SONOMA, Calif. (July 26, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team come into this weekend’s DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway sitting fifth in points, just 31 away from entering the top three. Prock’s current points position is a result of winning the Charlotte Four-Wide Nationals alongside teammate Robert Hight whose crew chiefs include Prock’s father, Jimmy, and brother, Thomas. Austin also earned runner-up honors in the Winternationals at Pomona, Calif. in a Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster now tuned by the crew chief tandem of Chris Cunningham, formerly of Robert Hight’s team, and Joe Barlam who has been with Prock since 2022. “I’m excited to get going at the final race of the Western Swing in Sonoma, California. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist car is running well, we see it,” Prock said. “I believe we can leave Sonoma Raceway with a Wally. I’m looking forward to making sight solid runs and getting the job done.” At Sonoma Raceway, Prock has yet to advance beyond the quarterfinals, and last year, after qualifying 12th, had a first-round loss to eventual race winner, teammate, and reigning world champion Brittany Force. In his rookie season, the only other start he has in Northern California, Prock was the No. 6 qualifier and lost to that year’s eventual world champion Steve Torrence in the second round. The DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway starts with qualifying Friday at 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Eliminations will begin Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Television coverage of the event begins with two qualifying shows Saturday at 12:00 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will be on FOX Broadcasting Network Sunday at 4:00 p.m. ET.

SONOMA, Calif. (July 26, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevy Camaro SS team are hoping a victory at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway, historically one of their favorite tracks, will give them a points and confidence boost with the NHRA Countdown to the Championship fast approaching. Hight has attended all 34 races contested at Sonoma as either a spectator, a crew member or a driver. Growing up, it was the closest track to his home in Alturas, Calif. He has driven his Jimmy Prock-tuned Cornwell Tools Chevy to victory in three of his last four appearances (2018, 2019 and 2021). In addition to his three most recent victories, Hight also won at Sonoma in 2008 and started from the No. 1 qualifying position in 2006, 2017, 2019 and 2022. He is the track record holder for time and speed at 3.807 seconds and 339.87 miles per hour, both set on July 28, 2017. The speed mark is also the official NHRA national Funny Car record. As the No. 1 qualifier last year, he advanced to the semifinals. “I’m excited to be back in Northern California, this is my home track, I grew up coming here. I’ve never missed this national event,” Hight said. “I think this Cornwell Tools team is due for a win. We’ve struggled a bit, and had some bad luck, but I know this team, we know how to win. We keep putting in the work and it will pay off. Hopefully, it’s this weekend and we can break back into the top three in points. The Countdown is coming, and we want to be in a strong position to start the battle for another championship.”   Bidding this year to become just the fourth driver to win as many as four NHRA Funny Car championships (after John Force, Kenny Bernstein and Don Prudhomme), Hight is fourth in Camping World points on the strength of wins at the Arizona Nationals and Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte. His wins and a pair of No. 1 starts in Chicago and Bristol enabled Hight to extend to 18 the number of years in which he has won a race and started a race from the No. 1 spot. That’s every year he has contested the championship.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Sonoma Nationals

Pre-Race Report

Cruz Pedregon says the crew has the Snap-on^® “Own It” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^® ready for Sonoma, and for what would be his third win at this track, with a strong set-up to overcome the dropped cylinders his Funny Car has been fighting. 

“The good news is, the guys on the team got together and figured out the issue we’ve been having with dropping cylinders on our recent runs,” Cruz says. “We’re really encouraged by the car’s performance and a quarter-final finish last weekend and feeling confident about the direction we’re headed as we close out these back-to-back races of the NHRA western swing. It’s been more than a decade since my last Sonoma Wally, so it’s time to bring home another one for the trophy case.”

Cruz’s Funny Car will again have the “Own It” Snap-on franchise tribute paint scheme to honor the franchisees of the team’s primary sponsor. Before many races, Cruz rides along with franchisees in NHRA cities to visit shops and professionals who love talking tools and racing. The “Own It” paint scheme is a reminder that the Snap-on franchise opportunity is a way to own your own business, and it’s a “thank you” to current and future Snap-on franchisees.

This weekend’s Snap-on Nitro Franchisee featured on the side of Cruz’s car is John Schilling. He was an automotive tech prior to becoming a franchisee two years ago. In his free time, John does Circle Track racing on clay ovals in his IMCA modified car. He says he’s looking forward to watching Top Fuel and hanging out with Cruz in the pit this weekend. 

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SONOMA, Calif. (July 26, 2023) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team head to the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway to attempt to extend to 35 the number of seasons the 16-time championship team has won at least one NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series tour event. Force has history on his side at Sonoma Raceway. His eight wins at Sonoma are the most by anyone in any pro category. He took home the Wally in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2000, 2002, 2007, and 2016 and has been the Funny Car runner-up on six other occasions. There was a streak of seven years that Force found himself in the final round (1990-1996). “Coming to the end of the Western Swing up in Northern California. Looking forward to getting back in my PEAK Chevy. We’re doing good. We have some work to do but we’ve had some good runs, just need to get it together on race day,” Force said. “Another Bruton Smith track, they’ve done some work on the facility, maintaining it, keeping it beautiful. I love racing here, I guess who doesn’t? I’ve done well in the past so hopefully that’s a sign for this weekend. Looking for a win for PEAK, Chevy, Cornwell Tools, NK Seeds, and all our sponsors.” Force has qualified No. 1 eight times (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2011) and whenever he’s done so, he never has failed to reach the semifinals, winning from No. 1 in 1994 and 2002. Last year, after a No. 15 start, he took his PEAK Coolant and Antifreeze Chevy Camaro SS all the way to the final round before finishing runner-up. Force enters the Sonoma Nationals coming off a No. 1 qualifying position at the Flav-R-Pac Northwest Nationals marking the 166th of his career and now the 32nd season of his career from which he started race day in the top spot.

Aug. 25-26GRAND FORKS, ND (July 26, 2023) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series makes its final trip of 2023 to North Dakota for a doubleheader weekend at two fan-favorite tracks.First, the Series will make its second trip of the year to River Cities Speedway for the 2nd Leg of the Northern Tour on Friday, Aug. 25. Then, the Series returns to Red River Valley Speedway for The Duel in The Dakotas on Saturday, Aug. 26.Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz, of Fargo, ND, has mastered both tracks, scoring 12 Series wins at River Cities and six at Red River Valley. Overall, he has 23 wins at River Cities and nine at Red River Valley. However, his last Series win at River Cities came in 2019 and his last at Red River Valley came in 2021.Championship contender David Gravel won at River Cities earlier this year and Carson Macedo earned his first win at Red River Valley last year.What you need to know: RIVER CITIES SPEEDWAY, Aug. 25 (Gerdau presents the 2nd Leg of the Northern Tour) Track: 1/4-mile in Grand Forks, ND Track Record: 9.269 seconds by Jason Meyers on Aug. 21, 2009 More Even InfoTimes (CT): 2 p.m. Pit Gate Opens 4 p.m. Grandstands Open 6:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying -Racing to followTickets: Available HEREPrevious winners: 2023 – David Gravel on June 2 2022 – Carson Macedo on June 3, Brad Sweet on Aug. 26 2021 – Brad Sweet on Aug. 25 2020 –Kyle Larson on Aug. 21 2019 – Logan Schuchart on June 7, Donny Schatz on Aug. 16 2018 – Donny Schatz on June 15, Donny Schatz on Aug. 17 2017 – David Gravel on June 16, Donny Schatz on Aug. 18 2016 – Donny Schatz on June 17, Donny Schatz on Aug. 26 2015 – Donny Schatz on June 19, Donny Schatz on Aug. 21 2014 – Donny Schatz on June 20, Daryn Pittman on Aug. 15 2013 – Cody Darrah on June 21, Donny Schatz on Aug. 16 2012 – Kraig Kinser on June 15, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 17 2011 – Craig Dollansky on June 17, Craig Dollansky on June 18, Steve Kinser on Aug. 19 2010 – Steve Kinser on June 19, Joey Saldana on June 20 2009 – Donny Schatz on June 19, Craig Dollansky on Aug. 21 2008 – Donny Schatz on June 27 2007 – Joey Saldana on June 29RED RIVER VALLEY SPEEDWAY, Aug. 26 (Gerdau presents The Duel in The Dakotas) Track: 3/8-mile track in West Fargo, ND Track Record: 11.460 seconds by Kasey Kahne on Aug. 21, 2021 More Event InfoTimes (CT): 2 p.m. Pit Gate Open 4 p.m. Grandstands Open 6:30 p.m. Hot Laps/Qualifying -Racing to followTickets: Available HEREPrevious winners: 2022 – Carson Macedo on Aug. 27 2021 – Donny Schatz on Aug. 21 2020 – Kyle Larson on Aug. 22 2018 – Donny Schatz on Aug. 18 2017 – Jason Johnson on Aug. 19 2012 – Sammy Swindell on June 16 2009 – Jason Meyers on June 20 2008 – Daryn Pittman on Aug. 12 2007 – Jac Haudenschild on June 30 2006 – Donny Schatz on June 16, Donny Schatz on June 17 2005 – Brian Paulus on July 1, Jason Meyers on July 2, Steve Kinser on Aug. 16 2004 – Joey Saldana on July 8, Jason Meyers on July 9, Joey Saldana on July 10 2003 – Steve Kinser on June 12, Donny Schatz on June 13, Danny Lasoski on June 14 2002 – Joey Saldana on July 4, P.J. Chesson on July 5, Donny Schatz on July 6 2001 – Steve Kinser on July 5, Sammy Swindell on July 6, Craig Dollansky on July 7 2000 – Sammy Swindell on July 6, Danny Lasoski on July 7, Sammy Swindell on July 8 1999 – Andy Hillenburg on July 8, Stevie Smith on July 9, Steve Kinser on July 10 1998 – Steve Kinser on July 9, Steve Kinser on July 10, Sammy Swindell on July 11 1997 – Steve Kinser on July 11, Stevie Smith on July 12 1996 – Mark Kinser on July 6, Sammy Swindell on July 7 1995 – Sammy Swindell on July 7, Sammy Swindell on July 8 1994 – Dave Blaney on July 9, Steve Kinser on July 10 1993 – Steve Kinser on July 9, Johnny Herrera on July 10 1992 – Steve Kinser on July 10, Steve Kinser on July 12 1991 – Doug Wolfgang on July 5, Doug Wolfgang on July 6 1990 – Doug Wolfgang on July 6, Doug Wolfgang on July 7 1989 – Doug Wolfgang on July 7, Jeff Swindell on July 8 1988 – Sammy Swindell on July 8, Doug Wolfgang on July 9 1987 – Steve Kinser on July 11 1986 – Sammy Swindell on July 11, Steve Kinser on July 12 1985 – Mark Kinser on July 12, Steve Kinser on July 13 1984 – Jeff Swindell on July 13, Steve Kinser on July 14 1983 – Sammy Swindell on July 8, Sammy Swindell on July 9 1982 – Sammy Swindell on July 12, Steve Kinser on July 13 1981 – Sammy Swindell on July 13If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch both events live on DIRTVision.

