TEAM CHEVY ADVANCE YELLAWOOD 500 TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY TALLADEGA, ALABAMA OCT. 3, 2021
RACE #31 – TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAYChevrolet drivers from NASCAR’s three national touring series return to the always exciting Talladega Superspeedway where NASCAR’s longest oval will be the host of a Playoff tripleheader. The 188-lap YellaWood 500 on Sunday, October 3, will mark the second event in the three-race set of the Round of 12 for the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Playoffs. The upcoming race weekend is the second visit for NASCAR’s premier series to the 2.66-mile Alabama venue during the 2021 season. Championship contender William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE, led Team Chevy in the final running order of the April race at the track with a runner-up finish. 
Four Team Chevy drivers are contenders in the Championship battle. The field will be trimmed from 12 drivers to eight following the third and final race of the Round of 12 held on the Charlotte ROVAL on October 10. 
Here is a capsule look at Team Chevy in the title hunt: 
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Cincinnati Camaro ZL1 1LE – 2nd in Playoff Standings (+57 points above cutline)Victories: 6 Top-Fives: 16; Top-10’s: 22; Poles: 1; Laps Led: 2,000Average Finish: 9.1Stage Wins: 15At Talladega (13 career NCS starts): Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 23.538Of Note: Collected his series-best 15th stage win and led 95 laps on the way to a 10th-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opener of the NCS Round of 12. 
Chase Elliott, No. 9 A Shoc Camaro ZL1 1LE – 6th in Playoff Standings (+22 points above cutline)Victories: 2Top-Fives: 13; Top-10’s: 18; Laps Led: 525; Average Finish: 11.6Stage Wins: 3At Talladega (11 career NCS starts): Wins: 1; Top-Fives: 4; Top-10’s: 5; Poles: 2Average Finish: 17.273; Average Running Position: 12.195 (series-best) Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Elliott’s sixth consecutive year of being part of the Playoff field. Six of his 13 career NCS wins have come in the Playoffs. Elliott has wins at five of the next seven venues on the NCS schedule. Elliott garnered a runner-up finish at Las Vegas to open the Round of 12. 
William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE – 9th in Playoff Standings (- 4 points below cutline)Victories: 1 Top-Fives: 10; Top-10’s: 17; Pole Wins: 2; Laps Led: 283; Average Finish: 13.8Stage Wins: 3At Talladega (7 career NCS starts): Top-Fives: 2; Top-10’s: 2; Average Finish: 17.143Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Byron’s third-career Playoffs appearance. Byron led the Team Chevy brigade with a runner-up finish in the April race at Talladega. 
Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE – 11th in Playoff Standings ( -13 points below cutline)Victories: 3Top-Fives: 7; Top-10’s 14; Pole Wins: 1; Laps Led: 151; Average Finish: 14.4At Talladega (12 career NCS starts): Top-Fives: 1; Top-10’s: 3; Average Finish: 24.583Of Note: The 2021 NCS season marks Bowman’s fourth-career Playoffs appearance. Bowman scored a career-best runner-up finish in the April 2019 NCS race. 
CHEVROLET STARTS STRONG IN NXS PLAYOFFSJosh Berry drove the No. 1 JR Motorsports Camaro SS to victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) Playoff opener to lead a Team Chevy sweep of the top three positions. Championship contenders Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson placed second and third, respectively. Regular-season champion AJ Allmendinger remains first in the standings. Allgaier will start on the pole in the No. 7 JR Motorsports Camaro SS for the 113-lap/300-mile Sparks 300 on Saturday, October 2, at Talladega Superspeedway. Chevrolet, now with 13 wins, remains first in the Manufacturer Standings.
RACE TWO OF NCWTS ROUND OF 8: CHEVROLET SILVERADO 250 The Chevrolet Silverado 250 on Saturday, October 2, is the penultimate race of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) Round of 8 Playoffs. Reigning champion Sheldon Creed, driver of the No. 2 GMS Racing Silverado, is fifth in the standings heading into the 94-lap/250-mile race at Talladega Superspeedway. Carson Hocevar is sixth and Zane Smith is seventh.
CHEVROLET LEADING DOWN THE STRETCHChevrolet remains the leader in the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturer Standings in pursuit of its 40th title. Team Chevy has recorded field highs of 14 victories, 132 top-10 finishes, 3,415 laps led and 27 stage wins through 30 races. The Bowtie Brand has already surpassed its totals for wins (9), top-10 finishes (120), laps led (2,399) and stage wins (21) from the 36-race 2020 season.
RECOUNTING CHEVROLET WINS 10, 20, 30 YEARS AGODarrell Waltrip delivered Chevrolet’s first of a manufacturer-high 41 victories at Talladega Superspeedway on May 1, 1977, and a Chevrolet has taken the checkered flag in the fall race 10, 20 and 30 years ago. Clint Bowyer won the Oct. 23, 2011, race in the No. 33 Chevrolet Impala (Jimmie Johnson won the spring race for the Chevy sweep). Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Oct. 26, 2001, race in the No. 8 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, leading a field-high 67 (Bobby Hamilton won the spring race for the Chevy sweep). Dale Earnhardt dominated the July 28, 1991, race in the No. 3 Chevrolet Lumina, leading 101 of 188 laps. He leads all drivers with 10 wins at the track.
ON THE WAY TO THE GREENWith no practice or qualifying for the 188-lap 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     Chase Elliott, No. 9 A Shoc Camaro ZL1 1LE 5th     Kyle Larson, No. 5 Cincinnati Camaro ZL1 1LE 10th   William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Camaro ZL1 1LE11th   Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 1LE 13th   Tyler Reddick, No. 8 Realtree Camaro ZL1 1LE14th   Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Camaro ZL1 1LE16th   Austin Dillon, No. 3 BREZTRI Camaro ZL1 1LE18th   Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Good Sam Camaro ZL1 1LE
BOWTIE BULLETS·       Chevrolet leads all manufacturers with 14 wins, 132 top-10 finishes and 3,415 laps led of 7,560 total this season.·       In addition to its 41 wins, Chevrolet has amassed 196 top-five and 379 top-10 finishes at Talladega Superspeedway.·       Richard Childress Racing’s Tyler Reddick (seventh) and Austin Dillon (eighth) scored top-10 finishes in the spring race at Talladega.·       Reddick (11.3) has the best average finish among active drivers with three or more starts at Talladega.·       On May 1, 2016, Chase Elliott became the youngest pole winner at Talladega at 20 years, 5 months, 3 days.·       Kurt Busch is tied for most starts at Talladega among active drivers at 41.·       Busch leads active drivers with 21 top-10 finishes and 7,400 laps completed at Talladega.·       Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his first NCS win on May 7, 2017, at Talladega.·       Hendrick Motorsports continues to lead the Owner Standings.·       Kyle Larson paces all drivers with 2,000 laps led.·       Tyler Reddick is second among drivers with 99.51% of laps completed (7,523 of 7,560).·       Five Team Chevy drivers have combined for 27 stage wins: Chase Elliott (Daytona RC, Michigan, Daytona2); William Byron (Homestead, Pocono2, Road America); Tyler Reddick (Road America, Indianapolis Road Course x2); Kurt Busch (Nashville Superspeedway, Pocono1, Atlanta2); Kyle Larson (Las Vegas, Atlanta x2, Kansas, Dover x2, Charlotte x3, Sonoma x2, Nashville, Darlington2, Bristol2, Las Vegas2).
FOR THE FANS:

• Fans can visit the Team Chevy Racing Display in the Fan Midway at Talladega Superspeedway.
• Fans can check out an assortment of Chevrolet vehicles including: 2021 Silverado 2500 HD Carhartt LTZ, 2021 Silverado 1500 RST, 2021 Tahoe Z71, 2021 Blazer RS AWD, 2021 Camaro ZL1, 2021 Corvette C8, Pink 1500 Crew 1LT. 
• At the Chevrolet Display, fans can also view Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Camaro ZL1 1LE show car. 

TEAM CHEVY QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS AT THE DISPLAY:Saturday, October 2·       Carson Hocevar and Ryan Truex: 9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. ·       Sheldon Creed, Jack Wood and Chase Purdy: 10:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.  Sunday, October 3·       Alex Bowman: 9:25 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. ·       Ross Chastain: 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. ·       Corey LaJoie: 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. ·       Daniel Suarez: 11:00 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.  Chevrolet Display Hours of Operation: 

• Saturday, October 2: 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. 
• Sunday, October 3: 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

TUNE INNBC will telecast the 188-lap NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at 2 p.m. ET Sunday, Oct. 3. Live coverage is also on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NBCSN will telecast the 113-lap NASCAR Xfinity Series Sparks 300 at Talladega at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 2. FS1 will telecast the 94-lap NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chevrolet Silverado 250 at 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 2.
QUOTABLE QUOTESKYLE LARSON, NO. 5 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 2nd IN STANDINGSLARSON ON HOW HE PREPARES FOR TALLADEGA: “I’ve never really challenged for a superspeedway victory. It’s a different kind of race where you are in the middle of a draft for most of the race. I’ll look at past races and see what drivers did at the end of the stages or at the end of the races to see what might work or what I could possibly do different.”
CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 CINCINNATI CAMARO ZL1 1LEDANIELS ON STRATEGY AT TALLADEGA: “Talladega is a wildcard, for sure. We’re going to maximize points as best we can during the stages and we want to be there at the end. We’re going to have to call a smart race and work with our teammates. Hopefully we’re there at the end battling for the win.”
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 A SHOC CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 6th IN STANDINGSELLIOTT ON HEADING TO TALLADEGA: “Talladega is such a toss up with how crazy that place can be. I’m not sure you can ever really feel good about heading into Talladega. Maybe if we would’ve won at Las Vegas, I’d feel good about heading into the weekend. The next couple weeks are going to be wild. We are looking forward to it.”
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 9th IN STANDINGSBYRON ON FOCUSING ON RACING AT TALLADEGA: “We’ll be aware of the point situation this weekend but we can’t focus on it since it’s not the final race of the round. It would have been nice going into Talladega above the cut line and with more of a cushion but that’s part of the playoffs. Talladega and the (Charlotte Motor Speedway) ROVAL are two of our best tracks, though. Both superspeedways and road courses can be unpredictable, but they are tracks that we have had some of the most success at. My first Cup Series win came on a superspeedway. I know Rudy (Fugle) and the guys will bring a fast Axalta Chevy – it will just be about execution and getting as many points as we can. That’s what our goal has always been.”
RUDY FUGLE, CREW CHIEF, NO. 24 AXALTA CAMARO ZL1 1LEFUGLE ON THE TEAM’S GOALS FOR TALLADEGA: “The bad luck we’ve had has definitely been frustrating, especially with how fast our car was in Las Vegas. That’s behind us now, though. What happened there doesn’t change how we approach this weekend at Talladega. We’re still going to prepare the best car we can to go out there and get the most amount of points we can and, hopefully, the win. Superspeedway racing is known to be a wildcard, so if you secure stage points early on, you’re in a better position. But we’re also not going to put William in a position where we’d be risking not being around at the end of the race, either. It’s a fine balance, but this style of races have been a strong point of not only William and the No. 24 team, but also Hendrick Motorsports. We’ll be ready.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 11th IN STANDINGSBOWMAN ON THE CHARLOTTE FC SCHEME FOR THE ROVAL: “I’m really excited about the No. 48 Ally/Charlotte FC paint scheme that we released on Tuesday. It was fun meeting Christian (Fuchs) and showing him around Hendrick Motorsports and giving him a ride in the pit practice car. I got to play a little soccer which was probably embarrassing that everyone got to see that on the “Unexpected Allies” series that was released. Having the Charlotte FC program on the car at the ROVAL is really cool and special that Ally do some cross-promoting.”
BOWMAN ON PREPARING FOR TALLADEGA THIS WEEKEND: “I think some guys have Talladega figured out a little bit. I don’t think we have figured out the exact things we need at the track to make it to the end, but I feel like we are gaining on it. Superspeedways have been pretty rough on us this season, but hopefully we have built up some good fortune after the way Talladega and Daytona have been this year. The cars aren’t easy to drive in traffic, so it’s definitely nerve-wracking. This weekend gives us the opportunity to go out there and score a lot of points. Our Hendrick Motorsports cars are always super-fast at speedways, so I just need to go out there and do my job and stay out of the possible mess.”
GREG IVES, CREW CHIEF, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE IVES ON PAST SUCCESS AT TALLADEGA: “We always have a fast car at Talladega and Alex seems to put himself in the right position. Whether we get wrecked leading or wrecked somewhere, we have a tendency to still have a strong day. We have to focus on going forward and strategizing ourselves to maximize points all day and you just never know what is going to happen. I think we are capable putting ourselves up front at Talladega.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BREZTRI CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 17th IN STANDINGSWHAT WILL IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY?“Anything can happen at Talladega Superspeedway. It’s a little bit of a coin flip, but my No. 3 team will be doing everything we can to try and win. In order to succeed at Talladega, you have to have a little bit of luck, and use momentum at the very end to take advantage of positions. Its speedway racing. Its drafting. And its chaos, but we’re up for the challenge.”
RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 SUNNY D CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 21st IN STANDINGS“Our superspeedway cars have either been really good and close to a win or not, but we’d like to have a good race this weekend or at least land somewhere in the middle,” said Ricky Stenhouse Jr. “You never know what can happen at Talladega, but I do know my guys have prepared a fast No. 47 Sunny D Camaro ZL1 1LE. We want to go out there and try to get a win. We’ll also have Sunny D at the track with us and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 GOOD SAM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 24th IN STANDINGSWILL YOU STILL FEEL GOOD AFTER SUNDAY’S RACE IN TALLADEGA? “I hope so, but it is so difficult to tell. Twice this year at Talladega and Daytona we have been in the top three on the final lap before we got caught up in someone’s wreck. With just a little bit of luck we could have won both races. We will stay patient Sunday in Talladega and when it’s time to go we will have our Good Sam Chevrolet up front.”
WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING IN A MUSIC VIDEO?“I never ever thought that would happen to me. It was a lot of fun. Pitbull is so much fun and such an amazing entertainer. We had fun. There are going to be a lot of people who have never seen NASCAR before see this video.”
ERIK JONES, NO. 43 US AIR FORCE: SPECIAL WARFARE CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 25th IN STANDINGSSUPERSPEEDWAY RACING IS CONSIDERED A WILD CARD. WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE SUCCESSFUL AT TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY?“It’s a mix of things. We were in a really great spot in the spring race at Talladega (Superspeedway). We led some laps there at the end of the race and I felt like we were where we wanted to be. We got caught up in a wreck in the tri-oval coming to the checkered flag. You feel like sometimes you’re in the right spot and it turns out that it’s not. But overall, I feel like in our superspeedway races this year, we’ve done what we’ve needed to put ourselves in a good spot. We just got caught up in some wrecks that have hurt our finishes.”
“We look at Talladega as a chance to win. I feel like our car is going to be fast enough to do it. We just have to try and get our Camaro ZL1 1LE out front in the last few laps and try to stay out of the mess.”COREY LAJOIE, NO. 7 SCHLUTER SYSTEMS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – 29th IN STANDINGS“Talladega is one that stays circled on the calendar. It gives us a chance to get in the mix and contend for a win. We had a strong car at Daytona. I learned a lot racing around the guys in the front all day. Hopefully we will have the Schluter Systems Camaro dicing it up with the leaders at the end again this weekend.” 

