BRISTOL, TN (June 11, 2023) — Racing two races in one weekend had Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team focused on performance and the overall fan experience. Last weekend the NHRA New England Nationals was postponed to the Thunder Valley Nationals setting up Hart and the rest of the Top Fuel field for a two race in three days schedule. On Friday night Hart wrapped up his New England Nationals race and turned his attention to winning his first Thunder Valley Nationals title. The final two qualifying sessions on Saturday set Hart up as the No. 12 qualifier and a first round race with No. 5 qualifier Mike Salinas.

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

 
Salinas’ quickest time of the weekend, a 3.762 second pass was a target that Hart and his crew chief Ron Douglas knew they could compete with on race day. When the Christmas Tree flashed Hart was first off the line with a starting line advantage of .053 to .113 and the two-time Top Fuel national event winner never trailed in the race. His R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster that also gets considerable support from TechNet crossed the finish line with a winning time of 3.793 second at 331.36 mph.
 
“This was a wild weekend. I felt bad for the fans in Epping when we were there last week,” said Hart. “I felt even worse for us having to run Epping here because it was just a lot for the NHRA Safety Safari and everybody involved. It was really well orchestrated and worked out nice running two races in one weekend. I just wish we gone in our favor a little bit more. The first round win was a nice boost for the team and the car was flawless on that run.”
 
After a nearly four hour rain delay before the second round Hart pulled up beside one of the toughest competitors in the class so far this season in Justin Ashley. The two team owners and drivers are both chasing their first championships and building teams that will compete against each other for years to come. Each of these drivers is recognized as one of the toughest drivers when it comes to reaction times and driving skills. The second round race did not disappoint the fans.
 
Both 12,000-horsepower Top Fuel dragsters left together and they were welded side-by-side the full 1,000-foot race track. Ashley was able to poke the nose of his Phillips Connect race car out in front as they approached the finish line and he held on for the win. The incremental times down the track reflected that it was one of the closest races of the day. At the finish line it was Ashley’s 3.756 second pass getting the win over Hart’s 3.780 second run.
 
“When you go up against Justin, you’re going to have to be on your game,” said Hart. “My lights have been consistently in the 50s and I’m usually faster than that, so I’m going take this one on the chin myself. I was focused. I could have been a little bit more razor sharp. And we could have performed with the car a little bit better. But ultimately, that was our best run of the weekend. I’m very proud of the team. The conditions were all over the board. And we were able to get down almost every run.”
 
Hart will head to the Norwalk Nationals in two weeks looking to close the deal at a track he raced to the final round last season. He will be bringing a new race car to the fan-friendly facility located outside Cleveland.
 
“It’s a new car. We’ve got a lot of new parts. We’re still learning stuff every time we come out here, so I’m very confident moving forward, we’ll just keep on truckin’ and get ready for Norwalk. That will be a big race for us,” said Hart.
 
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.819 sec, 321.12 mph; Qual. 1
Q2: 4.201 sec, 202.85 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 5.742 sec, 120.49 mph; Qual. 12
Q4: 3.842 sec, 323.27 mph; Qual. 12
Bonus Points: +3 (Quickest of Q1)
 
Race Results
                                                                                             
First Round

Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.052), 3.793, 331.36 mph def. Mike Salinas, Happy Valley dragster, (.113), 3.839, 318.24 mph

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect dragster, (.048), 3.756, 329.83 mph def.  Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, (.054), 3.780, 328.86 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1.         Justin Ashley               633
2.         Steve Torrence           569
3.         Brittany Force             511
3.         Austin Prock                511
5.         Leah Pruett                 499
5.         Antron Brown             499
7.         Mike Salinas               448
8.         Josh Hart                    433
9.         Doug Kalitta                404
10.       Shawn Langdon          367
 

Ron Capps helps deliver second consecutive Toyota sweep of Bristol Dragway

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Justin Ashley earned a historic double-up as he scored the win in the rain-delayed New England Nationals on Saturday, along with the Mission Foods Challenge victory, before following that with another win on Sunday in Bristol. With the success this weekend, Ashley took over the points lead.

It was also a big day for Antron Brown as he scored his 800th career round win, before coming up just short to Ashley in the final. Brown is the sixth driver in NHRA history to earn 800 round wins.

In Funny Car, Ron Capps celebrated the anniversary of his first Toyota win by taking the Toyota GR Supra Funny Car back to the winner’s circle for the seventh time in his career at Bristol Dragway. Capps defeated fellow Toyota driver Alexis DeJoria in the final round, as Toyota swept the final round spots in NHRA competition.

With Ashley and Capps’ victories, Toyota stands at 199 NHRA victories heading into the next race at Norwalk. 

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Bristol Dragway

Race 8 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W. 3.763 v. 3.871(D. Foley) W. 3.756 v. 3.780(J. Hart) W. 3.728 v. 7.154(A. Prock) W. 3.718 v. 6.148(A. Brown)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finalist	W. 3.767 v. 3.749(Holeshot Win – B. Force) W. 3.765 v. 5.699(T. Schumacher) W. 3.730 v. 3.973(D. Kalitta) L. 6.148 v. 3.718(J. Ashley)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.724 v. 3.992(C. Millican) W. 3.733 v. 3.745(S. Torrence) L. 3.973 v. 3.730(A. Brown)
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W. 3.691 v. 3.779(S. Langdon) L. 3.745 v. 3.733(D. Kalitta)
Shawn Langdon	Bounty Hunter Kalitta Air Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L. 3.779 v. 3.691(S. Torrence)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Winner	W. 3.964 v. 4.223(D. Richards) W. 3.946 v. 6.143(J. Force) W. 3.918 v. 4.003(C. Green) W. 3.998 v. 3.999(A. DeJoria)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Finalist	W. 3.983 v. No Run(C. Pedregon) W. 4.154 v. 4.236(B. Bode) W. 3.979 v. 7.840(R. Hight) L. 3.999 v. 3.998(R. Capps
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	First Round	L. 4.131 v. 3.999(J. Force)

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Maynard Ashley Racing

Final Result: Winner

How do you feel about winning everything this weekend?

“I’m on cloud nine. It is just an amazing feeling. It’s so hard to win a race. It is so difficult, so to be able to come into one weekend, in the course of three days, and win two events and one Mission Foods Challenge, is really something special. It’s hard to turn on win lights in this sport, so I just have so much gratitude for my entire team and the work they did to turn this car around round after round, and making sure it went down the race track. We had a lot of friends and family here – this is not too far from when the Maynards are, so they had a lot of their friends out as well. It’s a big win for the entire team.”

What does it mean to defend the Bristol title?

“After the fact, I certainly think about it. During the race, that doesn’t cross my mind and if it does, I do everything I can to get rid of that thought, because it is just a matter of focusing on that moment and taking it one round at a time, because it is not easy to win. I think that approach gives us as a team the opportunity to win.”

The last driver to win two races in one weekend was Tony Schumacher with your now crew chief, Mike Green. Can you talk about what your crew chiefs mean to this team?

“Mike (Green), Tommy (DeLago) and Dustin (Davis) are just fantastic. They are excellent at what they do both on and off the race track. You are only as good as the team that you have. They have done a great job themselves, but they have also assembled an amazing team that surrounds the race car. Honestly, it is fascinating to be able to watch them round after round maintain that consistency. Nothing stops this team. We can lose in the first round, we could win the race, we could fall short somewhere in between, but the mentality is the same. We always expect to win, and the reason for that is because it starts on top. It starts with guys like Dustin, Mike and Tommy.”

Your win was 199 for Toyota. What does it mean to close in on that milestone and the support Toyota provides you?

“It’s very, very deep – the talent pool that we have. I am so grateful that we have Toyota Gazoo Racing North America and Slugger (Labbe) and Paul (Flynn) and all of the people from that team that not only provide us with the data and information that we need, but treat us like family. When you are part of Toyota Racing, you are part of the Toyota family and we all have each other and we all work together. Going into that final round, against our Toyota teammate, and knowing, no matter what happened in front of us it was going to be a Toyota double-up and we are inching closer to a 200^th win for Toyota is really amazing. It speaks volumes on Toyota – to be able to put all of the time, energy, effort and commitment that have into the sport of NHRA drag racing – really is beyond measure.”

Was there one race today that stuck out today?

“It was every round today. I think at this point you always need to dig deep, especially with the way the competition is. Anytime we go up against Antron (Brown) is usually a fantastic race, and it is a really small margin of victory. I don’t really believe in the approach of getting up for anyone in particular, but you have to be extremely focused because he is not going to let you get away with anything. Antron is a fantastic driver, and more importantly, he’s a fantastic person, so I think racing a guy like Antron brings out the best in myself and my team.”

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

Final Result: Winner

What does it mean to you to pick up your seventh win at Bristol?

“We are celebrating an anniversary of sorts. We got to announce our Toyota partnership in Charlotte at the 4-Wide, and then we gave the new GR Supra its first win here. So for Ron Capps Motorsports – to be able to do that last year – was one of the most epic moments of my life. I was pretty stoked when we pulled up and all four nitro cars were Toyota teams. Jwan (Smith), Paul (Flynn) and Slugger (Labbe), and all of the people that are here every weekend – people don’t understand that they send one of their trucks – it’s like what goes to NASCAR races as well – and they send it to NHRA races for the support of our teams. It is unbelievable behind the scenes that you don’t hear about. So very happy for Toyota. Guido (Dean Antonelli, crew chief), T-Buck (Tom Buckingham, assistant crew chief) got moved up when (John) Medlen retired last year. We promoted within with our company going into our second year. Allison (McCormick) our PR, and Kass (Pawuk), social media – same team, just kept at it. We’ve been close. Three final rounds. Should have been a win already, but this is probably the most demanding race track there is to drive a Funny Car. I think that anybody will tell you that, that drives one. I probably cost us a couple of qualifying runs. I just couldn’t hang on the car and keep it in the middle. Thankfully, I got my act together on Sunday, and Guido was able to lay it down. It is such a relief to see that Wally again. I honestly tell people, you never know if you are going to see one again. That is how tough it is.”

Can you talk about closing in on that milestone for Toyota and the relationship you have with them?

“You have to have the respect. J.R. Todd helped design that body, Alexis (DeJoria) helped design that body and I came in late. We came in with success – it’s tough. That creates a lot of weird vibes. I was very careful. I apologized a few times to them last year. I was careful about what I said. You have to be careful. I was invited into that family. I wanted to get into that family bad over the years – Antron Brown being such a close friend. I just knew that if I could get in as a part of that family, I knew what it meant. It is showing right now. It would be great to get them that win. I would honestly cheer for Alexis or J.R. or somebody getting that Funny Car win as well. It would be cool. It is a great thing. I forgot that there were two wins. That is looming on the horizon. Paul Doleshal, Slugger (Labbe) – you can’t believe the efforts that go in. People just don’t see it. Jwan (Smith), Paul (Flynn) – their track people are here before anybody during the day. When we are all hanging out having coffee and having breakfast and they are here at night, when they are people trying to kick them off of the track. They are tracking and showing us bumps and everything about the track. You just don’t get that – it is such a cool thing to have. I’m so grateful to be a part of the Toyota family.”

Can you talk about being back as the points leader?

“(Matt) Hagan has had us scrambling on it, him and Tony Stewart (owner). That is huge. It’s a long year. It’s great and it’s great for NAPA on Monday morning to look at competition Plus or any of our race sites – we send them the links – and see that we’re the points leaders. That’s great, but that doesn’t matter until Sunday at Pomona. I can finally say that. We finally won one from behind – we won it on Sunday. We are just trying to get wins and just get our consistency down, but this is huge. Great win.”

ANTRON BROWN, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, AB Motorsports

Final Result: Finalist

Can you talk about the race this weekend?

“We definitely bounced back. One thing I can tell you about our team is we always stay persistent. This track was handing us our butt. We got too aggressive on Friday night – the first run coming out – our car was on at .78 run and it didn’t make it because we were too aggressive. We want to qualify well. We like to qualify in those top three spots. We want number one. We are going to go with that same attitude going into Norwalk. We are just going to scale it back. The coolest part is the way we rebounded – we came back out. Brian (Corradi, crew chief), Mark (Oswald, co-crew chief) and the boys went to the stuff that we know and the car went out the first round and we ran a .76. We were trying to run between a .74 and a .76 and it did it. It got us the round win and we just started picking away at each round to make it better. Semis, when we ran that .73 flat against Doug (Kalitta) – it really set us up for that final, where we thought we could go out there and go .71. That was what we were shooting for. Justin (Ashley) did it. We were already a hundredth quicker at the 60 foot mark and with the calculations that means you could have run about 15 thousandths quicker. If we would have run 15 thousandths quicker, we would have run a 3.715. That is what we were shooting for. We got a little greedy. It was going to hold it. The car was trying to get ghost. With that being said, when you make it to a final, it is a great weekend. Great weekend for a rebound in points. That moves us up a few spots or whatever it did. We just have to keep doing it. Our main focus is the Western Swing. Hit the swing hard and come back and make a strong push all of the way to Indy and see if we can move up some points spots and get ready for the Countdown for the Championship.” 

