LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2023) – Sitting fourth in the championship points standings, Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ready to lay all the cards on the table as they chase their second win of the season. Hight and the Flav-R-Pac crew, headed by Jimmy Prock, will be looking to rebound from a first-round loss at the Winternationals that snapped the three-time championship team’s streak of first-round victories at 24, one of the longest in history. After winning last month in the final race at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park just outside of Phoenix, Hight is looking for his 63rd career victory and a chance to break a tie with Larry Dixon for 10th on the NHRA all-time winner’s list. “It was a bummer leaving Pomona, one of our team’s home race tracks, with a first-round loss. Then to have to wait two weeks to get back in the seat, it’s painful and not just for me. I know Jimmy Prock along with assistant crew chiefs Thomas Prock and Nate Hildahl and the whole team are anxious to get back to racing,” Hight said. “This Flav-R-Pac team is definitely looking forward to Vegas and going four-wide racing. It’s exciting for the fans more than anything. We just need to focus and do what we know how to do.” Although he has yet to win the Vegas four-wide, Hight has two four-wide wins at Charlotte (2012 and 2014) and three wins at The Strip in the spring before it transitioned to four-wide in 2018 (2007, 2011 and 2012). At last year’s Four-Wide Nationals at LVMS, Hight reached the final quad. He has also been No. 1 in the spring in 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2021. The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins with four rounds of qualifying with sessions on Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at noon. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) begins with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FS1 Sunday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

DALLAS, TX (April 12, 2023) — Top Fuel racer Buddy Hull is not much of a gambler. The businessman from Texas has built several companies and he is applying the same process to his Top Fuel racing operation. He uses hard work, good people, savvy business opportunities and networking to take on the best of the best at over 330 mph in under four seconds. This season Hull is scheduled to race eight NHRA national events and this weekend’s Vegas Four-Wide Nationals is the first of two stops in Sin City for Hull and his Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel team. This will be Hull’s first attempt at four-wide racing at The Strip at Las Vegas Speedway and the Top Fuel racer is eager to take on the unique style of racing that is a fan favorite across the country.

Buddy Hull and Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel dragster, photo credit Ron Lewis Photography

“There is a lot going on when you race four-wide in addition to just the sheer power on the starting line,” said Hull. “You have over 40,000-horsepower all bunched up and the sound and vibrations just really get everyone fired up. I am glad I have a team led by Mike Guger behind me because I think we can have some fun and go some rounds. Phoenix was our first race of the season, and we learned a lot. We aren’t in the position to test in the off-season so that race was a great chance for our whole team to come together and get ready for the rest of the year.”

The Arizona Nationals three weeks ago provided Hull and his Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel dragster a great chance to make some laps and get experience under the pressures of qualifying and race day schedules. The team qualified No. 13 and drew Leah Pruett from Tony Stewart Racing in the first round. The excitement of being back in competition may have gotten the best of Hull combined with the knowledge that he knew he would have to be lights out of the Christmas Tree and he jumped the start.

“I knew I was going to have to steal as much off the starting line as I could. I have never red-lit before and now I have,” said Hull. “I learned from that run and then I put it behind me. It made the most sense to take the rig to Vegas after the Phoenix race and then we could prep this week. We will have all the parts we need to make four qualifying runs and then we will be ready for three rounds on Sunday.”

This season Hull hired veteran Top Fuel crew chief Mike Guger to lead his team and the results are starting to come together. Guger, who lives in Austin, Texas, has been at the shop helping prep the car as well as having a wealth of knowledge to assist just about everyone on the team including Hull. After the Arizona Nationals the team left the rig out west and had new parts mailed to the track. They also enlisted help from other teams to deliver parts in advance of the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. 

“I can’t thank everyone on our team and other team for rallying around us and helping us get ready for Vegas,” said Hull. “Having Mike as part of the team has really taken us to the next level. I buy the best parts and I will stack my equipment up against anyone else out here in the pits. We needed some help in the tuning department and Mike brings a ton of knowledge and experience to the table. I got my start with the help of Tim Wilkerson who I will always be appreciative of and now having Mike involved I just can’t wait to get the track in Las Vegas and start making passes.”

Hull brought on Methanol Moonshine this season as well as Renegade Racing Fuels and Go Lithium. He and his marketing director Madi Smith have also been actively working with local businesses who want to be a part of a major motorsports event. Hull’s team will be using a tow vehicle from Findlay Automotive Group and Primal Steakhouse will be feeding the team. Each of these local businesses will be branded on Hull’s Top Fuel dragster and will receive social media support.

“We try and reach out in every market to local companies to have them involved with the team,” said Hull. “It is great for everyone. We get to save some money which we can pour back into the racing program and we also get to introduce some new people to the sport and let them experience bug time racing from the sponsors perspective. I can’t thank everyone at Findlay and Primal Steakhouse for their support.”

The Methanol Moonshine Top Fuel team will have two qualifying runs on Friday followed by two more runs on Saturday. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will race for the infamous Wally trophy on Sunday beginning at noon. The Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals will be broadcast on FS1 as well as nhra.tv.

LAS VEGAS (April 12, 2023) – John Force and his BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS team enter this weekend’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway looking to put the first three races of the 2023 NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season behind them. What better way than with a win in the first four-wide event of the year? Since the debut of four-wide racing at Charlotte in 2010, no one has won more quads than John Force. His 14 quad-round wins include three overall four-wide race wins. Despite his most recent three consecutive second quad exits at The Strip, Force has two victories at the spring event in Las Vegas, 2010 and 2015, both before the transition to four-wide racing, in addition to four wins in the fall competition. Force has two No. 1 qualifying positions in the spring at The Strip and has started each of the last two years from the No. 2 position. “Four-wide racing in Las Vegas, the perfect place to put on a show. I’ve had some success there, it’s a Bruton Smith track, but really, I’m just really ready to get back into my BlueDEF Chevy,” Force said. “The team, Danny Hood, Tim Fabrisi, Mac Savage, they’ve evaluated everything and looked over the car closely. We’ll be ready to race. Get things started with four qualifying rounds, make some clean runs and then see how things go on race day. I’m excited, though.” Force and the BlueDEF Chevy are currently sitting 13th in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Championship points standings, the lowest the 16-time champion has ever been after three races. Force started the season with a quarterfinal exit at the NHRA Gatornationals after qualifying No. 2. At the final event at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Force qualified eighth before falling in the first round to eventual race winner and teammate Robert Hight. At his hometown track, In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip for the Winternationals, Force had a string of bad luck with two centerline infractions that put him in the No. 16 qualifying spot and then had tire smoke for a first-round loss.   The NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway begins with four rounds of qualifying with sessions on Friday and Saturday at noon and 2:30 p.m. Eliminations are scheduled for Sunday at noon. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) begins with qualifying shows Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations will air on FS1 Sunday at 9:30 p.m.

MOORESVILLE, NC (April 12, 2023) — The reigning NHRA rookie of the year, Camrie Caruso is off to a fast start this season winning the NHRA Arizona Nationals and grabbing her second career No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Winternationals. The third generation drag racer is also making noise with new sponsors including the addition of Big Jeff Audio who will be the primary sponsor on her Chevrolet Camaro for the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte, NC, April 28-30, and an associate sponsor the rest of the season. Caruso is looking forward to introducing a brand-new sponsor to the NHRA and its massive consumer audience.

Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro which Camrie Caruso will race at Circle K Four-Wide Nationals

“This deal came together quickly, and I am looking forward to introducing Big Jeff Audio to the NHRA community,” said Caruso, who will be racing four-wide in Charlotte for the first time. “They are doing amazing things with not just car audio but side-by-sides, home audio and marine audio, Power Sports and CCTV Needs. We are heading into the summer months so now is the time to update your audio needs for the lake, pool or your road trips. I can’t wait to show off the Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro in Charlotte. It is going to be an eye-catching car and Big Jeff is going to make an impact in the NHRA I know.”

Big Jeff Audio is a part of Big Jeff Online Inc., a family-owned business that has been thriving since 2014, initially starting out on eBay and Amazon. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, they have now expanded to offer a vast array of products on their site, including car audio and CCTV security systems, all backed by their authorization as an online seller. They have a website full of products for everyone at www.BigJeffAudio.com and have a large social media platform that you can see by searching BigJeffAudio on all major platforms.

“We have never done anything like this before but after talking with Camrie we saw this as a great opportunity to introduce our company and customer service to a whole new audience,” said Jeff Goldman, President of Big Jeff Online, Inc. “We love working with our customers to give them the best audio service for their cars, boats, side-by-sides or Power Sports. We have a tremendous online business. I know NHRA is all about the noise and thrill of the racing and everyone at Big Jeff Audio is looking forward to bringing even more sound to the races and the pits.”

Big Jeff Audio takes pride in their exceptional customer service, and they are always available to help customers with any questions or concerns. Big Jeff Online Inc, values customer satisfaction and trust, and they are committed to providing their customers with the best products and services possible.

Caruso will get the Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro on the track for the first time Friday, April 28 for two qualifying sessions at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. followed by two sessions on Saturday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. Final eliminations will begin for the 16 quickest Pro Stock cars at noon on Sunday. The race will be televised nationally on FS1.

OCALA, FL (April 12, 2023) — After a big win at the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout race Josh Hart, one of the rising stars of the NHRA, has cooled off, missing the opportunity to race beyond the quarterfinals in the first three races of the season. The entrepreneur from Ocala, Florida knows his fortunes will change for the better and he is focusing on the Las Vegas NHRA Four-Wide Nationals as the race to make a move this weekend. This will be Hart and the R+L Carriers second four-wide national event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and fourth four-wide event of his career. The two-time Top Fuel national event winner is looking to bring some of his successes on the east coast in the four-wide races to the desert. 

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

“I think it is just a coincidence that we have raced to the final round both races in Charlotte, and we haven’t been able to do that in Las Vegas,” said Hart. “This weekend I feel good about our chances because we really figured some things out over the past two races, especially in Pomona. I am comfortable and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster is running well.”

Last year Hart qualified No. 10 at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals and failed to advance to the second round in a close race with Steve Torrence and Brittany Force. In each of his Charlotte four-wide national events Hart has advanced to the final quad posting semifinal finishes in each of those races.

“The four-wide format is unique but from the driver’s perspective you just have to focus on doing your routine,” said Hart. “There are twice as many people up on the line, but my job is still the same. I need to pay attention to (crew chief) Ron (Douglas) and focus on my job. I am more comfortable in my racecar so I feel good about the race this weekend.”

Since Hart made the jump to Top Fuel in 2021 the former Top Alcohol Dragster racer has made a name for himself as a calm and cool competitor. His opponents have come to realize that while he might not be an outwardly vocal driver there is a serious competitor behind the visor and steering wheel. Hart’s success his rookie season and the victory at the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout event have shown Hart belongs with the top tier racers and teams. The goal of winning more national events and an NHRA world championship is what drives Hart.

“I don’t take anything for granted and I know this sport will humble you in less than four seconds,” said Hart. “We didn’t have the season we wanted last year after a great rookie season. We started this season winning the Pep Boys race at our hometown track in front of our family and friends and we have stubbed our toes a couple times since then. I know anything’s possible. We will try and get the most out of the four qualifying runs and then see what happens on Sunday.”

Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel field will get two shots at the track on Friday and two qualifying runs on Saturday to provide each team with data to head into Sunday’s eliminations. The teams will use this valuable information to make quality runs no matter which lane they choose or are assigned on race day. The race will begin at noon and all three rounds will be televised nationally on FS1.

