NEWMANSTOWN, PA (Aug. 4, 2023) – For the first time in two years, national dirt Midget racing is coming back to the Northeast with the inaugural Appalachian Midget Week, featuring the stars of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

Five-straight days of racing – Tuesday-Saturday, Aug. 8-12 – at five tracks across Pennsylvania and New Jersey will have some of the best rising open-wheel talents in the country battling for a $4,000 grand prize each night and their share of a $5,250 points fund, paying $2,500 to the champion, $1,250 for second, $750 for third, $500 for fourth and $250 for fifth in the miniseries standings.

The last time a national Midget series made a trip up the Eastern Seaboard was in 2021, when the USAC National Midget Series held its seventh installment of Pennsylvania Midget Week. Several present-day Xtreme Outlaw Series championship chasers took part in the swing at one or multiple points in that span, racing at many of the same stops that now exist on the Appalachian Midget Week schedule.

• Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports #08) – The 20-year-old Xtreme Outlaw Series points leader from Bixby, OK, contested shows with the USAC swing through PA in 2020 and 2021, once with his former team at Keith Kunz Motorsports (KKM) and the other with his family-run team at Dave Mac-Dalby.

• Zach Daum (Trifecta Motorsports #7U) – A veteran of the open-wheel racing world, Daum, 32, of Pocahontas, IL, made three starts on the USAC swing in 2021, and has prior experience racing in other open-wheel divisions at a few of the tracks on the schedule.

• Taylor Reimer (Keith Kunz Motorsports #25K) – The 23-year-old from Tulsa, OK, competed in all five races with USAC in 2021, collecting two top-10 finishes over the five-day stretch. Now a multi-year veteran with KKM, Reimer is headed back to PA/NJ with much more experience and familiarity under her belt.

• Gavin Miller (Keith Kunz Motorsports #97) – Though Miller is only in his first full-time Midget season with KKM, he’s had plenty of laps in a Micro Sprint around four of the five tracks on the 2023 Appalachian Midget Week slate. The 16-year-old rookie is the lone driver on the Xtreme Outlaw Series from Pennsylvania (Allentown), giving him a slight advantage over others with his prior experience at the venues.

Each offered their perspectives on their prior racing experience at the PA-NJ tracks ahead of the start of Appalachian Midget Week, airing live all week on DIRTVision.

How do you mentally prepare to take on a five-day stretch of racing?

McIntosh: You always know it’s a grueling challenge every year; any Midget week. I’ve had quite a bit of experience now doing Midget week. This’ll be my third Midget week in Pennsylvania. Feels like it’s been a while; it’s been a couple years. It’s nice that Xtreme is getting us back out there. I feel like all five of those racetracks are really good, especially those first two. I’m looking forward to it.

Daum: It’s just the little things, like making sure you’re eating good. Making sure you’re staying hydrated – that’s the biggest thing people don’t realize. That’s a lot of mental focus you lose if you’re not properly hydrated; you don’t feel good. It’s easy to get sick out on the road when you’re eating truck stop food. You’re eating crap, basically. Having sure you have some decent meals you can eat, making sure you drink plenty of water and try to get as decent amount of sleep as you can – that’s the biggest thing I try to do to prepare for that stuff.

Reimer: Honestly, I feel like we race them all the time, so after a while, you get used to it. I feel like it used to be more where we’d race two times in a weekend, but now we have these stretches where we race four-to-five times. I think it helps building momentum throughout the week. If we have a couple good runs, I think it makes it a little bit easier to go into a week where we’re racing a lot more.

How do you expect to perform?

McIntosh: I think we’ll be really good. I ran USAC’s Midget week there a couple times. Now with Xtreme going there, we’ll be just fine. Robert [Dalby, crew chief] got to do it once with me, and the other time was with Keith [Kunz]. Either way, I feel like I have decent laps there. I think those are my style tracks; a couple of them are bullrings and the other couple are just good racetracks.

Daum: Hopefully, we can just carry in the momentum we’ve got already. We’ve been really good here lately. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we’re not trying to change too much, we’re just trying to keep rolling. We’ve got a good package, so as long as we can keep rolling and continue on that trend, I think we’re gonna be okay.

It’s not often national Midget racing comes to the Northeast. What are your thoughts on expanding into that region of the country?

McIntosh: I think it’s good for the sport. Obviously, there’s some good tracks out there and they race Midgets really well, so it’s kinda surprising we don’t race there more often. It’s good that Xtreme’s getting us back on the schedule out there because I think the fans want to see it. I feel like when we are there, there’s tons of fans that show up because they want to see Midget racing. Everyone tunes into Chili Bowl every year, so for them to be able to see Midgets come into Pennsylvania and their hometown is cool for them to see.

Daum: It’s just a lot of fun. You get to go out there and see different racetracks. I’ve been kinda hounding these guys about going down in the south and racing. There’s a lot of tracks in the south that could have really good Midget races. When you stay complacent and just keep racing in three or four states that are right in the Midwest, you don’t get to see these hidden gems that are what make racing so great. Going to new racetracks is always a good thing – it broadens your horizons about what else is out there.

Miller: I think it’s pretty cool. You see people you know there – family, friends, past people you’ve seen before. I think it’s pretty cool for Xtreme Midgets to go to places like that. Hopefully, there’ll be more races there some time in the future.

Reimer: I’m really excited to go to PA. The fans there, when we went for the USAC series, they were really cool and they had a lot of people out there, so I’m excited to go back. That’s what Midget racing is all about – getting to meet people and putting on a good show for the fans.

What’s the one track you’re looking forward to racing the most?

McIntosh: I think Lanco (Clyde Martin Memorial). It’s been a couple years since I’ve been there, but from what I remember, it was a really good track. Last time I was there, I flipped pretty bad with a shock failure. I’ve raced Millbridge a lot since then and, to me, it seems pretty similar to that place, so I’m definitely excited to get back to Lanco.

Daum: Probably Path Valley. Last time I was there, we were riding in a motorhome with a guy and we took out some dude’s front door. His house was literally right on the side of the road, he opened it, and we took his front door off. I vividly remember that trip; I remember the racetrack being really fun. It’s big enough to be a good size racetrack, but still small enough that I think it’s gonna produce really good racing.

Miller: I would say I’m looking forward to Lanco (Clyde Martin Memorial) the most. I raced on that track all the time; it was pretty fun. On the last night of [USAC PA Midget Week], I raced that two years ago. It was pretty fun in a Micro.

Reimer: I think Lanco (Clyde Martin Memorial). That track’s really fun. It kinda reminds me of like a small bullring, sorta like Millbridge or Port City. I remember it was really fun last year. We had some hard luck on our side in the Heat Race and then got unlucky in the Feature. I’m looking to going back there and hopefully getting a good finish.

These races kick off the second half of the season. How crucial will these races be to your late-season championship push?

McIntosh: They’re a big deal. If we can put ourselves in the top five every night, that’s all we need to do. Guys can close on you just a little bit if you run fifth every night and they run second or third maybe. But if you’re fifth every night, that consistency will show in the end. If we can get a couple wins while we’re out there and stay in the top five the whole swing, I think we’ll be okay.

Daum: We can’t afford to fall out of any races – that’s our biggest thing right now. [The Trifecta Motorsports team] – they’ve been OK; they haven’t fallen out of too many races on the owner’s [points] side of things. [On the] driver’s side, we had some issues earlier in the year and couldn’t capitalize on some of what we should’ve been able to capitalize on. Now, we just can’t afford to fall out of any races.

Miller: It’ll definitely be critical if we can pull off a bunch of good finishes there. It’ll definitely help my points a lot. That’s something you’ve got to worry about at the end of the season. The last handful of races, we’re not there yet, so I’m not trying to think about it right now and just race my race, stay focused and not let that interfere with my driving.

The Oakwood, IL driver scored his seventh win of 2023, and 11th triumph of his career

NEW RICHMOND, WI – August 3, 2023 – In a season filled with firsts, Bobby Pierce added another to his resume Thursday night at Cedar Lake Speedway.  

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series points leader took the lead on Lap 1 and never looked back to earn the opening night win of the 36th annual USA Nationals. 

It was his second win in a three-day span, after claiming his second Hawkeye 50 triumph on Tuesday. That momentum carried into Thursday night at Cedar Lake, winning his Heat Race and then drawing the pole for the 25-lap Feature. 

Pierce drove away from three-time and defending USA Nationals champion Jonathan Davenport on the opening lap of the Feature. However, his momentum was slowed twice in the first five laps as Daniel Hilsabeck spun to bring out a caution on both occasions. 

Despite the yellow flags, the Oakwood, IL driver aced both restarts, pulling away from the field.  

Behind the “Smooth Operator,” four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard climbed to the front, locked in a battle with Davenport for second. The two traded slide jobs for a couple of laps before Sheppard got the advantage in Turn 2 on Lap 7. That’s when the New Berlin, IL driver set his sights on Pierce. 

Sheppard inched closer and closer every lap. But when they found traffic, Pierce found a better course to navigate throughout it each time. Out of traffic, Sheppard could close in, close enough to dive underneath the #32 at times, but that was as close as the #B5 would get. And every time Sheppard feel back, Ricky Thornton Jr. was there, waiting. 

In the final 10 laps, Pierce pulled away to win his seventh World of Outlaws Feature of 2023. 

Pierce said his $6,000 victory came down to tire choice and some luck. 

“It’s pretty crazy the roll we’re on,” Pierce said. “We had a little luck tonight drawing the one, and Gordy had some issues in the Heat Race, and I don’t know if I was going to pass him or not. But sometimes, a little luck goes a long way. 

“The car was a little tight in the Feature. I got tight there, and I just changed my line. I think we made the right call on tires. A lot of guys running up front had the opposite of what I had.” 

Even though Pierce is celebrating, he knows what’s ahead of him this weekend as he prepares for his chance at $50,000 on Saturday. 

“We have a lot of confidence,” Pierce said. “We’ve already got this first night out of the way. We’ve got a lot of really good points, and [Series] points in general.” 

The win extends Pierce’s points lead to 112 points over Chris Madden, who finished 14th – earning the Fox Factory Hard Charger award, coming from his 23rd starting position. 

Sheppard settled for second, but only after a battle with Thornton Jr., the Prairie Dirt Classic winner, in the last few laps. Thornton pulled underneath Sheppard’s Longhorn Chassis a few times but didn’t have the momentum to make the pass. 

The four-time champion said he was happy with his car but might’ve gone the wrong way on his tire choice. 

“My car was really good,” Sheppard said. “The car was balanced and maneuverable. I could put the car top, middle, bottom, anywhere I wanted to go. As soon as I got into lap traffic in the end, I pushed it a little bit harder, and I felt my tire getting hot and getting greasy, and I started sliding a little bit more. I think that was my biggest issue. But overall, it’s a solid start to the weekend.” 

Thornton finished third—his third consecutive World of Outlaws podium. The Martinsville, IN driver said he needed the top lane to slow down to have a chance at the win. 

“I was really good in the middle and the bottom,” Thornton said. “We’re kind of setting up for the 100 lapper. I told [my crew], really, as long as we get a top five here, it’ll set us up good for tomorrow at least. We had a good car. Bobby was a little better than us, but I feel like clean air had a lot to do with that, too.” 

Despite finishing third, Thornton didn’t walk away empty handed. He won the annual F.A.N.S. Fund dash to end the night, passing Ricky Weiss to earn the $2,500 prize. 

Brian Shirley finished fourth in Thursday’s Feature, while Hudson O’Neal rounded out the top five. 

After one night of action at Cedar Lake Speedway, Pierce leads the USA Nationals points standings by one point over Brandon Sheppard. The top 16 drivers after Friday’s Feature will lock into Saturday’s USA Nationals finale. 

Here’s a look at the Top 10 in points:  

1. Bobby Pierce 742
2. Brandon Sheppard -1
3. Ricky Thornton Jr. -12
4. Hudson O’Neal -19
5.Jonathan Davenport -20
6. Brian Shirley -21
7. Cade Dillard -23 
8.Tanner English -24 
9. Shannon Babb -30 
10. Shane Clanton -50

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to Cedar Lake Speedway for night two of the 36th annual USA Nationals at Cedar Lake. Drivers will battle in another 25-lap Feature paying $6,000-to-win. 

If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch every World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model race live on DIRTVision.     

CASE Construction Equipment Late Mode Feature (25 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[1]; 2. B5-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 4. 3S-Brian Shirley[6]; 5. 1-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 6. 49-Jonathan Davenport[2]; 7. 96V-Tanner English[9]; 8. 97-Cade Dillard[8]; 9. 18B-Shannon Babb[13]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton[11]; 11. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[15]; 12. 31-Kye Blight[10]; 13. 40B-Kyle Bronson[19]; 14. 44-Chris Madden[23]; 15. 1ST-Johnny Scott[7]; 16. 1T-Tyler Erb[12]; 17. 19R-Ryan Gustin[24]; 18. 18D-Daulton Wilson[14]; 19. 174-Ethan Dotson[21]; 20. 55C-Chad Mahder[17]; 21. 9-Nick Hoffman[22]; 22. 11-Gordy Gundaker[25]; 23. B1-Brent Larson[26]; 24. 49T-Jake Timm[20]; 25. 30-Todd Cooney[27]; 26. 14W-Dustin Walker[28]; 27. 7-Drake Troutman[16]; 28. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[18] FOX FACTORY HARD CHARGER: Chris Madden 

F.A.N.S Fund Dash (12 Laps): 1. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[5]; 2. 7W-Ricky Weiss[3]; 3. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[2]; 4. 12-Ashton Winger[4]; 5. 25F-Jason Feger[6]; 6. 18D-Daulton Wilson[9]; 7. 11G-James Giossi[10]; 8. 126-Kaede Loudy[1]; 9. 8M-Dillon McCowan[7]; 10. (DNS) 7-Drake Troutman 