BRISTOL, TN (June 11, 2023) —- After her dominant NHRA Pro Stock Allstar Callout victory in Chicago 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso was looking to put her Tequila Comisario Pro Stock Camaro back in the winner’s circle at the Thunder Valley Nationals. Through two days of qualifying Caruso powered her KB Titan Racing Chevrolet Camaro into race day as the No. 6 qualifier. Her Saturday qualifying runs put the third- generation driver in a strong position to get her second career win and second win in the 2023 NHRA season.
 
In the first round Caruso pulled up beside Bo Butner and his Johnson Horsepower Garage Chevrolet Camaro in a KB Titan Racing versus Elite Motorsports match-up. The last time Caruso raced Butner was the second round of the Arizona Nationals when Caruso picked up the win and raced to the Pro Stock title. Today Caruso chased down Butner just before half track and never trailed in the race as Butner shook the tires and had to click his power off. Her 6.653 second pass was consistent with her solid qualifying runs on Saturday.

Camrie Caruso and Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, photos by Innovation Creative Experts

“That was a big win in the first round,” said Caruso. “You always get amped up for the first round and when I saw that win light I was pretty excited. The last time I beat Bo was Arizona and we won that race. I can’t think my KB Titan Racing team for giving me such a great car. We really made some good runs on Saturday and that set us up for today.”
 
Shortly after the first round of the Camping World Drag Racing Series wrapped up rain moved into Thunder Valley and delayed the racing action for almost four hours. When racing resumed the teams had to battle slightly different weather conditions and completely different track conditions. Caruso and Cristian Cuadra were the first pair of Pro Stock race cars to make a quarter mile pass and each of the young drivers had their hands full at the top end of the track. Caruso’s Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro was pulling away for another win light when her tires began spinning and control was slipping away. She wisely lifted and dropped her parachutes to avoid an incident, but it cost her valuable time and speed opening the door for Cuadra to sneak around her.
 
“We had to wait for a rain delay after the first round,” said Caruso. “The Safety Safari did a great job of getting the track ready for the Top Fuel and Funny Cars, but I had my hands full when they ran us. My pair with Cristian was wild and then the next pair with my teammates Greg Anderson and Dallas Glenn had issues. After that they re-prepped the track for the last two pairs. It is disappointing because we were winning our race against Cristian and I had to lift for safety. None of us were able to keep it straight and it is just frustrating. This Tequila Comisario Chevrolet was running really well and I felt good about our chances today.”
 
Caruso will leave the Thunder Valley Nationals sitting in sixth place in the Pro Stock point standings with the Norwalk Nationals next up on the schedule in two weeks. The young driver is just two rounds of racing out of fifth place and with a string of races on the horizon a move up the point standings is within the second-year pro’s grasp.
 
“I have so much confidence in this Tequila Comisario team and I have to thank all our sponsors including Powerbuilt Tools, Denso, VP Racing and Big Jeff Audio for their support,” said Caruso. “I can’t wait to get to Norwalk because that is a great track and I love their ice cream. I want to win that race to get the winner’s ice cream scoop and keep our momentum going.”
Qualifying Results
Q1: 6.685 sec, 205.98 mph; Qual. 6
Q2: 7.475 sec, 138.91 mph; Qual. 11
Q3: 6.656 sec, 206.20 mph; Qual. 11
Q4: 6.643 sec, 205.91 mph; Qual. 6
Bonus Points: +2 (2^nd quickest of Q2)
Race Results
First Round
Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.057) 6.653, 205.38 mph def. Bo Butner, JHG Chevrolet Camaro, (.034), 8.531, 98.53 mph
Second Round
Cristian Cuadra, Corral Boots Ford Mustang, (.046), 6.711, 204.08 def. Camrie Caruso, Tequila Comisario Chevrolet Camaro, (.050) 7.272, 132.15 mph
Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock
1.         Dallas Glenn               636
2.         Deric Kramer               499
3.         Matt Hartford             445
4.         Troy Coughlin Jr          430
5.         Aaron Stanfield          426
6.         Camrie Caruso            387
6.         Greg Anderson           387
8.         Cristian Cuadra           371
9.         Erica Enders                369
10.       Bo Butner                   344

NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA RACEWAY TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT JUNE 11, 2023

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL15th      Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL16th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gabriel Glas Camaro ZL18th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 Valvoline Camaro ZL110th    Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)2nd     Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)3rd      Joey Logano (Ford)4th      Chris Buescher (Ford)5th      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)  The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues in two weeks at Nashville Superspeedway with the Ally 400 on Sunday, June 25, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES: AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1Finished: 19th“I’m proud of everyone on the No. 3 BREZTRI AEROSPHERE™ (budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate) Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Sonoma Raceway for fighting back and staying in it all day. We were strong today, but the results don’t show just how strong we were. I got loose in Turn 11 and thought I would be able to recover, but contact in the right-rear from another car sent me into the tire bundle and we spun. It’s just very typical of the season we’ve been having. After the spin, we were last but we were able to climb back up to 19th before the Checkered. We had a fast Chevy and we were on our way to one of our best road course performances after a lot of focus and preparation for this race, so I hate that we had that setback, but I’m proud of everyone on the No. 3 team for their efforts. We’ll take advantage of the NASCAR off weekend to regroup and be refreshed and ready to battle at Nashville Superspeedway.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 2nd“Not too bad of a day for the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 team at Sonoma Raceway, I just wish we had a little bit more. I tried hard to keep Martin Truex, Jr. honest. I felt like I could beat him a little on a lap, and then I would mess up and he would beat me by more on the next lap. We were trading a little bit, but he was able to pull away late. Overall, great job by all the RCR and ECR guys on this Camaro. I’m proud of the effort. We gave it everything we had. We made a lot of changes. We got a lucky break with the yellow with only three laps on tires. We were able to cycle to the front. Once we got up there, we could maintain pace with some of the good cars and had a good top-three speed race car. Good fortunes for us, and it’s nice to come out here with a second-place finish after a win last week. We have three wins at this point in the season, and this team is really stringing together some good runs, so I don’t know if I want an off week. It will be good to regroup, focus and set up for the last 18 races of the season, though. Overall, I’m just really proud of the guys on this team, the communication, and the way they are able to go to work, work through some of our issues and try to improve on what I need to be able to feel in a race car and pull out finishes like the one we had today. If we can keep doing those things, we will be a force for the championship.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 5th “It’s nice to get a top-five, no doubt, so proud of that. We were trying to do something a little different with strategy. We had pit about six or eight laps there before that caution. We just felt like our only play was to stay out. I was really hoping that more people would do that with us so we’d have three or four rows. It still probably wouldn’t have been enough, but I do think it would have been nicer to have a couple more rows and a buffer for those with tires.  It was certainly a good fight for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team. It was one of our better runs there in the last couple of races, so always good to finish strong. It wasn’t an ideal situation, so to kind of fight through it there and come home with a top-five is good. Looking forward to build on that and hopefully contend for a win before long.”  AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GABRIEL GLAS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 6th “We started off pretty good there. We got up to fourth there in Stage One, and I thought at that point, we were the third- or fourth- fastest car. We were about one lap away from being really good. I got really loose the second run, so we were going to pit and right before we pit, the caution came out. That made us restart 16th and then it was just kind of a dog fight from there. I felt like we had pretty good pace with short-run speed, but I would get super loose in traffic, so I had to fight that. It’s just so hard to pass.  I thought the No. 16 Gabriel Glas Chevy team did a great job all day. The pit stops were really good. We had a good stop there at the end – were able to make up a couple of spots and make what we could out of it.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 CIRKUL CAMARO ZL1Finished: 21st“Overall, it was not a bad day for this No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection team. I feel like we were really good in the high-speed areas and not so great in the braking zones. I felt like we had some speed, but my biggest issue was not being able to pass. We will regroup after the off week for Nashville.” 

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS:  Stage One·       Road course phenom AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Gabriel Glas Camaro ZL1 team qualified in the fifth position – leading Team Chevy to the green flag at Sonoma Raceway.  ·       With no stage break cautions during road course events, pit strategy came into play during the races’ early laps. A handful of cars chose to short-pit and make their first round of pit stops prior to the end of the stage, including Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.  ·       Allmendinger maintained a steady top-five running position throughout Stage One – leading the Bowtie brigade to the green-white checkered in the fourth position.  ·       Three drivers from three different Chevrolet teams collected stage points at the conclusion of the caution-free Stage One: 4th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Gabriel Glas Camaro ZL19th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Pride Camaro ZL110th     Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL1 Stage Two·       Following the completion of the green-flag pit cycle, early pit strategy paid dividends for Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson – with both drivers powering their Camaro ZL1’s to the top-five on the leaderboard.  ·       The first caution of the race fell on lap 49 for an uncontrolled tire on pit road. Varying pit strategy continued with some teams opting to stay out for track position including Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Daniel Suarez – giving their Camaro ZL1’s a top-10 starting position for the restart.  ·       The field took the green for the restart with three circuits remaining in the stage with Busch driving his No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 to the lead. The series’ most recent winner, Busch ultimately took the Stage Two win for his second stage triumph of the season.  ·       Busch led Team Chevy to five of the top-six finishing positions at the end of Stage Two: 1st      Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL13rd      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Kubota Camaro ZL14th      William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL15th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Cottonelle Camaro ZL16th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 BREZTRI Camaro ZL1  Final Stage / Post-Race Notes·       A spin by Denny Hamlin brought out the race’s second caution of the day with just 18 circuits remaining in the race. The majority of field’s lead lap came to pit road, with crew chief Alan Gustafson keeping the No. 9 NAPA Camaro ZL1 out for a front-row starting position for the race’s final restart.  ·       Kyle Busch led Team Chevy to the checkered flag at Sonoma Raceway – driving his No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish. This marks Busch’s ninth top-10 finish of the 2023 season and his ninth top-10 finish in 18 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the Northern California road course.  ·       Busch led Team Chevy to five top-10 finishes in the event – recorded by drivers from four different Chevrolet teams.  ·       In 16 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (nine), top-fives (35), top-10s (68), stage wins (17) and laps led (2,032).

