| CONCORD, N.C. (May 14, 2021) – Brittany Force and her Flav-R-Pac Top Fuel dragster team made their presence known with a stellar run Friday night of the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway to land in the provisional No. 1 qualifying position. Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevy Camaro are currently No. 4 while John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF Camaro are in the No. 16 spot with two qualifying sessions left. Making quite the entrance, Brittany Force and her David Grubnic and Mac Savage led Flav-R-Pac dragster team set the track low elapsed time record when they blasted their way to a 3.662-second pass at 333.08 mph. “I’m just pumped after a run like that. That’s a hell of a run,” Force said. “The four-wide race can be tough and tricky, and I just have to keep my focus. (Crew chief David) Grubnic said we were going to have a killer run, and Grubnic, Mac Savage and all of my guys, I’m just so proud of them. “Now we can do what we want because we feel pretty safe, we’re locked in the show,” Force continued. “Now we can really push the car or play around with it and get us set up for race day. We’re locked in, we’re solid so it lets us relax a little bit tonight going into tomorrow. No matter how we run tomorrow we’ll be good to go for race day.” The Funny Car category only saw one car make a full pass down the track. The John Force Racing Chevy Camaro Funny Cars were caught in the mix of tire smoke and shake due to challenging tack conditions. Robert Hight and the Auto Club of Southern California team managed to make it 60-feet before shaking the tires and coasting to a 7.366-second pass and land in the No. 4 position. “Not what we were looking for but that’s why we have two more runs tomorrow,” Hight said. “Jimmy Prock and Chris Cunningham will get it worked out. That’s what they do. We’ll get what we need for race day and get the job done for Auto Club and Chevy and all our sponsors.” John Force and the PEAK / BlueDEF Chevy team had trouble from the hit, going up in tire smoke at the starting line. They would eventually cross the finish line after 14.300 seconds. They’ll start Saturday from the No. 16 position. “Well Brittany and Flav-R-Pac did well, got themselves in the top spot. Funny Cars had some issues. Tough night but it’s good to be here in Charlotte at zMAX with Bruton Smith,” Force said. “Weather looks good for tomorrow, we have two more chances, we’ll get in the show for PEAK and BlueDEF, Chevrolet, Cornwell Tools, ParkerStore and all our sponsors. Let’s see how tomorrow goes but I know we’ll be good.” Qualifying at the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway continues with two sessions on Saturday at 2 and 5:30 p.m. ET. Eliminations on Sunday will take place at noon ET. Television coverage for qualifying will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and continuing on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET. Live eliminations coverage will begin Sunday at noon on FOX Broadcasting Network. |
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Pole for Grosjean, Honda at GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis
Romain Grosjean takes first INDYCAR SERIES pole
Jack Harvey qualifies third for Honda and Meyer Shank Racing
Alex Palou qualifies fourth as Honda drivers claim three of the top four starting positions
SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 14, 2021) – Romain Grojean captured the pole today in qualifying on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Honda drivers claimed three of the top four starting positions for Saturday’s GRM Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
A veteran for Formula One competition but in his rookie NTT INDYCAR SERIES season, Grosjean edged two-time series champion Josef Newgarden in a thrilling final qualifying round on the 2.439-mile IMS road circuit. It also was the first pole of the season for the Dale Coyne with RWR team. At the end of three “knockout” qualifying rounds, Honda drivers claimed three of the top four starting spots for Saturday’s 85-lap race, with Jack Harvey qualifying third for Meyer Shank Racing and Alex Palou – already a winner this year at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama – qualifying fourth for Chip Ganassi Racing.
GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis Qualifying Results
1st Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
3rd Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
4th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
9th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
11th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
14th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
15th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
16th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
17th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
19th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
22nd James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
23rd Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
Quotes
Romain Groshean (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) Pole Qualifier, 1st NTT INDYCAR SERIES career pole: “We were struggling a bit earlier today, but my engineer [Olivier Boisson] made some really good changes over the [practice session] runs. Then we put on the Reds [softer compound, alternate Firestone tires on], and the car felt so good, amazing. Those last few laps [of qualifying] each time, I was ‘on it’. What a day for us!”
Jack Harvey (Meyer Shank Racing Honda) Qualified Third: “We’re always excited to come to the Indianapolis road course, but what’s allowed this weekend to go well for us so far is really good preparation and focus from everyone on the Meyer Shank Racing/Honda team. That was an incredible lap by Romain [Grosjean, to claim pole], but that’s what we love about the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. We have a small team like Dale Coyne with RWR taking the pole, and our still relatively new team starting third. We all can come and compete [on equal terms]. I’m not sure how many other series in the world have that. We’re really close, and I hope that positivity can help drive us forward tomorrow.”
Fast Facts
Honda drivers have now claimed the pole position for two of the three road and street course races held this season. In addition to Grosjean’s qualifying run today, Colton Herta claimed the pole for Honda and Andretti Autosport at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in April.
The “Month of May” begins this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway with the GMR Grand Prix. Held on the IMS infield road course, Saturday’s 85-lap race will kick off three weeks of on-track activities leading up to the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 30.
Honda continues to hold the early-season lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, with three victories in the first four races this season. After four of 16 races, Honda holds a 14-point advantage (332-318) over rival Chevrolet. The company is seeking its fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.
chevy racing–indycar–grand Prix indianapolis–josef newgarden
| CHEVROLET IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES GMR GRAND PRIX INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA QUALIFYING RECAP MAY 14,2021 TEAM CHEVY DRIVERS CAPTURE THREE OF FIRESTONE FAST SIXJOSEF NEWGARDEN NABBED FRONT ROW STARTING POSITION FOR SATURDAY’S 85-LAP RACE INDIANAPOLIS (May 14, 2021)In one of the most interesting and exciting knockout qualifying sessions for the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis, the Firestone Fast Six was one of the most surprising this season in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES season. Two-time Series’ champion Josef Newgarden powered his No. 2 Snap On Team Penske Chevrolet to the outside of the front row next to surprise pole winner former F1 driver and INDYCAR rookie Romain Grosjean. Adding to the excitement of two Rookie-of-the-Year contenders in the FAST SIX, Team Chevy’s and Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin put the No.3 PPG Chevrolet in the fifth starting position. Continuing the trend of excitement was Conor Daly. No. 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet scoring the sixth starting spot. Jack Harvey and Alex Palou rounded out the Fast Six. Live coverage of the 100-lap race starts at 2:30 pm ET Saturday afternoon on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network. TEAM CHEVY QUALIFIERS:2. Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Snap OnTeam Penske5. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske6. Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force Ed Carpenter Racing7. Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Ed Carpenter Racing10. Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske12. Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske13. Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP18. Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP20. Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing 21. Charlie Kimball, No. 11 Tresiba AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet24 Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA AJ Foyt Racing25. Juan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP DRIVER QUOTES:JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 SNAP-ON TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 2nd“I had Tim Cindric in my ear like always, he was telling me where we were at. I did a pretty good lap to be honest with you, I wasn’t dissatisfied with it, I think I was within a tenth of what was ultimately possible so we just got beat, Grosjean did a great job. I’ve been very happy with our pace, it’s a lot of work to finish second, it’s kind of funny to be disappointed with that, but I think we’ve got a good vantage point for tomorrow and we can focus on the main thing which is trying to get through this race and win, I mean winning at the end of the day is what’s most important so we’ve got to put our best foot forward for tomorrow.” SURPRISED ABOUT GROSJEAN ON POLE:“I mean look, Grosjean’s a great driver, I’m not surprised that he’s adapted super well, much like Scott McLaughlin, like he’s done a stellar job, he’s right on the pace but you can jump in any car in this series and have a shot at winning, you really can and I think that’s the great thing about what IndyCar is right now is that there’s so much parity, so much competition, you don’t know who’s going to win each weekend. It’s tough on us, we’d love to have an advantage and know we’ve got a little more cushion every weekend but it’s not guaranteed. But ultimately we’ve put in a lot of work here, I think it’s the camaraderie at Team Penske that makes us successful, great partners like Snap-On and Team Chevy. So we think we have what we need to get on top of these people tomorrow but it’s no easy task beating anybody nowadays.” SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 5THDID YOU EXPECT TO MAKE THE FAST SIX THIS QUICKLY?“It was a goal of ours this weekend. To be honest with you, we really wanted to push that top-10. We’ve been close before, especially at St. Pete. But I’m really proud of the effort from the PPG Chevy team there on the No. 3 car. We were methodical all day. We just like slowly chipped away at it and we had a really good car for qualifying. So, it’s amazing for Romaine Grosjean and the sport for him to come back and get the pole so soon. It’s a privilege to be in the rookie class with him and I’m excited to race him tomorrow.” WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST KEY OF YOUR ACCLIMATION IN GETTING UP THERE WHERE NOW YOU’RE RUNNING WITH THE FRONT GUYS?“It’s nice and we’re right up front with the pit box too; we can have pit allocation in the right spot. For me, we’ve just been slowly chipping away at it with baby steps. I’m learning the car every time. I didn’t quite get the lap in the Fast Six, but it takes a little bit of time to bring the Adrenalin down. That’s what I found just then. You get so excited. You’re in the Fast Six, you’re in the Fast Six; and then you’ve got to settle yourself down and get your mind back on the job. Once I get my mind set right and a few other things, we’ll be good.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT BEING THE MONTH OF MAY, WE’RE AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY, AND YOU’RE GOING TO RACE IN THE INDY 500?“Yeah, it’s amazing. I’m really privileged to be here and driving for the Captain, as well. Our Shell Pennzoil car is going to be fast, I think, across the month. I’ve just got to do right job and listen to the right people and I’ve got Rocket Rick Mears in my corner, so I’m just going to listen to a legend of the sport and enjoy it and suck it all in. I’m just like a sponge right now. It’s a bit surreal. But when you walk out of this.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 U.S. AIR FORCE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 6thYOU SHOULD BE HAPPY WITH STARTING P6 TOMORROW AFTERNOON“Honestly, it feels like a win compared to how this win has gone so far. The last time I was in a car I was upside down and almost on fire. So, we’re really, really excited, especially for our new partner with MannKind and Needlefreeinsulin.com. It’s their first INDYCAR race so, to make the Fast Six is awesome. This field is so incredibly competitive. I’m just super thankful for the work that this team has done because it’s been difficult to get this car how I like it. It really, really has. And we’ve made some changes to get there, and we’ve just got to finish the weekend off now. So, that’s the goal.”YOUR LAST TIME IN A RACE CAR YOU WERE UPSIDE DOWN, SO THIS SHOULD FEEL A LITTLE BIT BETTER TO BE RIGHT SIDE UP“Ha, let me tell you, it’s a lot better to be right side up. This is my home track. I love seeing people here again. It’s such a great crowd, it looks like, today. I’m just super, super grateful to see our fans back here and Roger Penske and the Speedway have done such a great job. It will be a good race tomorrow.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – QUALIFIED 12TH:“I had a very loose car. We were going to be fine, but it stalled. I was having trouble with the clutch and stall because we could’ve driven back into the pits and been fine but unfortunately we caused a red and then you can’t continue. But at least we’re 12th, that’s better than 20th at St. Petersburg, so yeah.” FRUSTRATION: “Yeah, just so crazy how the car can change so much from session to session and it’s the second race on a road course that we’ve had. I think we would’ve been okay in that session had I not made a mistake, so I’m very frustrated with myself.” BEING SO CLOSE:“When it’s that loose, it’s so hard, you’ve got to be so on top of the car and the rear just doesn’t ever bite and you just keep having big moments. My mistake, not happy with myself.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET,QUALIFIED 18TH:“We’ve been off-pace ever since the first practice. We rolled out of the gates weak and we just don’t have pace. I don’t know why. We just have to check why. We were solid here every time we have come and just this time around is just trash. So, we’ll see. It’s going to be a long race tomorrow and we just have to try to fix her up for a long run and see what we’ve got, honestly.” ARE THERE STRATEGY OPTIONS FOR TOMORROW’S RACE?“Yeah, there should be different strategy choices that we can go through. It doesn’t seem like it is going to be just the option of fuel saving and going long so. Hopefully we’ll have a good strategy. We’ll make up traffic position in the undercuts or the overcuts and hopefully that puts us better than where we start. If we get a top 7 finish or so tomorrow, that should be pretty solid.” POST QUALIFYING TRANSCRIPT:THE MODERATOR: We’ve also been joined by Josef Newgarden, driver of the No. 2 Snap-on Team Penske Chevrolet.You started second at the Harvest GP and won the race last year…JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It’s a tremendous amount of work to qualify second. Obviously you don’t want to get pipped right at the very end. Romain does a great job, super top shelf talent, so not surprised to see him getting on pretty well with the car.I think that’s the great thing about this series: you can jump in almost any car in the grid and have a shot at competing for a win or for a pole, which makes it tough on all of us. You lose a 10th or two here, make a small mistake, I nearly didn’t make it into the Fast Six because I made a mistake into turn one in Q2, had a small lockup. It nearly kicked me out of the Fast Six. It’s that tight for everybody.It will be a tough race tomorrow. We’re excited. I think we have a fast car. Tomorrow is what is really going to matter, too. We’re going to keep our heads down and focus on our race car now. Q. Or do you think because it’s up to him to set the pace, he’s going to have a natural advantage anyway?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: No, I mean, look, we haven’t talked about it, but he’s seen a couple starts now. I think he’s going to be just fine rolling into this.Look, the idea of the start, too, is to obviously for the polesitter, he sets the pace. He wants to maintain his advantage, which he has the right to do. I think for the rest of us, for me, I want to get through the start. I’ve seen enough starts here gone bad in turn one. Let’s get through the start and then we can start hammering on each other, figuring out where the pace is, our strengths and weaknesses.He’ll be just fine. He’s seen a couple, knows the rules. He’s plenty experienced. I’m sure we’ll get through okay and get racing. Q. Last year you said one of the reasons you got your first win at this course was because your car was the most consistent from reds to blacks. Is that what you found so far this weekend?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It seems that way. It’s been very consistent across the board, all conditions. When it was cooler in the morning, when it warmed up in the afternoon, it’s kind of maintained its performance. Yeah, I’m hoping that is a value for us tomorrow.It’s hard to say. We need to get through the warmup, kind of see how the tires behave. There’s just small intricacies to them, right? You lose a couple 10ths a lap around this place, it can mean a lot over a long distance.Yeah, I think that’s our advantage, is that we’ve had a very consistent car. We’re going to try to put it to use tomorrow. Q. Josef, do you think fans really realize how close this series is now, the difference between you guys on a road course infinitesimal almost? What do you attribute that to?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: A lot of it’s down to the evolution of the series. We’ve had this chassis for a long time. I think we’re going on 10 years for the same car. Obviously it’s gone through some iterations with safety development, aero development. But really the mechanical package has not changed.I think what you’re seeing is up and down the grid there’s no real advantages any more. A lot of the engineers have circulated in the paddock, and so have the drivers. You’re seeing teams that pretty much have the same stuff. There’s no real large gains to be made.Even us at Team Penske with all the resource and might that we have, we have to rely on our camaraderie and our instincts and our talent amongst the drivers to get the most out of a weekend. It’s really not an advantage that’s putting us ahead of the pack, it’s the way we work together.Yeah, I think it’s tremendously exciting. I think people do recognize how close INDYCAR is right now. Just a small slipup can put you to the back. I think Alonso was a great example. He came to Indy in 2017 for the first time. Had a good car, qualified up front, raced up front. Came back two years later, didn’t make the race.You can have polar opposite results. You can come in and be very good, come back and not have a very good result. That’s how tight it is. The details really matter. I think it’s very fun as a driver to get the most out of that. It really puts the emphasis on you working with the team, getting the most out of yourself and the most out of the team around you. That’s really fun because that’s the environment I think we grew up wanting to be in, is a place where we make a difference.I love that about the INDYCAR SERIES. I hope people recognize that. Q. Josef, you have some former winners and fast guys starting in the back. How cognizant are you going to be of those guys coming up through the field? There’s some big names shuffled out through the rest of the field.