PLAINVIEW, NY (April 11, 2023) — Fourth year pro Justin Ashley is heading to Las Vegas trying to keep his hot streak rolling with the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster. The past two races have seen Ashley turn on ten consecutive win lights in competition, score a No. 1 qualifier and pocket $10,000 as the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge Top Fuel winner. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year is showing that his team has championship momentum leading up to the NHRA Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. If Ashley and the Phillips Connect Top Fuel team are going to continue to stack rounds on the competition, they will be facing one of their toughest foes this weekend at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Four-Wide racing is a different beast,” said Ashley. “Anything can happen when you have over 40,000 horsepower on the starting line at the same time. It’s easy to get caught up in all the variables. But instead, our Phillips Connect Toyota team is focused on being the best version of ourselves we can be. We’ll put our best foot forward and let the rest take care of itself.” 

Ashley has yet to record a round win at the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals in two previous attempts. Last year as the No. 4 qualifier Ashley got a great jump off the starting line but overpowered lane four and had to watch as Austin Prock and Clay Millican advanced to the next round. In his first Vegas Four-Wide Ashley lost a close race to Brittany Force and Antron Brown. Ashley was first off of the line but did not have the power at the finish line. The experiences from his two previous races have given Ashley some great insight into racing four-wide.

Justin Ashley, two-time Winternationals Top Fuel winner, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“The main thing about four-wide is that it’s so different from what we’re used to doing,” said Ashley. “In addition to the different staging protocols, each team gets one qualifying run in each lane and race day consists of only three rounds. The last few four-wide races have certainly opened my eyes to the subtle nuances that come with this type of event. It’s a challenge that we’re excited for as a team.”   

Through three races this season Ashley has recorded two wins and a No. 1 qualifier. His first No. 1 came at the four-wide national event last year in Charlotte. The consistency both in qualifying and on race day has the Phillips Connect Toyota team positioned as a threat every time it rolls to the starting line.

“No one is going to win the championship in the first four races of the season. But this is an opportunity to put ourselves in a better position to do so when the time comes,” said Ashley. “It’s a long season and the competition is better now than ever before. Whether it’s our teammate Antron Brown, or any of the other Top Fuel teams, it’s an absolute fight to win. Winning two races in a row is a testament to the talent of Mike Green, Tommy DeLago and the entire Phillips Connect team.”

Since that early exit at the Gatornationals Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team have been making solid passes in qualifying and on race day. The prime example of their resurgence was the Saturday qualifying sessions at the Winternationals that also doubled as the two elimination rounds of the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. Ashley’s team made a great run in the opening qualifying session in their rematch with Steve Torrence and in the final qualifying session with $10,000 and three championship points on the line Ashley outran Leah Pruett of Tony Stewart Racing taking the win and snaring the No. 1 qualifier spot from Brittany Force in the process.

“That Saturday afternoon run in Pomona when we won the Mission Challenge and went to No. 1 was incredible,” said Ashley. “It meant so much to take in that experience with Rob Phillips and the entire Phillips Family. Making big time runs when it counts most gives the whole team confidence. We feel really good about this team, but the key is to not get ahead of ourselves. There is a long season left and we need to focus on winning rounds this weekend at the Four-Wide Nationals. That is our next team challenge and we are up to the task.”

Ashley will get to tackle the four-wide racing format on Friday afternoon with two runs and then Saturday will give him two more chances. Sunday’s three rounds of eliminations will be a tough gauntlet of competition. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

The World of Outlaws Late Models will battle for $50,000 the same weekend the NASCAR Cup Series stops at Talladega Superspeedway

EASTABOGA, AL – April 12, 2023– When Talladega Short Track owner and promoter Adam Stewart was searching for a weekend for the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models to make their debut, he had a significant one in mind.  

After looking at the 2023 calendar, Stewart and his business partner David Miller picked a spring weekend where thousands of people were already planning to go – the NASCAR weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. 

Before the high-speed action happens on Sunday, the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models take center stage at Talladega Short Track – just outside the superspeedway – for the inaugural Alabama Gang 100 on Friday and Saturday, April 21-April 22—the first $50,000-to-win race of the season for the Series. 

It’s an event Stewart hopes shows what the red-clay oval is all about. 

“If we wanted to do something of this caliber, this was the best opportunity to do it,” Stewart said. “We’ve got 80,000 people in our front yard essentially that we know are race fans, and we also hope to capitalize on some of the newfound love from some of the Cup drivers that come and race.  

“We hope that’ll help highlight a little more on what we do.” 

While the weekend will host some of the best dirt Late Model drivers in the country, the Alabama Gang 100 name is a tribute to those who put racing in the “Cotton State” on the map. 

NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, and Red Farmer picked up their racing headquarters from Florida and moved to Hueytown, Alabama. Stewart named the race the Alabama Gang 100 as a way to give back to them, he said. 

“That’s a name that ties old-school race fans to new-school people,” Stewart said. “All three of the folks we’re honoring there are NASCAR Hall of Fame members, and Red races with us every week. 

“It’s a way to pay them back and honor what they’ve done to basically put Alabama racing on the map.” 

The weekend will connect with NASCAR drivers of the past and the present. 

A few NASCAR drivers will pull double duty at the short track and the superspeedway, including 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who’s expected to race his Sprint Car. 

That’s only the beginning of what fans can expect at the event. 

“You’ll have some NASCAR Cup teams doing VIP Hospitality stuff on the back straightaway just to get some of those executives over there and be involved,” Stewart said. 

Stewart and his team have worked to improve the facility throughout the offseason, ensuring Talladega Short Track looks its best when fans arrive. Those improvements include an outside retaining wall in Turns 1 and 2, new sponsor billboards, and new clay. 

However, the Series isn’t the first to race on the new surface, an honor that went to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars in March. 

Stewart expects his team to build off that momentum and create a destination for race fans nationwide. 

“The new clay reacted well,” Stewart said. “We had a really good race, a good crowd. It’s something the racetrack needed with a shot in the arm.  

“The surface in the past five years has been hit or miss, so if we can get a handle on that like we did the Sprint Car race, it’ll put us in a positive light compared to where we’ve been in the past.” 

Stewart stated he knows more eyes will be on his track for Alabama Gang 100 weekend than before, especially with NASCAR in town on Sunday. That’s why he’s confident Talladega is a destination where race fans of all disciplines can get their money’s worth. 

“You can see everything from short track, elbows up, racing to superspeedway racing that’s all within a half-mile of each other,” Stewart said. 

The epic Alabama Gang 100 weekend kicks off on Friday, April 21, before its $50,000 finale for the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models on Saturday, April 22.  

TICKETS: bit.ly/3zJfaRv

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

CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES

ACCURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH

STREETS OF LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

TEAM CHEVY DRIVER VIDEO CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET

APRIL 12, 2023

ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 7 ARROW MCLAREN CHEVROLET, met with media on NTT INDYCAR Series weekly video conference leading up to Accura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Full transcript:

THE MODERATOR: Welcome, everybody. Glad you’re here. Another race week here in 2023. 2023 resumes this Sunday on the beautiful streets of Long Beach for another edition of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, one of the longest running races on the schedule outside of, of course, the Indy 500.

Few have had the type of success that Alexander Rossi has had on the streets of Long Beach. Back-to-back wins, back-to-back poles, 2018 and 2019. Driver of the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet joins us today after a visit to the White House and the annual Easter egg hunt yesterday.

I got to ask you about the Easter egg hunt. How cool was that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It was awesome, man. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. When the opportunity presented itself to go to the White House, like why wouldn’t you? I had also never been to D.C. before, so I got kind of spoiled on my first trip there.

No, just an amazing event for not only INDYCAR to be there but for all of some 30,000 kids that got the opportunity to kind of learn about their favorite sports and kind of the physical and mental aspect that it takes to get into that sport.

We were sandwiched between the NFL and the MLB, so pretty great company for INDYCAR to be around. I think it was a pretty amazing activation that we had in terms of having the show car there, Jim Leo from PitFit Training there, a little bit of a glimpse into what it’s like. I think we definitely created some new race fans. It was really exciting to be a part of.

THE MODERATOR: You’re from California, won a couple times at Long Beach. How much are you looking forward to leading Arrow McLaren there this coming weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, man. I say it all the time, outside the Indy 500 I think this is one of our flagship races if not the flagship race. It’s always such an amazing event from not only an entertainment on-and-off-the-track standpoint but a turnout standpoint. The fans there are passionate, they’re incredibly knowledgeable about the sport, there’s obviously a huge amount of history that exists with that city and that track.

Jim Michaelian and his whole group do an amazing job for us every year. Real excited to get back there. As you mentioned, we’ve had some success there in the past. With the new team and the momentum that the Arrow McLaren group has at the moment, we’re very much looking forward to the weekend.

THE MODERATOR: We’ll open it up for questions.

Q. Could you give us an idea of how different you feel the setups are between St. Pete and Long Beach, how much confidence you take from the pace you had in St. Pete, whether you think that’s going to apply to Long Beach.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: They are different. I think St. Pete’s borderline getting to the point where it’s almost a road course, it’s so smooth and the grip level is what it is. I think you definitely take a little bit of a different approach there than you do other street courses.

Yeah, there are obviously some similarities. I think as a whole, obviously I didn’t drive the car last year, but I think the team has taken a step forward in terms of the street course program. I think Chevrolet has made monumental steps, especially coming from 2021, their evolution of ’22, then again a step this year.

I think it’s going to be the normal competitive obviously qualifying and race. I think your normal participants are going to be fighting for pole. It’s going to take perfect execution from everyone and exciting to see how it shakes out.

Q. What is your level of excitement being inside the team? You’ve had two races under your belt, where is your mind at? How do you feel with this team settling in now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure we’re two races, but also only two races, right? It’s still early days.

I think the entire atmosphere and the positivity within the team is obvious from the outside. I think the cohesiveness that they were able to keep and also the continuity of adding a third car, the people we’ve talked about many times, it’s a testament to everyone there from the top all the way to the bottom.

It’s a real privilege and joy to be part of that team every single week. I think we’re only going to get stronger as time goes on.

Q. You mentioned Chevy feel good on a street course. Is it a different feel inside the car, torque? What is different coming from a Honda to Chevrolet now?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, again, I can’t speak for what it was like. I think they had a huge focus on the bottom-end drivability side of things. Even when it was a challenge, they were still obviously very successful. Even when it was difficult in ’21, they were still winning races.

Again, it’s very hard to have that big of a difference when the engine architecture is similar or the same, and the rules have been around for so long, everyone kind of follows to the same point.

But, yes, there are still subtle differences. It’s kind of about maximizing the strengths and weaknesses of each engine, right? Honda might go about that a different way than Chevy does. For us as drivers, me making the transition from one to the other, you’ve got to understand the areas that the Chevy is working in a better range, and you got to focus on those areas to make sure you maximize the performance available.

Q. What about street course races makes you jump to another level? Do you treat these races differently?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I won Pocono, and that’s not a really big race (laughter). Pretty random actually.

It’s obviously cool to be able to have success in those types of races. But, no, it’s all the same. If you’re fortunate enough to get it right on that day, it’s cool.

Q. How crucial in INDYCAR, seems like milliseconds separate a gap from first to 10th, is pit selection? This week you’re pitting third. Do you have any input? Is there a study behind that?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, it really depends on the track. For example, Long Beach, you want to be towards the front. I assume everyone knows, but if you don’t know, it goes in order of qualifying. For example, Felix got to pick first at Long Beach based on Texas, then down the qualifying order.

For Long Beach it’s important to be in the front in terms of pit selection just so that when you’re leaving to go to practice, qualifying sims, whatever, you have as much clear track in front of you as possible.

For the ovals it’s a pretty big advantage to have an open in just because of the way the cross weight is set up, you can carry more speed into the pit box. On a track where we have a lot of cars and a small pit lane, at Mid-Ohio or Toronto, an open in or open out is kind of the preferred choice. You’ll see guys, even if they qualify third, they’ll choose the 15th box because it’s an open in or open out.