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 11, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team and Robert Hight with his Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car team each made semifinal appearances Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy had a quarterfinal exit and Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team made a first-round exit. Austin Prock, the No. 8 qualifier, and the Montana Brand / RMT team picked up their first-round win over Cameron Ferre with a clean 3.777-second run at 327.66 mph sending Ferre’s 3.883 at 294.37 packing. After a nearly four-hour weather delay, Prock earned his way into the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge by defeating Spencer Massey for a spot in the semifinals. Prock and the Montana Brand team had a 3.732-second pass at 328.94 mph bettering Spencer Massey’s 3.871 at 309.77. Prock and the Montana Brand team would have to call it a day in the semifinals after they smoked the tires for a 7.154 pass at 127.98 to Justin Ashley’s clean 3.728 at 330.23. “Not the finish we wanted but a heck of a rebound from earlier in the weekend. Just got a little too aggressive in the semifinals,” Prock said. “We will continue to progress with this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hot rod. I’m proud of what we’ve done as a team so far and it’s early in the season. On the bright side, we get a shot back at Justin Ashley in Norwalk for the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.” Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools Camaro handed Alex Laughlin a first-round loss when they ran 3.962 seconds at 324.26 mph to better Laughlin’s 4.261 at 259.66. In the quarterfinals, Hight would take down rival three-time champion Matt Hagan. Hight would have the quickest run of the event at 3.913 seconds and 324.20 mph to take down Hagan’s 3.952 at 330.23. Securing a spot in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge with his appearance in the semifinals, Hight would come up short of the final round after the Cornwell Tools Chevy smoked the tires early to go only 7.840-seconds at 87.07 mph which allowed Alexis DeJoria to drive around him with a 3.728 pass at 330.23. “Obviously not the way we wanted to end the weekend for this Cornwell Tools Chevy. Busy weekend, we had our hands full. We haven’t had a lot of consistency this year and that’s what we’re working on. Was hoping we would have it today,” Hight said. “Once we get that consistency we’ll be back to our usual form. We just have to stay focused. I believe in this team and Jimmy Prock and they believe in me and we’ll get the job done.” Coming off a runner-up finish in the New England Nationals, John Force and the BlueDEF Chevy picked up a first-round win going 3.999 seconds at 326.95 mph to defeat J.R. Todd and his 4.131 at 258.52. 7.840. Force would have his Thunder Valley Nationals weekend come to an end in the quarterfinals when the BlueDEF Chevy smoked the tires and coasted to a 6.143 at 108.43 against reigning world champion Ron Capps and his 3.946 at 321.81. “I’m having fun, going a couple of rounds. Obviously don’t love that we didn’t make it further for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but it’s been a busy weekend. It’s been exciting,” Force said. “We’ll be good. We’re doing okay. We’ll head to Norwalk and see if we can get it done in this BlueDEF Chevy.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team had a solid effort in the first round of eliminations against Antron Brown. Force would handle the Monster dragster to a 3.749-second pass at 327.51 mph with a .078 reaction time but it wasn’t enough for Brown’s 3.767 at 328.78 and a .056 reaction time, giving him the holeshot victory. “It was a rough weekend in Bristol for the Thunder Valley Nationals, but we still leave here on a positive note. This Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team qualified number two. We did get beat early but we feel like we learned a lot on this car and tune-up this weekend to set us up for going into Norwalk, Ohio in two weeks,” Force said. “We are leaving tied at third in points, which is a great position to be in and I’m excited to get back to Ohio.” The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season continues with the Summit Motorsports Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio June 23rd to 25th. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:8th; 3.787-seconds; 326.08 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 Race Results: Beat Cameron Ferre, Spencer Massey; Lost to Justin AshleyBRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.747-seconds; 334.48 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (2nd quickest Q2) Race Results:Lost to Antron BrownJOHN FORCE, 74, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:10th; 4.063-seconds; 324.36 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3rd quickest Q3)Race Results:Beat J.R. Todd; Lost to Ron CappsROBERT HIGHT, 53, Cornwell Tools / AAAChevy Camaro SSQualifying:1st; 3.938-seconds; 321.35 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+5 (2nd quickest Q1, quickest Q2)Race Results: Beat Alex Laughlin, Matt Hagan; Lost to Alexis DeJoria

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Top Ten Points Standings TOP FUEL – 1. Justin Ashley, 633; 2. Steve Torrence, 569; 3. Brittany Force, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster, 511; 4. Austin Prock, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 506; 5. Leah Pruett, 504; 6. Antron Brown, 499; 7. Mike Salinas, 448; 8. Josh Hart, 433; 9. Doug Kalitta, 404; 10. Shawn Langdon, 367.  FUNNY CAR – 1. Ron Capps, 612; 2. Matt Hagan, 580; 3. Robert Hight, Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevy Camaro SS, 555; 4. Chad Green, 540; 5. Alexis DeJoria, 534; 6. Bob Tasca III, 497; 7. Tim Wilkerson, 472; 8. John Force, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy Camaro SS, 451; 9. Cruz Pedregon, 372; 10. J.R. Todd, 345.

Stunning comeback story for No. 33 Corvette C8.R at Le Mans

• Keating, Catsburg, Varrone capture GTE Am class victory• First win in the final Le Mans appearance for Corvette C8.R• Crew, engineers, drivers come back from early two-lap deficit LE MANS, France (June 11, 2023) – Corvette Racing has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans… again! Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nico Varrone drove the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R to the program’s ninth class victory at Le Mans and first for the mid-engine Corvette sports car.  The victorious trio won for the third time in the FIA World Endurance Championship this season and increased its points lead to sxx with three events and 91 remaining in the season.

“Corvette Racing has won Le Mans in class for the ninth time, and it is even more special during the centenary celebration of this race,” said Mark Stielow, Chevrolet Director, Motorsports Competition Engineering. “The skill by the drivers, the strategic decisions by the engineers and the execution of the Corvette Racing pit crew all came together for this GTE Am victory in the final race at Le Mans for the Corvette C8.R. Congratulations to everyone at Corvette Racing!” This weekend’s Le Mans marked the 23rd start of Corvette Racing’s successful run at Le Mans. Its last victory came in 2015 with the seventh-generation Corvette, although the mid-engine C8.R led each of the last two years. The 2022 race was particularly cruel as the No. 64 Corvette was knocked out of the race with six hours to go. Keating captured pole position Thursday, the second time this year the Corvette started a WEC race out front. Disaster struck not long after as the Corvette crew had to replace the right-front damper after Catsburg, who started the race, radioed in that something didn’t feel right. The service in the garage was a quick change but it still put the C8.R down two laps. Class pole-winner Keating – who got in the Corvette while the damper was still being fixed – began to claw back time before heavy rain pelted parts of the circuit. Keating survived the deluge, and Corvette race engineers called him to the pitlane for wet tires. The race’s second safety car period came out moments later, giving the team hope of gaining a lap back because the C8.R would be ahead of the class leader in a train behind one of the three safety cars. For reasons unknown to the team, a group of cars – including the GTE Am leader – were allowed to exit pit lane before the next of the three safety cars came around. The mistake meant that the Corvette was trapped behind the class leader and couldn’t advance around the track to catch back up after all the safety car queues moved. Undeterred, Varrone drove a speedy triple stint that saw him make up more than a half-lap on the field with times between four and seven seconds quicker than the rest of GTE Am. The heroics continued into the overnight session as Keating drove a triple-stint in the middle of darkness and kept hope going for a miraculous turnaround. It eventually came – albeit gradually – through fast laps by all three drivers, quick decisions by the engineering team and fast pit stops by the Corvette Racing crew, which never had to bring the C8.R back in the garage, change brakes or do anything much beyond adding fuel and tires. Daybreak saw the Corvette come alive as the gap came down to one lap, then two minutes, then less than 60 seconds as the drivers, crew and engineers worked their magic. Critically, the No. 33 C8.R gained a full pit-stop advantage over the other GTE Am contenders inside the final hours to give Corvette Racing a lead they didn’t relinquish the rest of the way. Corvette Racing’s next event in the FIA WEC is the Six Hours of Monza – where it won a year ago in GTE Pro – on Sunday, July 9.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information in both English and French is updated and available ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Materials include, Le Mans race advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Racing racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts and driver biographies

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE AM WINNER: “This is the one race that I wanted. Now I have all the big ones, so this is super awesome. Even yesterday afternoon, I didn’t think this was possible. But somehow we made it back to the front. These two guys drove unbelievably fast and all of a sudden we were back in contention and won with a massive lead. It’s an unbelievable feeling.“I could see we were very fast. The only really worry was that I didn’t use our Bronze yet. But whenever we put him in the car, he’s just as fast as anyone else. All of a sudden, there was no deficit anymore.”(Taking the finish at Le Mans): “This was awesome. I’ve never taken the finish here. I didn’t know it was so super-crazy on the in-lap, so that was nice. That it’s the 100th anniversary makes it special. That it’s the last year of GTE makes it extra special. That it’s the last year of the C8.R makes it extra special. I’m so happy for the whole team because I feel like we should have already won it in the years before. So it’s sweet for this to happen this year.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE AM WINNER: “You can look at all the stats about it being the last year of GTE, the Centenary of Le Mans, the 25tth season of Corvette Racing, an American driver racing an American car with an American team… that even doesn’t do this justice. After the first hour when we had to replace the right-front damper, I thought there was no chance. Even when I went to sleep at midnight angry because we didn’t get our lap back because race control messed up, I thought it was over and I was so mad. To wake up and I think we were running in P4 a few hours later, I was baffled. I didn’t understand how in the world we were there. All of our strategy completely went out the window. We had everything lined up and planned exactly how we were going to do it. Nico got sick and I didn’t plan on doing any driving, and I ended up driving from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. I didn’t plan on doing any driving in the rain, and I ended up having a stint in the rain. Everything got turned on its head. It turned out that it was exactly what we needed to get our laps back. The way we won it is special. To feel like it was out of reach and then watch this team claw back and get victory out defeat’s grasp was really special. It was really nice to feel like I was a part of that. It’s one of those deals where you can look at every member of the team on this win, and you know everyone contributed. That makes it special.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R – GTE AM WINNER: “I have no words even though it’s only just been an hour from the end. It’s just been incredible. Our race basically started two laps down early, but the team was so fast in managing to repair it. We went back out and had great pace and a great car. The Corvette Racing team, the engineers and strategy, my teammates Nicky – he’s a legend and did a lot of stints and was really quick – Ben – even though he’s a Bronze, he was flying – all of GM and Chevrolet, my family and everyone… there are a lot of people involved in this. It’s a dream come true.”(On garage reception from the crew) “They are amazing. The support I get from them is great. It’s like a family here. Every time I jump in the car or when I get out, they’re always there hugging me. Even on the pit stop, they are telling me that I’m doing great. This is really good for a racing driver and for your feelings. It’s great.”(Did you think you’d be in this position after your first stint?) “I thought it was OK and it’s a long race and we would maybe have a chance. But it was really optimistic to think it would be like this. We are in this position and have to try to manage it and get to the end

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R shows strong pace to place third; No. 3 Cadillac is fourth

LE MANS, France (June 11, 2023) – In a season of firsts, Cadillac scored its first podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, boosted by reliability, the ability to run a relatively clean race and consistent pit stops earned third place in the iconic endurance race. Briggs Cunningham and S.H. Allard would be among the legions proud of the accomplishment. As a privateer, Cunningham entered two Cadillac 61 Coupes in the 1950 race with much fanfare but not sought-after results. Allard, who owned a low-volume car manufacturing business, finished third in the race with a Cadillac 5.4-liter V8 engine in his Allard J2.