BATAVIA, Ohio (August 3, 2023) – One of the most anticipated events of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series season, the Sunoco North/South 100 – Presented by Lucas Oil is just one week away. The country’s top dirt late model drivers will converge at Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., Thursday-Saturday, August 10-12, to chase over $280,000 in prize money. A stellar field of drivers are expected to battle it out in two preliminary nights, Thursday and Friday. Each night, the field will be split into two groups based on pill draw, with each group competing in a full program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and their respective A-Main. The combined points from Thursday and Friday’s preliminary events will determine the line-ups for Saturday’s Heat Races. The Modifieds will also compete in a full program on Thursday and Friday, vying for a $1,000 top prize each night. Saturday’s off-track festivities will kick off with the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Memorabilia Auction, followed by a Dirt Racing Outreach Service. The on-track action begins with Dirt Draft Hot Laps and Heat Races for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The Modifieds compete in a 30-lap, $3,000-to-win A-Main, followed by the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series B-Mains. The 100-lap, $75,000-to-win Sunoco North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil then takes center stage, followed by a $2,000-to-win Non-Qualifiers race to cap off the weekend action. On Thursday and Friday, the pit gate opens at 3:00 PM ET, while the general admission gates open at 6:00 PM ET. Hot laps start at 7:00 PM ET, with racing one hour later at 8:00 PM ET. The pit, and general admission gates will all open at 3:00 PM ET for Saturday’s Sunoco North/South 100 – Presented by Lucas Oil. There will be a Dirt Racing Outreach Service at 5:00 PM ET following the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Memorabilia Auction. Hot laps are set to begin at 7:00 PM ET, with racing at 7:30 PM ET. Advance tickets and reserved seats for the Sunoco North/South Shootout and/or the Sunoco North/South 100, are available at: https://florencesp.webtix.co/events/154_41st-Annual-Sunoco-Race-Fuels-North-South-100-pres-by-Lucas-Oil.  Florence Speedway is a half-mile clay oval located in Northern Kentucky off Interstate 71/75, approximately 25 miles south of Cincinnati, Ohio. For more information, visit www.florencespeedway.com.  The Official Host Hotel of Florence Speedway is the Hilton Cincinnati Airport, located at Exit 182 (Turfway Road) off I-75/71 in Florence, Kentucky. The Hilton Cincinnati Airport offers discounted rates to anyone attending the Sunoco North/South 100. Only a limited number of rooms are still available. For reservations, call (859) 371-4400 and request the North/South 100 rate, or book online at https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?ctyhocn=CVGCHHF&groupCode=FNSR&arrivaldate=2023-08-10&departuredate=2023-08-14&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,EN,DirectLink&fromId=HILTONLINKDIRECT Ricky Thornton Jr. leads the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – Presented by ARP to Florence Speedway. Hudson O’Neal is second, Jonathan Davenport is now third, with Brandon Overton and Tim McCreadie rounding out the top five. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Thursday, August 10:1st A-Main: 1. $5,000, 2. $2,500, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,250, 5. $1,000, 6. $800, 7. $700, 8. $600, 9. $550, 10. $500, 11. $490, 12. $480, 13. $470, 14. $460, 15. $450, 16. $440, 17. $430, 18. $420, 19. $410, 20. $400, 21. $400, 22. $400, 23. $400, 24. $400 = Total $20,450 2nd A-Main: 1. $5,000, 2. $2,500, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,250, 5. $1,000, 6. $800, 7. $700, 8. $600, 9. $550, 10. $500, 11. $490, 12. $480, 13. $470, 14. $460, 15. $450, 16. $440, 17. $430, 18. $420, 19. $410, 20. $400, 21. $400, 22. $400, 23. $400, 24. $400 = Total $20,450 Thursday, August 10 Total: $40,900 Friday, August 11:1st A-Main: 1. $5,000, 2. $2,500, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,250, 5. $1,000, 6. $800, 7. $700, 8. $600, 9. $550, 10. $500, 11. $490, 12. $480, 13. $470, 14. $460, 15. $450, 16. $440, 17. $430, 18. $420, 19. $410, 20. $400, 21. $400, 22. $400, 23. $400, 24. $400 = Total $20,450 2nd A-Main: 1. $5,000, 2. $2,500, 3. $1,500, 4. $1,250, 5. $1,000, 6. $800, 7. $700, 8. $600, 9. $550, 10. $500, 11. $490, 12. $480, 13. $470, 14. $460, 15. $450, 16. $440, 17. $430, 18. $420, 19. $410, 20. $400, 21. $400, 22. $400, 23. $400, 24. $400 = Total $20,450 Friday, August 11 Total: $40,900 Saturday, August 12:41st Annual Sunoco North/South 100 Presented by Lucas Oil: 1. $75,000, 2. $20,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $9,000, 5. $8,000, 6. $7,000, 7. $6,000, 8. $5,000, 9. $4,500, 10. $4,000, 11. $3,500, 12. $3,250, 13. $3,000, 14. $2,750, 15. $2,700, 16. $2,650, 17. $2,600, 18. $2,575, 19. $2,550, 20. $2,525, 21. $2,500, 22. $2,500, 23. $2,500, 24. $2,500, 25. $2,500 = Total $189,100 Non-Qualifiers Race: 1. $2,000, 2. $1,000, 3. $800, 4. 750, 5. $700, 6. $650, 7. $600, 8. $550, 9. $500, 10. $450, 11. $400, 12. $400, 13. $400, 14. $400, 15. $400, 16. $400, 17. $400, 18. $400, 19. $400, 20. $400 = Total $12,000 Saturday, August 12 Total: $201,100 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:Thursday, August 10 – Friday, August 11:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4*Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials and Heat Races Saturday, August 12:Left Rear/Fronts – Hoosier (90) NLMT2, (90) NLMT3Right Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT3, (92) NLMT4 Previous North/South 100 Champions:2022 – Jonathan Davenport2021 – Brandon Overton2020 – Tim McCreadie2019 – Chris Madden2018 – Ricky Weiss2017 – Tim McCreadie2016 – Bobby Pierce2015 – Jonathan Davenport2014 – Eddie Carrier Jr.2013 – Don O’Neal2012 – Don O’Neal2011 – Jimmy Owens2010 – Jimmy Owens2009 – Jimmy Mars2008 – Darren Miller2007 – Jimmy Owens2006 – Steve Shaver2005 – Bart Hartman2004 – Steve Shaver2003 – Dan Schlieper2002 – Chub Frank2001 – Rained Out2000 – Scott Bloomquist1999 – Bob Pierce1998 – Donnie Moran1997 – Rick Aukland1996 – Donnie Moran1995 – John Gill1994 – Jack Boggs1993 – John Gill1992 – Jack Boggs1991 – Rodney Combs1990 – Mike Head1989 – Jeff Purvis1988 – Scott Bloomquist1987 – Jeff Purvis1986 – Jack Boggs1985 – John Mason1984 – Pat Patrick1983 – Pat Patrick

Born of technology and ingenuity, fast street cars are all the rage in modern drag racing. Beginning with its first event of the 2024 season, NMCA provides a new class for low-10-second street/strip machines to battle on the quarter-mile — Scoggin Dickey Parts Center Street Warrior 10.10 presented by Chevrolet Performance. “We’ve seen huge growth among our street-car classes in both the NMCA and NMRA series,” said Rollie Miller, General Manager & National Event Director of NMCA. “Street Warrior 10.10 will open the door for really quick, GM-powered street cars to compete on the national stage and earn payout and pro level contingency money while competing for a championship.” Debuting at Rockingham Dragway on April 11-14, 2024 as part of the NMRA/NMCA All-Star Nationals, Scoggin Dickey Parts Center Street Warrior 10.10 presented by Chevrolet Performance will showcase street-legal (including current registration and valid insurance) rides capable of running single-digit elapsed time but competing with a single index. Run with a heads-up start on a .400 Pro Tree and running the full quarter mile, Street Warrior 10.10 competitors will be randomly paired via chip draw during eliminations. “We’re excited about the Street Warrior 10.10 class being open to anything under the sun that’s got a GM powerplant in it, including the wide range of crate engines from Chevrolet Performance,” Warren Ekery, Event Marketing Coordinator at Scoggin Dickey Parts Center, said. “It will be fun to see where it goes because it opens participation up to so many more street-car racers. They can come out and run on an index class and they don’t have to try to be competitive with the seasoned heads-up racers with purpose-built race cars.” Scoggin Dickey Parts Center Street Warrior 10.10 presented by Chevrolet Performance is a season points championship class set to run during every Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals event. Competing vehicles must be motivated by General Motors engines — including Chevrolet, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and GM — powerplants. Winners of the class will take home $1,000, runners-up will score $400, semifinalists will earn $125, and quarterfinalists will drive away with $50. There is also pro level NMCA contingency available, which pays $350 to the winner and $175 to the runner-up per qualified product. Stay tuned for possible Chevrolet Performance crate engine bounties for purchases made through Scoggin Dickey Parts Center. Click Here for Complete Rules For more on the full slate of Red Line Oil NMCA Muscle Car Nationals classes and races, visit NMCADigital.com.

August 3, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Wood Brother team are set once again honor Ford’s 20-Year Senior Technicians with a special paint scheme for Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Ford’s home track – Michigan International Speedway.

Once again, the honorees will have their names on the No. 21 Mustang and will be invited to attend Sunday’s race on the two-mile oval in Brooklyn, which is like a home track for the Woods and the No. 21 team. The Woods have raced Ford Motor Company vehicles exclusively throughout their decades-long NASCAR career and have a long-term sponsorship relationship with Motorcraft and Quick Lane.

The track also is home turf for crew chief Brian Wilson.

“I was born in Detroit and went to many races at MIS growing up,” he said. “Any time we’ve had success there it’s been a special weekend.”

Wilson, like most everyone in the Cup garage, knows how important it is to represent their manufacturer well in a race in the heart of the American automobile manufacturing world.

“Everyone at Ford knows how important it is to run well at Michigan,” he said. “Continuing the win streak and bringing home the Heritage Trophy is the primary focus this week.”

Wilson also is pleased to be a part of the celebration of veteran Ford and Lincoln technicians.

“The car looks especially mean this week with the primarily black scheme,” he said. “We hope to put it up front to make everyone proud.”

Practice for the FireKeepers Casino 400 is set for Saturday at 12:35 p.m. Eastern Time and will be followed immediately by qualifying.

Sunday’s 200-lap race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 2:30 p.m. with Stage breaks planned for Laps 45 and 120.

USA Network will carry the live TV coverage both days.

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIESBIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIXNASHVILLE, TENNESSEETEAM CHEVY RACE ADVANCEAUGUST 4-6, 2023 CHEVROLET RACES INTO MUSIC CITY WITH MOMENTUM FOR THE BIG MACHINE MUSIC CITY GRAND PRIX DETROIT (August 3, 2023) – Racing into Music City this weekend, Nashville hosts its third annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the temporary street circuit downtown. Seeking the first win for Chevrolet on the 2.17-mile, 11-turn track full of unique features, the Bowtie brand has one NTT P1 Pole Award (Scott McLaughlin – 2022) as well as one podium (Scott McLaughlin – 2022) and 34 laps led (McLaughlin – 22 laps, 2022, Josef Newgarden – 12 laps, 2022). With the Team Chevy drivers and teams navigating the one-of-a-kind course that sees553 yards of bridge exclusive to INDYCAR and 300 feet of pit lane, the track offers tight racing around Nissan Stadium and over the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge while blending three loves of Nashville – music, food, and racing. Josef Newgarden, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet, calls Music City home and looks forward to racing in front of a hometown crowd saying, “It’s great to get back to Nashville. For me, it’s special being a home track event. We’ve got some good momentum, but I don’t know that it will translate fully to Nashville. The tough thing about INDYCAR is that (the tracks) are all are so different. The tracks that we go to, this street circuit is 180 degrees from what we had in Iowa. The second GP race in Indianapolis will be a totally different challenge again. It’s about being flexible. I think if we can have a good run here on these last five races, then we can still challenge for this championship. I’m feeling really confident in what Chevrolet has done for us, and we’re going to try and put all that work to use this weekend.” “Chevrolet is heading to Nashville with momentum after a successful double race weekend in Iowa,” said Rob Buckner, IndyCar Program Manager at General Motors. “As is always the case in the NTT INDYCAR Series, going from a very fast short oval to a tight, technical street course presents a new set of demands for both the driver and his Chevrolet-powered car. “With the additional consideration of high heat and humidity, not to mention the long run over the bridge and the twisty sections on both sides of the river, our Chevrolet engineers have been working closely with our Chevrolet teams to arrive with a package as close as possible when they roll off the transporter. The track can present a lot of different options on the amount of downforce you can run. There have been lots of time spent looking at both previous races’ data to see where we can improve. Working to score a W on the last street course of the season.” The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix race weekend on the streets of Nashville kicks off with practice Friday, Aug. 4 at 4 p.m. ET. The second practice of the event takes place Saturday at 11:40 a.m. ET, with qualifications following at 2:45 p.m. ET. The Big Machine Music City Grand Prix takes the green flag Sunday, Aug. 6 live on NBC at 12 p.m. ET. All practice and qualifying will be live on Peacock, INDYCAR Radio, and SiriusXM Channel 160.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (QUOTES):Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“This weekend will be a test to a lot of the training we’ve done in the offseason just because of how humid and hot it will be, as it usually is every single year. It’s a very tough, physical race because of the heat, and it’s also a bumpy and challenging track. Nashville has probably been the track where we haven’t quite reached our potential either due to getting hit or having other issues.” Felix Rosenqvist, No. 6 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”It’s super cool to be back in Nashville. It’s obviously one of the most fun cities in the Midwest and the U.S. It’s really a growing city, and it’s awesome to be here representing the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. I love the track layout; there have been some dramatic events there in the past. This is my third time coming here, and it’s one of those where you have to survive until the end because there’s so much going on, especially in the restarts. We’ll see if we can be a little quicker this year and have a good weekend.” Alexander Rossi, No. 7 Chevrolet at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:”Nashville is such an electrifying city, and that energy really translates to the track. The blend of music, culture and passionate fans creates an atmosphere that’s unparalleled. This race has become a flagship event on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar, and we all feel that prestige and excitement. Every year, the race always seems to be chaotic and a bit of a coin flip, but hopefully we are on the right side of it come Sunday for our final street course race of the year.” Gavin Ward, Race Director at Arrow McLaren INDYCAR:“We hope the rest of the field will be following our Arrow McLaren Chevrolets over the Cumberland River and through the streets of Nashville come Sunday. Street circuits haven’t been our strongest discipline this season, but we’ve got some fresh ideas and new developments to try as we aim to have some fun and build a better race team week-after-week. When it comes to race strategy, Nashville has proved it can reward the gambler. So, teams are really going to need to know when to hold ‘em and know when to fold ‘em this weekend.” Ryan Hunter-Reay, No. 20 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“The Music City Grand Prix presents another opportunity for us as a team to push forward and improve on our 2023 season. We have some positives to draw upon from our Toronto race weekend. Hopefully, we can apply those findings to the BITNILE.COM cars on a similarly bumpy street circuit in Nashville!” Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Chevrolet at Ed Carpenter Racing:“It’s going to be an exciting weekend in Nashville! There is definitely a chance to us to get the BITNILE.COM car into the Top 10 and get some points. It’s a cool track, very bumpy, and there is always a lot of stuff happening. Staying out of that stuff is going to be important! It’s going to be a really warm weekend so living Florida and being used to the heat all the time should help. I just love the city of Nashville. Being able to drive there for the third time already is so exciting, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long but it has!” Santino Ferrucci, No. 14 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“I would say the key to getting around Nashville is being able to hit your marks, and be consistent like on every street course. The thing with Nashville is you also have to drive a very uncomfortable race car to go fast, that meaning it’s a very bumpy track and you have to be comfortable with being shook at 180 miles an hour consistently.” Benjamin Pedersen, No. 55 Chevrolet at AJ Foyt Racing:“The key to Nashville is having a package for the car that can allow it to turn really well in the low-speed corners and a car that is very compliant over bumps. I have been preparing by doing a lot of heat training, along with my normal training and sim time.”