Mark your calendars… the Mickey Thompson NMCA All-American Nationals presented by Sick the Mag is coming to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio, August 25-27!  Watch as the World’s Fastest Muscle Cars of NMCA race heads-up and wheels-up all weekend long! Other special features include Tom Bailey and his Drag & Drive Invitational, COPO and Cobra Jet Shootouts, True Street Racing, HEMI Shootout, Saturday & Sunday Car Show, huge Manufacturers Midway and much more! Bring the whole family!More Event Features Daily Schedule DirectionsC

OCALA, FL (July 25, 2023) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team know that the valleys make the view from the peaks that much better. The two-time Top Fuel national event winning team is ready to take advantage of a great view from the NHRA Sonoma Nationals this weekend at Sonoma Raceway. Since opening the season with a huge win at the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout race, Hart has raced to just one final round and two semifinal finishes through the first eleven races. The team is working its way through just its second full-time season, but Hart is digging in looking for positive results.

 Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“We came out hot our rookie season on a partial schedule and I don’t that it spoiled us, but we definitely got a taste for winning and going rounds,” said Hart, who in his first 13 races raced to six semifinals with two wins. “It wasn’t easy, but I do think we might have snuck up on some people. We are not sneaking up on anyone now. They know we are out here, and we are hungry.”
 
The passion and determination have fueled Hart, an independent team owner and businessman to invest in his team at the highest possible level with top-tier parts and talent. The team is led by championship caliber crew chief Ron Douglas and a talented group of crewmen.
 
“Ron does an amazing job with the tune-up and the crew,” said Hart. “You look at some of our wins and losses and we are running with the top teams. We have won some close races and we have lost some close races. I would like to get these close losses out of the way now before the Countdown. The biggest thing I think is I am really comfortable in the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster.”
 
Since Hart had a tough start to the season his race car has raced to at least the quarterfinals in six of the last eight races. He is holding onto a spot in the Top Ten but with four races before the end of the regular season Hart is focusing on moving up in the standings. He is currently less than 100 points behind the driver in fifth place in the Top Fuel standings, a deficit that could be easily erased with a couple strong outings.
 
“This R+L Carriers dragster is creating a lot of horsepower and we are just working on transferring it to the track,” said Hart. “We worked on a few things earlier this season and now our car is running more consistently in all conditions. It will be cool on Friday night in Sonoma and then it will heat up over the weekend. We have a racecar that can run in both situations.”
 
Last year Hart made is Sonoma Nationals debut with a No. 7 qualifying effort and a run to the quarterfinals. The experience of racing in northern California was a positive experience for the young driver and team owner. This year Hart is looking to make more of an impact on the track.
 
“Last year we participated in the Western Swing for the first time and it was quite an experience,” said Hart. “This year I have a better handle on the tracks and I am looking forward to getting back to Sonoma. That track can be really fast so I am going to be looking to try and get some of those qualifying bonus points and also make the most of the four qualifying sessions.”
 
The R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster will make two runs on Friday, July 28, at 5:00 and 8:10 p.m. with two more runs on Saturday, July 29, at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Final eliminations will begin at 10:30 a.m. PST with the race being broadcast on FOX nationally from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. PST.
 

PLAINVIEW, NY (July 25, 2023) — As the Western Swing winds down with the final stop this weekend, for the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, July 28-30, at picturesque Sonoma Raceway Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team powered by Okuma are looking to get their momentum back. This season the fourth year Top Fuel team owner and driver has collected four wins and five final round appearances, both career highs for a season, through eleven NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series National events. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year has also won five Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge specialty races, collecting $50,000 and possibly more valuable 15 championship points. The first two races of the swing have not been as successful as Ashley would have liked but he is focusing on the future not the past.

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

“The first two races of the swing are in the past and we are focused on how we can continue to get better in the present moment,” said Ashley. “We have great data from Seattle that we hope to apply this weekend in Sonoma. The track will be fast and we get four qualifying sessions which is ideal for our Phillips Connect Toyota team powered by Okuma.”
 
This will be Ashley’s third time racing at the NHRA Sonoma Nationals, a track with a long history of quick elapsed times and high speeds. The facility also draws fans and supporters from across the country and region thanks to its proximity to the world-famous wine country. The allure of seeing record times could also bring the “Phillips Connect 300 at the 1/8” program for any Top Fuel or Funny Car driver to break that speed barrier at the 1/8-mile mark into jeopardy and add a $30,000 bonus to their bank account for the effort. 
 
“Sonoma is a race that we’re really looking forward to because of the record-setting conditions that are often available during the Friday night session,” said Ashley, who is entering his second season with Phillips Connect as his primary sponsor. “We’ll have Phillips Connect representatives in attendance and would love nothing more than to join the Phillips Connect 300 at the 1/8 club. A lot of teams, ourselves included, want to be the first to do so.”
 
Last year Ashley raced to the quarterfinals after qualifying No. 6 in a tight Top Fuel field. He took out Alex Laughlin in the first round before dropping a second round race to Mike Salinas, who raced to the final round. In his first time competing at Sonoma Raceway in 2021, his day was cut short in the first round with a loss to Leah Pruett.
 
“Sonoma Raceway has a lot of history and officially kicks off the second half of the season,” said Ashley. “It’s important to have a good race because we’re getting closer to the countdown. We have gone some rounds at Sonoma in the past and now our goal is to qualify well and put our team in a position to win on raceday.”
 
Prior to the race Ashley will be donating some time and racing skills to the Speedway Children’s Charity NHRA Charity Karting Tournament event on Thursday afternoon. Participants will start their day with professional karting instruction, followed by an on-track instructional round, practice round, and end with team time trials. Following the event Ashley will join a group of NHRA drivers, crew chiefs and supporters at Turn 11 for the 15th annual Eric Medlen Nitro Night dinner. Guests will enjoy a casual barbeque dinner, live auction, raffle, and gather to celebrate the life of the late Eric Medlen.
 
“Thursday will be a very special day because I will spend time go-karting with fans and attending the Eric Medlen Nitro Night dinner to help raise money for Speedway Children’s Charity of Sonoma,” said Ashley. “Dustin Davis, Phillips Connect and our marketing team were instrumental in reviving this event last year and it has really taken off again. I didn’t have the privledge of knowing Eric Medlen but the impact he made on the lives of so many within the NHRA community has been invaluable. I am grateful for the opportunity to join others as we celebrate his life.”
 
The Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team will have two qualifying runs on Friday and two on Saturday. Final eliminations will begin at 10:30 a.m. PST on Sunday with the qualified Top Fuel drivers looking to add their name to the storied list of Sonoma Nationals winners. The race will be broadcast nationally on the FOX network Sunday afternoon.
 

FAIRBURY, IL (July 25, 2023) – Tyler Nicely will have his name etched in the history books alongside Modified legends Mike Harrison, Kenny Wallace and Nick Hoffman during the 33rd Prairie Dirt Classic, July 28-29.

The Owensboro, KY driver will officially be crowned the 2023 DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champion during the Series’ finale at Fairbury Speedway, making him the fourth champion in Series history.

“It means a lot,” Nicely said. “I’ve never been a big points series racer. I’ve always let it fall into place. If it is meant to be, it’s meant to be. This year, I really wanted to get one of those under my belt. Under the names of Nick (Hoffman), Kenny Wallace, Mike Harrison, all the guys that’s won one. It’s cool to have your name on it.”

In 15 starts during the 2023 Summer Nationals Hell Tour, Nicely scored five wins, 10 top fives and 13 top 10s, giving him a more than 400-point advantage over Zeke McKenzie going into the weekend to lock the title.

His Summer Nationals success comes on top of a more than 20-win season, so far, including five wins during Florida Speedweeks with the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds – three during Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals – and three wins with the MARS Modified Series, where he’s also the current points leader.

The reason for that success? Nicely pointed to a new chassis and help from last year’s Summer Nationals Modified champion as key elements.

“We switched back to an Elite Chassis this year,” Nicely said. “Nick (Hoffman, the owner of the chassis company) has been very helpful. He’s made sure I had the speed I’ve needed all year. Now this new car has been really good all year. We picked up 22 wins, so far, this year. Mainly, just that and having good people behind me, making sure I have everything I need to go out and compete every night.”

Hoffman, the five-time DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals champion and all-time winningest driver in the Series with 69 wins, has more than 100 Elite Chassis racing around the country. With Nicely, Hoffman said he sees a lot of himself in the 28-year-old; a young guy, racing with a couple of young crew members.

“I help him out a bunch,” Hoffman said. “He’s just really good. He takes care of his own deal. Races his Modified just like how I did, as far as running up and down the road…It’s cool to see.”

Along with set up help, Nicely said Hoffman was key in helping him with his confidence during tough weeks, reminding him to leave the bad races behind him and keep looking forward.

During a stretch on the Hell Tour, Nicely broke two rear ends in one week. However, with the support of the Allgaier family, giving him a shop to work in and helping fix the rear ends, Nicely was able to put the issues behind him and continue chasing the Summer Nationals title.

Now, he’ll look ahead to try and score his second Prairie Dirt Classic victory. He earned his first in 2015 and won a Showdown race in 2019 and 2022.

“Fairbury has been good to me, and it’s been bad to me,” Nicely said. “We haven’t had the car we needed to win there I feel like…But I think we’ll be alright. The car has been good here as of late. We’ll just put our heads down. The main thing will be to qualify good Friday night and put yourself in position for those first few rows come Saturday.”

The DIRTcar Summit Racing Equipment Modifieds will join the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Modelsat the 33rd Prairie Dirt Classic – an event that serves as one of the biggest events of the year for both divisions.

“That there is probably the most atmosphere other than the [Gateway Dirt Nationals],” Nicely said. “The atmosphere, the fans, just everything about it is awesome. Fairbury pretty much shuts down the town for that whole weekend. We’ll go up Wednesday night and hang out Thursday and get ready for Friday and Saturday. It is amazing what Matt Curl (owner and promoter of Fairbury Speedway) has done with that place and how the fans are so involved. It is pretty awesome.”

For tickets to the 33rd Prairie Dirt Classic at Fairbury Speedway, Friday-Saturday, July 28-29, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

Four-time NHRA champion takes over Top Fuel points lead

KENT, Wash. (July 23, 2023) – Steve Torrence won Sunday’s Top Fuel final at Pacific Raceways near Seattle to earn the 200th victory for Toyota in NHRA competition. Torrence topped Doug Kalitta in an all-Toyota Top Fuel final to earn the milestone victory.