Indy is a little bit similar, but there’s the added superstition that goes into that. There’s metrics that are run on these pit boxes historically have been the most successful. There’s really no rhyme or reason to it other than odds. That’s kind of what goes into it.

It’s a little bit of everything.

Q. You have teammates around you, is there a reason you guys chose between Dixie and Josef?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No, I mean, I think that was the order of qualifying. It went Felix, Scott, me, Josef, which just shows how important track position is.

Again, track position is that important that we all wanted to be up front. It’s the order of qualifying.

Q. What do you put down to your success in Long Beach? Do you think the track suits your driving style or just a track you enjoy?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don’t know. I don’t have an answer for you. I think for me it’s always an exciting event there in Laguna. It’s a home race in the sense that I’m from California. I always have a lot of friends and family turn out that come. I think everyone kind of gets a little bit of a subconscious boost and a little bit extra motivation. We hear Josef talk all the time about how much he’d love to win Nashville, his home race. That sort of exists.

Beyond that, I’ve been fortunate to have good cars there and it’s a track that suits my driving style. It’s pretty medium- to high-speed corners. There’s only one and the fountain that are slow-speed corners, so you can make time up from that standpoint.

Yeah, I mean, it’s a little bit of everything. If I had an answer for you, I’d probably win every race. I don’t think it comes down to just one thing. It’s a combination of things that work out ending up to be in your favor.

Q. Do you think traffic is going to be a big issue?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: At this point with the grid size we have, it’s an issue every weekend, aside from really Road America or Road America (laughter). That’s just the nature of it. It’s the same for everyone. You manage it as best you can.

For sure at some point throughout the weekend you’re going to get caught up in it. Everyone is. You just hope it’s not on a super critical part of the session.

Q. Qualifying is important at almost every race, but it seems like the leader is really favored at Long Beach. Does that make Saturday’s qualifications one of the more important ones of the season?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, for sure. I think you’re right: every qualifying is very critical, but especially Long Beach because the way it works out, it’s a two-stop race, pretty straightforward two-stop race.

There’s not many yellows. It’s a pretty clean race, historically speaking. The leader doesn’t really get hung out by a close pit situation type of thing.

Yeah, I mean, it’s very important to start in the top two or three I think if you’re going to want to try to win that race.

Q. A couple of the wins you had there, once you were out front, it was smooth sailing. Before you caught the end of the field, did it feel like you were on a qualifying run?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it’s an easy two-stop race. Everyone is kind of flat out from the drop of the green. The tire life is usually pretty good there. There’s not a whole lot of strategy or saving, like, different fuel. Everyone does the same thing, so you can push pretty hard from the green.

Q. As far as the vibe, it’s one of a kind, southern California, fans turn out for it. Celebrities, glitz, glamour. Is it always one of those where you’re not only excited about racing but just excited to be there?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100% right. It’s an awesome event. It’s one of those ones where you feel kind of like a Super Hero when you get to go do driver introductions. It’s annoying sometimes how busy pit lane is, but that’s just a testament to the excitement and energy that exists at that track.

It’s certainly one that we try and model as many of our street courses after it. I think St. Pete comes close. Nashville comes close. I think Detroit this year is going to be phenomenal.

Yes, the pedigree it has in terms of its history, just the location, all of the extracurricular activities that you can find throughout the weekend just makes it pretty unique.

Q. Next week you switch gears and it’s the two-day open test for the Indy 500. How important is it to have everything sorted before you hit the track in May?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, it’s hugely important. That’s a really good time to really understand. Everyone has been working on their speedway cars probably since June 1st of last year. It’s such small details that add up to make a really big difference at Indy.

April is a good opportunity for you to get an understanding of what your car is lacking, and also the areas where it’s strong. Then you have a couple weeks. It’s not much time. You have a couple weeks to really dive into why maybe there’s a deficit to a teammate or to another car, whatever, and resolve that.

It’s a great test for us as drivers. Great test for the team. Then obviously it’s great to get fans out there and start to see cars on track at the greatest track in the world.

Q. You’ve talked about Long Beach being an easy two-stopper. For you as a driver, it must be better than the fuel-saving races.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I kind of am of the opinion that we could make Long Beach a little bit longer so you have the two options. Some of our best races are when you have guys on a fuel save two-stop, other guys on a flat-out three-stop race trying to make up that pit lane difference.

It’s been this length for a long time. It’s put on some great shows. Colton, I think it was ’21 or ’20, where he started 14th and ended up winning, no yellows to help him.

If you have a strong car, like always in INDYCAR, you can usually have a pretty good result. But yes, in the perfect world we’d probably extend it a little bit, but that’s for people that are paid more than me, so we’ll leave it to them.

Q. You are in your eighth season of INDYCAR. Is it something you could imagine when you came back from Europe into INDYCAR? Maybe something that surpasses your wildest dreams?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I certainly didn’t realize that I would have the longevity that I’ve had so far. Obviously very thankful for that. It doesn’t feel like eight years, but there you go.

Yeah, I mean, obviously I think it surprised everyone. I talked about it at length. Surprised everyone, including myself, the fact that we were able to do what we did in 2016 at the 500. Yeah, I’ve been very fortunate to have the amount of time in the series that I have had.

There’s still a lot of things left that I’d like to accomplish. That’s really all we’re focusing on right now.

Q. With the variety of cars that run at Long Beach, how does it impact on how the track rubbers in for the INDYCAR guys?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, that’s a good question.

Last year was a weird one. They put a sealant down, the city did. The track grip was, like, insane from lap one of practice one. The other running of the other cars didn’t really change anything because the grip level started incredibly high anyways. Pole was a new record, crazy fast all weekend.

Usually it’s a really beneficial thing because it starts out as a very low grip, green surface, because it hasn’t been use as a racetrack in a year. Having all the different stuff, especially IMSA on track, really speeds up the evolution of the track.

I don’t know what it’s going to be like this year, if that sealant will still have that effect or if it’s worn off after California got pummeled with rain for seemingly five months. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. Usually it’s a good thing in terms of getting the cars up to speed.

Q. Looking more towards the month of May, you’ve come from a team that’s run four or five cars at the 500, you mentioned McLaren have geared up to take on your car. Going into Indy with four cars, do you feel the team is in a good position to be able to cope with the number of cars they’re now running?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, 100%. We have a lot of people, like, a significant amount of people. I don’t think that’s any concern of anyone.

Obviously numbers aren’t everything. You got to make sure that they’re the right people in the right positions. I think the team has done a very good job. We have access to a lot of people from the McLaren F1 side of things in terms of testing, so they’re very skilled mechanics. I think Tony is in great hands.

Yeah, I don’t foresee it being any issue whatsoever.

Q. Since McLaren joined INDYCAR in 2020, I think this is the best car we seen they give to you. How important it is for the sport of the season have this Long Beach race which you actually won twice, how important is it to have the Long Beach Grand Prix as opportunity to get into the championship mix?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, every race is important. But, yes, obviously you highlight the tracks that you’ve been historically good at, either for yourself or team perspective. It was a missed opportunity for two of the cars in Texas with very fast race cars not ending up getting a result.

I think you’re correct in saying that the program that the team has this year and the performance of the cars has been really strong through the first two races. There’s no reason to not think that that won’t continue.

Yeah, we’re excited about Long Beach. We feel very confident in what we have, what we can do there. It’s just about hoping a couple things go your way and you can come out of there with a strong result.

Q. How are things with Kyle after the Texas incident?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I mean, that’s a long time ago now. So it’s all behind us.

Q. This is the first full season you’ve been competing against Pato. Now you’re in the same team. How impressed are you by his ability and speed? Do you think he’s right now the toughest driver to beat in INDYCAR?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think everyone’s been impressed with Pato since day one that he came into the series. I think his speed was obvious. Obviously he’s very exciting to watch from his in-car videos. I think his nickname is the Ninja or whatever.

He’s very good. I didn’t have to be on his team to realize that. I think the three of us are pushing each other very hard. It’s important that we have three cars kind of at the front every single weekend. That’s the goal of the team. That’s what McLaren as a brand expects and demands from us.

Quite honestly, Pato, you could argue, he maybe should have two wins to start the year. He’s done a very, very good job. It’s going to be a fun remaining 15 races with him and everyone else.

Everyone at this level is pretty good. I think you can pick 10 guys that are hard to beat every single weekend.

THE MODERATOR: Are you worried about Kanaan and Pato together during the month of May? They’re pretty similar, aren’t they?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: I don’t think anyone’s really the same as Pato. He’s very unique (smiling).

Yeah, I mean, they’re both South American, highly energized and excited about seemingly everything (smiling).

Q. You’ve driven for the greatest names in all of motorsports. You’re considered one of the best race car drivers on the planet. Can you put into words what it means to race for Arrow McLaren?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: First of all, thank you (smiling).

It’s amazing. This year is the 60th anniversary of McLaren being founded as a race team. To be able to kind of be a part of that and be in history at one point a part of all of the great drivers that have gotten the opportunity to drive for this brand, it’s something very, very special. It’s something that I don’t take lightly. I take a lot of pride in. It certainly forces all of us that kind of wear (indiscernible) to elevate ourselves on and off the track.

It’s an honor, but obviously there’s responsibility that comes along with it.

Q. As a race car driver, how do you feel ending a race under caution?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: It’s a tough one. I think INDYCAR does races on distance. I think that is an important thing to remember, especially when you’re comparing it to other championships. You can’t necessarily, because of the circumstance, just change the distance of a race because you want to see a certain finish.

I think INDYCAR in the past has done a really good job at red flagging races when there is enough laps, once the cleanup is over, to kind of go through the restart process, whatever the correct terminology for that is.

For example, at Texas, it was one lap. Even if they red flagged it, there wasn’t enough laps left to get the field around and do a restart. That was a tough situation. I think obviously everyone would have liked to see it go green to the finish. Pato would obviously have liked that as well. It wasn’t meant to be. That’s just racing sometimes.

Q. How are you feeling from the mileage you’ve done on the new tires? Does the info you get from the tires get shared within the team or do you provide some feedback to the manufacturer, as well?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: So all of the above. At the end of every weekend we kind of have a debrief, every driver and team I believe has a debrief with Firestone, kind of going through the pros and cons of the primary and the alternate, what needs to be adjusted for the future. I think they take that into account, not for 2023, but certainly for 2024.

Yeah, I mean, using the tires in practice, there’s usually a pretty big grip increase that comes on the alternate that you got to make an adjustment to the balance of the car so you can’t just go out with the same race car, put softer tires on, expect to maximize it. You’ve got to change something. Usually you’re trying to figure out how big the offset needs to be.

I think Firestone has done an amazing job in the sense that we have a sustainable tire that really produces the same level of performance as a non-sustainable tire. I think that was proved in Nashville last year, and that’s why we’re using them on all the street courses this year. I think it’s a huge step for INDYCAR, huge step for Firestone, something we should all be very proud to be a part of.

Q. You have been successful at Long Beach with Andretti. With McLaren, how do you feel with a new team for this weekend?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: We’re still learning as we go at this point. Yeah, I mean, I think based on St. Pete, I think based on the fact that I think Felix was in the top six in qualifying last year, their cars are good.

Certainly there is a step we need to make to be as strong as Andretti or Penske I think on the street courses in general. But I think we’re close. I think we have just as good of a shot as anyone this weekend.

Q. You’ve been with Formula 1 before. You know what it’s like to travel internationally with a team. How do you feel about INDYCAR going to Argentina and how will it benefit INDYCAR as a whole to go international?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Yeah, I mean, I think as drivers we all would love to see not only international races but still an expanded calendar, right? I think certainly the interest that exists from Argentina, as you mentioned, obviously from Mexico, makes a very strong case to have races in a place like that.

But there’s a lot of factors other than just wanting to do it, right? I actually was talking about this with someone earlier today, talking about adding a race that we used to go to in the States. It’s like you can talk and dream and think it’s going to be this great idea, but you got to actually go out there and buy tickets, show up. You can’t just say it’s a great idea.