CHEVROLET AT NASHVILLE (V6 era, since 2012):Wins on the streets of Nashville: 0 Pole Awards in Nashville: 12022: Scott McLaughlin Podiums in Nashville by Team Chevy since 2012: 1 Laps Led in Nashville by Team Chevy since 2012: 34

2023 CHEVROLET BY THE NUMBERS:193: NTT INDYCAR SERIES races as V6 engine supplier since 2012 return to INDYCAR.  111: Wins in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES since 2012.  124: Earned poles since 2012.  7: Manufacturer Championships since 2012.  7: Driver/entrant champions since 2012.  12: Indianapolis 500 victories by Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. 5: Indianapolis 500 wins by Chevrolet since 2012 in the V6 2.2-liter twin turbo direct injected era. 26: Wins by Will Power since 2012 – all with Chevrolet power – most of any driver with the same manufacturer.  14: Consecutive seasons with at least one win by Will Power, including the past 11 with Chevrolet power.  9: Wins from the pole by Will Power with Chevrolet power since 2012, most by any driver.  46: Pole starts by Will Power since 2012 in a Chevrolet-powered car, most of any driver.*Will Power’s career total of 70 poles makes him the all-time pole winner in INDYCAR.

PEVELY, MO (Aug. 2, 2023) – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota joins forces with the POWRi National Midget League this Friday-Saturday, Aug. 4-5, at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 as part of the marquee Ironman 55 for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.

The Xtreme Outlaws will cross the halfway point of the 2023 season at the conclusion of this weekend, which features a $4,000-to-win main event on Friday before the $5,000-to-win finale on Saturday night. Sixteen races will be complete with 15 remaining after Saturday night, heading right into a grueling stretch of five-straight days of racing in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in the inaugural Appalachian Midget Week.

Both races will also serve as the fourth and fifth races in the Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series, which pays a $2,500 check to the champion at the end of the season for their efforts in each Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi co-sanctioned event on the schedule. Zach Daum currently leads the standings by 45 over Jade Avedisian with seven races remaining.

Advance sale tickets for both nights of racing at I-55 are on sale now at XtremeOutlawSeries.com and will be available for purchase at the gate on race day. If you can’t be at the track to watch in person, stream every lap live with a FAST PASS subscription to DIRTVision.

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

STILL ON TOP – His points lead is shrinking. Fortunately, Cannon McIntosh heads back to I-55 this weekend – a place he’s won at already this year – just what the doctor ordered to increase his gap in the standings again.

McIntosh, 20, of Bixby, OK, was victorious in the 30-lap Toyota Racing Feature at I-55 in April, taking the lead in the second half of the race from Zach Daum and going on to his second Series victory of the season. He’s won twice more since then but hasn’t been to Victory Lane since his sweep of Millbridge Speedway in May, where he extended his Xtreme Outlaw points lead up to nearly 100 points.

Most recently, he and the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports crew had a solid night at Atomic Speedway last Saturday, placing third before taking their third DNF of the season Sunday at Brushcreek Motorsports Complex, which dropped them from a 67-point lead in the standings down to 44.

KKM KRYPTONITE – There’s one track on the Xtreme Outlaw Midget schedule that continues to stump Jade Avedisian, and she’s headed back for another double-dose of it this weekend.

In four career starts at I-55, the 16-year-old Californian has had only one finish inside the top-15 – last year, on Saturday night of Ironman 55 weekend. She ran 14th that night, 15th the night before, and most recently, 16th with the Xtreme Outlaws this past April. Her first career I-55 start – April 2022, driving for Chad Boat Industries – ended in the Last Chance Showdown.

Though it’s been tough sledding for the Keith Kunz Motorsports pilot, she’s never been in a better position to right the wrongs she’s endured in Pevely. This past weekend, Avedisian scored her third Feature win of the season at Atomic and had a second-place run going Sunday at Brushcreek before blowing a tire. Those results chopped her points deficit down to 44, marking the second-straight weekend she’s cut into what was once a 121-point gap to McIntosh.

DONE IT BEFORE – In last year’s edition of the Ironman 55, Chance Crum took the checkered flag on Friday night. This year, he’s in dire need to do it again.

Crum, 26, of Snohomish, WA, rebounded from a slump of three-straight Xtreme Outlaw Feature finishes outside the top-15 last Saturday at Atomic with a sixth-place run. The next night at Brushcreek, he retired early after a flip in the Feature, making only one top-10 finish for he and Rudeen Racing in their last five Series starts.

Fortunately, I-55 is next, where they’ll need some more 1/3-mile magic to start cutting into their large points deficit.

DOUBLE DUTY – Defending Series champion Zach Daum will pull the double this weekend behind the wheel of both a Midget and a 410 Sprint Car.

The 32-year-old open-wheel veteran from Pocahontas, IL, has linked up with car owner Matt McGarry for a return to the seat of the McGarry Motorsports #31 Sprint Car, in which he’ll compete with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars for a shot at a spot in the Ironman 55 main event on Saturday. Daum and McGarry have had success together in the past, winning the 2021 MOWA Sprint Car Series championship, and more recently a MOWA Feature win at Macon Speedway in June.

The Sprint Car will be supplemental to his Midget efforts, though, as Daum will still retain his duties in the seat of the Trifecta Motorsports #7U for both nights with the Xtreme Outlaws. They’re coming off another successful weekend, moving up one position in the points standings to fourth after Feature finishes of fourth and second last Saturday-Sunday.

Daum is a former Midget Feature winner at I-55, taking the checkers with POWRi in 2016, and had a great shot at victory with the Xtreme Outlaws this past April after leading 18 laps.

THREE MUSKETEERS – POWRi National Midget League regulars Corbin Rueschenberg, Karter Sarff and Cooper Williams will all be in attendance this weekend, looking to take down the Xtreme Outlaws in the two-day event.

Fourteen-year-old Rueschenberg, of Mesa, AZ, comes in as the POWRi points leader by 140 over McIntosh. Though he’s not been to Victory Lane in his first full-time Midget season with Mounce/Stout Motorsports, Rueschenberg did climb from 18th on the starting grid up to ninth with the Xtreme Outlaws at I-55 in April, making him a strong contender for his first national Midget win this weekend.

Sarff, 20, of Mason City, IL, nearly won Friday night of Ironman weekend last year, coming up 0.3 seconds short at the line for his first Series victory. He sits third in POWRi points, 160 back of Rueschenberg.

Fifteen-year-old Cooper Williams, of Decatur, AR, brings the Keith Kunz Motorsports #97K into Pevely for his seventh appearance of the season with the Xtreme Outlaws, sitting fourth in POWRi points.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

When and where
Friday-Saturday, Aug 4-5 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55

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

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

Current championship points standings (view full standings)

1. Cannon McIntosh: 2922 points | Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports #08
2. Jade Avedisian: 2878 points (-44) | Keith Kunz Motorsports #71
3. Gavin Miller: 2826 points (-96) | Keith Kunz Motorsports #97
4. Zach Daum: 2778 points (-144) | Trifecta Motorsports #7U
5. Chase McDermand: 2740 points (-182) | Mounce/Stout Motorsports #40
6. Taylor Reimer: 2685 points (-237) | Keith Kunz Motorsports #25K
7. Chance Crum: 2530 points (-392) | Rudeen Racing #26
8. Hayden Reinbold: 2290 points (-632) | Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports #19AZ
9. Ethan Mitchell: 1922 points (-1000) | Bundy Built Motorsports #19M
10. Austin Barnhill: 1844 points (-1078) | Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports #17B

Toyota Feature winners (6 drivers)
4 wins – Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports)
3 wins – Zach Daum (Trifecta Motorsports); Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz Motorsports)
2 wins – Chase McDermand (Mounce/Stout Motorsports)
1 win – Jesse Love (Chad Boat Industries), Daniel Whitley (Abacus Racing)

Toyota Feature laps led (15 drivers)
78 laps – Cannon McIntosh
59 laps – Daniel Whitley
56 laps – Jade Avedisian
46 laps – Zach Daum
28 laps – Ryan Timms
26 laps – Thomas Meseraull
24 laps – Chase McDermand
23 laps – Gavin Miller
22 laps – Shane Cottle, Kyle Jones
21 laps – Ashton Torgerson
11 laps – Hayden Reinbold
6 laps – Karter Sarff
4 laps – Jesse Love
1 lap – Nick Drake

Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Awards (9 drivers)
4 awards – Cannon McIntosh
2 awards – Ethan Mitchell, Daniel Whitley
1 award – Gavin Miller, Hayden Reinbold, Jesse Love, Kevin Thomas Jr, Zach Daum, Joe B. Miller

Heat Race winners (19 drivers)
6 wins – Jade Avedisian
5 wins – Cannon McIntosh
4 wins – Chase McDermand
3 wins – Zach Daum, Hayden Reinbold
2 wins – Chance Crum, Nick Drake, Ethan Mitchell, Gavin Miller, Corbin Rueschenberg, Andrew Felker, Daniel Whitley
1 win – Austin Barnhill, Shane Cottle, Thomas Meseraull, Kyle Jones, Rico Abreu, Briggs Danner, Daison Pursley

High-points honors (11 drivers)
3 honors – Cannon McIntosh
2 honors – Daniel Whitley
1 honor – Gavin Miller, Chance Crum, Rico Abreu, Landon Brooks, Briggs Danner, Hayden Reinbold, Jade Avedisian, Kyle Jones, Andrew Felker

Last Chance Showdown wins (12 drivers)
2 wins – Kyle Jones
1 win – Landon Brooks, Karter Sarff, Howard Moore, Ryan Timms, Taylor Reimer, Henry Chambers, Chance Crum, Chase Briscoe, Mitchell Davis, Cannon McIntosh, Corbin Rueschenberg

DIRTVision Hard Charger Awards (14 drivers)
1 award – Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Ryan Timms, Chance Crum, Zach Daum, Gavan Boschele, Taylor Reimer, Chase McDermand, Shane Cottle, Cooper Williams, Kyle Jones, Cannon McIntosh, Jerry Coons Jr, Hayden Reinbold

Podium finishes (15 drivers)
8 podiums – Cannon McIntosh
6 podiums – Chase McDermand, Zach Daum
4 podiums – Gavin Miller, Jade Avedisian
3 podiums – Daniel Whitley
2 podiums – Shane Cottle, Taylor Reimer
1 podium – Thomas Meseraull, Kyle Jones, Ryan Timms, Ashton Torgerson, Landon Brooks, Jesse Love, Jerry Coons Jr.

Top-10 finishes (38 drivers)
12 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Jade Avedisian, Gavin Miller
11 top-10s – Chase McDermand, Zach Daum
8 top-10s – Taylor Reimer
7 top-10s – Chance Crum
5 top-10s – Landon Brooks, Kyle Jones, Ethan Mitchell, Daniel Whitley
4 top-10s – Gavan Boschele
3 top-10s – Thomas Meseraull, Ryan Timms, Corbin Rueschenberg, Austin Barnhill
2 top-10s – Briggs Danner, Shane Cottle, Chase Briscoe, Kevin Thomas Jr, Karter Sarff, Branigan Roark, Andrew Felker, Hayden Reinbold, Jerry Coons Jr.
1 top-10 – Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Daniel Adler, Sam Johnson, Rico Abreu, Ashton Torgerson, Don Droud Jr, Mariah Ede, Nick Drake, Cooper Williams, Jesse Love, Trey Marcham, Joe B. Miller

2023 Schedule & Winners – Race No. Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Fri, March 10 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Cannon McIntosh (1)
2. Sat, March 11 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Jade Avedisian (1)
3. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Cannon McIntosh (2)
4. Fri, May 5 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS / Chase McDermand (1)
5. Sat, May 6 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Chase McDermand (2)
6. Tue, May 22 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Cannon McIntosh (3)
7. Wed, May 23 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Cannon McIntosh (4)
8. Thu, June 1 / Tri-City Speedway / Pontoon Beach, IL / Jesse Love (1)
9. Fri, June 2 / Wayne County Speedway / Wayne City, IL / Zach Daum (1)
10. Sat, June 3 / Wayne County Speedway / Wayne City, IL / Zach Daum (2)
11. Fri, July 21 / Doe Run Raceway / Doe Run, MO / Zach Daum (3)
12. Sat, July 22 / Southern Illinois Raceway / Marion, IL / Jade Avedisian (2)
13. Sat, July 29 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Jade Avedisian (3)
14. Sun, July 30 / Brushcreek Motorsports Complex / Peebles, OH / Daniel Whitley (1)

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, MichiganAugust 5-6, 2023

RACE TO MICHIGAN HERITAGE TROPHYTwo of NASCAR’s top series will take center stage in the “auto capital of the world” this weekend as the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is set to make its annual appearance at Michigan International Speedway. Located just outside General Motors’ headquarters in Detroit, the two-mile oval has more than just a checkered flag at stake for NASCAR’s premier series. Chevrolet’s drivers and teams will also be vying for the prestigious Michigan Heritage Trophy – an award presented to the winning manufacturer in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400. A recognition that was introduced to the series in 2013, Chevrolet has taken the honor six times – with the last three courtesy of Kyle Larson’s three-peat, recorded from August 2016 to August 2017. Heading to the manufacturer’s home race, the NCS has only competed on one two-mile oval (Auto Club Speedway) this season – a race that saw Kyle Busch collect his first win since returning to the Bowtie brigade.

HOME OF LARSON’S FIRST CAREER NCS WIN

“Motor City” holds a special place in Kyle Larson’s career with Michigan International Speedway being the home of his first career win in NASCAR’s premier series. In his 99th career NASCAR Cup Series start; Larson drove the No. 42 Chevrolet for car owner Chip Ganassi to the win by a 1.478-second margin over now Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott (August 2016).

The California native went on to sweep the series’ two races at the Michigan oval the following season – making him one of only 10 drivers in series’ history to post consecutive NCS wins at the track.

ELLIOTT: LOOKING AT THE NUMBERSChase Elliott is continuing to inch closer to the NASCAR Cup Series’ playoff picture – now sitting in the 20th position in the points standings and only 40-points below the cutline. Elliott is on the horizon of a few of his best tracks, including Michigan International Speedway. Despite still looking for his first victory in the Irish Hills, Elliott’s career statistics at the two-mile oval boosts the Team Chevy driver as a frontrunner heading into the race weekend.  In 12 career NCS starts at Michigan International Speedway, the 27-year-old Georgia native has amassed 10 top-10 finishes. Of those results include three top-five finishes, all of which were runner-up results that were posted in his first three starts at the track. Elliott also leads the series in average finishing position at the track with 8.0. In the series’ only two-mile oval appearance of the season at Auto Club Speedway, Elliott was part of Chevrolet’s top-four sweep – driving his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 to a career-best runner-up finish at the track.

NXS WIN LEADER IN “MOTOR CITY” Chevrolet holds a winning percentage of over 50 percent in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Michigan International Speedway – collecting wins in 17 of the series’ 30 appearances at the track. The manufacturer’s first victory came in the series’ debut at the two-mile oval in August 1992 with Todd Bodine – a win that saw the Bowtie brand sweep the podium with Hut Stricklin in second and Dale Earnhardt Sr. in third. The Camaro SS has taken the victory in three of the series’ last four Michigan events – recorded by three different Team Chevy drivers (Austin Dillon – 2018; Tyler Reddick – 2019; and AJ Allmendinger – 2021).

MAYER SECURES PLAYOFF BERTH WITH HOMETRACK WIN After conquering a double-overtime finish, JR Motorsports’ Sam Mayer earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at Road America. A victory made extra special at his home track, the Wisconsin native became the eighth NXS driver – and fifth from the Chevrolet camp – to clinch a spot in the series’ playoff field. This will mark Mayer’s second appearance in the series’ post-season with the first coming in his rookie campaign in 2022 – making his way into the Round of Eight and ultimately ending the season seventh in the final driver points standings.