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: As you know, a race can get turned on its head pretty quickly. You can be leading one minute, a bad yellow comes out, you can be put to the back. Anything is possible nowadays.We’re going to try to guard ourselves from the unknowns, which is very hard to do. Sometimes you can’t do much about it. The race just doesn’t work out your way.Yeah, it’s a mixed-up grid. I was really surprised where some people qualified. I think that will make it exciting for the show. If there’s an interesting caution thrown somewhere, you may see a really mixed-up race. They’re all important. We got a good vantage point for the start. We’re going to try to focus on our race and have a good day tomorrow. Q. Josef, obviously you’re starting up front. What do you think you need to do tomorrow to get the win? Just execute everything well?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think so. Just a good, clean day. Normally the first ingredient, getting through any messes.It’s impossible to say these days. These races turn into all different directions half the time. But if it’s a clean day, I think tire degradation is important here. Fuel conservation can be important. I think tomorrow will be different, seeing that we have bigger windows. Just depends on the way yellows fall or don’t fall.But yeah, keeping a clean, cool head and executing. Executing at the end of the day is what’s most important. Q. Josef, yourself and Alex Palou are the only drivers in the top six with an INDYCAR win. What are the fans witnessing here this season in INDYCAR?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Are you talking for this year? A win for this year? Q. Yes.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I haven’t gotten one. Q. Every driver in the top six, yourself and Alex are the only ones with a win in INDYCAR.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Oh, I understand. You’re saying at any point.Look, I saw the Fast Six. I was surprised by the grid order. It’s getting impossible to predict how these are going to go, especially in qualifying. You can have an impressive run up to qualifying, feel good in practice, get into qualifying and all of a sudden it goes completely different, either positive or negative. It can go a good way, too.Yeah, you’re just seeing parity is what you’re seeing. There’s a youth movement. There’s some experienced guys that are coming in, guys like Grosjean and Scott McLaughlin. Having Jimmie, it’s a very diverse field. You have people from all walks. So I think it’s really unique to watch right now.I think it’s just as competitive as it’s always been, if not the most competitive we’ve ever had it. It’s always hard to say that. Everyone wants to say it’s the golden era when they’re in. I’ve not seen it more competitive in my time than what it is right now. Q. Josef, you obviously had a rough start to the season in Barber. You’ve had a strong car since then. Do you feel like you’ve sufficiently come back from the bad opening race at this point?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, we tried to obviously just jump back on the horse immediately after Barber, so to speak. It was not obviously the start we dreamed of. It was kind of an unusual start for us.But, yeah, I think we had good cars. We had a good car in Barber. That was the most disappointing thing about that day, I think we had a really good race car. We never got to prove that out.Life goes on. Moved on to the next event, had a good car again. We’ve tried to methodically work back into our rhythm, which you have to do. You have to have a very resilient team. I know my guys specifically on the 2 car are very resilient. We focus forward.Whenever we hit a bump, we brush it off and move on. That’s what we did from that point onwards. I feel very positive about where we’re at. We’ve had a good cadence going into the month of May. I hope that rings true for tomorrow, but more so for the 500, which is going to be very important for all of us. Q. Josef, after last year and all the restrictions, coming here with no fans, nobody in Gasoline Alley, how cool was it today to have to fight through fans to get in and out of Gasoline Alley?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was nice. It’s not what it used to be. We’re not fully back to that point. But just to have a little of the energy back at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway I think is phenomenal. This place is made for fans. It’s made by the fans.It takes a little more time for us to move around, but I think that’s the way it should be. It’s great to have that energy. You cannot replicate this place, especially on race day for the 500 without fans.I’m excited that everyone has put in so much effort from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, from Roger and the entire team, everyone at INDYCAR. I think what people don’t realize is that this series and this track has gone above and beyond to figure out a way to bring fans back this year, and last year. Didn’t happen last year, but the amount of effort that was put in behind the scenes to make it happen is really commendable.I’m super happy to see people back. I hope they’re happy enough with what we’ve been able to do for this year, continuing the tradition. As soon as we can have everyone back at full capacity, there’s no one that wants that here more than Roger and the entire team.THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Josef. We’ll see you tomorrow for the GMR Grand Prix. |
LAKE ELMO’S FIRE
| Larson takes a huge step forward The Minnesota driver hopes to keep the momentum rolling after second-place finish CONCORD, NC – MAY 14, 2021 – Brandon Sheppard and Tyler Bruening were locked in a heated battle for the lead at Mississippi Thunder Speedway when an expected moment brought fans to the edge of their seats. Brent Larson squeezed underneath the two drivers, stealing the top spot.He led 16 laps and finished second— his career best World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models finish. While the run surprised people watching at the track and at home on DIRTVision, it wasn’t a shock for him. It’s something the Lake Elmo, MN driver believes was a long time coming. “For me it was kind of like finally. It wasn’t like heck yeah that’s awesome,” Larson said. “I was really happy for the people that put so much effort into it.” While it meant a lot to get on the podium, it meant more because the Wisconsin track is less than two hours from his home. “It was cool to be around home and have my in-laws there, my daughter and my son there, my wife on sticks, and my crew that’s there week in and week out,” Larson said. “For them to be there and see how happy and excited they were, was probably a bigger deal for me than finishing second.” One of the biggest contributors to Larson’s recent success is hiring a new crew member. Donnie Birdwell moved from Florida to join the team. It helps take some of the load off Larson in the shop. “He’s been a great addition to my team, and he’s able to catch everything that takes time,” Larson said. “He’s not a wizard on setup, but most drivers at this level know what they’re after. It’s more about having somebody that can help drive the truck, get things maintained, and keep the car going.” Even though Birdwell’s been a big help, it’s still a family-run operation. Larson’s wife Melanie is the team’s tire specialist, and both of his kids also help. “My kids have been around it since they were born,” Larson said. “My son when he was three or four years old was learning how to break down tires, and air stuff up. If you look at my Facebook, there’s even pictures through the years of him tearing down engines since he was a little guy. It’s the life they’ve always known.” Helping Dad isn’t the only thing his son Matthew is working on right now. Just like his father, he’ll be getting behind the wheel. “We’re in the middle of putting a car together for [Matthew] right now,” Larson said. “He saved up a lot of money last summer, his grandpa matched him, and he bought a Super Stock. That’s the class I started in.” Even though Larson’s helping Matthew get his Super Stock ready, his focus is still on the Late Model. His goal for the rest of 2021 is to stay consistent. “I feel like I want to string three or four good weekends together before I have a bad one,” Larson said. “I want to crack off a few more podiums, and we really want to win a race. That’s everybody’s goal that’s in a spot that hasn’t won one. I really want to win a World of Outlaws race.” Larson’s quest for his first victory continues at Port Royal Speedway, May 21-22, when the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models battle in the Huey Wilcoxon, and Billy Vacek Memorials. If you can’t make it either night watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month. |
| The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws. |
RCR Event Preview – Dover International Speedway
| Richard Childress Racing at Dover International Speedway… Richard Childress Racing is no stranger to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway, with four NASCAR Cup Series wins and three NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the track affectionately known as the Monster Mile. The Welcome, N.C. organization has also captured 24 top-five and 58 top-10 finishes in the Cup Series at the concrete oval. Catch the Action… The NASCAR Xfinity Series’ Dover 200 at Dover International Speedway will be televised live Saturday, May 15, beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. The NASCAR Cup Series’ Dover 400 at Dover International Speedway will be televised live Sunday, May 16, beginning at 2 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Huk Fishing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Dover International Speedway… Dillon has 15 previous NASCAR Cup Series starts to his credit at Dover International Speedway, earning his best finish of seventh in October 2018 and finishing ninth in his most recent appearance at the track in August 2020. In eight previous NASCAR Xfinity Series appearances at the track, Dillon’s best finish is fourth in May 2015, and he is the June 2013 Xfinity Series pole sitter at the Monster Mile. The 2011 NASCAR Truck Series champion has two starts at the track in the Truck Series, earning his best finish of fourth in the May 2011 event. He also finished ninth at the track in a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race. Welcome, Huk… Huk is the fastest-growing fishing brand with an authentic passion for its products and lifestyle. Based in Charleston, S.C., at the confluence of three major rivers and a stone’s throw from the Atlantic Ocean, Huk’s product developers enjoy a dizzying array of angling opportunities that help shape and mold its purpose-built fishing brand. Huk is a fast-growing brand with wide-reaching appeal that resonates with RCR’s fan base. Huk serves as the Official Gaiter of Richard Childress Racing. For more information, visit www.hukgear.com. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTES:Does Dover drive like a giant Bristol, or not so much?“Not so much. There’s a lot of aero stuff that comes into play at Dover because you’re going so fast. You see different lines come into play as the rubber builds up. It’s always fun on a long run when you can run way up by the fence and find speed. I’m looking forward to it.” How hard is that when you pick up rubber during the cautions?“Yeah it’s just a process that we go through every week that we have to try and balance our car around. It can get difficult at times, but Dover is a place where it’s fun.” Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Cat Linkage Pins Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at Dover International Speedway… Reddick has two previous NASCAR Cup Series starts at Dover International Speedway, with his best finish of 13th coming last year. Reddick has five NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the Monster Mile, earning his best finish of third in the series during the spring 2019 race under the direction of crew chief, Randall Burnett. Reddick also has one NASCAR Truck Series win at Dover from 2015. About Cat Linkage Pins and Bearings… Don’t let one of your smallest parts become your weakest link. Cat® linkage pins and bearings keep your machine and your work moving, all day, every day. Unlike competitive options, Cat linkage pins and bearings are designed with the machine to strict Caterpillar specifications. That means every joint is a perfect fit delivering precise productivity, longer life and lower operating cost. Celebrating Cat Owner’s Club… Commemorating Cat customers by featuring 2 Cat Owner’s Club members on the car. Help us spotlight Cat customers Contech, Inc. from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and Plavchak Construction Co., Inc from Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. If you are a Cat Customer, you to can join the Cat Owner’s Club at cat.com/OwnersClub. TYLER REDDICK QUOTE: What are your expectations heading into Dover this weekend now that you have a couple of Cup starts there?“To be honest, I really don’t know. As much as teams maybe want to look back at Bristol to make things better at Dover, I don’t know how much you really can. We just didn’t get it right for the doubleheader at Dover last year. We were decent in the first race but didn’t make the right adjustments for Day 2 and went the wrong way. That was low-downforce race last year, which we have again this year, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping that some of the gains we made that made us really good at Bristol in the fall last year will apply to Dover for us this time around. I really like Dover and have had some good success there in the Trucks and Xfinity cars. Mistakes have just been made here and there along the way at Dover, but I’m hoping that narrative changes this weekend. I do love the track, and I love going up there. It’s a fast concrete oval, and it’s really demanding.” Myatt Snider and the No. 2 TaxSlayer Chevrolet Camaro at Dover International Raceway… Snider has two career NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at Dover International Speedway, both coming in the doubleheader weekend in 2020. The 26-year-old has also competed in one NASCAR Truck Series event at the Monster Mile. About TaxSlayer… TaxSlayer makes online tax filing accessible for millions of Americans, with an easy-to-use platform and unlimited support at a fraction of the cost of the competition. Trusted for over 50 years, the Augusta-based tech company successfully completed more than 10 million federal and state e-filed tax returns in 2020 and processed $15 billion in refunds. TaxSlayer achieved a 4.5/5 TrustScore on consumer review site Trustpilot, with 87% of its customers rating the tax filing platform Great or Excellent. For more information, visit www.TaxSlayer.com. MYATT SNIDER QUOTE:Dover is a unique, concrete high-banked oval. How have you prepared to go there this weekend? “Dover is unlike any track that we go to. Even though Bristol is also a concrete high-banked oval, there really aren’t a ton of comparisons when it comes to the driver perspective. The track surface typically allows you to have a couple different lanes, which is helpful. Andy Street (crew chief) and I have been working on the sim and watching film to prepare the best we can for Saturday’s race and I’m looking forward to slaying it.” |
Winner to take home $1400 from the special 42-lap Series event at Vermont race track
| BRADFORD, VT — Nestled in the heart of Vermont’s Green Mountains is the historic Bear Ridge Speedway. While the quarter-mile dirt oval is celebrating 54 consecutive years of auto racing, this Saturday, in the beautiful hamlet of Bradford, will be a history-making event for the husband/wife promoting duo of Butch and April Elms.The DIRTcar Sportsman Series will venture to their famed Bear Ridge Speedway in the Series’ first trip to Vermont. The second leg of the East Region will bring a host of outside stars to battle the hometrack faithful looking for the $1,400 top prize being offered from the more than $7,000 total purse.Jason Gray, of East Thetford, VT, is looking forward to the challenge and can be looked at as a favorite to keep the money in his home state, having claimed the track championship in 2020.“It’s a huge achievement for the track to have a Series race being a small track in Vermont,” Gray said. “It’s a much smaller track than what you see in New York. The guys from New York will have fun because it’s a bullring but it will be a challenge because our clay is different from theirs. The track surface is different than what anyone is used to. The track stays hard and slick with no rubber. It’s going to be a great race.”Gray comes into the event at his home turf sitting ninth on the East Region points which puts him in a good position looking for the East Region crown and bragging rights.The Vermont faithful doesn’t stop at Gray. Fellow competitors Jordan Fornwalt and Richie Simmons were not only top five in Bear Ridge points last year but come into the event this Saturday in the top five in the East Region as well. “I will be chasing the track championship at Bear Ridge, traveling a little, and following the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified: East Region,” Gray said of his 2021 racing plans. “I think it’s going to be a good series. I was excited to run it last year but obviously, we couldn’t. There’s a lot of good racers in the east that don’t travel much but a lot of guys get to see the talent while on the tour.”Racing is a family affair for Gray. His grandfather, father, uncle, and sister have all been in racing and the family traces its racing origins to the early 1960s. But he will face stiff competition from outside Vermont’s borders. The list of outsiders will be strong and looking for the “Green Mountain Money.” Johnny “The Jet” Scarborough won the opening East event two Saturdays ago at the Airborne Speedway. The Vermont native will be making the trip as well as David Boisclair and Justin Severance who finished on the podium on May 1. Top DIRTcar Sportsman drivers Andrew Buff and Jamie Begor plan on making the trip and for Buff, it could mean redemption as he made contact with a lapped car in the closing stages while leading at Airborne Speedway. To add to the excitement, Lebanon Valley Speedway promoter Howie Commander gave his Sportsman the night off and is offering $300 and $200 to the top two highest finishing Lebanon regulars.The DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Series: East Region racing starts with Time Trials, which set the Heat Races, Last Chance Showdowns, and of course the 42-lap $1,400-to-win Feature. That plus the DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes, Late Models, Street Stocks, and 4-Cylinder divisions will make for an action-packed night. Be sure to bookmark DIRTcar.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. |
| DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett, Bicknell Racing Products, Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory (SDS), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum) (SDS); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Beyea Headers, FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics and Velocita USA. |
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: High Payouts, Deep Field Expected for MARS Weekend at Farmer City