I think there is momentum building. I think there is an interest that exists that we certainly are looking to exploit, but there’s a lot of different factors that go into it.

I look forward to seeing how it goes. But certainly Argentina and Mexico with the interest we’ve seen there in the past 12 months, it’s certainly on the top of the list.

Q. Have you had any sort of change of opinion in terms of pit lane incident in Texas, how that played out? You made it clear you thought it was Kyle’s fault.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: No change of opinion. I think hopefully we can, as a series, learn about communication and continuity, just take lessons from it. It’s a shame to have situations exist and not really learn anything from it.

It’s something that we all talked about at length. At the end of the day it’s history now. We just got to make sure going forward everyone is on the same page.

Q. Looking back at St. Pete, there was a couple of incidents where cars were airborne. Going into another street course, do you think the street courses could be widened or changed in any way to avoid situations where cars have nowhere to go but up?

ALEXANDER ROSSI: That’s a good question, good observation. Obviously there’s airborne cars in Texas, too.

But, yeah, I think racing is dangerous. I think INDYCAR has done a really good job at putting driver safety, team safety at the forefront of what they do.

I think we’ve all seen the images of – who was the red car – Benjamin, we’ve seen the images of his car, kind of all the impact marks that went up the aeroscreen.

Everyone, despite the magnitude of that incident, walked away totally fine. I think that just goes to show that these cars are safe and the advancements that we’ve made have not been for nothing.

But, yeah, racing is always going to have risk to it. That’s just a part of life. Everything you do has risk. I think you’re always looking at ways to make it safer, but I certainly don’t think there’s any issues with street courses, and I don’t expect that to be a normal thing going forward.

THE MODERATOR: Alex, safe travels.

ALEXANDER ROSSI: Thank you, guys. Appreciate it. We’ll see you out there.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Las Vegas

Pre-Race Report

Heading to Vegas after the team’s best performance of the season and a quarterfinals finish is the fuel Cruz Pedregon and team needed to ready the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^® for the Four-Wide Nationals. 

“Our low ET of 3.86 held throughout the weekend, so it shows the great thing about having a fast car is that it wants to go fast all of the time,” says Cruz who was the number 1 qualifier going into race day in Pomona. “John and the guys are doing a really good job on the car, really studying the timing of the clutch application and adjusting it to the track conditions. The team took the week off to head home and come back strong in Vegas especially since we’ve had some memorable wins and runs on The Strip.”

On the side of Cruz’s car this weekend is the name of local Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Kellie Smith. She’s the first female franchisee in the history of Nitro Franchisee recognitions to have her name on the Snap-on “Makers and Fixers” Funny Car. Kellie was a school teacher before she became a franchisee and says she loves the freedom outside of the four walls in which she used to teach. She has a husband and son who are mechanics so Kellie researched something important to them, and that led her to Snap-on. She’s meeting Cruz for the first time this week when he rides along to shops on her mobile tools’ sales route, and she and her husband will be guests in Cruz’s pit this weekend.

The Snap-on Funny Car will continue to highlight “Makers & Fixers” as a call out by the team’s sponsor, Snap-on, for the Makers and Fixers among us to share their stories at makersandfixers.com. 

Two Cadillac V-Series.Rs aim to tame Long Beach street circuit in sprint race

DETROIT (April 12, 2023) – Though IMSA has raced on the temporary street circuit in Long Beach, California, since 2006, each year presents teams and drivers some unknowns. Questions in 2023 will be magnified with the new Grand Touring Prototype racecars. What is the impact of recently resurfaced sections of the 1.968-mile, 11-turn circuit on tire grip and wear? Will cornering speed be a concern while defending or attempting to overtake? What about traffic management in the 28-car field across three classes? One set of tires for the 100-minute race duration or change on the sole scheduled pit stop? All that, and more, will come into play this weekend in the third race of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Cadillac Racing will aim to extend its winning streak at Long Beach to six races with the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R competing in the GTP class.

Last April, Sebastien Bourdais set the track qualifying record at 1 minute, 9.472 seconds (101.980 mph) in earning the pole in the No. 01 Cadillac DPi-V.R. He and Renger van der Zande went on to take the checkered flag after 73 laps and lead a Cadillac Racing sweep of the podium for the second consecutive year. “It’s a very challenging street course, like most of them are, but when you do get it right it’s super rewarding. Obviously, we had a strong weekend last year with the pole and the win. It would be awesome to do it again with Cadillac,” said Bourdais, who also won three times in Long Beach in CART (2005-07). “The hairpin is tricky and it’s the slowest corner of the season, so it definitely is its own animal. But when I think about Long Beach, I think about Turn 1 more than the hairpin. That’s the place that has the highest approach speed, it’s a tricky braking zone over concrete slabs, it’s bumpy and pretty quick and the room for errors is tiny.” Cadillac leads the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP Manufacturer Championship standings and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R prepared by Action Express Racing sits atop the GTP Championship Team and Driver standings through two endurance races.

Media resourcesWeekend guide:* Cadillac Racing notes* Driver bios, team info* Long Beach stats, history* Cadillac V-Series.R info* Driver photos Long Beach waveConsecutive Cadillac Racing wins at circuit (no race in ’20):* 2022 (Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais)* 2021 (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr)* 2019 (Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque)* 2018 (Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque)* 2017 (Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor)* Also, Chevrolet Corvette DP won the 2016 and ’15 races GT wins at track2014: Johnny O’Connell drove the No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V.R (above)2012: Andy Pilgrim drove the No. 8 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe

In Round 2 on March 18, Cadillac earned its third consecutive victory and fifth in seven years in the Twelve Hours of Sebring as pole winner Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken combined to drive the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R. “It was brilliant to get the win at Sebring and the hard work continues with the race preparation,” said Sims, whose Action Express Racing team won three times (2018, 2019 and 2021) at Long Beach during the DPi era. “We have to work hard to get tuned into the track from a driving and car point of view and work out how these new cars work there. It’s a challenge but looking forward to it.” Cadillac leads the GTP Manufacturer Championship standings and the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R prepared by Action Express Racing sits atop the GTP Championship Team and Driver standings. Two practice sessions Friday precede same-day qualifications. USA will telecast the race at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, with Peacock streaming qualifying (8 p.m. ET) and the race. All on-track sessions will be broadcast at IMSA.com along with race coverage on Sirius 216, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

What they’re saying

No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R Sebastien Bourdais: “Long Beach is a great event and definitely one of the highlights of the season. It’s always a fun place to race at. It’s a very challenging street course, like most of them are, but when you do get it right it’s super rewarding. Obviously, we had a strong weekend last year with the pole and the win. It would be awesome to do it again with Cadillac, but we know the competition will be tough. We definitely need points, but we’ve showed progress and pace. Hoping it all comes together this weekend and I’m really looking forward to it.” Renger van der Zande: “I think Long Beach (2022) is one of the best races in recent memory. Obviously, the car was lightning fast, blinding fast, but Sebastien got us up front and then I was able to finish it off. It’ll be a new track for this car, so we’ll have to see how it behaves. Tire degradation has always been a bit of a topic in Long Beach, so there is a lot of new news for this race which is a good thing. We’re prepared to go and make the most out of what we know and then fine tune things once we get there. Can’t wait to get this Cadillac on another street course race; It’s pretty special.”

No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R Pipo Derani: “Looking forward to going back to Long Beach. It’s one of those race events that you’re always looking forward to – the first street track of the year. Excited to see how the new GTP cars are going to go around that track in particular. Felipe (Nasr) and I had the chance to win it together in 2021 in a very commanding way. Felipe put it on pole, and I got it from the lead and we just kept increasing until the cheered flag. Nice way to win. It’s one of those races where qualifying matters more than others because it’s just hard to pass like any other street track. Getting there with a win already under our belts this season, a pole position and the championship lead, but we’re going to attack the weekend the same way as if we had not won the last race or were not leading the championship. It’s still early days; we know how long this championship is and every point counts. Every point counts and attacking is the name of the game. We’re going to try to put it on pole again, of course, and make our lives a little bit easier for the race. If you put it on pole in Long Beach, it makes your life a lot easier.” Alexander Sims: “Looking forward to getting back to Long Beach; it has been awhile since I’ve been there in the GTs. It is certainly one of the unique places that we go to in IMSA with the relatively bumpy street course and medium- to slow-speed corners generally. It’s always the same at street tracks – when the walls are the limit it heightens the experience somewhat as the risk versus reward judgment that you’re making all the time is skewed a bit more. There is more risk that you can take but it’s not very comfortable as you could see last year by Bourdais’ pace the rewards are high if you’re able to achieve that but it’s super difficult to ignore the walls are there because you know any mistake and your race is probably over. It was brilliant to get the win at Sebring and the hard work continues with the race preparation. We have to work hard to get tuned into the track from a driving and car point of view and work out how these new cars work there. It’s a challenge but looking forward to it.” Cadillac Racing on the streets of Long Beach results 2022-2017Overall wins2022 (Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais)2021 (Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr)2019 (Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque)2018 (Joao Barbosa, Filipe Albuquerque)2017 (Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor)* No race in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic

2022: Overall winner (No. 01 V-Performance Academy Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais          Second (No. 02 Cadillac Accessories Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn          Third (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Tristan Vautier, Richard Westbrook          Fifth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Pipo Derani, Tristan Nunez2021: Overall winner (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr         Second (No. 01 Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Renger van der Zande, Kevin Magnussen         Third (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start third – Tristan Vautier, Loic Duval2019: Overall winner (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fourth – Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa         Fifth (No. 84 JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi-V.R) start seventh – Stephen Simpson, Simon Trummer         Sixth (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr        Seventh (No. 50 Juncos Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start ninth – Kyle Kaiser, Will Owen        10th (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start 10th – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor2018: Overall winner (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth — Felipe Albuquerque, Joao Barbosa        Third (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start sixth – Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor        Seventh (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Felipe Nasr, Eric Curran2017: Overall winner (No. 10 Konica Minolta Cadillac DPi-V.R) start first – Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor        29th overall, seventh in class (No. 5 Mustang Sampling Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R) start second – Joao Barbosa, Christian Fittipaldi        32nd overall, eighth in class (No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R) start fifth – Eric Curran, Dane Cameron

Transcript: Championship leader discusses his outlook for the sprint race on street circuit

Pipo Derani, co-driver with Alexander Sims of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R in the Grand Touring Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, met with the media via Zoom conference to preview the April 14-15 race in Long Beach, California. Derani and Sims, along with Jack Aitken, co-drove to victory March 18 in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Derani co-drove to victory at Long Beach in 2021 for Cadillac Racing, which has won every IMSA prototype race at Long Beach since the start of the DPi era in 2017. Q&A with Derani transcript:

You’ve had previous success at Long Beach. What is it going to take for you and Alex (Sims) to do it again?“Looking forward to going back to Long Beach. It’s one of those race events that you’re always looking forward to – the first street track of the year. Excited to see how the new GTP cars are going to go around that track in particular. Felipe (Nasr) and I had the chance to win it together in 2021 in a very commanding way. Felipe put it on pole, and I got it from the lead and we just kept increasing until the cheered flag. Nice way to win. It’s one of those races where qualifying matters more than others because it’s just hard to pass like any other street track. Getting there with a win already under our belts this season, a pole position and the championship lead, but we’re going to attack the weekend the same way as if we had not won the last race or were not leading the championship. It’s still early days; we know how long this championship is and every point counts. Every point counts and attacking is the name of the game. We’re going to try to put it on pole again, of course, and make our lives a little bit easier for the race. If you put it on pole in Long Beach, it makes your life a lot easier.”With no LMP2 or LMP3 cars at Long Beach, does that make it easier because you’re likely to have a better handle on the drivers in the other cars?“That really depends because sometimes despite being the quicker car you don’t quite know if the guy has seen you and sometimes you think he hasn’t seen you and then he blocks. I think it depends on the moment you’re in the race. Sometimes in the beginning it makes no sense, you make life easy. But later in the race when GTs might be fighting for their own race and we’re trying to overtake, multi-class racing can bring you this sort of situation and you have to deal with it as you go. Sometimes you have a pretty clean race and straightforward in that regard from our side of things and sometimes you have to be a bit more on the aggressive side and make sure that you get by so you don’t get overtaken by the car behind. It’s like a chess game with the GTs while you’re trying to do your own race. In general, over the last year, we have seen quite an improvement in that area from both sides. I think the GTs are a lot better and easier to deal with because you also have the pro guys inside. Going into Long Beach, the GT cars, especially at the end of the race where the pros will be finishing the race, should be more straightforward if we cooperate with each other.” What are your anticipations about passing for position between the GTP cars within the tight confines of Long Beach?“There are expectations for great racing and therefore if the cars are really running close to each other, especially at a place like Long Beach, you expect to have to muscle your way around some of your competition to try and have an edge. That’s all good for the sport. Long Beach being one of our shorter races that we have all year makes for a different dynamic, so everyone coming from a long race like Sebring has to quickly switch and go for a completely different strategy in order to achieve a good result. Therefore, a little bit of argy bargy is necessary. I think tight racing and competition like that brings more fans, which is what we need, and the more we have the more success everyone will have. GTP cars are a bit bigger than DPis, so muscling your way around will be a little bit trickier than it was before.” How does the tire situation and the short duration of the race affect the overall strategy?“I think that depends on how the weekend evolves. It’s the kind of thing that you see as you go. If you start up front, it’s definitely going to be one way. If you’re on the back, you might want to gamble a bit. It really depends car by car as well because one car might react differently to the tires than the other depending on setup. We also have different chassis, so that has an influence. We’re still all learning the cars. There are so many things we wish we knew already, but we don’t and tire is one of them. So, we have to see as we go. I’m hoping that it’s an easy decision instead of trying to make something out of the blue. I would like for it to be a simple decision instead of a gamble.”

New Sponsors to Nitro Chaos Championship Chase

OLATHE, KS (April 11, 2023) — Two-time Top Alcohol Dragster World Champion Megan Meyer will be making a new championship run this season in the inaugural Nitro Chaos Championship Series, a four-race gauntlet across the Midwest. Meyer will be competing at Nitro Chaos events beginning with Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati on April 28-29 with the attitude of having fun but also feeding the competitive fire that led her to two NHRA world championships. The popular world champion unveiled a new look racecar yesterday through her new YouTube channel with primary sponsor Gunk and new associate sponsor Shop Squad from NGK NTK. The racer and mother of one is looking forward to building on her Nitro Chaos success from last year.

Megan Meyer and Gunk/Shop Squad Dragster, photo courtesy of Megan Meyer Racing

“After we won the Nitro Chaos last year at Mo-Kan, it planted a seed in my head that maybe I could come back and do more of it,” said Megan, who stepped away from full-time competition after winning back-to-back NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster world championships in 2019-2020. “Representing Gunk and expanding our relationship with NGK and Shop Squad will make this adventure possible. We have so many exciting programs coming up this season I can’t wait to get to the track.”

Shop Squad is a support program from NGK NTK to advance the automotive repair industry through education, resources, and dialogue. Their Training Program is designed to educate automotive professionals on their parts and service channels and offers an online portal for on-demand learning. When automotive professionals sign up for Shop Squad an account is automatically created, and they have access to the expansive tech training portal.

“I can’t think of a better representative for the Shop Squad program than Megan Meyer,” said Jacklyn Donahue, Group Marketing Manager – Aftermarket, Niterra. “Her team knows all the ins and outs of what it takes to be an automotive professional. We are working together to build content and a community through her reach, creativity, and education and that is the goal of the Shop Squad program.” 

Megan and Shop Squad are partnering up with Boxo USA Tools and Chad Green Motorsports to promote a monthly Student Appreciation Contest for college students studying to become an automotive professional. Students can sign up each month using their simple online form and one winner each month will win prizes valued at over $500.

Last season Meyer represented Shop Squad at the Mo-Kan event with a local community event and display of the dragster and took top honors in the “A” Field outrunning teammate Julie Nataas in the final. This year Meyer will be racing for the championship and will also be taking fans along for the ride. Fans can follow Meyer’s journey through a five-part series called “Chasing Chaos” on her new YouTube channel. The team will have a videographer capturing behind-the-scenes footage as well as on track action. Fans can subscribe to “Chasing Chaos” here.

The unique Nitro Chaos series, which has a rules-free format that only requires entries to burn a minimum of 80% nitromethane, will hold championship events at Edgewater Sports Park near Cincinnati on April 28-29, Eddyville Raceway Park on May 26-28, Mo-Kan Dragway on July 14-15, and Thunder Valley Raceway Park on Sept. 22-23. 

“I know I’m going to be 100% committed to chasing points and trying to get a championship in a different series,” Megan said. “From my point of view, if I want to race, I want to do the best that I can and try to compete for a championship. The fact that there’s only four races is perfect for me and our family. At the same time, I’m trying not to get too serious about it, just have fun.”

“I know there’s going to be a lot of tough competition and a lot more cars this year,” Megan continued. “It’s going to be tough. We don’t really know exactly what we’re going up against, whereas in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster you know every person, every car, what they can run, and what their strategies are. Now, it’s a completely different ballgame. I’m excited for this new challenge. I’m going to do the best that I can, and hopefully it works out in our favor.”

Fans can follow Megan on YouTube HERE

The Pevely, MO oval is set for its first of two doubleheaders this yearPEVELY, MO (April 11, 2023) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are heading to one of the country’s best bullrings.Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 may be a third of a mile in distance, but it races every bit like a quarter mile with its narrow confines and high banks. The Pevely, MO racetrack routinely produces some of the sport’s most unforgettable moments and is one of the fastest tracks for its size.After a weekend in the northwest corner of Missouri and southeast region of Kansas, The Greatest Show on Dirt is headed south of St. Louis this weekend (April 14-15) to I-55 for the first of a pair of Pevely doubleheaders. The Series will return for the Ironman 55 (August 4-5), which puts $20,000 on the line for whoever conquers the demanding 55-lap finale.As an added bonus, the best Sprint Car drivers will be joined by the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets presented by Toyota each night and will again for Ironman weekend in August.BUY TWO DAY TICKET PACKAGE HEREBUY FRIDAY TICKETS HEREBUY SATURDAY TICKETS HERELet’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT: This past weekend at U.S. 36 Raceway and 81 Speedway proved to be eventful within the standings as the top three jockeyed for positioning on both nights.Carson Macedo came out looking the best with a rise from third to the lead. A pair of podiums elevated the Lemoore, CA native atop the points for the first time this year.It was a rollercoaster weekend for Brad Sweet with a Friday ascent before Saturday’s descent. The four-time and defending champion jumped into the top spot thanks to a third place effort to open the weekend. Then an incident Saturday at 81 Speedway resulting in a 14th-place finish dropped him to third.David Gravel entered as the points leader, but a Friday crash caused him to slip to third. The Big Game Motorsports driver rebounded on Saturday with a podium to rise to the runner-up spot.PEVELY PROS: In recent years, it’s been nearly a guarantee that Brad Sweet or Sheldon Haudenschild will be in the running for the win in Pevely. The duo has combined to win nine of the last 13 trips to I-55.Haudenschild’s success has been highlighted by his famed 2019 Ironman victory when he lapped up to sixth place and won by more than 10 seconds. The Wooster, OH native owns three more I-55 triumphs – one in 2020 and a weekend sweep of the Ironman in 2021. The pilot of the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17 has also posted top fives in 12 of his 17 starts at the track.Sweet’s recent record in Pevely is wildly consistent. In his last 14 starts at the third-mile, the Kasey Kahne Racing driver has posted five wins, 12 podiums (including the last seven), and a 2.86 average finish.I-55 IMPROVEMENT: Early on in his career, Carson Macedo struggled at I-55, but he’s completed turned that narrative around.The driver of the Jason Johnson Racing #41 has made 14 World of Outlaws starts in Pevely. In the first seven starts, Macedo’s best finish was seventh with an average finish of 14.4. The seven since yielded a pair of victories – both last year – and a 4.6 average finish.Macedo looks to keep the momentum rolling to pad his points lead.SCHUCHART SEEKING WIN: The driver highest in points yet to visit Victory Lane this season is Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart.The Hanover, PA native has been close this year with five top fives through 12 races, but the top spot has eluded him.I-55 has been kind to Schuchart. He triumphed in the 2018 Ironman 55 and owns 12 top fives in his most recent 15 starts.J-MAC MOTORING IN MISSOURI: James McFadden has already won twice this season, and his record at I-55 suggests another triumph could arrive this weekend.The Roth Motorsports driver is yet to win in Pevely, but he’s earned top fives in five of his last six starts including a trio of podiums.McFadden is coming off tallying his third top five of 2023 at 81 Speedway.SCELZI’S STEPPINGSTONES: After a tough start to the year, Gio Scelzi continues to improve during his rookie campaign.The Fresno, CA native has only missed the top 10 once in the last seven races, and this past weekend Scelzi posted his two best finishes of the season. On Friday at U.S. 36 Raceway he brought the KCP Racing #18 home seventh, then improved to sixth Saturday at 81 Speedway.Scelzi’s I-55 experience is limited, but in three starts at the Missouri oval he has earned one of his 14 career Series podiums.INVADERS: Plenty of drivers are expected to be on hand to complete a stout field.Among those who could best the World of Outlaws is Rico Abreu. The St. Helena, CA native has already won twice with The Greatest Show on Dirt in 2023 including the most recent event – the $20,000 to win Jason Johnson Classic. Pevely is one of two tracks where Abreu has won multiple Series events. He topped the 2016 Ironman finale and the 2018 Ironman opener.Justin Peck and Buch Motorsports plan to be in action. The 24-year-old finished eighth on both nights of the Ironman weekend last year. The Monrovia, IN native is also a former I-55 winner in MOWA Sprint Car action (’18). Buddy Kofoid is yet to miss a 2023 World of Outlaws race, and he expects that to continue in Pevely. Despite not being a full-time competitor, Kofoid still sits fifth in points courtesy of he and CMS Racing’s early season strength that’s including a Talladega Short Track victory and four podiums.Others expected to compete include Joe B. Miller (Millersville, MO), Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, OK), Ayrton Gennetten (Versailles, MO), Jake Neuman (New Berlin, IL), Blake Hahn (Sapulpa, OK), and more.CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (12/84 Races)1. 41 – Carson Macedo (1684 PTS) 2. 2 – David Gravel (-8PTS) 3. 49 – Brad Sweet (-20PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-58PTS) 5. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-66PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-88PTS) 7. 15 – Donny Schatz (-136PTS) 8. 83 – James McFadden (-138PTS) 9. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-140PTS) 10. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-170PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers):3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)2 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49), James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Rico Abreu Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)FEATURE LAPS LED (9 Drivers):64 laps – Brad Sweet60 laps – James McFadden54 laps – David Gravel46 laps – Buddy Kofoid43 laps – Rico Abreu39 laps – Carson Macedo21 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent MarksLOW-E INSULATION QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):4 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo2 QuickTimes – David Gravel1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico AbreuHEAT RACE WINNERS (16 Drivers):6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, David Gravel5 Heat Wins – Carson Macedo4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Brad Sweet, Jacob Allen1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico AbreuTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (23 Drivers):9 Dashes – David Gravel8 Dashes – Carson Macedo7 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen 5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Gio Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild3 Dashes – Donny Schatz, James McFadden2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon BordenMICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (10 Drivers):1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton GennettenKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (9 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin PeckPODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):6 Podiums – Brad Sweet, David Gravel5 Podiums – Carson Macedo4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, James McFadden, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent MarksTOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):12 Top 10s – Carson Macedo10 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart9 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild8 Top 10s – Michael Kofoid6 Top 10s – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Jacob Allen, Justin Peck3 Top 10s – Kasey Kahne, Tyler Courtney2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss1 Top 10 – Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Blake Hahn, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2023 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)

MOORESVILLE, NC (April 11, 2023) — The four-wide style of racing is an acquired taste for many of the NHRA professional drivers. For reigning NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso her return to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals will be slightly bittersweet. Over the past two races Caruso has collected her first career Pro Stock win at the Arizona Nationals and her second career No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals where she also raced to the semifinals before losing to eventual winner Dallas Glenn. Her fortunes have not been as successful in the four-wide format but the resilient and determined racer who currently lives in Mooresville, North Carolina is ready to give it another shot.