PLAYOFF BOUND FOR FIVE NCTS TEAM CHEVY DRIVERSAt the drop of the checkered flag at Richmond Raceway, the 2023 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoff field was officially set with the 10 drivers that will compete for the championship title. Chevrolet accounts for 50 percent of the Playoff field with five drivers from five different Chevrolet teams set to compete for the manufacturer’s 15th NCTS Driver’s Championship. Carson Hocevar, Christian Eckes and Grant Enfinger – each already making repeat visits to victory lane this season – sit in the third through fifth positions, respectively, in the playoff standings. NCTS rookie Nick Sanchez (eighth) and Matt DiBenedetto (ninth) were two of four drivers that pointed their way into the post-season.

The first of three races in the NCTS Playoffs Round of 10 will take place at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park next Friday, August 11. The Bowtie brand will head to the historic track as the event’s defending winners with Playoff contender Grant Enfinger and the No. 23 GMS Racing Silverado RST team.

TEAM CHEVY HITS DOUBLE-DIGIT WINS ACROSS ALL NASCAR NATIONAL SERIESWith Carson Hocevar’s victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular season finale at Richmond Raceway, Chevrolet has officially hit a double-digit win count across all three NASCAR national Series. The manufacturer continues to maintain a winning percentage of more than 50 percent in each series – collecting 12 wins in 22 NASCAR Cup Series races, 11 wins in 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 10 wins in 16 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.  Chevrolet has proven to be a frontrunner in the battle for the Manufacturer’s Championship in all three NASCAR national series as the Bowtie brand continues to hold steady atop all three manufacturer points standings. Chevrolet has a history in sweeping the Manufacturer’s Championship titles across all three NASCAR national series in a single season – accomplishing that feat on four separate occasions (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996).

BOWTIE BULLETS:·        Chevrolet will pace the field in the doubleheader race weekend at Michigan International Speedway. The Camaro SS 1LE will lead the NASCAR Xfinity Series in Saturday’s Cabo Wabo 250, and the Camaro ZL1 will lead the NASCAR Cup Series in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400. ·       NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Michigan International Speedway:     Kyle Larson – three wins (2017 sweep, 2010)Kyle Busch – one win (2011) ·       In 105 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Michigan International Speedway, Chevrolet has recorded 26 victories and 27 poles.  ·       Three of the five repeat winners in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season come from Team Chevy: William Byron: series-leading four wins (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Darlington & Atlanta 2)Kyle Busch: three wins (Auto Club, Talladega, WWTR)Kyle Larson: two wins (Richmond & Martinsville) ·       In 22 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (12), top-fives (49), top-10s (93), stage wins (18) and laps led (2,344). ·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 12 victories in 22 NASCAR Cup Series races, 11 victories in 20 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and 10 wins in 16 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of at least 50%.  ·       With William Byron’s win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 297 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories – all recorded with Chevrolet.  ·       Chevrolet’s series-leading 12 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).  ·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 18 of the 44 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (seven; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (three), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).  ·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 56 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 61 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 51 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  ·       Chevrolet has swept the Manufacturer Championships across all three NASCAR national series in a single season four different times (2012, 2005, 1998, 1996). ·       With Grant Enfinger’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at World Wide Technology Raceway, GMS Racing is now the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS’ history with 44 all-time wins in the series.  ·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 845 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS:·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Plaza at Michigan International Speedway. ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Silverado 2500 LTZ, Tahoe RST, Blazer RS, Trax 2RS, Equinox Premier, Silverado ZR2, ‘NASCAR 75th Anniversary’ themed Camaro ZL1 and the Corvette E-Ray. ·       Fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 show car.  Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, August 5·       Justin Allgaier: 12:15 p.m. ·       Brandon Jones: 12:30 p.m. ·       Josh Berry: 12:45 p.m. ·       Sam Mayer: 1 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Sunday, August 6·       Erik Jones: 10:30 a.m. ·       Daniel Suarez: 11:15 a.m. ·       Alex Bowman: 11:30 a.m. ·       Kyle Busch: 11:45 a.m. ·       Josh Bilicki: 12 p.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: ·       Friday, August 4: 12 p.m. – 6 p.m.·       Saturday, August 5: 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.·       Sunday, August 6: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

TUNE IN: NASCAR Cup Series: FireKeepers Casino 400Sunday, August 6, at 2:30 p.m. ET(USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity Series: Cabo Wabo 250Saturday, August 5, at 3:30 p.m. ET(NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1How important is it to have things on a high note as the regular season comes to a close?“We always want to run well but as long as we keep bringing fast cars and nailing the balance or getting it close at least. We’ve been a bit off there recently where we’ve been sliding the fronts a little too much or the rears a little too much. It’s not a fundamental issue, it’s just small tweaks. We’ re just looking for those last little bits.” So you feel like you’re in a good place?“I do. There aren’t any fire alarms at Trackhouse Racing.” You guys have had a little bit of a quiet summer, no that it’s a bad thing, but just flying under the radar just doing what you guys need to do to be ready for the playoffs?“Absolutely. We want to win and contend for wins, lead laps, put ourselves at the front during the race. There’s no panic. Just go about our business and see the fruits of our labor.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at Michigan International Speedway:“Our team is looking forward to running at Michigan (International Speedway) this weekend. My first ever NCS win was at Michigan (International Speedway), so it’s certainly a special place to me. With only two 2.00-mile tracks on the (NASCAR Cup Series) schedule, our team is looking for redemption following Fontana (Auto Club Speedway). I’ve had two solid top-10 finishes with the No. 5 team in my last two starts, so I hope to be able to repeat that. The guys have been putting in hard work at the shop to build a fast HendrickCars.com Chevy, so I’m eager to hit the track and give it our best.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on racing at Michigan International Speedway:“We are definitely looking forward to Michigan (International Speedway). It’s a super-fast track. Lots of wide-open throttle time but your car also has to handle good. It’s (Michigan International Speedway) got its own unique challenges but we have a lot of confidence in our engine shop. They have been giving us great engines and obviously that has a big impact at this track. We’ve got to do a good job of putting a good car under Kyle and let him do his thing. Hopefully we can go have a nice solid (race) day. KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 KWIK TRIP / KWIK STAR CAMARO ZL1What makes the Cup races so difficult to win at Michigan? “Michigan is always a difficult track just because it’s so fast. You’re going through the corners at such a fast speed that you’re sustaining high speeds all the way around. I’ve won at Michigan once years ago but that was on the old asphalt and now it’s finally getting to where the current racetrack asphalt is aging and leading itself to wider grooves that you can kind of maneuver around the racetrack a little bit better. Hopefully that’s the case this time around when we go back to Michigan.” Is there any track on the schedule that you can compare to Michigan? Fontana was similar but now it’s off the schedule.   “Fontana is the closest just because it’s a two-mile racetrack, but the asphalt, grip level, and banking level is entirely different at each of those tracks. I would say Kansas, maybe, is the most similar. Kansas has really aged well and has progressive banking from the bottom to the top so you can run all over the racetrack. You can run to the top, right up against the wall for the majority of the day at Kansas. Michigan is not quite there yet. I’m not really sure anywhere compares entirely to Michigan.” Is there a fine line on how far to trim the car out at Michigan between practice/qualifying and the race?  “Michigan, for practice, qualifying and the race, you’ve got to put it in race trim. There’s not enough time between practice, qualifying and the race and not enough allowed adjustments to give yourself a slick, low-drag car for qualifying and then a high-downforce car for being in traffic for the race. You just put as much downforce in it as you can because you know you’re going to be out of the throttle at some point during the race. You just need as much grip as you possibly can get to keep your car going on the long run.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1Elliott on racing at Michigan: “Michigan (International Speedway) is an important race on the schedule with it being close to Detroit. It’s also a part of the country I really enjoy during the summer months and I’m looking forward to going up there. It would be great to go there this weekend, get a win for Team Chevy and lock ourselves into the playoffs.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 FARMSMART CAMARO ZL1“I’m looking forward to going to Michigan; we’ll have a lot of on-throttle time and it’s a racetrack I’m excited to go drive at. Last year, Noah [Gragson] had really good speed in the No. 16 car, and our big racetrack speed has been there this year so, I think it’s a track we can go to and do well at.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“I’m looking forward to going back to Michigan. Our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 has had a lot of speed on the larger tracks this year, so hopefully we can break our string of bad finishes and start gaining back momentum.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1“Michigan for me is always fun, getting to go home, and spending some time up there, I will be there a little bit extra this year with the wedding on Wednesday and everything else going on, so it is kind of a cool way to cap everything off with the race on Sunday. Getting to tailgate with fans is something that we have done on and off a bit ever since I started coming to Michigan in the Cup Series, but cool to have the hometown fans at the track and have a big group coming up to watch the race. I feel like our car was good there last year, it was kind of an up and down race, but we came home with a solid finish through it all. We had speed there the whole time, and hopefully we can have a solid car. It’s always fun to go run well there, and it’s important to me to go out and run well in front of so many people that grew up in this area like I did. No guy from Michigan has ever one there, so that’s always something that you want to keep in your mind and try to make that happen, so I am looking forward to being home and the weekend in general.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / MINUTE RICE CAMARO ZL1“It’s in the backyard of our manufacturer and you always want to win there. It’s a racetrack that is fast and hard to pass. We don’t have a lot of off throttle time. We’re in the gas a lot and it’s high-speed. For us, it’s a fun racetrack, but also a frustrating racetrack at the same time. You’re trying to calculate your passes and when you are going to pass. I was just at the shop with my team, and they were working on our No. 47 Kroger/Minute Rice Camaro, and I feel good about the setup we have in it and looking forward to going up to Michigan and performing well.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1Is it time to panic about making it into the playoffs?“No, there is a lot of racing left. I told my guys all of us need to relax and have fun. That’s when we perform our best. We have some really good tracks coming up for us. Trackhouse Racing has a great road course program and we have run really well at Daytona and Michigan.” You led 33 laps at Michigan the last time you raced there. What do you remember about that race?“I really thought Ross and I had great cars that day. That wreck couldn’t come at a worse time. It cost both Ross and I a shot at the victory. My guys gave me a great Worldwide Express Chevrolet there last year and I hope we are as fast on Sunday.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 12Poles: 7Laps Led: 2,344Top-five finishes: 49Top-10 finishes: 93Stage wins: 18·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)·       William Byron – 7 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte)·       Kyle Larson – 3 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono)·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)·       Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma)  CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 845 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 741Laps led to date: 247,888Top-five finishes to date: 4,270Top-10 finishes to date: 8,805                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,179           Chevrolet: 845           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 823                                                                      Ford: 723           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 177

