Briscoe returns, Strickler debuts and Daum is following-up on a big win in Kansas

SALISBURY, NC (May 22, 2023) – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota returns to its birthplace this week for the second annual DIAEDGE Double Down Showdown at Millbridge Speedway – Tuesday-Wednesday, May 23-24.

The 1/6-mile oval of Millbridge presents one of the most unique challenges Midget drivers will face all year with its red clay surface and high banks. The track hosted the Series’ inaugural event one year ago, which was won by teenage racing standout Gavan Boschele.

Tuesday, May 23 kicks off the weekday doubleheader with a 30-lap, $4,000-to-win Feature, while Wednesday features a 35-lap, $5,000-to-win main event. The Midgets will be joined by Non-Wing Micro Sprints both nights.

Tickets will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

Here are the drivers to watch and storylines to follow this week:

NEW TEAMMATES – NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe makes his return to Xtreme Outlaw Midget competition this week and is bringing along a special guest in a second car for the Double Down Showdown.

Late Model and UMP Modified veteran Kyle Strickler will make his Midget racing debut in Briscoe’s second entry. Originally from Pennsylvania, Strickler moved to his current residence in Mooresville, NC, in 2006 and soon after began his UMP Modified racing career. Now a multi-time Feature winner and recently crowned champion of the DIRTcar Nationals in February, Strickler said he’s always wanted to step into the open-wheel world and a mutual connection with a former Stewart-Haas Racing team member has spawned this new opportunity for him.

Read More – Chase Briscoe Plans Xtreme Return At Millbridge, Fielding Car For Kyle Strickler

Briscoe bagged finishes of 12th and eighth in the two-day event last year. He’ll suit up again with the Midget on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time since January’s Chili Bowl Nationals as a precursor to his NASCAR duties at Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Coke 600 this Sunday.

WHAT THE DR. ORDERED – After a trying weekend out west in the opening weekend of USAC competition, Xtreme Outlaw points leader Cannon McIntosh is ready to head back to his new home track of Millbridge, where he’s been dominant on a weekly basis this year.

McIntosh, 20, of Bixby, OK, posted back-to-back runner-up finishes in the last two Xtreme events, earning him the points lead heading into Millbridge. However, he struggled a bit this past weekend with finishes of ninth, 23rd and 14th in three races with the USAC National Midget Series, bringing him back to the new race shop in Mooresville, NC, to prepare for the Double Down Showdown, which is what he wanted to see to get back on track.

McIntosh has been dominant in weekly Micro Sprint competition at Millbridge this season, racking up eight total victories there since March across both the Winged and Non-Wing divisions, and will be among the top picks to get his first Midget trophy there this week.

CHARGED UP – A big win this past weekend for Zach Daum has the Illinois veteran riding down a strong path to Millbridge, where he’s been successful before.

Daum, the 32-year-old defending Series champion, started on the outside pole Saturday night on the 1/4-mile of Belleville High Banks and stayed inside the first three spots through the first half of the 40-lap Feature until a collision after a restart with the two leaders opened the door. He inherited the lead under yellow and drove it the rest of the way out front to a $6,000 victory.

Now, he turns his attention to Millbridge. Daum was runner-up on both nights of the Double Down Showdown there last year and has a great shot at going one spot higher in his own equipment this time around.

HOME GAME – One year ago in the Series’ inaugural event, 14-year-old Gavan Boschele drove the Keith Kunz Motorsports, Bullet/Toyota #5 to Millbridge Victory Lane where he had so many times before as a young veteran of the 1/6-mile oval.

Boschele, of Mooresville, NC, will get back behind the wheel of his KKM #5 for the first time since the Chili Bowl Nationals in January, where his strong showing in a B-Feature went sideways after contact with the outside wall, knocking him out of the event. In a recent interview, he said he’s confident that he’ll bounce back and avoid those mistakes this week, where he’ll be among the favorites to win yet again.

Read More – Gavan Boschele Prepared To Defend Inaugural Xtreme Outlaw Victory At Millbridge

Now at age 15, Boschele has already made a countless number of laps around Millbridge in his career, having competed regularly at the track since he was less than five years old. More recently, he’s been competing on occasion in the Non-Wing Micro Sprint division in preparation for this week.

HOT START – Ryan Timms hasn’t been able to run as many Midget events as other top open-wheel competitors this year, but he’s made the most of the majority of his starts thus far. A big win Friday night in Kansas with USAC gave he and the Keith Kunz Motorsports crew a boost of momentum heading into mid-week racing at Millbridge.

Timms, 16, of Oklahoma City, OK, ran well in his first Xtreme Outlaw Feature event of the year at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in April, driving all the way from 17th on the starting grid up to third by the checkered flag.

Finishes of 14th and 16th in the Double Down Showdown at Millbridge last year means Timms will have some work to do this week if he expects to finish well this time around.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

When and where
Friday-Saturday, May 23-24 at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, NC

On the internet
Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota
Twitter – @Xtreme_Outlaw
Instagram – @XtremeOutlaw
Facebook – @XtremeOutlawSeries.WRG

Live broadcast
DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com. Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/month.

Current championship points standings (view full standings)
1. Cannon McIntosh (1057pts); 2. Jade Avedisian 1026pts (-31); 3. Chase McDermand 998pts (-59); 4. Gavin Miller 984pts (-73); 5. Chance Crum 953pts (-104); 6. Zach Daum 946pts (-111); 7. Landon Brooks 945pts (-112); 8. Kyle Jones 944pts (-113); 9. Thomas Meseraull 922pts (-135); 10. Ethan Mitchell 900pts (-157).

Toyota Feature winners (3 drivers)
2 wins – Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports); Chase McDermand (Mounce/Stout Motorsports)
1 win – Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz Motorsports)

Toyota Feature laps led (7 drivers)
27 laps – Cannon McIntosh
26 laps – Thomas Meseraull
24 laps – Jade Avedisian
22 laps – Shane Cottle
21 laps – Ashton Torgerson
18 laps – Zach Daum
17 laps – Chase McDermand

Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Awards (4 drivers)
2 awards – Ethan Mitchell
1 award – Cannon McIntosh, Gavin Miller, Daniel Whitley

Heat Race winners (14 drivers)
3 wins – Jade Avedisian
2 wins – Chance Crum
1 win – Austin Barnhill, Shane Cottle, Gavin Miller, Thomas Meseraull, Corbin Rueschenberg, Nick Drake, Kyle Jones, Rico Abreu, Cannon McIntosh, Chase McDermand, Zach Daum, Ethan Mitchell

High-points honors (5 drivers)
1 honor – Gavin Miller, Chance Crum, Rico Abreu, Daniel Whitley, Landon Brooks

Last Chance Showdown wins (7 drivers)
1 win – Kyle Jones, Landon Brooks, Karter Sarff, Howard Moore, Ryan Timms, Taylor Reimer, Henry Chambers

DIRTVision Hard Charger Awards (5 drivers)
1 award – Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Ryan Timms, Chance Crum, Zach Daum

Podium finishes (10 drivers)
4 podiums – Cannon McIntosh
3 podiums – Chase McDermand
1 podium – Shane Cottle, Thomas Meseraull, Jade Avedisian, Kyle Jones, Zach Daum, Ryan Timms, Ashton Torgerson, Gavin Miller

Top-10 finishes (24 drivers)
4 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Jade Avedisian, Chase McDermand, Gavin Miller, Zach Daum,
3 top-10s – Kyle Jones, Chance Crum, Landon Brooks, Thomas Meseraull, Ethan Mitchell,
2 top-10s – Corbin Rueschenberg, Taylor Reimer,
1 top-10 – Shane Cottle, Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Austin Barnhill, Daniel Adler, Sam Johnson, Ryan Timms, Rico Abreu, Ashton Torgerson, Daniel Whitley, Don Droud Jr.

2023 Schedule & Winners – Race No. Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Fri, March 10 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Cannon McIntosh (1)
2. Sat, March 11 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Jade Avedisian (1)
3. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Cannon McIntosh (2)
4. Fri, May 5 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS / Chase McDermand (1)
5. Sat, May 6 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Chase McDermand (2)

BRANDON, SD (May 22, 2023) – Huset’s Speedway will host the richest paying event in World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series history during the Huset’s High Bank Nationals, June 21-24, featuring a $750,000 overall purse and $250,000-to-win finale.During the four nights of racing, the first three nights (Wednesday-Friday, June 21-23) will see $20,000-to-win preliminary Features before Saturday’s main event (June 24) – a $250,000 payout, which at the time will be the biggest in Winged Sprint Car competition.The runner up during each preliminary night secures $10,000. Fifth place captures $5,000, and 10th place $2,500, with each preliminary night offering $1,200 to start. The finale showcases $50,000 for finishing in second place, $25,000 for third, $15,000 for fourth and $10,000 for fifth. The main event on Saturday pays $5,000 to start.Last year, the High Bank Nationals saw four different winners in four races with Spencer Bayston, Michael “Buddy” Kofoid and Carson Macedo winning the preliminary nights and Sheldon Haudenschild scoring the inaugural Nationals win.What you need to know:Track: 1/3-mile track in Brandon, SDTimes (CT): 2 p.m. Pit Gates open 5 p.m. Grandstand Gates open 6:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying -Racing to followTickets: Available HERERegistration/Format: Pre-registration is now available online at http://www.HusetsSpeedway.com.For drivers and teams that pre-register by June 1, 2023, a $500 entry fee is due. That entry fee is completely refundable upon arrival at the track during the Huset’s High Bank Nationals. A $500 entry fee will be due at the track for any team that competes without pre-registering.The event format will be released closer to the event and will be determined by the car count.Previous winners: 2022 – Spencer Bayston on June 22, Michael Kofoid on June 23, Carson Macedo on June 24, Sheldon Haudenschild on June 25 2021 – David Gravel on June 21, Aaron Reutzel on June 22, David Gravel on Aug. 22 2020 – Sheldon Haudenschild on Sept. 5, Kyle Larson on Sept. 6 2016 – Brad Sweet won on July 2, Donny Schatz won on July 3 2015 –Donny Schatz won on June 14 2014 – Mark Dobmeier won on July 2 2013 – Tim Kaeding won on July 3 2012 – Mark Dobmeier won on July 3 2011 –Steve Kinser won on Aug. 20 2010 –Sammy Swindell won on July 1 2008 – Craig Dollansky won on June 13, Craig Dollansky won on July 3 2007 –Donny Schatz won on July 3 2006 – Brooke Tatnell won on May 7, Terry McCarl won on July 3 2005 –Brian Paulus won on June 28 2004 – Sammy Swindell won on July 6 2003 – Steve Kinser won on June 18 2002 – Steve Kinser won on July 2 2001 – Donny Schatz won on April 29, Mark Kinser won on July 3 2000 –Mark Kinser won on May 7, Mark Kinser won on July 3 1999 – Mark Kinser won on May 3, Mark Kinser won on July 7 1998 – Stevie Smith won on July 7 1997 – Sammy Swindell won on April 27, Mark Kinser won on July 3 1996 – Mark Kinser won on July 3 1995 – Dave Blaney won on June 28 1994 – Mark Kinser won on June 29 1993 – Steve Kinser won on Aug. 23 1992 – Steve Kinser won on Aug. 21, Sammy Swindell won on Aug. 22 1991 –Sammy Swindell won on Aug. 23, Sammy Swindell won on Aug. 24 1990 – Doug Wolfgang won on July 4, Sammy Swindell won on Aug. 24, Sammy Swindell won on Aug. 25 1989 –Doug Wolgang won on July 5, Bobby Davis, Jr. won on Aug. 25, Doug Wolfgang won on Aug. 26 1984 – Steve Kinser won on July 11 1983 –Sammy Swindell won on April 30, Steve Kinser won on July 6If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch every lap of the Huset’s High Bank Nationals live on DIRTVision – along with weekly racing from the track.