“I am trying to get used to the four-wide format,” said Caruso, a multi-category winner. “There is a lot going on when you stage and last year during my rookie year it was tough. I know the fans love it and we are here to put on a great show for the fans and our sponsors. My goal this year is to just get better and have some fun with it. Luckily, The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is an awesome racetrack.”

Camrie Caruso and Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, photo by SR Driven Media

Last year Caruso rolled into the Vegas Four-Wide Nationals for her fourth professional Pro Stock race. The young driver was still figuring out a tremendous amount of information and procedures as she tried to acclimatize herself to the unique four-wide staging and racing procedure. Now with over 20 NHRA national events under her belt Caruso is ready to tackle the four-wide nationals again.

“I really feel a lot more comfortable in my Powerbuilt Tools Camaro this season,” said Caruso. “I am excited to see what we can do in Las Vegas. We have some momentum coming off Phoenix and Pomona and I just want to keep turning on win lights.”

Through three races this season Caruso has picked up the Arizona Nationals win and recorded the No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals. She also participated in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday of the Winternationals and while she did not advance to the final round, she picked up a championship point for her quick qualifying run during the qualifying and elimination round. The second-year pro knows that her goal of winning her first Pro Stock world championship will not happen during the regular season but picking up Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge points will give her a leg up at the end of the year.

“I love everything about the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and I am so glad we have been able to participate already,” said Caruso. “Once we get into the heart of the schedule this season it is going to be an awesome opportunity to pick up some money and more importantly those championship points. I know we will be counting them and so will a lot of the other Pro Stock teams.”

Caruso has added some off-track commitments to her schedule this season as well. At each NHRA national event Caruso participates in the “Just the Basics with Camrie Caruso” stage show joined by NHRA announcer Jason Galvin. The 20-25 minutes casual conversation is a chance for Caruso to let fans in on some of the ins and outs of being a first time NHRA guest as well as insider tips on what goes on at the racetrack. The show has been a welcome addition to the entertainment elements the NHRA has put together throughout the weekend to highlight many of the drivers and crew chiefs.

“I have loved the first couple of stage shows with Jason,” said Caruso. “We have talked about racing, where to get the best French Fries, the best time and worst time to ask for an autograph as well as what I like about each track. It is cool to talk with some of the fans before and after to get an idea of what they like about NHRA. This is one of the things that makes NHRA so unique is the drivers get out amongst the fans and really try to give them a unique experience. I can’t wait to get on the stage at the Las Vegas race on Friday.”

After Caruso spends time with the fans, she will have two qualifying sessions on Friday and two on Saturday to race her way into the 16-car qualified field. Final eliminations will begin for all the pro classes at noon on Sunday. There will be three rounds of racing which will all be broadcast nationally on FS1.

Team looking to extend southern California success after bizarre 2022 race DETROIT (April 11, 2023) – With its two longest races of the season in the rear-view mirror, Corvette Racing now faces its shortest contest of the season as it heads west to southern California for its only street race of the season. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is an intense 100-minute dash for the Corvette Racing program and the rest of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It’s an event that the team has won more than another team in series history – four times since 2014 – to go along with four more victories in the American Le Mans Series era from 2007-2013.

The familiar pairing of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor will pilot the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R in the GT Daytona (GTD) PRO class. The two finished third in last year’s Long Beach race – the first street race for the GTD-spec C8.R – despite a bizarre pitlane incident that took the Corvette out of contention for the victory.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s races at Long Beach (IMSA) and Portimao (WEC). Materials include: · IMSA & WEC race advances and quotes· Corvette Racing stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies

Taylor was the class pole-winner after a last-lap flyer and led the entirety of his first stint. A loose wheel nut during the pit stop escaped the Corvette pit, hit a stone and flew into the radiator of another car – a one-in-a-million occurrence that unfortunately netted the Corvette a drive-through penalty. Aside from that round of bad luck, there is reason to be confident again. Corvette Racing has a full year of data on the GTD-spec configuration, most notably the customer Michelin tire that all GTD teams must run in IMSA competition. Simulation tools aided the team’s preparation last year, and expectations are that 12 more months of work in the virtual world – plus sessions in the Chevrolet Driver in the Loop simulator – will put the C8.R in contention again. The results through the first two races are encouraging for this weekend. Garcia and Taylor – along with Tommy Milner – finished second in class to open the season in the Rolex 24 and ran out front most of the Sebring 12 Hours before late-race contact and on-track chaos meant a fifth-place result. The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET / 2:05 p.m. PT on Saturday, April 15. The race will air live on USA Network from 5-7 p.m. ET with full streaming coverage on Peacock. IMSA Radio will air qualifying and the race at IMSA.com along with Sirius 217, XM 207 and SiriusXM Online 992.

ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s been a long time since I’ve won at Long Beach. I feel like I’ve been through more ways of losing this race than winning it! There was a crash in the Hairpin that blocked the track one year, I had a shifting issue on the restart another and then last year with the wheel nut coming off in pitlane and going into another car… I’m ready for one normal year! But this is a fun event that is very unique. The fans are great and there are so many that come to watch us race. I hope we can give them a good show and finally another win for the 3 Corvette. We are due for it.”

JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 3 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s always nice to go back to Long Beach. It’s the first sprint race of the year. We’ve settled in with Daytona and Sebring with endurance races, and the end of those races gets pretty intense. But Long Beach, the whole event is intense, right from the start with practice. Last year we had a great car. We were on the pole and led for the whole first stint and then had a that crazy fluke incident on pitlane which kind of put us out of contention for the win. It would be nice to go back there and be as competitive as we were and execute as well as we did last year. Having a year under our belt with this car and this class, we learned a lot throughout last season that already has been beneficial this year.”

2023 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – GTD PRO (After two of 11 events)Driver Standings1. Daniel Juncadella/Jules Gounon/Maro Engel – 7082. Ben Barnicoat/Jack Hawksworth – 6823. Klaus Bachler/Laurens Vanthoor/Patrick Pilet – 6594. Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Tommy Milner – 6435. Jordan Pepper/Romain Grosjean – 612 Team Standings1. No. 79 WeatherTech Racing – 7082. No. 14 Vasser Sullivan – 6823. No. 9 Pfaff Motorsports – 6594. No. 3 Corvette Racing – 6435. No. 63 Iron Lynx – 612 Manufacturer Standings1. Mercedes-AMG – 7082. Lexus – 6823. Porsche – 6594. Chevrolet – 6435. Lamborghini – 612 CORVETTE RACING AT LONG BEACH: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 16 years at Long Beach: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Generations of Corvette Racing entries at Long Beach since 2007 – Corvette C6.R (2007-13) and Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021-current). All three generations have won at least once at Long Beach.• 4: Number of Long Beach race victories for Corvette Racing’s duo of Antonio Garcia and Jordan Taylor.• 8: Number of drivers who have competed at Long Beach for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Nick Tandy and Jordan Taylor. Each driver won at least once at Long Beach.• 8: Number of Long Beach victories in 15 appearances for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 10: Number of Long Beach sports car victories for Chevrolet. Throw in 12 IndyCar wins, and Chevrolet has claimed 22 victories in the event’s two premier races.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 26: 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, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 30: Number of wins in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for Corvette Racing since the start of 2014.• 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.• 123: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 269: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 4,081.61: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 15 previous trips to Long Beach. That represents 2,074 laps around the 1.968-mile street circuit.• 353,311.01: 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 then some! Corvette Racing at Long Beach (wins in bold)2007No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1 (Magnussen fastest race lap)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin pole) 2008No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2009No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT1No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GT1 (Beretta pole, fastest race lap) 2010No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell – 2nd in GT2No. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 9th in GT2 (Gavin fastest race lap) 2011No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT (Magnussen fastest race lap) 2012No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2013No. 3 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTNo. 4 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 4th in GT (Gavin fastest race lap) 2014No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM (Milner fastest race lap) 2015No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 3rd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 7th in GTLM 2016No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 9th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 2nd in GTLM 2017No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 5th in GTLM (Magnussen pole)No. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2018No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 4th in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 1st in GTLM 2019No. 3 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia – 2nd in GTLMNo. 4 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner – 3rd in GTLM 2021No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTLM (Taylor pole)No. 4 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 1st in GTLM (Tandy fastest race lap) 2022No. 3 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTD PRO (Taylor pole)

(April 10, 2023 – Ben Deatherage), Tulare, CA … Thunderbowl Raceway will feature two nights of incredible action this weekend as NAPA Auto Parts presents the NARC 410 Sprint Series for the Dennis Roth Classic. The Tulare 1/3-mile action track will host the tour on Friday, April 14th, and Saturday, the 15th, for the series’ first doubleheader of the 2023 season.  Saturday night will have a fantastic payout of $18,383.00 to the winner. Rico Abreu won the race last year in an electrifying battle in the main event. 

“This race is a true honor to Dennis and Teresa Roth.” said Roth Motorsports Team Manager Todd Ventura. “Fellow competitors and Dennis’ peers were the ones that wanted to have this event. When you have people with that amount of respect for you like Brent Kaeding, Jim Allen, and Ashley Smith who talked about it and made it come together, we are honored to be a part of it.” 

Dennis Roth and his wife, Teresa, are longtime Sprint Car supporters nationwide. Their race team, Roth Motorsports, boasts over 100 World Of Outlaw feature victories and multiple titles in California.   

“It’s a big deal for us because Dennis has been a great supporter of this race track,” commented Steve Faria, promoter of Thunderbowl Raceway. “He’s a special friend and we’re trying to make something special out of it.” 

Thunderbowl Raceway, since 2001, has had twenty-six different winners in the last fifty-six shows that the NARC 410 Sprint Series has put on. The house of Kaeding has reigned supreme as they are level at the top with seven wins each for Brent and Tim. Amazingly sixteen drivers have accomplished just a single triumph over the years. 

“It’s an honor to be able to put on this race for Dennis Roth,” stated NARC 410 Series General Manager Jim Allen, “he’s done so much for motorsports, and this is a real-world and real-life tribute that we are proud to honor those contributions.” 

Who to Watch

Corey Day is coming off an incredible win at Kings Speedway last weekend at the Anthony Simone Classic. It was his seventh career NARC 410 Sprint Series triumph in twenty-eight starts. The Clovis teenager was third at last year’s Roth Classic, and this is the only time he has been on the podium at the Thunderbowl with the tour. 

Aromas driver Justin Sanders was the runner-up to Day last Saturday in Hanford. Over the years at Thunderbowl, Justin has netted just one top five, a fourth at last year’s Roth, and two tens in five career NARC 410 Sprint Series starts at the track. 

Tim Kaeding is again teaming up with the famed Williams Motorsports #0 team. As mentioned above, the San Jose driver was sixth at the Simone last weekend and is tied with Brent Kaeding, for the most wins at Tulare. TK was seventh in the 2022 edition of the Roth Classic and, on top of his seven wins, has ten podiums, fourteen Top 5s, and twenty-one Top 10s in thirty-one starts.  

