 SX-F) did at Sacramento. There will be plenty to keep fans entertained at the track on Saturday as well, including the Kid Zone featuring two bounce houses, numerous vendors, expansive food and beverage options, live music, extensive motorcycle parking, and a fireworks display following the Mission SuperTwins Main Event. Fans are also invited to attend the Indian Motorcycle of Lexington Red Mile AFT Celebration Open House on Friday, May 26 and Saturday, May 27, from 9:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. The Open House will include the Royal Enfield Demo Truck which be on site and offering demo rides both days. Additionally, a rider meet-and-greet will take place at the dealership on Friday from 4:00pm to 5:00 p.m ET. Afterwards, fans can head over to The Break Room in the Lexington Distillery District for a pre-party that will go until midnight. General Admission – Standing Room Only tickets are just $30 (kids 12 and under free with a paid adult) while Reserved Grandstand tickets located along the front straight are $55. Additionally, a limited number of tickets for the Mid-Level Box Seats and Turn 1 Hospitality Suite – VIP Experience – Wait List are still available so act fast. Pit Pass Upgrades are also available for purchase, which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/red-mile-59131 to purchase your tickets today! Gates will open for fans at 3:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. ET (4:00 p.m. PT). For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of the Red Mile presented by Indian Motorcycle of Lexington, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, June 11, at 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

STEFAN WILSON UPDATE: MONDAY, MAY 22
SPEEDWAY, IN (May 22, 2023) – Update on driver Stefan Wilson following his incident Monday with Katherine Legge during the afternoon practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 

At 2:11 p.m., Wilson, driving the No. 24 DRR/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers Chevrolet, was struck from behind by Legge’s IndyCar and forced into the outside safer barrier in turn one at the 2.5-mile oval.

After being transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital for further tests, it was disclosed that Wilson suffered a fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebrae and will stay overnight at the hospital for further tests and observation. Based on this type of injury, Wilson will not be allowed to compete in this Sunday’s 107^th Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. 

The DRR/Cusick Motorsports team will have more information in due course.