Cadillac returned to Circuit de la Sarthe in 2000-2002 with the Northstar LMP, but again did not secure the results it worked hard to achieve. After a 21-year absence, the Cadillac crest was front and center on the 8.45-mile course for the more than 300,000 race day spectators to see and cheer every time the 5.5-liter DOHC naturally aspirated-powered car roared past. “Great to be back at Le Mans after 21 years and even more special as it was in the centenary year for Le Mans,” said Rory Harvey, GM North America president. “Fantastic that all three Cadillacs finished, with the pinnacle being the No. 2 Cadillac getting on the podium. Fantastic job by all involved and proud of the team. We will take time to evaluate the race and understand how we can do even better moving forward.”  Cadillac and the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R entry moved to third in the FIA World Endurance Championship Manufacturer and Team/Driver Championship standings heading into Round 5 of the calendar next month in Monza, Italy. The No. 51 Ferrari 499P won the race. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R also led its first laps in WEC competition. “I couldn’t be more proud of all three Cadillacs crossing the finish line, which I think is a huge feat at this race especially considering everything that happened. This is the busiest Le Mans that I can remember for the past few years and we were able to have such a strong finish,” said GM sports car racing program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser, who also celebrated a class victory by the Chevrolet Corvette team. “We can’t wait to be back next year and go for that top step.”The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R finished fourth after an adventurous race with Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon switching off in the seat. Before a fireworks and choreographed drone show lit the night sky Saturday, the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R had to pit once to change the rear-wing assembly after being clipped by another car and once to change the front assembly after spin on a drenched racetrack – plus sitting for an untimely one-minute hold penalty for a technical infraction. Bourdais and van der Zande, full-season IMSA drivers in the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R, entered the race with the same chassis following a victory at Laguna Seca. The No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R sustained damage in a Lap 1 incident at the exit of the Daytona Chicane. The crew quickly and seamlessly worked to return the car to the racetrack, and Alexander Sims, Pipo Derani and Jack Aitken soldiered on to place 10th in class. Both teams will prepare for the IMSA Grand Touring Prototype race June 25 at Watkins Glen International.What they’re saying No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.RChip Ganassi Racing director of operations Mike O’Gara: “Great effort. We all had our share of issues to overcome, The 3 had some punctures, got run into during a yellow flag and everybody just kept going and going. That’s what we do. You never come into this race feeling like you’re prepared. It proves that we were. We kept recovering and fighting. A couple small tweaks and we’ll be right there next year.”Earl Bamber: “We showed our strength at Daytona with all the cars finishing and third and fourth place. Coming here, we never really know what to expect. A proud milestone for the whole project and for Cadillac Racing to lead some laps at Le Mans. That’s a cool box to tick. Then we found ourselves in a sort of solid third position. We all learned a lot as a group and the car is very reliable. I think we can take away a couple of good lessons to tune it up and come back and achieve our ultimate goal.” Richard Westbrook: “I’ve finished third five times now. It’s not a record I’m proud of. But this one honestly I’m proud. We were the best of the rest. In those conditions where it was so bad at certain times of the night, and we saw so many cars go out. On merit I think we deserved third. We were fast in certain conditions but came up a little short. Still, the gap to the leader wasn’t huge. It gives us plenty to work on and come back next year that much stronger.” Alex Lynn: “We knew coming in that we had to run our race. We had to run clean because we knew Ferrari and Toyota would be super fast and we had to be the car that doesn’t make a mistake and is always there. That is the theme of our season. We always dig in and grind out a result. That’s why I’m so proud of this team and this Cadillac racecar. It never misses a beat, and now we can say on the biggest stage it didn’t even in the first year of the program. It’s only going to get better.” No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.RRenger van der Zande: “We’ve come a long way in developing this car with everyone involved. I’m just proud of the third and fourth place and it’s something that is a testament to the reliability of the car. I did my last few laps and I just followed Richard (Westbrook) for a long time and it was awesome. I’m happy with all the effort by everyone.” Sebastien Bourdais: “Super solid effort by the whole team. Big thanks to GM, Cadillac and everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing. There was a lot of adversity leading up to and throughout the race. I think we can all be proud of the effort we put out on the track, it was very competitive, we just ran out of luck at a couple of points during the race. Ultimately, third and fourth for the team. I’m really happy for everyone involved. I think we would have probably signed up for this result if anybody had told us we’d be fighting for those positions at the end out of 16 cars. We’re going to learn a lot, fix everything that didn’t work, improve everything that did and come back stronger.” Scott Dixon: “Honestly, it was a lot of fun. Definitely demanding conditions and a tough race as you expect here at Le Mans. Competition was fierce and I’m a little bummed for the 3 car. We had two incidents where we got hit and then we got a penalty. I think without those we would have been fighting for at least a podium spot. Great to see that the 2 car got a podium spot and proud of how hard everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing, Cadillac and GM have worked. It’s pretty special for Cadillac to come back and achieve what they have for being away for so long.” No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RAlexander Sims: “It’s been a massive experience for the whole Whelen Engineering Cadillac. Their first time here at Le Mans and it’s a huge learning curve for all of us. Shame that it turned out the way it has. It would have been cool to stay out in the fight and see what we could do. Quite quickly, our focus shifts back to the IMSA championship where we will all join back together at Watkins Glen shortly. We’re right in the championship at IMSA, take the track time we got here, take the learnings from it and get straight back into IMSA.” Pipo Derani: “It’s been a great experience. Being here with the team for the first time we’ve accomplished so much together. We knew that coming into this race was going to be a massive learning curve for the first time. Le Mans is no easy task. There are so many things to learn, and I think we did learn a lot. Unfortunately, there was an incident in the beginning of the race. But we still used the 23 hours of the race to learn and learn things that perhaps will be beneficial for us whether in IMSA at Watkins Glen in two weeks time or if we come back here next year. Proud of the team, proud of crossing the finish line after such a difficult race. No one gave up and I’m proud of the 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac.” Jack Aitken: “It was a very traditional Le Mans. We knew that going in. When you throw the weather in as well, it was a pretty classic Le Mans. After that first lap, I think we did a pretty good job. The whole operation has been impressive. It’s fantastic to see a Cadillac on the podium on the first attempt. Thre are manufacturers that have been doing this the last decade and it’s no easy task at such a unique track and event. We can be proud of the achievement. Personally, we’re sad that we couldn’t be in the fight. Hopefully we can come back next year and challenge and be right up there with the other guys.”

——-C’était un plaisir. Les conditions étaient exigeantes, la course difficile et la compétition féroce. Je suis un peu déçu pour la voiture n°3. Nous avons eu deux incidents où nous avons été touchés, sans que ce soit notre faute, et ensuite nous avons eu une pénalité. Sans cela, je pense que nous aurions pu nous battre pour une place sur le podium. C’était génial de voir la voiture n°2 finir sur le podium. Je sais à quel point tout le monde chez Cadillac, GM et Chip Ganassi Racing a travaillé dur. C’est vraiment spécial pour eux de revenir et de réaliser ce qu’ils ont fait après avoir été absents et avoir affronté les meilleurs constructeurs du monde jamais vraiment à quoi nous attendre. C’est une étape importante pour l’ensemble du projet et pour Cadillac Racing de faire quelques tours en tête au Mans. C’est une bonne chose à faire. Ensuite, nous nous sommes retrouvés dans une sorte de troisième position solide. Nous avons tous beaucoup appris en tant que groupe et la voiture est très fiable. Je pense que nous pouvons en tirer quelques bonnes leçons pour l’améliorer et revenir pour atteindre notre objectif final.” Alex Lynn: « Nous savions en arrivant que nous devions faire notre course. Nous devions rouler proprement parce que nous savions que Ferrari et Toyota seraient super rapides et que nous devions être la voiture qui ne commet pas d’erreur et qui est toujours là. C’est le thème de notre saison. Nous nous efforçons toujours d’obtenir un résultat. C’est pourquoi je suis si fier de cette équipe et de cette voiture de course Cadillac. Elle ne rate jamais un battement, et maintenant nous pouvons dire sur la plus grande scène qu’elle ne l’a jamais fait au cours de la première année du programme. Elle ne peut que s’améliorer. » Richard Westbrook: « Cela fait cinq fois que je termine troisième. Ce n’est pas un record dont je suis fier. Mais cette fois-ci, honnêtement, je suis fier. Nous avons été les meilleurs parmi les autres. Dans ces conditions où il faisait si mauvais à certains moments de la nuit, et où nous avons vu tant de voitures sortir. Au mérite, je pense que nous méritions la troisième place. Nous avons été rapides dans certaines conditions, mais il nous a manqué un petit quelque chose. Néanmoins, l’écart avec le leader n’était pas énorme. Cela nous donne beaucoup de travail pour revenir l’année prochaine encore plus forts. » No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.RRenger van der Zande: « Nous avons parcouru un long chemin dans le développement de cette voiture avec toutes les personnes impliquées. Je suis fier de mes troisième et quatrième places, qui témoignent de la fiabilité de la voiture. J’ai fait mes derniers tours et j’ai suivi Richard (Westbrook) pendant un long moment, c’était génial. Je suis heureux de l’effort fourni par tout le monde. » Scott Dixon: « C’était un plaisir. Les conditions étaient exigeantes, la course difficile et la compétition féroce. Je suis un peu déçu pour la voiture n°3. Nous avons eu deux incidents où nous avons été touchés, sans que ce soit notre faute, et ensuite nous avons eu une pénalité. Sans cela, je pense que nous aurions pu nous battre pour une place sur le podium. C’était génial de voir la voiture n°2 finir sur le podium. Je sais à quel point tout le monde chez Cadillac, GM et Chip Ganassi Racing a travaillé dur. C’est vraiment spécial pour eux de revenir et de réaliser ce qu’ils ont fait après avoir été absents et avoir affronté les meilleurs constructeurs du monde. » No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RAlexander Sims: « Cela a été une expérience énorme pour toute l’équipe Whelen Engineering Cadillac. C’est la première fois qu’ils viennent au Mans et c’est une courbe d’apprentissage énorme pour nous tous. C’est dommage que les choses se soient passées ainsi. Cela aurait été cool de rester dans la bagarre et de voir ce que nous pouvions faire. Très vite, notre attention se porte à nouveau sur le championnat IMSA, où nous nous retrouverons tous à Watkins Glen dans peu de temps. Nous sommes en plein dans le championnat IMSA, nous prenons le temps de piste que nous avons eu ici, nous en tirons les leçons et nous retournons directement dans l’IMSA. » Pipo Derani: « C’est une expérience formidable. En étant ici avec l’équipe pour la première fois, nous avons accompli tant de choses ensemble. Nous savions qu’en arrivant à cette course, nous allions devoir apprendre énormément de choses pour la première fois. Le Mans n’est pas une tâche facile. Il y a tellement de choses à apprendre, et je pense que nous avons beaucoup appris. Malheureusement, il y a eu un incident au début de la course. Mais nous avons quand même mis à profit les 23 heures de course pour apprendre des choses qui nous seront peut-être utiles, que ce soit en IMSA à Watkins Glen dans deux semaines ou si nous revenons ici l’année prochaine. Je suis fier de l’équipe, fier d’avoir franchi la ligne d’arrivée après une course aussi difficile. Personne n’a abandonné et je suis fier de la Cadillac 311 Whelen Engineering”.”S

DIRTcar’s richest 2023 event kicks off huge summer racing season on DIRTVision

ROSSBURG, Ohio (June 10, 2023) — Nobody knows his way around Eldora Speedway better Jonathan Davenport, and he proved it again Saturday night by holding off Chris Madden and Bobby Pierce to bank $129,000 and his second Dirt Late Model Dream victory to go with his five World 100 wins.

But to be the first to the checkered flag in DIRTcar Racing’s summer kickoff, Davenport needed the pieces to fall his way. From Brian Shirley’s tire going down while leading their heat race earlier in the night to Eldora’s half-mile taking rubber in the low groove as he moved to the point, everything was going Davenport’s way.

After sweeping past Pierce to lead Lap 30, sixth-starting Davenport had to survive only a Lap 62 restart that helped World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series points leader Madden move past Pierce into second and a chance to put an end to his series of frustrating Eldora finishes.

Madden could close to Davenport’s tail, but if he got even a little out of line seeking a path to the lead his car would push up the track. He could do nothing but keep the pressure on to the checkered flag as Davenport was faced with trying to figure out how he was going to navigate through the tail of the field in the closing laps.

“It was definitely hectic where I was,” said Davenport, of Blairsville, GA. “I couldn’t go full speed because I couldn’t get caught up behind those lapped cars, it was rubbered just enough. I held my breath for the last two laps.

“We sure had a lot of luck this whole weekend from Shirley blowing a tire to getting the right lane on the restart, getting to draw the number three pill [for the heat race inversion], the racetrack slowed down, getting in the right heat … just so many different things.

“We hadn’t been on these tires all weekend so I thought it would take a little longer to get there. I was patient at first and just tried not to burn the edges off and tried to take advantage of other people’s mistakes and when somebody would slip, I’d try to go ahead and go. I guess I got to the lead at the right point, but Madden followed us up through there. I just bided my time.”

It was Madden’s third runner-up finish and his sixth top-five overall in the Dirt Late Model Dream. Tremendous results no doubt in an event that routinely draws nearly 100 cars, but it was little consolation as he was chasing down Davenport and hoping the Eldora master would make an unlikely mistake.

“I just sit there and say, second again … I tried,” said Madden, of Gray Court, SC. “I stepped out down there a few times to see if I could find anything and there wasn’t anything to get it done. All you can do is get back in line and try to stay right on his bumper and pressure him a little bit. I didn’t know how tire wear was going to be so you can’t be too stupid and wear your stuff out. I was just hoping he was going to push out of the rubber and I was going to be right there to get beside him and take the spot. … I was able to run on his bumper so I had a really good racecar. A lot of times it’s hard to do that in that condition. There’s just nothing you can do, absolutely nothing. … It takes a lot of luck here. You can try your best, but sometimes your best isn’t good enough.”

Davenport knew if he simply hit his marks, there would be little his rival could do, but at the same time understood Madden wouldn’t let up.

“He’s been so good here, so close so many times,” Davenport said. “I can remember one of the first times I came here to race and he ran over a header or a muffler coming off of Turn 4, I just remember that and that was before I could even make the race here. So I know he’s had a lot of frustration, and the way the racetrack was once he got to second it was kind of locked down. Unless I made a big mistake he wasn’t going to pass me. I’m sure he’s like, ‘Dammit, I probably had a better car and if it stayed slick we could have raced all over it.’ Just one more that got by him. Hell, Dale Earnhardt never won the 500 for however many tries at Daytona. He’s going to get one, he’s way too good here not to win.”

While Pierce has a World 100 victory at Eldora, this is only his second top-five finish in the Dream. He led laps 26 through 29 and ran second to Davenport until the Lap 62 restart when Madden slipped past him.

“By far my best finish in the Dream,” said Pierce, a five-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion who is tied for second in the World of Outlaws CASE Late Model championship behind Madden. “I was right there with JD for a little then he pulled away from me. I was making the top work until the bottom rubbered, but we’ll take it.”

The Dirt Late Model Dream kicks off the busy summer season, with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals beginning on Wednesday at Peoria Speedway and the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models racing seven times in nine nights during the Heartland Speedweek beginning June 23 at 81 Speedway. Madden owns a 40-point advantage over Pierce, Kyle Bronson, and Nick Hoffman, who was the Dream’s hard charger after racing from 22nd to 13th.

“It’s early and we’re leading the points and got a little bit of a lead, but we have been terrible so when we do get our program running, we’ll be all right,” Madden said.