WHEATLAND, MO. (May 22, 2023) – Lucas Oil Speedway in association with the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil MLRA will host a special sponsor appreciation luncheon at this year’s Show-Me 100 at Lucas Oil Speedway.  The luncheon will take place Saturday at the speedway at noon under the big circus tent beside the vendor midway. All sponsor representatives from the Speedway, LOLMDS and MLRA that attend the Show-Me 100 are invited to attend the luncheon.  The sponsor luncheon will be an opportunity for the speedway and both series to recognize all the great partners at the 31st annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 Presented by Missouri Division of Tourism.  Sponsor reps will be served a full lunch and a few guest speakers will help recognize all the great partners for the event, which concludes Saturday night the $50,000-to-win, 100-lap main event. “We want to recognize and show our appreciation to all our partners of Lucas Oil Speedway, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the MLRA at this event,” said Wayne Castleberry, Corporate Sales and Marketing for Lucas Oil Motorsports. “Lucas Oil Speedway is the Diamond of Dirt Tracks for a reason, and we want to show off the great facility and honor all our great partners at the same time. “We’ve added several cool things to enhance the whole fan experience at this year’s event and we want to show our appreciation to all our partners.” Sponsor representatives are asked to RSVP about the luncheon to Wayne Castleberry to his email at wcastleberry@lucasoil.com. The 31 st Annual Lucas Oil Show-Me 100-presented by Missouri Division of Tourism will features the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, co-sanctioned by the Lucas Oil MLRA, plus the USRA Modified full programs each night. Action kicks off on Thursday, May 25th with the “Cowboy Classic” for Late Models headlining the program, with a $6,000-to-win, main event which also enables drivers to earn valuable points toward starting position into the Saturday-night main event. The “Tribute to Don and Billie Gibson” on May 26th also will see a $6,000-to-win feature with more points earned for the starting lineup for the Show-Me 100 main event on Saturday night. The Saturday May 27th program includes B Mains, the Midwest Sheet Metal Show-Me Challenge and the Show-Me 100-lap feature event paying $50,000-to-win for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Lucas Oil MLRA. Nutrien Ag Solutions will add to the fan experience of the Show-Me 100 by presenting a pre-race concert on Saturday from 5-5:45 p.m. featuring Nashville recording artist/songwriter Lee Newton. During pre-race ceremonies, Lucas Oil Speedway will honor the Veterans and Military as part of the Memorial Day Weekend as a nation. Newton will also serve as Grand Marshal for the Show-Me 100. She is a three-time Josie Music Award winner and the Josie Music Vocalist of the Year in 2020. 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. Racers and fans also enjoy other amenities including the paved pit area, car wash stalls and beautiful scenic views in the sprawling wooded campsites with permanent shower facilities overlooking multiple lakes to fish from along with the quarter-mile drag boat lake named “Lake Lucas.” The facility also has an all-purpose built Off Road Track featuring Off Road Racing as well as a host of other regional events that gives fans the ultimate fan experience when visiting Lucas Oil Speedway.

(Indianapolis, IN) May 22, 2023 – In a weekend that saw the highest qualifying speeds in the history of the Indianapolis 500 and legendary names bumped from the field, Stefan Wilson qualified the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Cusick Motorsports CareKeepers Chevrolet 25th for the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Wilson took three qualifying attempts during Saturday’s qualifying session, eventually securing an inside spot for Row 9 on the grid with an average four-lap speed of 231.648 MPH.   “I am really thankful to everyone at Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Cusick Motorsports for producing an amazing car,” said Wilson after completing the fastest qualifying run of his career to date. “I am a little disappointed as I made a small mistake on that final run and it cost us a couple of places on the grid, and I feel like this car deserved to be a little higher and closer to where my teammate Ryan [Hunter-Reay] is going to start. It’ll make things a little more challenging in the race coming from 25th, but we feel really confident with the race car and race trim. We’ll be giving it all we’ve got on race day.”

“We’re really happy with the effort put in by Stefan Wilson and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing to get us to this point,” said Don Cusick, Founder & CEO of Cusick Motorsports. “We saw a lot of big names on the bubble of making the show, and some big names eliminated, but we are solidly in the field. The No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Cusick Motorsports CareKeepers Chevrolet had a little more to speed to unlock in qualifying, but we have a lot to show on race day. We are starting on the ninth row from the inside, but I feel like we can move the car up pretty quick and show what we can do.”

Race preparations continue with a practice session on Monday, May 22nd from 1 to 3pm ET followed by the final practice on Carb Day – Friday, May 26th from 11am to 1pm ET. Both sessions will be broadcast live on Peacock TV. The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 broadcast will begin at 11am ET on NBC on Sunday, May 28th with the green flag flying at 12:45pm ET. Follow along on Cusick Motorsports social media channels for all the action through race day.

AS DYSON AIMS FOR 4TH STRAIGHT LIME ROCK PARK TRANS AM WIN & TEAM LOOKS FOR 6TH CONSECUTIVE SERIES VICTORY, CD RACING SCORES MAJOR USAC DIRT-TRACK TRIUMPH IN KANSAS

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 22, 2023) – Anything can happen in racing, but when the Trans Am series returns on Memorial Day to Connecticut’s Lime Rock Park following a two-month hiatus the smart money will be on Chris Dyson and his CD Racing teammate Matthew Brabham and their #16 and #20 GYM WEED Ford Mustangs. Dyson, the series champion the past two seasons, has won all three Trans Am races – always from the front row – since the series returned to his home track in 2019 (there was no race at Lime Rock in 2020). “Lime Rock is short, barely a mile and a half, but it’s the second fastest track we race on,” Dyson said. “And it’s deceptive; Lime Rock’s basic layout isn’t that hard to grasp. Knowing the track’s idiosyncrasies well enough to have the pace to win there is a different matter.” A mechanical problem in the season-opener at Sebring dropped Dyson to a 10th place finish. Although Brabham won the Sebring race, Dyson found himself playing catch-up. His win at the most recent race, at Road Atlanta, means Dyson arrives in Connecticut with a narrow five-point lead over Brabham. An Enviable Record Going back to the final two races of the 2022 Trans Am season, CD Racing has won the last five races in a row, including a trio of 1-2 finishes. Looking farther back, to the beginning of 2021 and the start of Dyson’s first Trans Am championship-winning campaign, the team’s record is even more impressive. Of the 25 headline TA-class races run, CD Racing has won 19. Dyson owns 15 of those victories and Brabham the other four. “We had an excellent test last week at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) with our Riley car,” Dyson said, noting that although he’s won the two most recent races in this machine, “we are far from having developed the Riley’s full potential.” A Family Affair When it’s a race at Lime Rock Park it’s always more than just another race for the Dysons. “My family’s racing roots go back here almost 50 years, since my dad Rob started club racing in the 1970s,” Dyson said. “We have so much history at Lime Rock. It’s barely an hour’s drive from where I grew up and where we still live. Our families and friends and all come to watch and hang out, and that makes the race even more special. And it is such an exciting track to race on: fast, flowing, with no room for mistakes, and great vantage points for everyone. It’s a real favorite of ours.” Dyson Racing’s Four Decades of Professional Motorsport This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Dyson Racing Team’s transition from amateur to professional racing. For 1983 and 1984 the team campaigned a GTO-class Pontiac Firebird in the International Motorsports Association’s Camel GT series. The highlight of those first two years was a third-place class finish at Road America in 1983. The team made its debut in the headline GTP class at Lime Rock Park in 1985, winning the race overall, the first of scores of professional racing victories under the Dyson banner. CD Racing Scores USAC Silver Crown Win On Belleville’s High Banks An 80-horsepower deficit wasn’t enough to keep Brady Bacon and the Chris Dyson Racing #9 Concord American Maxim out of the winner’s circle at Saturday evening’s United States Auto Club Silver Crown race at Kansas’ 100-year-old Belleville High Banks half-mile dirt track. In Friday’s practice session Bacon, a four-time USAC sprint-car champion, quickly set the fastest time for the 24-car field – and then on the sixth lap the brand-new engine suffered a catastrophic failure. For Saturday’s 50-lap race team manager Sean Michael and his crew replaced the broken engine with the spare, a backup powerplant designed for a lower-performance race series. “I knew we’d be down about 80 horsepower (about 10%) and it would hurt us in qualifying,” Michael said. “But the track would get hard and slick during the feature and I thought with Brady’s talent we’d be okay.” Michael’s prediction proved accurate; Bacon qualified fifth, but by the midpoint of the race he was engaged in a furious duel for the lead with archrival Justin Grant. “That was the hardest I’ve ever driven a Silver Crown car,” Bacon said later.  “This place is really intense.” With just five laps remaining Bacon and Grant scythed through a pair of lapped cars, but in the process bounced wheels off each other. The impact briefly launched Bacon’s car off its rear wheels while Grant hit the outside wall and flipped. Grant was unhurt and Bacon went on to take the checker. “I saw it live and I have re-watched the video a few times already,” said Dyson. “It was amazing watching two of the best in the business going at it like that! Congratulations to Brady and Sean for overcoming a substantial setback and coming back for a big win.” For more on the Belleville Silver Crown race. For more on Chris Dyson Racing. Lime Rock Park Schedule Qualifying takes place Monday, May 29, 8:45 – 9:00 a.m.  The 100-mile race takes the green flag Monday, May 29, at 1:10 p.m.  Broadcast Schedule The race will be livestreamed on both the Trans Am and SpeedTour’s YouTube channels.  Additional Broadcast Coverage On MAVTV In addition to the livestream, 60-minute feature produced by Greenlight TV will be broadcast the following Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.  GYM WEED FEEL GOOD.  WORK OUT. GYM WEED by ALTWELL. 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NASCAR CUP SERIES NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE TEAM CHEVY RACE WIN RECAP MAY 21, 2023

·       The victory marked Larson’s third career triumph in the NASCAR All-Star Race – also extending Hendrick Motorsports’ NASCAR All-Star Race win record to a series-best 11 victories.  ·       Larson brought Chevrolet to the manufacturer’s 21st NASCAR All-Star Race win – the most in series’ history.  ·       Larson now ties Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for second on the all-time NASCAR All-Star Race wins list with three victories in the non-points paying race.  ·       Chevrolet led every lap of the 200-lap NASCAR All-Star Race with race winner Larson leading a race-high 129 laps and polesitter Daniel Suarez leading 56 laps. ·       Kyle Larson swept the North Wilkesboro Speedway race weekend, also taking the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST to the win in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