The next Summer of Money stop will see drivers dueling in the demanding 55-lap Ironman with the winner banking $20,000PEVELY, MO (August 2, 2023) – There may be no race more appropriately named than the Ironman 55. It’s grueling. It’s exhausting. It’s intense. It’s a test of a driver’s stamina. And it’s what’s next for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.After a Sunday showdown in New York, The Greatest Show on Dirt will travel nearly 900 miles this week to Pevely, MO where Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 awaits. The high-banked bullring will host two nights (August 4-5) of action this weekend concluded by Saturday’s 55 lapper to decide the champion of the 15th Ironman 55. The winner of the 2023 edition will take home the unique dumbbell trophy and $20,000.The prestigious event serves as two more nights toward one of the most competitive championship battles in Series history. David Gravel carries a narrow eight-point lead over Brad Sweet into Pevely with Carson Macedo lurking in third, 40 markers behind Sweet.Ironman also presents two more chances to gather some momentum heading into the biggest week of the season with the NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals on deck.As an added bonus for fans, they’ll be treated to double the open wheel action as the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets presented by Toyota will be joining the fun for both nights.BUY TWO-DAY TICKET PACKAGEBUY FRIDAY TICKETSBUY SATURDAY TICKETSLet’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:I AM IRONMAN: Of the stout field expected to fill the I-55 pit area this weekend, a trio are former Ironman 55 champions.Sheldon Haudenschild owns a pair of Ironman dumbbells (2019 & 2021) behind the wheel of the Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing/NOS Energy Drink #17. The Wooster, OH native has history in his sights this weekend as a third win would equal him with Craig Dollansky for the most. Of Haudenschild’s two triumphs, his 2019 victory stands out as one of the most dominant performances in Series history when he won by more than 10 seconds and lapped up to sixth place. As he crossed the finish line, Johnny Gibson summed it up perfectly with five words, “Sheldon Haudenschild destroys the field.”Logan Schuchart conquered Ironman in 2018 with Shark Racing. To this day that remains Schuchart’s lone victory at the quarter mile – a fact he looks to change this weekend. While he hasn’t picked up a second I-55 win as of yet, Schuchart has been remarkably close with 12 more top fives on top of the 2018 score. A second Ironman title would put him in the company of Dollansky, Haudenschild, and Rico Abreu as the only competitors with multiple wins.The most recent Ironman is four-time and defending Series champion – Brad Sweet. Last year “The Big Cat” dominated the demanding race, leading all 55 circuits. Considering Sweet’s I-55 résumé, it’s difficult to not consider him the favorite. In his last 15 starts at the south of St. Louis oval, Sweet owns six victories, 13 podiums, and a 2.7 average finish. If he can come out on top again, Sweet will become the first since Rico Abreu in 2016 & 2017 to claim consecutive Ironman titles.PEVELY PROS: The former winners of the event have already shown their capability, but a handful of other competitors stand out as likely candidates to lift the dumbbell for the first time this weekend.In recent years, Carson Macedo has emerged as one of the strongest drivers anytime the World of Outlaws roll into Pevely. Last April the Lemoore, CA native picked up his first win at the quarter mile. Then he followed that with another victory in August when he slid by Brad Sweet in the final corner. The Jason Johnson Racing pilot hasn’t missed the top five in his last four I-55 starts.The Ironman 55 is one of few marquee events that doesn’t appear on Donny Schatz’s list of achievements. He’s been about as close as you can get with four runner-up finishes, most recently in 2019. The 10-time Series champion has proven he can get to Victory Lane in Pevely with victories in 2006 & 2015, and he’ll look to snag that elusive Ironman title this weekend.David Gravel might not have as robust of a record at I-55 as some of his competition, but he can’t be counted out considering his 2023 performance to this point. Dating back to early June, Gravel has five wins, 12 podiums, and only one finish outside the top 10 in his last 17 races. The point leader has triumphed in Pevely once before, topping night one of the 2016 Ironman.KNOCKING ON THE DOOR: There’s one driver who has stood on the second and third steps of the Ironman podium the past two editions, and it’s James McFadden.Two years ago, the Australian finished runner-up aboard Kasey Kahne Racing’s #9 machine. Then, last year he made the move to his current ride – the Roth Motorsports #83 – and brought it home third. McFadden also finished third in the 2014 edition, so he’s hungry to stand atop that elusive top podium spot.He and the Roth crew have been strong all season long with four wins under their belts.GASSIN’ AROUND PEVELY: For Noah Gass, Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 has always been one of his strongest tracks.Before he became a full-time World of Outlaws driver in 2021, Gass earned his first top 15 with the Series at Pevely in 2021. Last year during his rookie campaign, Gass finished 13th on night one of Ironman before posting a very impressive ninth in the finale. Then, back in April of this season he earned another top 15.The Mounds, OK native will enter Ironman weekend with some momentum. Gass is fresh off notching his best finish of the season – an 11th at Weedsport Speedway.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEWHEN AND WHEREFriday-Saturday, August 4-5 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MOON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (44/78 Races):1. 2 – David Gravel (5772PTS) 2. 49 – Brad Sweet (-8PTS) 3. 41 – Carson Macedo (-48PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-224PTS) 5. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-314PTS) 6. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-318PTS) 7. 15 – Donny Schatz (-338PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-470PTS) 9. 3Z – Brock Zearfoss (-814PTS) 10. 1A – Jacob Allen (-861PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (13 Drivers):10 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)6 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)5 wins – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41)4 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)3 wins – Donny Schatz (Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15), Logan Schuchart (Shark Racing #1S)2 wins –Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr.-Marshall Racing #17), Kyle Larson (Silva Motorsports #57)1 win – Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports #21), Anthony Macri (Macri Motorsports #39), Brian Brown (Brian Brown Racing #21), Gio Scelzi (KCP Racing #18)FEATURE LAPS LED (19 Drivers):219 laps – Brad Sweet193 laps – David Gravel187 laps – Carson Macedo174 laps – Rico Abreu133 laps – James McFadden96 laps – Donny Schatz93 laps – Buddy Kofoid81 laps – Logan Schuchart70 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild47 laps – Kyle Larson43 laps – Brent Marks39 laps – Gio Scelzi24 laps – Brian Brown23 laps – Spencer Bayston11 laps – Anthony Macri10 laps – Cory Eliason3 laps – Brady Bacon, Danny Varin1 lap – Austin McCarlSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (16 Drivers):13 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo7 QuickTimes – David Gravel5 QuickTimes – Logan Schuchart2 QuickTimes – Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild, Bill Balog, Justin Peck1 QuickTime – Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Gio Scelzi, James McFadden, Jacob Allen, Kyle Larson, Brad SweetHEAT RACE WINNERS (34 Drivers):25 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo21 Heat Wins – David Gravel11 Heat Wins – Brad Sweet, Donny Schatz10 Heat Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild9 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, Gio Scelzi8 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart6 Heat Wins – Rico Abreu, James McFadden5 Heat Wins – Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks, Justin Peck3 Heat Wins – Anthony Macri, Brian Brown, Bill Balog, Parker Price-Miller2 Heat Wins – Brock Zearfoss, Noah Gass, Kerry Madsen, Cory Eliason1 Heat Win – Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Tim Kaeding, Mark Dobmeier, Kasey Kahne, Austin McCarl, Lachlan McHugh, Ryan Timms, Tim Estenson, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Kyle Larson, Shane Stewart, Lance DeweaseTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (37 Drivers):32 Dashes – Carson Macedo31 Dashes – David Gravel27 Dashes – Brad Sweet21 Dashes – Logan Schuchart19 Dashes – Gio Scelzi17 Dashes – Sheldon Haudenschild16 Dashes – Donny Schatz15 Dashes – Rico Abreu12 Dashes – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston9 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid8 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Brent Marks7 Dashes – Brock Zearfoss6 Dashes – Cory Eliason5 Dashes – Anthony Macri, Justin Peck4 Dashes – Brian Brown3 Dashes – Danny Dietrich, Robbie Price, Parker Price-Miller, Tyler Courtney2 Dashes – Garet Williamson, Austin McCarl, Kasey Kahne, Bill Balog, Kyle Larson1 Dash – Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Aaron Reutzel, Brady Bacon, Chad Trout, Dylan Norris, Cap Henry, Stuart Brubaker, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Shane Stewart, Danny VarinMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (29 Drivers):4 LCS Wins – Sheldon Haudenschild3 LCS Wins – Spencer Bayston2 LCS Wins – Robbie Price, Parker Price-Miller, Noah Gass, Logan Schuchart, Carson Macedo1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Gio Scelzi, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Kraig Kinser, Freddie Rahmer, Henry Malcuit, Cole Macedo, Tim Estenson, Aaron Reutzel, Kerry Madsen, Sye Lynch, Cory Eliason, Donny Schatz, Tyler Courtney, Rico Abreu, Jacob Allen, Daryn Pittman, Sam Hafertepe Jr.KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (31 Drivers):4 Hard Chargers – Sheldon Haudenschild3 Hard Chargers – Tyler Courtney, Brad Sweet, James McFadden2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, Donny Schatz, Logan Schuchart, Danny Dietrich1 Hard Charger – Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Justin Peck, Blake Hahn, Buddy Kofoid, Joe B. Miller, Kyle Larson, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kyle Moody, Freddie Rahmer, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin Pierce, Brenham Crouch, Tim Kaeding, Spencer Bayston, Jacob Allen, Caden Englehart, Zeb Wise, Rico Abreu, Carson Macedo, Dale BlaneyPODIUM FINISHES (23 Drivers):24 Podiums – David Gravel19 Podiums – Brad Sweet14 Podiums – Carson Macedo11 Podiums – Rico Abreu9 Podiums – Logan Schuchart8 Podiums – Donny Schatz7 Podiums – Sheldon Haudenschild6 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid5 Podiums – James McFadden, Brent Marks4 Podiums – Kyle Larson3 Podiums – Brian Brown, Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston2 Podiums – Gio Scelzi1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Parker Price-Miller, Brady Bacon, Anthony Macri, Garet Williamson, Dave BlaneyTOP 10 FINISHES (50 Drivers):39 Top 10s – Carson Macedo, David Gravel38 Top 10s – Brad Sweet33 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart30 Top 10s – Gio Scelzi29 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild27 Top 10s – Spencer Bayston25 Top 10s – James McFadden23 Top 10s – Donny Schatz20 Top 10s – Rico Abreu16 Top 10s – Buddy Kofoid14 Top 10s – Jacob Allen11 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Brent Marks8 Top 10s – Cory Eliason7 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney6 Top 10s – Brian Brown, Kyle Larson, Kasey Kahne, Danny Dietrich5 Top 10s – Brock Zearfoss3 Top 10s – Anthony Macri, Bill Balog2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Blake Hahn, Brady Bacon, Parker Price-Miller, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Freddie Rahmer1 Top 10 – Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Joe B. Miller, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brandon Rahmer, Chad Trout, Lance Dewease, Cap Henry, Cole Macedo, Stuart Brubaker, Skylar Gee, Cole Duncan, Austin McCarl, Garet Williamson, Tim Kaeding, Chase Randall, Shane Stewart, Dave Blaney, Larry Wight, Dale Blaney2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)14. Fri, April 28 / Tri-City Speedway / Granite City, IL / David Gravel (4)15. Sat, April 29 / Tri-State Speedway / Haubstadt, IN / Brady Bacon (1)16. Fri, May 5 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Logan Schuchart (1)17. Sat, May 6 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Rico Abreu (3)18. Wed, May 10 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Anthony Macri (1)19. Fri, May 12 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Brad Sweet (4)20. Fri, May 19 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Donny Schatz (1)21. Sat, May 20 / Sharon Speedway / Hartford, OH / Donny Schatz (2)22. Fri, May 26 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Brad Sweet (5)23. Sat, May 27 / Atomic Speedway / Chillicothe, OH / Carson Macedo (2)24. Mon, May 29 / Lawrenceburg Speedway / Lawrenceburg, IN / James McFadden (3)25. Fri, June 2 / River Cities Speedway / Grand Forks, ND / David Gravel (5)26. Sat, June 3 / Ogilvie Raceway / Ogilvie, MN / Carson Macedo (3)27. Fri, June 9 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / Brian Brown (1)28. Sat, June 10 / Knoxville Raceway / Knoxville, IA / David Gravel (6)29. Fri, June 16 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Gio Scelzi (1)30. Sat, June 17 / Beaver Dam Raceway / Beaver Dam, WI / Sheldon Haudenschild (2)31. Wed, June 21 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Kyle Larson (1)32. Thurs, June 22 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / James McFadden (4)33. Fri, June 23 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / Logan Schuchart (2)34. Sat, June 24 / Huset’s Speedway / Brandon, SD / David Gravel (7)35. Fri, June 30 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / Brad Sweet (6)36. Sat, July 1 / Cedar Lake Speedway / New Richmond, WI / David Gravel (8)37. Sat, July 8 / Wilmot Raceway / Wilmot, WI / Carson Macedo (4)38. Tues, July 11 / Attica Raceway Park / Attica, OH / Kyle Larson (2)39. Fri, July 14 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Carson Macedo (5)40. Sat, July 15 / Eldora Speedway / Rossburg, OH / Donny Schatz (3)41. Thurs, July 20 / BAPS Motor Speedway / York Haven, PA / David Gravel (9)42. Fri, July 21 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Logan Schuchart (3)43. Sat, July 22 / Williams Grove Speedway / Mechanicsburg, PA / Rico Abreu (4)44. Sun, July 30 / Weedsport Speedway / Weedsport, NY / David Gravel (10)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 2, 2023) – Progressive American Flat Track, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, is set to showcase its thrilling Grand National Championship title fight before a rapt audience of diehard motorcycle enthusiasts at this weekend’s The City of Sturgis Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Black Hills Harley-Davidson at Black Hills Speedway in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Sunday, August 6. The high-profile event will be featured at this year’s 83rd Sturgis Motorcycle Rally – which is expected to draw more than 500,000 attendees – and comes just a week removed from an explosive Peoria TT that had the potential to completely upset a raging Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle championship battle. Ultimately, however, the dramatic affair resulted in just a three-point swing at the top of the order. That was enough, however, to move reigning class king Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) back into first, one point ahead of his young challenger, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). While still very much either riders’ championship to win, the outcome in Peoria could still prove pivotal. Rather than looking to gain back ground at Black Hills Speedway, Mees is now operating from a position of strength at a venue he’s won at three times in the past (‘15, ‘17, and ‘18). That, along with his status as the winningest Half-Miler in the history of the series, makes Mees the pre-race favorite coming into the weekend. However, Daniels did manage to upset Mees the last time the two squared off on a Half-Mile with his 0.095-second victory at the Drag Specialties Bridgeport Half-Mile a week-and-a-half-back. Last year’s Black Hills Half-Mile saw its Mission SuperTwins Main rained out, but the lead-up to that point hinted at a clash featuring not just Mees and Daniels, but also Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 790 Duke) and last weekend’s winner, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT). Due to the inclement weather, Bauman actually stands as the most recent winner of the race, having captured victory at Black Hills Speedway in 2019. Several others have the potential to play the role of spoiler this weekend while sorting out their own championship disputes. Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) currently holds a small lead over Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) and Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) as they contend for fifth in the standings along with bragging rights as the top independent Indian. Meanwhile, the likes of Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 790 Duke), Kolby Carlile (No. 36 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750), and Johnny Lewis (No. 10 Moto Anatomy X Powered by Royal Enfield 650) will continue to look for ways to make waves. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER While the commanding title lead of defending Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champ Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) and incredible second half of Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) have naturally made them the focus of attention, Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) has emerged a genuine force to be reckoned with. Brunner has climbed to second in the championship order with three top-two finishes over his last four attempts, including his first victory of the season this past weekend in Peoria. The Estenson Racing pilot now carries that momentum into Black Hills Speedway where he won at a year ago. Considering Kopp’s Half-Mile chops and Drane’s current form, they are obvious contenders for victory as well. Others to keep tabs on are the Turner Honda Racing trio of Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). Saathoff is less than ten points removed from second in the championship having already netted seven podiums on the season, while Mischler and Lowe went 2-3 here a year ago. Fourth place in last year’s race went to Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), who showed renewed speed with a run to fifth in Peoria. Meanwhile, there are a pair of former Black Hills Half-Mile winners who are itching to make similar resurgences in Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F) and Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450), the duo having won here in 2018 and 2019, respectively. There will be plenty to keep fans entertained at the track on Sunday as well, including numerous vendors and dedicated motorcycle parking. General Admission Grandstand tickets are just $25 (kids 12 and under $5), with Premium General Admission Grandstand tickets only $10 more. VIP tickets, which offer access to an exclusive indoor viewing area and include food and beverage, are $125. Pit Pass Upgrades are also available for purchase, which provide all-day access to the pits where fans can scope out the world’s fastest dirt track motorcycles and get up close and personal with the stars of the sport. Visit https://www.tixr.com/groups/americanflattrack/events/black-hills-half-mile-73564 to reserve your seats today. Gates will open for fans at 3:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. PT) with Opening Ceremonies scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT). For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of theThe City of Sturgis Black Hills Half-Mile presented by Black Hills Harley-Davidson, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, August 13, at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com.

Inside Line Promotions – ALGER, Wash. (Aug. 2, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi jumpstarted his summer in a big way last week when he recorded four feature triumphs during five races with the Western Sprint Tour.

Despite missing the first two races of the Speedweek, Scelzi climbed to fifth in the final standings thanks to wins at three different tracks in Oregon and Washington.

“It’s been a really grueling season,” he said. “Our plan was to go up to Skagit Speedway and have a good run at Summer Nationals, which is the second largest 360 race on the West Coast in my opinion. We wanted to race on the way up. I’d always wanted to run in Banks and Cottage Grove so it worked out to make a week out of it.”

The busy week began last Monday at Sunset Speedway in Banks, Ore., where Scelzi set quick time during qualifying before he advanced from sixth to fourth place in a heat race, from third to second place in the dash and from second to win the A Main during his debut at the track.

“We led every lap and luckily for us there weren’t any close calls,” he said. “The race track was really good and it got better in the main event. There was a little grip about two feet off the fence and right on the bottom. I ran the majority of the race on the bottom in turns one and two. In turns three and four I was entering against the cushion and exiting through the middle. I was trunked on the wing early because it was super slick. I raced it momentum-like. It was a lot of fun.”

The next two nights were spent at Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. Scelzi opened Tuesday’s action – his first-ever race at the track – by setting quick time during qualifying. He hustled from sixth to second place in a heat race and from fifth to third place in the dash. Scelzi marched from third to capture the main event.

“The track was wet and fast and kind of hard to pass,” he said. “We got to second in the feature and with eight laps to go we had a restart. I had just gotten to the leader and got under him in turns three and four just before that caution. When the yellow came out I felt it changed the dynamic of the race as his entry changed into turn one and he started slipping off turn two after we restarted. He was entering low and sliding up on the exit. I was on the very bottom of turns one and two and diamonding turns three and four. I was able to get a good run off turn four and slide up in front of him in turns one and two with about two laps to go. He got underneath me entering turn three and I went four wheels above the cushion to drive by him for the win.”

Wednesday nearly featured a sweep of the program for Scelzi, who was quickest in qualifying, won a heat race from sixth, placed second in the dash from fourth and scored the feature triumph after starting on the outside of the front row.

“We led every lap of the main event and the track was slick and wide,” he said. “We lapped up to sixth and I think we won by a little more than seven seconds. The race went green to checkered. Around Lap 12 I was in traffic and was just hanging out. The guy in second got under me into turn three. When I saw that I did a big move on the lapped cars in front of me and then tried to run as ragged as I could the rest of the race. It worked out for our third win in a row.”

The team headed north to Skagit Speedway on Friday for the opening night of the Bob’s Burgers & Brew Summer Nationals. Scelzi was second quickest out of 45 drivers in qualifying before advancing from sixth to third place in a heat race. He maneuvered from 10 ^th to sixth place in the A Main to earn enough points to rank second in the event standings, locking into the dash on Saturday.