After winning the past two DIRTcar Summer Nationals titles, Pierce is focused on battling Madden for the World of Outlaws CASE Late Model title this season.

“I think it made a pretty good statement for us to finish on the podium at one of the biggest races this year,” said Pierce, of Oakwood, IL. “We know that we’re good, we know we have a good team and we’re capable of winning this race, we were right there. It boosts our confidence a little bit knowing we could be up there. Hopefully it intimidates some others. Madden was good, he went out there and tracked JD down, he tracked down the best driver there is on this stuff. That goes to show if we can hang in there and keep chugging along, maybe we can catch him in points and beat him.”

One driver leaving the Dream weekend and heading to Peoria on Wednesday with positive momentum is Ashton Winger, who was runner-up to Pierce in the 2021 DIRTcar Summer Nationals championship. Winger was one of the most consistent drivers across all three nights of the Dream, finishing the main event in 15th.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals begins Wednesday at Peoria Speedway, Thursday at Kankakee County Speedway, Friday at Tri-City Speedway, Saturday at Fairbury Speedway, and Sunday at Sycamore Speedway. Follow all 28 races over the five-week tour by watching the action on DIRTVision. For more info, visit DIRTcarSummerNationals.com.

RESULTS

29th Annual Dream Feature (100 Laps): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport[6] [$129,000]; 2. 44-Chris Madden[9]; 3. 32-Bobby Pierce[3]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[10]; 5. 25Z-Mason Zeigler[1]; 6. 1T-Tyler Erb[12]; 7. 1-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 8. 99-Devin Moran[2]; 9. 25-Shane Clanton[11]; 10. 2S-Stormy Scott[14]; 11. 157-Mike Marlar[18]; 12. 93-Carson Ferguson[13]; 13. 9-Nick Hoffman[22]; 14. 17M-Dale McDowell[23]; 15. 12-Ashton Winger[8]; 16. B5-Brandon Sheppard[21]; 17. 18D-Daulton Wilson[7]; 18. 96V-Tanner English[24]; 19. 11R-Josh Rice[4]; 20. 19R-Ryan Gustin[16]; 21. 39-Tim McCreadie[19]; 22. 8-Kyle Strickler[15]; 23. 28-Dennis Erb Jr[25]; 24. 20-Jimmy Owens[20]; 25. 40B-Kyle Bronson[17]; 26. 28S-Dustin Sorensen[26].

Nos. 2 and 3 Cadillac V-Series.Rs running third and fourth heading into fourth quarter

LE MANS, France (June 11, 2023) – Cadillac Racing held steady through the overnight and remains in contention for the overall victory in the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans. A dry racing surface in the third quarter of the race – in contrast to wet sections of the 8.45-mile Circuit de la Sarthe from twilight downpours that made driving treacherous – helped the drivers of the three Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars click off laps and hold position. Media resources: Cadillac Racing information, photos, history at Le Mans and much more

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R in the hands of Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook was running third at the 18-hour mark. The sister No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon, was running fourth. Early in the race, Bamber had the distinction of giving Cadillac its first-ever laps led in the iconic endurance race. Bourdais owns the fastest lap of the race at 3 minutes, 28.298 seconds on Lap 12. The No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R, which encountered a Lap 1 incident that put drivers Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken in a tough spot, was running 13th. MotorTrend is telecasting the race in its entirety in the U.S. along with Velocity in Canada and Eurosport across Europe. Radio Le Mans has the call, too. Viewers can get a different perspective through in-car cameras of the three Cadillac V-Series.Rs at Cadillac.com/live.

What they’re saying Sebastien Bourdais, No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R: “The car is unbelievable. We’ve been the quickest car, or one of the quickest cars out there and it’s been an awesome day driving. Just not the right circumstances for us. We had one opportunity to get back on the lead lap, which I took. I overtook the leader and started to pull away. I had about a 30-second gap and then that P2 just turned on me. I wasn’t taking any prisoners at that stage. The guy is responsible for the incident, but it doesn’t give us our lap back. Now we’ve been trapped for a long time behind the leaders a lap down. If this was the U.S. I would be feeling really good about this because we’d be back in the race at some point. But at Le Mans it’s pretty tough to do, so we’ll keep on pushing and try to put ourselves in a position to get that lap back and get on with it.” Cadillac au Mans: Prêt à se battre pour la victoire LE MANS, France (le 11 juin 2023) – Le Cadillac Racing a tenu bon pendant la nuit et reste en lice pour la victoire au classement général des 24 Heures du Mans, qui célèbrent leur centenaire. Une piste sèche dans le troisième quart de la course – contrairement aux sections mouillées du circuit après les averses du crépuscule qui ont rendu la conduite dangereuse – a aidé les pilotes des trois Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars à enchaîner les tours et à conserver leur positions. La Cadillac V-Series.R n°2 pilotée par Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn et Richard Westbrook est en troisième position à la 18e heure. La Cadillac V-Series.R n°3, copilotée par Sébastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande et Scott Dixon, est quatrième. Au début de la course, Bamber a eu l’honneur de donner à Cadillac son tout premier tour en tête dans cette course d’endurance emblématique. Bourdais détient le tour le plus rapide de la course avec 3 minutes, 28,298 secondes au 12e tour. La Cadillac V-Series.R n°311 du Whelen Engineering, qui a connu un incident au premier tour qui a mis les pilotes Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims et Jack Aitken dans une situation délicate, était en 13e position.Ce qu’ils dissent:Sébastien Bourdais, Cadillac V-Series.R n°3: « La voiture est incroyable. Nous avons été la voiture la plus rapide, ou l’une des voitures les plus rapides, et ce fut une journée extraordinaire. Les circonstances n’étaient tout simplement pas idéales pour nous. Nous avons eu une opportunité de revenir dans le tour de tête, et je l’ai saisie. J’ai dépassé le leader et j’ai commencé à prendre de l’avance. J’avais environ 30 secondes d’avance, puis cette LMP2 m’a tapé. Je ne faisais pas de prisonniers à ce moment-là. Le gars est responsable de l’incident, mais il ne nous rend pas notre tour. Nous sommes restés longtemps coincés derrière les leaders, avec un tour de retard. S’il s’agissait des Etats-Unis, je me sentirais très bien, car nous serions revenus dans la course à un moment ou à un autre. Mais au Mans, c’est assez difficile à faire, alors nous allons continuer à pousser et essayer de nous mettre en position de récupérer ce tour et de continuer. »

June 10, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang are set to start 36th in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 on the 2.52-mile, 12-turn road course at Sonoma Raceway.

Burton got that spot with a lap at 89.148 miles per hour in qualifying on Saturday afternoon.
 
He was 32^nd in practice earlier in the day, posting a best speed of 89.439 mph on the third of the seven laps he ran in the session.

Sunday’s 110-lap, 219-mile affair, is set to get the green flag just after 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time (3:30 Eastern) with TV coverage on FOX.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 25 and 55.
 

The drive back through the GTE Am field still under way

LE MANS, France (June 11, 2023) – Dawn broke at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Corvette Racing continuing to scratch and claw and fight its way back onto the lead lap of the GTE Am category. Ben Keating drove a triple-stint in the middle of the night, and Nico Varrone added a double as the sun came up at the Circuit de la Sarthe with the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R and Nicky Catsburg running seventh in class. That was a far cry from 21st barely two hours in when the Corvette went into the garage to replace a broken right-front damper. That and a safety car miscue by race officials – allowing a group of cars including the GTE Am leader leave the pit exit ahead of the Corvette instead of behind – put the C8.R down more than two laps, but solid driving by all three drivers before, during and out of the night had the Corvette charging toward the class leader and – finally – the lead lap.  The next Corvette Racing update will come after the race.

CORVETTE RACING MEDIA INFORMATION Corvette Racing media information in both English and French is updated and available ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Materials include, Le Mans race advance and quotes, Corvette Racing stats and figures, Corvette Racing racecar comparisons, Corvette Racing Fast Facts and driver biographies

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I love doing long runs at Le Mans. I literally think I would do my whole six hours at once if they’d let me. I get into a groove then go and go and go. It’s not a track that’s super physical so I don’t have a problem going a long time. I feel like doing a triple at Sebring is a big deal, but doing a triple here is no big deal. It’s a weird year in terms of the rules. In the all the previous years with the old safety car rules, you never get a chance to make up a lap. I’d always do all of my drive time at the end of the race. Because of the new safety car rules, we decided to try and switch it around. Because of the rain, I did an hour and 15 minutes, and I didn’t want any more! It felt like the car was really hard to drive. The plan was to wait until it got light on Sunday morning to use Nicky and Nico back-to-back-to back to get our lap back because when the sun comes up, I can be quicker than I can be quicker than I can at night. So it wasn’t ideal but we did what we needed to do. Nico wasn’t feeling good (after his first stint). The good news is he is feeling a lot better and is quick in the car. We’re hanging around. At this point in time, you don’t want to give up any time that you have to go give up. I think we would have been in a better position if I had done my drive time in the daylight, but we didn’t have that luxury. We’re rolling with the punches, and we’ll see where that ends up.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “It’s nice out there. I started in the night and now we’re in daylight, which is nice to see the sun come up and us back in this position. I think everyone is pushing and we are doing the same. We are pushing and have to catch up. There is no time to rest or time to do anything except go as fast as we can. Those were two good stints, I think. Our team has done a great job. We need to keep pushing and see where we end up.”

CORVETTE RACING AU MANS: Après 16 heuresLe retour à travers le plateau GTE Am est toujours en coursLE MANS, France (le juin 2023) – L’aube s’est levée sur les 24 Heures du Mans et le Corvette Racing a continué à se battre pour revenir dans le tour de tête de la catégorie GTE Am. Ben Keating a réalisé un triple relais au milieu de la nuit, et Nico Varrone a ajouté un double relais lorsque le soleil s’est levé sur le Circuit de la Sarthe avec la Corvette C8.R Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet n°33 et Nicky Catsburg à la septième place de la catégorie. C’était bien loin de la 21e place occupée à peine deux heures plus tôt, lorsque la Corvette était rentrée au garage pour remplacer un amortisseur avant droit cassé. Cette situation et une erreur des commissaires de course, qui a permis à un groupe de voitures, dont le leader du GTE Am, de quitter la sortie des stands devant la Corvette au lieu de la suivre, ont fait perdre plus de deux tours à la C8.R. Mais la conduite solide des trois pilotes avant, pendant et après la nuit a permis à la Corvette de se rapprocher du leader de la catégorie et, enfin, de la tête de la course.  Le prochain update du Corvette Racing aura lieu après la course. BEN KEATING, MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R n°33: « J’adore faire de longs relais au Mans. Je pense littéralement que je ferais mes six heures d’affilée s’ils me laissaient faire. Je me mets dans le bain, puis j’y vais, j’y vais, j’y vais. Ce n’est pas un circuit très physique, donc je n’ai pas de problème à faire de longs relais. J’ai l’impression que faire un triple à Sebring est une grosse affaire, mais faire un triple ici n’est pas une grosse affaire. C’est une année bizarre en termes de règles. Les années précédentes, avec les anciennes règles de la voiture de sécurité, on n’avait jamais l’occasion de rattraper un tour. Je faisais toujours tout mon temps de conduite à la fin de la course. Avec les nouvelles règles de sécurité, nous avons décidé d’essayer d’inverser les choses. À cause de la pluie, j’ai fait une heure et quart, et je n’en voulais pas plus ! J’avais l’impression que la voiture était vraiment difficile à conduire. Le plan était d’attendre qu’il fasse jour le dimanche matin pour utiliser Nicky et Nico dos à dos pour récupérer notre tour parce que quand le soleil se lève, je peux être plus rapide que je ne le suis la nuit. Ce n’était donc pas idéal, mais nous avons fait ce que nous devions faire. Nico ne se sentait pas bien (après son premier relais). La bonne nouvelle, c’est qu’il se sent beaucoup mieux et qu’il est rapide dans la voiture. Nous sommes dans le coup. A ce stade, vous ne voulez pas perdre de temps. Je pense que nous aurions été en meilleure position si j’avais roulé de jour, mais nous n’avons pas eu ce luxe. Nous faisons avec, et nous verrons bien où cela nous mènera. » NICO VARRONE, MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R n°33: « C’est agréable. J’ai commencé dans la nuit et maintenant nous sommes en pleine lumière, ce qui est agréable de voir le soleil se lever et de nous retrouver dans cette position. Je pense que tout le monde est en train de pousser et que nous faisons de même. Nous poussons et nous devons rattraper notre retard. Nous n’avons pas le temps de nous reposer ou de faire quoi que ce soit d’autre que d’aller aussi vite que possible. Je pense que ce sont deux bons relais. Notre équipe a fait du bon travail. Nous devons continuer à pousser et voir où nous en sommes. »

CHEVROLET IN NHRA

2023 NHRA NEW ENGLAND NATIONALS FINALS, 2023 NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS QUALIFYING RECAP

BRISTOL DRAGWAY

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE

TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT

JUNE 10, 2023

JOHN FORCE LEADS TEAM CHEVY IN EPPING FINALS AT BRISTOL WITH 

265TH FINAL ROUND APPEARANCE

• John Force takes BlueDef Camaro SS to Final Round in Epping Finals at Bristol
• Robert Hight claimed the No. 1 Qualifier for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals, his 2^nd of the season and 79^th of his career
• Brittany Force posted No. 2 Qualifier in Top Fuel for the Thunder Valley Nationals

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – In a first-ever combined NHRA race weekend to finish the weather-interrupted New England Nationals from New England Dragway in Epping, New Hampshire while simultaneously running the qualifying rounds for the Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway, Bristol, Tennessee, John Force led the way for Team Chevy in final eliminations for Epping. 