NORTH WILKSBORO, N.C. (May 21, 2023) – Team Chevy’s Kyle Larson cashed-in during NASCAR’s return to the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway after collecting the checkered flag and one-million-dollar grand prize in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) All-Star Race. The victory in the annual non-points paying race marked Larson’s third career triumph in the event – with each of those wins coming at three different race tracks. Larson now sits second on the NASCAR All-Star Race wins list, tying NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. who each have three all-time wins in the race.  “I can’t even tell you what it means,” said Larson. “This is my third All-Star win and my third different track. In a historical place like this, you guys and the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend.” The 30-year-old California native posted a dominating performance en route to the win in the series’ return to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the first time since 1996. After an early-race caution on lap 15, crew chief Cliff Daniels called Larson down pit road for four tires and fuel. Enduring a pit road speeding penalty, the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team was forced to restart from the rear of the field. The fresh set of tires paid dividends for Larson with the driver able to power his Camaro ZL1 through the field to ultimately take the lead on lap 55. Larson was an unstoppable force for the remainder of the race – going on to lead a race-high 129 laps to deliver Chevrolet its series-leading 21st NASCAR All-Star Race victory.  Larson swept the NASCAR doubleheader race weekend at the 0.625 North Carolina venue, also picking up the victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race with the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST team. The Bowtie brand also took the victory in the NASCAR All-Star Open Race courtesy of Josh Berry and the No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 team – his first career appearance in the event while continuing to fill-in for the injured Alex Bowman. The final leaderboard of the race saw Team Chevy drivers take four of the top-10 finishing positions with Larson leading Chase Elliott (No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1) in fifth, Daniel Suarez (No. 99 Trackhouse Motorplex Camaro ZL1) in seventh and Erik Jones (No. 43 STP Camaro ZL1) in eighth. Team Chevy drivers Larson and Suarez collectively led every lap of the 200-lap event.  The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1; CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1; and JEFF ANDREWS, PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS THE MODERATOR: We’re now going to continue into our post-race press conference here for tonight’s NASCAR All-Star Race. We’ve now been joined by Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Congratulations on that win. In dominating fashion, we should add. Tell us a little bit about just the overall day of coming in, seeing all the fans and then being able to take home that victory tonight. KYLE LARSON: Yeah, as we all know, it was a great atmosphere all weekend. Just a great job to Marcus and his whole team on reviving this place and making this real. I don’t think we ever thought that it would get to this point with the All-Star Race when Dale and everybody was here cleaning up weeds and cleaning everything up to scan for iRacing. I don’t think any of us thought that the All-Star Race could be here someday or a Cup Series race in general. The vibe was just amazing, and the race, too, was quick. It was fun. It made it fun that my car was so good. Yeah, just a great night.I didn’t expect to be fast at all. Cool weekend. Q. I got the impression this weekend that you guys weren’t totally happy with the car after practice and then early in the race. Then lap 15 it seems like that was kind of the winning decision to come down pit road. Were you surprised that the car was that good once you put the tires on and then it was able to hold on in clean air?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, definitely. Friday we were really bad. I mean, yes, I ran the fast lap in practice, but if you look at the 30-lap average, I was like second to last. We were really bad on Friday. Saturday we were really bad in the heat race, as well. I was super loose in the heat race, like loose everywhere, no grip. So I had not great expectations for tonight. I just didn’t think there was enough that they could do to make me better. I thought we’d run around 15th tonight. Being a short race, starting where we did, I was like, man, you can’t pass here. But then we fired off, I dropped anchor, I got stuck in the outside lane, kind of settled into second to last or whatever, and just trying to feel my car out, and I’m like, I think I’m all right here, like I’m not bad. I just can’t pass, but I was like, man, my entry is more stable, I can get through the middle all right, my drive-off seems better than yesterday. Never did I think we would drive to the lead. But we pitted for tires, and I sped on pit road, so we restarted last. Was able to pick off a lot of cars in the outside lane the first few laps, and then I could get that line low of 4 working and get really good drive-off. Managed my tires, I felt like, pretty good down there, as well. Once I was picking people off, I was like, man, is my car this good or is the tire disparity the reason why I’m driving through the field. So I asked, man, is anybody else passing like I am that were on new tires? And they didn’t really say that anybody was. I was like, wow, shoot, our car is really good here. Then we got to the lead, and I was like, well, shoot, I want to lap as many cars as I can so we don’t have to deal with as many for the final segment. I think they said we had like a 12-second lead or something, which was great. Yeah, came off the leader off pit road, and then knowing how good my car was, I wanted the second segment to play out exactly like it did. I just wanted a long run to the end, no drama, and that’s what happened. I was able to kind of manage my stuff throughout the early — really the whole run, but my car felt good enough, I could look in my mirror and stretch away from Bubba and push it when I needed to see if I still had lap time in the car, and continued to manage my stuff. That last segment went by so fast. Honestly, when I took the checkered flag, I was thinking, is the format — just 200 laps, right? I was like, that was so fast. Just cool to dominate like that, and to do it kind of like how you saw people dominate races back in the ’80s and ’90s. Q. What’s the cooler distinction to you, that you’ve won three All-Star Races or done it at three different venues along the way?KYLE LARSON: I think definitely doing it at three different venues along the way. I’m very proud of that for sure. For so long the All-Star Race was just at a single racetrack, and I think it’s been cool the last however many years. It’s not switched every year, but it’s gone from Charlotte to Bristol to Texas to here. I don’t know if there was another track. I didn’t get the chance to race at Bristol, but to win at Charlotte was awesome. That’s one of my first big wins in a stock car. Then Texas was cool to win at a different track. Now you’re like, man, they keep switching these things up. It would be cool to win at another venue at a historic venue like this. I am extremely proud for sure to have won the All-Star Race, but to win it at three different tracks is really, really neat. Q. Do you have any idea of what you could do that nobody else could do tonight or why you were that much better?KYLE LARSON: I don’t know. I need to watch the replay. I need to look at data. I was passing those people when I was on better tires, so it was like hard for me to really see where I was — I was beating them everywhere. I think a strong suit of mine was my car was good enough. I could roll in with a lot of speed. I could kind of check up my center of 3 and 4 and drive off really low off of 4. That was a line that I had kind of found in the truck race, and I didn’t think that it would work in the Cup car as well as it did, and it seemed even better in the Cup car for me. I think that helped me. I don’t know if that helped save my tires any or not, but I do think that low exit was where I could beat people. But also, I think if you — you need to look at segment times, but I feel like my entry — when I was lapping people, I could roll in so fast on them on entry. Q. We hear everybody say, I just want to win the race for the trophy. You not only won the race in dominating fashion, you won the trophy, you won a million dollars. What of those three is the most special tonight for you when you walk out of this place?KYLE LARSON: I would say it’s all equal to me. You know, if I had to pick one of any of them, I think winning at a historic track like this, being the first Cup Series winner since ’96 is probably the coolest thing. Having your name in the history books of guys who are legends in the sport that have won here, I think that’s pretty special. But the trophy, I mean, that’s my third All-Star trophy. They look the same, got different logos on them, that’s it, but they look the same. It’s cool. The check, I mean, there’s not many races in the world that pay a million dollars a win. I’m the only guy that gets to race in two of those — well, I guess Daytona pays that, but I get to race in a number of million dollar win races this year. My next one will be in a sprint car at Eldora. It would be pretty cool to win a million bucks there, as well. Just a cool night all around. THE MODERATOR: We’ve also been joined by Cliff Daniels and Jeff Andrews. Q. Kyle, Marcus was in here earlier, talked a little bit about the idea of whether it needs to be repaved or not. Where would you fall on that or what would you like to see after this?KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, I hate we stunk the show up because they’re probably thinking they’ve got to do something different. I don’t know, my opinion varies. Friday I was like, oh, we sucked, then you repave this place. Tonight, I’m like, leave it, don’t touch it. I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing them — if it’s whatever, but adding more patches of pavement in the upper grooves, I don’t think they need to pave the whole thing, but just little patches here and there add character to the track and find grip. I think that’s why we were so glued to the bottom was that there was patches around the bottom of the track. I think if they can introduce some patches in the middle to upper grooves, I think that’ll make the racing even better. But I don’t know, I would hate to see them repave the whole surface, but I think they could go another year of trying to add character and fill in some areas that need help with patches. Q. Kyle, what was the most important thing you learned from the track race last night that benefitted you tonight?KYLE LARSON: Well, I think just line stuff. I think that the low whatever off of 2 didn’t work in the Cup car. People were trying it when I was lapping them in there, and they were really slow doing it. So what I thought from the truck race kind of matched up in the race today. I thought that eventually we’d be able to use the low off of 2, kind of get your left sides on the apron and exit really close to the wall and low and straight, and then I didn’t think that you’d be able to do it off of 2. My opinion of that was right, and I think I wouldn’t have known that had I not run the truck race. I didn’t really mess around with the exit of 2 stuff. I did that I think maybe three or four times throughout the race, and I would lose ground on the guys I was trying to pass. But 3 and 4, that’s where I was kind of making my money over there. Yeah, it was definitely beneficial to run the truck race. Thanks to Jeff Andrews and Cliff for talking me into running it. I really didn’t want to.But I’m glad I did. Q. Cliff, I’m curious, when did you guys start strategizing or planning for this race? Was it when they announced Dale’s race was coming here? Was it when they announced the format? Was your planning different from any other race?CLIFF DANIELS: A little bit to a point. I think when we all heard the news, you get excited and want to start studying the track history and the details of the track and the banking and the loading and all the things. I would imagine most of the field probably came with similar to what they had at Richmond. But yeah, anytime you get to see a new place or a new track on the schedule, you want to learn as much about it as you can, and we certainly got excited when we heard the news, and we’ve kept an eye out for it. Q. Would you like to see North Wilkesboro stay an All-Star Race or would you like to see it a points-paying race, if it allows?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m not sure. I don’t know. I think it was great as the All-Star Race. I think — honestly, I think I kind of want to see the All-Star Race move around. I think that shows who the All-Star is. Yeah, I would be fine either way. It doesn’t matter to me. But I do think having the All-Star Race move around, it shows who the best team and driver is and all that. Really, I just want to see us keep coming back here. I think NASCAR has a lot of roots here, so it deserves a spot on our schedule, whether it be a non-points race or a points race, whatever. Q. Kyle, do you ever think about just what’s happened and what you’ve accomplished just over the last three years since you got to Hendrick Motorsports, two All-Star Races, 15 or so points wins, the championship? Do you just think about how your career and your life has changed in a short amount of time?KYLE LARSON: Sure. I mean, yeah. I think about it all the time, how fortunate I am and kind of where my life and career could have went in 2021 — yeah, 2020, could have went many different directions. Thankfully Rick took a chance on me, and I am forever grateful for that.I think the timing was right, too. The timing was right for me. Their equipment was super good. They had kind of struggled a little bit for their standards up to the middle of 2020, and then Chase was able to win the championship, I came on board, and we’ve had a great two and a half seasons now since then. I hope to continue to win lots of races for this organization and hope to be here for a very long time. They are the best team in the sport. They prove it year in and year out, and the people that are there are just amazing. It starts from the top. Rick is just a great human being, and everybody wants to do him proud. Drivers, as well.I’m very, very happy to be where I’m at and hope to continue to add wins and championships and all of that to my résumé being at Hendrick Motorsports. Q. How has the success changed, if you could think about, as you said, pre-2021 and where you felt maybe your place was or your confidence was in the garage versus where it is today?KYLE LARSON: Well, I think — I don’t know, you never — I guess before 2021, I always thought that I could do it. I thought that I had the talent to win races at this level. I just didn’t know then if it was me or the equipment or the whatever. But I wasn’t having success frequently enough like I wanted to and like I was having in the dirt stuff that I was doing. Once I got picked up at Hendrick, I don’t think I was like — I was confident, but I don’t think I ever thought at the time that I would have the stats that we do up to this point, prior to running my first ever race for Hendrick Motorsports. But once I got to run whatever, some races in 2021, I was like, okay, I am a good stock car racer, I can do this. It’s been a fun road to this point, and like I said, we have a lot left to accomplish, and I’m only 30, so I hope to be around for a long time and creep up on what Jimmie and Jeff have done. Q. Cliff, only five cars took tires on that first caution. Why did you do that at that point?CLIFF DANIELS: I thought at that point, was the caution at 14 or 15 laps in, somewhere around there, so I knew the lap count was relative to okay, if I have to eat these scuffs later, you could maybe pallet that, and we were so far back in the field at that point that we knew it was a risk. Let’s be honest, if the caution came out with 30 to go in that stage we were going to be hosed. The field is going to come in and put on stickers. We are going to have 15-lap scuffs, really big risk. I wasn’t sure how the flow of the race would go when I was watching YouTube videos this week of North Wilkesboro back in the day. They would have really long green flag runs, and the way the track is so tough, I think the teams, the drivers are spending so much time battling the track that it’s almost difficult to battle each other. You’re fighting your car on entry and then all of a sudden you’re tight middle and now you’re trying to run high or run low and do this and that. I just didn’t know if there was going to be the type of action that would bring a caution outside of just really good, hard racing, and because of the All-Star Race, at some point — were we 18th at the time? We were pretty far back. KYLE LARSON: We were like last. CLIFF DANIELS: We were really far back. At that point you almost have to play something different. If we where at a points race, you might have to be more conservative to the field or to the guys you’re trying to compete with in points and all those things, but just with the nature of the race, we had to do something different, and that was fortunately like the perfect time to make that call because then we weren’t going to be sitting on 30-lap scuffs, it was 15-lap scuffs. Okay, if we had to restart upfront on 15-lap scuffs, fall back to fifth or sixth then, eh, maybe he could hang out there at least we’re better than 18th. That’s kind of the perspective. Q. And then the way it worked out, you guys would have been covered either way in the final stage had there been another caution because you had 15-lap scuffs on, right?CLIFF DANIELS: Yes and no. Yes, for the most part. The tricky part that I really had my eye on was if a caution would have come out, I don’t know, say 10 or 12 laps into the final stage, I’m not really sure what the field would have done, if that makes sense. Because it was so early. Then if we would have pitted and put on our stickers at that point and the field didn’t put on stickers and we are sitting on 15-lap scuffs and they still have their stickers, if that makes sense. I was more probably more nervous probably 10 or 12 laps into that final segment. If a caution would have come out it would have really made our hand difficult, being in the lead. If we put on stickers, if they do or don’t, then it really kind of puts you different than what they are. We were having a conversations in our pit box in that time frame in what-if situations. Q. Have you tried to figure out — I know you don’t know the timing yet, but how do you do this race next year with Indy 500 qualifying?JEFF ANDREWS: We’ll be at Indy, I can tell you that. KYLE LARSON: I could have made it here. Q. Like today would you have — you definitely will race the All-Star Race —JEFF ANDREWS: Well, I think if it came — the first and foremost priority is driving the No. 5 car for Hendrick Motorsports. That’s number one on the list. There’s a lot of scheduling things to work through. We were up there on Thursday just kind of getting an orientation and walk around and a lot of observations, and we know we have a lot of things to work through that are hopefully good things at the end of the Indy 500 next year and logistics and things like that. We’ll just have to see when schedules come out for 2024 and how this lines up with what’s going on at Indy on that particular weekend. KYLE LARSON: Take the All-Star Race to IRP next year. JEFF ANDREWS: That’s a great idea. Q. Kyle, you did a full-lap burnout, which was cool as hell, but when the fans, because everybody was so happy, they were still cheering, even though the race you dominated, but the fans were going crazy and the fireworks were going on and they were cheering you on, do you feel that? Do you hear that in the car? Could you understand that these thousands of fans were just going insane?CLIFF DANIELS: He told me he was looking at the crowd with five to go. He told me that in Victory Lane. Can you believe that? I’ll let him answer. Q. The crowd was just — what can you take away from the energy you felt from the crowd as opposed to some of the other races we go to?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I think for whatever reason the crowd just feels more on top of you here than other tracks. I don’t know if the code of building a track and the safety stuff was less regulated back then, but man, it feels like the front row is like right on the catch fence. Yeah, I think thankfully I won both races, but doing the frontstretch interview they were just so loud and it was hard to hear yourself talk and all of that. It was just cool. You could feel the atmosphere from Friday of truck practice. The crowd was massive for that. I think typically you see like 45 fans in the stands at any other track on a Friday.It was just so cool. I think everybody was just excited to get to see a NASCAR national series run on the track here again, and yeah, it was pretty neat. We were obviously stinking the show up, so I was looking at the crowd and could see a handful of them leaving with like five to go, and I was like, man, I hope you guys don’t have to take your seat again, I hope there’s no caution that’s about to come out. Yeah, it was cool. This place, it feels — like it feels like a racetrack to me. I get to race at a lot of grass-roots venues, more than any other driver in the field. A lot of these drivers get to go to these fancy facilities every weekend. That’s all they do. I get to go to — I was at Wayne County, Ohio, on Tuesday night, and it has a grass-roots feel to it here, and I think that’s what makes me, to me, this weekend feel so special. Q. Kyle, post-race Chase Briscoe said that you were the greatest driver of all time in anything that you get into, and then Darrell Waltrip had a number of things to say similar to that on the broadcast tonight. Do you process things like that? What do you think of comments like that from your competitors, and then also from those that have come before you?KYLE LARSON: Honestly, I think the way I think about it is I would not be able to accomplish any of this without great teams, and I am super fortunate to be able to race with great car owners, crew chiefs, in all forms of racing that I do. There’s not a time that I go to a racetrack where I don’t feel like I’m in the best equipment with the best team around me. I think it starts with that. I wouldn’t be Kyle Larson without Paul Silva or Cliff Daniels or Kevin Rumley or Keith Kunz in the past, Chad Boat. So many people make me and my resume what it is. I think just surrounding yourself with great people really allows you to showcase probably at times better than what you really are. Q. No one had ever swept North Wilkesboro before this weekend, even going back to convertible series days. Does this count as a sweep? You didn’t win the heat race, but you won all the features, so does that still count as a sweep? What are you counting it as?KYLE LARSON: I’ve got the trophies and the check, so it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t think they pay anything for heat races. It don’t matter to me.But no, it just was special, a special weekend. I didn’t know what to think about coming here and running truck. I definitely didn’t think I’d win the Cup race. Sitting here in front of you guys tonight is special, and yeah, I don’t know. It’s pretty damn cool. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations to Cliff, Kyle and Jeff. Thank you to all of you for spending some time with us. We wish you the best of luck next week at the Coke 600.