$20,000 Payday at Devil’s Bowl’s Texas Outlaw Nationals on October 30LAWTON, OK – September 30, 2021 – Six months later, we’re returning to handle some unfinished business at Lawton Speedway on October 29 and Devil’s Bowl Speedway on October 30.After an April doubleheader was rained out, the newly-formed Halloween weekend took shape to keep the Oklahoma and Texas tracks on the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series schedule amid a packed 80-race season.Marking the penultimate weekend before the NGK/NTK World Finals consumes The Dirt Track at Charlotte, this October 29-30 doubleheader could be crucial in the championship chase as the numbers between Brad Sweet and David Gravel continue to grow closer.Saturday’s stop at Devil’s Bowl in Mesquite, TX brings back the Texas Outlaw Nationals, a $20,000-to-win special for The Greatest Show on Dirt.For Brad Sweet, who continues to pursue his third consecutive Series championship, the rescheduled weekend is a welcomed sight as The Big Cat thrives at both venues. His only appearance at Lawton resulted in a second-place finish, and the Grass Valley, CA native has 10-straight top-10 finishes at Devil’s Bowl along with a 2017 victory at the 1/2-mile.The Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 currently leads the standings by +120 points with another five races until the Series heads back to Oklahoma on October 29.Giving chase to Sweet, and recently cutting the lead down, is David Gravel and Big Game Motorsports. The first-year pairing has instantly meshed with crew members Cody Jacobs, Scott Vogelsong, and Trey Bowman helping propel Gravel and the Tod Quiring-owned operation to a 10-win season.The Watertown, CT native was third at Lawton in 2020 but hasn’t been as hot as Sweet when it comes to Devil’s Bowl. In the same 11 starts at the track, Gravel has produced only three top-five finishes, but on the bright side did match his career-best of second last year.When it comes to Devil’s Bowl, Logan Schuchart has been the man to beat lately. The Shark Racing, Drydene Performance Products #1S has won back-to-back shows at the track and is on his own streak with three wins in the last six Outlaw races.The only other full-timer with an Outlaw win at Devil’s Bowl is Donny Schatz, who has taken the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 to two victories at the Mesquite oval.At Lawton, almost all of the Outlaws are on equal footing with only one recent appearance coming in 2019. That race, the first at the track since 1985, was won by Daryn Pittman and the Roth Motorsports #83 squad.Oklahoma City’s Wayne Johnson has the most laps at the Oklahoma 1/4-mile, racking up several wins in the ASCS ranks at his local track.Notable contenders to watch include Carson Macedo with Jason Johnson Racing, Sheldon Haudenschild with Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing, and James McFadden with Kasey Kahne Racing.As for Kasey Kahne himself, he’ll make his first-ever appearance at Lawton and return to Devil’s Bowl for the first time since nearly winning an All Star Circuit of Champions show in 2020. The former NASCAR Cup Series star continues to compete full-time in the Roth Motorsports #83 as he chases his first-career World of Outlaws win.If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch Every Lap LIVE on DIRTVision – either online or through the DIRTVision App.LAWTON SPEEDWAY WINNERS: 3 wins – Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell 1 win – Daryn Pittman, Jeff Swindell, Rick FerkelDEVIL’S BOWL SPEEDWAY WINNERS: 18 wins – Sammy Swindell 16 wins – Steve Kinser 6 wins – Mark Kinser 5 wins – Gary Wright 4 wins – Danny Lasoski 3 wins – Andy Hillenburg, Bobby Davis Jr., Daryn Pittman, Doug Wolfgang, Joey Saldana 2 wins – Dave Blaney, Donny Schatz, Jeff Swindell, Logan Schuchart, Ron Shuman, Shane Stewart, Stevie Smith 1 win – Bobby Allen, Brad Furr, Brad Sweet, Craig Dollansky, Danny Smith, Jason Johnson, Jimmy Boyd, Tim Green, Tyler Walker

Sep 30, 2021 | Featured, Pre-Race Releases, Rachel Meyer

Matt Sackman and Rachel Meyer will be piloting both Randy Meyer Racing Top Alcohol Dragsters to conclude the 2021 North Central Region of the NHRA Lucas Oil series this weekend in St. Louis.

“I’m looking forward to driving for Randy Meyer Racing in St Louis with Hangsterfer’s Metalworking Lubricants backing me along with a new partner Sullivan Auctioneers LLC,” Matt said. “Their most recent event was in Charlotte where they ran a 5.10, the weather conditions will be similar so hopefully we can pickup where they left off.”

While this will be Matt’s second time behind the nitro wheel for this year, this race will be Rachel’s final regional race of the 2021 season in her NTK Sensor Specialist dragster. She is currently in the lead of the regional series, 20 points ahead of James Stevens.

Qualifying kicks off on Friday, October 1st at 5pm and will carry on into Saturday with a total of 3 sessions followed by first round of eliminations. Final eliminations will take place on Sunday.

September 29, 2021

The last time Matt DiBenedetto and the No. 21 Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center team raced at Talladega Superspeedway they won Stage One, led 28 laps including the white-flag lap and finished fifth in the April 25 GEICO 500.

This time around, in Sunday’s YellaWood 500, the strategy and the goals will be a bit different. With the team eliminated from championship contention, there’s less emphasis on earning points and more on putting the No. 21 Mustang in position to race for the win in the closing laps.

DiBenedetto said the Quick Lane team is capable of coming away with a victory if the late-race circumstances play out in their favor.

“We have been in contention to win at the superspeedways countless times now,” DiBenedetto said, adding that being there at the end requires a lot more than just racing luck.

He said that he, spotter Doug Campbell, crew chief Jonathan Hassler and other team members, as well as the entire Ford contingent, put in a lot of hours going over scenarios that are likely to occur at Talladega and coming up with strategies to deal with them.
 
“Doug, myself and the team have really worked hard on our race craft at these places to be there when it counts,” he said. “Luckily we don’t have to race for Stage points and are there to try and take the win!”
 
There will be no qualifying or practice prior to the start of Sunday’s 188-lap race, which will feature Stage breaks at Laps 60 and 120. DiBenedetto will start 15^th, the line-up having been set based on results from Las Vegas Motor Speedway with the 12 championship contenders starting ahead of the rest.
 
The green flag is set to fly at 1 p.m. (2 p.m. Eastern Time), with NBC carrying the live TV broadcast.
 

Australia’s Peter Britten and DIRTVision coverage helping NAPA Super DIRT Week reach an international crowd beyond North America

OSWEGO, NY – Sept. 29, 2021 – Growing up in Australia, Super DIRT Week sounded almost like a myth to Peter Britten.

A 200-lap race around a mile-long track was hard to fathom. In Australia, the Big Block Modifieds – or V8 Dirt Modifieds, as they’re called there – tend to run 20 to 25 lap events around quarter-mile bullrings. Then, Britten made the trip across the pond and finally saw the spectacle for himself.

“When my dad was alive, he really enjoyed coming over and going to Super DIRT Week,” Britten said. “To me now, I haven’t been a New Yorker my whole life, but I’ve lived here for about 10 years now; Super DIRT Week has a very special meaning to me now.

“When I go home (to Australia), I talk about how great it is. I tell everyone, you have to come over and at least see it one time. If you’re a Sprint Car fan you have to go to the Knoxville Nationals. If you’re a Big Block fan, you’ve got to come to Oswego.”

Since making the journey to the United States and joining the Super DIRTcar Series, Britten said the interest in Super DIRT Week is “definitely growing.” Not only has more of his Australian fan base latched on it but some other Aussies have made the trip over – like Sportsman drivers Dale and Chris Corbett – further growing the interest in American Modified racing.

Like Canadian fans, Australians are unfortunately unable to make the trip to Oswego, NY this year due to the pandemic. However, with the addition of premier live DIRTVision coverage to the entire 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week, fans across the world can still watch Racing’s Biggest Party from wherever they are.

Every lap of NAPA Super DIRT Week will be live on DIRTVision throughout the week, including all on-track action at Oswego Speedway (Oct. 6-10), the Super DIRTcar Series Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway (Tuesday, Oct. 5), the NAPA Super DIRT Week Kickoff Party race at Weedsport Speedway (Wednesday, Oct. 6) and the Hurricane Harvey 75 at Brewerton Speedway (Thursday, Oct. 7).

“We’re very excited to showcase to fans across the world that can’t be at the track the expert coverage and storytelling DIRTVision has to offer,” said DIRTVision General Manager Jim Chiappelli. “We have a lot of exciting things in store that will make them feel like they’re still a part of Racing’s Biggest Party.”

During the winter months, American and Australian fans can also watch several V8 Dirt Modified races from some of Australia’s best dirt tracks on DIRTVision, as well.

For Britten, there’s nothing like arriving at NAPA Super DIRT Week in Oswego. Flags of past champions line the streets to the track. Campers fill nearly 1,000 spots around the facility. Thousands of fans create an atmosphere throughout the week he said he doesn’t experience anywhere else.

“I really enjoy being a part of the big event the way it is,” Britten said. “I think that gets me up on the wheel a little bit more. I really hope we can get the ($50,000-to-win Billy Whittaker Cars) 200 win this year. Either way, we’ll give it our best crack and see how it all plays out.”

He came close to the prestigious victory in 2017 but had to settle for second. The next year, he found some redemption by winning the DIRTcar 358 Modified Salute the Troops 150. While still a satisfying victory, it didn’t make up for the lost 200 win from the year prior.

With a solid 2021 Super DIRTcar Series season under his belt – currently third in points with one win – Britten said he has the confidence to make another run at the historic win. It would go a long way for Britten’s career and send a ripple across the seas to Australia, further growing the allure: an Aussie was able to win the unfathomable event.