In Funny Car, J.R. Todd advanced to the final round and came home runner-up by inches to race-winner Tim Wilkerson on Sunday. This continues Todd’s performance surge as the former champion has finished in the semi-finals or better four of the last five races.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Pacific Raceways

Race 11 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W. 3.736 v. 3.750(J. Hart) W. 3.752 v. 8.811(B. Force) W. 4.016 v. 4.074(S. Langdon) W. 3.940 v. 4.861 (D. Kalitta)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finalist	W. 3.753 v. 4.384(R. Smith) W. 4.975 v. No Run(Bye) W. 3.813 v. 3.947(C. Millican) L. 4.861 v. 3.940 (S. Torrence)
Shawn Langdon	Kalitta Air Careers Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.779 v. 4.755(A. Brown) W. 3.792 v. 4.772(M. Salinas) L. 4.074 v. 4.016(S. Torrence)
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W. 3.740 v. 3.785(T. Schumacher) L. 3.807 v. 3.973(C. Millican)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L. 4.755 v. 3.779(S. Langdon)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Finalist	W. 3.909 v. No Run(A. Laughlin) W. 3.964 v. 4.085(C. Pedregon) W. 3.988 v. 3.974(Holeshot Win –C. Green) L. 4.014 v. 4.007 (T. Wilkerson)
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Second Round	W. 4.481 v. 12.260(J. Diehl) L. 4.958 v. 4.006(T. Wilkerson)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	First Round	L. 4.176 v. 3.963(C. Green)

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

Final Result: Winner

How does it feel to head to Sonoma with all of this momentum after today’s win?

“It’s a great feeling. Just kind of a monkey off your back sense of accomplishment feeling. In the year’s past, we’ve had such a dominant race car and I think you can get a little complacent and winning is a norm and it’s really not and never should be. The performance today – I’ll tell you, two rounds were stellar, and two rounds were not stellar. You’ve got to be confident. It’s difficult when things are not going absolutely great to be as confident as you need to be to drive these things successfully. And, like I said, you just need to take a step back, reevaluate the situation and just see how thankful, grateful, fortunate and blessed we are to be able to do what we do with such great partners like what we have. This is a great place to win and at the right time to feel like we’re getting some momentum going. We’re getting that race car that we’ve had in year’s past back where you go out there and call your shots. I knew that as the day got hotter and the track was a little more susceptible to spinning the tires out there, we struggled but we did better than the guy or girl beside us. Right now, our confidence is back. I don’t think that it’s as good as it can be, but it’s definitely moving in the right direction. You’re only as good as your last shot so you need to continue moving forward. I think that we have a really good race car going into Sonoma. Conditions will probably be a much different situation there where you have to move a lot faster and it just won’t be as warm, maybe, but we’ll see how it goes. Hats off to the Capco Contractors boys at home that are taking care of us and keeping us out here. And Toyota that just makes sure we have all the right information for the track, excited to get the 200^th win for Toyota here today. Also, thanks to Red Line Tools that supports us. We’re a family-owned and family-run team and we’re really close to the vest and careful with who we partner with so we’re proud of the people that support us.”

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Finalist

Are you happy after a good points day for the team?

“Obviously, getting beat in the final there’s not a lot of positive things to say, but it was a good weekend for us. Going to the final again. All of my guys have worked hard on this thing, and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve got going on. It was there for the taking in the finals, so it was one of those deals that we let one get away. I really appreciate everyone’s support.”

 

July 23, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team took advantage of some savvy strategy calls that put them in the lead pack in the final laps of Sunday’s HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway and came away with an eighth-place finish.

It was Burton’s second top-10 of the season, the first being a sixth place at Darlington in May, and the fourth of his Cup Series career. 

In the early laps of Sunday’s 400-miler on the Tricky Triangle, Burton moved up two spots from his 26th starting position then finished the first 30-lap Stage in 15th place by staying on the track as others ahead of him made pit stops just prior to the end of the Stage.

Crew chief Brian Wilson brought Burton to pit road during the caution period at the end of the Stage then called for several more stops under caution, at Laps 36 and 46, which allowed the DEX Imaging team to make a green flag stop with just four laps remaining in Stage Two.

When a group of drivers pitted at the end of the Stage, Burton moved up to 13th position for the start of the third and final segment of the race.

Burton was back on pit road at Laps 106, and that strategy allowed him to move up to second place during the next round of green-flag stops.

The No. 21 Mustang hit pit road at Lap 138 for two tires and six laps later was back in the top 10 with 15 of 160 laps left to run.

Burton, with his No. 21 Mustang responding well to some mid-race adjustments, did his best driving of the day over an action-packed final 10 laps as two more incidents caused restarts, with the racing as aggressive as it had been all day.

The final green flag flew with three laps remaining, and Burton picked up three positions to eighth place before a stalled car on the track caused the race to end under the caution flag. 

“We were mired in traffic all day and that makes it hard,” Burton told reporters after the race. “We struggled for handling but made a few changes at the end and that got the car pretty good right before the long green-flag cycle and I could kind of run long. 

“A lot of those guys pitted themselves into traffic, and we were able to have clean air and click off faster lap times. 

“We pitted and came out in front of a lot of those guys, so that helped us a lot.”

Burton said the varying strategies employed at Pocono make the racing much more interesting. 

“It’s fun to kind of know what’s going on and know that you have to go run fast laps because the guys behind you are trying to do the same,” he said. “It worked out to where we pitted out in front of them. The guys did a good job on pit road to do that, and the last few restarts I just tried to be aggressive and keep moving forward and got a few more spots.”

Burton said the strong run and top-10 finish were a big boost for him and the No. 21 team. 

“The last two weekends have been better for us,” he said. “This weekend I was disappointed the first little bit because it wasn’t very good, and then found a way to keep digging and claw out of it. Last weekend was the opposite. The first three-quarters of the race was really good and then the end just got cycled back on some restarts.

“It’s good to finish on the good side of it this weekend and keep fighting through the day and not give up on making the race car better. We definitely did that. 

“I’m proud of our guys. There’s not a lot of quit on this race team. We’ve been through hell and high water, but we’re still fighting.”

Next up for Burton and the Wood Brothers team is a Sunday afternoon 400-lapper at Richmond Raceway. 
 

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

HY-VEE HOMEFRONT 250 PRESENTED BY INSTACART

NEWTON, IOWA

TEAM CHEVY RACE NO. 2 POST RACE RECAP

Will Power Gave Chevy Second Podium Step with Runner-Up Finish

NEWTON, IOWA (July 23, 2023)

• Josef Newgarden with Chevrolet 2.2 liter V6 power scored back-to-back wins at the Hy-Vee Doubleheader Weekend at Iowa Speedway after starting 3^rd on Saturday and 7^th on Sunday
• The two victories are 4th and 5th wins of the season for Team Chevy in the NTT INDYCAR Series
• Chevrolet has 11 wins at Iowa Speedway
• Led 212 of the 250-lap race in the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet
• Took the lead on lap 31 and led remainder of way except through pit stop exchanges 
• Two-time NTT INDYCAR Series Champion scored his 6th win on the .894-mile track 
• Win is fifth straight oval track win for Newgarden including 2023 Indianapolis 500
• Equals AJ Foyt in 1964, and Al Unser, Sr. in 1968 and 1970
• Win was 29^th victory of his career, tying Rick Mears on all-time-list
• All of Newgarden’s wins were behind the wheel of a Team Penske Chevy INDYCAR
• Newgarden now sits 2^nd in the standings, 80 points down to leader with 5 races remaining
• Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 2^nd to give Chevrolet two podium positions for Race 2 after scoring a podium sweep in Race 1
• Power started on the pole for both races
• Was credited for leading 30 laps in Race 2 after leading 119 in Race 1
• Of the 5 cars remaining on the lead lap at the checkered flag of Race 2, two were Chevy powered
• Felix Rosenqvist, No 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, finished 4^th
• Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 EXPEL Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 5^th
• Up next on the 17-race NTT INDYCAR Series schedule is the Streets of Nashville on August 4 – 6, 2023

Josef Newgarden and his No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet team returned to Iowa Speedway with a vengeance scoring victories in both races of the Hy-Vee Doubleheader Weekend.

The wins were 5^th and 6^th for Newgarden at his favorite short track and the 11^thand 12^th wins for Chevrolet in the NTT INDYCAR Series at Iowa.

With podium finishes by Scott McLaughlin and Pato O’Ward on Saturday to sweep the podium and a runner-up podium by 

Will Power on Sunday, Team Chevy scored 5 of the 6 spots available.

For the second consecutive year, Will Power won the NTT P1 Award for both races to push his career total poles to 70-the most of any driver.

The Series moves on to Streets of Nashville August 4-6. 

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):

JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET-RACE WINNER:

ON HIS RACE

“For us, we knew we had a great car, and the pressure was there because we wanted to execute on it and make sure it was a great weekend. I am happy now.  When you finish the first race, its great to have a doubleheader, but you feel incomplete until you get through today.  To be able to come back and do it again, and make our car a little bit better, I am super proud of the team. Luke and the entire group.  Chad leading the boys, its just a fantastic effort from everyone.  Hitachi has been with most of my victories I think, so to be with them and have them on the car is fantastic. And Team Chevy. We almost got a repeat of that 1-2-3 for Chevy. So, sorry we didn’t get that done but they were phenomenal this weekend.”

YOU SWEPT THE WEEKEND. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO YOU?

“Its very gratifying because I know how good our car is here.  When you show up with a car like this, you have the pressure to execute and get the job done. If you don’t get the job done, you feel like you did something wrong.  I certainly felt that after qualifying, but to be able to fix that and win a couple of races….its not so much last year that I am thinking of, it’s just purely this year we wanted to execute.”

TALK ABOUT THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND TAKING THAT TO THE HOMEFRONT IN NASHVILLE

“Look, I will speak about Alex (Palou) again.  He is a tremendous competitor and its funny because he is actually my pickleball teammate, so we have a little bit of a relationship. But he is great to run against and is one of the best you are going to find in the world. So, I think what he has done this year, its easy to see why he has gotten the points gap. He’s been tremendous, his team has been tremendous, and I hope that we can close that. We have got to win more races in the 2 car to do it, but there is no doubt that he has been one of the best competitors that you can drive against. I am excited for the rest of the season and who knows what will happen. This is INDYCAR and things can change really quickly. So, let’s stick with it and see how it shapes up.”