NASCAR CUP SERIES NORTH WILKESBORO SPEEDWAY NASCAR ALL-STAR RACE TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES MAY 21, 2023   Kyle Larson, Chevrolet Drives to Dominating NASCAR All-Star Race Win

·       The victory marked Larson’s third career triumph in the NASCAR All-Star Race – also extending Hendrick Motorsports’ NASCAR All-Star Race win record to a series-best 11 victories.  ·       Larson brought Chevrolet to the manufacturer’s 21st NASCAR All-Star Race win – the most in series’ history.  ·       Larson now ties Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for second on the all-time NASCAR All-Star Race wins list with three victories in the non-points paying race.  ·       Chevrolet led every lap of the 200-lap NASCAR All-Star Race with race winner Larson leading a race-high 129 laps and polesitter Daniel Suarez leading 56 laps. ·       Kyle Larson swept the North Wilkesboro Speedway race weekend, also taking the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Silverado RST to the win in Saturday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL15th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL17th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Motorplex Camaro ZL18th      Erik Jones, No. 43 STP Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)2nd     Bubba Wallace (Toyota)3rd      Tyler Reddick (Toyota)4th      Chase Briscoe (Ford)5th      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

POST-RACE QUOTES: Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 Finished: 1stKyle, you swept the weekend. This weekend, this moment and this racetrack – what does this one mean?“I can’t even tell you what it means. This is my third All-Star win and my third different track. In a historical place like this, you guys and the crowd made this weekend so awesome. We could feel the atmosphere all weekend. So much fun there. That was an old-school whipping for sure. We had a great car on the long run there and was just thinking for sure there was going to be a caution. I got out to a big lead and I could see everybody’s cars were driving like crap in front of me, but I cannot thank this No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy team enough. We were awful all weekend. In practice, I was like the worst on the 30-lap average, and went backwards in a heat race yesterday. You obviously had some strategy work out there in the beginning, but we drove from dead last to the lead and checked out by 12 or 13 seconds. Then just could pace myself there that last run. What an amazing car. Everything that my car did bad on Friday and Saturday did great today. Again, thanks to the 5 team, Cliff Daniels (crew chief), Cal Stewart (engineer), too. Cal Stewart is our engineer. We bust his balls all the time because every time he’s at the track, something bad happens. This one is for him. I told him the other day, he said he’s going to like five of the next six. I’m like, well, we’re going to win five of the next six at least, so here we go.” Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 Finished: 5th You’ve raced other cars here. How did this race compare to what you thought it was going to be bringing a Cup race back to North Wilkesboro Speedway?“Based on what we saw in practice on Friday, I thought it was about what we were expecting from there. It was pretty anticlimactic; I would say for the most part. But Kyle (Larson), Cliff (Daniels) and the No. 5 team did a great job and really set the pace there once they took tires at the start and controlled the event from there. These races are hard to win. They’re not always going to be barn burners, side-by-side, banging door finishes. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re still hard to win and that should always be celebrated.  I thought we made our No. 9 NAPA Chevy better throughout the night with the one pit stop we made, so I’ll take it.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Daniel Suarez and the No. 99 Trackhouse Motorplex Camaro ZL1 team was off to a strong start to the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race weekend – placing second overall in the Pit Crew Competition and winning Heat One to take the pole position for the main event.  With only 10 laps in the books, Chase Elliott was already noted as the top mover of the race – moving up seven positions to seventh-place.  Varying strategy down pit road at an early race caution on lap 15, a handful of cars opted to come down pit road for the first round of pit stops of the day. Crew chief Cliff Daniels called Kyle Larson down pit road for a four tire and fuel stop from the 20th position. Larson endured a speeding penalty, forcing the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team to restart from the rear of the field.  A fresh set of tires paid dividends for Larson with the Team Chevy driver able to power his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 up the field  and 4fultimately taking the lead on lap 55.  Race leader Larson brought the field to the competition caution on lap 100 – pacing the field with a 12.57 second lead over second and lapping the field up to the 16th position.  Larson brought his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 down pit road during the competition caution for a fresh set of four tires and field. He chose the inside lane at the choose cone to lead the field to the green with 90 laps to go.  The second-half of the race went caution free with Larson leading the field to the checkered flag to take the win in the 2023 NASCAR All-Star Race.

Tough Afternoon for Toyota Top Fuel Dragsters

ELWOOD, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – Ron Capps drove his GR Supra Funny Car to the final round in Sunday’s NHRA Drag Racing event that returned to the Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago for the first time since 2019. Capps faced off with race-winner Tim Wilkerson in the final round, but a mechanical issue with the parachute cost the NAPA GR Supra the win.

In Top Fuel dragster competition, while all five Toyotas qualified in the top-half of the ladder, round one proved that a warmer day made for more challenging track conditions and four of the five were eliminated. Doug Kalitta advanced to round two, but fell to Clay Millican.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Route 66 Raceway

Race 6 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 2	W. 3.762 vs. 3.822 (Wurtzel) L. 5.363 vs. 3.797 (Millican)
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 8.456 vs. 3.742 (Pruett)
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 4.429 vs. 3.786 (McNeal)
Shawn Langdon	AutoDesk Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	4.675 vs. 3.732 (Millican)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 4.756 vs. 4.390 (Hart)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Final Round	W. 4.002 vs. 4.070 (Haddock) W. 3.983 vs. 4.050 (Tasca III) W. 3.985 vs. 4.085 (Green) L. 4.110 vs. 3.966 (Wilkerson)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round 1	L. 8.060 vs. 4.029 (Pedregon)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round 1	L. 8.320 vs. 4.570 (Tasca III)

TOYOTA QUOTES

RON CAPPS, NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

Final Result: Final Round

How challenging were track conditions throughout the day and in the final round?

“Everybody struggled here. It was tricky. We’re going to see these kinds of conditions throughout the summer months, so I’m very proud of what our guys did to win the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. That gained us extra points, which was huge. Going to the final round in one of the trickiest days we’ve seen was also huge. Very smart crew chiefs had issues getting down the track for a lot of teams. ‘Guido’ and ‘T-Buck’ and the guys did such a great job all day. Heartache not winning in the final, but I’m very pumped to see these next few races and really get ready for the summer months. It’s going to be a lot of fun with our race team.”

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

Final Result: Round 1

What happened on the starting line with the staging light not getting fully lit and ultimately led to you getting timed out?

“It was the nose of the body and that’s a really crappy way to lose a race. I don’t go out there to try to play games. The first thing that went through my mind when that was happening was that the nose of the body was too far down. This happened to us in Atlanta all weekend and it was plaguing us and I was like, ‘Dammit, here we go again.’ I obviously got timed out because of that, but Cruz (Pedregon) makes a good run and I just wanted to get down here and make sure that he knew that I wasn’t trying to play games. I don’t play games down there. I just want to cut a good light and have a good, fair race. We’ll take it back and get ready for Epping (New Hampshire). But this was definitely not the weekend that we wanted to have. We’ll be prepared for the next one.”

May 21, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team wound up being spectators for the NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, as the historic track hosted NASCAR’s premier Cup Series for the first time since 1996.

Burton and the Motorcraft/DEX Imaging team competed in the preliminary Open, where teams not already locked into the All-Star race ran a 100-lap race, with the top-two finishers, plus the winner of a fan vote, advancing to the main event.

Burton started the Open from fourth place thanks to a quick pit stop in Friday’s qualifying session, which was based on the speed of pit stops.

Burton’s starting spot put him in the outside line for the initial start, which was a disadvantage as the lower groove was faster. He dropped back to seventh place before falling into line and worked his way back to sixth, holding that spot for the remainder of the first 20 laps.

He had dropped to eighth place by the time a scheduled caution flag flew at Lap 40.

After a trip to pit road for fresh rear tires (saving his fronts for a possible late-race restart) he rejoined the field in eighth place. He dropped back early in the run, then avoided a wreck ahead of him to move back into the top 10.

Another wreck ahead of him allowed him to move to eighth place, but he dropped back on the subsequent restart after moving to sixth place on the choose. After 37 more laps of green flag racing he wound up 11^th at the finish.

Burton and the No. 21 team now turn their attention to Charlotte Motor Speedway and the Coca-Cola 600 on May 28.
 

CHICAGO (May 21, 2023) — The first NHRA race in Chicago since 2019 was a major success for Top Fuel driver TJ Zizzo. The Chicago native picked up a new career-best elapsed time of 3.712 seconds, beating No. 1 qualifier Mike Salinas in the first round of competition at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by PEAK Performance.

“Running that 3.71 in the first round was out biggest positive this weekend,” said Zizzo. “No doubt. That was our career-best and stood up as the quickest run in Top Fuel on race day in a clutch moment. That single run turned our entire program around.”

Zizzo’s success did not stop at the first round. He then went on to beat No. 9 qualifier, Leah Pruett, in the second round, with a 3.804 second, 316.08 mph run.

“There’s no doubt this felt great and it’s a good feeling when you’re really in the show,” said Zizzo. “When you have good people surrounding you, you have a chance, and I have excellent people surrounding me.”

The driver of the Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster understands it took the time and effort of a whole team of people to get him to this point in his career. Zizzo is thankful for his crew, family, and current and past sponsors for supporting him along the way.

“I was not surprised by that win at all,” said Zizzo. “I have all the faith in the world with all of our guys. They are the same people who have worked on this racecar for a decade and a half. We have the knowledge, and now we have some good parts. We put some really good stuff in the car today and the guys made a great choice of tune-up. Thanks very much to Gerber Collision & Glass for putting this event on. PEAK as well. They were sponsors of ours for 12 years, they got us to this point, with the rest of our sponsors.”

Unfortunately, Zizzo fell to race runner-up and No. 12 qualifier, Josh Hart, in the semi-final round of racing. In their first-ever matchup, Zizzo was up in smoke from the start. Despite the tough loss, Zizzo is choosing to learn from his mistakes and focus on the weekend’s wins.

“It’s great to get a couple of round wins, but you need to turn on many more win lights throughout the day to ultimately get the Wally,” said Zizzo. “But it is so much fun turning on win lights. I’m fixing the driver issue right now as we speak with some anti-skid tape on the pedals. We have some new car issues, but we’re going to work through all that.”

This was the second time Zizzo has beaten a No. 1 qualifier from the No. 16 spot. The last time was during the 2012 Chicago race, against Tony Schumacher. That was previously what he considered to be his most memorable race, but now this takes the cake.

“There is nothing like having success at your hometown track, surrounded by friends and family,” said Zizzo. “I am so grateful that this race is back on the calendar, and I can’t wait to see what we are able to do here, for many years to come. I do feel like I let some people down but we are going to keep fighting.”

Zizzo is expected to race at four additional NHRA events in 2023. By making it to the semi-finals in Chicago, he qualified for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Top Fuel Challenge in Epping on June 3. The team is evaluating their options but with a thriving body shop outside of Chicago Zizzo’s racing schedule is limited.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 4.178 sec; 208.62 mph; Qual. 10

Q2: 3.795 sec; 325.92 mph; Qual. 14

Q3: 4.049 sec; 221.02 mph; Qual. 16

Race Results

First Round

TJ Zizzo, Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster, (.056), 3.712, 329.99 mph def. Mike Salinas, Scrappers Racing dragster, (.075), No Time

Second Round

TJ Zizzo, Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster, (.073), 3.804, 316.08 mph def. Leah Pruett, Dodge Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster, (.059), 4.411, 252.61 mph

Semi-Final Round

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers/TechNet dragster, (.043), 3.910, 310.20 mphdef. TJ Zizzo, Rust-Oleum Rocket Top Fuel dragster, (.049), 11.446, 74.29 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1.         Steve Torrence            437

2.         Brittany Force             420

3.         Austin Prock                410

4.         Justin Ashley               406

5.         Leah Pruett                 403

6.         Mike Salinas                350

7.         Antron Brown             345

8.         Josh Hart                     342

9.         Shawn Langdon          296

10.       Doug Kalitta                293

CLINCHES SPOT IN MISSION #2FAST2TASTY CHALLENGE

CHICAGO (May 21, 2023) — The R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team and driver Josh Hart continued their steady improvement with a runner-up finish at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals outside of Chicago. The Ocala, Florida-based team qualified No. 12 but defeated No. 5 qualifier Antron Brown, No. 13 qualifier Jacob McNeal, No. 16 qualifier TJ Zizzo before coming up a few hundredths of a second short to veteran Clay Millican in the final round. Tricky track conditions and warm weather bedeviled most of the teams on race day, but Hart and crew chief Ron Douglas were able to navigate the conditions and advance to their fifth career final round.