September 29, 2021 (Pacific, MO) – We would like to offer very special THANK YOUs to Bommarito Auto Group and its Director of Corporate Sponsorships Kevin Hall for their nomination of us for the Department of the Army “Patriotic Public Service Award,” AND their many years of overwhelming support for all of Team BIGFOOT, along with the United States Army Kansas City Recruiting Battalion and West County Recruiting Station Commander SSG Caleb Church for meriting us with this prestigious award at the 2021 Open House. This has been an extremely humbling experience, and we don’t believe that we can express our gratitude enough. We made a commitment to the women and men of our past, present, and future Armed Forces, and we hope to be able to continue to help them in as many ways as possible. THANK YOU!Ann and Bob Trent

Weekly racing stars converge on local bullrings for 2021 season sendoff LINCOLN, IL – Sept. 28, 2021 – Twenty-six weeks of racing down, one final weekend to go. It’s time to crown national champions in the 26th annual DIRTcar Fall Nationals. Lincoln Speedway will host the season-end spectacular for the second-straight year this Thu-Sat, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Six DIRTcar divisions will take to the quarter-mile oval over three nights in the final weekend of the DIRTcar regular season. The on-track action begins with Thursday night Hot Lap sessions for all cars before the first of two full programs Friday night – UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models, Pro Modifieds and Stock Cars on tap. UMP Modifieds, Pro Late Models and Pro Modifieds will stick around for Saturday’s show, joining the full-size Late Models and Sport Compacts in the season finale. Late Models will race for $3,000-to-win, while the UMP Modifieds see a winner’s share increase to $1,500. DRIVER REGISTRATION The Stock Cars head to Charleston Speedway on Saturday night, joining the Factory Stocks in the track’s annual DIRTcar Street Stock Fall Nationals event, paying $2,000 to the Stock Car Feature winner and $150 to start the race. It all starts with Thursday night’s practice session at Lincoln – don’t miss a moment of the action! Buy a ticket at the gate, camp out or stream all three nights live on DIRTVision presented by Drydene. Here are the drivers to watch for and the storylines to follow this weekend… PRO MOD POWER – Owen Steinkoenig, of Highland, IL, has unofficially captured his first career DIRTcar Pro Modified national points championship and will take his newfound gold into Lincoln with two opportunities at a $1,000 top prize. One of Steinkoenig’s fifteen victories this year came at Lincoln on June 4 over Ryan Hamilton, who is also scheduled to compete this weekend. The only other Pro Modified race held at Lincoln this year was in the season opener on April 9 – the 2020 Fall Nationals makeup date. Kevin Crowder, of Argenta, IL, scored the win over Kyle Helmick, both of whom are projected to be part of the Pro Modified roster again this weekend. FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME – Newly crowned UMP Modified track champion Ray Bollinger, of Kewanee, IL, comes into the weekend as a favorite with five Feature victories at the track already this year. This is Bollinger’s first career track championship at Lincoln, winning the gold by 62 points over Brian Lynn. Of the 11 events, Bollinger drove his Nutrien Ag Solutions #77 to a top-10 finish in all but one. LITTLE BIG CHAMPION – The Midwest Big Ten Late Model Series has a brand-new champion. Jake Little, of Springfield, IL, bagged his first career championship in the DIRTcar Late Model miniseries by 80 points. This weekend serves as the eighth and final race on the schedule, and with his plentiful Pro Late Model experience at Lincoln this season, Little looks to end his 2021 campaign with a $3,000 check in his pocket as a Fall Nationals winner. EIGHTEEN AND COUNTING – It’s been a season to remember for New Berlin, IL, driver Jose Parga, with 18 DIRTcar Pro Late Model victories since opening weekend in April – the most of all drivers in the nation. No other driver had more than nine. Parga unofficially secured his first DIRTcar national championship by nearly 100 points over the rest of the field, largely credited to his dominance in weekly competition at Lincoln. Nine Pro Late Model Features were held at the venue this year – Parga won seven of them. STREET STOCK FALL NATIONALS – The eighth annual DIRTcar Street Stock Fall Nationals hits Charleston Speedway in Charleston, IL, this Saturday night, Oct. 2, featuring the DIRTcar Stock Cars, Factory Stocks and Sport Compacts. Nick Macklin has unofficially wrapped-up his first career DIRTcar Stock Car national points championship with eleven Feature wins on the season, including his latest at Jacksonville Speedway last Saturday. Runner-up Terry Reed Jr. scored a win at Macon Speedway the same night, while third-place Megan Erwin appeared to be on her way to victory at Kankakee County Speedway before overheating issues forced her to give up the lead and retire early.

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.

The three premier series could see historic championship milestones at the season-ending finale Nov. 4-6 CONCORD, NC – Sept. 27, 2021 – The year-long journey of thrills, relentless grind and glory for the three premier dirt racing series in the country is less than two months away from converging to a history-making finale.The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models and Super DIRTcar Series, while on different roads, are all on the path to the NGK NTK World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte (Nov. 4-6). All three will see a champion crowd. And all three could have a champion set for a historic milestone.World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint CarsTwo-time and defending champion Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, is on the path to his third consecutive Series title. The accomplishment would put him alongside Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell and Donny Schatz on the elite list of drivers with at least three championships.However, nine races and a determined David Gravel still stand in his way of making history at World Finals. Sweet currently holds a 120-point lead – down more than 30 points in the last two races – over the Connecticut native, who is going for his first title. And in that span of nine races is two nights at arguably one of Sweet’s worst tracks and Gravel’s best – Williams Grove Speedway. Sweet has yet to win at the historic half-mile, while Gravel has eight wins there.Another benefit for Gravel, if he can keep the Kasey Kahne Racing driver within reach by World Finals, is he’s won three of the last four races at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. Sweet is still searching for his first win at the 4/10-mile track.Logan Schuchart, who is in a battle for fifth in points with Sheldon Haudenschild, won the last World of Outlaws event at The Dirt Track – his second at the track. After coming close to a championship in 2020, he’ll also be poised for another strong end to the season to propel him and his Shark Racing team to another championship run in 2022.World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late ModelsThree-time and defending champion Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, IL, has his sights set on reaching multiple World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models milestones. He’s one win away from tying Josh Richards for the most Series wins and if he can hold on to his points lead by World Finals, Sheppard will tie Richards for the most Series championships.Another title this year would also be Sheppard’s third consecutive championship, making him the first driver in series history to accomplish that feat.To get another win at The Dirt Track, Sheppard will have to face a plethora of all-star Late Model drivers from across the country. His 2021 championship rival, Chris Madden, has three wins at the track – the last coming in 2019. Last year’s winners Tim McCreadie and Brandon Overton are expected to return for another shot at the prestigious victory. McCreadie, the 2006 Series champion, has one win with the Series this year and Overton has won almost every big race presented to him. He swept the DIRTcar Late Model Dream events at Eldora Speedway and won the 51st World 100 at the “Big E.” He also won the Firecracker 100 at Lernerville Speedway in July. Super DIRTcar SeriesSeven-time Super DIRTcar Series champion Brett Hearn, a legend of the sport, held the title of most Series championships for five years before Matt Sheppard tied him at the Dirt Track at Charlotte in 2018. This year during World Finals, Sheppard may take it a step further and claim the most titles in the Series’ 45-year history.There are three more points races before Sheppard, of Waterloo, NY, can hoist the championship trophy again – including the Demon 100 at Brewerton Speedway (Tuesday, Oct. 5) – but the biggest momentum shift could come from the 49th NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week at Oswego Speedway (Oct. 6-10). The event is the most prestigious Big Block Modified race in the Northeast and comes with the power to make a bad year good and a good year spectacular.Along with Sheppard, his closest championship rivals, Billy Decker and Peter Britten, will lay their heart and soul on the line to win the $50,000-to-win, 200-lap, Billy Whittaker Cars 200 during NAPA Super DIRT Week. The victory would further solidify a legendary rank among Big Block Modified drivers and give them an extra boost of confidence to challenge “Superman” for the championship during the NGK NTK World Finals.This year will also mark the Super DIRTcar Series’ return to the Charlotte Dirt Track for the first time since 2019. During the two events that year, Jimmy Phelps and Billy Decker claimed the victories.Don’t miss history in the making. For tickets to the NGK NTK World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, CLICK HERE.While being at the track is the best way to experience the spectacle, including the four-wide salute with all three series at the same time, if you can’t make it, DIRTVision is bringing all of the action to your screens live. You can watch online at DIRTVision.com or with the DIRTVision App.For more on the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and Late Models, visit WorldofOutlaws.com. And for more on the Super DIRTcar Series, visit SuperDIRTcarSeries.com.

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.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.

September 27, 2021

Matt DiBenedetto’s No. 21 Suicide Prevention Lifeline Mustang was fast from start to finish of Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and the team came home with a 12^th-place finish despite a mid-race setback due to the way a pit-stop cycle played out.

DiBenedetto started 14^th and drove into the top five within the first three laps. He was running fifth when the Competition Caution flag flew after 26 laps had been completed.

He continued to run in the top five and top 10 throughout the first Stage and ended that 80-lap segment in ninth place, earning two Stage points.

In the second Stage, the No. 21 team was again running in the top 10 but their pit strategy didn’t work out when the Stage ended with a 63-lap green-flag. The Suicide Prevention Lifeline team was forced to stop late in the run under the green flag, and that left them in 23^rd place, one lap behind the leaders.

Taking the wave-around during the Stage break put DiBenedetto back on the lead lap but at the back of the pack to start the final Stage. That entire segment ran without a yellow flag, taking away any opportunity to use strategy to jump up in the running order.

Still, DiBenedetto was able to remain on the lead lap and drive his way to 12^th place at the finish.
 
“Obviously we had a much better car than that,” he said. “We were able to drive away from the leaders at the end.
 
“We had to come from the back at the start of the final Stage, and there were no cautions to re-bunch the field and get back to where we deserved to be.
 
“We had a top-five car.”
 
Still, he said he was proud to be able to spend the weekend raising awareness about suicide and ways to try to help those contemplating taking their own lives. The team’s regular sponsors, led by Motorcraft and Quick Lane, yielded their logos on the No. 21 Mustang to the suicide prevention effort and to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number, which is 1-800-273 TALK (8255).
 
“The numbers of people either contemplating suicide or taking their own lives are staggering,” DiBenedetto said. “Being able to talk about suicide and mental health was much bigger than driving the race car.”
 
DiBenedetto and the No. 21 team remain 18^th in the points standings heading into next Sunday’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
 

• Defending Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan powered his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) New Holland Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 1 qualifier position to a victory at the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway
• Hagan earned his first Wally trophy from the St. Louis venue and 39^th career win to move into the lead in the battle to defend his Funny Car crown with four NHRA playoff series events remaining
• No. 2 qualifier Ron Capps and his DSR Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat had a quarterfinal finish, leaves World Wide Technology Raceway second in the NHRA “Countdown to the Championship” standings and 59 markers behind DSR teammate Hagan
• No. 5 qualifier Cruz Pedregon drives his Snap-on Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car to a semifinal finish and into fourth place in the championship points standings
• DSR Top Fuel pilot Leah Pruett powered her Okuma Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster from the No. 4 spot on the eliminations ladder to a semifinal appearance 
• Factory Stock Showdown penultimate race of the season saw Mark Pawuk run his career-best speed aboard 2021 Empaco Equipment Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak on his way to a semifinal finish at St. Louis

September 26, 2021, Madison, Illinois — Defending National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Funny Car world champion Matt Hagan powered his Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) New Holland Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat from the No. 1 qualifier position to the winner’s circle at the Midwest Nationals near St. Louis in dominant fashion to take over the lead in the “Countdown to the Championship”. 

Hagan kicked off the third of seven NHRA playoff series events by driving his HEMI-powered machine to the provisional No. 2 spot at World Wide Technology Raceway in Friday evening qualifying to find himself closing in on DSR teammate and points leader Ron Capps on the provisional timing sheets as well as the Funny Car championship standings. From there Hagan never looked back and laid down the quickest laps in both Saturday qualifying sessions with a final pass of 3.868 seconds at 333.25 mph to secure his third No. 1 qualifier position of the year, a 43rd overall, and collect eight of nine possible bonus points to put him just one marker behind Capps heading into Sunday’s elimination rounds. 