WILL POWER, NO.12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET-FINISHED 2ND:

I AM LOOKING AT THAT FINAL RESTART AND OBVIOUSLY THAT WAS KEY

“Yeah, it was a very good restart.  We struggled massively at the beginning and my engineer made a really good change. Taking wing out helped me so much. I had a really fast car, we just needed to pit a couple of laps early so that we could be P2 to Josef and I think we might have had a shot at it. It’s the best car that I have had here, and I was really happy with it and enjoyed the race. Not the first stint though.  Man, I was like white knuckling it the whole time, so I am stoked to get the Verizon Chevy to P2.  Its pretty tough to beat Josef here, but we will do it one day.  We will get him.”

HOW TOUGH IS IT TO JUST BE THE DRIVER AND NOT THE STRATEGIST AND THEY ARE TRYING TO WORK TOWARD THE WIN?

“Yeah, I mean yeah.  Those guys have done so well for me over the years, its just tough around here.  You have to be real sneaky to call to pit, because if you pit, then everyone will just come at the same time. Yeah, mega day.  I was thinking we were going to be struggling to be in the top 10, but it just shows how quickly that stuff can change. Stoked with all the team effort and everything. Bloody great.”

FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 6 ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR CHEVROLET-FINISHED 4^TH:

DID YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE FIGHTING FOR A WIN LATE IN THIS RACE?

“Yes and no.  We have been strong here previously and I thought we all had a tough day as a team yesterday.  Pato did a mega performance.  Today the car was really good. Arrow McLaren and NTT Data, big thanks to them.  We turned the car around really good, and we also found ourselves one lap behind at one point.  From there on we had two really, really good stints in the middle. The last stint was initially pretty good, then we struggled a little bit at the end.  The last restart, I don’t know. I will have to look at it but I felt like Will kind of pushed me up in the marbles and I was very lucky to finish the race because I was full locked and waiting to see where I was going to end up. So, yeah, never been more bummed about a fourth-place finish, but it was a good drive.  Those last lap things can end up either way as we saw at Indy.  Hell of a day for us and glad we have some momentum going.”

SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 XPEL TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET-FINISHED 5TH:

WHAT IS THE PHYSICAL TOLL ON THE SECOND HALF OF THE DAY ON AN OVAL DOUBLEHEADER?

“Its more mental than anything. I have no idea how I finished that last stint. I had burned the right rear off and I was just hanging on. It was a Sprint Car there. So, out on the cush and having a lot of fun, but I am happy to bring the XPEL Chevrolet back with two top fives.  A podium is not a bad deal. I would have loved to have joined my teammates at the podium today, but we just tried something different, and it didn’t quite work.”

WE HEARD YOU TOWARD THE END ON THE RADIO JUST TRYING NOT TO CRASH. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE AND DID YOU KNOW AS YOU DROPPED BACK THAT IT DIDN’T MATTER AND WASN’T FOR POSITION?

“I had run out of tools. I was fully stiff on my front bar, fully stuffed on my rear bar, and I was all the way to the right in my weight jacker.  I had zero tools left and I was just driving this thing. It was fun and I learned a lot and its not fun when you restart with the whole field behind you. But it is what it is, and I am learning every lap around these ovals and what I learned this weekend was huge and I can’t wait to come back here in the future.”

YOU DON’T COME FROM AN OVAL BACKGROUND BUT THIS IS YOUR 13^TH OVAL AND YOUR SEVENTH TOP FIVE. WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO GET SO GOOD ON THIS TYPE OF RACING?

“Look, Team Penske builds great cars.  They gave us three rocket ships as you saw this weekend. We probably tried a little bit too hard to undercut Josef and Will to get in front of them with that off strategy sort of move that we did mid-race.  But yeah, I am very proud of the car that I drive, the people I drive for, and yeah, just very lucky. I count my lucky stars.  Just speaking to some of the drivers at intros and they are a little jealous and they are scared to go up against us which is a nice thing about ovals.  But there is a lot of respect there for sure. 

PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR CHEVROLET-FINISHED 10TH:

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RUN TODAY PATO

“I don’t have an explanation on what happened today. We obviously went the wrong way, at least that is what it seems like. Obviously, the guys are going to do a sit down now and see if maybe we missed something in that transfer.  But man, just the pure fact that we didn’t end up in an accident with just ourselves or somebody else, feels like a win.  It’s just, I don’t know.  You come into these weekends knowing usually where you have been in the past and a chance to kind of bounce back. Obviously, today, it feels like we just threw that away.  I don’t have an explanation for that, and I don’t think any of us know what or why. It felt like it was the right direction, and as you can tell, I am just confused.  Congratulations to Josef, he dominated. Absolutely destroyed everybody.  Would have loved to have made him sweat a little bit and fight it out with him like we have in the past. But today was just a miserable day for us.”

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN INDYCAR CHEVROLET-FINISHED 15TH:

ON HIS RACE:

”This was pretty much a lost weekend for us. With it being a doubleheader, double points, we needed to capitalize here, and it just didn’t happen. We were outside the window and just didn’t have the pace we needed to compete. We have a lot to look into before Nashville. We’re all hungry for more than what it showed this weekend.”

CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET-FINISHED 14^TH:

“Pretty strong two days for us. 15th yesterday; 14th today. Nine positions gained yesterday; 10 positions today. Yeah, overall car felt great. A lot more comfortable today with the car than yesterday. So we made some big improvements. We just got really unlucky with the yellows. I was the last person for Newgarden’s pass on both of those last yellows and I lost I lost laps because of that. Otherwise, just before that I was fighting with other cars and yeah, it was looking quite good. So a little bit annoying; luck wasn’t on our side at all that sort of stuff. But race was good. And we did the best job we could. I think it was it was promising. So big thanks to the team. Thanks for Chevy. Thanks, Pete are on board with us this weekend. On to Nashville.”

AGUSTIN CANAPINO, NO. 78 JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET-FINISHED 26^TH:

“Unfortunately, I touched the wall when I picked up the marbles which is a shame because we were really good battling with guys at that moment. I think today we had a car that could have run in top-10, maybe more. So, thanks to my team for the work they always do. Today is learning for me. It was my mistake.”

PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

Josef Newgarden

Will Power

THE MODERATOR: Joined by Josef Newgarden as well, back with another victory here. Driving the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet. Obviously sixth win here at Iowa. Fifth straight oval win, which ranks you up there with A.J. Foyt, 1964, the great Al Unser in ’68 and 1970. 29th career INDYCAR SERIES win now, which ties you with Rick Mears on the 13th all-time. Ain’t so bad.

First time the INDYCAR SERIES has had a double-header sweep since Scott Dixon did it in Toronto in 2013. You made it look easy leading 211 of the 250 laps, but I know it wasn’t. Your thoughts about another win here at Iowa?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: By no means easy. I think today was different. As we spoke about yesterday, I felt like today was going to have a different twist, and it did.

I think that’s why you saw the order slightly jumbled in the top ten. Just balance-wise with a hotter track you were getting different reactions from the car, and we needed to keep up with it.

I think the good thing is and the fortunate thing for us is that we have a really good baseline race car here. You know, it’s impossible to win around this place without a great car, and we always have it at this track. At least in recent memory we’ve always had it.

Yeah, it was great day. I feel really happy today. Yesterday felt incomplete. That’s the only way I can put it. When you have a double-header and you feel like you have a great car underneath you, finishing day one it just doesn’t feel finished. Today I feel like we’re done now. We can leave.

I’m much happier today, and really proud of the team. Excited for them. They deserve it. They put in a lot of work, and they deserve the results this weekend.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Josef Newgarden.

Q. You just said it was a different twist today. Does it mean the car was different than yesterday?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, the balance was different today. The tires were wearing out I think more aggressively, or let’s just say they were wearing quicker with the track temp elevated slightly more.

Balance was different. It was more difficult today to manage the front rear axle of the car relative to yesterday. Yesterday if you had one axle going off during the race, it stayed consistently sort of there. You can manipulate it on both ends of the car, but today it was both ends, and you could get yourself in a bad spot on either end of the race car today really quickly. It could flip stint to stint.

I think that’s what made it trickier, and that’s probably why you saw some people moving more today because it was easier to get it wrong, and you just had to be really on top of your tools to make sure that you didn’t let it get away from you.

Q. You talked about it a little bit in post-race on TV just about the satisfaction and relief almost of being able to get through this weekend and not being able to totally celebrate or appreciate yesterday’s win until today’s race was over with. What is that like after you got done talking to us going through your routine, going to bed last night? What emotions, what was that feeling like, that tension of not being able to be totally settled or happy with a great performance that you just had done?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I would say I just felt heightened. Similar to when you haven’t run a race on a normal weekend, you know, you are just heightened the night before.

I’m just focused. I’m focused on what’s going to be different. I watched probably four hours of video last night just figuring out what can be a little bit better, including the whole broadcast.

I just felt kind of on the chip just ready to go, like it’s just not done. It’s half of what the available points are, and so I felt really charged and ready to rock again.

But I wouldn’t say that’s different to a normal weekend. That’s how you feel leading up to a Sunday. So you get through Saturday, and you think, oh, what a great achievement, and it was, but it’s just not done yet. You can reverse everything the next day.

Now I feel good about it. We’re not reversing anything. We did the job, and now we can leave.

Q. Like winning pole on a Saturday, but not feeling like the weekend is totally done?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think that’s a good way to put it. Winning the pole is a big deal. It helps. Very satisfying, but it’s kind of just half the battle.

I would say even the pole is less than that. It’s probably 25% of the battle. The wins are so much more. Yesterday truly only felt like 50% of the battle.

Q. Going into the final championship stretch of five races with four races on road and street courses. I know you’ve been a little bit up and down with one podium this year I think at Road America, a handful of top tens, but maybe not quite the strength or the consistency as Alex. What do you feel like you guys are going to have to get out of those last couple of races, and do you guys feel like you have that performance and the distance in the car to try and steal this one from him?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think that’s the unknown. We have been a little bit too up and down across the board. We’ve talked about this before.

It’s just, yeah, I don’t think we have the consistency that we want as a team. When you look at every track type, we’re probably bouncing up and down a little bit too much.

There’s no doubt that the ovals, particularly the race package has been very strong for us. It’s hard to complain about our race cars on ovals these days. They’re very, very good.

It’s a complex schedule on the way out. We’ve got to do street course, road course, oval, back to two road courses, and yeah, it is a question mark. We definitely have to elevate our game on where we’ve been the first half of the year. There’s no doubt.

I think that Alex and his crew, they’re in a really good spot. They’ve had what appears to be a pretty consistent program. We’ve got to elevate to their level and just execute.

You just never know what’s going to happen. I think if we can be excellent on the back half of the schedule, then anything is possible.

THE MODERATOR: I have an apology to Graham Rahal, who swept the Detroit double-header in 2017. I was thinking I blamed someone who wasn’t here. Anyway, kudos to Nathan on that one.