| FairburySheppard, Pierce, Shirley and more of DIRTcar’s biggest names scheduled to compete FARMER CITY, IL – May 13, 2021 – With the highest-paying weekend of the 2021 MARS Racing Seriesseason on deck this weekend, the brightest stars are scheduled to come out and compete. $25,000 in total winner’s shares is on the line as the Midwest’s biggest DIRTcar-sanctioned MARS Late Model names visit two of Illinois’ most popular dirt tracks – Farmer City Raceway and Fairbury Speedway. The fifth annual Farmer City 74 kicks the weekend off Friday night, May 14, with a $10,000-to-win Feature for the MARS Late Models, joined by DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models and Stock Cars. Grandstand gates at 1pm; adult general admission tickets are $25, children 12-and-under are free. Pit gates open at noon; pit passes are $40 for adults, $20 for children 12-and-under. Hot Laps are scheduled for 6:30pm. From there, the Series heads 45 minutes northward on Saturday, May 15, for a $15,000-to-win Spring Showcase spectacular at Fairbury Speedway alongside the UMP Modifieds. Grandstand gates open at 2pm; adult general admission tickets are $25, children 12-and-under are free with paying adult. Pit gates open at noon; pit passes are $40 for adults, $15 for children 12-and-under with paying adult. Here are the storylines to follow and drivers to watch for this weekend… BACK TO THE B5 – Brandon Sheppard will make his first MARS starts of the season and blow the dust off his family-owned #B5, marking his first weekend stretch of racing this year not piloting the Mark Richards-owned Rocket Chassis house car. Fairbury and Farmer City are Sheppard’s old playgrounds. He grew up racing around the banked quarter-mile facilities before joining the national Late Model tour ranks, providing him with more than enough experience to get the job done on the black-dirt bullrings at a moment’s notice. Sheppard won MARS’ most recent stop at Fairbury last year, besting a loaded field of national, regional and local talent that hosted over 50 cars in the pits. OPERATION: DEFENSE – Bobby Pierce holds a lot of recent merit at these two facilities. Pierce, of Oakwood, IL, won the inaugural Farmer City 74 in 2017, as well as the preliminary night last year, scoring $5,000 in a dominant performance that saw him lap the field up to eighth place with a seven-plus-second lead before a yellow halted that progress in traffic. Two days later, he won the MARS-sanctioned FALS Super Nationals at Fairbury, besting all 33 other cars on the property for a $10,000 paycheck against his biggest DIRTcar Late Model rivals. Two big wins against the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series in April has propelled him to an eighth-place spot in the current DIRTcar national points standings. CHAMP OUT FRONT – The defending MARS champion, Brian Shirley, of Chatham, IL, had a solid outing with the Series last weekend at LaSalle with two runner-up finishes in two days. He led most of Saturday’s Thaw Brawl finale before giving up the lead just after the halfway point, showing the Bob Cullen Racing team’s consistency early in the season. While he fell just short of his second victory in the event, Shirley did retain the points lead and carries it coming into this weekend, just five points ahead of season-opening Feature winner Ryan Unzicker. Shirley had wins at both Farmer City and Fairbury last year with the DIRTcar Summer Nationals and placed third and ninth, respectively, in the final MARS visits to the two venues. WINNER WINNER – With one MARS Feature win already under his belt this year, Ryan Unzicker heads into the weekend second in the standings, five points back of Shirley. The El Paso, IL-native also has a Feature win at Fairbury that came in the season opener two weeks ago for the track’s FALS Cup weekly series against a host of strong DIRTcar Late Model talent expected to be in the field this weekend, including Mike Spatola, Jason Feger and McKay Wenger. Unzicker placed sixth in both the Farmer City 74 and a special summer edition of the Spring Showcase last year. HUSTLER ON THE HIGHWAY – Jason Feger made it a night to remember in last year’s running of the Farmer City 74 (named after the highway that runs just north of the track), passing former event winner Shannon Babb for the lead around halfway and holding he and Pierce off for the win. Feger, of Bloomington, IL, has two third-place finishes in weekly action at both tracks so far this year, and will be a threat to defend his event title this weekend. He and his MB Customs chassis ran fifth in both MARS events last weekend at LaSalle, placing him fifth in the standings and 17th overall in DIRTcar Late Model national points. |
| DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. |
chevy racing–nascar–dover advance
| TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE DRYDENE 400 DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY DOVER, DELAWARE MAY 16, 2021 RACE #13 – DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYTeam Chevy drivers will seek to extend recent and historic success as Dover International Speedway plays host to the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) this weekend. Chevrolet has 41 NCS victories to lead all manufacturers at the 1-mile concrete oval that features 24 degrees of banking in the turns. The Drydene 400 on Sunday, May 16, will be the 103rd NCS race at Dover, which has held two NCS races every year since 1971. Kyle Larson, coming off a runner-up finish at Darlington Raceway in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, paces active drivers with an average finish of 7.4 in 12 starts. That includes a win and third place in 2019 and a pair of second-place finishes. Reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott won at the track in 2018 and has recorded seven top-10 finishes in 10 starts. Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leader with 11 victories at the track. Chevrolet drivers won six races in a row from June 2013 to October 2015. Chevrolet remains atop the NXS Manufacturer Standings through nine races heading into the Drydene 200 on Saturday, May 14. Justin Allgaier, who drove the No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS to victory lane last weekend at Darlington Raceway, won the opener of the August 2020 doubleheader at Dover. He also captured the win at the venue in 2018. Heading into the Series’ 10th race on the 2021 schedule, Team Chevy drivers occupy the fourth through ninth spots in the standings. BYRON EXTENDS CUP RECORDWith his fourth-place finish last weekend at Darlington Raceway, William Byron, 23, became the youngest driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to record 10 consecutive top-10 finishes. The impressive streak makes Byron just the fourth driver in Hendrick Motorsports’ history to record 10 or more consecutive top-10 finishes for the organization in NASCAR’s premier series. Byron’s streak started with his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in February and is the longest by a Hendrick Motorsports’ driver since Jeff Gordon in 2007. Byron remains third in the Driver Standings. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kyle Larson, who was runner-up at Darlington, moved up three spots to sixth. Reigning NCS champion Chase Elliott is eighth heading into the Dover race weekend. CREED TOPS THE FIELDReigning NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) champion Sheldon Creed earned his first victory of the season and first at Darlington Raceway in the No. 2 GMS Racing Chevrolet Silverado. With his recent win, the California-native secures his spot in the 2021 NCWTS Playoffs and his chance to defend the championship title. NCWTS Chevrolet drivers will return to action May 22 at Circuit of the Americas. ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the race, the starting lineup is determined by NASCAR’s metrics system that was introduced to the series last year and incorporates results from both individual races and season-long results. Team Chevy’s top-20 starters:3rd William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE 4th Kyle Larson, No. 5 NationsGuard Camaro ZL1 1LE8th Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1 1LE 12th Tyler Reddick, No. 8 CAT Linkage Pins Camaro ZL1 1LE14th Austin Dillon, No. 3 Huk Performance Fishing Camaro ZL1 1LE 16th Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE 19th Ross Chastain, No. 42 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL1 1LE BOWTIE BULLETS.· Chevrolet has 798 NASCAR Cup Series wins to lead all manufacturers. · Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 50 top-10 finishes this season. · In addition to its 41 wins at Dover International Speedway, Chevrolet has amassed 205 top-five and 389 top-10 finishes. · On Oct. 7, 2018, Chase Elliott became the youngest race winner at Dover (22 years, 10 months, 9 days). · Career Chevrolet driver Jimmie Johnson is the last driver to win at Dover from the pole or first starting position (Sept. 26, 2010). · Jimmie Johnson is the all-time leader with 3,113 laps led at Dover. · Kurt Busch has the most starts at Dover among active drivers with 41. · Kurt Busch (September 2000) and Ross Chastain (June 2017) made their first NCS start at Dover. · Austin Dillon has completed 99.88% of race laps (3,341 of 3,345). · Hendrick Motorsports leads all organizations with 20 wins among six drivers at Dover. · Chase Elliott (Daytona Road Course), William Byron (Homestead-Miami Speedway) and Kyle Larson (Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway 2, Kansas Speedway) have scored stage wins. TUNE INFS1 will telecast the NASCAR Cup Series Drydene 400 live at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, May 16. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. FS1 will telecast the NASCAR Xfinity Series Drydene 200 at 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 15. QUOTABLE QUOTESWILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 3rd IN STANDINGSBYRON ON HIS OUTLOOK OF RACING AT DOVER: “Dover is just a tough, tough place. There are drastic shifts in the track and you have to be able to pick up on those trends early in a run. I feel like we have a good package prepared for Dover, though. It goes back to the Chad Knaus days with Jimmie (Johnson) while incorporating in some of Chase (Elliott’s) feedback with his success there. We’ve had really fast cars there and I feel like we’re able to take those setup notes and morph it into something that fits all of our driving styles. I think, because of that, we’ll be strong there again. I feel like there is no reason why we wouldn’t be. It’s going to be about making your car turn in the right spots and not get it too loose, because once it’s too loose, it’s just a real handful.” RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE FUGLE ON RACING AT DOVER: “I think Dover is pretty unique. It’s got its own characteristics and they kind of apply to everything, no matter what you’re racing there. I think a lot of those characteristics and those thoughts can be applied to a Cup car, and I can use all these great notes from Hendrick Motorsports. Obviously, they’ve had a lot of success here in the past, so you add those things together and, hopefully, get a winning race car.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 NATIONSGUARD CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGSLARSON ON SUCCESS AT DOVER: “Dover has always been a good track for me. I’ve led a lot of laps and finished in the top-10 a lot of times there. I’m definitely excited to race at Dover this weekend, and definitely excited to drive a Hendrick Motorsports car there. They’ve run well there for a long time now. It’s a fast track and you have to keep up with the changing track conditions during a run. It’s aggressive, so I like it.” CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 NATIONSGUARD CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON WORKING WITH JOHNSON AT DOVER AND NOW LARSON: “There are a few things that Jimmie really looked for in a car at Dover. Comparing their driving styles, there are some things we can tweak for Kyle. Hendrick Motorsports has a great history at Dover. Assuming we do our homework correctly, we can run well there Sunday.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 8th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON SUCCESS AT DOVER: “Last year was unfortunate. We got caught up in a wreck pretty early and were done for the day, but we have had some good runs at the track in the past. Hendrick has had fast cars at Dover, too, and I know I’ve said it before but I think Jimmie (Johnson) is one of the biggest reasons for that success. He was so good at Dover and gave all of us such a good baseline to start each race weekend. We look forward to getting back this weekend and, hopefully, having a good run.” ALAN GUSTAFSON, CREW CHIEF, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LEGUSTAFSON ON RACING AT DOVER: “I always look forward to going to Dover. I have always liked the track and like racing there. Outside of our win, we have a pretty good track record at Dover, so we are looking forward to seeing what we have for Sunday.” AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 HUK PERFORMANCE FISHING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 12th IN STANDINGSDOES DOVER DRIVE LIKE A GIANT BRISTOL OR NOT SO MUCH?“Not so much. There’s a lot of aero stuff that comes into play at Dover because you’re going so fast. You see different lines come into play as the rubber builds up. It’s always fun on a long run when you can run way up by the fence and find speed. I’m looking forward to it.” HOW HARD IS THAT WHEN YOU PICK UP RUBBER DURING THE CAUTIONS? “Yeah, it’s just a process that we go through every week that we have to try and balance our car around. It can get difficult at times, but Dover is a place where it’s fun.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 14th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON WHY HE LOVES RACING AT DOVER: “This weekend, we are going to a track that has previously been pretty good for our team. Dover is one of my favorite places to go because it is a physically demanding race. It is demanding on both the driver and the car, so you really have to make sure that you take care of your stuff all day. We haven’t had the best of luck the past few weeks, but this Ally team is going into this week with a positive mindset and looking for a reset.” GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LEIVES ON STARTING FRESH AT DOVER: “Dover is a great place to get to with our Ally Chevrolet. We have some good notes to go off of, especially from last season. We are looking to go to Dover and continue to march forward. We are starting 16th, which is further back than we would have wanted but we have come from the back before. We have to go into this weekend with a positive mindset and put that last few weeks behind us.” TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT LINKAGE PINS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 16th IN STANDINGS“As much as teams maybe want to look back at Bristol to make things better at Dover, I don’t know how much you really can. We just didn’t get it right for the doubleheader at Dover last year. We were decent in the first race but didn’t make the right adjustments for Day 2 and went the wrong way. That was low-downforce race last year, which we have again this year, so we’ll see how it goes. I’m hoping that some of the gains we made that made us really good at Bristol in the fall last year will apply to Dover for us this time around. I really like Dover and have had some good success there in the Trucks and Xfinity cars. Mistakes have just been made here and there along the way at Dover, but I’m hoping that narrative changes this weekend. I do love the track, and I love going up there. It’s a fast concrete oval, and it’s really demanding.” DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 COMMSCOPE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 23rd IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON DOVER?“Actually, Dover is one of my favorite tracks that we go to. It’s so much fun and the feeling you get inside the car is pretty incredible. It’s also been one of my best tracks, statistically. My expectations are really high for this weekend because I have run so well in the past there.” ERIK JONES, NO. 43 MEDALLION BANK CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 27th IN STANDINGSWHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH RACING AT DOVER?“Dover (International Speedway) is a tough a place for a lot of reasons. Physically, it is probably one of the tougher races of the season for the driver. It is fast and rough. The track bounces you and throws you all around in the car, so that is always tough on your body. To get your car driving well is always hard, as well. The transitions into the corners are really big and it is kind of like falling off a cliff when you drive down into turns one and three. It is always a little bit of a difficult time to get your car really doing what you want it to do. It’s definitely physically one of the toughest races of the year.” COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DRYDENE PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 30th IN STANDINGS“Dover is one of the most unique tracks we go to on the schedule. We’re taking the 750 hp package back like we had last weekend, which will make the groove get wider to the second and third lane as you try to put the power down. The big transition from the banking to the straightaways always play into who can manage that best throughout the day. We had a solid car last week at Darlington and we’ll bring a setup similar this week. Dover is a place where I’ve been in Victory Lane (in a K&N car), so I always have more confidence rolling into the Monster Mile. I’m really excited to have Drydene back on the car for the Drydene 400 weekend. They’ve been a great supporter of mine for the past couple years of my career, so it’s awesome to continue that relationship and grow it with Spire Motorsports.” |
DEJORIA TARGETS SUCCESS AT CAROLINA FOUR-WIDE NATIONALS
AUSTIN, TX (May 14, 2021) — The NHRA Carolina Four-Wide Nationals are Alexis DeJoria’s second shot this season driving the ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Toyota Camry Funny Car in one of drag racing’s most unique events. With over 40,000 horsepower on the starting line the round by round competitors almost equal an entire starting grid of most NASCAR races as soon as they hit the throttle pedal. That kind of raw power is what draws thousands of fans to zMAX Dragway and has led to a sellout crowd for Saturday’s final day of qualifying. It is also what fires up self-described adrenaline junkie DeJoria to suit up and strap in for a 320 mph ride throughout the season.
“There is nothing like sitting on the starting line with a Funny Car on either side of you,” said DeJoria. “When we are all doing burnouts before a run it is an amazing sound and you feel the ground move. Four nitro Funny Cars or Top Fuel dragster racing at the same time is one of the coolest things we get to do.”
Earlier this season at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway DeJoria qualified No. 3 and made a strong first round run. In the second quad a broken blower belt stole her chance to advance to the final quad and an opportunity to pick up her first four-wide nationals win. In 2014 at zMAX Dragway DeJoria raced in the final quad ultimately finishing third. The format of being first or second to the finish line has its advantages and disadvantages for the ultra-competitive racer who calls Austin, Texas home.
“The first couple of rounds of a four-wide race are wild because you just have to be either the first or second race car to the finish line to go to the next round,” said DeJoria. “If you smoke the tires you really have to take a chance about getting back on the throttle because someone else could be in trouble too. Getting off the starting line clean and building some momentum down track a lot of times is the key to victory at the four-wide.”