Hagan had an opening round bye run and a quarterfinal win against J.R. Todd to move on to an all-Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat semifinal against No. 5 seed Cruz Pedregon. Both launched and battled side-by side the entire length of the track with Hagan (0.086/3.922/328.30) turning on the win lights over Pedregon (0.083/3.954/323.58) to advance to his fifth final round showdown of the season. Facing off against No. 6 seed Bob Tasca, Hagan got out of the gate first and made another solid sub four-second run (3.933) at 333.49 mph to earn his first Wally trophy from the St. Louis venue. 

The win was Hagan’s third of the season, the 39th of his career, and a fourth for his crew thanks to the victory earned in the playoff opener in Reading, Pennsylvania with substitute driver Tommy Johnson Jr., who slipped into the Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat seat as its regular driver recovered from COVID-19. With two playoff wins in three events, Hagan moved into the top spot in the Funny Car championship battle with a 59-point lead over his fellow DSR stablemate Capps.

Capps’ weekend began by driving his NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to the provisional No. 1 spot on Friday and the second best run in final qualifying on Saturday to add five bonus points to his points tally and earn the No. 2 spot on the elimination ladder, the 13^th time this season he has qualified in a top-five position. He powered his hard-charging HEMI-powered machine to an impressive 3.854-second elapsed time run at 333-mph in the opening round to defeat No. 15 seed Chris King whose racecar faltered right off the start. 

Capps advanced to a quarterfinal match-up against fellow championship contender John Force, who has been regularly staging his racecar deep into the starting line beams to distract his opponents. While aware and prepared for Force’s tactics, the veteran DSR driver had an uncharacteristic start that allowed his opponent to take the early lead. Capps gave chase with a 3.929-second pass but unfortunately wasn’t able to beat Force’s slower 3.970-second lap. Despite the premature exit, Capps remains second in the Funny Car championship battle.

Fellow Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon followed up last weekend’s runner-up performance at the NHRA Carolina Nationals with a fifth place start for the Midwest Nationals by recording a 3.896 sec./ 328.62 mph pass, the fourth quickest in the final session, to mark the fifth consecutive event he has qualified in the top-five. Pedregon defeated No. 12 seed Jim Campbell and No. 4 qualifier Blake Alexander in the first two round elimination rounds to advance to the semifinals and line up his Snap-on Tools “Socket to Breast Cancer” machine next eventual round and event winner Hagan.

After closing out the regular season eighth in the Funny Car standings, the Cruz Pedregon Racing team’s steady improvement through three consecutive playoff events moves the team up into fourth place with five races remaining.
 

In Top Fuel action, DSR pilot Leah Pruett earned the No. 4 seeded position by wheeling her Okuma Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster to the third-quickest pass in the final qualifying session to pit her against No. 13 seed Clay Millican in the opening round. Pruett was first off the line with a 3.701-second pass at 326.16 mph to earn the opening round win over Millican’s 3.883 sec./253.80 mph pass, and followed that up with a quarterfinal win over Billy Torrence who faltered early in the run. She then advanced to the semifinals to face No. 1 qualifier Mike Salinas, against whom Pruett’s hopes of continuing on to the finals went up in tire smoke right at the hit. Pruett and her Mopar Dodge//SRT dragster come away from this weekend’s event sitting sixth in the battle for the Top Fuel crown.

After four consecutive weekends of racing the NHRA will take a weekend off before returning to action Oct. 7-10 for the Texas NHRA FallNationals, the fourth of seven “Countdown to the Championship” playoff events, at Texas Motorplex near Dallas, Texas.

The Constant Aviation Factory Stock Showdown (FSS) returned to competition this weekend for the penultimate event of the eight-race series and saw Mark Pawuk lead the way for the trio of DSR-prepared 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Paks by qualifying No. 2 on the eliminations ladder with a career-best run at 7.772-second at 179.14 mph ahead of teammates Pruett (No. 5) and David Davies II (No. 7).

Pawuk improved his newest generation Mopar Drag Pak’s performance further as he ran down No. 15 seed Lee Hartman with another career-best speed during his 7.816 second pass at 182.50 mph for the opening round win. He then used a 0.008-second reaction time against David Davies II in the quarterfinals on his way to a 7.829 sec./178.80 mph pass to reach the stripe ahead of his teammate’s solid 7.839 sec./178.02 mph run. In the semifinals Pawuk recorded a perfect 0.000-second launch against No. 3 qualifier Leonard Lottig, and even with a solid 7.871 sec./177.88 mph pass, he wasn’t able to fend off his opponent’s 7.809 sec./176.01 mph winning run. 

Davies had his best qualifying effort this season aboard the D H Davies Racing Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak to start eliminations from the seventh place on the ladder with his 7.829 seconds at 177.79 mph effort. He rode that momentum into Sunday’s competition where he used a holeshot to earn his first round win of the year over Joseph Welch by six thousandths-of-a second with a career-best 7.825-second run at 175.73 mph. That set up the all-Dodge quarterfinal match up with teammate and eventual round winner Pawuk. 

Pruett qualified her DSR Mopar Drag Pak fifth for eliminations with a solid 7.821 second qualifying run at 177.51 mph which set up a first round showdown against John Cerbone. She posted a 0.091-second start and a 7.982 sec./ 169.04 mph run against Cerbone, but it wasn’t quite enough to beat her opponent’s 0.046-second launch and 7.883 sec/177.72 mph winning effort. The final Factory Stock Showdown of the season will take place at the Dodge//SRT NHRA Las Vegas Nationals Presented by Pennzoil at the end of October.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES
 
FUNNY CAR:
Matt Hagan, DSR New Holland Mopar Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.868 seconds at 333.25 mph)
Round 1: (0.249-second reaction time, 3.929 seconds at 327.43 mph) on a Bye run

Round 2: (0.065/3.894/332.18) defeats No. 9 J.R. Todd (0.078/4.571/182.21)

Round 3: (0.086/3.922/328.30) defeats No. 3 Cruz Pedregon (0.083/3.954/323.58)

Round 4: (0.047/3.933/333.49) defeats No. 6 Bob Tasca (0.059/3.967/329.99)

“When you’ve got a combination and a package like we do, it’s hard to beat. The way (Crew Chief) Dickie (Venables) has got this car running, as long as I do my job, it’s going to turn the win light on. You try not to focus too much on the points because it changes so fast from day to day, and race to race out here. You can be on top of the points one day and then you go out first-round the next day, so we take it in stride. Over the years, the championships that I won, I’ve really just tried to focus on what I can control, and everyone else has to do their job, and I’m fortunate in that I’m in a situation where I truly can depend on my team. 

“We only have four more races left after this, so the pressure is there, but I’ve been there before, I understand the hunt, and I know that our car is going to be a really serious contender. I honestly really think we can win this championship with the way Dickie’s got this thing running. (Ron) Capps is going to be tough, (John) Force is going to be tough, all of them, really. These crew chiefs are throwing down, it’s like a slugfest out there.”

Ron Capps, DSR NAPA AUTO PARTS Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
(No. 2 Qualifier – 3.876 seconds at 333.82 mph)
Round 1: (0.085-second reaction time, 3.854 seconds at 333.41) defeats No. 15 Chris King (0.098/6.016/123.07)
Round 2: (0.121/3.929/326.56) loss to No. 10 John Force (0.039/3.970/328.70)

“[Force’s deep stage] definitely threw me off. Add me to the list. We saw it happen with Robert Hight earlier and he’s as good as it gets out here as a driver. You know (John) Force is going to do it, it’s a possibility. When the light went off on the last second, you’re so focused on your ambers, you do see it out of the corner of your eye, and most of the time I run him I’m laughing in the car because he tries to do that to me. I’ve been driving for 27 years, I don’t think I’ve ever had a light (start) that bad in eliminations, especially with the pressure like we have right now. I let my guys down, and it hurts bad right now, but we have a great hot rod, that’s the good thing. I’m better than that. We don’t have the luxury of making another lap and trying to make up for it like NASCAR or IndyCar guys when they have something go wrong. This is it; it happens, and you have to live with it and I’ve got two weeks to think about it.”

   
Cruz Pedregon, Cruz Pedregon Racing Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat
(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.896 seconds at 328.62 mph)
Round 1: (0.092-second reaction time, 3.913 seconds at 327.03 mph) defeats No. 12 Jim Campbell (0.100/4.005/313.22) 

Round 2: (0.077/4.127/243.06) defeats No. 4 Blake Alexander (0.107/8.867/73.85) 

Round 3: (0.083/3.954/323.58) loss to No. 1 Matt Hagan (0.086/3.922/328.30)

“Overall it was a great event for us. We actually moved up to fourth in the points with four races remaining in the 2021 NHRA season. We qualified fifth with a 3.89 at 328 mph run and lost a close semifinal race to eventual event winner Matt Hagan. It was a good run for us, with a 3.92, to a 3.95. I didn’t see him until the finish line there, so he got past us there right at the end. It was really a good event for us and another consistent race. We’re pleased. Obviously we would always like to win these races, but anytime you can go to the semis, especially in these countdown races where the competition is just so tough, where everybody’s qualified so close top to bottom.  We’re just really pleased. I thank (Crew Chief) JC (John Collins) and (assistant Crew Chief) Rip (Reynolds) and the whole team for giving me another great car. We would have liked to have gotten that race win against Matt (Hagan), but hats off to my Dodge teammate who went on to win the race. We’ll move on and get some needed rest here before we head to Dallas. We’ll make some test runs on Wednesday there for the Fan Fest. There’s a little more incentive to run well there with the promotions run by the Billy Meyer track there in Ennis (Texas). I love the Ennis track. It’s awesome and I’ve won a lot of big races there through the years. I remember my first year (1992 championship year) was against John Force where we both smoked the tires and it was a classic race that a lot of fans still talk about to this day. We’re going to go full speed ahead and try to stay in the hunt. We’re really not too far out of the lead and it’s still a workable scenario there for us to get in the points. We just have to keep at it and keep it consistent.”

 
TOP FUEL:
Leah Pruett, DSR Okuma Mopar Dodge//SRT Dragster  
(No. 4 Qualifier – 3.714 seconds at 326.00 mph)
Round 1:  (0.064-second reaction time, 3.701 seconds at 326.16 mph) defeats No. 13 Clay Millican (0.081/3.883/253.80)

Round 2: (0.045/3.769/316.01) defeats No. 5 Billy Torrence (0.095/6.575/122.59)

Round 3: (0.090/20.077/No Speed) loss to No. 1 Mike Salinas (0.038/3.713/328.06)

“Reaching the semifinals is always a plus, and some of those ahead of us went out early so that helps bunch up the points a bit. We had some big match-ups today. The first round against Clay (Millican), you never know what they’re going to throw out there, that’s a fast car. Our Okuma (Mopar Dodge//SRT) machine laid down a solid 3.70 pass. That second round was big and that was a fun race against Billy (Torrence) and he’s right ahead of us in the points and that’s an opportunity to be the giant killer and pass them. Getting that win from burnout to turnout was great. We had to swap blowers before the semis and that changed the tune-up a little bit. I wish I could put my thumb on what happened and why it smoked the tires at the hit, but we don’t have any data from that run. It shows the clutch was charged during staging and then nothing. Disappointed, slightly. Heartbroken, absolutely not. Something about this weekend and this team just resonates, and it’s really hard to beat a team who never gives up. That’s exactly who we are. We’ll keep going with this momentum in Dallas.”

FACTORY STOCK SHOOTOUT:

Leah Pruett, 2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak 

(No. 5 Qualifier – 7.821 seconds at 177.51 mph)

Round 1: (0.091-second reaction time, 7.982 seconds at 169.04 mph) loss to No. 12 John Cerbone (0.046/7.883/177.72)

“Talk about a phantom and we’ve nickname this beauty ‘phantom’ and we had phantom issues with our Mopar Drag Pak. We lost boost on a qualifying run and swapped superchargers and compressors and then for E1 we put a new adjuster on it and it lost boost earlier in the run. There’s something plaguing us with a really good running Dodge. We do plan to test before (Las) Vegas as we want to finish strong. Our team, as a whole, is very strong going rounds with Mark (Pawuk) to the semis and Dave (Davies) getting his first round win. I’m having a great time driving. It does hurt not going rounds, but this team has been through a lot, but we have shown what it needs to push forward and make the right calls.”