Kraig Kinser of Bloomington, Indiana, will make a guest appearance with the NARC 410 Sprint Series. He has four career starts with the series, all in 2015, co-sanctioned with the World Of Outlaws, and just one top ten result. That was a tenth-place result at Tulare on March 14th. 

Bud Kaeding is a driver to be on the lookout for, as the Campbell chauffeur knows how to pilot his way around the 1/3-mile clay oval. Bud has three career NARC 410 Sprint Series victories at the facility, most recently in 2018, in thirty-eight starts since 2001. Kaeding is also second on the all-time modern era list in the podium (14), Top 5 (20), and Top 10 (30) categories, with an average finish of 7.57. 

Also expected to compete will be Lemoore’s Cole Macedo, Fremont standout Shane Golobic, Tanner Holmes of Jacksonville, Oregon, Penngrove pilot Chase Johnson, two-time defending series champion Dominic Scelzi from Fresno, Clarksburg driver Justyn Cox, Ryan Bernal from Roseville, Oakley’s Dylan Bloomfield; Templeton’s Kaleb Montgomery, Nick Parker from Tuscon, and many more! 

Fan & Competitor Info

Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds in Tulare, California. Grandstand tickets are priced at $30.00 for Adults, $28.00 for Seniors, and Children (6-12) $15.00. Bleacher tickets are priced at $25.00 for Adults, $23.00 for Seniors, and Children (6-12) $13.00. Front Gates open at 4:00, Hot Laps at 5:00, and Racing is scheduled to kick off around 7:00. Also, visit the track website, www.thunderbowlraceway.com. 

The NARC 410 Sprint Series, presented by Napa Auto Parts, is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, they have enthralled countless thousands of fans from tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit their website at www.narc410.com or social media pages. 

The Dennis Roth Classic can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race. 

The NARC 410 Sprint Car Racing Series is also sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires, Floracing.com, and NAPA Auto Parts. Associate and product award sponsors include Automotive Racing Products (ARP), Beacon Wealth Strategies-Raymond James Financial, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Bullet Impressions, D & D Roofing, Diversified Machine Inc., Johnstone Supply, Kaeding Performance Center, Kimo’s Tropical Car Wash, KSE Racing Enterprises, Lifeline LLC, Starr Property Management, Sunnyvalley Bacon, System 1 Ignition, Ultra Lite Brakes, Williams Roofing, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Winters Performance Products.

NARC 410 SPRINT CAR SERIES 
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER ONE EVENT IN 22-RACE SERIES)

1	Corey Day, Clovis	142
2	Justin Sanders, Aromas	139
3	Shane Golobic, Fremont	138
4	Chase Johnson, Penngrove	137
5	Dominic Scelzi, Fresno	136
6	Tim Kaeding, San Jose	135
7	Justyn Cox, Clarksburg	135
8	Tanner Holmes, Jacksonville, OR	133
9	Bud Kaeding, Campbell	132
10	Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton	131
11	Sean Becker, Roseville	130
12	Ryan Bernal, Roseville	129
13	Joey Ancona ®, Concord	128
14	Dawson Faria ®, Fresno	127
15	Mauro Simone ®, Fresno	126
16	Michael Pombo ®, Easton	125
17	Jake Hodges ®, Camarillo	124
18	Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley	123
19	Craig Stidham, Fresno	122
20	Nick Parker ®, Tuscon, AZ	121

SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION

Facebook: NARCKingoftheWest
 Facebook (History page): NARCSprintCarHistory
 Twitter: NARC410 
 Instagram: NARC410
 YouTube: NARC410 
 TikTok: NARC410 
 Live Stream PPV:  Floracing.com 
 

UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 29th – Antioch Speedway – The Contra Costa County Clash 
May 6th- Silver Dollar Speedway – David Tarter Memorial 
May 13th-14th-Kings Speedway – Peter Murphy Classic

First two of 11 Xtreme-POWRi Challenge Series races, Abreu makes Xtreme debut doing double duty

PEVELY, MO (April 10, 2023) – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota gets back into action at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 this Friday-Saturday night, April 14-15, for the I-55 Outlaw Showdown weekend.

Racing alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the Xtreme Outlaws team-up with the POWRi National Midget League for the first of 11 races on the newly announced Xtreme Outlaw-POWRi Challenge Series, which awards a $2,500 check to the winner of the miniseries.

The Midgets will take to the track for two consecutive nights, racing 30 laps for a $4,000 grand prize Friday night before a 35-lap, $5,000-to-win Feature on Saturday.

Tickets will be available at the gate on race day or can be purchased in advanced at the link below. If you can’t be at the track in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

BUY TICKETS

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

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT – Jade Avedisian has some work to do if she wants to keep her 30-point gap in the Series points standings this weekend.

In the Series’ last venture out to I-55 last August, Avedisian struggled to find a rhythm, resulting in finishes of 15th and 14th in the two-day event. Those were two of her final starts for her former team at Chad Boat Industries and has since made the transition over to her new team at Keith Kunz Motorsports – a group which she’s already won with once in two Series starts.

After the first victory of the year in March at the Southern Illinois Center, she took that points lead out of the building, and in doing so broke another record, becoming the first female in dirt track racing history to lead the points standings of a national Midget tour.

A CHANCE FOR TWO – Chance Crum took home a big trophy after the Series’ debut at I-55 last year, winning the Friday night portion of the Ironman 55 weekend and picking up his first career Xtreme Outlaw victory.

He makes his return to Pevely this weekend on the heels of a fourth-place run in the Rudeen Racing #26 three weekends ago in Oklahoma with POWRi, leading the majority of the laps before falling back before the checkered.

The 25-year-old from Snohomish, WA, currently sits sixth in the Series points standings after finishes of 13th and fifth in Du Quoin last month.

SO CLOSE, NOT SO FAR – Only 0.3 seconds separated 20-year-old Karter Sarff from his first career Series victory at I-55 last year.

Sarff, of Mason City, IL, started third on the grid and stayed in the top-three the entire race, taking the lead early and leading laps 5-14 before giving it up to Crum at the halfway point. Sarff maintained pace with Crum and made it exciting with a last-ditch effort out of Turn 4 coming to the stripe on the final lap but was unsuccessful, settling for runner-up.

This weekend, he’ll get another chance at the Xtreme Outlaw field, as he saddles up his Provisio Partners #21K after making both Features last month in Du Quoin.

LOOKING UP – If his past starts at I-55 are any indication, Zach Daum has a lot to look forward to this weekend as he climbs back behind the wheel of his self-owned King Chassis #5d.

Daum, the defending Series champion from Pocahontas, IL, ended up +12 in position over Ironman 55 weekend last year with runs of ninth-to-fifth on Friday and 11th-to-third on Saturday. Though it wasn’t a win, Daum has been to I-55 Victory Lane before, taking the checkers in a POWRi event there in 2016.

I-55 comes at the right time for Daum, as he needs a couple strong finishes to get back in the hunt for his fifth national Midget championship. He currently sits 11th after a top-five and a DNF in Du Quoin.

BIG DEBUT – Fresh off his second win of the season against the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on Saturday night, Rico Abreu is set for his Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series debut this weekend.

Abreu, the 2014 USAC National Midget Series champion and two-time Chili Bowl Nationals winner from St. Helena, CA, will take the wheel of a Tanner Thorson Racing entry for his first career Xtreme Outlaw Series appearance, while also piloting his own Rico Abreu Racing #24 Sprint Car with the World of Outlaws.

He’s had success in both divisions at I-55 in the past, sweeping both POWRi Midget events on Ironman 55 weekend in 2019 and capturing the coveted 55-pound dumbbell trophy as Ironman 55 victor with the Sprint Car in 2016.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

When and where
• Friday-Saturday, April 14-15 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, MO

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. Jade Avedisian (442pts); 2. Kyle Jones 412pts (-30); 3. Landon Brooks 409pts (-33); 4. Shane Cottle 402pts (-40); 5. Gavin Miller 397pts (-45); 6. Chance Crum 387pts (-55); 7. Thomas Meseraull 387pts (-55); 8. Cannon McIntosh 384pts (-58); 9. Mitchel Moles 381pts (-61); 10. Ethan Mitchell 364pts (-78).

Toyota Feature winners (2 drivers)
1 win – Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports); Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz Motorsports)

Toyota Feature laps led (4 drivers)
26 laps – Thomas Meseraull
22 laps – Shane Cottle
14 laps – Jade Avedisian
8 laps – Cannon McIntosh

Whitz RC Racing Products Fast Time Awards (2 drivers)

1 Fast Time – Cannon McIntosh, Ethan Mitchell

Heat Race winners (9 drivers)
2 wins – Jade Avedisian
1 win – Austin Barnhill, Shane Cottle, Gavin Miller, Thomas Meseraull, Corbin Rueschenberg, Nick Drake, Kyle Jones, Chance Crum

High-points honors
1 honor – Gavin Miller, Chance Crum

Last Chance Showdown wins (4 drivers)
1 win – Kyle Jones, Landon Brooks, Karter Sarff, Howard Moore

DIRTVision Hard Charger Awards (2 drivers)
1 Award – Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson

Podium finishes (6 drivers)
1 podium – Cannon McIntosh, Shane Cottle, Thomas Meseraull, Jade Avedisian, Chase McDermand, Kyle Jones

Top-10 finishes (16 drivers)
2 top-10s – Jade Avedisian, Kyle Jones, Landon Brooks, Gavin Miller
1 top-10 – Shane Cottle, Chance Crum, Thomas Meseraull, Cannon McIntosh, Mitchel Moles, Ethan Mitchell, Zach Daum, Taylor Reimer, Chase McDermand, Chase Johnson, Austin Barnhill, Corbin Rueschenberg

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 (2)