“We were really good throughout the preliminary night,” he said. “We were just a little tight in the feature. I wasn’t very good against the cushion and had to run the bottom the majority of that race. I think what I took away from Friday was we had speed, but needed to be better if we wanted to compete for the win on Saturday.”

A fourth-place finish in the dash on Saturday started Scelzi on the outside of the second row in the main event.

“The track was really slick across and had a big curb,” he said. “My focus was trying not to get too tight into the curb. I got a good start and followed Trey (Starks) into second on the first lap. I stayed with him the first half of the race and then I got him in traffic off turn four. After that I had to maneuver traffic well and I think we did a good job. My car got better and better as the race went. It was huge to win the Summer Nationals and to close the week with our fourth win in five races.”

Scelzi will return to action Aug. 18-19 at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., during the Johnny Key Classic with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour.

QUICK RESULTS –

July 24 – Sunset Speedway in Banks, Ore. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 4 (6); Dash: 2 (3); Feature: 1 (2).

July 25 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 2 (6); Dash: 3 (5); Feature: 1 (3).

July 26 – Cottage Grove Speedway in Cottage Grove, Ore. – Qualifying: 1; Heat race: 1 (6); Dash: 2 (4); Feature: 1 (2).

July 28 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 3 (6); Feature: 6 (10).

July 29 – Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. – Dash: 4 (2); Feature: 1 (4).

SEASON STATS –

31 races, 9 wins, 21 top fives, 24 top 10s, 28 top 15s, 30 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Aug. 18-19 at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., for the Johnny Key Classic with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour

Bobby Pierce scored his second Hawkeye 50 victory and sixth World of Outlaws win of 2023, extending his points lead to 84 over Chris Madden

BOONE, IA (Aug. 1, 2023) – Displayed behind Bobby Pierce, watching him talk and smile to the cameras, was his newest trophy. The Hawkeye 50 trophy – second of his career.

While the event title represents Iowan’s nickname and the number of laps around Boone Speedway, it’s also a perfect summarization of Pierce’s performance Tuesday night; 50 laps of hawk-eyed vision for grip around the 1/4-mile track.

The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series returned to Boone Speedway for the third straight year to kick off racing in August during the Summer of Money, boasting a $15,000 payday.

Taking place two days after the Prairie Dirt Classic, where Pierce was passed late in the race by Ricky Thornton Jr. for the win and had to settle for another runner-up finish, the Hawkeye 50 was a chance for many to make up for their PDC loss. Or, for Thornton Jr., grab a second straight win with the Series – a feat he’d yet to do.

The start of the night saw Dennis Erb Jr. scoring the Simpson Quick Time Award, but then finishing second to Bobby Pierce in CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat #1. Then, redraw found them 1-2, again.

Erb, the reigning Series champion, drew the pole. Pierce, the current Series points leader, drew the outside pole.

However, when the Feature commenced, Pierce picked up where he left off in the Heat race, darting around the outside of Erb and powered ahead to the lead. Once in clean air, Pierce pulled ahead by more than a second in the first few laps.

Behind him, Thornton was showing signs of putting on another memorable march from the sixth position. He snuck to fourth on the first lap and passed English for third by Lap 12. Two laps later, he took second from Erb. But that only lasted another three laps before Erb slid back by.

Four laps later, on Lap 22, Thornton threw his #20RT into Turn 3 and slid from the bottom to the top, clearing Erb for second. From there, full force ahead to try and catch Pierce.

The seeing-red charge Thornton put in place to run down and pass Pierce for the PDC win wasn’t fully manifesting this time around. He’d close a little, then lose a little. Close a little, lose a little.

Then, Pierce about slid people off their seats as he almost slid off the track. Entering Turn 1, his car washed high, a little too high, and his right rear tire went over the berm. Dancing with the throttle and wheel, he managed to keep his car going straight and on track, but before he could regain his composure, Thornton was looking underneath him.

“I think I went in there a little too easy and I didn’t get it whipped out enough. The right rear hit that cushion and kind of set the front end over and I was going a little too fast at the time too,” Pierce said. “When it happened, I saw Ricky right here (pointing to the left side of his car) and I was like, shoot, man, he all most got into me because he had nowhere to go. From then on, I knew I had to go something different. It wasn’t going to work doing that.”

At that point, Pierce started trying every line he could think of and make up. While he was top dominate most of the race, Pierce ran the low line for a few laps. But when he did that, Thornton moved to the top and closed on Pierce each time they hit a straightaway.

That wasn’t going to work either. New idea. 

Pierce began running an awkward slider line, coming into turn like he was going to run the bottom, but then let his car slide to the middle of the track. That tactic helped him find the grip Thornton didn’t have and pull away again.

“Once that lip of cushion went off the racetrack, you couldn’t get that boost anymore, so you wasted time going out there,” Pierce said. “So, I knew it was either bottom or middle. Neither of them felt good, so I was like f*** it, I’m just going to go in there. I’ve seen some guys do that in Qualifying and it works out alright. I figured it was dirty enough I could do all that again. I just cut that corner time off and just matted down the straightaways.”

His hawk-eyed observation of the surface paid off, leading Pierce to a 1.2 second victory of Thornton. It was Pierce’s second Hawkeye 50 triumph (first was the Hawkeye 100 in 2021), and sixth Series win of the year. He’s also on a streak of four top-two finishes in a row with the World of Outlaws.

With roles reversed, Thornton found himself in second behind Pierce this time. He knew once Pierce found his line his car had nothing more to give.

“I felt pretty good, I knew it was going to be tough to beat Bobby off the front row,” Thornton said. “He’s really good wherever it’s dirty like this. He’s a little bit better in that condition than we are… Overall, a really good night for us. I went with a little bit of a different tire-wise than they did. Really, I didn’t want the yellow (on Lap 39). I felt like I was maintaining or maybe a tick better than he was before the yellow and then after that he was way better than I was. I think I just burned my stuff up trying to get up to him.”

After the caution on Lap 39, English took advantage of the tightened field to challenge and pass Erb for the final spot on the podium.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit since we left Kansas,” English said. “Back on the same tires and back on kind of some of the same tracks. Maybe there is something to that. Maybe that is why we run good… I wasn’t as good as I thought I needed to be tonight. I felt not very good and I was really surprised I was able to hang with them there at the end. I’m just happy to have a good finish.”

Chris Madden finished fourth and Ryan Gustin 11th, swapping them in points with Madden back up to second. However, with Pierce winning, Madden is back by 84 points. Gustin, in third is now 90 points back.

After the cameras had their time with Pierce in Victory Lane, he didn’t need be hawk-eyed or eagle-eyed to spot the two-foot-tall trophy staring at him. It said everything it needed to about his night.

UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series returns to Cedar Lake Speedway for the prestigious $50,000-to-win USA Nationals, Aug. 3-5. For tickets, CLICK HERE.

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

RESULTS:
CASE Construction Equipment Late Mode Feature (50 Laps): 1. 32-Bobby Pierce[2]; 2. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[6]; 3. 96V-Tanner English[3]; 4. 44-Chris Madden[7]; 5. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[1]; 6. 3S-Brian Shirley[11]; 7. 97-Cade Dillard[5]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton[9]; 9. 18D-Daulton Wilson[10]; 10. 30-Todd Cooney[13]; 11. 19R-Ryan Gustin[4]; 12. 11-Gordy Gundaker[12]; 13. 9-Nick Hoffman[15]; 14. B1-Brent Larson[19]; 15. B5-Brandon Sheppard[14]; 16. 1ST-Johnny Scott[8]; 17. 40B-Kyle Bronson[21]; 18. 32B-Cody Laney[22]; 19. 14G-Trevor Gundaker[16]; 20. 8-Kyle Strickler[18]; 21. 25S-Chad Simpson[17]; 22. 14W-Dustin Walker[23]; 23. 22-Daniel Hilsabeck[24]; 24. 32S-Chris Simpson[20]

Second in GTD PRO points, No. 3 C8.R wants more starting in Elkhart Lake DETROIT (Aug. 1, 2023) – It’s getting close to crunch time for Corvette Racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. And there’s no better place for the perennial powerhouse team to accelerate its title push than historic Road America. The 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course is the site of the upcoming IMSA SportsCar Weekend, which culminates Sunday with the eighth round of this year’s GT Daytona (GTD) PRO championship. The Corvette Racing duo of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor are hoping for a return to its winning ways in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R.

The pairing won last month in class at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park – the first victory of 2023. A second win this season would go along nicely with a 2020 triumph at Road America in the GT Le Mans (GTLM) class. With only four races to go, victories are what will help the Garcia/Taylor tandem and the No. 3 C8.R team most in the hunt for the GTD PRO title.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s IMSA SportsCar Weekend at Road America. Materials include:  · Road America race advance and quotes· Corvette Racing stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies· Corvette Racing photography for IMSA and FIA WEC

Although they finished fourth two weeks ago at Lime Rock Park, the result was enough to move into second in class championship standings – 151 points from the leaders with 1,500 points still available with four races left. However, pole positions and race wins are the most immediate goals for Garcia and Taylor with points taking care of themselves after that. To get back on the top step of the class podium, Corvette Racing will need to come to grips – literally – with a recently repaved Road America surface. In years past, Road America was notorious for eating up tires with high levels of degradation. That very likely won’t be the case this year with substantially more grip available to the field of 46 cars.  Road America and the Corvette brand have a lengthy history dating back nearly 60 years. Chevrolet routinely used the track to test and validate the performance of early-generation Corvettes with that tradition continuing into the present day. Road America was the site of the first on-track running of the Corvette C8.R in 2018, and the mid-engine Corvette continues to write new chapters at each event. The IMSA SportsCar Weekend race at Road America is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. ET on Sunday, August 6. The race will air live on USA beginning at 11 a.m. ET and stream live on Peacock inside the United States and IMSA.com outside the U.S. IMSA Radio will air all on-track sessions beginning with Friday morning’s practice at IMSA.com with the race call also on XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “We don’t really know what to expect at Road America. It’s a kind of track where you can run a completely different configuration that is completely opposite than the rest. So maybe there’s more room to play with setup in order to go completely against everyone else. At most other IMSA tracks, everybody is kind of running the same full-downforce, full-everything. At Road America, there’s a little bit more play. I don’t know how the new surface will affect things. Tire degradation used to be very big there, but I anticipate the tire deg to not be as big as such a big thing there this year. Let’s see. We are definitely knocking on the door every single race.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Road America is great and has given me a lot of good memories. One of my first wins with the C8.R was there in a downpour late in the race. It wasn’t necessarily our strongest track last year, so hopefully with the new repave we can make some gains on everyone else. We’ve done some simulation work to perfect what we can do on our side to get as much performance out of the car as possible. From this point, it’s all about going for race wins.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After seven of 11 events) Driver Standings1. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 2,4622. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2,3113. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon – 2,3024. Klaus Bachler/Patrick Pilet – 2,2815. Alex Riberas/Ross Gunn – 2,083 Team Standings1. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 2,4622. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 2,3113. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 2,3024. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 2,2815. No. 23 Heart of Racing Team – 2,083 Manufacturer Standings1. Lexus – 2,4622. Chevrolet – 2,3113. Mercedes-AMG – 2,3024. Porsche – 2,2815. Aston Martin – 2,094 CORVETTE RACING AT ROAD AMERICA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Road America since 2002 – Corvette C5-R (2002-2004), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2016-19) and Corvette C8.R (2020-current). This year’s race is the second at the track for the GTD-spec, mid-engine racing Corvette• 4: Number of cars Tommy Milner passed in the final 15 minutes of the 2016 Road America race. He and Oliver Gavin went on to win in class and capture the GTLM Drivers Championship• 8: Number of victories at Road America for Corvette Racing, the most of any entrant in IMSA• 8: Pole positions at Road America for Corvette Racing by four different drivers• 10: Number of drivers who have won races at Road America for Corvette Racing – Gavin (four); Olivier Beretta (three); Johnny O’Connell (two); and Kelly Collins, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Jan Magnussen, Milner, Andy Pilgrim and Jordan Taylor (one each)• 12: Fastest race laps for Corvette Racing drivers at Road America. That includes the last three of the last four seasons: Tommy Milner (2019 and 2021) and Antonio Garcia (2020)• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 14: Number of IMSA victories at Road America for Chevrolet, the second-most of any manufacturer in IMSA• 22: Number of Road America events for Corvette Racing counting this year’s IMSA race• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship• 126: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and one in the FIA WEC• 278: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999• 12,395.03: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 20 previous trips to Road America. That represents 3,054 laps or 105 trips across Lake Michigan.• 359,327.91: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon and more than halfway back! Corvette Racing at Road America (wins in bold)2002No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GTS (Fellows pole; Gavin fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins – 1st in GTS 2003No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins – 5th in GTS (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2004No. 3 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GTSNo. 4 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTS (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2005No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole, Beretta fastest race lap) 2006No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 2nd in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen pole, fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 3rd in GT1 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 3rd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 6th in GT2 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Johnny O’Connell – 4th in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 3rd in GT2 (Gavin pole, fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 14th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 5th in GT 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GT 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 6th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM (5th to 1st in final 15 minutes) 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 6th in GTLM (Gavin pole, Milner fastest race lap) 2020No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTLM (Garcia fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2022No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO

RICHMOND, VA – July 31, 2023 – Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing’s Chris Buescher won Sunday’s Cook Out 400, earning a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. This weekend’s win marked Buescher’s first win of the season, 139th win for car owner Jack Roush, and second since the forming of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing. The triumph also marks Ford’s 723rd all-time win in NASCAR Cup Series competition and comes on the birthday of Ford Motor Company founder, Henry Ford.

“Congratulations to Jack, Brad, Scott, Chris, and everyone at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing on the race win at Richmond,” said Doug Yates, President and CEO of Roush Yates Engines. “Both RFK cars raced their way to the front of the field and were strong throughout the race.”

“Our Fastenal Mustang was so good firing off today, so good in practice. I didn’t get the job done in qualifying. I had to pass a bunch of cars today and have some great strategy and some great pit stops. Everybody at RFK Racing who has worked so hard to get us to this point. This is awesome. I knew that last restart was gonna be tough, but I knew we had the speed in this thing.” commented Buescher.

Sunday’s 400 lap race was physically demanding for the drivers with temperatures reaching as high as 135 degrees inside of the racecars. Chris Buescher started the race in 26th position but steadily worked his way to the front of the field, cracking the top-5 by lap 160. Buescher along with fellow teammate and Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski combined to lead 190-of-400 laps with Keselowski taking the Stage 2 victory. There was only one caution throughout the race which happened during the closing laps. Buescher was able to maintain the lead on the restart and win over Denny Hamlin by 0.549 seconds.

A total of six Ford Performance drivers finished in the top-10: Team Penske’s Joey Logano finished in P4, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Preece in P5, Roush Fenway Keselowski’s Brad Keselowski in P6, and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola and Kevin Harvick in P8 and P10.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series raced on Saturday at Road America. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Riley Herbst finished in P5 while RSS Racing’s Ryan Sieg finished in P13. Both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series head to Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan this weekend.