Mark Pawuk, 2021 Empaco Equipment Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 2 Qualifier – 7.772 seconds. at 179.14 mph)

Round 1: (0.123-second reaction time, 7.816 seconds at 182.50 mph) defeats No. 15 Lee Hartman (0.036/7.987/173.83)

Round 2: (0.008/7.829/178.80) defeats No. 7 David Davies II (0.092/7.839/178.02)

Round 3: (0.000/7.871/177.88) loss to No. 3 Leonard Lottig (0.055/7.809/176.01)

“We’re very happy with the performance of the race car this weekend at St. Louis. We ran very well all weekend with this Empaco Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak at DSR. The driver did his job, unfortunately, there was a malfunction in the semis after I cut a triple-o (.000) light when the car shifted from first to third and that slowed us down and I lost by seven thousandths (of-a-second). That was really disappointing. I thought this could be my weekend to get back into the NHRA winner’s circle. We have a fast hot rod. Everybody on the team did a great job. We’ll keep fighting. We need to get this shifter thing figured out because it happened twice this weekend. We’ll get it fixed and I’m looking forward to finishing out the season at (Las) Vegas on a high.”

David Davies II, D H Davies Racing Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak

(No. 7 Qualifier – 7.829 seconds at 177.79 mph)

Round 1: (0.041-second reaction time, 7.982 seconds at 175.73 mph) defeats No. 10 Joe Welch (0.074/7.818/183.10 mph)

Round 2: (0.098/7.839/178.02) loss to No. 2 Mark Pawuk (0.008/7.829/178.80)

“We’re very excited about the weekend. St. Louis is a great track and I’ve always had good luck here. Once again, even though we didn’t race to the win, the cars are just about dialed in and if we’re going to lose, why not to a teammate so one of us goes through. Mark (Pawuk) did a great job on the tree and the suspension changes we made to the car got us what we needed this weekend. The 60-foot times were fantastic and we are running 178, 179 mph. The Bilstein suspension system is really working well on these Drag Paks and we’re ready for the last race at (Las) Vegas.”

NHRA Championship Points Standings:
Following the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway
 
FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)
1. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,354 (3/1-TJ Johnson Jr.)

2. Ron Capps (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,295 (1)

3. John Force – 2,282 (3)

4. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat) – 2,255 (1)

5. J.R. Todd – 2,239 (1)

6. Bob Tasca III – 2,234 (2)
7. Robert Hight – 2,194 (2)

7. Tim Wilkerson– 2,194 (1)

9. Alexis DeJoria – 2,163

10. Blake Alexander– 2,120
 
TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)
1. Steve Torrance – 2,373 (9)

2. Brittany Force – 2,337 (1)

3. Billy Torrence – 2,247 (2)
4. Mike Salinas – 2,239

5. Justin Ashley – 2,235 (1)

6. Leah Pruett (Mopar Dodge//SRT) – 2,222 (1)

7. Antron Brown – 2,188 (1)
8. Shawn Langdon – 2,164
9. Clay Millican – 2,157
10. Doug Kalitta – 2,096

FACTORY STOCK SHOWDOWN

1. Aaron Stanfield – 651

2. David Barton – 430

3. John Cerbone – 409

4. Jesse Alexandra – 403

5. David Janac – 367

6. Leah Pruett (2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak) – 366

7. Stephen Bell – 339

8. Mark Pawuk (2021 Dodge Challenger Mopar Drag Pak) – 304

9. Leonard Lottig– 283

10. Doug Hamp – 281

Top Fuel — Steve Torrence, 3.736 seconds, 328.78 mph def. Mike Salinas, 3.996 seconds, 226.70 mph.

Funny Car — Matt Hagan, Dodge Charger, 3.933, 333.49 def. Bob Tasca III, Ford Mustang, 3.967, 329.99.

Pro Stock — Erica Enders, Chevy Camaro, 6.572, 207.24 def. Dallas Glenn, Camaro, 6.583, 206.86.

Competition Eliminator — Joseph Arrowsmith, Pontiac GTO, 7.844, 173.03 def. Brett Speer, ’23-T Ford, Foul – Red Light.

Super Stock — Robert Cruzen, Chevy Cobalt, 9.239, 139.11 def. Ricky Decker, Chevy Camaro, 9.737, 133.01.

Stock Eliminator — Ryan Montford, Chevy Camaro, 9.889, 109.72 def. Wes Neely, Pontiac Firebird, Foul – Red Light.

Super Comp — Nick Isenhower, Dragster, 8.933, 181.18 def. Vernon Rowland, Dragster, 8.943, 165.23.

Super Gas — Jeremy Mason, Chevy Nova, 9.917, 154.26 def. Jason McClure, Chevy Camaro, 9.883, 161.02.

Top Sportsman presented by Vortech Superchargers — Larry Demers, Chevy Cobalt, 6.898, 197.71 def. Curt Fredrich, Chevy Camaro, 6.587, 212.93.

MADISON, Ill. (Sept. 26, 2021) – John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car led John Force Racing with a semifinal finish Sunday at the NHRA Midwest Nationals at World Wide Technology Raceway. Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team raced their way to the second round and Robert Hight and the AAA Missouri Camaro had a first round exit. After struggling in qualifying to enter race day from the No. 10 spot, John Force and the PEAK team came up with some big wins with Championship implications. They had some luck in the first round when three-time champion Robert Hight idled to the finish line. Force would run 3.970-seconds at 315.30 mph for the win. In the second round, veteran Ron Capps, who was the points leader coming into the day, was unusually late on the starting line with a reaction time of .121-seconds to go with his 3.854-second pass at 326.56 mph that was bettered by Force’s .039 reaction time and 3.970 run at 328.70. The win would line Force up with long-time rival Bob Tasca III in the semifinals. Force would have the starting line advantage but smoke the tires at about 60 feet. His Camaro would make a hard move towards the centerline causing Force to back off the throttle while Tasca’s car loses power at 800 feet. Tasca would get the win with a 4.306-second run at 216.69 mph to Force’s 6.826 at 93.68. “Well, we went some rounds, kept ourselves up there in the points,” said Force who remains third. “My guys, this PEAK Chevy team, they’ve worked hard, four in a row, it ain’t easy. Big picture, we’re okay. Four races left and we’re still in the hunt for this championship.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team continued their consistency from Saturday’s qualifying in the first round of eliminations. They laid down the third quickest run in Top Fuel history at 3.641-seconds and a track record speed of 337.66 mph to defeat TJ Zizzo and his 4.921 at 144.29 after running into tire smoke. The victory set Force up with a rematch of the NHRA Carolina Nationals final round. The Monster Energy dragster would put a cylinder out down track slowing Force to a 3.767-second run at 321.27 mph with a startling line reaction time of .091 that was bettered on a hole shot by Josh Hart’s 3.793 pass at 325.69 and his .061 reaction time. “Tough day for this Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team, getting beat in the second round,” Force said. “We had a hole out, but I also wasn’t there on the starting line. There’s still four races left in this Countdown and that’s plenty of time for us to regroup and move forward.” Robert Hight and the AAA Missouri Chevrolet Camaro will stay tied with Tim Wilkerson at seventh in the championship points standings after Hight miss-stepped at the starting line. The AAA Chevy idled to the finish line recording a 24.203-second pass at 58.41 mph. “Rough day for this AAA team, we had a good car, made some mistakes,” Hight said. “I think if we keep our heads down, keep doing what we know how to do, including myself in that, we could still pull this off. There’s still time.” The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Countdown to the Championship Continues Oct. 8-10th with NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas, just outside of Dallas. -30-

BRITTANY FORCE, 35, Monster Energy Top Fuel dragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.663-seconds at 330.39 mphBonus Qualifying Points:6 (quickest Q2 & Q3)Race Results: Beat TJ Zizzo; Lost to Josh Hart

ROBERT HIGHT, 52, AAA Missouri Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:7th; 3.898-seconds at 327.11 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0Race Results: Lost to John Force

JOHN FORCE, 72, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:10th; 3.915-seconds at 304.94mphBonus Qualifying Points:2 (second quickest Q2)Race Results: Beat Robert Hight, Ron Capps; Lost to Bob Tasca III

Photo Credit: PEAK Chevy, Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery; Monster Dragster: John Force Racing; AAA Chevy: Ron Lewis

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top 10 Points Standings TOP FUEL – 1. Steve Torrence, 2,373; 2. Brittany Force, Monster Energy/ Flav-R-Pac dragster, 2,337; 3. Mike Salinas, 2,259; 3. Billy Torrence, 2,247; 4. Mike Salinas, 2,239; 5. Justin Ashley, 2,235; 6. Leah Pruett, 2,222; 7. Antron Brown, 2,188; 8. Shawn Langdon, 2,164; 9. Clay Millican, 2,157; 10. Doug Kalitta, 2,096. FUNNY CAR – 1. Matt Hagan, 2,354; 2. Ron Capps, 2,295; 3. John Force, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS, 2,282; 4. Cruz Pedregon, 2,255; 5. J.R. Todd, 2,239; 6. Bob Tasca III, 2,234; 7. Tie, Robert Hight, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SS, and Tim Wilkerson, 2,194 each; 9. Alexis DeJoria, 2,163; 10. Blake Alexander, 2,120; 11. Jim Campbell, 2,086.

BROWNSTOWN, IN (September 25, 2021) – Jimmy Owens and Devin Moran swapped the lead several times in the final 14 laps in the 42nd Annual Jackson 100 on Saturday Night at the Brownstown Speedway. In the end, it was the veteran Owens edging out Moran by just .079 seconds at the finish.  Moran, who was looking for his first-ever win at Brownstown, finished second. Tanner English, last year’s Eibach Springs Rookie of the Year in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series came home in third. Earl Pearson Jr. was fourth and last week’s Late Model Knoxville Nationals winner, Mike Marlar rounded out the top five drivers. Owens jumped to the lead at the start of race as he and first-time Jackson 100 starter Spencer Hughes ran first and second for the first 40 laps. Pearson, who had been hounding Hughes for several laps moved into the runner-up spot on lap 41. Pearson then held the second position until lap 58 when Moran moved ahead. The first 86 laps of the race went caution-free until Ricky Thornton Jr. brought out the only yellow flag after climbing to sixth in the running order with 14 laps to go. The final 14 circuits between Owens and Moran saw the duo go back-and-forth in the battle for the lead. Moran was able to forge ahead on lap 88, but the two remained side-by-side before Owens regained the top spot-on lap 93. Moran was not done yet, staying right with the defending series champion to the very end but falling just short of victory. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 77th time in his career the 49-year-old Tennessee superstar was elated with the $20,000 victory. “That was a blast. I didn’t know which way he (Moran) was going to be coming on me whether it was going to be high or low. Because he really, really had a good car. We had a good hot rod too you know. It’s great being in victory lane here at Brownstown.” “Tonight, was the best track we have had by far here in a while. They did their best with the weather; you can’t do anything about the rain. It was fun racing with Devin, he was respectful and gave me plenty of room and it put on a heck of a show for the fans.” Moran still awaits his first Jackson 100 triumph after finishing in the runner-up spot for the second time in his career. “Jimmy is the one of the cleanest guys in the country him and a couple of other drivers. I just want to win here so bad. This has now happened twice here at this place. I really don’t think I wanted that caution there at the end because I could see him, and I was running him down. The tires had heat in them and when I got the lead I could here Jimmy just gassing on it. I was just missing the bottom of three and four, so I just blame myself.” English climbed to third at the finish after starting 11th to round out the podium. “I knew there at the end I just needed a couple of laps to get going. I am so easy on stuff I need to go 150 laps you know instead of a 100. My right rear tire was just coming in when the checkered fell. We just needed a few more laps and I think we could have had something for them. We feel back almost to 18th it seemed like, but we finally came back and started digging.” The winner’s Ramirez Motorsports, Rocket Chassis is powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Boomtest Well Service, Tim Short Auto Group, Reece Monument Company, Red Line Oil, Ohlins Shocks, Sybesma Graphics, Georgia Arms, and Sunoco Race Fuels. Completing the top ten were Hudson O’Neal, Dennis Erb Jr., Josh Richards, Spencer Hughes, and Stormy Scott. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 42nd Annual Jackson 100Saturday, September 25th, 2021Brownstown Speedway – Brownstown, IN Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Devin Gilpin / 13.433 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Billy Moyer, Jr. / 13.442 seconds  Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 20-Jimmy Owens[2]; 2. 71-Hudson O’Neal[5]; 3. 1T-Tyler Erb[4]; 4. 1G-Devin Gilpin[1]; 5. 17D-Zack Dohm[6]; 6. 14G-Joe Godsey[8]; 7. 39-Tim McCreadie[9]; 8. 25-Shane Clanton[7]; 9. 28JS-Jeff Shackelford[10]; 10. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 9-Devin Moran[3]; 3. 81E-Tanner English[2]; 4. 1S-Brandon Sheppard[4]; 5. 1ST-Johnny Scott[5]; 6. 16-Justin Rattliff[6]; 7. 21H-Robby Hensley[7]; 8. 14R-Jeff Roth[8]; 9. 2C-Brayton Laster[9]; 10. (DNS) 79-Bill Lewis Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 11H-Spencer Hughes[3]; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 3. 14-Josh Richards[6]; 4. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[1]; 5. C9-Steve Casebolt[5]; 6. 22L-Skyller Lewis[7]; 7. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[4]; 8. 17M-Jared Bailey[10]; 9. 14W-Quentin White[9]; 10. (DNS) 97-Michael Chilton Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (8 Laps, Top 4 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[1]; 2. 28E-Dennis Erb Jr[3]; 3. 2S-Stormy Scott[2]; 4. 12J-Jason Jameson[5]; 5. 11R-Josh Rice[4]; 6. 66C-Matt Cosner[8]; 7. 83-Scott James[7]; 8. 76-Shelby Miles[6]; 9. 1CJ-Casey White[9] LINE-X B-Main #1 Running Order (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1ST-Johnny Scott[2]; 2. 17D-Zack Dohm[1]; 3. 39-Tim McCreadie[5]; 4. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[11]; 5. 14G-Joe Godsey[3]; 6. 16-Justin Rattliff[4]; 7. 21H-Robby Hensley[6]; 8. 14R-Jeff Roth[8]; 9. 2C-Brayton Laster[10]; 10. 25-Shane Clanton[7]; 11. (DNS) 28JS-Jeff Shackelford; 12. (DNS) 79-Bill Lewis UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (10 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. C9-Steve Casebolt[1]; 2. 22L-Skyller Lewis[3]; 3. 83-Scott James[6]; 4. 76-Shelby Miles[8]; 5. 66C-Matt Cosner[4]; 6. 20TC-Tristan Chamberlain[5]; 7. 1CJ-Casey White[10]; 8. 14W-Quentin White[9]; 9. 11R-Josh Rice[2]; 10. 17M-Jared Bailey[7]; 11. (DNS) 97-Michael Chilton Jackson 100 Feature Finish (100 Laps):