DeJoria’s ROKiT Bandero Premium Tequila Funny Car team is led by the only driver to have won in both Funny Car and Top Fuel at the zMAX Dragway Four-Wide Nationals, Del Worsham. The two-time world champion is recognized as one of the best drivers and tuners in the sport. Worsham, along with Nicky Bonifante, has set-up DeJoria’s Funny Car to be one of the quickest race cars on the property week in and week out.
“I can’t really put into words what Del and Nicky mean to our program,” said DeJoria. “They work so well together and the hours and hours they put into the race car to get it just right are impressive. Every time I strap in I know I have a race car that can go low or get a round win. As a driver that gives you a lot of confidence.”
This season DeJoria has qualified No. 2 and No. 3 at the events with two days of qualifying and has advanced to the second round in both events. Two weeks ago at the Southern Nationals an issue with the Funny Car body riding low on the chassis disrupted DeJoria’s staging process in the first round. The team evaluated and corrected the positioning. They are focused on putting the final race at Atlanta Dragway behind them.
“It was a frustrating turn of events for sure and we were able to go back and figure out what the issue was at the end of the race day,” explained DeJoria. “I am looking forward to getting to zMAX Dragway and making three great qualifying runs and then seeing three win lights on Sunday. We will be racing the next two weeks back-to-back and I am looking forward to getting into a solid racing groove.”
Qualifying for the 11th NHRA Carolina Four-Wide Nationals will begin Friday, May 14 and continues with two additional rounds on Saturday, May 15. Final eliminations will begin at noon on Sunday and will be broadcast on FS1.
ON THE BOARD: Brad Sweet Finally Tames Lincoln for World of Outlaws Triumph vs. PA
| PosseSweet, Schatz, Marks & Macri Highlight Four-Car War at Drydene Gettysburg ClashABBOTTSTOWN, PA – May 12, 2021 – The Pennsylvania Posse hasn’t had too many opportunities to let Brad Sweet know how they feel about him. So rightfully, when he finally scored his first-career Lincoln Speedway win on Wednesday night by beating two of their proud Posse pilots, they let the jeers and sneers rain down on The Big Cat.Sweet loved it. He soaked up every jab as he stood in victory lane for the ninth time this season.You see, this two-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series champion is a west-coaster; he grew up on the bullrings of California near his Grass Valley home. And for years since he joined The Greatest Show on Dirt, Central Pennsylvania was his ultimate kryptonite. Not on this night, though.Leading the final seven laps at Lincoln, Sweet capitalized on the lap traffic madness when Danny Dietrich spooked race leader Brent Marks and slowed him up, allowing the Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 to sneak by. He survived the closing laps and held on to narrowly secure the title at the 2021 Gettysburg Clash pres. by Drydene Performance Products.”This is a fun little rivalry, I’m glad I could get the Outlaws another win,” Sweet said on the battle with the PA Posse. “I’m hearing quite a bit of booing up there, which I think is cool. That’s what this is all about, really. It’s about these huge crowds we get and putting on a show for the fans. We appreciate it whether they’re cheering or booing.”Before Sweet celebrated in the infield, a wild 35-lapper ensued at the Abbottstown, PA 3/8-mile.Donny Schatz, the 10-time Series champion, led the field to green after winning the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash over PA Posse legend, Lance Dewease. Schatz paced the opening 11 circuits aboard his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 before Sweet entered the picture and ripped the top to lead Lap 12.That didn’t last long as Schatz came back with a slide job into turn one and resumed command on Lap 13. While the Fargo, ND native controlled the top spot, Sweet brought 12th-starting Brent Marks of Myerstown, PA along with him as they mounted a challenge for the lead past the halfway point.On Lap 24, Marks perfected the bottom off turns one and two to drive by Sweet down the backstretch, and soon after stole the lead from Schatz on Lap 25. The duo of Marks and Schatz continued to race side-by-side down the stretch until the polarizing Lap 28 half-spin by lapper Danny Dietrich changed the outlook of the race.In an effort to avoid Dietrich, Marks and Schatz were both forced to take evasive action. The end result? It allowed Sweet and Anthony Macri of Dillsburg, PA to drive by them on Lap 29 of 35. The move shuffled Marks back fourth, but he came roaring back with a vengeance as he passed Schatz, then Macri, and set his sights on Sweet.The #19M closed on the #49 lap-after-lap, but eventually ran out of time as Sweet took the checkered flag over Marks by 0.251-seconds.”I think Brent had the car to beat,” Sweet admitted. “We had the car to run second, but was better than us at moving around and going through traffic. It’s still one of the best cars I’ve ever had here, but we need to recognize there’s room to grow. A win is win, though, especially in Central Pennsylvania. We had a bad weekend at Eldora, so to rebound with a win gives us some confidence going to Williams Grove.”Brent Marks settled for second-place honors as the highest-finishing PA Posse driver at Lincoln.”He [Dietrich] just got all crossed up in front of me, and I had to check up and get over the cushion to get around him,” Marks said on the lap traffic incident. “It’s disappointing, but still a really great run for us. It’s a lot of fun to be up here battling guys like Brad and Donny like that. This car has been awesome lately. These World of Outlaws raced are never over until they’re over.”Following Sweet and Marks at the Gettysburg Clash was Anthony Macri with his second-career World of Outlaws podium aboard the #39M.”I just took advantage on that situation the best I could,” Macri mentioned on bolting to second late in the going. “We’ll take this and look forward to Williams Grove.”David Gravel ended up fourth aboard the Big Game Motorsports #2 and Donny Schatz faded to finish fifth in the mid-week show.Rounding out the top-1o was Carson Macedo, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden, Aaron Reutzel & TJ Stutts.UP NEXT – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will take one day off before resuming the rivalry with the PA Posse on Friday and Saturday night with the Morgan Cup taking place at Williams Grove Speedway.NOS Energy Drink Feature (35 Laps) – 1. 49-Brad Sweet [2][$10,000]; 2. 19M-Brent Marks [12][$6,000]; 3. 39M-Anthony Macri [4][$3,500]; 4. 2-David Gravel [9][$2,800]; 5. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$2,500]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo [8][$2,300]; 7. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [11][$2,200]; 8. 9-James McFadden [5][$2,100]; 9. 83-Aaron Reutzel [7][$2,050]; 10. 11-TJ Stutts [15][$2,000]; 11. 15H-Sam Hafertepe [13][$1,600]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [17][$1,400]; 13. 87-Alan Krimes [25][$200]; 14. 5-Paul McMahan [6][$1,100]; 15. 1S-Logan Schuchart [22][$1,050]; 16. 51-Freddie Rahmer [14][$1,000]; 17. 55K-Robbie Kendall [21][$1,000]; 18. 99M-Kyle Moody [19][$1,000]; 19. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [24][$1,000]; 20. 5E-Tim Wagaman [26][$]; 21. 8-Devon Borden [10][$1,000]; 22. 48-Danny Dietrich [20][$1,000]; 23. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [23][$1,000]; 24. 1A-Jacob Allen [18][$1,000]; 25. 69K-Lance Dewease [3][$1,000]; 26. 1X-Chad Trout [16][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-11; 13-24; Brad Sweet 12, 29-35; Brent Marks 25-28. KSE Hard Charger Award:87-Alan Krimes[+12]NEW Championship Standings (21/83 Races): 1. Brad Sweet (2,992); 2. David Gravel (-70); 3. Carson Macedo (-122); 4. Sheldon Haudenschild (-154); 5. Aaron Reutzel (-168); 6. Donny Schatz (-170); 7. Logan Schuchart (-208); 8. Kraig Kinser (-376); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-444); 10. James McFadden (-546).Photo – Trent Gower |
| The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink® Sprint Car Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), NOS Energy (Official Energy Product), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) and VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); contingency sponsors include ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, KSE Racing Products (Hard Charger Award), MSD and Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award); manufacturer sponsors include FireAde, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, and Racing Electronics.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts all World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws. |
CONTACT AT KOKOMO: Tucker Wins Third Tour Feature of Season 3 After Bergeron Penalty
Tucker pads large points lead, looks to seal second straight title in two weeks’ time May 12, 2021 – White flag. Big slide job in Turns 1-2 by Alex Bergeron. Kendal Tucker crosses underneath him with the lead as they exit Turn 2. Then, big contact. Both drivers dove for the inside of Turn 3 at Kokomo Speedway, neither willing to give an inch as they rounded the final corners before the finish line. Some contact was made, then some more, and even more still as they crossed underneath the checkered flag in Wednesday night’s NOS Energy Drink 360 Sprint Car Feature. The iRacing simulation showed Bergeron as the winner, but DIRTcar eSports officials determined, in post-race review, that Bergeron was at fault in the incident for initiating the contact with Tucker. Therefore, Bergeron was handed a two-spot post-race penalty, and officially scored in third place. This handed the $250 Feature win over to Tucker and moved original third-place Dylan Houser into second. The last-lap fireworks succeeded a very entertaining 30 laps around the virtual quarter-mile, filled with several clean slide jobs for the lead as Houser and Bergeron tried to wrestle the lead from polesitter Tucker, who led all but the final lap. Houser was the first to do so on Lap 25, launching a big slider in Turns 3-4 that Tucker quickly turned underneath to regain the position. Bergeron threw one the very next corner, which Tucker answered immediately, driving right back by him on the inside to take the spot back. Tucker led the race through the white flag before Bergeron threw the slide job at him again in Turn 1 before the final-corner melee that decided the race, ultimately handing Tucker his second Tour Feature victory of Season 3. The DIRTcar eSports Tour is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9, featuring the 358 Small-Block Modifieds at USA International Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVisionpresented by Drydene. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [10]; 3. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [3]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 6. 115-Boddie Parker [11]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [20]; 8. 1-Jesse Enterkin [8]; 9. 17-Brett Rowles [13]; 10. 331-Dustin Hall [9]; 11. 461-Cole Dewease [15]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 13. 43-Terrell Wheeler [17]; 14. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [5]; 15. 29-Billy Richardson [7]; 16. 14-Brett Wright [19]; 17. 17-Sam Reakes [6]; 18. 5-Jacob Karklin [16]; 19. 13-Matt Remick [21]; 20. 38-Ryan Carlisi [12]; 21. 82-Eric Schroeter [14] CLAP BACK: Kilgore Breaks Jackson’s Street Stock Hot Streak with Win at Eldora Another chapter in the growing book of Carl Kilgore vs. Tyler Jackson has just been scribed. After a sour finish last Wednesday night at Limaland, Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, stepped back up to the plate at Eldora Speedway and made sure he wouldn’t be denied two weeks in-a-row, leading all 20 laps en route to his third Chevy Performance Street Stock victory of the season over Keith Hackney and Tyler Jackson. A track reset before the warmup session had several drivers rethinking their strategy, but overall made for a great race in the end and allowed drivers multiple grooves to race. “That was a hell of a race,” Kilgore said. “I was skeptical about the reset, but it turned out well. It really worked into a great racetrack.” While Kilgore led the entire distance, he did encounter several slide job attempts for the top spot, but denied them quickly. “We were trying to keep our nose clean for the first half, then when we had that caution at Lap 15, it was go-time,” Kilgore said. A late caution flag restacked the field and put a hard-charging points leader in Tyler Jackson, of Rockford, IL, right on Kilgore’s rear bumper for the restart. Both got a great launch, but Kilgore maintained the spot out front as fellow Team No Love member Hackney made the move under Jackson for second as they scrambled into Turns 1-2. While Jackson was able to take the spot back on the high side by the time they crossed under the white flag, his successful slide job in Turns 1-2 was countered by Kilgore down low as he retook the lead. Hackney, of Calhoun, GA, threw a slide job of his own from third on Jackson in Turn 3 and was able to cut Jackson off as they reached Turn 4, swiping the runner-up spot away at the line as teammate Kilgore drove away with the $100 Feature win. The win is one of importance for Kilgore, having come into the race 58 points back of Jackson in the championship standings. The win will cut into Jackson’s lead by 10 points as the season begins the final stretch next week. The Chevy Performance Street Stock League is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9 of competition at Williams Grove Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. Chevy Performance Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 021-Carl Kilgore [1]; 2. 69-Keith Hackney [3]; 3. 25-Tyler Jackson [4]; 4. 121-Edward Farness [5]; 5. 17-Brett Rowles [8]; 6. 546-Randy Axner [10]; 7. 077-Holden English [11]; 8. 73-Scott Reid [12]; 9. 93-Steve Miskolczi [21]; 10. 026-Sage Luther [18]; 11. 002-Clifford Bellomy [19]; 12. 26-Sean Stevens [14]; 13. 21-Jim Reavis [9]; 14. 23-Brayden McMahan [13]; 15. 71-Daniel Stiffler [16]; 16. 260-Blade Kearns [7]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [22]; 18. 53-Aidan Skraha [2]; 19. 18-Justin Henson [23]; 20. 0-Jordan Gage [6]; 21. 97-Butch Baker [20]; 22. 111-Jaron Valley [24]; 23. 225-Nathan Lemons [15]; 24. 92-Payton Gries [17] DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. Tucker pads large points lead, looks to seal second straight title in two weeks’ time May 12, 2021 – White flag. Big slide job in Turns 1-2 by Alex Bergeron. Kendal Tucker crosses underneath him with the lead as they exit Turn 2. Then, big contact. Both drivers dove for the inside of Turn 3 at Kokomo Speedway, neither willing to give an inch as they rounded the final corners before the finish line. Some contact was made, then some more, and even more still as they crossed underneath the checkered flag in Wednesday night’s NOS Energy Drink 360 Sprint Car Feature. The iRacing simulation showed Bergeron as the winner, but DIRTcar eSports officials determined, in post-race review, that Bergeron was at fault in the incident for initiating the contact with Tucker. Therefore, Bergeron was handed a two-spot post-race penalty, and officially scored in third place. This handed the $250 Feature win over to Tucker and moved original third-place Dylan Houser into second. The last-lap fireworks succeeded a very entertaining 30 laps around the virtual quarter-mile, filled with several clean slide jobs for the lead as Houser and Bergeron tried to wrestle the lead from polesitter Tucker, who led all but the final lap. Houser was the first to do so on Lap 25, launching a big slider in Turns 3-4 that Tucker quickly turned underneath to regain the position. Bergeron threw one the very next corner, which Tucker answered immediately, driving right back by him on the inside to take the spot back. Tucker led the race through the white flag before Bergeron threw the slide job at him again in Turn 1 before the final-corner melee that decided the race, ultimately handing Tucker his second Tour Feature victory of Season 3. The DIRTcar eSports Tour is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9, featuring the 358 Small-Block Modifieds at USA International Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVisionpresented by Drydene. NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps) – 1. 00-Kendal Tucker [1]; 2. 2-Dylan Houser [10]; 3. 12-Alex Bergeron [2]; 4. 33-Evan Seay [3]; 5. 85-Tyler Schell [4]; 6. 115-Boddie Parker [11]; 7. 48-Dylan Yeager [20]; 8. 1-Jesse Enterkin [8]; 9. 17-Brett Rowles [13]; 10. 331-Dustin Hall [9]; 11. 461-Cole Dewease [15]; 12. 46-Jonathan Nause [18]; 13. 43-Terrell Wheeler [17]; 14. 033-Richard Murtaugh Jr. [5]; 15. 29-Billy Richardson [7]; 16. 14-Brett Wright [19]; 17. 17-Sam Reakes [6]; 18. 5-Jacob Karklin [16]; 19. 13-Matt Remick [21]; 20. 38-Ryan Carlisi [12]; 21. 82-Eric Schroeter [14] CLAP BACK: Kilgore Breaks Jackson’s Street Stock Hot Streak with Win at Eldora Another chapter in the growing book of Carl Kilgore vs. Tyler Jackson has just been scribed. After a sour finish last Wednesday night at Limaland, Kilgore, of Greenville, MS, stepped back up to the plate at Eldora Speedway and made sure he wouldn’t be denied two weeks in-a-row, leading all 20 laps en route to his third Chevy Performance Street Stock victory of the season over Keith Hackney and Tyler Jackson. A track reset before the warmup session had several drivers rethinking their strategy, but overall made for a great race in the end and allowed drivers multiple grooves to race. “That was a hell of a race,” Kilgore said. “I was skeptical about the reset, but it turned out well. It really worked into a great racetrack.” While Kilgore led the entire distance, he did encounter several slide job attempts for the top spot, but denied them quickly. “We were trying to keep our nose clean for the first half, then when we had that caution at Lap 15, it was go-time,” Kilgore said. A late caution flag restacked the field and put a hard-charging points leader in Tyler Jackson, of Rockford, IL, right on Kilgore’s rear bumper for the restart. Both got a great launch, but Kilgore maintained the spot out front as fellow Team No Love member Hackney made the move under Jackson for second as they scrambled into Turns 1-2. While Jackson was able to take the spot back on the high side by the time they crossed under the white flag, his successful slide job in Turns 1-2 was countered by Kilgore down low as he retook the lead. Hackney, of Calhoun, GA, threw a slide job of his own from third on Jackson in Turn 3 and was able to cut Jackson off as they reached Turn 4, swiping the runner-up spot away at the line as teammate Kilgore drove away with the $100 Feature win. The win is one of importance for Kilgore, having come into the race 58 points back of Jackson in the championship standings. The win will cut into Jackson’s lead by 10 points as the season begins the final stretch next week. The Chevy Performance Street Stock League is back in action next Wednesday night, May 19, for Round #9 of competition at Williams Grove Speedway. Catch all the action live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. Chevy Performance Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 021-Carl Kilgore [1]; 2. 69-Keith Hackney [3]; 3. 25-Tyler Jackson [4]; 4. 121-Edward Farness [5]; 5. 17-Brett Rowles [8]; 6. 546-Randy Axner [10]; 7. 077-Holden English [11]; 8. 73-Scott Reid [12]; 9. 93-Steve Miskolczi [21]; 10. 026-Sage Luther [18]; 11. 002-Clifford Bellomy [19]; 12. 26-Sean Stevens [14]; 13. 21-Jim Reavis [9]; 14. 23-Brayden McMahan [13]; 15. 71-Daniel Stiffler [16]; 16. 260-Blade Kearns [7]; 17. 46-Jonathan Nause [22]; 18. 53-Aidan Skraha [2]; 19. 18-Justin Henson [23]; 20. 0-Jordan Gage [6]; 21. 97-Butch Baker [20]; 22. 111-Jaron Valley [24]; 23. 225-Nathan Lemons [15]; 24. 92-Payton Gries [17] |