After defeating Tim Wilkerson in Elimination Round One, with a 4.063 seconds , 324.36 mph to Wilkerson’s 4.004, 318.99, Force went on to face Alex Laughlin in Round Two. The 16-time champion downed Laughlin with a 4.090. 318.54 to move to the semi-finals. 

JR Todd on deck for the Force, the winningest driver in NHRA history. With a little baby holeshot, Force topped Todd with a 4.105, 319.07 to a 4.098, 319.90 to send Force to his 265^th final round appearance and his first of the young 2023 NHRA season.

Lining up alongside Bob Tasca III, Force staged his Blue Def Camaro SS Funny Car deep and posted a .045 reaction time to Tasca’s .065 and the race was on with Tasca pulling ahead to post a 4.032, 322.96 for the win to Force’s 4.085. 320.51. 

For making it into the semifinals of the New England Nationals Force automatically competed in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and finished runner-up to earn two championship points to be added at the conclusion of the regular season and $3,000.

“It would have been nice to have won the Epping, N.H. NHRA New England Nationals race and the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, but I didn’t get the job done,” Force said. “We had a good race BlueDEF race car which keeps Chevrolet, PEAK, and all our sponsors happy. Cornwell was out at the track with a lot of their customers this weekend too. We’ll get back in the game tomorrow morning. It’s a new day and a new race tomorrow morning.”

Robert Hight behind the wheel of his AAA of New England Camaro SS scored a Round One win over Alexis DeJoria 3.938, 321.35 to 3.999, 322.88. Round Two provided drama with both cars hazing the tires and then Bob Tasca III ultimately blowing an engine near the top-end of the track. Tasca took the W with a 4.418, 267.69 to Hight’s 4.441, 202.00.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve crossed the finish line like that. It happens, you’re out here racing for a round win and it’s greasy. We put four cylinders out on one side so it turned on me in a hurry. Usually, you can catch it pretty quick but that one got me,” Hight said. “Anyways, sorry to the fans, to AAA and Cornwell and Chevy, we could have gotten another round win there.”

Defending Top Fuel Champions Brittany Force, Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel car bested Josh Hart 3.747, 334.48 to 4.201, 202.85 in Round One of Final Eliminations. Round Two was a pedal-fest between B. Force and Justin Ashley, eventual winner of the New England Nationals, with Brit going down with a 4.322, 274.05 to Ashley’s 4.097, 255.92.

“Epping, the New England Nationals was a little bit of a struggle for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team,” Force said. “We got beat in the second round, but we still had a couple of good laps under our belt that set us up for qualifying for Bristol and hopefully a long race day.”

In Top Fuel Round One Elimination, Austin Prock piloting the Montana Brand Chevrolet Top Fuel car put down a stellar run of 3.787, 326.08. However, he lined up next to Steve Torrence who laid down a 3.753, 329.10 to end Prock’s Epping make-up early.

“It was a tough first-round loss last night for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. There was a lot on the line that round and we came up short,” Prock said. “It’s frustrating but we will bounce back.”

THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS QUALIFYING:

When track conditions were optimal, Robert Hight drove the Cornwall Tools Camaro SS Funny Car to the No. 1 Qualifier for Sunday’s finals with a pass of 3.938, 321.35 on Friday night under the lights. The run held on Saturday with much warmer air and track temperatures. 

John Force ended the four qualifying sessions in 10^th spot for Sunday’s Finals at the track they call Thunder Valley in his BlueDef Camaro SS Funny Car with a pass of 4.063, 324.36.

Brittany Force piloted the Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel car to the No. 2 qualifier spot, also maximizing the cooler Friday night conditions with a pass of 3.747, 334.48.

Austin Prock will stage in 8^th tomorrow in the cockpit of his Montana Brand Chevrolet Top Fuel car after putting down a run of 3.787, 326.08.

Erica Enders broke through to capture her first No. 1 qualifier of the 2023 NHRA Pro Stock Season. Piloting her familiar red  Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage/Melling Performance Elite Motorsports Camaro SS a run of 6.627, 205.88.

It is the reigning world champion’s 30th No. 1 of her career. 

And closing out a very busy day on-track, Aaron Stanfield claimed his first Mission #2Fast2Tasty win piloting his Janac Brothers Chevrolet Camaro, going 6.637, 206.32 to claim the additional prize money and valuable championship points. His win came over fellow Team Chevy driver and three time Pro Stock winner this season, Dallas Glenn. 

THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS RACE DAY INFORMATION

Due to the threat of inclement weather late in the day, the NHRA has moved the start time to 10:00 AM ET.

 Round 2, Semifinals, and Finals of the New England Nationals makeup event will air Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET on FS1. A recap of Saturday’s Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying airs Sunday, June 11 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Thunder Valley Nationals Finals will wrap up the stacked weekend, airing on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. Coverage streaming live throughout the weekend can be found through NHRA.tv, available via AppleTV, Android TV and Roku devices.

Nos. 2 and 3 Cadillac V-Series.Rs in lead pack in early morning at Circuit de la Sarthe

LE MANS, France (June 11, 2023) – Carefully working through a wet racing surface that created issues for drivers in all three classes in the opening stints of the second quarter of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars remain in contention for the overall victory. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, was running a strong third through 12 hours at Circuit de la Sarthe. The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, with Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon sharing turns in the seat, was running fifth. Media resources: Cadillac Racing information, photos, history at Le Mans and much more

The No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R, which encountered a Lap 1 incident that put drivers Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken in a tough spot, was running 14th. Multiple downpours on different areas of the 8.45-mile course combined with nightfall to make for hazardous driving conditions, which led to numerous incidents and a full-course yellow and multiple local slow zones. Early in the race, Bamber had the distinction of giving Cadillac its first-ever laps led in the iconic endurance race. Bourdais owns the fastest lap of the race at 3 minutes, 28.298 seconds on Lap 12. MotorTrend is telecasting the race in its entirety in the U.S. along with Velocity in Canada and Eurosport across Europe. Radio Le Mans has the call, too. Viewers can get a different perspective through in-car cameras of the three Cadillac V-Series.Rs at Cadillac.com/live.

What they’re saying No. 2 Cadillac Racing V-Series.RRichard Westbrook, No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R: “It’s been a crazy first half of the race. Visibility was so bad; the worst I’ve ever been in at Le Mans anyway. It’s the fist time I’ve ever done a lap in the wet in this car.” Alex Lynn, No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R: “Tricky conditions out there. We’re fighting for this victory and the No. 2 Cadillac is going great. We just need to stay in the fight and don’t give up.” No. 3 Cadillac Racing V-Series.RRenger van der Zande, No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R: “Really tricky; I had some big moments, even hydroplaning. Not so much fun when you can’t see anything on the track. The grip feels good and suddenly it’s gone. Hopefully, we can make some moves.”No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.RAlexander Sims: “All sorts of conditions out there. Pretty treacherous out there. The car was working quite well but it was just so difficult to judge the conditions and actually see the wet spots on the dark as well. In some places it was full dry and other places it was still damp. I had a few spins and thankfully kept the car out of the barriers. It was crackers. The car, considering the hit that it had, was all pointing in the right direction. I was able to put in some good laps in between the spins. Great effort by the team to get us back out and we can get a load of experience for the team. It’s one I wish we were fighting near the front, but frankly it’s still pretty cool to drive around here.” Pipo Derani: “The car feels good. It’s nice to get some rhythm. The first stint I did was behind a full-course yellow and slow zones, so that’s worse than driving flat out. Once I got going, second stint and third stint I had some fun driving the car around Le Mans. We’ll see what we can do toward the end of the race.”Cadillac au Mans: Toujours aux avant-postes à la mi-course LE MANS, France (le 11 juin, 2023) – En dépit d’une surface de course mouillée qui a posé des problèmes aux pilotes des trois catégories lors des premiers relais du deuxième quart des 24 Heures du Mans, deux Hypercars Cadillac V-Series.R restent en lice pour la victoire finale. La Cadillac V-Series.R n°2, copilotée par Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn et Richard Westbrook, occupait une belle troisième place après 12 heures de course sur le circuit de la Sarthe. La Cadillac V-Series.R n°3, pilotée par Sébastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande et Scott Dixon, est cinquième. La Cadillac V-Series.R n°311 Whelen Engineering, qui a connu un incident au premier tour qui a mis les pilotes Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims et Jack Aitken dans une mauvaise position, était 14ème. De multiples averses sur différentes zones du circuit, en combinaison avec la tombée de la nuit, ont rendu les conditions de conduite dangereuses, ce qui a entraîné de nombreux incidents, un full course yellow et de nombreuses slow zones locales. Au début de la course, Bamber a eu l’honneur de donner à Cadillac ses premiers tours en tête dans cette course d’endurance emblématique. Bourdais a réalisé le tour le plus rapide de la course en 3 minutes et 28,298 secondes au 12e tour. Ce qu’ils dissent:Pipo Derani, Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R n°311: « La voiture marche bien. C’est bien d’avoir un peu de rythme. Le premier relais que j’ai effectué s’est déroulé pendant un full course yellow et des slow zones, donc c’est pire que de rouler à fond. Une fois que j’ai commencé à rouler, le deuxième et le troisième relais m’ont permis de m’amuser en conduisant la voiture au Mans. Nous verrons ce que nous pouvons faire vers la fin de la course. » Alexander Sims, Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R n°311: « Les conditions (en piste) sont très variées. C’est assez dangereux. La voiture fonctionnait plutôt bien, mais il était difficile d’évaluer les conditions et de voir les zones humides dans l’obscurité. À certains endroits, c’était complètement sec et à d’autres, c’était encore humide. J’ai fait quelques tête-à-queue et j’ai heureusement réussi à éviter les barrières. La voiture, compte tenu du choc qu’elle a subi, allait dans la bonne direction. J’ai pu faire quelques bons tours entre les tête-à-queue. L’équipe a fait un gros effort pour nous permettre de repartir et d’acquérir de l’expérience. J’aurais aimé me battre aux avant-postes, mais franchement, c’est quand même cool de rouler ici. » Renger van der Zande, Cadillac V-Series.R n°3: « J’ai eu des moments difficiles, j’ai même fait de l’aquaplanage. Ce n’est pas très amusant quand on ne voit rien sur la piste. L’adhérence est bonne et soudainement elle disparaît. J’espère que nous pourrons faire des progrès. » Richard Westbrook, Cadillac V-Series.R n°2: « La première moitié de la course a été folle. La visibilité était très mauvaise, la pire que j’ai jamais eue au Mans en tout cas. C’est la première fois que je fais des tours sous la pluie avec cette voiture. » Alex Lynn, Cadillac V-Series.R n°2: « Les conditions sont difficiles. Nous nous battons pour cette victoire et la Cadillac n°2 fonctionne très bien. Nous devons juste rester dans la bataille et ne pas baisser les bras. »