Race StatisticsEntrants: 39Lap Leaders: Jimmy Owens (Laps 1-87); Devin Moran (Laps 88-92); Jimmy Owens (Laps 93-100)Wrisco Feature Winner: Jimmy OwensArizona Sport Shirts CJC – Presented by DirtOnDirt Feature Winner: Jimmy OwensBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 0.080 secondsCautions: Ricky Thornton, Jr. (Lap 86)Series Provisionals: Ricky Thornton, Jr.; Shane ClantonFast Time Provisional: n/aSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aTrack Provisionals: Jared BaileyBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Tanner EnglishPenske Shocks Top 5: Jimmy Owens, Devin Moran, Tanner English, Earl Pearson, Jr., Mike MarlarOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Tanner English (Advanced 8 Positions) Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieHot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Jimmy OwensSunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Jimmy OwensEibach Springs Rookie of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Dirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jimmy Owens (Lap # 2 – 14.092 seconds)Fast Shafts Tough Break of the Race: Ricky Thornton, Jr.Outerwears Crew Chief of the Race: Cory Fostvedt (Jimmy Owens)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Vic Hill Race EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Rocket ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Hudson O’Neal – 12.890 secondsTime of Race: 32 minutes 30 seconds

Mike Mahaney holds off Stewart Friesen for wild, emotional first-career Super DIRTcar Series win

Mahaney tops Massive Malta podium over Friesen and Sheppard for $13,000 in 100-lap Albany-Saratoga thriller

MALTA, NY – Mike Mahaney couldn’t help but dance while atop his Big Block Modified. The adrenaline, the joy and the relief moved through him in a way he’d never experienced before. 

After 115 starts with the Super DIRTcar Series, the King Ferry, NY driver finally celebrated his first career Series win Saturday night. And he got to do so at his hometrack of Albany-Saratoga Speedway.

Mahaney, in the #35 Adirondack Auto Big Block Modified, held off two of the most prominent Big Block Modified drivers in the world for the $13,000 Massive Malta payday. Stewart Friesen finished second after charging up 19 positions and Matt Sheppard continued to build his bid for an eighth Super DIRTcar Series championship with his third-place finish.

With a handful of laps remaining, Mahaney and Friesen lined up side-by-side for a restart. Both cars fired nearly simultaneously out of Turn Four. Friesen sent his #44 sideways with a hard, clean slider. As Friesen balanced the car on the lip of the cushion on top of Turn Two, Mahaney turned down the track and was able to pass him back in Turns Three & Four. 

Friesen used every inch of the track and every horsepower in his Big Block to steal the win but Mahaney hung on. 

After crossing the finish line, weighing the car, and making his way to Victory Lane, Mahaney took his time standing on the roof of the #35 looking out over the thunderous crowd and the quiet track. 

“I really wanted to let it sink in,” Mahaney said. “I’ve won races before and afterward, it felt like it happened so fast. This is a big one. It’s the most money I’ve earned in a race: $13,000. With it being my first Super DIRTcar Series win, it was just something I really wanted to take in up there.”

Mahaney stood on the podium many times with the Super DIRTcar Series but this time he’s in the middle. 

“I am so glad it was those two on the podium with me,” he said with a grin. “I don’t know how many times I’ve stood next to them on the side. They are the very best in dirt modifieds. Right now in this era, they are the best. They are winning all the races. To finally get it and have them there means something super special for me. They didn’t drop out. We raced them.”

Mahaney is a second-generation driver. When Super DIRTcar Series announcer Shane Andrews called his first race, Jim Mahaney, Mike’s father, took the win. Winning with family and friends there to see and share it was a dream come true for the 32-year-old driver. 

“I just want to absorb it because it’s taken so long,” Mahaney said. “It’s been my whole career, 17 years or something, but with this team, we’ve been competitive enough to the point where we should be winning. People have been asking me when it’s going to happen. It’s been something that everyone has been waiting for. All my fans, the team, and my family.

The electrified crowd roared when Mahaney took to the roof. 

“It was cool to put on a great show for the fans,” he added. “I loved hearing them. It was nuts. It was so loud. It was so cool. I can’t even explain it.”

From start to finish, the track provided exceptional racing throughout the 100-lap event. There was a lane high and low, allowing for tight racing every corner and the occasional slide job.

“He [Lyle DeVore] gave us a track that had a lot of bite so it would last until the end,” Mahaney said. “It wasn’t like we ran 50 laps and then settled in. It was great racing for 100 laps. You can’t beat that. We have so many fans that follow us here. It was overwhelming to hear that response and to feel loved by so many. I truly appreciate it. I am going to enjoy this.”  

Points leader Matt Sheppard finished third after racing his way up from the ninth starting position. The #9S stayed steady in the top 10 throughout the race until late in the race when he began picking off positions until finally reaching the podium. 

“This place hasn’t been great to us the last few times we’ve been here,” Sheppard noted. “To come away with a podium is great since we’ve been on a roll. Our qualifying effort was great and we got a podium. We’ll certainly take it.”

Sheppard is working towards his eighth Super DIRTcar Series championship. At the mid-point of the race, Sheppard was locked in battle with Billy Decker who currently sits second in points. Sheppard managed to shake the Gypsum Racing #91 in the pack and build on his points lead going into NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIX and the NGK NTK World Finals with a third-place finish. 

Stewart Friesen, from Sprakers, NY, had just returned from Las Vegas where he competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series playoff race. The Halmar #44 was uncharacteristically off the top times in Hot Laps and Time Trials. 

Friesen started the night out behind the eight-ball by failing to qualify through his Heat Race. He finished one position out of a transfer so he lined up next to Erick Rudolph on the front row of the Last Chance Showdown. 

“The Halmar guys worked really hard all night,” Friesen said. “I was in Ronnie Johnson’s trailer grabbing springs and worked it out.”

With the ability to pass at every corner of the track for all 100 thrilling laps, Friesen worked his way from 21st to second to also claim the Hard Charger Award winner.

While waiting for Mike Makaheny’s celebration to subside, Friesen said, “That was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in a Modified. That was a helluva lot of fun. How about Mike Mahaney?”

While Mahaney started on the front row, he had to contend with Tim Sears Jr. for the early lead. Once the #35 was out in clean air, he began to stretch his lead. But soon, 2021 Albany-Saratoga Speedway track champion Anthony Perrego made some decisive moves to take the lead early in the race 

Unfortunately for Perrego, after the halfway point something went amiss on the #44 and Perrego pulled his car into the infield with a rear-end failure. Mahaney inherited the lead from Perrego and never looked back.

Since 1972, 185 drivers have won Super DIRTcar Series Features out of thousands entered. On Saturday, Sept. 25, Mahaney became the 186th.

Around the corner: The greatest week of all of dirt racing is about to begin. Racing’s Biggest Party, NAPA Super DIRT Week XLIX (October 5-10), is set to kick off on Tuesday, October 5 at Brewerton Speedway for the $10,000-to-win Demon 100. 

Feature (100 Laps) 

1. 35M-Mike Mahaney [2][]; 2. 44F-Stewart Friesen [21][]; 3. 9S-Matt Sheppard [9][]; 4. 2RJ-Ronnie Johnson [3][]; 5. 21A-Peter Britten [13][]; 6. 88W-Mat Williamson [11][]; 7. 111D-Demetrios Drellos [14][]; 8. 99L-Larry Wight [10][]; 9. 91D-Billy Decker [5][]; 10. 5H-Chris Hile [8][]; 11. 2L-Jack Lehner [20][]; 12. 83X-Tim Sears [1][]; 13. 98H-Jimmy Phelps [16][]; 14. 32CC-Max McLaughlin [12][]; 15. 215p-Adam Pierson [6][]; 16. M1-Dave Marcuccilli [4][]; 17. 25R-Erick Rudolph [25][]; 18. 42P-Pat Ward [15][]; 19. 28M-Jordan McCreadie [19][]; 20. 19M-Jessey Mueller [17][]; 21. 7D-Donald Ronca [22][]; 22. 44P-Anthony Perrego [7][]; 23. 34R-Kevin Root [26][]; 24. 97B-Bobby Hackel [23][]; 25. 9X-Tyler Trump [24][]; 26. 32CM-James Meehan [18][]

Hard Charger Award: 44F-Stewart Friesen[+19]