Q. You were saying about the four hours of video. What was that made up of? I guess you watched the race broadcast, and was it…

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Just whatever we have. Whatever we record I’m watching or listening to, yeah.

Q. You mentioned in recent memory the car has been good here. You had obviously won races before the Aero screens came in. Do you think there’s any characteristics that the Aero screens introduced into the car, and that’s why you’ve been so good in this period after this?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I wouldn’t say so. I think this is — I think Iowa has stayed so consistent over the last, let’s say, four, five years. It’s the same challenge every time we’re here.

It moves around a little bit, right, year to year depending on temp, track condition, tires. Tire was slightly different this year. There were small differences, but I think the broad equation or the overall problem that you’re trying to solve here has not changed.

I would say other tracks have changed dramatically with the Aero screen. This has not been one of them. The only thing is it’s wearing out more and more. Degradation is just higher every year, but the thing you have to figure out is just the same every year. You know, how do you get the thing consistent?

It doesn’t take much. Everybody is struggling with it. And if you just get fractionally more consistent than the competition, then it can make a massive difference here relative to another track.

Q. I know last year this day was not a good one or anyone around you would want to really think about it or remember it. But emotionally or just personally, does this win today feel — have you thought about that day last year and what this win might mean to kind of correct that a little bit and just what that feels like?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m happy it didn’t happen again. You know, it was — to just answer the question, no, I have not thought about it much. I didn’t think about it last year or think that, hey, I want to come here and right the wrong. It wasn’t that sort of situation.

When I think back to it, what pops out in my head is more the work that had to go into make sure they let me stay in the race car the next weekend. That’s what stands out to me.

Obviously the win-loss was disappointing too for many reasons, but I just remember that the week after that, it was a heck of a journey trying to make sure that we were in the car.

But, no, I wasn’t thinking about it. As far as this weekend, the only thing that stands out is that — we talked about it yesterday, but just any person that I talked to, they just assume. They just assume, oh, you’re going to have a great weekend.

I just stay very vigilant with that because there is going to be a year. It’s bound to happen. We’re going to show up here, and we’re not going to be very good.

That’s okay. I’m expecting that to happen. I want to be able to get on top of it when it does hit us, but yeah, that’s the challenge that I think of when I come here.

Q. I guess now you can leave the leather helmet at home that you wore at Indy last year. You whacked 18 more points off the lead. You’re down to 80. If somebody had said to you entering the weekend you can get points lead down to 80, or a deficit, I should say, how would you have felt about that? And five races to go, is it doable?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, I would take it. I don’t know about you, but that’s a positive result I think leaving the weekend.

I would have liked it to reach 50 or 60. That sound better, but that’s not where we’re at, and I think we did a pretty good job given what was in our control this weekend.

I mean, it’s hard not to give kudos to Alex. I think he just did a great job. Clearly we seem to have the upper hand this weekend, and he had a great day today. You know, he maximized what he could, and I think that speaks to what he brings to his program. He maximizes his results. He minimized a loss today. You know, it could have be more, and he just made sure it wasn’t.

He is a tremendous competitor. Did a great job. I wish we gained more, but I’m not going to be dissatisfied with where we brought it to.

Q. Josef, when I asked Alex and Will when they were in here earlier, they told me that in the pre-race meeting that you guys were told with ten to go if there’s a caution, pits would not open with the attempt to try to get a green flag finish at the end. Was that your same understanding, and did you know that, or did that come to mind when that yellow flag came out with ten to go?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah. Yeah, that’s how I understood it too. It seems to be the most fair way to — it’s such a short track.

To procedurally do all the things that they want to do, just to give second, third, and so on place a chance at the end on a restart, I don’t like that, but I think if you’re looking at it from a fairness standpoint, if you’re going to let everyone have pit stops, then you have to — okay, we do that, but then we also have to move all the lap cars.

I don’t think they have enough time on this length of the track. That’s the situation that happened in 2018, and we ran out — we thought we were going to go green, and we pitted, and we didn’t. We just ran out of time.

I think the only way they can really approach this stuff is get the lap cars out of the way, we will go to the restart, and not allow anybody to pit. It’s probably the fairest thing can you do.

I didn’t love it. I would have preferred to keep the lap cars in between. But looking at it from a competitor, I think it’s the fairest way they can approach it.

Q. We’ve had a couple more laps. Say everyone gets a chance to pit and puts on fresh tires, obviously you dominated the race up to that point. Do you feel like you still would have had the car underneath you with the adjustments that you had made and the adjustments some other cars up close to you had made to fend folks off at the end if that had been the circumstance?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: So difficult to say. I have no idea. I would like to think, yeah, we would have been just fine, but this race can change quickly.

The balance can get away from you really fast. I think we managed our balance perfectly at the time we needed to. We needed to do it for 250 laps. If it was longer, it was 300, maybe we would lose out to somebody else, but it’s impossible to say.

Q. Following up on the caution with ten to go — you’re smiling.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Caution with ten to go and I’m smiling?

Q. You’re smiling at me like I’m about to ask something —

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know what you are about to ask. I’m very curious what you’re about to ask. You’re giving me that cheeky smile, like…

Q. Is the red flag not an option the way it is at the Indy 500 if there is a late caution like that?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Definitely. I will say that procedurally this is what they said they were going to do. They also have the abandonment of procedures, so they could just do whatever they want; right?

I guess saying that, the red flag is the option. Yeah, maybe. Maybe. That’s definitely doable.

I don’t know in this type of — it’s hard to say. I’ll say this. Whatever they were going to do, I’m fine with it. We’ll race, and we’ll figure it out, and we’ll still try and win.

What they did today, we lived with it. I thought it was fair enough, but if they want to do it differently in the future, I’m all game for whatever anybody wants to do. Whatever is going to make everybody happy, that’s what we should be doing. Everybody, every person.

Q. The style of racing, did some of the offenders heed your advice today?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, but I think I probably made too much of a stink about it. I was worried about the reverse happening and it just getting worse. It didn’t get worse. It was the same situation as yesterday.

I knew that was probably going to be the case. Like I said yesterday, I was trying to be prepared today on what I could do within my control to manage it.

When you are out there and this stuff is happening, I can’t affect anybody else. The only thing I can do is just be more prepared, and I have felt more prepared today. I was ready for it, and whatever was coming my way, I was just going to handle it as it was.

Q. And your corn field comment after the race about buying a corn field, I mean, I know that they do grow corn in Tennessee, but not quite like in Iowa. But just the fact that this part of the country has done so well for you, and also, you came up driving go-karts at New Castle in Indiana in the Midwest. The whole midwestern thing really works for you.

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Bruce, I’m here to invest; okay? I’m ready. I’m going to buy some corn fields. I’m going to start producing for the country and doing my part. It seems like the right thing to do at this point with all the years I’ve spent here. I agree with you.

I really like Iowa. It’s actually a great little place. It’s not super busy out here, but it feels like a big event this weekend is what I’ll say. I think Hy-Vee has done a tremendous job at making this a destination.

I like to say it’s the Field of Dreams of racing. It really is. It’s a cool place to come and visit and spend a weekend, and Hy-Vee has made it an event. So it’s only gotten better from the first time I’ve been here.

Yeah, I’m going to partner with — I’m not even going to say it. I’m going to get myself in trouble. But, yeah, maybe.

Q. To kind of differentiate this race from yesterday’s race, would you rather see it be 300 laps to where it’s a little bit different procedurally, or are you fine with it staying two 250s?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to change the show. I almost think — gosh, I mean, whatever you say it’s going to be unpopular. I almost think you could put a little downforce on the cars again. I’ll just say it. I’ll say it.

I don’t want anyone to change it. I’m pretty happy with it the way it is, but if you really want to help the show, I think you put some more downforce back on the cars. It gets strung out pretty fast here, which is fun. I love it. As a race car driver, it’s a good formula. I would just put more horsepower, make them dig even more. That would be my request.

But if you are trying to appease people, you could probably put a little bit more downforce back on, close it up, and you would still get that degradation on the sort of back one-third of a stint, but just keep the group compressed a little bit longer into a stint is what I think we could do to maybe improve the show, if that’s what we’re looking to do.

Q. Or have one of them be a nice race?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I’m never against a night race. I would run every race as a night race if it was my decision.

Q. Before the race weekend, it was my impression a lot of talk about tire degradation. So how was the whole weekend summarized with the tire situation? Was it worse? Was it bad?

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was slightly worse, yeah, for degradation. And by worse I don’t mean in a bad way. There just was more. I think naturally there was more.

Every year you come here and the track is a little bit older, you’re always going to experience slightly more. It wasn’t night and day different to last year. I would say it’s slightly more, but not night and day. Pretty similar race.

Q. (Off microphone).

JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, yeah, no, no, no. I mean, the tire is strong and structurally great. There’s nothing wrong with that.

When it wears out, you just run a little bit slower, but it was very similar it last year. I would say you just have a tiny year-over-year increase.

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations. Josef Newgarden driving the No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet, now a six-time winner here at Iowa.

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon. Wrapping up today’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 here at Iowa Speedway, and for that matter the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend. Again, Josef Newgarden will join us momentarily as will third place finishing driver Alex Palou, but joined now by Will Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet.

Managing his best finish of the season with a second. It’s his fourth podium of the season, 98th of his career. Will, kind of a long weekend, but you made some points and a couple of good finishes there for you.

WILL POWER: Yeah, good weekend. Two poles, second. I feel like I had the car to really challenge at the end there.

We’re lucky to get the yellow. Probably should have pitted a couple of laps earlier. It probably would have put us in contention. Struggled the first two massively. Like, massively. Massively loose.

Yeah, once we fixed that, we were really strong again. That was really good. Yeah, good day, good day.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Will Power?

Q. You’ve been on rolls before in your career, but you know, tracks that are just Will Power tracks. Will Power is going to win this race, and everybody else is fighting for second. It seems lately Josef has this place figured out. Is it almost exasperating that no matter what you do, he just seems to be that much ahead of everybody?

WILL POWER: Yeah, it is. I obviously look at it very closely. I felt like we actually finally had it once we made those adjustments to run with him.

We came into pits with him, but I had to wait for X and to pit. It was just bad timing on our part to not pit a couple of laps early.

Obviously risks with that, but not much. Here you have a two-lap window to make a yellow.

Just ovals in general, he has won every single oval that he has finished in a long time now, yeah.

Q. Will, do you see him taking a page out of your playbook from last year in making the most of any day?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I think it’s a points lead that’s not completely comfortable. Pretty comfortable to take a bit more risk. Yeah, he has won a championship before. He knows that. He is going to do what he does, which is pretty good.