“We had a super tricky racetrack today,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “I am happy we are back in Chicago though. I really liked this place. It looks like a gladiator stadium. I’ve wanted to get back here badly for a long time and hopefully it’s back again next year.”

Through two days of qualifying Hart’s R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster was not its usual dominant self that has led the team to back-to-back final quads at the previous two four-wide national events. The team’s quickest pass of 3.770 seconds came on Saturday morning and they built off those numbers on race day. Hart had his hands full in the first round against three-time world champion Brown. Both dragsters smoked the tires, but Hart’s racecar was able to hang on long enough to give him the momentum to win.

“In qualifying, we were kind of hit or miss. We were just trying to figure the track out,” said Hart. “In the first round, you get out there and you’re way past the shake zone and that thing starts to move sideways. My job was just to get it to settle down and then hit the gas again and fortunately, we had enough momentum to get past Antron. It’s hard to even leave on somebody like that. And we did buy a little bit off the starting line.”

After the wild first round Hart made a solid pass to get around newcomer Jacob McNeal. Hart was first off the line and he never trailed in the drag race. Both drivers made clean runs and it was Hart advancing to the semifinals and clinching a spot in the upcoming Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge at the New England Nationals. In the semifinals once again, Hart had to wrestle his racecar to the finish line for a third win light.

“We go out there and I felt it drop a couple holes and starts chugging like you know, the Cannonball Express and you’re thinking ‘Oh, this is gonna hurt like the Cannonball Express is gonna smash pennies like it does on train rails.’ I was thinking this is going to hurt my wallet which it did it. We grenaded an engine but when you’re in eliminations, you just you got to do what you got to do,” said Hart.

Racing for his third career win Hart was looking to get a fourth win light against veteran Millican, another independent driver and friend. Both drivers left together and they were side by side for 1000 feet with Millican just getting the nose of his dragster out in front of Hart. The margin of victory was about a foot at over 320 mph.

“In the finals, we were just trying to get this thing down the racetrack,” said Hart. “The guys really went over and above. We put in a new engine, a new super-charger and a new clutch. We were doing stuff that we were way out of our comfort zone just to try to see if we could get it to go A to B. He had a .049 light and I had a .052 so we were right there. We lost by literally the skin of our teeth. I didn’t see him so that means I was just going to stay in it. Congratulations to Clay. He’s one of my favorite people out here. He’s always smiling. I like him a lot. So couldn’t happen to a better team.”

Hart will be back in action in two weeks at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. The third-year pro moved up to seventh in the Top Fuel point standings and he is three points out of sixth and three rounds from the top five.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 4.542 sec, 167.32 mph; Qual. 12

Q2: 3.770 sec, 329.91 mph; Qual. 11

Q3: 9.387 sec, 58.80 mph; Qual. 12

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.054), 4.390, 198.85 mph def. Antron Brown, Matco Tools dragster, (.060), 4.756, 184.85 mph

Second Round

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.040), 3.793, 328.78 mph def. Jacob McNeal, Marck Recycling dragster, (.066), 3.870, 317.27 mph.

Semifinal Round

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.043), 3.910, 310.20 mph def. TJ Zizzo, Rust-Oleum dragster, (.049), 11.446, 74.29 mph

Finals

Clay Millican, Parts Plus dragster, (.049), 3.801, 328.94 mph def.  Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.052), 3.808, 324.28 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1.         Steve Torrence            437

2.         Brittany Force             420

3.         Austin Prock                410

4.         Justin Ashley               406

5.         Leah Pruett                 403

6.         Antron Brown             345

7.         Josh Hart                     342

8.         Mike Salinas                340

9.         Shawn Langdon          296

10.       Doug Kalitta                293

About R+L Carriers

Based in the United States, R+L Carriers is a Global Freight Transportation and Logistics company that has remained family-owned and operated since 1965. R+L Carriers offers one of the most comprehensive networks of nationwide service centers for LTL, Truckload, Expedited and Cross-Border Shipping. In addition to its core value-added shipping solutions, R+L Carriers has a portfolio of services that extends to International Supply Chain Management, Warehousing and Customs Brokerage.

Richard Freeman Races To Victory At Route 66 Nationals

JOLIET, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – Richard Freeman, the owner of Elite Motorsports, took the wheel of his Elite-powered Mountain Motor Pro Stock machine all the way to the winners circle today at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance. “This is a great way to kick off our season in mountain motor pro stock,” said Freeman. “This category is so exciting. As you can see from qualifying, the field is stacked. There’s going to be some intense competition and I’m glad we got it started right. This team is just doing a fantastic job of putting things together and they are the reason we got the win today.” As drivers took to the track at iconic Route 66 Raceway on race day for the first time in four years, Pro Stock driver Cristian Cuadra faced his older brother, Fernando Cuadra Jr. in the first round, both in their Corral Boots Mustangs. F. Cuadra Jr. left first by two-thousandths of a second but had trouble after leaving the starting line, so the younger Cuadra, Cristian, got the first-round win. The next pair to take the track were also a couple of Elite Motorsports teammates as Erica Enders and Aaron Stanfield lined up against each other. Stanfield defeated Enders on a holeshot with a stellar reaction time of .021-seconds.  Pro Stock rookie Jerry Tucker left the starting line with a flawless .000-second light. He held on to that advantage to power his Elite Motorsports Camaro to a round win against Camrie Caruso. Troy Coughlin Jr.’s yellow and black JEGS.com Camaro defeated Kyle Koretsky thanks to a smooth pass of 6.544-seconds at 209.98 mph. In the final Round One Pro Stock matchup, Bo Butner, the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro, powered past Shane Tucker to advance to the next round of competition.  As the luck of the ladder would have it, several Elite Motorsports team members had to face each other in the quarterfinal round. Stanfield’s Janac Bros. / JC3 Energy Camaro powered to a round win against Butner and J. Tucker defeated Coughlin. Deric Kramer got out in front of C. Cuadra at the line and held onto his lead for the win. J. Tucker earned his way into the first semifinal round of his professional career, also securing his place in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge at the next event where Pro Stock is contested. He faced Dallas Glenn in the semifinals while his teammate Stanfield would take on Kramer. Although J. Tucker had a phenomenal light with a .007 reaction time, he had trouble off the line and had to give the win to Glenn. Kramer defeated Stanfield as well. In Mountain Motor Pro Stock, the competition was heated, to say the least. The entire field was only separated by six-hundredths of a second amongst the eight drivers who qualified for race day. Enders entered the competition from the third position on the ladder and faced Tony Gillig in the first round. Gillig timed out, advancing Enders to the semifinals. Freeman defeated Johnny Pluchino with a powerful run of 6.228 at 226.96 to advance to face Enders in the semifinals.  Freeman powered his way to the first final round of the season for the fan-favorite category by defeating Enders. Facing John Montecalvo in the final heat of the day, Freeman got the starting line advantage and piloted his way to victory.  ***

Photos

Richard Freeman powered his Elite Motorsports Mountain Motor Pro Stock machine to victory at the Route 66 Nationals. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Richard Freeman, the owner of Elite Motorsports, celebrates his win in Chicago at Route 66 Raceway. (Photo credit: Elite Motorsports)

Erica Enders launches off of the starting line in her Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Bo Butner lays down a signature smokey burnout at Route 66 Raceway. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Jerry Tucker advanced to his first final round at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Cristian Cuadra in his Corral Boots Mustang. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Aaron Stanfield in his Janac Brothers / JC3 Energy Camaro. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Fernando Cuadra Jr. in his Corral Boots Mustang. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

David Cuadra puts some heat in the tires of his Corral Boots Mustang. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Fernando Cuadra Sr. in his Corral Boots Mustang. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Troy Coughlin Jr. in his JEGS.com Camaro (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

JOLIET, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – Lenny Lottig and his ITI Trailers & Truck Bodies COPO Camaro won their second consecutive Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown race Sunday at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway.

Facing Doug Hamp and his Hamp Racing COPO in the finals, Lottig would lay down a stout 7.681-second pass at 179.21 mph to win his third career Factory Stock Showdown race. Hamp would cross the finish line at 7.746-second and 178.24 mph.

“Our crew chiefs Dave Yedney and Tommy Lane, they have given me a car that just drives great. We got a win at the last race and we’re like, ‘Hey, we’re going to go and double up.’ And here we are back on the winner’s stage,” Lottig said. “It was Dave’s birthday today and I said, ‘Hey, we’re getting you a Wally for your birthday.’ And by golly he gave me the car to be able to do it. Without a doubt we wouldn’t be here without these guys. We got Jesse Alexandra. We got my wife Linda. It definitely takes an army to be successful out here.”

To start the day, Lottig would lay down a 7.708-second pass at 178.99 mph to send Stephen Bell and his Stanfield Racing Engines Chevrolet’s 7.770 at 177.56 home. Lottig would then take on Mark Pawuk and the Empaco Equipment Dodge Drag Pak in the semifinals. Lottig would have a stellar 7.693 pass at 178.71 bettering Pawuk’s 7.717 at 178.45.

“We’ve been fortunate to surround ourselves with good people. These guys say whatever the track throws at us, their approach is we have to race the track that we got,” Lottig said. “It has definitely been panning out. You saw it today and you saw it in Charlotte.”

With the victory, Lottig moved within 15 points of the championship points lead and maintained the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty, growing the prize for taking him out in eliminations to $2,000.

“I do not have a problem hurting my opponents’ feelings when it comes to this bounty,” Lottig said. “I said it before, I want to grow this bounty, really make it worth it for whoever beats me, I hope it’s my teammate Jesse Alexandra, then dinner is on him.”

En route to the finals, Hamp took down No. 4 qualifier and current points leader Aaron Stanfield and the Stanfield Racing Engines Camaro’s 7.749-secodn pass at 178.57 mph with a 7.748 pass at 178.45. In the semifinals, Hamp’s 7.770 pass at 177.46 would better Jason Dietsch’s 8.230 at 176.26.

The NHRA Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown season continues at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway June 9-11 in Bristol, Tennessee.

Flexjet Bounty Program

Gatornationals (Gainesville, FL)

$1,000 bounty collected by Joe Welch, defeated Aaron Stanfield, Dallas winner

Four-Wide Nationals (Charlotte, N.C.)

$1,000 bounty collected by Lenny Lottig, defeated Joe Welch, Gainesville winner

Route 66 Nationals (Chicago)

Bounty not collected

2023 Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Results

Gainesville – Joe Welch, winner; Aaron Stanfield, runner-up

Charlotte – Lenny Lottig, winner; Aaron Stanfield, runner-up

Chicago – Lenny Lottig, winner; Doug Hamp, runner-up

Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Top Ten Points Standings:

1.         Aaron Stanfield           290

2.         Lenny Lottig                285

3.         David Davies III           213

4.         Joseph Welch              205

5.         Doug Hamp                 200

6.         Mark Pawuk                199

7.         Stephen Bell               182

8.         Jesse Alexandra          180

9.         AJ Berge                      178

10.       David Barton               161

About Flexjet

If maintaining performance vehicles is your passion – translate those skills into becoming a Flexjet aircraft maintenance technician (AMT). Explore a career with the world-class Flexjet Maintenance group today.

Flexjet, Inc., a global leader in subscription-based private aviation, first entered the fractional jet ownership market in 1995. Flexjet offers fractional jet ownership and leasing and is the first in the world to be recognized as achieving the Air Charter Safety Foundation’s Industry Audit Standard, is the first and only company to be honored with 24 FAA Diamond Awards for Excellence, upholds an ARG/US Platinum Safety Rating, a 4AIR Bronze Sustainable Rating and is IS-BAO compliant at Level 2. Red Label by Flexjet, a market differentiator, which features the most modern fleet in the industry, flight crews dedicated to a single aircraft and the LXi Cabin Collection of interiors. To date there are more than 40 different interior designs across its fleet, which includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Praetor 500, Bombardier Challenger 350, the Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet’s European fleet includes the Embraer Praetor 600 and the Gulfstream G650. Flexjet’s helicopter division sells fractional, lease, and on-demand charter access to its fleet of owned, operated and maintained Sikorsky S-76 helicopters which boast 55,000 hours of safe flying certified by Wyvern and ARG/US and serving locations throughout the northeastern United States, United Kingdom, and southern Florida. Flexjet is a member of the Directional Aviation family of companies. For more details on innovative programs and flexible offerings, visit www.flexjet.com or follow us on Instagram @FlexjetInc.

May 21, 2023 — SPEEDWAY, Ind.

• Fourth consecutive Indy 500 pole for Honda
• Alex Palou records second-fastest qualifying run in Indianapolis 500 history; quickest pole run
• Scott Dixon also advances to Fast Six final qualifying, will start sixth

Alex Palou delivered Honda’s fourth consecutive Indianapolis 500 pole today in a thrilling final qualifying contest that resulted in one of the closest front rows in “500” history.