Gravel Cuts Deficit to -120 Behind Sweet with Nine Races RemainingSARVER, PA – September 25, 2021 – Not one, but two different doors opened this weekend for David Gravel, and he made sure to kick both wide open.After Brad Sweet struggled in 19th at Eldora and gave Gravel a free 32 points, the Watertown, CT native came back the next night and took fate into his own hands by stealing the victory from Sweet himself. The end result continues to cut down the championship deficit with only nine races left for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series.On Saturday, Gravel’s opportunistic actions came in the form of a daring final restart as he threaded the needle and squeezed by Sweet to slide him into turn three on Lap 23 of 35. The Big Game Motorsports #2 gasser ran off into lap traffic over the closing laps and beat Sweet to the line by 1.478-seconds.The win extends Gravel’s success at Lernerville Speedway, where he’s won five times with three Commonwealth Clash titles to his name. It’s his 68th World of Outlaws win and marks the third time in his career that he’s recorded a 10-win season.Most importantly for the 29-year-old, it’s momentum and lots of it with one of his best tracks and biggest races coming up, the $75,000/Win National Open at Williams Grove Speedway next weekend.”I really wanted to hit 10 wins,” Gravel said. “We’ve got a lot of good tracks coming up, so hopefully we can keep it rolling and see how big we can get that number.””Once I had enough position to send it in on Brad, I figured that was the race,” he continued. “I knew I had to get my elbows up with 11 laps left, but none of the lappers were on top and I could run it extremely hard.”For the second straight night, Oklahoma City’s Wayne Johnson put the Two-C Racing #2C on the front row of the NOS Energy Drink Feature. Still in pursuit of his first-career World of Outlaws win, Johnson outdrove Gravel on the opening lap and proceeded to control the first 12 circuits of the 35-lapper.When Sweet went storming by Gravel for second on Lap 12, he wasted no time flying by Johnson to put the KKR #49 in the lead on Lap 13. He controlled the following 10 laps before the final restart allowed Gravel’s #2 to lineup alongside him.Electing the low line on the double-file restart is what Sweet credited as his ultimate downfall on Saturday, as Gravel rocketed around the top and built his momentum. The door opened down the backstretch and Gravel wasn’t letting it close.He squeezed by Sweet into turn three and slid high to protect the spot as he came to the flagstand on Lap 23 as the new leader. From there, lap traffic gave Sweet some hope, but there was little he could do in stopping Gravel’s pace around the outside of the Sarver circle.Gravel controlled the final 13 laps and completed his second clean sweep of the season by earning Slick Woody’s QuickTime, winning his Drydene Heat Race, the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash, and the NOS Energy Drink Feature.After controlling laps 13-22, championship leader Brad Sweet slipped back to finish in the runner-up spot on Saturday night. With nine races remaining this year, his Kasey Kahne Racing, NAPA Auto Parts #49 holds a +120 point advantage over Gravel with the title on the line.”I made a mistake,” Sweet admitted post-race. “I should’ve chosen the top on that restart. I was trying to get there to block him, but he was already there. We had a car capable of winning, I just didn’t get it done. We’ll go to Williams Grove and see what we can do.”Donny Schatz closed out the podium with a third-place finish aboard the Carquest, Ford Performance #15. The Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #15 driver now heads for Williams Grove’s $75,000/Win National Open as the defending champion next weekend.”That’s about as fast as I can ever remember going around this place,” Schatz said on the 4/10-mile surface. “We were decent on the bottom, but then it just got so quick around the top. We keep improving little by little, though.”James McFadden claimed his 17th consecutive top-10 finish with a fourth-place score aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing #9. Sheldon Haudenschild returned to the top-five with a fifth-place run in the NOS Energy Drink, Stenhouse Jr. Marshall Racing #17.Rounding out the top-10 was Jason Johnson Racing’s Carson Macedo in sixth, Shark Racing’s duo of Jacob Allen & Logan Schuchart in seventh & eighth, Roth Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne in ninth, and Two-C Racing’s Wayne Johnson in tenth.UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series remains in the state of Pennsylvania next week as the final Crown Jewel of the season takes place. On Friday & Saturday, October 1-2, Williams Grove Speedway hosts the $75,000/Win National Open. If you can’t be there, watch Every Lap LIVE on DIRTVision.NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps): 1. 2-David Gravel [1][$10,000]; 2. 49-Brad Sweet [4][$6,000]; 3. 15-Donny Schatz [3][$3,500]; 4. 9-James McFadden [6][$2,800]; 5. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [7][$2,500]; 6. 41-Carson Macedo [8][$2,300]; 7. 1A-Jacob Allen [10][$2,200]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart [11][$2,100]; 9. 83-Kasey Kahne [14][$2,050]; 10. 2C-Wayne Johnson [2][$2,000]; 11. 11K-Kraig Kinser [9][$1,600]; 12. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [5][$1,400]; 13. 22-Brandon Spithaler [18][$1,200]; 14. 10-Paulie Colagiovanni [24][$1,100]; 15. 19-Paige Polyak [13][$1,050]; 16. 7S-Jason Sides [17][$1,000]; 17. 42-Sye Lynch [15][$1,000]; 18. 46-Michael Bauer [21][$1,000]; 19. C1-Clay Riney [23][$1,000]; 20. 2F-AJ Flick [12][$1,000]; 21. 11-Carl Bowser [19][$1,000]; 22. 12-Darin Gallagher [25][$]; 23. 47N-Marcus Dumesny [16][$1,000]; 24. 23JR-Jack Sodeman [22][$1,000]; 25. 28-Tim Shaffer [20][$1,000]. Lap Leaders:Wayne Johnson 1-12, Brad Sweet 13-22, David Gravel 23-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 10-Paulie Colagiovanni[+10]NEW Championship Standings (71/80 races): 1. Brad Sweet (9,412); 2. David Gravel (-120); 3. Carson Macedo (-172); 4. Donny Schatz (-236); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-328); 5. Logan Schuchart (-334); 7. James McFadden (-706); 8. Kraig Kinser (-1076); 9. Brock Zearfoss (-1344); 10. Jacob Allen (-1648).

Myatt Snider and the No. 2 Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet Team Bring Home 15th-Place Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

15th

12th

9th

“Tonight was frustrating for sure. My Richard Childress Racing team brought an extremely fast Alsco Uniforms Chevrolet for the opening round of the Playoffs, and we were able to post top-three lap times consistently throughout the race. I got loose running the fence early in Stage 3, which killed the right rear tire. At that point, I just had to hold on for as long as I could until we pitted under green for our final stop of the race. I’m proud of the effort that everyone on the No. 2 crew put forth and I’m hungry for more. We will bounce back next weekend in Talladega.”  -Myatt Snider

Taylor, Albuquerque take championship lead to season finale
Late-race crash drops Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 to sixth
Mark Miller, Till Bechtolscheimer pace Acura NSX GT3 effort with eight-place result for Gradient Racing

LONG BEACH, CA (September 25, 2021) – The Wayne Taylor Racing duo of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor maintained control in the fight for the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with a fourth-place finish today at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Starting from fifth, Albuquerque made a bold start to gain two positions in the opening lap, before dropping one position after a long battle with Loic Duval. Finishing fourth, the duo will carry a 19-point lead into the season finale Petit Le Mans 10-hour endurance contest in November.

The second Acura ARX-05, run by Meyer Shank Racing for Dane Cameron and Olivier Pla, went for an alternative pit strategy calling for two stops, but required a mid-race caution period to work and the race ran caution-free. A late-race crash for Pla then sent the MSR Acura to the sidelines.

In the production-based GTD class, Marc Miller and Till Bechtolsheimer led the trio of Acura NSX GT3 Evo’s running this weekend in Long Beach, finishing eighth. Defending GTD champions Matt McMurry and Mario Farnbacher ran 13th In their Compass Racing NSX following a long pit stop, while Andy Lally and co-driver John Potter ended the day 16th in the Magnus with Archangel Acura.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Race Results
4th DPi – #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
6th DPi – #60 Dane Cameron, Olivier Pla, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
8th GTD – #66 Till Bechtolsheimer, Marc Miller, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
13th GTD – #76 Matt McMurry, Mario Farnbacher, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
16th GTD – #44 John Potter, Andy Lally, Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo

DPi Manufacturers’ Championship Drivers’ Championship (after 9 of 10 rounds)

1. Cadillac 3,311 1. Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor 3.071
2. Acura 3,223 2. Pipo Derani, Felipe Nasr 3,052
3. Mazda 3,039 3. Oliver Jarvis, Harry Tincknell 2,882

Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) finished fourth with co-driver Filipe Albuquerque, pair leads the drivers’ championship by 19 points with one race remaining: “I think today we had the pace we expected [prior to the start], kind of ‘best of the rest’. It’s a shame not to come home with a better result at Acura’s home race. Long Beach is such a cool event to have Acura as the title sponsor. But the Konica Minolta boys did the job as usual, and Filipe [Albuquerque] had such a great start [moving from fifth to third] that we really couldn’t afford to take any risks with our race strategy. And it turned out that was the right call. Our team mates, the Meyer Shank guys, did take the risk [with an early pit stop strategy], but unfortunately it didn’t pay off for them. Ultimately, that could’ve been a winning call, but we’re happy to get the most out of what we thought we had today, with fourth. We still have the [championship] points lead going into [the season finale] Petit Le Mans, which is always nice, but the pressure is on! Basically, whoever wins [at Road Atlanta in November] will be the champions. So to win the title on a last-race shoot out would be pretty cool.”

Marc Miller (#76 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) finished eighth in GTD with co-driver Till Bechtolsheimer: “It was a pretty good day for Gradient Racing. It’s a top-10 finish, without a scratch on the car, despite this being a street circuit. We had pretty good pace all day long. The Acura’s strengths are its brakes, and mid-corner balance, and our team prepared a great car for us. It’s a bit tough to maximize our advantages on a tight street circuit, but we’re all pretty happy with the result today.”

Fast Facts
Propelled by wins this season at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the Acura Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge, and at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca; plus podium finishes at Detroit and both Watkins Glen rounds, Wayne Taylor Racing’s Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque lead the Drivers’ Championship standings by 19 points with one race remaining. Taylor is seeking his second consecutive, and third overall, IMSA DPi Drivers’ Championship.

In the DPi Manufacturers’ Championship fight, Acura is seeking its third consecutive IMSA Manufacturers’ Championship. After nine of 10 DPi events, Acura is in a tight battle with both Cadillac and Mazda for the title.

Next
The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next travels to Virginia International Raceway on October 8-10 for the GT-only Michelin GT Challenge at VIR. The championship-deciding 2021 Motul Petit Le Mans season finale takes place at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, November 13.

Acura Motorsports Social media content and video links from the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach are available on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

NASCAR CUP SERIES LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY SOUTH POINT 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd       CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE6th        TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 CAT TRIAL 11:HOT WHEELS CAMARO ZL1 1LE8th        KURT BUSCH, NO. 1 MONSTER ENERGY CAMARO ZL1 1LE10th      KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 TARLTON AND SON CAMARO ZL1 ILE13th      AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LETOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:POS.  DRIVER1st       Denny Hamlin (Toyota)2nd      Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)3rd       Kyle Busch (Toyota)4th       Martin Truex, Jr. (Toyota)5th       Ryan Blaney (Ford)
The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next weekend at Talladega Superspeedway for the YellaWood 500 on Sunday, October 3, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES: CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 2ndCHASE, A STRONG NIGHT FOR SURE, BUT SECOND PLACE. I KNOW THAT’S NOT WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE. TELL US ABOUT THE FINAL FIVE LAPS.“We were really close, just not quite close enough. Denny (Hamlin) did a good job of controlling the gap to me. He was having a hard time with the 21 (Ryan Blaney). I think he was doing a good job of giving himself enough room to him to be able to work the lanes, kind of control the gap back to me.”
“Super close. Really proud of our NAPA team. Feel like we’ve been performing at a really nice level the last three or four weeks, we just haven’t had great results to show for it. Proud of the effort tonight. Looking forward to the next two. Going to be wild. Looking forward to it.”
HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO MAKE YOUR CAR THE BEST AT THE END?“That’s a really good question. Obviously circumstances kind of went our way. We were able to get back on the lead lap when that cycle stopped. We were there in the middle with those guys making it on fuel. We were on the fortunate end because we got back on the lead lap, didn’t have to wave or get the Lucky Dog.”
“We just kept tuning on it, felt like we really needed a little track position.”
MAKE IT ANY EASIER FOR YOU GOING TO TALLADEGA NEXT WEEK?“I don’t know that it ever gets easy going there. The last Daytona race, I felt like that’s the best we’ve been at a speedway since I’ve been at HMS. I’m really proud of that.”
“Hopefully we can have that type of pace and car when we go to Talladega. If that’s the case, it will be a lot more fun, doesn’t mean you won’t crash, but could be more fun so I’m excited.” KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 TARLTON AND SON CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 10th“We stayed out and had to do the wave around. I wasn’t on fresh tires and stuck in traffic. Everyone is fighting so hard back there to run their race that I just got kind of stuck. Not beat around, but just stuck and having to race. It’s just hard.”
“We were able to fight back for a top-10 and come away with an OK finish.”
IS IT SOMETIMES HARD TO KNOW WHAT TO DO IN TRAFFIC OR HOW HARD YOU CAN PUSH IT?“(Ryan) Blaney got through there better. I got stuck around the No. 42 (Ross Chastain), so he was able to get clear and get away and have a good finish. Just being on older tires and having to battle through all of them was difficult. You forget how hard everybody races back there; it’s pretty wild. There were moments where I thought I was going to end up crashed or get frustrate and run myself into the wall. But we were able to mentally fight through it and come away with a top-10.”
YOU’RE 57 POINTS ABOVE THE CUTLINE. THAT’S STILL A PRETTY GOOD CUSHION AND RESULT FOR THE DAY.“Yeah, it’s good that I didn’t let my emotions get the best of me and make my day even worse. It’s good to go to Talladega (Superspeedway) and be that far up. I would have liked to have been up more. I feel like we gave up at least 15 points today with the second stage. That’s a bummer, but we’ll fight through it and hopefully avoid issues at Talladega.”
AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BETMGM CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 13th “Good try tonight by everyone on the Richard Childress Racing team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The front end of our Chevy was never really to my liking tonight. We were bouncing through Turn 2, but Justin Alexander and all of the guys made adjustments throughout the race to improve our handling issues. We just needed a little more a little earlier. In Stage 3, we were running 12^th when we made the call to stay out and long pit. It was just a gamble to try and catch a caution and make something happen. We led laps and were in position but didn’t get the caution we needed. It was worth a shot. We ultimately finished 13^th. We’re headed to Talladega Superspeedway next week, and we’ll do everything we can to try and snag a win.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA/SERVICE KING CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 18thWILLIAM BYRON AND HIS NO. 24 TEAM HAD JUST A BIT OF BAD LUCK THERE WITH THE CUT TIRE THERE AT THE END. HOW WOULD YOU ASSESS YOUR RACE TO THAT POINT?“I thought we were really fast. We came from the back to the front, took the lead and then obviously had that caution. I chose the wrong lane there and had to run second there for awhile to Kyle. And then we had the strategy deal with not being able to make it on fuel and had to recover from that. We had to take two tires and that hurt us. We were able to drive all the way back to the front from the back again, so that was twice today. And then we had the flat tire.”
“We had an awesome car. The No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet was amazing. I think it was right there with the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin). We’ll just have to keep bringing that speed.”
THE GUYS IN THE BOOTH SAID GOING TO TALLADEGA, THEY WOULD RATHER BE WAY AHEAD OR WAY BEHIND. THEY WOULDN’T WANT TO BE IN THERE IN THAT MIDDLE GROUND. UNFORTUANTLEY, THAT’S WHERE YOU FIND YOURSELF. JUST FOUR POINTS BELOW THE CUTLINE. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MENTALITY WILL BE AS YOU HEAD TO THAT SUPERSPEEDWAY? “Just be aggressive. I was aggressive all day today and passed a ton of cars. Just be as aggressive as I’ve been on the speedways in the past. We won a race on a superspeedway last year and I feel like we can do it again. The (Charlotte) ROVAL is a good track for us too, so we’ll see what happens.”
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1 1LE – Finished 22nd “We weren’t great. The stage two strategy just didn’t work out for us and it put us in a tough spot there to start stage three. The valve stem got knocked off on a pit stop and the rest is history. Not a good day on any aspects. We had a decent car, we just didn’t have the pit road and strategy we needed.”