Q. Can I go back to Will? A question. You just said earlier a minute ago if I understood it correctly that the car was very loose, and it could be fixed. Was there already an indication today in the morning in warmup that the car was loose?

WILL POWER: There was an indication, and we didn’t do enough. Yeah, yeah, it’s nuts how the adjustment just of the front wing how it transformed the car from just horrible to extremely good.

Q. Was curious how it was communicated to you over the radio on those final ten laps and whether you were surprised that the leaders on the lead lap didn’t get a chance to go through pit lane to take tires or anything over that final ten laps of the race?

WILL POWER: You weren’t allowed to take — yeah, you weren’t allowed.

Q. I didn’t know if you guys would have been expecting the pits —

WILL POWER: To open? There weren’t enough laps left so I guess they were thinking. I think they said that in the driver meeting that with ten to go, they’re just going to — kind of it is what it is, which is quite interesting because it’s like — it would have been a big battle if it was new tires. A bit less with the old tires. Kind of close, but it still would have been a fun restart.

Q. Say this happened five laps early, so 15 to go, maybe more time to allow the pits to open and still get a restart, do either of you feel like you had a car to take to Josef on fresh tires with the adjustments you guys have made over the course of the race to challenge him for a win, or would it have still probably been the same or similar results?

WILL POWER: Yeah, I really did. I was right within that last stint going into the pit stop, and I had to wait for Ericsson to pit, so it was going to be interesting.

My car was very, very strong middle to end of stint. And at the beginning, yeah, I had a great restart. Went from I think sixth to third and then just hung back and saved tires and went again and went to second.

Yeah, that’s the first time I actually thought, yeah, I could probably challenge this guy. A little bit last year, yeah, and today. Not yesterday.

Q. Will, you mentioned the Ericsson pit stop. They held you while he went in. How heads-up was that and then to realize, hey, Ericsson is coming in, there are some people that have penalties for unsafe releases. Let’s keep him here and —

WILL POWER: I was watching my mirror because I saw them set up, and I knew that he would be coming, so I sat there watching. There was confusion on the radio that I was, like, not going to have one of these.

It sucks because you just watched three, four — almost three or four seconds tick by. A chunk of time. Like, he came out, and I could hardly see him. I came in the pits right on him, on Josef.

Yeah, that’s the gamble. I just thought we were in a position to take a big risk and pit way early because we’re not really in the championship. Just go for a win. But I’m not on the stand, so I don’t know the situation. I don’t think anyone had pitted at that point, but that would have given us clear in and out and the undercut.

CHEVROLET IN NHRAFLAV-R-PAC NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS PACIFIC RACEWAYS KENT, WASHINGTON TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT JULY 23, 2023 JOHN FORCE RACING AND TEAM CHEVY FACE TOUGH NHRA NORTHWEST NATIONALS RACE DAY IN SEATTLE John Force raced to Round 2 after a bye in the first round, with his day ending early in the second when he was defeated by Chad Green.  Falling in Round 1, Robert Hight’s day ended prematurely after facing a defeat by Cruz Pedregon.Teammates Austin Prock and Brittany faced each other in Round 1 after qualifying No. 5 and No. 10 respectively.J. Force captured his first No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 season and 166th of his legendary career Saturday at the Northwest Nationals. KENT, Washington (July 23, 2023) – Heading into the 2023 Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals race day at Pacific Raceways, the Chevrolet nitro teams of John Force Racing faced a tough day and premature elimination. In what had been a hopeful and winning weekend in the Pacific Northwest unfortunately saw Brittany Force, driver of the Flav-R-Pack/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, as well as her father John Force, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, eliminated in Round 2. Despite the early exit, B. Force did continue showing her team’s strength, setting the track speed record at Pacific Raceways during the weekend. “That first-round win was an outstanding run for this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team. We set the track speed record and ran low ET of the weekend. Our team worked really hard to turn things around after an uneventful two days of qualifying. Unfortunately, we went out the second round, but we know our error and we’ll improve it before we go to the next race,” Force said. “Overall, we were really excited to be out here representing Flav-R-Pac at their title race. It was awesome to see Flav-R-Pac splashed all over everywhere. I wish we could have done better but we’ll attempt to get the job done again next weekend in Sonoma.” Hopeful to visit the Winner’s Circle at day’s end, J. Force looked strong at the conclusion of qualifying Saturday by capturing his 166th career No. 1 qualifier with a run of 3.915 ET at 327.35 MPH. “Not the day we wanted. Couldn’t get the job done for Frank Tiegs at his Flav-R-Pac race. Really thought, after going No. 1 and after that first round in Top Fuel, we might have had it. Just not our day,” Force said. “This PEAK team, we’re doing good. We can hang with the rest of these teams, just need to find our consistency. We’ll pack up and head to the next one, try to get some rounds in Sonoma.” Facing Round 1 elimination, Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car, fell to Cruz Pedregon after smoking the tires on his run. Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, was knocked out by teammate B. Force after racing tightly to the finish line. The Chevrolet Top Fuel and Funny Car teams at John Force Racing in NHRA wrap up the Western Swing with the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California July 28-30, 2023. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live at 4 p.m. ET on FOX Sunday, July 30, 2023. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team had a strong run today; we were just lined up against the wrong car. Drag racing is tough and humbling sometimes. We have a good hot rod right now, we just need some things to fall our way. On to Sonoma to give it another go.” Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:“Disappointing, but again, we get the opportunity to turn it around in just a couple days. I know this Cornwell Tools team was really hoping to get another Northwest Nationals Wally. Would have been nice to get it done for Frank Tiegs again at his title race after everything he’s done for John Force Racing. Hopefully we can turn it around and get into a groove starting in Sonoma next weekend.” Round 1 Recap:Top Fuel:No. 10 Brittany Force defeated teammate No. 5 Austin Prock with her 3.707 ET pass at 334.73 MPH to Prock’s 3.738 ET at 325.92 MPH.Funny Car:No. 1 John Force moved to Round 2 after seeing a bye in the first round.No. 4 Robert Hight fell to No. 11 Cruz Pedregon after he ran a 4.412 ET at 214.89 MPH to Pedregon’s 3.956 ET at 323.50 MPH. Round 2 Recap:Top Fuel:B. Force fell to Steve Torrence with her run of 8.811 ET at 70.93 MPH to his 3.752 ET at 328.78 MPH.Funny Car:J. Force fell to Chad Green with his run of 4.229 ET at 255.43 MPH to Green’s 3.979 ET at 319.52 MPH.

KENT, Wash. (July 23, 2023) – With Steve Torrence’s victory at Pacific Raceways today, Toyota Gazoo Racing North America has achieved a milestone in NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series competition – 200 event wins. 

Toyota has participated in NHRA, the largest auto racing organization in the world, since the 2002 with the first Toyota Celica Funny Car. Jerry Toliver delivered the first win for Toyota in March 2004 at the Winternationals at Pomona Dragway. Since then, Toyota has earned hundreds of victories across NHRA’s two nitro divisions – Top Fuel and Funny Car. Toyota has been an official partner with NHRA for nearly a decade – holding the Official Car of the NHRA title since 2014.

“We are honored to have achieved our 200th victory in NHRA competition,” said David Wilson, president, TRD. “Our NHRA teams constantly deliver for Toyota on and off the drag strip. Their hard work and tireless effort to succeed has allowed us to achieve this incredible milestone in our Toyota Racing history. We look forward to celebrating this achievement with them and continuing to work towards the season-long championship titles.”

Long-time Toyota driver Antron Brown holds the most Toyota victories with 56, while Larry Dixon (19), Shawn Langdon (17), Del Worsham (17), Cruz Pedregon (13), Morgan Lucas (12), Doug Kalitta (11), J.R. Todd (11) and Richie Crampton (10) all have scored 10 or more victories under the Toyota banner. Toyota drivers have earned 10 total championships, including Brown’s three Top Fuel titles (2012, 2015, 2016) and Top Fuel and Funny Car titles with Worsham. Toyota’s newest driver, Ron Capps, is the reigning Funny Car titlist.

Toyota’s current driver lineup – Justin Ashley, Brown, Capps, Alexis DeJoria, Kalitta, Langdon, Todd and Steve Torrence – have all scored victories with Toyota support.

NASCAR CUP SERIESPOCONO RACEWAYHIGHPOINT.COM 400TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORTJULY 22, 2023

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER7th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Blue Buffalo Camaro ZL19th      Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL110th    Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1  The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Richmond Raceway with the Cook Out 400 on Sunday, July 30, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:

RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 BLUE BUFFALO CAMARO ZL1Finished: 7thStenhouse Jr. on his top-10 finish at Pocono Raceway:“It was an up-and-down day for the No. 47 Blue Buffalo Chevy team. We didn’t have track position at the beginning. We got it there in the middle stages of the race, but just wasn’t good enough to keep it. The guys made some really good adjustments and we got better. The final stage when we ran long, we were running good lap times when we got clean air. We took two tires and that gave us really good track position for when the cautions came out. It was just about timing those restarts there at the end. We messed up every restart there at the beginning, and then nailed every one there at the end. All-in-all, it was a really strong day for our team.”  ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1Finished: 9th Jones on his top-10 finish at Pocono Raceway: “It was a good day for the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy. I thought we had some good speed. We capitalized a lot on strategy and some opportunities to get up to the top there at the end. We had some restarts go our way and happy it played out for us. It was a good day and hope to keep improving.” Your team is trending in the right direction and your team is heading to your home track of Michigan International Speedway in a couple weeks. How does that feel knowing that you guys have it going in the right way with your last five races going pretty well overall?“Yeah, it’s exciting. You want to go to Michigan (International Speedway) and run well. We want to get through next weekend at Richmond (Raceway) and run well. It’s been a place where we’ve struggled the last couple of years with this car. But Michigan has been another one, historically, like Pocono (Raceway) that’s been good for us. We ran good there last year. Hopefully we can carry some speed and things we learned here that I think we can probably get better on our No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy to go to a big track like Michigan. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m happy with where we’ve been going.” What does this momentum mean for you and the No. 43 Chevy team? “It’s good. Obviously we wish we were fighting for that playoff spot – we’re in a must-win. But we need some more speed to get into a winning position on tracks like this. Daytona (International Speedway) is obviously going to be an opportunity, but we need another step going to a place like Michigan (International Speedway) coming up to contend for wins. We made big gains – we went from a 25th place team to a top-12 team, I’d say, right now. Just hope we can find a way to take that next step.”  NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 22nd“Decent day for our No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevy team. Just lost too much on pit road and didn’t make good adjustments there at the end. It’s a step in the right direction, but we just need to be better. Disappointing, but we don’t have a mark on the car. We just need to be better.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in the Final Stage. Finished: 34thYou got caught up in an incident after having a great run today. We saw the displeasure with Tyler Reddick – what happened and what message were you trying to send him? “That I was mad. I don’t know – I heard (Dale Earnhardt) Jr.’s replay said that I came down a little bit. I felt like I was holding my own. He was at my left-rear going in there, and I knew we were three-wide. I think I’ve got the right to at least hold my lane. I’ve got to turn at some point to get down. Brad (Keselowski) was on my outside, maybe a half-lane up. But Tyler (Reddick) drove it in there, and obviously I feel like he drove it in there deep enough where he had to come up the track into me. We can look at the SMT and see the little fine movements that we make, but I felt like that was not the time to do that for the No. 45.  I hate it for the No. 3 BREZTRI Chevy team. We really sucked at the beginning of the race. We got the car much better and made some good strategy moves. But we just live to fight another day. It was a pretty rough hit.”  DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident in Stage Two. Finished: 36th Suarez on the accident that ended his day: “I don’t know – I got turned around on the right-rear on a very fast straightaway. Just lucky we didn’t get wrecked big time, but unfortunately we couldn’t continue anymore. But at the end of the day, it’s our fault. We shouldn’t be back there with those guys. We fought the balance of the car in the first stage. We lost a bunch of track position. We kind of got it back a little bit. I felt like once we got the balance, we were going to be able to drive the front. But we didn’t get the opportunity to and got wrecked before that.  It was a racing incident, but we shouldn’t be back there racing with those guys anyway.” How tough of a deal is this given the playoff situation? “Yeah, it’s not great; it’s not ideal. But I have to control what I can control, and I cannot control some of the other guys. Like I said, in my mind, we shouldn’t be racing back there. We had a car capable of running in the top-10, top-15 at least, and we were running in the 20s because we missed the balance of the car in the first stage. We just have to be better.” How frustrated are you at this point? “Definitely frustrated because I feel like we’re better than this. I’m frustrated also because I feel like guys are wrecking each other and I’m the one that ended up out of the race without being in their mess. But what are you going to do – sometimes you’re on the good end of it and sometimes you’re on the bad end of it. Unfortunately today, I was on the short end of it.”