NO. 1 SPOT AT NHRA THUNDER VALLEY NATIONALS

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team earned their second No. 1 of the season and 79th Hight’s career and second of the 2023 Camping World Drag Racing Series season Saturday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster are No. 2 while Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team are No. 8 and John Force will start the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy from the No. 10 spot. In the third qualifying session, Hight had his hands full with his Chevy Camaro Funny Car making a move to the left and ultimately crossing the centerline. The mishap disqualified the three-time champion’s run. Still sitting No. 1 from his Friday night run of 3.938 seconds at 321.35 mph, Hight closed out qualifying with a 4.046 at 304.32. With the No. 1 spot, Hight will take on Alex Laughlin in the first round of eliminations. “I don’t think we’re that far off from having the runs we want. We need to fix a few problems, cylinders dropping. In that last run, it dropped a cylinder early and still ran 4.04 seconds. If we had all eight cylinders, there was a 3-second run out there. Tomorrow is a new day. We’re starting from a good spot. We’re back with Cornwell Tools and we need to get them their first win,” Hight said. “My Cornwell Tools / AAA team has a good handle on all different conditions. We have a lot of data we can look at. We are running a new combination that we’re trying to work through. Once we get the cylinder situation figured out we’ll make three-second runs every run tomorrow, especially the first round and that’s probably what it’s going to take to get the win. When you have Jimmy Prock as your crew chief, it always feels like you’re just one run away from winning the race.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team opened up qualifying on Saturday with a pedalfest. Force would handle the Monster dragster to a 4.322-second pass at 274.05 mph. In the final Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying session, Force handled her hotrod to a solid 3.828 pass at 328.38 mph. Force will face drag racing veteran Antron Brown in the first round of eliminations. “We came into Bristol with two races in one, the New England Nationals and the Thunder Valley Nationals. Into the Bristol race this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is currently qualified No. 2. We face Antron Brown tomorrow and we are still hunting for that first win,” Force said. “We’ve learned a lot this weekend and I feel like we’ve turned our car around a little bit. We’ve made some solid passes and I’m looking forward to race day tomorrow.” The Montana Brand / RMT team had to shut off early in the third qualifying session after driving into tire smoke early on the run. Prock would cross the finish line to record a 7.412-second pass at 83.99 mph. In the final qualifying session, Prock had a cylinder out at the hit but would get the Montana Brand dragster to the finish line in 4.015 seconds and 276.41 mph. “We haven’t had the weekend we’ve wanted but tomorrow is a new day. We’ve learned from each session and will get this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hot rod running with the best of them,” said Prock who will race Cameron Ferre in the first round. “I’m ready to get started bright and early tomorrow morning.” John Force and the BlueDEF Chevy were consistent during qualifying on Saturday with two solid passes. First a 4.090-second pass at 318.54 mph in the afternoon followed by a 4.085 at 320.51. He stays No. 10 from his Friday run of 4.063 at 324.36 to line up against J.R. Todd in the first round. “It was a busy day, a lot going on, a lot on the line. We had some decent runs in the mix of everything. So we have some good data,” Force said. “You know, it’s another race day, back-to-back, hopefully we can get the job done and get in the winner’s circle here in Thunder Valley, get the job done for PEAK, Chevy, BleuDEF and all our partners who let us do what we love. Hope tomorrow continues to be a good show for all these fans that have come out.” The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway continues with eliminations set to begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) continues Saturday with the remaining NHRA New England Nationals coverage at 10:30 p.m. ET. Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET will be a second Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying show and at 7:00 p.m. ET will air the Thunder Valley Nationals eliminations. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:8th; 3.787-seconds; 326.08 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.747-seconds; 334.48 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (2nd quickest Q2) JOHN FORCE, 74, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:10th; 4.063-seconds; 324.36 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3rd quickest Q3)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Cornwell Tools / AAAChevy Camaro SSQualifying:1st; 3.938-seconds; 321.35 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+5 (2nd quickest Q1, quickest Q2)

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – Robert Hight and the Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS team earned their second No. 1 of the season and 79th Hight’s career and second of the 2023 Camping World Drag Racing Series season Saturday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster are No. 2 while Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team are No. 8 and John Force will start the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy from the No. 10 spot. In the third qualifying session, Hight had his hands full with his Chevy Camaro Funny Car making a move to the left and ultimately crossing the centerline. The mishap disqualified the three-time champion’s run. Still sitting No. 1 from his Friday night run of 3.938 seconds at 321.35 mph, Hight closed out qualifying with a 4.046 at 304.32. With the No. 1 spot, Hight will take on Alex Laughlin in the first round of eliminations. “I don’t think we’re that far off from having the runs we want. We need to fix a few problems, cylinders dropping. In that last run, it dropped a cylinder early and still ran 4.04 seconds. If we had all eight cylinders, there was a 3-second run out there. Tomorrow is a new day. We’re starting from a good spot. We’re back with Cornwell Tools and we need to get them their first win,” Hight said. “My Cornwell Tools / AAA team has a good handle on all different conditions. We have a lot of data we can look at. We are running a new combination that we’re trying to work through. Once we get the cylinder situation figured out we’ll make three-second runs every run tomorrow, especially the first round and that’s probably what it’s going to take to get the win. When you have Jimmy Prock as your crew chief, it always feels like you’re just one run away from winning the race.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team opened up qualifying on Saturday with a pedalfest. Force would handle the Monster dragster to a 4.322-second pass at 274.05 mph. In the final Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying session, Force handled her hotrod to a solid 3.828 pass at 328.38 mph. Force will face drag racing veteran Antron Brown in the first round of eliminations. “We came into Bristol with two races in one, the New England Nationals and the Thunder Valley Nationals. Into the Bristol race this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team is currently qualified No. 2. We face Antron Brown tomorrow and we are still hunting for that first win,” Force said. “We’ve learned a lot this weekend and I feel like we’ve turned our car around a little bit. We’ve made some solid passes and I’m looking forward to race day tomorrow.” The Montana Brand / RMT team had to shut off early in the third qualifying session after driving into tire smoke early on the run. Prock would cross the finish line to record a 7.412-second pass at 83.99 mph. In the final qualifying session, Prock had a cylinder out at the hit but would get the Montana Brand dragster to the finish line in 4.015 seconds and 276.41 mph. “We haven’t had the weekend we’ve wanted but tomorrow is a new day. We’ve learned from each session and will get this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist hot rod running with the best of them,” said Prock who will race Cameron Ferre in the first round. “I’m ready to get started bright and early tomorrow morning.” John Force and the BlueDEF Chevy were consistent during qualifying on Saturday with two solid passes. First a 4.090-second pass at 318.54 mph in the afternoon followed by a 4.085 at 320.51. He stays No. 10 from his Friday run of 4.063 at 324.36 to line up against J.R. Todd in the first round. “It was a busy day, a lot going on, a lot on the line. We had some decent runs in the mix of everything. So we have some good data,” Force said. “You know, it’s another race day, back-to-back, hopefully we can get the job done and get in the winner’s circle here in Thunder Valley, get the job done for PEAK, Chevy, BleuDEF and all our partners who let us do what we love. Hope tomorrow continues to be a good show for all these fans that have come out.” The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway continues with eliminations set to begin at 10 a.m. on Sunday. Television coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) continues Saturday with the remaining NHRA New England Nationals coverage at 10:30 p.m. ET. Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET will be a second Thunder Valley Nationals qualifying show and at 7:00 p.m. ET will air the Thunder Valley Nationals eliminations. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:8th; 3.787-seconds; 326.08 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.747-seconds; 334.48 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (2nd quickest Q2) JOHN FORCE, 74, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:10th; 4.063-seconds; 324.36 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +1 (3rd quickest Q3)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Cornwell Tools / AAAChevy Camaro SSQualifying:1st; 3.938-seconds; 321.35 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+5 (2nd quickest Q1, quickest Q2)

BRISTOL, TN (June 10, 2023) — For the third time this season Justin Ashley and Maynard Ashley Racing Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster defeated a gauntlet of tough NHRA Top Fuel competitors and world champions enroute to victory. The second-generation driver moved into the NHRA Top Fuel points lead with his win at the postponed and relocated NHRA New England Nationals outrunning Dan Mercier, two-time world champion Brittany Force, four-time world champion Steve Torrence and finally in an all JCM Racing final eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher.

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team, New England Nationals winners, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

 
“Everybody out here is tough,” said Ashley, who was competing in his 14th career Top Fuel final round. “I don’t think about it during the race, but after, I think it is important to reflect and appreciate when you go up against some of the best in the world. Each one of these drivers is fantastic. Each one of these teams is great. It’s an honor just to line up next to them, so to turn on a win light with Mike Green, Tommy DeLago (crew chiefs), and the guys is truly special.”
 
During two days of qualifying last week Ashley was able to get his Phillips Connect Toyota dragster qualified in the No. 10 spot and into a first round race with Canadian Dan Mercier. During the second round of qualifying at the Thunder Valley Nationals on Friday night Ashley began his pursuit of three wins in one weekend. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year was first off the line with a strong .038 reaction time and never trailed in the race. It was Ashley’s second consecutive win over Mercier and set up and tough match-up with Force.
 
In the second round today, Ashley was once again first off the line but his Phillips Connect Toyota dragster ran into problems wounding itself as it powered down the track. Force lost traction but pedaled her race car as she tried to chase down Ashley. He was able to keep momentum and get to the finish line stripe first for a win that came at a cost.
 
Moving into the semifinals facing Torrence for the second time this season Ashley was looking for another win light. The last time these two drivers faced off was the semifinals of the Arizona Nationals which Ashley won. He was able to repeat history getting his third win light of the day and moving into the New England Nationals final round and the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge final round.
 
“It has been a long week to get to this race,” said Ashley. I feel so grateful. When you come to a race – anytime there is an opportunity to win it is special – but when you have the opportunity to win three races in one weekend, especially at a historic facility like Bristol, it just makes it that much more special. The semifinal against Steve was a big round win because it turned into two final rounds.”
 
In the final round of the day Ashley was first off the line again and used that advantage to squeeze out a small hole shot win over Schumacher with his 3.846 second run getting to the finish line first in front of Schumacher’s quicker 3.835 second pass. Ashley’s reaction time was .041 to Schumacher’s .061. The was a complete team effort according to Ashley as he spoke to the assembled media after a long and productive day.
 
“The key word for today’s success is team,” said Ashley. “You are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. I feel more than confident in saying I have the best group of people behind me. I am just grateful for everybody on this Maynard Ashley Racing, Phillips Connect, Toyota team. Even going into the third round, it was a little wacky. It was a quick turnaround, and we did some damage, which we never normally do, but thankfully we got the win. I just have to credit the guys for putting everything together in time. The job that they always do is phenomenal, but especially this weekend working in the heat and getting it done on a Saturday, really is just amazing.”
 
With the Thunder Valley Nationals looming tomorrow the possibility of three wins is on the horizon. Ashley was philosophical about the prospect of sweeping the weekend. He knows that the support he gets from all his partners like Toyota, KATO Fastening Systems, Strutmasters.com, Lucas Oil and Mac Tools all play into race day win lights.
 
“Our plan and our objective coming in – was to win everything, like it is every race, but it is so, so difficult out here,” said Ashley. “Now our focus is just on the here and now, in the present, enjoying this win because they are so hard to come by, but come tomorrow, it’s in the past. We can only enjoy this for a short period of time, but yeah, I think we have a great opportunity to win tomorrow, but there are 15 other cars that feel the same way. I know we are going to put on a really good show for the fans.”
Qualifying Results
Q1: 4.807 sec, 155.61 mph; Qual. 9
Q2: 9.632 sec; 68.78 mph; Qual. 10
Bonus Points: 0
Race Results
First Round
Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.038), 3.755, 327.74 mph def. Dan Mercier, Ross Pistons/Amalie Motor Oil dragster, (.084), 3.768, 317.72 mph
Second Round
Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.058), 4.097, 255.92 mph def. Brittany Force, Monster Energy dragster, (.083), 4.322, 274.05 mph
Semifinal Round
Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.051), 3.892, 319.29 mph def. Steve Torrence, CAPCO dragster, (.096), 3.915, 311.13 mph
Final Round
Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster, (.041), 3.846, 324.12 mph def. Tony Schumacher, SKAG Power Equipment dragster, (.061), 3.835, 323.66 mph
Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1.         Justin Ashley              518
2.         Steve Torrence           510
3.         Brittany Force             472
4.         Leah Pruett                 462
5.         Austin Prock                443
6.         Mike Salinas               414
7.         Antron Brown             408
8.         Josh Hart                     378
9.         Shawn Langdon          335
10.       Doug Kalitta                325
 

 

BRISTOL, TN (June 10, 2023) — A week later Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team were able to complete the 10^thNHRA New England Nationals. After battling the elements in Epping, New Hampshire for four day and only reaping two qualifying runs the championship contending team from Florida moved south with the rest of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series to Bristol Dragway to wrap up the seventh national event of the season.  

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

 
Hart’s two runs at New England Dragway had the two-time Top Fuel national event winner sitting in the No. 4 qualified spot. On Friday at Bristol Dragway the team was afforded one qualifying run to get a baseline to go into elimination rounds Friday night. Hart posted the quickest run of the first session and was ready to take on two-time Top Fuel champion Brittany Force.
 