Along with bringing in the TRD 410 engine, Toyota has also increased its partnership with the World of Outlaws, Super DIRTcar Series and Xtreme Outlaw Midget SeriesCONCORD, NC (April 10, 2023) – Racing has been the engine of Andy Graves’ life. A robust engine that’s guided him to Hendrick Motorsports for nine years, Chip Ganassi Racing for six years – including an Indianapolis 500 win in 2000 – and Toyota Racing Development for more than 16 years, helping build their presence across multiple forms of motorsports.But when he wants to remember why he fell in love with auto racing, Sprint Car and Midget races are his Eden.That passion has led Toyota to the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series with the development of the TRD Toyota 410 engine and increased partnership – now the Official Vehicle of the Series and Dash sponsor.“At TRD, since we’ve been involved with the USAC Midget program, we always knew and always felt like there was a hole there in our grassroots ladder and the World of Outlaws 410 Sprint Car would be a perfect fit,” said Graves, the executive competition engineering, technical director for TRD. “There’d been light discussions over the years about that. I think it really stemmed from, after the 2017 season we had another great year in NASCAR, winning the championship with Martin Truex (Jr.) and Furniture Row Racing. I put it back on the agenda (in 2018) before our group, our executive committee, because of my love for 410 Sprint Cars.“When I was younger, at 14 years old, in the summers I worked for Jeff Swindell. I had the passion for Sprint Cars and it fit really nice for Jack (Irving, the executive commercial director for TRD) and his driver development ladder, and for us to fit in the community. During that time, during the end of 2018, beginning of 2019, we finally got the green light and the approval to start moving forward with it.”FIRST STEPSWith the goal of eventually selling their own parts and hoping to see close to half of Sprint Car fields powered by TRD engines, Graves said they thought working with two engine builders would help speed up the process. Especially with having to start from a clean sheet.First up for the challenge was Rick Long, owner and president of Speedway Engine Development, who they already had a relationship with. Then, off the recommendations of Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson, Graves approached Tom Rider with Rider Racing Engines out of Pennsylvania to also help with the program.“I feel like that is a pretty powerhouse of a combination when you have those two guys on your team,” Graves said.In the TRD engine’s first full season with the World of Outlaws this year, it’s already visited Victory Lane twice in the first 10 races with James McFadden and Roth Motorsports.“It’s a pretty cool stat to be a part of,” McFadden said. “I’m an engine builder by trade. I’ve done that my whole career until I came over here working with the World of Outlaws. So, to be a part of a development deal is really fun and something that I’m really interested in.“It’s tough at times, you really have to be on your game as soon as you hit the track with these guys and when you’re trying to develop something, it can put you on the back foot but so far so good. It’s been pretty good. These things run really well.”The path to that success wasn’t easy. Like the development of the Ford FPS 410, TRD’s new engine was also plagued by COVID supply issues. Manufacturers couldn’t get materials. And when they could, it still took months to get it.The TRD engine – from Rider – made its official debut on Jan. 29, 2021, with Giovanni Scelzi and KCP Racing at an All Star Circuit of Champions race. The day prior, Scelzi and the team made practice laps with it. Thirty minutes into the session Long called Graves to warn him that the crankshaft had just broke on the engine he had on his dyno. While the engine in Scelzi’s car survived the weekend, crankshaft issues lingered throughout the year.Taking advice from their NHRA Toyota team, Kalitta Motorsports, they switched to Callies Performance Products crankshafts and the issue went away. However, they weren’t out of the water yet.After spending almost all of 2021 dealing with the crankshaft issue, they suffered head sealing issues in 2022. This year, Graves said he feels like they’ve finally got their arms around everything.During those development years, the engine was still victorious, though. Tyler Courtney brought the engine its first victory at the end of 2021 during a Non-Wing Sprint Car event with the National Auto Club Racing Series at Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA. Then, in 2022, Aaron Reutzel brought the engine its first Winged Sprint Car victory during a weekly show at Knoxville Raceway.“It’s cool to say I have a little piece of Toyota’s history coming into Sprint Car racing,” Courtney said. “They’ve made a name for themselves in all forms of motorsports. To be the, ‘quote–unquote’ first winner for them, whether it was a super high-class race or not, I can always say I was the first Sprint Car winner for Toyota.”TEAM BUILDINGReutzel was one of the first drivers Toyota teamed with to run the TRD engine, off the recommendation of Graves and Bell. When the two parties agreed to work together in 2021, Reutzel was making the move to Roth Motorsports and introduced Graves to Dennis and Teresa Roth. However, between Reutzel not finishing the season with the team and crankshaft issues, a TRD engine never made it into the Roth #83 that year.Scelzi was Toyota’s other driver, but with the young Californian and his KCP Racing still trying to develop their program at the time, Graves said they all agreed it wasn’t the right time for them to take on the development of the new engine.So, for the 2022 season, knowing they still wanted at least two teams to help run the engine, Toyota continued its partnership with Roth Motorsports – now fielding the #83 for James McFadden – and followed Reutzel to his new team with Ridge & Sons Racing.McFadden scored his first win with Roth at Lakeside Speedway that year, which was a race after they pulled the TRD engine out of the car due to it hitting its mileage limit.Going into 2023, Todd Ventura, Roth’s team manager, pushed Graves and his team into taking the next step. He thought they were ready to run the entire 87-race World of Outlaws schedule.“I don’t think we thought we were ready to go World of Outlaws racing,” Graves said with a chuckle. “[Ventura] had a lot of faith in us.”That faith payday off in the third race of the season when McFadden won at Volusia, bringing Toyota its first World of Outlaws win and Roth Motorsports its 100th win. A month and a half later, he won again at Devil’s Bowl, securing another milestone win for Toyota – he had won Volusia with the Rider engine and Devil’s Bowl with the Speedway engine.“We made a decision over the winter that we wanted each of the guys running our engines to be split,” Graves said. “We wanted half of their pool to be Rider engines and the other half to be Speedway because we wanted to accelerate our learning curve even more. The only way to do that was to be able to get our engine partners and ourselves to be more involved in every part and piece and in each other’s engines in order to solve those problems quicker.“For James to get a win at Volusia with a Rider and then to follow it up with a win at Devil’s Bowl with a Speedway TRD engine is just phenomenal. We’re super excited and hopefully a lot better things to come this year.”GROWING ROOTSThe 410 engine program and partnership with the World of Outlaws is a key element in Toyota’s hopes to further engage with the grassroots community and have another platform to work with drivers in the highest level of dirt racing.They’ve already had a strong presence in dirt Midget racing and have increased that, joining as the presenting sponsor of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series. Now, along with joining the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, Toyota has also partnered with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series and Super DIRTcar Series, becoming the Official Vehicle for each.“Obviously, [the World of Outlaws] put on a hell of a show,” Irving said. “They have the best drivers. They do an amazing job with how they manage a race and how they deal with tech at a race. They run a very clean, well ran program. When we visited them years back, when Andy first pitched this, you couldn’t be more impressed with what they have for people who are at the track, for marketing people like us who want to engage at the track, the ability to receive data and use their video services and everything else, make it an easy partnership for Toyota.“They are a great group to deal with. A long time ago I was told you should do business with people you like, and they are an easy group to like. From our perspective to further partner with them, we love what they’re doing with the Xtreme Midget program. It is extremely important how well they tech the cars and how consistent they are with the rules and how they implement them. That has been a big part for us. It helps the teams kind of save themselves from themselves. I think for us, to be able to have drivers that get to race against the best there are at doing what they do, it was a pretty natural progression to partner with them a little bit further.”To attend World of Outlaws events and see the TRD Toyota 410 engine in action, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

Inside Line Promotions – HANFORD, Calif. (April 10, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi scored a top-five result last Saturday during the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series season opener hosted by Kings Speedway.

Scelzi kicked off the Anthony Simone Classic by qualifying seventh quickest out of the 30 entrants. He then finished where he started in a heat race – second – to advance into the dash. Scelzi gained a pair of positions to finish fifth in the dash, lining him up on the inside of the third row in the A Main.

“The track seemed to get faster later in qualifying,” he said. “We were quick time for a long time, but ended up seventh. We did what we needed to in the heat race to make the dash and moved forward in it. In the feature we ran fourth almost the whole race, but got passed on the last lap to finish fifth. We just missed it a little bit. I think we know where we could have been better.”

The fifth-place outing was Scelzi’s third straight top five to start the year.

Next up for the team is the Dennis Roth Classic this Friday and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. Scelzi’s family owned team will field a second car with Trey Starks behind the wheel.

“I’m really looking forward to the Dennis Roth Classic,” Scelzi said. “It’s a big event that is in honor of someone who has done so much for racing. We were second in the 410 feature and won the 360 feature last year during the Dennis Roth Classic so we’re going into it confident. It will also be great to have Trey in a second car of ours to show support for the event.”

QUICK RESULTS –

April 8 – Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. – Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 2 (2); Dash: 5 (7); Feature: 5 (5).

SEASON STATS –

3 races, 0 wins, 3 top fives, 3 top 10s, 3 top 15s, 3 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., for the Dennis Roth Classic with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

No. 33 Corvette looks to continue early-season momentum after Sebring win DETROIT (April 10, 2023) – It’s a new track for Corvette Racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend, but the team is hoping for a familiar result in its second race of the season. Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone will look for consecutive GTE Am victories in the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R when Corvette Racing visits Portugal for the Six Hours of Portimão.

The trio of drivers claimed a convincing victory in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in their first race together to grab the early-season lead in the GTE Am Drivers Championship. It also was Corvette Racing’s first win in its first season of GTE Am competition. But rather than a familiar track where the program has thousands of miles of testing under its belt, Portimão is an unknown commodity.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information is updated and available ahead of this weekend’s WEC round at Portimao.  Materials include: · WEC race advance and quotes· Corvette Racing stats and figures· Corvette Racing racecar comparisons· Corvette Racing Fast Facts· Driver biographies

The 2.891-mile, 15-turn circuit is new to the Corvette Racing team but not new to the WEC calendar, having played host to the championship in 2021. It’s also not new to the three Corvette Racing drivers, each of whom have competed previously at Portimão in WEC competition and other racing championships. Varrone is the most recent driver having time at Portimão, having contested the European Le Mans Series in 2022 at the circuit. Keating was part of the GTE Am field at the circuit in the 2021 WEC event. For those who enjoy trivia, Catsburg drove a Corvette C6.R in the 2011 FIA GT1 Championship. Although there is no real-life experience at Portimão from a team perspective, the Corvette program has done its homework in the virtual world with Driver in the Loop simulator sessions at the GM Tech Center in Charlotte with Keating getting a couple of days work in during the last two weeks. After Portimão, Corvette Racing will contest the final five rounds on the WEC on tracks where it gained valuable experience in last year’s championship with the mid-engine C8.R.  The Six Hours of Portimão for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 7 a.m. ET / noon Western European Time on Sunday, April 16. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of qualifying and the race.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Portimão for us will be a huge challenge. It’s a new track for the team. Usually some of the teams that have had cars there before in other championships like ELMS may have a bit of an advantage. It will be a steep learning curve for us. There won’t be as much practice time as there was at Sebring. Nico was there last year so he will be someone Ben and I can learn from. We’ve had the best season start possible so we’re all very much looking forward to seeing what we can do at Portimão. It will be more difficult here. Some of our competition at Sebring eliminated themselves, and I don’t think that will happen again. We need to be on-point but I feel like have the right team and right drivers for this race. Let’s continue where we left off at Sebring.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’ve only been to Portimão once for a race event. It was a track that was very hard for me to feel like I had learned it and was up to speed. After the three practice sessions and qualifying, I still didn’t feel that way. I remember getting on the radio after my first stint and saying that I’d like to start the whole weekend again right now. That’s how long it took me to be comfortable. It’s not an easy track to learn. It’s very different. We will put more energy into our tires at this track than any other track we go to by a significant amount. There is a ton of elevation change, a ton of off-camber and blind corners. It takes a long time as a driver to feel like you have this place figured out. But that’s also what makes it fun.“Every car has a track that it likes and doesn’t like. I just think the handling of the Corvette and where we can carry a higher minimum speed around these low-speed, technical corners. We can carry the momentum better, we can handle the elevation change better and can handle the off-camber and off-balance corners better. I’m really excited about going to Portimão in the Corvette and having one race weekend there under my belt.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m really looking forward to the second round of the WEC at Portimão. We had a great start to the season at Sebring in our home race and on home soil for the team. Getting the victory there is the perfect start to our season. I really want to thank everyone at Corvette Racing for the amazing welcome at Sebring. The first race was special. There were a lot of nerves but everyone on the team – the engineers, the mechanics, everyone there – made me feel really comfortable. Now we’ll go for more at Portimão!“Portimão for me is a track where I have a lot of good memories in my short career. The circuit is very much like a roller coaster, so I think for every driver it’s fun. As a team, we have a lot of confidence. Based on what I know, I think this should be a good track for us. We have the success ballast for being the championship leaders and winning at Sebring, so that will be a little bit of a disadvantage for us but we have a great team and great lineup. I’m really confident. The aim is to try and score the most amount of points possible. For sure, we are going for the win but if we can’t do that then we will maximize our result and keep getting points for the championship.”

2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am (After two of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 382. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 273. Daniel Serra/Scott Huffaker/Takeshi Kimura – 234. Simon Mann/Stefano Constantini/Ulysse De Pauw – 185. Davide Rigon/Francesco Castellacci/Thomas Flohr – 15 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 382. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 273. No. 57 Kessel Racing – 234. No. 21 AF Corse – 185. No. 54 AF Corse – 15 Corvette Racing By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 19: Number of street circuit victories for Corvette Racing – more than any other IMSA entrant at the circuit.• 26: 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, 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.• 123: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America and eight at Le Mans.• 269: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 353,311.01: 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 then some!