After qualifying second to teammate Scott Dixon in 2022, Palou piloted his #10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a four-lap record speed of 234.217 mph – eclipsing the mark set last year by Dixon – to claim the second-fastest qualifying run in Indianapolis 500 history. Palou’s speed edged Rinus VeeKay by just 0.006 mph over the four-lap, ten-mile qualifying run. 

Also advancing to Final Round qualifying, Dixon will start sixth in his #9 Chip Ganassi Honda. Other Honda drivers to advance out of first-round qualifying to the “Fast 12” second round earlier today included two-time Indy winner Takuma Sato, who will start eighth; and defending “500” race winner Marcus Ericsson, who will start his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda from 10th.

Prior to the Firestone Fast Six final qualifying round, the 11th and last row of the starting grid was completed with Last Chance Qualifying, with four drivers competing for the final three starting positions.  Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard and Jack Harvey made the cut, and will start 31st and 33rd, respectively. 

Dale Coyne Racing with RWR’s Sting Ray Robb will start from the middle of the back row, 32nd; while Graham Rahal failed to make the field in his Rahal Letterman Lanigan entry.

Honda Drivers and Teams Starting Positions for the Indianapolis 500

1st Alex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Scott Dixon-W	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th Takuma Sato-W	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th Marcus Ericsson-W	Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
15th Kyle Kirkwood	Andretti Autosport Honda
19th Romain Grosjean	Andretti Autosport Honda
20th Helio Castroneves-W	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
21st Colton Herta	Andretti Autosport Honda
22nd Simon Pagenaud-W	Meyer Shank Racing Honda
23rd David Malukas	Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
24th Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport Honda
26th Devlin DeFrancesco	Andretti Autosport Honda
30th Katherine Legge	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
31st Christian Lundgaard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
32nd Sting Ray Robb-R	DCR with Rick Ware Racing Honda
33rd Jack Harvey	Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda

W – Indianapolis 500 race winner                      R – Indianapolis 500 rookie

Quotes

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Honda) Pole qualifier, his first Indianapolis 500 pole with a record speed of 234.217 mph: “This means the world to me, to the guys on the team, to everyone.  We knew it was going to be tight, and it was really tight, but the #10 car guys and Honda did an amazing job.  They made the fastest car today.  I’m just super-proud of the work they’ve done all month, all year, to get us to this point.  We knew that we had to go aggressive [with the setup] to get a good first lap.  That made the fourth lap really tough to stay flat [in the turns], but we did it.  We’ll celebrate tonight, but then get ready for next week [and the race].”

Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Qualified Sixth: “Congrats to Alex [Palou], that was definitely a mighty fine run there.  Our car was just too ‘on the nose’, super loose, so we were just scrubbing speed right from the get-go.  But we’re looking forward to next week.  I think we have a really good race car; all four Ganassi Hondas should be strong in the race.”

Jack Harvey (#30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) bumped his way into the Indy 500 field, will start 33rd: “It was crazy out there, really. I’m so happy for everybody on the #30 People Ready Honda that we have our place in the 107th running of the Indy 500. We had to do a cool down run, and then did another run and went slower. I asked the guys if there was a point in doing a final run and they said ‘you never know’!  So we made one change to the balance and it was a lot better. I feel terrible knocking out another team car [bumping teammate Graham Rahal], but I’m thrilled to make the show.” 

David Salters (President and Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today’s pole by Honda driver Alex Palou for next weekend’s Indianapolis 500: “I’m enormously proud of all the magnificent men and women of HPD, of Chip Ganassi Racing — an amazing team there — and of course of Mr. Alex Palou. We got pole [again!] at the Indy 500. It’s really astonishing, to be honest with you. It’s hard to describe, but you literally cannot make this stuff up. Just a massive shout out to everybody involved. This is a team sport, it’s an engineering-prowess sport and we just showed our engineering prowess. Well done, Honda. Well done, everybody. That was amazing!”

Fast Facts

• This is Honda’s 14th pole in 23 races at the Indianapolis 500, and 8th pole in 17 Indianapolis 500s with multi-manufacturer competition.  It is Honda’s fourth consecutive ‘500’ pole, a streak begun by Marco Andretti in 2020 and continued by Dixon in 2021-22.
• Honda has won more Indianapolis 500 races than any major automaker: 15 victories from 22 races – a win ratio of 68% – since the company entered the INDYCAR competition in 1994.

Where to Watch Sunday’s 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500
Live NBC network coverage of the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 begins at 11 a.m. EDT, with the green flag to start Sunday’s 200-lap contest at 12:45 p.m. EDT.  Live streaming will also be available on NBC Peacock.

Honda Racing social media content and video links can be found on:
Instagram        (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd)
TikTok             (www.tiktok.com/hondaracing_hpd)
Twitter             (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD)
Facebook        (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD)
YouTube         (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV)

CHICAGO (May 21, 2023) — For Australian Pro Stock racer Shane Tucker his return to the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series has been a tough battle. Tucker, who has the full season backing of UrPay, an Australian-owned payment processing company that is moving into the US market, on his Chevrolet Camaro has competed in every national event this season, but he broke through this weekend at the Gerber Collision & Glass NHRA Nationals. At every event this season Tucker and his Rob Tucker tuned Chevrolet Camaro has improved and been competitive in qualifying, but they just could not string together a top 16 quick run. This weekend Tucker powered his UrPay Chevrolet into the race as the No. 14 qualifier in a tough field of 20 competitors.

UrPay Pro Stock driver Shane Tucker with FOX TV’s Bruno Massel

“We took some big strides in the right direction this weekend,” said Tucker. “We’ve just had so much bad luck with parts breaking and whatnot. It was good to get a decent clean run down the track and get some data we can work with. We have a good team. They’re all very experienced and we have World Championships.”

In the opening round Tucker knew he would need to steal some real estate on the starting line and the veteran driver took a strong starting line reaction time advantage of .019 to .040 over former world champion Bo Butner. Both Camaros were welded together going down the track but Tucker’s racecar fell off on the performance side just slightly opening the door for Butner to advance to the quarterfinals.

“I knew I had to be better than him on the starting line because he’d been outrunning us every run,” said Tucker. “I managed to be a little bit better on the start line, but we were just not quite there. We probably missed it slightly on the setup, but I think all in all, it’s been a positive weekend.”

For Tucker who has raced successfully in his home country of Australia and has competed at the highest levels here in the United States the current competition level in Pro Stock is a welcome challenge. Throughout his career in racing and business Tucker has risen to the challenge.

“The fields these days are separated by less than six hundredths. It is so competitive,” said Tucker. “You go out there in round one and there’s legitimately 16 cars that can win the event, which I think is cool. The fans love it. It gives all the drivers extra motivation to make sure they do their job. I’m super proud of our team to be involved in a 16-car field where it’s that tight. You know, we’re just a bunch of misfits. It’s got an opportunity.”

The team was also impressed with the high number of fans in attendance and the look of the stadium style Route 66 Raceway. Tucker has competed here in the past, but the sheer size of the facility combined with a packed set of grandstands still captured Tucker’s attention.

“This track has a stadium-like sort of feel,” said Tucker. “This has to be how the Coliseum might have felt right back in the day for the gladiators. I love this place. It was really great to have Chris Thompson, the CEO of UrPay, and his wife here to see what the NHRA is all about. I’ve always loved this place. I’ve had good success here. Just seeing the fans turn out in droves has been cool.”

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.729 sec, 200.41 mph; Qual. 16

Q2: 6.603 sec; 209.39 mph; Qual. 18

Q3: 6.558 sec, 210.24 mph; Qual. 14

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Bo Butner, Johnson Horsepower Garage Chevrolet Camaro, (.040), 6.551, 209.98 mph def. 

Shane Tucker, UrPay Chevrolet Camaro, (.019), 6.590, 210.18 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1.         Dallas Glenn               581

2.         Matt Hartford             413

3.         Deric Kramer               406

4.         Troy Coughlin Jr          398

5.         Aaron Stanfield          360

6.         Camrie Caruso             331

7.         Greg Anderson           310

8.         Bo Butner                   309

9.         Cristian Cuadra           293

10.       Kyle Koretsky              286

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

INDIANAPOLIS 500

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

TEAM CHEVY FIRESTONE FAST SIX QUALIFYING REPORT

MAY 21, 2023

• Rinus VeeKay, of Ed Carpenter Racing, has been the best qualifying Chevrolet for the Indianapolis 500 for four years in a row.
• This is also the ninth front row start in 11 years for an Ed Carpenter Racing entrant, all with Chevrolet.
• This is Felix Rosenqvist’s, driver at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, first front row start at the Indianapolis 500.  
• This is the best starting position for an entry from AJ Foyt Racing since Robby Gordon in 2001.
• Legendary driver and now-team owner AJ Foyt won two of his four Indianapolis 500 victories from the fourth starting position, the same starting position as AJ Foyt Racing driver Santino Ferrucci will start the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 from.
• Pato O’Ward, of Arrow McLaren INDYCAR, will start in the middle second row of the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, qualifying fifth in the Firestone Fast Six.

TEAM CHEVY TOP-SIX QUALIFYING RESULT:

Pos.  Driver

2nd    Rinus VeeKay

3rd     Felix Rosenqvist

4th     Santino Ferrucci

5th     Pato O’Ward

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES)

Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:

“I got everything out of it but I wish I had just a little bit more. I got tight and I should have let it run a little bit, but I mean, it’s it’s so close. You know, the whole group really had a shot for pole position. I am a bit spoiled to say that so starting second, and still very happy. We don’t win anything with this you know, this is only the start to the race. We’ll get them held next week.”

Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“I didn’t really feel like we had the same speed as far as the previous one. I’m not sure why, we’ll have to look at the data and see what it was. But anyways, it’s phenomenal to be on the front row and keep us where we are–super quick. I think anyone can grab this pole and it’s so tight that the front and that last one just seemed like some guys find a bit more than we did. I’m just super proud of the team. It has all been awesome and everyone’s just been helping everyone and like this one team was behind us and I tried to get everything out of this beautiful number six car and it’s great a great car.”

Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:

“I’m really proud of this. I mean, we’re the underdog here to be fighting for top six and the biggest race of the year, and the biggest race in the world is pretty awesome. And like I said before the race matters. So we’ll just have to pass some people…that’s about it.

“Yeah, I feel great about it. I mean gratulations Alex (Palou). I can’t thank my team enough. I mean, these guys worked so hard last couple of weeks and months to prepare this car and to start up front like we are knowing that we got a great race car and shot to win this thing. I’m so proud of the guys.”

Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:

“This is awesome. My first Fast Six. And it’s just it’s awesome for the team. I mean, I’d love to just to get on the front row. I love how these current loops that we came out with. Really, really cool, but we also have to share the front row which is okay.

But, I don’t know man and Palou has been really strong. VeeKay has as well. I think the No. 6 car has a lot of speed is good enough for front row and that’s what I’m hoping I’d be… But I think yeah, man, I mean, this is good,”

RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET, and FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET – End of Day Press Conference:

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, wrapping up qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2023 setting the field for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500. Felix Rosenqvist will also join us here in just a bit.

But joined now by the young man that will start second in the race a week from today, Rinus VeeKay, 234.211. That’s the second closest gap one-two in 500 history. It goes back to 6 thousandths of a mile an hour versus what Ryan Briscoe did with James Hinchcliffe in 2012, and that was three thousandths of a mile an hour. That’s how close it was between one and two.

Rinus, driving the No. 21 BITNILE.COM Chevrolet for Ed Carpenter Racing, the third straight front row start for Rinus. He was the fastest Chevy driver four years in a row how, and ECR, Ed Carpenter Racing, now with their ninth front row start in 11 years. Rinus, it was that close.

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it was very close. Wow, very happy, but also a bit bummed. We had that shot, and I wish we could have done it. It would have been so great for the team. But also I’m bummed to be starting the Indy 500 second.

Not bad, definitely, but yeah, I think it just has to sink in a little bit. What is in my head now is I lost, but no, I will enjoy this one, and it’s my best starting position so far in the 500, which fourth, third, third and second, we all know what comes in my car number after second, and that’s a 1.

Just very proud of the team, also. We had a tough morning, kind of went downhill for a bit, and we still — the team still made it happen. The only thing I had to do was stay flat for four laps, and the ECR Bitnile crew gave me the best possible car for this moment.

Q. Do you think back lap by lap where maybe you could have picked up a tenth or a thousandth here or there, or was that a perfect four-lap run for you?

RINUS VEEKAY: I’m not sure how much better it could have gone. The car felt the best it’s felt in qualifying trim, and yeah, should have had a bit less lunch. I think that’s it.

Q. You mentioned the emotions that go into today, knowing you’ve got to make two attempts, throw in what happened in that practice this morning. Talk about not getting too high or too low throughout the day and the emotions that were brought out of your today.

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, it’s a long day, actually longer than last year because there was a big break between the two, the Fast Twelve and the Fast Six. But I think I was the least nervous for the Fast Six because I already made it that far — I’m sorry, worst-case scenario I’m starting sixth. So emotions were pretty good, and also within the team was very chill.

Just very happy to have it done now and focus towards the race.

Q. You probably know the F1 race was canceled due to bad weather. Do you think you can now beat your countryman Max Verstappen for popularity in Holland?