Under drastically different conditions Hart and Force launched together and as they approached halftrack Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster lost traction as Force powered past him on a clean run for the win. Hart was able to immediately turn his attention to the Thunder Valley Nationals today and made two quality passes. He will head into his second race of the weekend sitting No. 12 and looking at a first round match-up with Mike Salinas tomorrow.
 
“I am glad we didn’t try to finish the race in Epping,” said Hart. “It was cool to go right into eliminations on Friday night, but I would have of course wanted a better result. This R+L Carriers team isn’t going to hang our heads. We have the Thunder Valley Nationals tomorrow, so we put Epping behind us this morning and moved on.”
Qualifying Results
Q1: 3.902 sec, 317.27 mph; Qual. 3
Q2: 6.838 sec, 93.54 mph; Qual. 4
Bonus Points: +1 (3^rd quickest of Q1)
Race Results
First Round

Brittany Force, Monster Energy dragster, .050, 3.747, 334.48 mph def. Josh Hart, R+L Carriers dragster, .051, 4.201, 202.85 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel
1.         Justin Ashley               518
2.         Steve Torrence           510
3.         Brittany Force             472
4.         Leah Pruett                 462
5.         Austin Prock                443
6.         Mike Salinas               414
7.         Antron Brown             408
8.         Josh Hart                    378
9.         Shawn Langdon          335
10.       Doug Kalitta                325
 

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS team raced their way to the final round of the postponed NHRA New England Nationals contested at Bristol Dragway. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team as well as Robert Hight with the AAA Northern New England Chevy had quarterfinal finishes while Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team had a first round exit. After picking up a first-round victory on Friday night over Tim Wilkerson, Force and the BlueDEF Chevy matched up with Alex Laughlin for the quarterfinals. Laughlin was the 150th different driver Force has faced in his career. The 16-time champion driver would have a 4.090-second pass at 318.54 mph to defeat Laughlin’s 5.204 at 153.06 after he smoked the tires. In the semifinals, Force lined up next to J.R. Todd. With a .049-second reaction time and 4.105-second pass at 319.07 mph, Force and the BlueDEF team defeated Todd on a holeshot. Todd would have a 4.098 at 319.90. Racing against longtime rival Bob Tasca III in the finals, Force would classically stage deep looking for the starting line advantage. His starting line strategy wouldn’t be enough for Tasca. Force would cross the finish line at 4.085 seconds and 320.51 mph but fall short to Tasca’s 4.032 at 304.32. For making it into the semifinals of the New England Nationals Force automatically competed in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and finished runner-up to earn two championship points to be added at the conclusion of the regular season and $3,000. “It would have been nice to have won the Epping, N.H. NHRA New England Nationals race and the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge, but I didn’t get the job done,” Force said. “We had a good race BlueDEF race car which keeps Chevrolet, PEAK, and all our sponsors happy. Cornwell was out at the track with a lot of their customers this weekend too. We’ll get back in the game tomorrow morning. It’s a new day and a new race tomorrow morning.” Already with the first-round win over Alexis DeJoria, Robert Hight and the AAA Northern New England Chevrolet Camaro SS finished the NHRA New England Nationals in the quarterfinals with a 4.441-second pass at 202 mph which wasn’t enough for eventual race winner Bob Tasca III’s 4.418 at 267.69. “It’s been a long time since I’ve crossed the finish line like that. It happens, you’re out here racing for a round win and it’s greasy. We put four cylinders out on one side so it turned on me in a hurry. Usually, you can catch it pretty quick but that one got me,” Hight said. “Anyways, sorry to the fans, to AAA and Cornwell and Chevy, we could have gotten another round win there.” After defeating Josh Hart in the first round on Friday, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team wrapped up the New England Nationals with a quarterfinal exit running a 4.322-second pass at 274.05 mph that was bettered by eventual race winner Justin Ashley’s 5.097 at 255.92. “Epping, the New England Nationals was a little bit of a struggle for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team,” Force said. “We got beat in the second round, but we still had a couple of good laps under our belt that set us up for qualifying for Bristol and hopefully a long race day.” Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster had their try at the NHRA New England Nationals victory come to an end on Friday night. They lined up against Steve Torrence and came up short with a 3.787 at 326.08 to Torrence’s 3.753 at 329.10. “It was a tough first-round loss last night for this Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. There was a lot on the line that round and we came up short,” Prock said. “It’s frustrating but we will bounce back.” The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season continues with eliminations for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway Sunday, June 11 at 10 a.m. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragsterQualifying:7th; 4.075-seconds; 326.08 mphRace Results:Lost to Steve TorrenceBRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragsterQualifying:11th; 4.907-seconds; 149.88 mphRace Results: Beat Josh Hart; Lost to Justin Ashley JOHN FORCE, 74, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:9th; 6.623-seconds; 96.42 mphRace Results:Beat Tim Wilkerson, Alex Laughlin, J.R. Todd; lost to Bob Tasca III ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Cornwell Tools / AAAChevy Camaro SSQualifying:5th; 4.624-seconds; 186.74 mphRace Results:Beat Alexis DeJoria; Lost to Bob Tasca III

BRISTOL, Tenn. (June 10, 2023) – For the first time in two races, Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown will have a new winner on Sunday at the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals at Bristol Dragway. Lee Hartman and his Carrier Services Group Dodge Drag Pak ended Lenny Lottig and his ITI Trailer & Truck Bodies COPO Camaro win streak with a first-round victory Saturday.

Lee Hartman, winner of $2,000 Flexjet bounty, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

 
Qualified No.16, Hartman would pick up the first-round win against Lottig before leaving the starting line. Lottig would move too early by .006-seconds for a redlight start. Officially, Hartman ran 7.953-seconds at 172.81 mph, the quickest pass of the round.
 
“Getting that first round win was awesome. We have been struggling but we have been chipping away at this tune up for a while. We had the power we were just trying to get it to the ground. We have a fast racecar and you saw that in the first round,” Hartman said. “Lenny has been tearing it up the last couple of races. This was a great win, and I am looking forward to going after three more win lights tomorrow. We won best appearing car this race too, so I would love to get a double win.”
 
The victory came along with a $2,000 pay day thanks to the Flexjet Factory Stock Showdown Bounty Program.
 
“I knew the bounty was out there when I pulled up beside Lenny. Lenny has been running really well but this Dodge can run with anyone out here. When I saw my win light, I was pretty excited. I am not sure what I will do with the $2,000 bounty money but I am sure I will find a way to put it back into this race car. There is always something. I want to thank everyone that has been helping me. This was a great way to get the race started.”
 
Coming into the session, Lottig had picked up his third consecutive No.1. qualifying position thanks to a 7.803-second pass at 175.48 mph on Friday afternoon.

Lenny Lottig, Thunder Valley Nationals No. 1 qualifier, photo credit NHRA 

“It’s all thanks to my guys, Tommy and Dave. They have been so great, and the Ray Barton Racing engines have been running so strong for us,” Lottig said. “I had never been on a roll like this, the wins and No.1s. It was a first-time experience, and I was really liking it. Hopefully, we can pick it back up again at the next one.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES SONOMA RACEWAY TOYOTA / SAVE MART 350 TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT JUNE 10, 2023  TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER5th      AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 GABRIEL GLAS CAMARO ZL19th      DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL110th    CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL111th    AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL112th    KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL113th    RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COTTONELLE CAMARO ZL114th    ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY PRIDE CAMARO ZL115th    ROSS CHASTAIN, NO. 1 KUBOTA CAMARO ZL116th    KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 VALVOLINE CAMARO ZL119th    COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.  DRIVER1.        Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2.        Tyler Reddick (Toyota)3.        Michael McDowell (Ford)4.        Christopher Bell (Toyota)5.        AJ Allmendinger (Chevrolet)

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 10th ELLIOTT ON HIS QUALIFYING RUN: “It was really good to get into the second round (of qualifying). I feel like the first lap of our session was solid. I missed a couple of areas. That was going to be the big thing – was if you were going to be able to get it done on the first lap and not have to run again. I made a pretty big mistake on my second run and I was honestly surprised we got through, so that was encouraging. And then I about wrecked there in (turn) four on our last lap. I wish we could have gone a little faster, but I’m glad I didn’t wreck it because I was very, very close to not driving this car tomorrow.  But like I said, definitely good to get through. We haven’t had a nice second round in a while, so that was nice.”   GRANT ENFINGER, NO. 42 SUNSEEKER RESORTS CAMARO ZL1 – Filling in for Noah Gragson at Sonoma Raceway this weekend, Enfinger made his first-ever laps in a Next Gen Camaro ZL1 ahead of his first career NASCAR Cup Series start. Post-qualifying quotes: OVER THE RADIO, THE TEAM SAID YOU WERE DOING A GOOD JOB WITH YOUR PACE. WHAT WAS IT LIKE FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT? “Yeah, it definitely took awhile to get comfortable with things just with it being a new car. I was really concentrating on the tire – just trying to feel the tires and trying not to do anything incredibly dumb early on. Definitely taking it slower to get up to speed. I felt more and more comfortable the more laps I ran. I felt like we were struggling a little bit on the backstretch there, but I got more and more comfortable there on my side, and I feel like we’ve made it a little bit better in qualifying, as well. Definitely need a few more laps before I can give them some good feedback, but overall, just getting more and more comfortable. I’m concentrating on my shifting, especially from second to third gear there.  But overall, had a fun day here. I want to send a big ‘thank you’ to Noah (Gragson). He’s been trying to walk me through this for the last couple of days – about kind of transitioning from the truck to here and what that experience will be like, and how close the simulator world would be to where we are. I appreciate all of his help.”  DID YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN THE SEAT? “Yeah, definitely I felt comfortable in the seat. Overall, the way the pedals feel, the throttle and the brake pedal – everything is a lot different than what I’m used to in my truck, but I’m comfortable in there.” WAS IT LIKE YOU’RE DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOSE WITH THE DIFFERENCES WITH THE SHIFTER AND ALL OF THE OTHER FACTORS YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH? “I think anytime you’re racing in the Cup Series for your first time is drinking from a fire hose. But to me, I think the biggest thing I’ve been concentrating on, that Noah (Gragson) wanted us to hone into during practice and go back and look at data on, is the tire. I remember right at the beginning of last season; I feel like you couldn’t slip these things at all. Obviously the crew chiefs and these teams have made those cars better and better. You still have road blocks you have to worry about and stuff like that in different parts of the track. I was trying to get used to the curbs and trying to see what I could and couldn’t take advantage of. And yeah, I definitely know already without looking at SMT, a problem spot I have. And then I’m sure Luke (Lambert) and the guys on the No. 42 Sunseeker Resorts Chevy team will be able to help me dial in some of the other little fine tunes.” WAS IT STRESSFUL OR WAS IT MORE LIKE – I FEEL SO GOOD IN THIS VEHICLE. “I think it was stressful leading up to it. But yeah, once practice started, it was like – let’s feel this thing out. Mike Beam, Luke Lambert and everybody did I think as good of a job as they could about not putting any extra pressure on me and just trying to let me learn a new car. It’s obviously an overwhelming experience through the course of the last few days, but Noah (Gragson) told me a few times and my wife told me a few times to just try to enjoy it. So I’ve been trying to do that and I was out there in practice.” WAS SHE STRESSED FOR YOU? “I think she didn’t like seeing me a little stressed. I think she could see that I was just trying to prepare as much as I could. I wasn’t spending quite as much time with her in the evening times – just been a little bit of an overwhelming last couple of days. But like I said, the first lap of practice, all of that kind of went away. It’s just a race car and trying to learn a new car. So thank you to Maury (Gallagher), Mike (Beam), Sunseeker Resorts and Jimmie (Johnson) – who’s ever there at Le Mans – and everybody that allowed this opportunity. Incredibly unfortunate circumstance with Noah (Gragson), but appreciate his help through this whole transition, as well.” WOULD YOU SAY THAT NOAH GRAGSON WAS MOST GIVING IN ALL OF THIS? I KNOW HE HAS TO FEEL TERRIBLE.. “He definitely feels terrible for missing the race, but I feel like above all, he’s been the most genuinely happy that I get to experience this opportunity. He’s mentioned that to me a few times about just soaking in the moment and enjoying it. He means that from the heart, so that’s pretty cool.” ENFINGER ON THE OPPORTUNITY: “I don’t think anything can really prepare you for this, but I’ve been racing my whole life and it’s just a new race car. I’ve very much enjoyed practice and qualifying. And like I said, I have a lot to learn for tomorrow, but I’ve enjoyed everything to this point.”