35 CHAMPIONSHIPS – 451 WINS – 417 POLES

CHEVROLET IN NHRA 2023 DENSO NHRA SONOMA NATIONALS SONOMA RACEWAY SONOMA, CALIFORNIA JULY 28-30, 2023 CHEVROLET LOOKS TO GO BACK-TO-BACK IN VICTORY WITH JOHN FORCE RACING AT SONOMA DETROIT (JULY 27, 2023) – For the 12th round of the 2023 NHRA season, the Chevrolet Top Fuel and Funny Car teams at John Force Racing round out the Western Swing in wine country at this weekend’s 2023 DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals. Nestled in the beautiful Sears Point, Calif.-area, Sonoma Raceway hosts this weekend’s event, with Brittany Force eyeing a back-to-back victory this year after capturing the Wally trophy in 2022. Qualifying No. 5 in 2022 with a run of 3.705 ET at 335.15 MPH, B. Force knocked out John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brands/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, in the first round, then Steve Torrence in Round 2, then Shawn Langdon in Semifinals before racing to the 2022 Sonoma win over Mike Salinas with her run of 3.709 ET at 335.48 MPH. “Heading into our final race of the Western Swing in Sonoma, California this season, B. Force said. “This Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is excited to get there just because of how we dominated on Sunday last season. We set records and had four solid runs running in the 3.60s which was just unbelievable. We got to bring home a win and the specialty wine goblet. It was probably one of our best wins of the season last year. Our game plan going into Sonoma Raceway this season is we want to repeat, we want to do that again. We want back-to-back Sonoma Nationals victories. So we’re looking forward to getting the weekend started.” Making a final round appearance at Sonoma Raceway in 2022, John Force, the 16-time champion, driver of the PEAK Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car and team owner at John Force Racing, finished runner-up and has his eyes focused on the Winner’s Circle. “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,” J. 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.” Racing to the semifinals after defeating Jeff Diehl and Jim Campbell, Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing, faced an early exit versus eventual event winner Bob Tasca III in 2022. Heading to Sonoma in 2023, however, Hight looks to cap off his Western Swing with a win for the Bowtie brand. Currently idle, the Chevrolet Camaro Pro Stock teams will be back in action in Topeka, Aug. 11-13, 2023. Additionally, the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown Chevrolet teams return for the biggest event of the season soon, the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Sept. 1-4, 2023.   The 2023 DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in the beautiful Sears Point, California-area airs first with Friday’s qualifying on Saturday, July 29 at 12 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Saturday’s qualifying airs Sunday, July 30 at 2:30 p.m. ET, with Sunday’s Finals following on FOX at 4 p.m. ET. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, available via AppleTV, Android TV, and Roku devices. WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:Austin Prock, driver of the Rocky Mountain Twist / Montana Brands Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:“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. I believe we can leave Sonoma Raceway with a Wally. I’m looking forward to making sight solid runs and getting the job done.” Robert Hight, driver of the Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car for John Force Racing:“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.”    TEAM CHEVY BY THE NUMBERS1,434: Round wins for John Force (1st all-time).605: Round wins for Robert Hight; 13th all-time. Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car), sits 12th, with 621.375: Number of wins in Pro Stock since 1970; 255 won in the Chevrolet Camaro body.166: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for John Force (1st all-time).157: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins since 1967.79: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Robert Hight (6th all-time).77: Number of Chevrolet Racing Funny Car wins with the Camaro body.47: Number of career No. 1 qualifiers for Brittany Force.27: Number of NHRA championships Chevrolet holds as a manufacturer since entering the first in 1966. No other manufacturer has won it more than Chevrolet.24: Wins by John Force in a Chevrolet-bodied Funny Car.18: Number of Pro Stock championships.20: Chevrolet career Top Fuel wins in NHRA.16: Number of Chevrolet career wins by Brittany Force.7: Number of Funny Car driver championships.2: Number of Top Fuel driver championships. UPCOMING NHRA MILESTONES950: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) is second all-time with 921 elimination round wins. He could reach 950 round wins with a decent run in the 18-race schedule. 621: Robert Hight achieved 605 Funny Car elimination wins in Chicago to rank 13th on the all-time NHRA list; Cruz Pedregon (Funny Car) sits 12th with 621. 445: By qualifying for his next race, Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) will extend his NHRA record to 445 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2002 at Pomona 2, and he holds the longest career qualifying streak in NHRA. 138: Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) ranks third on the NHRA all-time list with 121 No. 1 qualifiers. He will tie Warren Johnson (Pro Stock, 138) for second to John Force (165) on the list. 270: By qualifying for his next race, Robert Hight will extend his NHRA record to 270 consecutive race day appearances. His first appearance came in 2010 at Pomona 2, and he currently sits seventh in career qualifying streaks in NHRA (Doug Kalitta is sixth at 276). 65: Robert Hight moved into the top 10 on the all-time NHRA victory list with his win in Pomona 1 with 63. Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock, retired) is next ninth on list with 65. 46: Erica Enders has 44 career Pro Stock victories (all with Chevrolet, first win coming at Chicago, 2012 and last win at Las Vegas 2, 2022). Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) is the all-time NHRA female leader with 46.  18: Brittany Force (16 Top Fuel career wins) will move past Shirley Muldowney (18 wins) into third on the NHRA all-time victory list for females. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 44) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle, 46) are ahead. 6: Erica Enders (Pro Stock) could tie Warren Johnson (6 Pro Stock championships) for second on the class list. The same holds for Greg Anderson. Bob Glidden is the leader with 10. 3: Brittany Force (Top Fuel, 2 championships) would tie Shirley Muldowney (Top Fuel) and Angelle Sampey (Pro Stock Motorcycle) for second on the NHRA all-time championship list by females with another title in 2023. Erica Enders (Pro Stock, 5) is the leader.

TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE

Richmond Raceway / Road AmericaJuly 29-30, 2023

NASCAR CUP SERIES: ROUND TWO AT RICHMOND The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) is set for round two at Richmond Raceway this weekend with the .75-mile oval marking just the series’ second repeat visit to a track this season. The final short-track remaining in the regular season, Chevrolet heads into Sunday’s Cook Out 400 as Richmond Raceway’s reigning winner following Kyle Larson’s (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1) victory during the venue’s spring event. Adding onto the momentum for the Bowtie brigade, Larson led the manufacturer to a sweep of the podium in the race with Josh Berry – who was filling in for an injured Chase Elliott – taking the runner-up position, and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain rounding out the top-three.

Larson’s victory took Chevrolet to its 40th all-time victory in NASCAR’s premier series at Richmond Raceway – a record among its manufacturer competitors. Three of Chevrolet’s active NCS drivers have reached victory lane at the Virginia short-track including Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, who leads the series with six career NCS wins, and Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman (one NCS win – 2021).

AT A GLANCE: FIVE-TO-GOThis weekend marks just five races remaining in the NASCAR Cup series’ regular season – each contested on a distinctly different race track configuration. The journey to the series’ championship title run includes a short-track, an intermediate oval, a pair of road courses and a superspeedway – with Chevrolet holding the reigns as the series’ most recent winner at four of the remaining tracks on the regular season schedule:

–       Richmond Raceway – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (April 2023)-       Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course – Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1 (August 2022)-       Watkins Glen International – Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 (August 2022)-       Daytona International Speedway – Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Camaro ZL1 (February 2023).

Five drivers from four different Chevrolet teams have already notched their spot in the series’ 16-driver playoff field with at least one win to their name. Four of the five spots just below the playoff cutline are occupied by Team Chevy drivers who still have an opportunity to point their way into the post-season. The first driver on the outside looking in is Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger, who moved into the 17th position in the points standings and just 17-points below the cutline following last weekend’s event. After getting caught-up in an accident that resulted in a DNF at Pocono Raceway, Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez moved to the 18th position in the points standings and 23-points below the cutline. After both missing a handful of races due to injuries at the beginning of the season, Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott sit in the 20th and 21st positions, respectively, in the points standings – but are both on the horizon of tracks they have found success, including victory lane.

LARSON STELLAR ON SHORT-TRACKSTeam Chevy’s Kyle Larson has found success on every type of race track configuration that the NASCAR Cup Series competes at, but one that stands-out this season is at the short-tracks. Larson’s two points-paying NCS wins this season came during the series’ three-race short-track swing this spring – first at Richmond Raceway in April, with the driver visiting victory lane at Martinsville Speedway just two weeks later. The former champion also put on a dominating performance during NASCAR’s return to North Wilkesboro Speedway in May for the non-points paying All-Star Race – leading 145 of the race’s 200 laps en route to the one-million-dollar grand prize.

In the NCS’ six points-paying races on tracks one-mile or less this season, Larson has finished no worse than fourth in four of those events. On top of his wins at Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway, the Team Chevy driver also collected a fourth-place finish at Phoenix Raceway in March, as well as a third-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway just a few weeks ago.

BUSCH WITH STORIED HISTORY AT RICHMONDAn automatic favorite heading to “America’s Premiere Short Track” is Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch. In 35 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at Richmond Raceway, the 38-year-old Nevada native has found victory lane a series-leading six times. Of those triumphs includes a sweep of the events in 2018, making Busch just one of two active drivers to post consecutive wins at the Virginia short-track. On an even more impressive note, Busch has yet to post a DNF in any of his career NCS starts at Richmond Raceway. Taking it one step further, he’s completed all but one lap in his 35 career NCS starts at the track – running 14,208 of the 14,209 laps.

CLOSING OUT THE NCTS REGULAR SEASONThe NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) has reached the final race of its 2023 regular season – with 250 laps around the .75-mile oval of Richmond Raceway determining the three remaining spots in the series’ 10-driver playoff field.

As the points currently stand heading into the regular season finale, Team Chevy drivers account for five of the top-10 spots above the playoff cutline. Coming off his sixth top-five finish of the season, GMS Racing’s Grant Enfinger took over the third position in the points standings – now 59-points behind the leader. The 38-year-old Alabama native is one of the three Team Chevy drivers that have already clinched a spot in the post-season title run. Joining Enfinger on that list is Christian Eckes and Carson Hocevar, who sit in the sixth and seventh positions, respectively, in the standings. Team Chevy’s Matt DiBenedetto and Nike Sanchez maintained their positions above the playoff cutline following last weekend’s trip to Pocono Raceway – with DiBenedetto in the eighth position (+31 points above the cutline) and Sanchez in the ninth position (+21 points above the cutline).

NASCAR XFINITY SERIES: RETURNING TO ROAD AMERICAThree of the next four events for the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) will be contested on a road course – with the first stop featuring the 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit of Road America. Saturday’s Road America 180 will mark the series’ 14th consecutive appearance at the Wisconsin circuit. Chevrolet recorded its first NXS win at Road America in June 2011 with Reed Sorenson behind the wheel of the No. 32 Chevrolet for team owner Steve Turner. The manufacturer has since made its way to victory lane at the circuit a manufacturer-leading seven times. Of those slated to compete in this weekend’s event, only three drivers have found victory lane at the circuit – all of which come from the Chevrolet camp (Justin Allgaier – 2018; Jeremy Clements – 2017; AJ Allmendinger – 2013). Chevrolet has already made one trip to victory lane in the series on a road course this season after Allmendinger defended his winning title at Circuit of The Americas in March.

BOWTIE BULLETS:·       NASCAR Cup Series victories by active Chevrolet drivers at Richmond Raceway:    Kyle Busch – series-leading six wins (2018 sweep, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009)Kyle Larson – two wins (2023, 2017)Alex Bowman – one win (2021)  ·       In 133 NASCAR Cup Series races held at Richmond Raceway, Chevrolet has recorded 40 victories and 48 poles – both of which are series-best feats.   ·       Chevrolet recorded six consecutive NASCAR Cup Series victories at Richmond Raceway from 2006 to 2008 – a record for the longest streak of consecutive wins by a single manufacturer at the .75-mile Virginia oval.  ·       Hendrick Motorsports leads all active NASCAR Cup Series teams with 57 short-track wins, recorded by 14 different drivers. 12 of those victories came at Richmond Raceway.  ·       Three of the five repeat winners in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season come from Team Chevy: William Byron: series-leading four wins (Las Vegas, Phoenix, Darlington & Atlanta 2)Kyle Busch: three wins (Auto Club, Talladega, WWTR)Kyle Larson: two wins (Richmond & Martinsville) ·       In 21 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (12), top-fives (48), top-10s (91), stage wins (18) and laps led (2,344). ·       Chevrolet leads the series in wins across all three NASCAR national series this season with 12 victories in 21 NASCAR Cup Series races, 10 victories in 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races and nine wins in 15 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races – all with a win percentage of at least 50%.  ·       With William Byron’s win at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports now sits at 297 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories – all recorded with Chevrolet.  ·       Chevrolet’s series-leading 12 NASCAR Cup Series wins this season have been recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (JTG Daugherty Racing), Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Racing), William Byron and Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) and Ross Chastain and Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Racing).  ·       Chevrolet drivers have recorded 18 of the 42 NASCAR Cup Series stage wins this season: William Byron (seven; series-leading), Ross Chastain (five), Kyle Larson (three), Kyle Busch (two) and Chase Elliott (one).  ·       Chevrolet continues to sit atop the manufacturer points standings in all three NASCAR national series, leading by 57 points in the NASCAR Cup Series, 54 points in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and 46 points in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.  ·       With Grant Enfinger’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win at World Wide Technology Raceway, GMS Racing is now the winningest Chevrolet organization in NCTS’ history with 44 all-time wins in the series.  ·       With its 41 NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer’s Championships, 33 NASCAR Cup Series Driver’s Championships, and 845 all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins, Chevrolet continues to hold the title of winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history.

FOR THE FANS:·       Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Richmond Raceway.  ·       Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles at the Team Chevy Racing Display including: Silverado 1500 ZR2, Silverado 2500, Colorado ZR2 Premier, Camaro ZL1, Corvette Z51, Trax.  Team Chevy Driver Appearances at the Display:Saturday, July 29·       Matt DiBenedetto: 1 p.m. ·       Nick Sanchez: 3 p.m. ·       Christian Eckes & Jake Garcia: 3:15 p.m. ·       Chase Purdy & Matt Mills: 3:30 p.m.  Sunday, July 30·       Noah Gragson: 12:15 p.m. ·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr: 12:30 p.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: ·       Saturday, July 29: 10 a.m. ·       Sunday, July 30: 9 a.m.