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BATAVIA, Ohio (May 22, 2023) – This year’s Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism is scheduled for May 25-27 at Lucas Oil Speedway. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil Midwest Late Model Racing Association (MLRA) will come together for a three-day mega event that is a must attend for race fans.  This crown jewel event will pay a massive $50,000 to the winner on Saturday night, with a total purse of over $233,000 over the three days. Thursday’s program will feature a $6,000-to-win, $600-to-start event, honoring the late Allen “Cowboy” Chancellor, longtime MLRA Owner/Promoter. The 10th Annual “Cowboy Classic” will include a full program of: Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 45-lap main event. The action on Friday, May 26 will pay tribute to Don and Billie Gibson, former promoters of West Plains Motor Speedway and founders of the Show-Me 100. The activities will include a complete program of: Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 40-lap, $6,000-to-win, $600-to-start main event. Drivers will earn points in each of the two preliminary nights; those points combined will determine the line-ups for Saturday night’s $50,000-to-win, $2,000-to-start finale. The Cedar Creek Beef Jerky USRA Modifieds will be featured as the support class each night. Their activities on Thursday and Friday, May 26th-27th will feature a complete program of: Hot Laps, Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and a 20-lap, $750-to-win main event each night. On Saturday night, consolation events for the Lucas Oil Late Models and the USRA Modifieds will be held, plus the Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge. The Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 main event will follow the Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge on Saturday night. The USRA Modifieds will cap off the weekend action with their $1,500-to-win main event. This year’s event at Lucas Oil Speedway will include a pre-race concert sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions performed by Nashville recording artist singer/songwriter Lee Newton. Lee will also serve as the Grand Marshal of the event and perform on Saturday May 27th.Pit gates open at 4:00PM CST and spectator gates at 5:00PM CST on Thursday and Friday, with Hot Laps at 6:30PM CST. On Saturday, pit gates open at 3:00PM CST, grandstands at 4:00PM CST with pre-race concert from 5:00-5:45PM CST, opening ceremonies at 6:00PM CST, and Hot Laps at 6:30PM CST. In Wheatland, MO, a town with a population of under 400, lies an immaculate 3/8-mile oval. Lucas Oil Speedway is considered to be one of the nicest motorsports facilities in the country and named the “Diamond of Dirt Tracks” for good reason. The Speedway amenities include twenty-one (21) VIP luxury suites, HD Jumbo-Tron screen, stadium style seating, Musco sports lighting, a Bose sound system, go-kart track for kids, The Diamond Bar, Track Treasures Gift Shop, huge vendor area and the best track food and concessions with a sit-down restaurant. Lucas Oil Speedway is located at Highways 83 and 54 in Wheatland, Missouri. Click www.lucasoilspeedway.com for more information and detailed directions to the speedway or call the Track Hotline at (417) 282-5984. Ricky Thornton Jr. will lead the charge in the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP to Lucas Oil Speedway. Thornton holds a 40-point advantage over Hudson O’Neal, with Brandon Overton just 90 points out of the top spot in third. Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran round on the top five in the current championship standings. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Thursday-Friday May 26th and 27th Event Purses: 1. $6,000, 2. $3,000, 3. $2,000, 4. $1,500, 5. $1,250, 6. $1,000, 7. $950, 8. $900, 9. $850, 10. $800, 11. $700, 12. $600, 13. $600, 14. $600, 15. $600, 16. $600, 17. $600, 18. $600, 19. $600, 20. $600, 21. $600, 22. $600, 23. $600, 24. $600. = $26,750 Saturday May 28th Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge Non-Qualifiers Event Purse:1. $2,500, 2. $1,250, 3. $750, 4. $600, 5. $500, 6. $475, 7. $450, 8. $425, 9. $400, 10. $375, 11. $350, 12. $325, 13. $300, 14. $275, 15. $250, 16. $250, 17. $250, 18. $250, 19. $250, 20. $250, 21. $250, 22. $250, 23. $250, 24. $250. = $11,475 Saturday May 28th Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism Purse:1. $50,000, 2. $20,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $9,000, 5. $8,000, 6. $7,000, 7. $6,000, 8. $5,000, 9. $4,500, 10. $4,000, 11. $3,500, 12. $3,250, 13. $3,000, 14. $2,750, 15. $2,500, 16. $2,400, 17. $2,350,18. $2,325, 19. $2,300, 20. $2,250, 21. $2,200, 22. $2,150, 23. $2,100, 24. $2,050, 25. $2,000, 26. $2,000, 27. $2,000, 28. $2,000. = $168,625 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:Thursday-Friday May 25 and 26 Tire Rule:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s, (92) NLMT4, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 2 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Saturday May 27 Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 presented by Missouri Division of Tourism Tire Rule:Left Front – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20Right Front/Left Rear – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s, (92) NLMT4, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for B-Mains and Non-Qualifiers Race.*For the A-Main, competitors may use 4 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Previous Show-Me 100 Winners:2022 – Chris Ferguson2021 – Hudson O’Neal2020 – Payton Looney2019 – Canceled2018 – Scott Bloomquist2017 – Bobby Pierce2016 – Jimmy Owens2015 – Jonathan Davenport2014 – Don O’Neal2013 – Jimmy Owens2012 – Jimmy Owens2011 – Jimmy Owens2010 – Ray Cook2009 – Brian Birkhofer2008 – Scott Bloomquist2007 – Wendell Wallace2006 – Wendell Wallace2005 – Scott Bloomquist2004 – Scott Bloomquist2003 – Scott Bloomquist2002 – Wendell Wallace2001 – Freddy Smith2000 – Ray Cook1999 – Terry Phillips1998 – Freddy Smith1997 – Rick Aukland1996 – Billy Moyer1995 – Scott Bloomquist1994 – Billy Moyer1993 – Billy Moyer