RINUS VEEKAY: It’s definitely nice that — not nice; it’s terrible what happened there. But it’s good that all eyes are on INDYCAR this weekend.

I wish they’d move Monaco next weekend a bit, but at least, yeah, there’s a lot of people tuning in. That’s very nice. I hope the popularity for INDYCAR grows very fast in the Netherlands and all over the world.

Q. Rinus, of course there’s tomorrow’s practice, Carb Day. You’re sandwiched with McLaren and Ganassi in the front row. What’s going to be instrumental to get that car and in order to get Ed that big win over the next few days?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think definitely the most important thing is staying out of trouble, having a clean race, and making sure we’re there when we tune it up at the end of the race.

I know looking at the practice rounds we’ve done that the car is maybe even better in race trim than qualifying trim.

I was very happy on Thursday in our last traffic run, so yeah, just very excited to show that in the race.

Q. Was there any impact to not having a teammate this year in the Fast Six compared to having Ed the last couple years to maybe do some setup changes between?

RINUS VEEKAY: I think it definitely helped out like to have a teammate in there. It’s always nice to have someone with the same setup, same exact car, do a run before and making some little tweaks.

But yeah, I wish Ed was in there and I could have battled with Ed or Conor. But I think for the underdog car in there, it was nice to have a good shot at it and almost hitting the bull’s eye.

Q. The other morning we talked and I asked how you’d grade your season so far, and you said 4 out of 10. Does a day like today help morale?

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, definitely. This is the best qualifying result for the team since I’ve joined, so definitely not bad, and yeah, just very, very happy for the team that we got this, and I think it definitely helps morale, not only for me but for all the three car crews.

We’re going to work as hard as we can. We’ve just got to find the grit and the determination to make it happen. But it’s a great group, and I’m excited that we’re going to be in the race, albeit last. We’ll do our best now.

THE MODERATOR: Also joined by Felix Rosenqvist who will start on the outside of row 1, driver of the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet with his first front-row start. By the way, once again, for the second straight year, this is the fastest front row in Indy 500 history, making up, once again, the fastest field in Indy 500 history.

Again, Felix, congratulations. Your thoughts about starting on the front row.

FELIX ROSENQVIST: It’s mixed feelings right now. I think overall it’s a very good day for us. I think these two found something in the Fast Six that we didn’t find. We felt like we were kind of on top of it going into it. We were not confident, but we felt like we put the best possible scenario on the car, and big thanks to all the group for Arrow McLaren and Team Chevy, as well. I think the whole team came together for this final run where we threw everything we had at it, and we missed out, and it’s the second time in not so long I’m sitting here and missing pole with I think one or two thousandths. It’s what it is, but overall we have to be proud to have all the cars in the top 12. It’s just been a phenomenal month for us so far.

But yeah, big congrats to Alex and also to Rinus. That was a hell of a run. We couldn’t match that today.

THE MODERATOR: Fastest field in history, 232.184 miles an hour, breaking the record last year we set, 231.023.

THE MODERATOR: For Felix, fast guy yesterday, fast guy in the Fast 12. Were you a little bit surprised that you didn’t have the speed there at the end when it looked like the track conditions were probably the best they’d been all weekend?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, I don’t know. It didn’t feel like it. I could feel on the run pretty much on my warmup lap that it didn’t feel as sporty as it did earlier today, so kind of had to look what went wrong. Obviously we didn’t change a bunch on the car. We were pretty sure what we put on was the best we’d done all month.

But man, it’s tight, and if you don’t get it 10 out of 10, there’s going to be two other boys sitting next to you with better lap times.

I think anyway, it’s just been incredible, and just to have the privilege to drive a car that looks that good and is that fast I think is — yeah, it makes it pretty cool.

Q. Felix, back in Europe the 500 feels a bit further away and the focus is on more circuit racing type stuff. Can you kind of talk from the background that you grew up in what the kind of qualifying what you did today means and how big an occasion the 500 qualifying is just based on everything that’s happened today?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, it’s huge, man. I remember when Kenny Brack, who was the first driver I grew up watching actually before F1 or anything, and he had a big shunt, he came back, and I think he set a really good lap time after his injury, and that was a big deal in Sweden, and that was kind of my first memories of racing. So it’s a big deal, and in Sweden it’s huge because he won the race, and now obviously Marcus won it last year.

So Sweden is pumped in this race right now. There’s a lot of Swedish flags out there already, and everyone is sitting back home and watching late at night.

It’s incredible to see the interest has grown, and I think people in general get a better understanding of the ovals. When I came over here, it was like, what’s the difference, like how do you go quicker on an oval. You hear that question a lot. And now people are already looking at ambient temperatures and humidity and wind, and everyone is becoming like experts at analyzing the drivers and lines and stuff.

It’s cool to see. It’s definitely on the upward trend.

Q. Rinus, I believe you started on the front row already, but what’s it like outside front row going into Turn 1? You ought to be a master at it by now, and the fact that you start so far up has to give you a really good strategic edge or tactical edge in the race.

RINUS VEEKAY: Yeah, definitely helps. I feel like even if race running when we did that in the beginning of the week, you definitely feel there’s a bunch of cars in front of you, more than three, it gets very hard to pass. This way if you are in the top 3 you can basically save fuel and focus on that kind of stuff to move your way forward. That helps, that definitely helps, and we’ve got to make sure we stay in there for the last part of the race, and then I think everyone tears it up.

Q. Felix, this is a pretty big accomplishment for you starting on the front row of the Indianapolis 500. You’re having a great, great weekend so far, great week, a lot of speed. I know you’re probably living in the moment a little bit, but your future is a little bit uncertain right now. You’re sitting next to the guy. How much confidence does that give you even about your career, about how you’re doing this week, and even maybe going into next year, do you think this is a time where you can really build that resume up and show everybody, not just Arrow McLaren, that hey, I belong here, this is what I’m meant to do?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: I mean, it doesn’t hurt. We always try to be quick, and I feel like most of the time we are. INDYCAR racing is not easy, and it doesn’t always go the way you want, but no, I feel like it’s been a good year so far, even with two DNFs to start the year. It’s obviously super difficult to crawl out of that.

But on top of that, it’s been great. Everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve been quick. We’ve been qualifying up front. We’ve been good in the races, good strategy.

The whole team has just come together so well that I just feel like there’s quite a lot in store for us for the rest of the season, and obviously now we’re here again on the front row in the second race in a row.

It’s awesome. We just have to ride the wave, and I feel like that way is going to get bigger as the year goes on, and what happens for me in the future, I don’t know, and I don’t really think about it right now. I just try to be in the now, extract everything I can every race, and I always tell myself things work themselves out if you just focus on what you do in the car.

Q. What is it like, most people will never, ever get a chance to drive a car like this, hanging it out. What is it like out there? Do you feel raw emotion, or is there a little bit of scared going on when you’re hanging the car out? What is going on, Felix, when you’re out there in a run like that with everything on the line?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: For me it’s like the most focused you can be. You’re just very — it’s like a very high level of discipline, and knowing yourself, knowing the car, trusting the car, trusting your engineers, trusting your mechanics, but at the same time you kind of just have to shut everything off.

But it feels cool, man. Yeah, it feels quick. I don’t know how else to explain it.

You’re so focused — Not scary, but you know it’s big consequences, and when you feel the car start sliding, you kind of have to just bury it and do some changes to your tools, and then you’re just hoping it’s not going to be the same in the next corner, and it’s kind of a funny thing, but like one press wrong on that button can be the difference of being P1 or being in the wall.

It’s a fun dance, I guess, and it’s fun when you’re out there, but when you’re done, you’re also quite happy.

Q. You’re touching so many buttons, making all these adjustments through a run like that, does it take away from the fun part?

FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah, it’s so tight now, man. It seems every time I’m here for qualifying, it’s a record of some sort. It’s the tightest field or the tightest for pole or we have the tightest Fast Six on the GP here a couple of weeks ago.

I think we just have to exploit everything we can get our hands on. If there’s a button to press and you go a bit quicker, we’ll press it.

I feel like it’s getting busier and busier as the years go on. Like you see a couple of runs from the past where maybe you could analyze as well with simulation and computers and stuff, but you just kind of hang on, and now it’s more like being on the very, very fine limit which you can do when you have all the resources that both our teams have, and then when you’re there, you just have to extract every little thousandth out of it. I think it’s pretty cool. It’s sporty, and I think it makes it harder.

JOLIET, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team had a semifinal finish at the Gerber Glass & Collision NHRA Route 66 Nationals presented by PEAK Performance at Route 66 Raceway. Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team also made a semifinal appearance while both Austin Prock with the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster and Robert Hight with the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevy Camaro SS each had quarterfinal exits. John Force had extra motivation this weekend with Old World Industries (OWI), the parent company of BlueDEF and PEAK, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To commemorate the milestone, Force’s BlueDEF / PEAK Chevy sported a hood with all the OWI employee names on it. John Force Racing hospitality played host to over 200 of the Chicago-based company’s employees and executives including Founder and Chairman Tom Hurvis and CEO Greg Noethlich. “Good to have PEAK here, having them help bring this race back with Old World Industries. Tom Hurvis, a guy that has given his life to the business and has been with so many teams over the years. It’s their 50th anniversary this year for all of OWI, PEAK and BlueDEF,” Force said.  “Glad to have had them all out here this weekend and at least they had some fun this weekend and their customers were happy.” John Force and the BlueDEF Chevy came out swinging in the first round of eliminations throwing down the quickest pass of the session at 3.940 seconds and 320.20 mph in what turned into a solo run after Mike McIntire had to shutoff before taking the tree. His win would put Force against teammate Robert Hight in the quarterfinals. The matchup between John Force Racing CEO and John Force Racing President would look like a solid side-by-side race until the end of the run. The Cornwell Tools Camaro would haze the tires late for only a 4.159-second pass at 262.44 mph forcing Hight to watch the BlueDEF Chevy pull away giving Force the win at 4.003 and 323.50. In the semifinals, Force ran into tire smoke almost immediately against eventual event winner Tim Wilkerson. The BlueDEF Chevy would coast to a 9.670-second run at only 76.53 mph while Wilkerson had a 4.012 pass at 319.90 mph. “Great being back here in Chicago, the fans were great. I’ve won here a couple time before, wish we could have gotten it done again today. We did take this BlueDEF / PEAK Chevy a couple rounds and moved our way up the points,” Force said. “Good to be back at this racetrack and we’ll see where we go from here.” Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac team moved out of the first round with a 3.750-second pass at 328.70 mph after Spencer Massey redlit by -.042 seconds. The win matched Force up with teammate Austin Prock in the second round. The quarterfinals wouldn’t be pretty for the John Force Racing teammates but Force would come out with the victory going 4.011-seconds at 241.32 mph despite hazing the tires midtrack while Prock drove into tire smoke early for a 5.477 at 262.79. Matched with veteran Clay Millican in the semifinals, Force and the Flav-R-Pac team would have cylinders out crossing the finish line at 3.881 seconds and 319.82 mph that wasn’t quite enough for Millican’s 3.778 at 329.58. “It was a tough start to our weekend qualifying bottom half of the field with only one good qualifying pass out of the three,” Force said. “This Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team turned it around on race day. We went down the track, turned on win lights. It may not have been pretty, but we turned on win lights and went to the semis. We’re happy with that and we’ll look to build on it heading into Epping, N.H.” Before having a quarterfinal exit against John Force, Robert Hight, the event No. 1 qualifier, and the Cornwell Tools Chevy were second quickest of the session going 3.941 seconds at 327.43 mph to better Dale Creasy Jr.’s. 4.464 at 201.55 after smoking the tires. “Not the way we thought we’d end this weekend after how well qualifying went. Tricky track today in the heat. Really bummed we couldn’t get Cornwell Tools in the winners circle but what a way to start our 11 races with them. It was something special to set the track record on that first run with all the Cornwell Tools employees in sponsor viewing and then getting the No. 1 spot,” Hight said. “Looking forward to getting to the next race, getting back on track and back in my Chevy Camaro Funny Car. We’ll be AAA in Epping, New Hampshire for the NHRA New England Nationals. Let’s see if we can get the job done for them.” En route to his second-round exit to teammate Brittany Force, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand team were consistent in round one of eliminations laying down a clean 3.721-second pass at 332.34 mph to beat Tony Schumacher’s 4.298 at 194.49 after smoking the tires. “We had a great hotrod this weekend and just came up short in the second round. I’m very proud of this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team and how much we’ve accomplished this year so far. Smoking the tires today was the first time we’ve came loose in 11 runs and we’ve run between 3.68-3.74 those runs,” Prock said. “On top of it we had a bunch of sponsor guests and executives in the house this weekend from OWI/Peak, NK seeds and Cornwell Tools It was great meeting all of them and having them out here supporting us in person. Really enjoyed meeting Tom Hurvis and Greg Noethlich from OWI who really had a hand in bringing NHRA back to the Chicago area.” The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season continues June 2-4 with the NHRA New England Nationals at New England Dragway in Epping, N.H. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.694-seconds; 331.20 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (second quickest Q1)Race Results: Beat Tony Schumacher; Lost to Brittany ForceBRITTANY FORCE, 36, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:10th; 3.765-seconds; 334.82 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 Race Results: Beat Spencer Massey; Lost to Austin ProckJOHN FORCE, 74, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:4th; 3.989-seconds; 322.81 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +3 (quickest Q2) Race Results: Beat Mike McIntire, Robert Hight; Lost to Tim WilkersonROBERT HIGHT, 53, Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:1st; 3.831-seconds; 335.07 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+6 (quickest Q1 & Q3) Race Results: Beat Dale Creasy Jr.; Lost to John Force