TUNE IN: NASCAR Cup Series: Richmond RacewayCook Out 400 Sunday, July 30, at 3 p.m. ET(USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Xfinity Series: Road AmericaRoad America 180 Saturday, July 29, at 3 p.m. ET(NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90) NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series: Richmond RacewayWorldwide Express 250 Saturday, July 29, at 7:30 p.m. ET(FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90)

QUOTABLE QUOTES:ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 WORLDWIDE EXPRESS CAMARO ZL1Where would you evaluate your No. 1 team is heading into these final few races before the Playoffs?“My team is rock solid. This is year three with these guys and I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else. What’s good is we know we are going to get to do this together for a long time. We have fun. Our hauler has fun. There’s not many people who have more fun in the Cup Series garage than we do. I’m having a blast and living my dream. I feel great about where we are.” It looks like it’s a busy weekend for Worldwide Express in Richmond?“It’s cool to see a partner like Worldwide Express make such a splash in a race market like Richmond. We go to so many different markets each year it’s good to leave it in a better place and really show the people that even though there is a race, there’s other elements too. How cool is it to get an opportunity to drive around the track in your street car and raise a little money! The Worldwide Express people are like family and it’s going to be a busy and fun weekend in Richmond.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Larson on racing at Richmond Raceway:“All of our wins this year have been on short-tracks: Richmond, Martinsville and North Wilkesboro. We were good at Loudon- even compared to the (HMS) teammates. Honestly, we have been pretty good everywhere this year. Especially early on in the year, we were really good on 1.5-mile tracks, intermediate tracks and super speedways even. I’ve been upfront, but crash or whatever. I’m excited about going to Richmond this weekend and going back to a track that we won at earlier this year. As the season progresses, setups change and the weather is going to be different than it was earlier this year. It’s not going to be the same, but I’m confident because we have been good on all the short-tracks.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1Daniels on racing at Richmond Raceway:“We are planning to try to respect the track as much as we possibly can. This place is so difficult. We were very fortunate to have a great race car and race overall in the spring. It’s certainly been a tough place for us in the past and we know that so we are trying to have a healthy amount of respect to make sure we do the right things and study ourselves right. We won’t rest on our lorals of a great race in the spring or be lazy about our approach. We will certainly look at everything that we can or need to from the spring race and make any adjustments that we see needed. Kyle was pretty happy with the car, but we can always be better. Hopefully we can execute a very solid race and be in the top-10 by the end of it and have a shot (to win). KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 X WORLD WALLET CAMARO ZL1How much did you learn at the first Richmond race earlier this season that will help you when you go back? “I think some of the biggest things that we learned at the first Richmond race earlier this year was what our short track package had that was good what our short track package that was bad. All year has kind of been a struggle at the at the lower downforce, shorter track races. We’re still trying to get to the bottom of all that and figure it out. We know that there is a lot of room for improvement and sometimes little things can mean big improvements. We’ll just keep working at it.” Do you think the combination of higher track temperatures and increased tire wear will make for better racing at Richmond? “More times than not I would say that the higher track temperature and increased tire wear does make for better racing anywhere because it allows you to save your stuff at times compared to other drivers and not have to run as hard and that will reward you in the long run. But it doesn’t always equate to that. You just have to play it by ear as the race goes along. Typically, when you get increased tire wear, that allows you to move around on the racetrack and get higher on the racetrack as the day goes.” Do you miss the night races at Richmond? Is that something that you’d like to see back on the schedule? “I really loved the night races at Richmond. I definitely feel like at least one of them can be a night race on the schedule. It’s hot during the day, but also being a Saturday night race always lends itself to putting on a good race and having the day off on Sunday is nice when you’re able to be home and chill out.” AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 KAULIG RACING CAMARO ZL1“In the Next Gen car, Richmond has probably been our worst racetrack and a place we still need to figure out. Our short track program has been getting better, and with what we are learning, we should go there and hopefully have a better race. Where that puts us at the end of the day, I’m not sure. Of the tracks left in the regular season, Richmond is definitely the one we have circled that we need to improve at. If we do that, I think that will give us confidence for the rest of them and have a shot to make the playoffs.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1“We struggled quite a bit the last time we raced at Richmond. We have been working hard as a team preparing for this race and improving our short-track program, and I think as long as we control everything we can control and execute like we have been lately; we will be in a good spot going into the race.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1“Richmond was a great track for me in Xfinity and we had a crash there in the spring so we didn’t get to finish the race. Going to tracks for the second time this season will be helpful as we have notes from the previous races. Hopefully last week’s finish in Pocono, and not having any in-race issues, will carry over to this weekend and a solid outcome.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1“Richmond has been okay, kind of an up and down place, but the overall track itself is just like that for everyone. You’re either going to hit on it well, but if you are a little bit off, it seems like you’re way off. I thought we had some work to do there from the spring, I think we have some different ideas and different things that can help us out. We have had some solid speed there at times in the NextGen cars, we just haven’t been able to put it together. I am hoping this is the one where we can do that and put it all together. Looking back on my career there have been some races where I feel like we were running well there, and I know the feeling that I had. So, I am just trying to get back to that and put it all together to have a good one at Richmond!” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KLEENEX CAMARO ZL1“We’re really looking forward to Richmond. We feel like that one owed us a good finish earlier this season. And, it feels good to be locked in the Playoffs. We felt strong about making it, but you never want to count your cards before everything is finished. Being locked in, we can really focus on what we have been talking about. That’s executing and taking a car and finishing better than where we should. That’s what we have got to do in the Playoffs. We’ve got to make sure that we maximize our day, no matter how our car is handling.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 JOCKEY CAMARO ZL1How disappointed were you after Sunday in Pocono?“Extremely disappointed but you can only control what you can control. You get mad but you have to forget about it and move on. We are totally focused on Richmond this week and getting a good finish there. There is a lot of racing remaining and we have to focus on today, not what happened last week or what is going to happen in the future.” What are your thoughts with five races remaining the regular season?“We feel like we should be part of the playoffs and that we are strong enough to make some noise once we get in the playoffs. Overall, I think we have fast cars 90 percent of the time and we have to take advantage of it. We have some tracks coming up where we have run really well. It’s going to be about execution and avoiding bad luck. We just have to do it.” GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 23 CHAMPION POWER EQUIPMENT SILVERADO RSTYou’ve ran really well in all of your previous starts at Richmond, what is it about this type of track that fits your driving style?“I love the tracks that are low on grip and have tire falloff. Richmond is one of the toughest short tracks that we have when it comes to tire management, and it’s important to manage your stuff because of all the long runs that the place puts on. Last year I felt like we had a top-five truck, but I feel like Jeff Hensley has made our package better since then. I’m confident in all of the preparation that Jeff and the guys have put in on improving our Champion Power Equipment Chevy this time around, and would love if we could finish out the regular season with another win to give us the momentum heading into the playoffs.” RAJAH CARUTH, NO. 24 CAMP CULTIVATION SILVERADO RSTRichmond Raceway is one of the top tracks that hold a special place in your heart, so what would a win in your home race mean to you and your team?“It would be so special and moving to get it done this weekend. It’s been such a tumultuous last year and some change, so to be able to potentially get my first win and lock us into the playoffs would be storybook. I’m thankful to everybody that has been supporting our program here at GMS Racing this year, and it’s special to run a Camp Cultivation paint scheme this weekend. I know how hard Warrick, Chinique, and the team at the Wendell Scott Foundation and New College Institute have been working on putting that program together. It was fun to join them at the camp last week and I’m sure that running with it represented on our truck is going to help spread the word for next time. We can get it done this weekend. Whatever it takes!” DANIEL DYE, NO. 43 BULL & BOAR BARBECUE SHOP / LIFTEDTRUCKSFORSALE.COMSILVERADO RSTAs we wrap up the regular season this weekend, can you describe some of the things that you have learned and improved on by running in the Truck Series?“I’d say this season has definitely been a much larger learning experience compared to what I was used to running with the last couple of years in the ARCA Series. The Truck Series is way more developed, and the aggression level is way higher. So, I’ve been learning how to race with all of these guys with that level of aggression, but also maintain and walk that line of being smart. Our group on the No. 43 team has definitely improved on our communication throughout the season, and I’m feeling more confident as a driver, so overall I would say that it’s been a good experience for us. I’ve never raced at Richmond before, but it reminds me of some of the characteristics of the short tracks that I grew up on, so I think we have the opportunity to run well this weekend. I’m looking forward to it.” CHASE PURDY, NO. 4 BAMA BUGGIES SILVERADO RSTWhat is your approach heading into Saturday’s race?“I would say our approach is to do everything we can to put ourselves in position to win. That’s our only option to make the playoffs and that’s what we plan to do.” Is there a track that you’ve raced at in any series that is similar to Richmond?“Richmond is similar to 5 Flags Speedway in Pensacola (Florida) in a lot of ways. It’s a worn out short track where you have to manage and save tires and be there at the end of the race. I’ve had a lot of strong runs at 5 Flags — won the Snowflake and almost won the Derby — so I feel like Richmond is a place where I can go out and compete for the win.” MATT MILLS, NO. 51 J.F. ELECTRIC SILVERADO RSTWhat do you think the differences between driving a Xfinity car and a truck will be at Richmond?“In the truck I feel like I’ll be able to be a tad more aggressive off the corners. In the Xfinity car, being able to feather the throttle off the corners kind of fits my driving style not having to be so aggressive and attacking every lap. Hopefully, the style of driving the Xfinity car will be able to transfer over to the truck. I think you’ll have to be a little bit more aggressive with the truck but still feel like you have an egg under the throttle and make sure that you take care of your tires. It’s usually a race where you have to be smooth throughout the race and be there at the end.” Have you set any goals for this weekend?“The way I look at it is I want to prove that I’m not wasting this opportunity. A top 10 would be good, top five would be great and if I’m able to win it would be a dream come true. Really, this is going to be a learning curve for me. It’s going to be a great experience and kind of open up my eyes to the sport and see how the upper echelon teams operate. I feel like I need to go out there and not make a fool of myself, gain respect and take everything that I learn this weekend at Richmond and go out and be even better when we show up at Milwaukee.”

Chevrolet NASCAR Cup Series Statistics Manufacturers Championships:Total (1949-2022): 41First title for Chevrolet: 1958Highest number of consecutive titles: 13 (2003-15) Years Won: 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021, 2022 Drivers Championships:Total (1949-2021): 33First Chevrolet champion: Buck Baker (1957)Highest number of consecutive titles: 7 (2005-11)Most Recent: Kyle Larson (2021) Years Won: 1957, 1960, 1961, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020, 2021 Event Victories:Record for total race wins in single season: 26 (2007)                2023 STATISTICS:                                                                                                    Wins: 12Poles: 7Laps Led: 2,344Top-five finishes: 48Top-10 finishes: 91Stage wins: 18·       Ross Chastain – 5 (Daytona), (Auto Club x2), (Dover), (Darlington)·       William Byron – 7 (Las Vegas x2), (Phoenix), (COTA), (Richmond), (Dover), (Charlotte)·       Kyle Larson – 3 (Phoenix), (Bristol Dirt), (Pocono)·       Chase Elliott – 1 (Talladega)·       Kyle Busch – 2 (WWTR), (Sonoma)  CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUMULATIVE STATISTICS:Total Chevrolet race wins: 845 (1949 to date)Poles won to date: 741Laps led to date: 247,888Top-five finishes to date: 4,269op-10 finishes to date: 8,803                                                                                                          Total NASCAR Cup Wins by Corporation, 1949 to Date:                    General Motors: 1,179           Chevrolet: 845           Pontiac: 154           Oldsmobile: 115           Buick: 65            Ford: 822                                                                      Ford: 722           Mercury: 96           Lincoln: 4            Fiat Chrysler Automobiles: 467           Dodge: 217           Plymouth: 191           Chrysler: 59            Toyota: 177

SONOMA, Calif. (July 26, 2023) – Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend’s DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway as the defending event champions. Still looking for their first win of the season, they’ll hope to repeat their dominating performance from last year. En route to her breakthrough 2022 win, Force and the Flav-R-Pac team improved their performance each run ultimately leaving the weekend having set both ends of the track record. They would set the track elapsed-time record at 3.662 seconds against teammate Austin Prock in the first round. For three consecutive runs, Force would better the track speed record from 336.07 mph in the first round to 336.49 in the second round and finally the standing track record 337.75 in the semifinals. In addition to her win in 2022, Force also has two No. 1 qualifier starts in 2014 and 2021. “Heading into our final race of the Western Swing in Sonoma, California this season. This Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is excited to get there just because of how we dominated on Sunday last season. We set records and had four solid runs running in the 3.60s which was just unbelievable. We got to bring home a win and the specialty wine goblet. It was probably one of our best wins of the season last year,” Force said. “Our game plan going into Sonoma Raceway this season is we want to repeat, we want to do that again. We want back-to-back Sonoma Nationals victories. So we’re looking forward to getting the weekend started.” Force enters the final race in the Western Swing in fourth place in the Camping World Drag Racing Series points standings, just one point behind third. Already this season she’s secured four No. 1 qualifying positions including the final event at Bandimere Speedway, the Mile-High Nationals where she set her 14th NHRA track speed record.

LET’S GET TO KNOW MIKE SALINAS

Event: 

Denso Sonoma Nationals

            Sonoma Raceway; Sonoma, California

Scrappers Racing Competitors:

            Mike Salinas, Top Fuel

            Jianna Evaristo, Pro Stock Motorcycle

SONOMA, Calif. (July 26, 2023) – NHRA’s Western Swing is coming to a close this weekend with the Sonoma Nationals at Northern California’s Sonoma Raceway. This also marks the end of the Salinas family’s three-week motorcycle road trip as they come home to San Jose – marking nearly 3,500 miles on their journey. 

And with Sonoma being the home track for Scrappers Racing, there’s no better time to take a moment and get to know team owner and driver, Mike Salinas. The 62-year-old father of four daughters (Jasmine, Jaquelin, Jianna and Janae) and husband of wife, Monica spent time answering 10 questions and a bonus 11th prior to the Sonoma race weekend to give fans a glimpse into the mind of a successful business owner and Top Fuel driver.

10 Questions with Mike Salinas

Why did you choose Top Fuel and not Funny Car?

“Because Top Fuel is the king of the sport. You don’t buy a penthouse on the bottom floor.”

What are your racetrack rituals?

“Relax, have fun and make sure you enjoy yourself. Before I get in the race car, I always hit the chutes, the tires and the injector – every time. Those are signs to remind me of something. I have little things to remind myself and everything I do is steps to remind myself of something.”

Describe a normal day when you’re not at the racetrack.

“Controlled chaos.”

What’s it like being surrounded by your wife Monica and four daughters?

“It’s awesome actually. It’s like being in high school and harassing our friends and of course getting harassed back. It’s great.”

Best advice you can give someone.

“Integrity, happiness and harmony in life will allow you to see the positive side of things and allow you to do good in your life.”

What made you want to become a NHRA Top Fuel driver?

“I saw somebody else doing it and Janae (Salinas) told me at nine years old, ‘I don’t think you can do it.’ So, I said, ‘Let’s go see, I can do it.’ That’s actually how we got here. We were watching it on TV and J.R. Todd was driving way back when and Janae and I saw him qualify number one at Sonoma and we were watching the drag races and she says, ‘How come you don’t go do that?’ And I said, ‘We can.’ And she said, ‘I don’t think you can.’ That’s how it started.”

Do you get more nervous racing your Top Fuel car or watching your daughters compete?

“Not nervous at all for any of it. You have to trust that you’ve put them with the right people and you have the right people behind you. If you’re nervous or scared, you can’t be in this sport because you’ll get hurt.”

What is your favorite vacation destination and when you’re on vacation, are you able to unwind?

“Kauai, Hawaii is my favorite because we already know people there. I can’t unwind, but I’m trying really hard to learn how to relax.”

What is the secret to your success in the business world and life overall?

“Be positive, have integrity and do the right thing when nobody is looking.”

What was it about NHRA drag racing that initially got your attention?

“I used to come do this to relax and it started out as relaxation. But it turned into another business.”

Bonus Questions – What is something no one knows about you?

“I like serenity and I like being by myself. I like just being a great person, that’s all.”

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.