KENT, WA (July 23, 2023) — Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma rolled into Pacific Raceways looking to build some momentum in the middle of the historic NHRA Western Swing. The Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals offered Ashley the chance to get back to sea level and more consistent racing conditions. After three rounds of qualifying Ashley headed in to race day as the No. 3 qualifier on the strength of his final qualifying pass. In the last session Ashley’s Phillips Connect Toyota dragster made the quickest run of the session and jumped the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year from the No. 7 spot to the No. 3 position and first round race with eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher.

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Okuma takes out Tony Schumacher in first round, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

 
In a monster match-up Ashley and Schumacher left the starting line together and it was the Phillips Connect dragster making the more powerful pass getting to the finish line in 3.740 seconds at 327.82 mph ahead of Schumacher’s 3.785 second run at 326.71 mph. The win propelled Ashley into the second round and race against Denver winner Clay Millican.
 
Millican and Ashley were each looking to keep a unique streak alive as they pulled up to the starting line. Every time each driver has advanced out of the first round of competition, excluding the four-wide national events, they have raced to the final round this season. Ashley held a four out of five wins record in finals and Millican was two for two.
 
Ashley, true to form as the best leaver in the category was first off of the starting line with a .057 reaction time and the Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma was flying to the finish. As Ashley closed in on the 1,000 marker the Goodyears slicks on his 11,000-horsepower dragster began to lose traction robbing the points leader of much needed momentum. The door was opened for Millican to get around him at the finish line for the win.
 
“It’s a tricky racetrack. Throughout the weekend a lot of cars, ourselves included, started to spin the tires down the racetrack and we tried to do everything we could to prevent that from happening,” said Ashley. “That’s just a part of racing. We obviously wanted to go out there and make it solid A to B run and give Clay a run for his money, but we came up a little short. Mike Green, Tommy DeLago and our team are the best in the business. We learned from it and we’ll move on to Sonoma.”

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

 
The second race in two weeks takes its toll on all the teams but the experience has become more manageable for Ashley. This is the championship contender’s third swing and he is handling the grueling travel and back-to-back races much better.
 
“The swing is a different animal,” said Ashley. “You have three races in row on the West Coast, and now that I’ve done it a few times, I feel more comfortable myself and I know that we have plenty of guys who have done it multiple times before. This was a good event for our Phillips Connect team from our visit to Harbor Food Services on Friday to spending time with all our hospitality guests over the weekend.”
 
After the second round exit Ashley was back in his pits reviewing the run with his crew chiefs and helping his team prepare for the move down the coast to Sonoma. The fan-favorite driver was also spending time on the pit ropes signing autographs and posing for photos with his supportive fan base.
 
“It’s disappointing when you don’t win, but when you come back to the pits and you see kids, adults and NHRA fans waiting at the ropes for a picture or an autograph, it really puts things in perspective,” said Ashley. “I have a lot of gratitude, just to be able to live out a dream and do it with a team and marketing partners that are like family. It’s best to have a short memory in this sport and appreciate the opportunities that present themselves at the racetrack.”
 
The Phillips Connect Toyota team will be back in action Friday night at Sonoma Raceway with two qualifying sessions. On Saturday the team will get two more runs to try and secure their second No. 1 qualifier of the season. One Sunday Ashley will be chasing his fifth Top Fuel national event win of the season when eliminations begin at 10:30 a.m. PST. The race will be televised nationally on FOX.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.801 sec, 319.46 mph; Qual. 4
Q2: 3.842 sec; 310.98 mph; Qual. 7
Q3: 3.760 sec, 325.45 mph; Qual. 3
Bonus Points: +3 (quickest of Q3)
 
Race Results
 
First Round
Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma, (.048), 3.740, 327.82 mph def.Tony Schumacher, SCAG dragster, (.048), 3.785, 326.71 mph
 
Second Round
Clay Millican, Parts Plus/Rick Ware Racing dragster, (.079), 3.807, 316.82 mph def.  Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Okuma, (.057), 3.973, 272.78 mph
 
Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence       821
2. Justin Ashley          817
3. Leah Pruett             685
4. Brittany Force         684
5. Austin Prock            654
6. Doug Kalitta             637
7. Antron Brown         624
8. Mike Salinas           622
9. Josh Hart                 571
10. Clay Millican         568
 

KENT, Wash. (July 23, 2023) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team will maintain their fourth-place points position after a quarterfinal exit at the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals Sunday at Pacific Raceways. John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS also had a quarterfinal exit while Robert Hight with the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevy Camaro SS and Ausitn Prock with the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevy dragster exited in the first round. Entering the day as the No. 10 qualifiers, Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac team had an unfortunate first-round match-up with teammate Austin Prock. Force and Prock would put on quite the show with their side-by-side quickest pair of the weekend. The Flav-R-Pac team would take the win with a 3.707-second run at a track record 334.73 mph while Prock would handle the Montana Brand dragster to a stout 3.738 at 325.92. Force’s impressive showing in the first round landed her in a quarterfinal race against four-time champion Steve Torrence. The Flav-R-Pac machine would run into tire smoke around 60 feet, coasting to the finish line at 8.811 seconds and 70.93 mph. Torrence wouldn’t miss a beat with a 3.752 pass at 319.52. “That first-round win was an outstanding run for this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team. We set the track speed record and ran low ET of the weekend. Our team worked really hard to turn things around after an uneventful two days of qualifying. Unfortunately, we went out the second round, but we know our error and we’ll improve it before we go to the next race,” Force said. “Overall, we were really excited to be out here representing Flav-R-Pac at their title race. It was awesome to see Flav-R-Pac splashed all over everywhere. I wish we could have done better but we’ll attempt to get the job done again next weekend in Sonoma.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team, who entered the day as the No. 5 qualifiers, held onto their No. 5 points position after taking the first-round loss to Force. Their 3.738-second pass at 325.92 was the third-best ET of the round and coupled with Prock’s .067 reaction time would have beat anyone else in the round. “This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team had a strong run today; we were just lined up against the wrong car. Drag racing is tough and humbling sometimes,” Prock said. “We have a good hot rod right now, we just need some things to fall our way. On to Sonoma to give it another go.” John Force and the PEAK Chevy started race day as the No. 1 qualifiers after they had a blistering Saturday evening pass. The efforts earned the 16-time champion a first-round bye. Force would handle the PEAK Camaro to a 3.952-second run at 323.89 mph to earn lane choice over his second-round opponent, Chad Green. Force would run into trouble in the quarterfinal matchup, crossing the finish line at only 4.229 seconds. “Not the day we wanted. Couldn’t get the job done for Frank Tiegs at his Flav-R-Pac race. Really thought, after going No. 1 and after that first round in Top Fuel, we might have had it. Just not our day,” Force said. “This PEAK team, we’re doing good. We can hang with the rest of these teams, just need to find our consistency. We’ll pack up and head to the next one, try to get some rounds in Sonoma.” Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Chevy had their defense of the NHRA Northwest Nationals cut short in the first round. Hight started race day from the No. 4 qualifying spot, squaring up with Cruz Pedregon. The Cornwell Tools Camaro would haze the tires to go only 4.445 seconds at 214.89 mph, falling short of Pedregon’s 3.956 at 323.50. “Disappointing, but again, we get the opportunity to turn it around in just a couple days. I know this Cornwell Tools team was really hoping to get another Northwest Nationals Wally. Would have been nice to get it done for Frank Tiegs again at his title race after everything he’s done for John Force Racing,” Hight said. “Hopefully we can turn it around and get into a groove starting in Sonoma next weekend.” The final leg of the famed NHRA Western Swing kicks off next weekend, July 28-30, with the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:5th; 3.774-seconds; 323.27 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q2) Race Results: Lost to Brittany ForceBRITTANY FORCE, 37, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragsterQualifying:10th; 3.808-seconds; 319.22 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 Race Results: Beat Austin Prock; Lost to Steve Torrence JOHN FORCE, 74, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:2nd; 3.915-seconds; 327.35 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +5 (2nd quickest Q1; quickest Q3)Race Results: Bye; Lost to Chad GreenROBERT HIGHT, 53, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:4th; 3.963-seconds; 320.81 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 Race Results: Lost to Cruz Pedregon

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Top Ten Points Standings TOP FUEL – 1. Steve Torrence, 821; 2. Justin Ashley, 817; 3. Leah Pruett, 685; 4. Brittany Force, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster, 684; 5. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 654; 6. Doug Kalitta, 637; 7. Antron Brown, 624; 8. Mike Salinas, 622; 9. Josh Hart, 571; 10. Clay Millican, 568. FUNNY CAR – 1. Matt Hagan, 832; 2. Ron Capps, 815; 3. Alexis DeJoria, 712; 4. Robert Hight, Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevy Camaro SS, 703; 5. Chad Green, 702; 6. Tie, Bob Tasca III and Tim Wilkerson, 660 each; 8. John Force, PEAK Coolant and Antifreeze Chevy Camaro SS, 605; 9. J.R. Todd, 578; 10. Cruz Pedregon, 508.