| DIRTcar Racing is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider), VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel), Chevy Performance Parts, iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, and NAPA Auto Parts (SDS). Contingency sponsors include: ARP (Automotive Racing Products), ASI Race Wear (SDS), Bassett Racing Wheel, Bell Helmets, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products (SDS), Billy Whittaker Cars & Trux (SDS), Cometic Gasket (SDS), COMP Cams, Drydene, Fast Shafts, Fox Factory, Jerovetz Motorsports Shock Service, K1 Race Gear, KSE Racing Products, MSD, Mulit FireX, Quarter Master, Schoenfeld Headers, Summit Racing Equipment, Velocita USA, Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum), and Xceldyne. Along with manufacturer sponsors, including: FireAde, Intercomp, and Racing Electronics. |
Rad dan drift–2021 Round one report
| EVENT RECAP: Round 1 DOWNLOADS: PHOTOS + VIDEO * all 2021 galleries can be accessed here * We are back and stronger than ever! This year we welcome our new tire partner, GT Radial. With a new tire, came a lot of testing, which is exactly what Team RAD focussed on during the off season. RAD DAN has entered this race season more confident than ever in his car setup. With that, he qualified 6th out of the 32 drivers at Round 1! This was a great accomplishment for the entire team. As Dan was in the burnout box for Top 32 battles, he already felt a difference in the cars power. He did what he could to get everything out of the car in his lead run with Adam LZ but the engine was having major issues by the end of his lead lap as well as his chase lap, giving Adam the win. We are working with our partners and reviewing data to resovle the issue. We will be ready to compete with our spare motor for Round 2 in Orlando, FL next weekend! Thank you to each our that took part in bringing the car together another year. We are thrilled to be competing across the country representing your brands in the funnest way we know how. |
Team JEGS brother/sister duo primed for big drag racing weekend in Charlotte
| CONCORD, N.C. (May 11) — This weekend’s trip to Bruton Smith’s beautiful zMax Dragway for the NGK NTK NHRA Four-Wide Nationals has Team JEGS racers Troy Coughlin Jr. and his sister Paige excited for a number of reasons, not the least of which is another chance to hoist a coveted Wally trophy. Sophomore Pro Stock driver Troy Jr. gained a lot of experience in his first-ever four-wide race a month ago in Las Vegas, so he’s feeling a little more confidence in the format as he heads to “the Bellagio of Drag Strips” with his powerful JEGS.com Elite Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. “Drag racing four-wide is something different but I really enjoy the format,” Troy Jr. said. “It adds a lot to the competition. You have to really concentrate on what you’re doing during the staging process in relation to the other three cars. In the end you’re still trying to get all you can out of your own car, so you can’t get too distracted by what the other drivers are doing either. “Charlotte is a fun town with a lot of really great motorsports fans. Plus, JEGS has a lot of loyal customers from that area so we really want to show what we’re capable of this weekend.”  Troy Jr. started the year with a strong runner-up finish in Florida but has since suffered two early exits in both Las Vegas and Atlanta. That’s something he’s eager to put behind him as the fourth race of the season roars to life in the Queen City.“When you have a race where things didn’t go as planned, you just have to start over, get back in the car and do what you do,” Troy Jr. said. “It’s about living in the moment, taking it as it comes, and executing your job one lap at a time. I can’t advance forward if I’m thinking about the past. If you think about the past you’ll end up repeating it because your mind always goes to whatever you’re focused on. “It’s all part of my growth as a driver. Pro Stock cars are very challenging to drive. It’s not easy, but it’s so much fun when you get it all right, like we did for the most part in Gainesville. I know with the caliber of Elite Motorsports behind me, I’ve always got a great chance to win.” When not piloting his Pro Stocker, Troy Jr. will be looking out for his kid sister Paige, who will be piloting her very own JEGS.com dragster in Super Comp. “Super Comp is a very strategic and competitive class where you’re running a lot of tough racers,” Troy Jr. said. “It gives me a lot of energy to see her enthusiasm and drive to become better every time out. This will also be the first time this year to race together so I’m excited. I tend to have the most fun when there’s family around.”  Having just finished another semester at Miami University of Ohio, Paige is equally happy to be back at the racetrack. While this will be her first NHRA-sanctioned event of the season, she’s already made some warm-up laps at a local event in Ohio.“I’m definitely ready to get back in the seat,” Paige said. “We recently entered an event at Kilkare Raceway and the car was fantastic. My crew chief Justin Beaver did a great job tuning the car at Kilkare and I know we are both ready to get back to the quarter-mile this weekend. “I’m really excited to be back at zMax Dragway. I have a lot of great memories here from watching my dad run his Pro Mod car to competing in my first-ever NHRA national event. I’m also very excited to watch my brother run Pro Stock. Cheering on my brother is a blast and racing together at NHRA events makes them even more special. “It will also be great to see everyone at Elite Motorsports. They are a great group of people that share our family’s passion for the sport.” Troy Jr., Paige and several teammates will visit the Top Golf location near the track for some team bonding heading into the weekend. |
DiBenedetto Looking to Get a Handle on Dover
May 12, 2021  After a couple of mediocre finishes at Dover International Speedway in 2020, Matt DiBenedetto and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team are looking at this weekend’s Drydene 400 at Dover not as a race to dread but one that presents an opportunity to improve as a team.“Dover is a track we couldn’t get a grip on last year as far as the speed we needed,” said DiBenedetto, who is set to start Sunday’s race from 18th place. “We’re planning to learn from last year, try something different this time and redeem ourselves.” He said this weekend’s race on the one-mile concrete oval offers him and the Motorcraft/Quick Lane team a chance to build on its strengths. “We know we’re good at the mile-and-a-half tracks like Las Vegas and Texas, and we’re strong on the superspeedways,” he said. “This is an opportunity to become more well-rounded.” DiBenedetto said he’s confident that even without practice, crew chief Greg Erwin and the engineers on the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang will come up with a good set-up for the 400-lap race. He said that even though he and the No. 21 team excel on the concrete oval at Bristol, there a few similarities between the two tracks beyond the type of surface. “Dover is slick, with less grip,” he said. “We’ll bank what we learned last year and build on it.” DiBenedetto enters the weekend 17th in the Cup Series standings but is tied in points with 16th place Tyler Reddick, who holds the tie-breaker of best race finish this season. Sunday’s Drydene 400 is set to get the green flag just after 2 p.m. Eastern Time with TV coverage on FOX Sports 1. Stage breaks will be at Laps 120 and 240. |
chevy racing–indycar–grandprix indianapolis–advance
| CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIESGMR GRAND PRIXINDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSETEAM CHEVY ADVANCEMAY 14-15 RACE 5 OF 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES: DETROIT (May 12, 2021) – Will Power points to starting fast as the most definitive reason he’s been able to finish strong on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Power, driver of the No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske Chevrolet, has been proficient on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit that incorporates portions of Turns 1 and 2 and the front straight of the famed oval. He has taken center stage in Victory Circle in 2015, ‘17, ’18 and October 2020 – each after starting from the pole – backed by 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 Chevrolet engine. Power will join 12 other Team Chevy drivers who will seek to kick off NTT INDYCAR SERIES events this month at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with a victory in the 85-lap/207.3-mile GMR Grand Prix on Saturday, May 15. Two 45-minute practice sessions precede knockout qualifications Friday, May 14. Team Chevy drivers have earned eight pole starts, led by Power’s five, and seven wins in the nine events since the inaugural race on the road course in 2014. “Generally, if I qualify on pole at that track, we have a great shot of winning,” said Power, who has transferred a pole start to victory nine times with Chevrolet power. “You see different drivers win multiple races at different tracks. The Indy road course has been one of those for me.” The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated reshaping the 2020 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, with three races contested on the IMS road course. Power and Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden were among the winners. After Pato O’Ward broke through for his initial NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory — and the 90th for Chevrolet since it returned to engine manufacturer competition in 2012 — May 2 at Texas Motor Speedway in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing’s Rinus VeeKay is the odds-on favorite as the next first-time winner. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, where the 2020 Series rookie of the year has two top-five finishes and a pole start in three races, is a likely venue. VeeKay, 20, driving the No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek Chevrolet, has had a solid start to the season with three top-10 finishes in the four races. Joining the Chevrolet lineup are two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya in the No. 86 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet and Charlie Kimball driving the No. 11 Tresiba Chevrolet for AJ Foyt Racing. Following the GMR Grand Prix, attention shifts to the 2.5-mile IMS oval for preparations for the 105th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on Sunday, May 30. In 2018, Power and Chevrolet swept the races on the road course and oval. The next year, Team Penske teammate Simon Pagenaud followed suit in his Chevrolet-powered race car. “Chevrolet teams move from the high-banked Texas Motor Speedway oval to the exceptionally technical Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course this weekend for the GMR Grand Prix. The schedule presents challenges for drivers and Chevrolet engineers to get up to speed quickly for qualifying and the 85-lap race,” Chevrolet INDYCAR program manager Rob Buckner said. “Chevrolet has had great success in the nine races on the 2.439-mile road course and we will aim to start the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with another victory and then turn our attention to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’ ” NBC will telecast the GMR Grand Prix live at 2:30 p.m. ET May 15. The 85-lap race will also be broadcast live on INDYCAR Radio Network affiliates, Sirius 211, XM 205, Indycar.com, and on the INDYCAR Mobile app powered by NTT DATA. Practice and live qualifications will stream on Peacock Premium. Team Chevy will be represented by:A.J. Foyt EnterprisesDalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators/AJ Foyt RacingCharlie Kimball, No. 11 Tresiba/AJ Foyt RacingSebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT/AJ Foyt RacingArrow McLaren SPPato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SPFelix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SPJuan Pablo Montoya, No. 86 Arrow McLaren SPCarlinMax Chilton, No. 59 Gallagher CarlinEd Carpenter RacingConor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air ForceRinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/AutogeekTeam PenskeJosef Newgarden, No. 2 Snap-on Team PenskeScott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team PenskeWill Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team PenskeSimon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 2012 2021 – 1 win, 1 pole in 4 racesWin – Pato O’Ward (Texas2). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park)2020 – 7 wins, 11 poles in 14 racesWins – Simon Pagenaud (Iowa1); Josef Newgarden (Iowa2, St. Louis2, Indy RC2, St. Petersburg); Will Power (Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3, St. Petersburg). Poles – Josef Newgarden (Texas, Road America1, Iowa2), Will Power (Indianapolis road course, St. Louis1, Mid-Ohio1, Indy RC3; St. Petersburg), Pato O’Ward (Road America2), Conor Daly (Iowa1), Rinus VeeKay (Indy road course October)2019 – 9 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesDriver/owner championship (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske); Indianapolis 500 win (Simon Pagenaud)2018 – 6 wins, 9 poles in 17 racesIndianapolis 500 win (Will Power)2017 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 17 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Josef Newgarden/Roger Penske)2016 – 14 wins, 13 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Simon Pagenaud/Roger Penske)2015 – 10 wins, 16 poles in 16 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Scott Dixon/Chip Ganassi);Indianapolis 500 win (Juan Pablo Montoya). First manufacturer to capture all titles since Chevrolet returned to INDYCAR in 20122014 – 12 wins, 14 poles in 18 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Will Power/Roger Penske)2013 – 10 wins, 11 poles in 19 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; Indianapolis 500 win (Tony Kanaan)2012 – 11 wins, 10 poles in 15 racesEngine Manufacturer Championship; driver/owner titles (Ryan Hunter-Reay/Michael Andretti)Total – 90 wins, 100 earned poles in 153 races |
chevy racing–nascar–dover–corey lajoie
| NASCAR CUP SERIESDOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDRYDENE 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTMAY 12, 2021 COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 DRYDENE PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Highlights: HOW DO YOU FEEL THE SEASON HAS PLAYED OUT AND ARE YOU AT PAR OR, A PLUS OR MINUS?“I think, on paper, we are probably a minus. But I think internally, we are better off. We had mechanical failures early. We had an engine break and a couple of things happen. We had a really good run at Martinsville. We should have probably had a Top 10 result there, but we got caught up on pit road. We’ve had four DNF’s, so if we clean those up, then we’re 24th or 25th in points, which I feel like really over-achieving for what we set out to do. But we’re sitting there in 30th or whatever it is in points, and still pretty bullish on what we’re capable of doing. It was a little bit more of a transition than I expected from the Ford Mustangs we ran last year and transferring the set-ups over to these Ganassi Camaros, the aero balance was a little bit different. They had a little bit more front downforce, so we had to adjust, and we probably threw away three or four weeks on intermediate tracks to get that balance figured out. But I think we’ve got a pretty good handle on what these cars need to make some speed and I was pretty happy with how we ran at Darlington. We were probably a 20th to 23rd place car, around 22nd, and I think for us, that’s checking the boxes and incrementally getting better and figuring out the things we need to do to get better throughout the year.” WHAT’S IT LIKE SERVING IN A BIT OF A MENTOR ROLE TO JUSTIN HALEY AND WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP YOU’VE DEVELOPED AT SPIRE MOTORSPORTS?“I’ve actually grown to kind of like it. It’s this weird phase in your career when you realize you’re not the young guy anymore. You were always the young guy looking up to Jimmie Johnson or all these guys you grew up idolizing. Now, you look in the mirror and you are 29 or 30 years old with a couple of years of Cup experience under your belt. Now you’ve got a 22-year-old kid behind you and you are offering advice and you’re almost mirroring stuff that people have told you along the way. I’ve enjoyed that. We don’t get a whole lot of time. His focus is primarily on a Xfinity car and trying to go for a championship there with Kaulig Racing, but it’s fun to interact and just get to see his perspective on things because his path to how he got where he is, is a little bit different than mine. So, to see and compare different racing experiences together. He can give me some pointers sometimes, too, from the Xfinity race the day before (like) what the tires do and how much grip the track gives up, or whatever the case might be. So, I lean on him probably just as much as he leans on me for advice because he’s getting more seat time every weekend than I am on the race track.” FIVE OF THE NEXT 11 POINTS RACES ARE ON ROAD COURSES. WHAT HAVE YOU GUYS AT SPIRE DONE TO PREPARE, ESPECIALLY THAT WE DIDN’T RACE AT WATKINS GLEN OR SONOMA LAST YEAR?