CHEVROLET IN NHRA 2023 GERBER COLLISION AND GLASS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS ROUTE 66 RACEWAY JOLIET, ILLINOIS TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT MAY 21, 2023 DALLAS GLENN WINS NHRA PRO STOCK FOR CHEVROLET IN RETURN TO ROUTE 66 RACEWAY Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car, raced to his seventh NHRA Pro Stock career win, his third in 2023.Glenn earned Chevrolet their 372nd win in NHRA Pro Stock, the 253rd in the Camaro.Glenn also earned Chevrolet their fifth win of the season in six races, in addition to earning the fifth No. 1 qualifier in 2023, with his pass at 6.537 ET at 210.77 MPH and .022 reaction time.Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, raced to the No. 1 qualifier position Saturday at Route 66 Raceway while setting both ends of the track record with a pass of 3.381 ET at 335.07 MPH in Friday’s qualifying. JOLIET, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – Defeating Deric Kramer in the finals at the first event at Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago since 2019, Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car, raced to his seventh career NHRA Pro Stock Wally trophy, his third of 2023. Additionally, Glenn’s win notched Chevrolet their 327th win in Pro Stock, and their 253rd in the Camaro. Speaking on his third win of the year, and how tight the NHRA Pro Stock field is this year, Glenn reflected on the day saying, “I definitely know what is going on in the car. I’m a little tired, but this makes it all worth it. We have Dan Provost and Tammy from RAD Torque Systems out here. Thank you Samantha from Race Star Wheels, Summit, and everybody. I have the best crew chiefs ever. I don’t think we were the best today, but we were just good enough.” “You get a car that is working this good, and you just don’t know how far it’s going to continue and you just want to capitalize on every race,” noted Glenn. “I definitely had a real good car. I didn’t feel like I drove my best today, but luckily, it was good enough. It feels good right now, but I know it can change in a heartbeat.  We are just going to try our best to keep improving because I know the other teams are trying really hard and they are showing some promise. We definitely need to keep stepping up and keep the hammer down.” In Nitro, the Top Fuel and Funny Car machines of John Force Racing fell on the side of the ladders to face each other in the second round, with Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster eliminating teammate Austin Prock, then unfortunately falling to eventual event winner Clay Millican in Semifinals. In Funny Car, it was John Force, in the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, defeating teammate Robert Hight, going then on to falling to eventual winner Tim Wilkerson. In Factory Stock, it was Len Lottig with the back-to-back victory in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, notching his third win this year following capturing the Wally in Gainesville and the last event at Circle K NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals. Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the NHRA New England Nationals, Friday, June 2 to Monday, June 4, 2023, at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at noon ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday. Round 1 Recap:Top Fuel:No. 2 Austin Prock defeated No. 15 Tony Schumacher with his run of 3.721 ET at 332.34 MPH.No. 10 Brittany Force defeated No. 7 Spencer Massey with her run of 3.750 ET at 328.70 MPH.Funny Car:No. 1 Robert Hight defeated No. 16 Dale Creasy, Jr. with his run of 3.941 ET at 327.43 MPH.No. 8 John Force defeated No. 9 Mike McIntire, Jr. with his run of 3.940 ET at 320.20 MPH.Pro Stock:No. 1 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 16 Chris McGaha with his run of 6.537 ET at 210.77 MPH.No. 9 Greg Anderson defeated No. 8 Matt Hartford with his run of 6.559 ET at 209.92 MPH.No. 4 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 13 Kyle Koretsky with his run of 6.544 ET at 209.98 MPH.No. 12 Jerry Tucker defeated No. 5 Camrie Caruso with his run of 6.565 ET at 209.88 MPH.No. 2 Deric Kramer defeated No. 15 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.542 ET at 209.82 MPH.No. 3 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 14 Shane Tucker with his run of 6.551 ET at 209.98 MPH.No. 6 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 6 Erica Enders with his run of 6.546 ET at 209.56 MPH. Round 2 Recap:Top Fuel:B. Force defeats Prock with her run of 4.011 ET at 241.32 MPH.Funny Car:J. Force defeats Hight with his run of 4.003 ET at 323.50 MPH.Pro Stock:Stanfield defeated Butner III with his run of 6.569 ET at 209.30 MPH.J. Tucker defeated Troy Coughlin, Jr. with his run of 6.586 ET at 210.64 MPH.Kramer defeated C. Cuadra with his run of 6.565 ET at 209.59 MPH.Glenn defeated Anderson with his run of 6.576 ET at 210.57 MPH. Semifinals Recap:Top Fuel:B. Force falls to Millican with his run of 3.778 ET at 329.58 MPH to her 3.881 ET at 319.82 MPH.Funny Car:J. Force falls to Wilkerson after smoking the tires, with Wilkerson clocking a lap at 4.012 ET at 319.90 MPH.Pro Stock:Glenn defeated J. Tucker with his run of 6.563 ET at 210.05 MPHD. Kramer defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.567 ET at 209.82 MPH.Finals:Pro Stock:Glenn defeated Kramer after Kramer got loose on his run, with Glenn racing to the win light with a run of 6.562 ET at 209.95 MPH.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA 2023 GERBER COLLISION AND GLASS ROUTE 66 NHRA NATIONALS ROUTE 66 RACEWAY JOLIET, ILLINOIS TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT MAY 21, 2023 DALLAS GLENN WINS NHRA PRO STOCK FOR CHEVROLET IN RETURN TO ROUTE 66 RACEWAY Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car, raced to his seventh NHRA Pro Stock career win, his third in 2023.Glenn earned Chevrolet their 372nd win in NHRA Pro Stock, the 253rd in the Camaro.Glenn also earned Chevrolet their fifth win of the season in six races, in addition to earning the fifth No. 1 qualifier in 2023, with his pass at 6.537 ET at 210.77 MPH and .022 reaction time.Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, raced to the No. 1 qualifier position Saturday at Route 66 Raceway while setting both ends of the track record with a pass of 3.381 ET at 335.07 MPH in Friday’s qualifying. JOLIET, Ill. (May 21, 2023) – Defeating Deric Kramer in the finals at the first event at Route 66 Raceway outside of Chicago since 2019, Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock car, raced to his seventh career NHRA Pro Stock Wally trophy, his third of 2023. Additionally, Glenn’s win notched Chevrolet their 327th win in Pro Stock, and their 253rd in the Camaro. Speaking on his third win of the year, and how tight the NHRA Pro Stock field is this year, Glenn reflected on the day saying, “I definitely know what is going on in the car. I’m a little tired, but this makes it all worth it. We have Dan Provost and Tammy from RAD Torque Systems out here. Thank you Samantha from Race Star Wheels, Summit, and everybody. I have the best crew chiefs ever. I don’t think we were the best today, but we were just good enough.” “You get a car that is working this good, and you just don’t know how far it’s going to continue and you just want to capitalize on every race,” noted Glenn. “I definitely had a real good car. I didn’t feel like I drove my best today, but luckily, it was good enough. It feels good right now, but I know it can change in a heartbeat.  We are just going to try our best to keep improving because I know the other teams are trying really hard and they are showing some promise. We definitely need to keep stepping up and keep the hammer down.” In Nitro, the Top Fuel and Funny Car machines of John Force Racing fell on the side of the ladders to face each other in the second round, with Brittany Force, driver of the Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster eliminating teammate Austin Prock, then unfortunately falling to eventual event winner Clay Millican in Semifinals. In Funny Car, it was John Force, in the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, defeating teammate Robert Hight, going then on to falling to eventual winner Tim Wilkerson. In Factory Stock, it was Len Lottig with the back-to-back victory in his Chevrolet COPO Camaro, notching his third win this year following capturing the Wally in Gainesville and the last event at Circle K NHRA Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals. Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the NHRA New England Nationals, Friday, June 2 to Monday, June 4, 2023, at New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at noon ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) on Sunday. Round 1 Recap:Top Fuel:No. 2 Austin Prock defeated No. 15 Tony Schumacher with his run of 3.721 ET at 332.34 MPH.No. 10 Brittany Force defeated No. 7 Spencer Massey with her run of 3.750 ET at 328.70 MPH.Funny Car:No. 1 Robert Hight defeated No. 16 Dale Creasy, Jr. with his run of 3.941 ET at 327.43 MPH.No. 8 John Force defeated No. 9 Mike McIntire, Jr. with his run of 3.940 ET at 320.20 MPH.Pro Stock:No. 1 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 16 Chris McGaha with his run of 6.537 ET at 210.77 MPH.No. 9 Greg Anderson defeated No. 8 Matt Hartford with his run of 6.559 ET at 209.92 MPH.No. 4 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 13 Kyle Koretsky with his run of 6.544 ET at 209.98 MPH.No. 12 Jerry Tucker defeated No. 5 Camrie Caruso with his run of 6.565 ET at 209.88 MPH.No. 2 Deric Kramer defeated No. 15 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.542 ET at 209.82 MPH.No. 3 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 14 Shane Tucker with his run of 6.551 ET at 209.98 MPH.No. 6 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 6 Erica Enders with his run of 6.546 ET at 209.56 MPH. Round 2 Recap:Top Fuel:B. Force defeats Prock with her run of 4.011 ET at 241.32 MPH.Funny Car:J. Force defeats Hight with his run of 4.003 ET at 323.50 MPH.Pro Stock:Stanfield defeated Butner III with his run of 6.569 ET at 209.30 MPH.J. Tucker defeated Troy Coughlin, Jr. with his run of 6.586 ET at 210.64 MPH.Kramer defeated C. Cuadra with his run of 6.565 ET at 209.59 MPH.Glenn defeated Anderson with his run of 6.576 ET at 210.57 MPH. Semifinals Recap:Top Fuel:B. Force falls to Millican with his run of 3.778 ET at 329.58 MPH to her 3.881 ET at 319.82 MPH.Funny Car:J. Force falls to Wilkerson after smoking the tires, with Wilkerson clocking a lap at 4.012 ET at 319.90 MPH.Pro Stock:Glenn defeated J. Tucker with his run of 6.563 ET at 210.05 MPHD. Kramer defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.567 ET at 209.82 MPH.Finals:Pro Stock:Glenn defeated Kramer after Kramer got loose on his run, with Glenn racing to the win light with a run of 6.562 ET at 209.95 MPH.

CHICAGO (May 21, 2023) —- Racing outside the Windy City for the first time in her Pro Stock career 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year experienced a whirlwind of emotions at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals. On Saturday Caruso won the inaugural NHRA Pro Stock All-Star Callout picking up the big check for $28,000 defeating Cristian Cuadra, Troy Coughlin Jr., and Aaron Stanfield. Her final qualifying pass of 6.524 seconds was quick enough for the win and moved the young driver up to the No. 5 qualifier position.

Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photo by Innovative Creation Experts

In the opening round Caruso matched up with newcomer Jerry Tucker looking to pick up her second NHRA national event win of the season. Caruso had lane choice and confidence heading into the opening session. Throughout the season she has been one of the quickest drivers off the starting line and her reputation has drawn out the best from her opponents or at least forced them to take chances on the starting line. Against Tucker, who posted a perfect .000 reaction time, Caruso came up on the losing end of a very close race. At the finish line Caruso’s 6.561 second pass was not enough to advance to the quarterfinals.

“We have a good car and we made good runs yesterday and today in the first round,” said Caruso. “They just got lucky with that triple zero reaction time. To do that in a Pro Stock car is so close to a red light. Good for him and good luck in the next round.”

The second-year pro debuted her new-look Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro which drew rave reviews from the thousands of fans in attendance. The Tequila Comisario look will race with Caruso well into the Countdown. Every race the young driver is getting more and more comfortable and confident behind the wheel.

“We are back in our new look Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro and it is a beautiful race car,” said Caruso. “I think it is one of our best wraps and we will be racing this look through Dallas. I will be ready for Bristol. I’m excited and I’m super thankful for all my partners, my team, everybody involved. Without them all this success wouldn’t be possible. We’re just doing our best and we’ll keep on giving it our all. You look at how strong this team is top to bottom there are a lot more win lights in our future. I am feeling comfortable in the car every pass.”

Caruso will be back on track at the Thunder Valley Nationals, June 9-11.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.549 sec, 210.77 mph; Qual. 8

Q2: 6.535 sec, 210.83 mph; Qual. 8

Q3: 6.524 sec, 211.03 mph; Qual. 5

Bonus Points: +1 (3^rd quickest of Q3)

Race Results

First Round

Jerry Tucker, Elite Motorsport Chevrolet Camaro, (.000), 6.565, 209.88 mph def. Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.052) 6.561, 210.24 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1.         Dallas Glenn               581

2.         Matt Hartford             413

3.         Deric Kramer               406

4.         Troy Coughlin Jr          398

5.         Aaron Stanfield          360

6.         Camrie Caruso            331

7.         Greg Anderson           310

8.         Bo Butner                   309

9.         Cristian Cuadra           293

10.       Kyle Koretsky              286