 

KENT, WA (July 23, 2023) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster team moved from Denver to Seattle for the Flav-R-Pac NHRA Northwest Nationals this weekend looking to build on his quarterfinal finish from last week. The 2023 Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout winner was returning to Pacific Raceways for the second time in his professional career. Through three rounds of qualifying Hart made two consistent passes and in the final session his R+L Carriers overpowered the track sending the rising Top Fuel star into eliminations as the No. 11 qualifier. His quickest run during qualifying was during the first pass on Saturday and he posted a 3.820 second run at 319.67 mph.

 
“We had three shots in qualifying and coming down from the mountain it took us a couple of runs to get squared away,” said Hart, who has two national event wins. “It was a little warm and our first run on Saturday was something we knew we could build on. The final session of qualifying we just missed it but (crew chief) Ron (Douglas) knew we could throw more at the track on race day.”
 
On race day Hart drew four-time world champion Steve Torrence in a No. 11 versus No. 4 qualifier battle. The fellow independent team owners and drivers have a mountain of respect for each other but that was put to the side when the helmets went on to start the Northwest Nationals. As the Christmas Tree fired Hart was first off the line and was side by side with Torrence as both dragsters flew down the track. As the finish line closed in Torrence was able to get the nose of his Capco Contractors dragster out in front of Hart’s R+L Carriers 12,000-horsepower land rocket.
 
As Hart and Torrence crossed the finish line the win light came on for Torrence and Hart was left with the satisfaction of a well-run race. His R+L Carriers Top Fuel machine made its quickest run of the weekend and showed the team it truly has the power to compete, posting a 3.750 second pass at a whopping 331.12 mph time.

Josh Hart with fans at Northwest Nationals, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery 

“Ron threw everything at the track and we really stepped up with a 3.75 second pass,” said Hart. “The biggest positive is we have a race car that can run with anyone. We just need to get one or two favorable match-ups. These R+L Carriers guys are working really hard and this weekend showed we can battle and keep our heads up.”
 
As the final race of the Western Swing loom next weekend at Sonoma Raceway Hart will look to that event as the beginning of his push to prepare for the Countdown. Four races stand between the championship contender and moving up in the Top Fuel point standings.
 
“This weekend we had a lot of R+L Carriers guests in our hospitality and we will have a good group in Sonoma,” said Hart. “Our job is to win rounds but we want to make sure our guests enjoy the experience. I was able to talk with a lot of guests all weekend and that helps with the sting of a short weekend. I am chasing my dream out here and we have a ton of support. We are going to go after it in Sonoma.”
 
Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel class will be on track on Friday with two qualifying sessions followed by two more qualifying sessions on Saturday. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will battle it out on Sunday with the race being broadcast on FOX nationally.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.915 sec, 308.21 mph; Qual. 8
Q2: 3.820 sec, 319.67 mph; Qual. 8
Q3: 4.492 sec, 173.25 mph; Qual. 11
Bonus Points: 0
 
Race Results
First Round
Steve Torrence, CAPCO Contractors dragster, (.084), 3.736, 328.38 mph def. Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.0073), 3.750, 331.12 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten - Top Fuel
1. Steve Torrence       821
2. Justin Ashley           817
3. Leah Pruett             685
4. Brittany Force         684
5. Austin Prock            654
6. Doug Kalitta             637
7. Antron Brown         624
8. Mike Salinas           622
9. Josh Hart                571
10. Clay Millican         568
 

Event: Northwest Nationals, Pacific Raceways

Scrappers Racing Results:

·      Top Fuel – Mike Salinas – Round 2

·      Pro Stock Motorcycle – Jianna Evaristo – Round 1

Driver/Rider	Opponent	ET
Mike Salinas	Round 1 – BYERound 2 – Shawn Langdon	Round 1 – W. 3.786Round 2 – L. 4.772 vs. 3.792
Jianna Evaristo	Round 1 – Chase Van Sant	Round 1 – L. 6.822 vs. 6.799

KENT, Wash. (July 23, 2023) – Mike Salinas started the weekend in the Northwest strong by claiming the number one qualifier position during the second qualifying session early on Saturday afternoon. The Valley Services Top Fuel dragster posted a time of 3.743 seconds at 329.02 mph for the second number one qualifier for Scrappers Racing this season.

As race morning rolled around, Salinas would inherit a bye run in the first round due to his number one qualifier position. He posted another solid pass at 3.786 seconds even losing a cylinder in his nitro-powered motor on the run. That would give him lane choice over Shawn Langdon for round two, but Salinas had to lift down track and would lose to Langdon with a 4.772 to a 3.792.

“We went up there with the thought of running a smooth, clean, fast run,” said Salinas, following round two. “We have the bottom end of the track real good and we’re trying to ease into the top part and the track just wouldn’t hold what we were trying to give it, that’s all. I got him (Langdon) on the light and had him to a certain spot. We were ahead of him and the car started breaking loose so I had to lift and he went by.”

In the first appearance for Pro Stock Motorcycle at the Pacific Raceways, Jianna Evaristo qualified in the number eight position with a time of 6.848 seconds at 197.42 mph. Evaristo would pair up against Chase Van Sant in round one as NHRA’s ‘Marquee Matchup.’ While Evaristo posted her fastest time of the weekend with a 6.822 second pass, it wasn’t enough to advance to round two as Van Sant posted a time of 6.799 seconds.

The NHRA Championship Drag Racing Series will finish out their Western Swing next weekend at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California. The Scrappers Racing Top Fuel car with Salinas and the Pro Stock Motorcycle of Evaristo will begin the weekend with the first round of qualifying on Friday, July 28 at 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET.

MARION, IL (July 22, 2023) – One night after giving up the lead and a win in the final laps, Jade Avedisian sang a song of redemption in Southern Illinois Raceway Victory Lane – a winner with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota and the POWRi National Midget League for the second time this season.

The 16-year-old Californian was heartbroken Friday night after defending Xtreme Outlaw champion Zach Daum got around her for the lead coming to the white flag at Doe Run Raceway, forcing her to settle for a runner-up finish. She and the Keith Kunz Motorsports crew shook it off, regrouped, came back looking for vengeance on Saturday and got exactly that.

Avedisian started up front, took the lead on a late restart and drove it back home for her second Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series win of the season and fourth Xtreme Outlaw win of her career.

“Lately, we’ve been in the first few rows of every Feature and had a shot to win, and [either] I mess up or something goes wrong,” Avedisian said. “To finally get back into Victory Lane for the second time this year gives us a bit more momentum rolling into the next month of Xtreme racing.”

From fourth on the starting grid, Jade kept pace with the leaders through the first half of the 30-lap main event, not letting Kyle Jones or Taylor Reimer get too far out. With the final third of the race quickly approaching, Avedisian decided it was go-time and selected the top lane as her vehicle to get her moving toward the front.

“I just tried to drive it as hard as I possibly could,” Avedisian said. “I wasn’t sure in the beginning if it was going to work. I finally got up there, and I was assuming the few cars behind me were just trying to help me clean it off. It just kept getting faster and faster.”

The faster the top got, the more she gained on leader Jones. By the time the race’s only caution flew with 22 laps complete, Avedisian had shrunk Jones’ lead down to under a half-second from what was once almost two full seconds.

On the ensuing restart, Avedisian showed her hand in her bread-and-butter lane around the top.

“I saw [Jones’] crew guys telling him to go to the top, and I wasn’t sure if he was going to, and he ended up not,” Avedisian said. “He kinda left me on the restart, but luckily I had enough speed around the top.”

With a great run off Turn 2 and a sweeping line around Turns 3-4, Avedisian sailed around the outside of Jones to take the lead at the flag stand. Now in control in the final laps with a fast car, Avedisian hit the afterburners and drove away from the field, leading them back around to the checkers to bag the $4,000 grand prize.

Crossing the stripe in second was Zach Daum, who drove all the way up from 11th on the starting grid. Though his quest for four-straight victories with his new team at Trifecta Motorsports fell one spot short, Daum was still pleased with he and the car’s performance as he charged to the front in his signature bottom-hugging lane.

“I ran a couple laps on the top – I had to get around [Andrew] Felker, and I knew he was on the bottom and wasn’t leaving, so I couldn’t waste any time messing with him,” Daum said. “I moved around a little bit, but we were just so good on the bottom that I never really felt the need to move and abandon.”

With four-straight podium finishes and five top-fives in the last five Series events, Daum and the Trifecta squad have been working well together since their first pairing in the team’s flagship #7U car at the beginning of June.

“I feel like we’re all in a really good place,” Daum said. “Janky [Bobby Milliser] works his ass off, Staton and Steve [car owners] work their ass off. They’re in this to win races, win championships, be competitive, and it shows.

“We ain’t got the biggest rig in the pits, but we got everything we need to go race. And that’s the important part.”

Taylor Reimer crossed the stripe third from fourth on the starting grid, posting back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time on the 2023 Xtreme Outlaw trail. After a slow start to the 2023 season, she’s picked up her average start and average finish and said she feels she’s been improving.

“I feel a little bit more confident; I think I was just a little down on myself,” Reimer said. “At the beginning of the year, we weren’t performing as well as we should’ve been.

“The past couple of weeks, on my down time, I’ve been trying to stay focused – watching film, going to sim when I can. Just trying to keep my head down and grind it out.”

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota gets back into action in less than a week’s time, starting up a three-day race weekend next Friday-Sunday, July 28-30 at Ohio Valley Speedway (WV), Atomic Speedway (OH) and Brushcreek Motorsports Complex (OH).

Tickets for all three events will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be there in person, stream every lap live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 71-Jade Avedisian[4]; 2. 7U-Zach Daum[11]; 3. 25K-Taylor Reimer[3]; 4. 16-Kyle Jones[1]; 5. 08-Cannon McIntosh[15]; 6. 26R-Corbin Rueschenberg[5]; 7. 40-Chase McDermand[6]; 8. 58-Daniel Whitley[7]; 9. 11A-Andrew Felker[2]; 10. 97-Gavin Miller[13]; 11. 21K-Karter Sarff[16]; 12. 97K-Cooper Williams[9]; 13. 1K-Brayton Lynch[12]; 14. 56-Mitchell Davis[20]; 15. 31K-Jaxton Wiggs[14]; 16. 26-Chance Crum[17]; 17. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[8]; 18. 44-Branigan Roark[10]; 19. 17B-Austin Barnhill[18]; 20. 08K-Brody Wake[19]