“I do not like the fact that you reminded me there are five on road courses out of the next 11. I haven’t had a lot of experience on road courses growing up, for whatever reason. My first ever road course experience was in a Cup car at Watkins Glen. But I ran a car down at COTA earlier this year, in December, just to see the place and figure out the braking points and stuff like that. I feel like I’ll be able to pick-up fairly quick when we go to Austin, but I’ve never been to Road America. I’ve only got one of two races at Sonoma. That’s certainly my weak point. But I’ve been working hard on it. It’s totally different than what I grew up doing. I’ve got to put a little more weight into it since NASCAR is obviously going the way of a couple more road courses on the schedule and talking about street courses in the future. So, there’s no excuse to not work hard at it and I know my guys here at Spire Motorsports are going to do their best to give me a good car. I don’t want to be the weak link in the seat.” WAS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT THE COTA TRACK THAT YOU FEEL IS UNIQUELY DIFFERENT FROM THE ROAD COURSES YOU’VE RUN AT PREVIOUSLY?“There’s not a whole lot of elevation change besides that big uphill climb into Turn 1. I ran a BMW down there, which was a WRL race and there were about eight different classes. The speed discrepancy was big. So, I was right there in the middle. My point being if I’d gone off Turn 1 and there was a GT car behind me and he didn’t get around me through that right-hand sweeper, up until the esses, he was stuck behind me because the course is so slow and those esses tighten-up so much. I think if you are somebody who might not be as fast as somebody in front of you, if you can just maintain your position on a restart through (Turns) 1 and 2 and get to the esses, you can maintain that position all the way down into (Turn) 11 and into the hairpin and it’ll single out and you can probably maintain for a long time. There are only three passing zones, I think. Beyond that, there’s going to be a lot of sliding around because that track is pretty racy.” HOW MANY CARS CAN YOU FIT IN SOME OF THOSE WIDER AREA TURNS?“It’s a wide track but on the flipside, it’s only one fast groove, so you might be able to fit four cars, but the preferred lane is going to go. I’m not sure how it’s going to play out. I like the fact that it’s not quite as fast as Watkins Glen, so you’re not depending on aero so much up through the esses because Watkins Glen is an intermediate road course at this point in time with how much grip it’s got and how much downforce your car makes. So, I don’t think it’s going to be quite to that level. It’s going to be a little bit faster than Sonoma and kind of a good mix of both. I think it should be a good race. I’m just excited to go to a new market down there in Austin and see how the fans support it.” DO YOU FEEL LIKE IF YOU STAY ON THE RACE TRACKS AND MINIMIZE MISTAKES THAT A SMALLER TEAM LIKE YOURSELF THAT YOU CAN GET SOME ABOVE AVERAGE FINISHES IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS?“I would like to think so. You can point to Jeremy Clements winning that Road America race a couple of years ago. Xfinity racing is so much different than Cup racing. There might be 10 guys who know what they’re doing on a Saturday afternoon. There are 32 or 35 guys on a Sunday who know what they’re doing. The odds of 15 guys missing the boat or having the wrong strategy is very slim. That’s why those guys are making a lot of money, whether it be on the pit road side, or behind the wheel. It’s just as hard to sneak a finish at a speedway race as a road course or short track race just because everybody is a professional. That’s why it’s the big time. It’s not the minor leagues. And I don’t think you’re going to see a deep-in-the-field guy sneak one out at a road course unless there’s just some absolutely crazy pit strategy and he can go long or whatever the case may be, but I just don’t think you’re going to see it because the simulation models are too good. They’ve got engineers at the track as well as a whole compound at the shop running the infinite possibilities of strategy outcomes. When you’re up against that sort of stuff, it’s hard to sneak a good finish in any given week, let alone a road course.” HOW MUCH DOES RUNNING SHIFTER CARS ACTUALLY HELP?“It doesn’t hurt. The only thing that hurts are your ribs if you hit a curb. Those things are just a person mover. I think the sensation of speed, braking technique are somewhat similar, but you have to have a lot of finesse wrestling a 3600-pound car around the track instead of just getting after it in a shifter car. I’ve learned a lot of things. I’ve picked up a lot of speed just forcing myself to learn different ways and different apexes into the corner just at a go-kart track. So, I think it’s not so much applying go karts to Cup cars as much as it is making your brain be flexible to constantly get better and make adjustments to trying to find speed. And I think that that side of it is what correlates the most.” HOW ARE SOME OF THE COST CUTTING MEASURES FOR THE NEXT GEN CAR GOING TO HELP THE SMALLER TEAMS?“I think short term, it’s probably going to be a wash or a push to what we have now because now we can lean on Ganassi and Hendrick to get some of their hand-me-down stuff instead of cutting a seven-figure check to get all new parts in the door. I think the long-term gain of the trickle down, affect behind a team like Hendrick or Ganassi or Penske or Gibbs or all those big guys not spending the money at R&D to develop new parts. The infinite amounts of things they can work on and find just morsels of speed is what’s going to trickle down and save everybody money. But at the end of the day, big teams are always going to spend a little bit more and have more people and spend more time in the wind tunnel and stuff like that. So hopefully we can pick-up where we’d like to. I don’t think it’s going to be even by any means like some people might think. But you’re not going to worried about getting beaten because you have a different left-front upper control arm, or your suspension is a little bit different than the next guy’s. You’ve got to stack the pennies. “I think for the first half of the year the bigger teams are going to further separated from the smaller teams than they are right now just because we have notes we can lean on. I’m probably a little bit nervous because we’re doing all we can at Spire Motorsports to get our cars currently on the race track with all the notes and all the decades’ worth of set-ups we have. And then we throw a whole new mix into it where there’s all the other bigger teams, obviously the ones who are competing for championships, have a working group internally already figuring that Next Gen car out and figuring areas they can work on with the bodies and suspension like that to obviously get themselves a competitive advantage. So, if we’re running as lean as we are now just to get to the race track, we have no time to look into the future and work on that Next Gen car until after the year is over. So, that’s what I’m a little bit worried about just to hit the ground running. But I’m also confident on the other side of the coin, in Ryan Sparks’ abilities as an engineer and racer to figure that car out quick. And everybody underneath at Spire Motorsports will figure it out. We’re just going to have to get lean and mean and get after it and not make excuses.” LOOKING AT DOVER THIS WEEKEND WITH STEEP BANKING ALL AROUND, HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE MILES THE MONSTER AT DOVER PRETTY MUCH IN REAL LIFE IN TERMS OF THAT STEEP BANKING?“it’s probably one of the most unique places we go to because the rubber lays down really heavy and the track gets really wide, depending on what tire and downforce package we have. Obviously, we have the low downforce package. So, we’re going to get up the race track quite a bit searching for grip and trying to get a better run down the hill and put power down on the straightaways. I’ve had success there in a K&N car there in year’s past and have run well there in a Xfinity car, so I always have confidence going to the Monster Mile. But that’s a place, man, where it’s really car dependent. Your car has to get over the bumps. Your shocks have to be dialed in and you have to have a lot of downforce and a lot of motor. So, it’s one of the more-heavier-dependent car tracks that we go to on the circuit. And if you’re off a little bit, compared to those leaders, you’re in the way. This is the most excited I’ve been in my career going to Dover in a Cup car just because I know what we continue to build to. Our cars have more downforce, and we have good engines this year as well. So, judging by our performance last week at Darlington, where like I said, a 22nd place car, and if we can run there, then we can run 20th and when we start running there we can run on the back-end of the Top 15 and that’s kind of the trajectory that we’re trying to put ourselves on.” WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU THE MOST ABOUT THIS SEASON AS WE APPROACH THE HALF-WAY POINT?“How many winners there have been; I think we talk about that every week in my podcasts. Granted, we’ve got Martin Truex Jr. winning three, but beyond that, everybody has only won one. And the fact we haven’t seen Kevin Harvick or Denny Hamlin find Victory Lane is a little bit surprising for me. I think competitively, this is probably one of the most competitive seasons in NASCAR of all time. So, I’m excited to see how that boils down by the end of the regular season because having Daytona, there are a couple of different factors into that. All the teams have a couple extra speedway cars left and there are only two more speedway races left and one can punch your ticket into the Playoff, potentially. I think everybody is going to be tightening the belts up and putting it in there and trying to contend for a win at Daytona and then that fall race at Talladega will be just tighten the belts and throw caution to the wind and bring home the steering wheel. So, there is a lot of stuff to look forward to if you’re a race fan as we continue to see the numbers on TV grow or stay consistent. Those are really optimistic numbers. I do think there’s still room to grow. There’s a lot of things to be excited about as both a competitor in the sport as well as a fan, right now.” |
chevy racing–nascar–dover–tyler reddick
| NASCAR CUP SERIESDOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAYDRYDENE 400TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPTMAY 12, 2021 TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT LINKAGE PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Press Conference Transcript: YOU’VE RACED A LITTLE BIT AT COTA IN I’M NOT SURE EXACTLY WHAT TYPE OF CAR IT WAS BACK IN DECEMBER, BUT I’M CURIOUS IF THERE WAS ANYTHING ABOUT THAT TRACK THAT YOU’RE LIKE THIS IS REALLY DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER ROAD COURSE I’VE EXPERIENCED.“One thing in particular, that’s like ‘wow, I haven’t experienced that before’ – maybe aside from how after you exit turn nine and you’re going into ten, is you have a very important and slightly downhill hairpin right ahead of you. You can’t afford to underdrive it and you can’t, obviously, afford to blow through it. And then right after you get done doing that, one of the most important acceleration zones is after that hairpin. You pretty much follow it up with, yet again, another very critical, high-speed, really important braking zone into (turn) twelve. I don’t say we have a lot of tracks that I’ve ever experienced or I’ve ran in NASCAR that has two corners that are kind of back-to-back exactly like that. I think maybe at Road America, you have turn one that’s the high-speed, right-hander; you have that little short chute, if you will, into (turn) two. And then you haul back down into turn five – I can’t remember the nickname for that corner. That’s the only place that’s somewhat like that, that I’ve experienced.” “This track, just for me, has a little bit of everything from other road courses that I’ve been to and experienced. The amount of run off that we do have, I was really excited about. The big turtles that we’re putting in – I think we’ll still be able to, if you can get over the turtles without destroying your race car, there’s a lot of track you can use to save it and get back going. But those turtles are definitely going to tear some stuff up. There’s a lot of room for error, if you do make a mistake. I think that will promote drivers to be aggressive and race hard with all the run off that this track does have.” HOW MANY PASSING AREAS ARE THERE?“In my opinion, I could be wrong, obviously I’ve never won a road course race or ran very well on them besides the Clash at the beginning of the year, but I think you have some options when you go into this race. You can kind of pick and choose between where you can make your car stronger. But it’s tough because you really want to be fast if you have the track position through the ‘S’s. That’s a very important part of the lap and if you nail that right, it’s going to be a great lap. If you miss it, you’re going to have a terrible lap. So, you want a car that can get through the ‘S’s good, but it’s really hard to pass going through that section of the race track. The easier places to pass are the heavy braking zones, obviously, and some of the slower areas on the back side of the track by the carousel in that stadium section. I think drivers will be debating with their crew chiefs and themselves, ‘what do we do here’: Do we try to try to be pretty good everywhere? Are we going to give up some in the areas where it’s hard to pass and try to push to have a better car that can attack and pass in those areas where I think you’ll see more of that action?” AS A YOUNG DRIVER, WHAT ARE THE REALLY HARD PARTS OF DOVER FOR YOU?“There’s things that really separate it from the others; but to me, those features are things that weren’t, I guess, new to me coming from dirt racing and seeing a lot of different tracks. That sensation you have driving off of the banking down into the corner is a lot more than a lot of the tracks that we do go to. But I’ve raced a lot of different tracks at a lot of different places, so those sensations that you have at Dover, they never really jumped out at me when I first went there. Probably the biggest one is I feel like you have to be aggressive to make some good lap times, but you can burn your tires up. But at the same time, if you do make that mistake off of turn two or turn four and over correct it or bounce off the fence, it’s very easy once you’ve lost control to find yourself spun around backwards or heading towards the inside wall. There’s no room for error here. It’s not like a Daytona, Talladega, Kansas or any of those tracks where you have all that room to save the race car and get your day going back in a better direction. You bounce off that inside wall and, more times than not, that’ll end your day.” IF IT DIDN’T STRIKE YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR BACKGROUND LIKE IT DID OTHERS, THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE AN ADVANTAGE AT DOVER, RIGHT? BECAUSE OF YOUR BACKGROUND, DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE THAT ADVANTAGE?“There’s definitely been times when I’ve had cars that drive really good there, I’ve been really lean on my past dirt racing experience or maybe just the way I like to attack and drive a corner that it’s not very straightforward in the asphalt, paved NASCAR-racing world. And definitely when I won the Truck race there years and years ago now, with Doug Randolph and BKR, my approach to getting around the corner was good, but different, than what I think the normal approach was there at the time that I had before that race got going. I think for me, if I can find that feel even in a Cup car and make it work to get around the bottom, stay low, and in the cleanest air possible throughout the race, I think that’s the right direction, even with this car. Other than that, you just have to know when to push and when to hold back a little bit, save some tire and not burn your stuff up.” YOU WON AT DOVER IN A TRUCK IN 2015. WHAT ARE THE MAIN KEYS WHEN IT COMES TO A DRIVER AT DOVER IN ORDER TO GET TO VICTORY LANE?“It’s maybe not necessarily the answer you were hoping for, but first and foremost, it’s a mistake-free day. I think you can apply that to about anywhere. But you really have to be able to put the whole race together. It’s very difficult to go out there and pass a bunch of cars at the beginning of a run because the bottom is just the place to be for a very long time into the tire run. So, you have to be smart and make the right adjustments on your car. It’s tough – if you’re spending the first half of the race trying to get your car right, you’re not really giving your team or your pit crew an opportunity to bust out a fast stop and try to pass cars on pit road. So, you’re putting yourself behind every stop. You can have a car that has speed, but once everyone else had a chance to work on their stuff too, it’s kind of hard to get from 20th to the lead. You just have to get a little bit every single time as you can and that means staying on top of the car, but not losing a lot of track position on pit road. That’s probably the biggest thing. If you can be in the top-five or on the front row on the last restart, you can hopefully have some clean air and help manage your front tires. If you do get a long run, then it falls in the driver’s hands. You can move around, get creative with your line and hopefully start creating that lap time that you need to go catch the leader or maintain that lead.” YOU DROVE THE NEXT GEN CAR LAST MONTH IN THAT GOODYEAR TIRE TEST. WHAT WERE THE POSITIVE TAKEAWAYS YOU HAD FROM IT?“Oh man, how much time do you have (laughs)? It was an absolute blast to drive. It had a lot of mechanical grip in it and you can really feel that on the sticker tires. We went through a lot of tire combinations, but the one I liked the most, I was having trouble keeping up with just how aggressive and abrasive Darlington is. Even for the tire we raced Sunday there, if you would have shown up today after it got done raining and gone out there, that tire isn’t going to make it but eight or nine laps. It just really lays down a lot of rubber. That means that when you go out there on a clean track, it’s going to eat your tires up.” “But what I enjoyed about that Next Gen car is, like I said, the sideforce is not there like the current car. You’re still driving it extremely hard, but you don’t have near the assist that you do with our current car. Even the low downforce package that we ran at Darlington Sunday, you don’t have the sideforce there to catch you when you overstep the limit of the rear times. It makes it very challenging and the car is not very forgiving. Like what we have right now, if you overstep it, you’re going to pay that penalty in the tire and potentially pay that penalty in the cost of a race car. That’s what makes it fun to drive; it’s challenging. We saw a lot of fall off in the Goodyear tires, more so than what we even had this weekend with the Xfinity package or the Cup package. It had even more fall off. It was very fun to drive, but very challenging, and I think that’s the direction we need to take it. I’d like to see that.” AS WE APPROACH THE HALFWAY POINT OF THE REGULAR SEASON, WHAT HAS SURPRISED YOU THE MOST THIS SEASON?“I try to prepare the best that I can for the year that we have ahead when we’re in the off season. So far, what I’ve seen out of our competition hasn’t really been a surprise. I really think that the guys you have seen win are all very capable of doing that. So, from that aspect, I guess I haven’t been too surprised. Our biggest surprise for our team, personally, was just getting off to a bad start and not getting any stage points I believe until we got to Kansas two weeks ago. So, we just got off to a bad start. But, other than that, what I’ve seen out of our competition has been what I expected. You always know when you go to the (Daytona) 500, you have a chance of somebody that shouldn’t necessarily be competing up front and battling for wins all year winning that race. So, you always keep that in the back of your mind before the year starts, that these speedway races are always very interesting and can play out a million ways.” WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FIRST HALF OF YOUR SEASON SO FAR THIS YEAR, THE FINISHES PROBABLY WEREN’T THE WAY YOU WANTED THEM TO BE. BUT IT SEEMS THE SECOND HALF, YOU HAVE STARTED TO TURN THINGS AROUND. WHAT’S BEEN THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE?“I’d say the biggest difference is just staying in the race, not necessarily mentally, but still allowing ourselves to have a shot and rebound. We, unfortunately, didn’t get off to a good start, so we were starting back in 30th or worse at some of these races and it wasn’t really allowing us a chance to score stage points. It was a grind at a lot of these races just to get to 15th and then we would have something happen that would set us all the way. So, we just did a better job of taking some of those things out. And then, on top of that, when we have things do go wrong, we’re doing a better job right now of bouncing back from that and getting at least a 10th or a 12th out of it. That’s helped our points situation a lot. But definitely when you get on a good roll and finish top-10, top-10, top-10, you’re starting around 10th, 11th, 12th and, all of a sudden, stage points become a lot more realistic in stage one and stage two. Where, before in our races, they were pretty much out the window; it was going to be very difficult to get there.” |
LEARNING CURVE: Weiss Optimistic About Future of Sniper Chassis
| The Headingly, MB driver sits fifth in Points heading into Port Royal SpeedwayCONCORD, NC – MAY 12, 2021 – Taking on a new journey can lead to many different emotions, especially in racing. For World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models driver Ricky Weiss, his third full season is a venture he’s never experienced before. The Headingly, MB, Canada driver is pushing for his first championship behind the wheel of his own Sniper chassis. He’s yet to reach Victory Lane in one of his cars, but The Manitoba Missile is starting to put together consistent runs. He has eight top-10 finishes in 2021, so far. Only Brandon Sheppard (12) and Chris Madden (11) have more. Despite those consistent finishes, there’s also been nights he’s struggled. Weiss knows it’s part of the ups and downs drivers deal with running a national tour. “You’re going to have that roller coaster effect,” Weiss said. “The car’s been good, we just got some stuff as a team to work on, and I think we’ve got the speed.” Speed is something that may come in handy as the Series moves to Port Royal Speedway. Weiss has had success at the 1/2-mile oval, finishing second to Mason Ziegler in 2019. He also led 17 laps in that race. “It’s another big, fast track that becomes racy in the Feature,” Weiss said. “I think we’ll have a good car in the Feature, we just need to Qualify better and run our Heat Races better.” Weiss enters Port Royal fifth in the points standing—156 points behind Sheppard. Even though he’s not too far behind, it’s not something he’s worrying about right now. “I don’t really want to look at points until November, that’s always been my goal,” Weiss said. “There’s no doubt we’ve been struggling here and there, but you never know when that roller coaster effect could come around. I think the further we go we’re going to get better and better.” Weiss’s success in his Sniper chassis isn’t his only focus in 2021. He’s been going to different racetracks helping customers move in the right direction. “We’re working on getting some more cars out there, and that’s only going to help everyone as a team with feedback,” Weiss said. “Just like everything it’s hard to get materials, it’s hard to get anything right now. Once we get a few more cars out there and more people to work with, it’s only going to get better.” The optimism Weiss is carrying through this journey, could be the key to unlocking more success on the path toward his first championship. “The Manitoba Missile” and the rest of The Most Powerful Late Models on The Planet head to Port Royal Speedway May 21-22, for the Huey Wilcoxon and Billy Vacek Memorials. If you can’t make it either night watch all the action live on DIRTVision with the annual Platinum FAST PASS subscription for $299/year or the monthly FAST PASS subscription for $39/month. |
| The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series is brought to fans across the country by many important sponsors and partners, including: DIRTVision (Official Live Broadcast Partner), Drydene (Official Motor Oil), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official Tire), iRacing (Official Online Racing Game), Morton Buildings (Official Building), SIS Insurance (Official Insurance Provider) VP Racing Fuels (Official Racing Fuel); in addition to contingency sponsors, including: Arizona Sport Shirts/Gotta Race, ARP (Automotive Racing Products), Cometic Gasket, COMP Cams, MSD, Penske Racing Shocks, Quarter Master, Slick Woody’s (Quick Time Award), and Wrisco (Exclusive Racing Aluminum); along with manufacturer sponsors, including: Capital Race Cars, FireAde, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, K1 Race Gear, Racing Electronics, Reliable Painting, and Rocket Chassis.Founded in 1978, the World of Outlaws®, based in Concord, NC, is the premier national touring series for dirt track racing in North America, featuring the most powerful cars on dirt, the World of Outlaws NOS® Energy Drink Sprint Car Series and the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings® Late Model Series. Annually, the two series race nearly 140 times at tracks across the United States and Canada. CBS Sports Network is the official broadcast partner of the World of Outlaws. DIRTVision® also broadcasts World of Outlaws events over the Internet to fans around the world. Learn more about the World of Outlaws. |
chevy racing–indycar–grand prix indianapolis–arrow mclaren sp drivers
| CHEVROLET RACING NTT INDYCAR SERIESGMR GRAND PRIXINDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEEDWAYINDIANAPOLIS, INDIANATEAM CHEVY DRIVER ZOOM CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTARROW MCLAREN SP DRIVERS PRE-INDIANAPOLIS GP QUOTESMAY 12, 2021 ARROW MCLAREN SP DRIVERS PATO O’WARD, FELIX ROSENQVIST AND JUAN PABLO MONTOYA, ALONG WITH ARROW MCLAREN SP PRESDIENT TAYLOR KIEL met with media to discuss upcoming NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course: Felix, what learnings did you take out of the two races at Texas Motor Speedway, and how prepared are you to head to Indianapolis for the month of May? FELIX ROSENQVIST: We can be that fast on a super speedway. Maybe not all of it translates to the 500, but I’m sure of it is going to do that. I think personally as well, I’ve felt better than I’ve ever done on an oval. I think that’s kind of a good step. I really started to learn what I need from the car, and I think my engineer Blair (Perschbacher) and all the others on the No. 7 (Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet) will start to understand what I need to feel comfortable. As I said, the points haven’t come, which is a shame because we have had some really good potential in at least three of these four rounds we have had so far. That’s how it is. We have a good chance to strike back here in these two, and there’s double points at the 500, so that’s encouraging. You just have to keep fighting and it should be good. We’ll go now to Pato. First-time race winner at the last race in Texas. Pato, how do you build off that success you had in Texas, especially given that you’re second in the championship right now? Where does that put your priorities heading into the Indy GP and also the rest of the month of May? PATO O’WARD: Thank you. Yeah, I think we are rolling into the month of May with some great momentum. We want to keep it going. Especially leading into the 500 and the rest of the season. There’s a long season still ahead; many races and many opportunities to be able to execute and get some more results in the bag. I think the approach will be the same as any other weekend that we’ve been to, trying to execute come qualifying and keep our nose clean during the race, have a quick race car. That should really put us in contention for a podium or a win. That is the goal for this weekend, the same as it’s been for every single weekend since 2020. Yeah, I am looking forward to it. Thanks, Pato. Now we’ll go to the newest member of Arrow McLaren SP, Juan Pablo Montoya. Juan Pablo, this is going to be your first IndyCar race since 2017. You’ve obviously been racing other cars since then, but how do you prepare yourself for your first race in an IndyCar in almost four years? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Well, I think first of all try not to freak out (laughter)! I think we got a decent test in Laguna (Seca), and learned and understood a lot of what I needed out of the car, and got it in the swing of things. The two days at Indy in the oval were really nice to get everyone together. We need to understand the priority of running the road course, apart from having a really good result, is working well with the engineers and everyone on the team. If everyone is a new group of people, and they’re really good people, and to get them bonding together is really important. And understand what I need out of the car. It’s such a compact schedule, and I think it’ll be good. It could be frustrating; there could be anger moments, and there could be good moments. But I am looking forward to it. I am really working hard to prepare myself for it. And we’ll see what it brings. We had a session in the simulator last week, and the baseline was pretty good and the pace seemed pretty good. So I’m looking forward to it. One of the curveballs is the red tires. Learning to get the most out of it will be really hard, but at least we’ll get a set out of it in practice. Back in the day, we didn’t use to get them. Thanks, Juan Pablo. Taylor, I’ll piggyback a bit off that and ask you a follow-up question. What a lot of people may not realize is our third crew at Indianapolis, the No. 86, are all full-time employees of Arrow McLaren SP. How important is it to have the Indianapolis GP to prepare those guys, who aren’t normally a race weekend crew but are important to the team to get ready for the Indy 500? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think one of the most important things there is to understand that they are full-time employees, but work different jobs. Like Craig (Hampson), my engineer, he’s not running a car normally. He’s looking after everybody. I think in a way it’s good because there’s a lot of experience. There’s a couple young guys working on my team that came from England as well. I’m really excited. I think we have a great group of people, very experienced mechanics, and everyone is pumped up about it. With Pato winning the last race, it shows the potential of the car at Indy, so now you have to execute. If we screw up, we have to make sure we screw up in the Indy GP and not in the big race! Taylor, do you want to follow up on that? TAYLOR KIEL: I think Juan covered it pretty well. That’s why we made the choice to run the road course race was to get some more experience with that group. It’s the only thing that separates them from Pato and Felix’s cars, they just did it a week ago. It’s important where we are at an advantage over the other one-off cars, and that we’re doing that. That’s what it’s about, like Juan said, to put ourselves in the best position for the 500. That’s what it is. Pato, what’s life been like for you now that you are an IndyCar winner? PATO O’WARD: It’s the same, now with the title of having one win under my belt. It’s all the same. The approach to everything is the same. We’re the same people, same persons, nothing has changed. We just have had a taste of what a win feels like and now we want more of that! It’d be great to rack up some more if we can. For all three of you, the IndyCar races on the IMS road course have been kind of pedestrian, but the Friday race last October was one of the best road races they have had there. What’s the reason why that particular race was so good last year, when others have been about how the strategy falls? PATO O’WARD: I’ll take it first. I think in my opinion it is about the amount of laps (85) opened up it for either a two-stop fuel save or a three-stopper. Whenever you take away some laps, and force everyone to do a two-stop, is when things get boring I guess. So I feel like, this year is the same amount of laps (85) that road race you mentioned was good. I think it’ll be a good mix this weekend. FELIX ROSENQVIST: I think it’s also depending on weather, tires and how they operate together. I think INDYCAR is doing a good job in experimenting in that a bit, with race length. Sometimes you don’t know how it’ll play out. One day the red tires are degrading, the next they’re good for a whole stint. We may have a hard time figuring out what it’ll be, even with our best predictions. That’s part of the fun, you know? Sometimes it’ll be an awesome race, and others it’ll be completely different than what you expect. I’m sure we’ll be surprised with some this weekend as well. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I’ve watched the races, but as Felix said and as Pato said, it depends on strategy, when the cautions come out, and if people save fuel. If they do that it is normally a pretty quiet race. Everybody tries to stay in line, draft, save fuel and go as far as they can. It becomes who can go the furthest. When you’re not racing hard, versus when you get cautions, the pack is packed up, the cautions mix the pack. It’s frustrating sometimes, because you could be on the right strategy leading the race, and someone tries a different strategy and the caution comes out and you can come out of the pits 10th when you were leading and you finish 10th. And you don’t even know why? But that’s the nature of IndyCar. In a way it’s their problem not mine, I’m just a one-off so I want to run as good as I can this week and see what we can bring. Taylor, reflecting at Pato’s win at Texas, just being able to put into words what it means for Arrow McLaren SP, it really is a sign of what the whole program is based on. It’s about showcasing their talent of young drivers. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Thank you for the young (laughter)! TAYLOR KIEL: Yeah, I think there’s a few things to that. Certainly there is the young talent piece. That’s a small part of it. The other thing is putting the best people in the best positions to take advantage of what we’re building as a team. We have that with Pato and Felix and certainly Juan. But this has been a long journey. I think at a certain point you get sick and tired of being a mid-pack team that occasionally sneaks out a victory. When you have a partner lineup like we do, the support from ownership and everyone to take advantage of it, it’s a great position. It requires thoughtful planning and organization. That’s what we have been able to do slowly over time, and now we are starting to reap those rewards. Texas is certainly Texas. That’s it. We’re onto the Indy GP, then onto the Indy 500, then a bunch of races after that. But now we have an organization that knows how to win. From an importance perspective, it’s very important. But it’s certainly not the end of the journey. It’s not putting our feet on the desk and saying, we’ve won Texas, we made it. We still have a long way to go. We’ll see shortly how far we’ve come. For Juan Pablo, during the Indy 500 test-, you did an interview (with NBC Sports) about you’d heard from Arrow McLaren SP about running Indy and Roger Penske said no. Could you elaborate, and how hard did you push to do this earlier? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Well, with Roger, when it’s no, it’s no. Zak (Brown) called me the last two years and I said to him, ‘Well, I don’t think they’re going to let me. If you want to call him, call him, but I’m pretty sure the answer’s going to be no.’ And he called 10 minutes later and he said, ‘Yeah, no, you’re not running!’ So this year, now that I’m running a different program, I talked with Zak and I thought the challenge was exciting, and as everyone is saying, Taylor mentioned they’re going in the right direction. The timing is very good and the potential to run the Indy 500 is perfect. From the timing point of view, working with Craig and the experience he has, and how open-minded he is, the potential is huge. It’s been fun, because I’ve worked with people before and you show up and they go, ‘Well, this is the way we need to run it.’ Craig is very open-minded, and has a lot of experience. So we can work together where I say, ‘Hey I want this out of the car, I don’t like this,’ and he’s got a lot of previous laps and experience where he can go, ‘Oh, I understand what you mean.’ So it’s very easy to communicate and we seem to find direction really quickly. I’m very stubborn when I don’t like something; I really don’t like it. And we’ve been there already. And we laugh about it. I told him before the first test, ‘There’s a few things especially in the Indy oval, if I don’t like it, or feel comfortable, I’m not even gonna try it.’ Because normally, that’s when you make a mistake and end up having a shunt for no reason, with something you wouldn’t even think about racing. You seem very excited to be back at Indianapolis and the Indy 500. How much did you miss it and were you surprised by how much you missed it? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Honestly, I loved the sports car program, and I really enjoyed endurance racing. Still working with Penske was a lot of fun. All that time was cool. I think this opportunity was unreal, to be honest with you. In my mind, I never thought I’d run Indy again. Because Roger would never let me at the time. I’m 45, whether you like it or not. I believe I still can perform. And I’ll give you an example. We’re in Spa, running WEC (World Endurance Championship). I was running hard, but I feel like I’m miles off the pace. And we qualify like ninth in (LMP2) class, and I drove from ninth to third, and I passed people on the brakes, and I out-brake and outsmart people. It was really good. Oh, I can still do this! Felix, you’re going back to a track where you’ve had pace before. Do you think you can get one with the AMSP car here?FELIX ROSENQVIST: Yeah for sure, I’ve been quick here before. I wouldn’t say it’s a track I like more than others, but I had a pole here my rookie season which was fun. I think it’s more what we’ve done in the background, developing the setup, what Juan talked about. I spent a lot of time with Craig and my engineer (Blair) to build a package I think will work better than Barber and St. Pete. It’ll be exciting to see what we come up with, because I definitely think it’ll be a bit of a difference. It’s less depending on the track. When we find the sweet spot of where we want to be, I think it’ll be from every track for the rest of the year. We saw that in Texas with something I liked. That’s the direction we’re going, and working to strike back at the GP after a tough first four races. Juan, I noticed you’ve had Sebastian (Montoya) with you in Europe. What is it like having him as a driver around? I know he’s been around as a son, but now he’s a driver. Is it fun to have someone who now understands the driving side with you? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: Yeah I think it’s exciting. We had a really good conversation with me after Spa. He’s been with me, getting ready for his new season. He has his first race of the year this weekend here in Italian F4. In the car, something you don’t understand is how good you are. He’s got crazy talent and crazy speed, but he’s like, ‘I don’t know.’ Honestly, you see how good I am and he’s like, ‘Yeah, you’re so good,’ and I’m like, ‘I still believe you can kick my rear end every day.’ So imagine how good you are. And he’s like, ‘Really?’ He needs a little bit of confidence and needs to learn a lot. He’s young, you know what I mean? He turned 16 last month. It’s crazy the potential he has. Once we get to cars with a little more downforce and he’s not sliding around like the F4, he really hates that car. But he needed the experience. We did a test in Barcelona in Euro F3, and I think he was the quickest guy of the week. We ran the first two days, and then the track gets better. Then the team is like, ‘Oh my god, how quick is this guy?’ And I’m like, ‘I know,’ but he doesn’t! Juan, what do you see of ‘younger you’ in time you’ve spent with Pato and Felix so far? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think they’re very different driving styles, both of them. Pato’s the guy that you put the wheels backwards, and he’ll still make a good lap time! And you don’t know how, but he does, and that’s great for him. But he needs to, and we’ve spoke about it, he needs to learn a bit more about what he needs for the long runs. His potential is unreal. Felix’s, I think his driving style is a lot more similar to mine. You want a car that doesn’t want to kill you! I think that’s been the biggest thing. For Felix, when I got in and I was like, ‘I can’t drive this!’ He’s like, ‘I’m glad I’m not the only one!’ (laughter) It’s been really good. We work to make a much friendlier car and much more consistent in a race, because if they can build a car that’s consistent, the results will be much more often in the front. And then Pato and Felix, your thoughts on what you can take from Juan going into this month? PATO O’WARD: For me it’s just so much experience, and a lot of input in areas where I don’t know how to explain what I need from the car. Especially in manufacturer stuff like downshifting, seeing if you have a certain issue in the downshift, seeing where in the downshift it is, and just understanding more about the car. I don’t really know how to explain it, but I think you can tell the experience he has when he explains things. I’m trying to learn as much as I can, and even without spending weekends together, with the Laguna test and the Indy test, I have just comprehended a little bit more about what things do. That helps me tell my engineers more about what I need, and that’s been a win-win situation. Like I said, in my career, I’ve been so used to driving what they give me, so I’m not a big whiner. But I need to whine more, because I think we can extract a lot more when it’s easier to drive. Like Juan Pablo said, it doesn’t want to kill you, I guess! FELIX ROSENQVIST: I agree with Pato. I’m kind of in the middle between Pato and Juan Pablo in my career. I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of experienced drivers, like Nick Heidfeld, Scott Dixon, and Gary Paffett when I was in DTM. When you have a teammate that has done so much, as Juan Pablo has done, you realize the reason he’s good is because he knows what he wants and knows how to get it. Everyone understands that’s the way it has to be. Like Pato said, I got so far in my career by jumping in driving whatever I had. I didn’t complain about it. I told my engineers what I wanted, and for me it was very clear, when I raced with Scott and now with Juan Pablo, if you want to race for championships that’s where you need to be to make the difference. Everyone has the talent. There’s huge talent in IndyCar in the whole field. Those details are where you can make your life easier. If it’s easier for you, and make the car do more work for you, that’ll be a different kind of race. Pato, so you’ve been with the Arrow McLaren SP team since the beginning. How has your confidence and trust grown, and how does that help build momentum for the Indy 500 and championship? PATO O’WARD: I think just having a full year under our belt is what has given us a bit more efficiency in a weekend, knowing what I want. There’s barely any running in the weekend from session to session, so it’s important to be efficient with changes and know what you want to go in the right direction. That’s helped us. But I don’t necessarily think it’s so much different to last year. This year we are showing what we had last year. We just didn’t quite execute. The goal has been, don’t screw up. If you don’t screw up, you’ll win races. For me, going into the 500, it’s a race where if you’ve never done one before, there’s no way you can prepare yourself for that. Ever. You just can’t. I feel like once you do it a year, you’ll understand what to expect, for traffic running and having a good car to compete at the front and win. Juan, when you’re going from series to series, you’re going through different cars. What’s the most difficult thing to adjust to? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think the hardest thing is adapting to the tires, in the feel of what the tire wants. Every car is different and every manufacturer builds them different. So when I run here, we’re with Firestone. In Europe, we’re with Goodyear, and in IMSA we’re with Michelin. So you go from the spectrum of the Michelins, which are super fast with tons of grip, while the Goodyears are the P2 cars, they’re a little more intermediate – a little harder and more difficult to drive – and it is what it is. You learn to make the most out of it. But it’s so good because it keeps you on your toes the whole time. The other thing that’s hard is, here, it’s good because it’s my car with my engineer and group of people. When I run in IMSA, I’m the third guy. So I don’t even have a voice or a vote. I say what’s happening, but I’m just the filler guy. In WEC, we have Ben (Hanley), who’s the younger guy, myself, and then we have the gentleman in the car. It’s a different program. There we need to make the car drive really good, and we work a lot on the gentleman, Henrik (Hedman), to get the best out of him. If we make the car two tenths quicker for us, that’s great, but if we can make Henrik go two seconds a lap quicker, that’s a bigger improvement than anything else. It’s a different challenge, everything is, but as Pato said before it makes experience even better. It makes me look at things in a different way and makes things much simpler. Taylor, you have two Latin American drivers, how important is that for the team for the region. TAYLOR KIEL: I think they could be from Mars, right? But it’s about the best drivers available. Pato and Juan, their Latin heritage brings them together. But as a group, I’m focused on putting the two best drivers in the car regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, it doesn’t really matter to us. Bringing Juan and Pato together is the best move for our team. They’ve proven that, and we’re excited to get going. Juan, how do you adapt your driving style to IndyCar after being most recently in WEC? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: I think the hardest thing there is remembering what I want from an IndyCar on a speedway. It’s all about how fast can you go. The more comfortable you are, the quicker you’re going to be. For Pato, what I want may be completely different. Maybe he goes, oh, the thing can’t turn. Maybe he’s more comfortable with the car stepping out. For me, if the car is uncomfortable on the entry, I’m going to keep my foot on the brake until I feel I can release it and know the car isn’t going to snap out on me. Where Pato may trust the car a little different, and rotate. If you give the car more understeer, I may be able to turn it more to be more aggressive with my hands. You may make it turn more. You have to know what you need. The hard thing is we only have two sessions, maybe two or three runs each, and two, three, four, five laps and you’re done. So we’ll see what happens. I’d talked to Sebastian (Montoya) and he said he might want run at Daytona next year (2022 Rolex 24 At Daytona). What are your thoughts? JUAN PABLO MONTOYA: (Laughter). I don’t want to think about that yet! It’s too early to be honest. We need to see where I’m going to run next year. If an opportunity to run in a car together with him came up that would be amazing. I think it’d be great, he’d learn a lot if we are in the same car. He’d have to be more flexible in the way drive and brake. In Europe, they tell you, this is the way you need to brake, this is the way you need to turn. And when you’re young, that’s what you do, and you do that to make lap time. When you learn to drive all the cars I drive, the best way to describe it is I drive depends on what the car needs, so I turn and brake a different way. Different cars have different cornering ways. I don’t have a set driving style, but I do have my preferences. Taylor, you’ve been part of Robert Wickens’ journey in the team. What’s your reflection on him getting in a car last week, and the feeling in the team around that? TAYLOR KIEL: I thought it was great. Since day one, we’ve been behind Robbie in any number of ways. Certainly, it’s been his main ambition to get back in a race car. I think our support for him both away from the racetrack, at track, and in any endeavor he wants to do has always been there. So when an opportunity came to hop in a car, good on you, go for it. I was thrilled to see him back out there. I spoke with him afterwards, and he had a blast, but he was already thinking ‘Man, can we do this? How can we do that?’ We’re going to go to the drawing board and help him out any way that we can to see if we can help realize his new dream, which is getting back into a race car. We’re certainly supportive and proud of Robbie for what he’s put in. We’re excited to see where the journey goes and how we can be a part of it. For Pato, how much momentum does the win give you into Indy and the 500? PATO O’WARD: I think it’s great momentum, the best we can carry into the month. The approach is the same. We want to continue fighting at the front. The most points we extract out of the GP, the better it will be for the 500 and so forth for the rest of the season. How beneficial is it to have Juan Pablo for the GP and the 500? PATO O’WARD: It’s good. He has loads of experience. The guy knows what he wants from a race car. I think we can learn a lot from him in trying to extract the most we need from our cars. FELIX ROSENQVIST: I’d agree with Pato. It’s also good for us to have a third source of data. We’re a team that is growing, and don’t have a lot of time to try new things with limited track time on a weekend and in winter testing. There’s not a lot of running. It matches well with our plans from an engineering point of view to run a third car, try different stuff. Juan Pablo is a huge input source. He’ll tell you what he wants. If he doesn’t get it, he’ll keep asking for it. It’s pretty exciting for all of us. It changes the dynamic in the team for the better. Taylor, by being Pato’s strategist, how has this process of building confidence and chemistry occurred race-by-race? TAYLOR KIEL: It’s been a process, no doubt, as any relationship is in our lives. But it’s also super critical to off-track success. Understanding how to read body language, tone of voice, and being involved in the process from start-to-finish, to be close to the engineering group, driver group, mechanics, you can paint a clearer picture of what’s going on. That’s not limited to just strategy on race day. To me it’s a big part of building the team and everyone being on the same page. The race day piece takes care of itself. Although we’re growing and on a growth trajectory, we do try to stay small in a few aspects. Those are communication within the team, interpersonal communication with myself, management, drivers, and always trying to keep our finger on the pulse. When you do that on a day-in, day-out basis, with quick decisions or otherwise, you take in the human element. If you look across the paddock, those teams with a massive amount of success like Scott (Dixon) or Josef (Newgarden) just to name a couple, those have longtime people in their ear, on their timing stand both with Mike (Hull) and Tim (Cindric). Continuity is big. I think the relationship piece is big. It’s a daily effort. How do you build it day-by-day? That’s what I’ve tried with Pato, and also Felix and Billy (Vincent) have a good relationship as well. It takes time, but the rewards can be reaped on the back side as well. |
Colonial Pipeline Disruptions Stop Lucas Oil Late Model Doubleheader
BATAVIA, Ohio (May 12, 2021) – The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events scheduled for Friday, May 14 at 411 Motor Speedway and Saturday, May 15 at Talladega Short Track have been canceled. The Colonial Pipeline is the largest pipeline system for refined oil products in the U.S. – stretching over 5,500 miles long between Texas and New York. A recent cyber-attack on the Colonial Pipeline halted 2.5 million barrels per day of fuel shipments. As fuel shortages in the Southeast worsen as a result of the disruption, track and series officials have mutually agreed to cancel this weekend’s events. The events will not be made up. “These are unfortunate circumstances beyond our control,” said Rick Schwallie, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Director. “These decisions are never easy, but we had to consider our fan base and those traveling hundreds of miles to attend these events.” Next up, the Lucas Oil Late Model Series heads west for a doubleheader in the Hawkeye state. The series will visit 300 Raceway in Farley, IA on Friday, May 21 and 34 Raceway in Burlington, IA on Saturday, May 22. The events will pay $12,000 and $15,000 to win, respectively. Tim McCreadie currently leads the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Point Standings by just 45 points over Hudson O’Neal. Jonathan Davenport, Ricky Thornton Jr, and Shane Clanton round out the top five in championship points. There is a tight battle transpiring, with many positions separated by just one feature finishing position. For the latest breaking news concerning the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, including the latest series standings, 2021 tour schedule, driver information, and more visit the official website at: www.lucasdirt.com.About Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesFounded in 2005, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series showcases the talents of the top dirt late model drivers from across the country. In 2021, the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will sanction 59 events across 18 states, including some of the biggest marquee events in the industry, providing dirt slinging, sideways, door-to-door racing action lap after lap. The series receives national exposure through a television package filmed, produced and edited by Lucas Oil Production Studios. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series events will broadcast on four networks including CBS, NBC Sports, CBS Sports Network and the MAVTV Motorsports Network. The in your face excitement of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series is second to none in motorsports. For more information, including the latest news, tour schedule, driver information, and more, visit the official website at: www.LucasDirt.com.2021 Official Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Marketing Partners 2021 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Partners Include:Advanced Powder Coating, Allstar Performance, Arizona Sport Shirts, Automotive Racing Products, Big River Steel, Bilstein, Black Diamond Chassis, Boyd Bilt Fabrication, Brandon Ford, Brodix, Capital Race Cars, Cornett Racing Engines, CP Carrillo Pistons, DirtonDirt.com, DirtCarLift.com, Dirt Draft, Dirty Girl Racewear, Dixie Chopper, E3 Spark Plugs, Earnhardt Technologies Group, Eibach Springs, Fast Shafts, General Tire, Heath Lawson Photography, Holmatro, Hoosier Tire, Hot Rod Processing, Keyser Manufacturing, K&N Engineering, LINE-X, Longhorn Chassis, Lucas Oil Products, MAVTV Motorsports Network, Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas, Midwest Sheet Metal, Miller Welders, MSD Performance, MyRacePass, Nutrien Ag Solutions, Öhlins Shocks, OPTIMA Batteries, Outerwears, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Bodies, Pit Stop USA, Pro Power Racing Engines, ProtectTheHarvest.com, Rocket Chassis, Rugged Radios, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Race Products, Slicker Graphics, Stop Tech Brakes, Sunoco Race Fuels, Super Clean, Swift Springs, Summit Racing Equipment, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, UNOH – University of Northwestern Ohio, Vahlco Wheels, Vic Hill Race Engines, Whelen Engineering Company Inc, Wrisco Aluminum, 5150 Race Trailers |