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 BetMGM Chevrolet Team Gamble on Strategy En Route to 13th-Place Finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

13th

15th

17th

“Good try tonight by everyone on the Richard Childress Racing team at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The front end of our BetMGM Chevy was never really to my liking tonight. We were bouncing through Turn 2, but Justin Alexander and all of the guys made adjustments throughout the race to improve our handling issues. We just needed a little more a little earlier. In Stage 3, we were running 12th when we made the call to stay out and long pit. It was just a gamble to try and catch a caution and make something happen. We led laps and were in position but didn’t get the caution we needed. It was worth a shot. We ultimately finished 13th. We’re headed to Talladega Superspeedway next week, and we’ll do everything we can to try and snag a win.” -Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick Leads Laps and Impresses in No. 8 Cat Trials 11: Hot Wheels Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

6th

13th

13th

“Our Cat Trials 11: Hot Wheels Chevrolet was extremely fast tonight at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I knew having speed in the car when the sun went down was going to be a key to finishing well. The track definitely tightened up as time went on, and I could feel it in our No. 8 Camaro. My crew chief, Randall Burnett, kept up with the changing track conditions though and we were able to post top-three laps times consistently. I think at worst we were a third-place car, and should have been competing for the win at the end. There weren’t a ton of cautions during the race and unfortunately waiting just a couple of laps from when the No. 11 pitted from the lead cost us valuable track position. A sixth-place finish is still a great night for our Richard Childress Racing team and we will now turn our focus to Talladega.” -Tyler Reddick

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH STREETS OF LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA RACE RECAP SEPT. 26, 2021 Newgarden grabs solid runner-up finish from pole • Finish pulls two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion to second in standings• Wins the NTT P1 Award with four poles during the 16-race season LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2021) — Josef Newgarden did everything he needed to do in pursuit of a third NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship. He won the NTT P1 Award, led 18 of the 85 laps and had excellent pit stops. But Newgarden had to settle for runner-up in the season finale on the 11-turn, 1.968-mile temporary street circuit and second in the standings for the second consecutive year. Newgarden recorded four poles during the 16-race season, which garnered him the season-long NTT P1 Award. “It’s a different outcome for us, I think,” said Newgarden, who recorded two wins this season. “We were in the fight, which is the number one thing you’ve got to do, is just put yourself in position. We were definitely there. We had a shot at winning. We just came up short. It’s very disappointing. I mean, incredibly disappointing. You put everything into a season. You hope to win it, outside of the Indy 500. So, we just have to start over again next year, unfortunately, but we’ve got the crew to do it and we can bounce back pretty quick. So, I think we can have another run next year.” Pato O’Ward came into the season finale second in points and with a strong opportunity to challenge for the title. The second-year driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet started the weekend 35 points behind eventual champion Alex Palou. But contact with another car in Turn 2 of Lap 1 knocked O’Ward out of contention. He returned to competition and was able to secure third in the standings. Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, finished 11th and secured the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year title – a first for Team Penske. Making the transition from Australian Supercars to INDYCAR, the New Zealand native was impressive as he negotiated the change. He finished 14th in the standings. Colton Herta was the race winner and Scott Dixon completed the podium. UNOFFICIAL TEAM CHEVY DRIVER FINISHING POSITIONS2nd   Josef Newgarden, No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske5th    Simon Pagenaud, No. 22 Menards Team Penske8th    Sebastien Bourdais, No. 14 ROKiT AJ Foyt Racing10th  Will Power, No. 12 Verizon 5G Team Penske11th Scott McLaughlin, No. 3 PPG Team Penske13th  Felix Rosenqvist, No. 7 Vuse Arrow McLaren SP15th  Max Chilton, No. 59 Carlin18th  Charlie Kimball, No. 11 Tresiba AJ Foyt Racing19th  Dalton Kellett, No. 4 K-Line Insulators AJ Foyt Racing21st  Conor Daly, No. 20 U.S. Air Force25th  Rinus VeeKay, No. 21 Sonax/Autogeek26th  Callum Ilott, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing27th  Pato O’Ward, No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP The 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season kicks off on Feb. 27 on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida. Chevrolet IndyCar V6 Year-By-Year Results since 20122021 ­– 6 wins, 8 poles in 16 racesWins – Pato O’Ward (Texas2, Detroit2); Rinus VeeKay (Indy RC1); Josef Newgarden (Mid-Ohio, St. Louis); Will Power (Indy RC2). Pole – Pato O’Ward (Barber Motorsports Park, Detroit1, Indy RC2); Josef Newgarden (Detroit2, Road America, Mid-Ohio, Long Beach); Will Power (St. Louis).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 – 95 wins, 107 earned poles in 165 racesDRIVER QUOTES:JOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 HITACHI TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 2ndYOU CAME UP SHORT OF A THIRD CHAMPIONSHIP BY FINISHING SECOND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND SECOND IN THE RACE. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT COULD HAVE GONE DIFFERENTLY FOR YOU TO FINISH IN FRONT OF COLTON HERTA (RACE WINNER)?“No, probably just not the yellow. That didn’t work for us. Colton did a great job. Congrats to him and his entire crew. He took advantage of it. He was on the right tire at the right point of the race. We were still saving fuel, so he just kind of went on that restart with new reds. He had a good strategy. If there were no yellows, I think we would have been okay today to cruise out front. But that’s the way it rolls sometimes. It just doesn’t always go your way. But it was a strong effort by our team. My crew was the fastest in pit lane all year, so there’s a lot to be prideful for with our crew and certainly our team with Hitachi and Team Chevy. I think we fought hard. We just came up a little bit short this year, which was unfortunate. But we fought all year long.” WHEN YOU COME THAT CLOSE, WHAT’S THE TAKE-AWAY FROM THE SEASON? YOU’RE A CHAMPION. TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS WIN CHAMPIONSHIPS. SECOND IS STILL AWFULLY GOOD. HOW DO YOU ASSESS?“Yeah, you know a couple of things go different. It’s a different outcome for us, I think. We were in the fight, which is the number one thing you’ve got to do, is just put yourself in position. We were definitely there. We had a shot at winning. We just came up short. It’s very disappointing; I mean, incredibly disappointing. You put everything into a season. You hope to win it, outside of the Indy 500. So, we just have to start over again next year, unfortunately, but we’ve got the crew to do it and we can bounce back pretty quick. So, I think we can have another run next year.” SIMON PAGENAUD, NO. 22 MENARDS TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 5^TH: “P5 today in Long Beach. I enjoyed the weekend so much. We had so much pace, the car was beautiful. Obviously the yellow day glow was bright out there. It was awesome and I enjoyed the race. We started on the black Firestone tires, trying to do something different than the others and hopefully gain position in the next exchange going to red tires versus the black. It could have worked but we had a bad pit stop unfortunately so we settled where we were, yellow came out and we were in good shape, finished fifth. I think that was about where we could have been so pretty happy with today. Thank you to Chevy, thank you to Menards, and thank you Team Penske. It was an amazing weekend.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET, FINISHED 10^TH: “Yeah, it’s not the best end of the season to be honest. I had a lot of potential in the last three races, just had really bad luck in some instances but need to improve for next year for sure. We’ve got a great Verizon 5G Chevrolet and a great team. We have a lot of potential so we’ll have a very close look at everything this year and come back swinging next year. I don’t think we showed what we really had this year as a team as a whole. I think we all had a lot more potential so looking for a big year next year.”
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED 11thWHAT A YEAR FOR YOU. AND YOU ARE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR. CONGRATULATIONS. PLUS, THIS WAS YOUR FIRST LONG BEACH RACE“Yeah, I’m really proud of everyone on the PPG Chevy. I think the car has been awesome, and I finally got it to my liking the last six or seven races. So, I’m really proud of everyone and I’m really excited for next year. This year was a foundation year; all about building and I feel like I’ve done that. Hopefully I can be a little bit further up next year.” HOW DO YOU FOCUS ON NEXT YEAR? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO DO NEXT YEAR?“Every year I need to get better. I need to study what Josef (Newgarden) does different and what Will (Power) does different and Simon (Pagenaud) and figure out my flaws and where I’m strong and work out a ranking on what I’ll work on. I’ve just got to continue getting better with that. And then obviously working on bits and pieces with my engineer and that will change during the year. Jonathan Diuguid will be moving on to the IMSA Sportscar program, so I’ll have a new engineer I’ve got to work with and it’s all about building relationships and getting better.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW MCLAREN SP CHEVROLET – IN PADDOCK ON LAP 18 TO REPAIR DAMAGE RECEIVED IN LAP ONE INCIDENT — Finished 28th:UNFORTUNATELY, THE CHAMPIONSHIP WILL NOT COME THIS YEAR, BUT WHAT A SEASON IT WAS. LET’S GO BACK TO THE START AND THE CONTACT WITH ED JONES. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU IN THIS RACE?“Yeah, it’s not the first time he’s hit us. And not the first time he does something stupid all season. So, I just wish he could use his head a little bit more; at least respect the guys that are fighting the championship. I don’t know what else to say. That corner is kind of just respect the guys that’s in in front and then maybe you get a run. I mean, I’m not telling him not to race me but don’t be stupid about it.” BIG PICTURE NOW. YOUR FIRST INDYCAR WINS, MULTI-WINS, CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT, WHERE IS THIS PROGRAM AT NOW HEADING INTO NEXT SEASON?“I think we’ve had a great season so far. I’m proud of the team. I’m proud of myself. Obviously, it wasn’t the perfect of seasons, but I think that’s just how it’s going to be. You have to learn from the little mistakes that you might have made and then, I feel like that gets you stronger. I’m looking forward to next year. I think we have a great baseline to start off from and see if we can get some more wins and challenge for a chance for another title.” NTT INDYCAR SERIES POST RACE PRESS CONFERENCEJOSEF NEWGARDENTHE MODERATOR: Joining us obviously two of the three off the podium from today, Josef Newgarden comes home second, his sixth podium of the season, seventh straight top 10 this year in 2021. We’ll begin with Josef. Starting with pole, you hung with it at the top, then what happened?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was a pretty good day overall. I think Scott and me were pretty balanced. He was stronger at the beginning of the stint, I was maybe a touch better at the end.The yellows, inopportune yellow for us. Timed pretty well for Colton. He was fast, made use of it. He was on the right tire at the right time. Once he got the lead, even us closing up with the yellow at the end, he had position on us when we weren’t fuel saving any more. I was basically able to hold position.Pretty good day overall, but disappointed to not convert the pole to a win. Just coming up short in this race, coming up short in the championship is definitely disappointing. I think for us overall, we got to be proud of our fight, be proud of the effort we put in all year with our partners in Hitachi and Team Chevy. We’ll come back next year.A lot of great competitors. Congrats to Alex, too. He did an amazing job all year with the championship, so he should be very proud with his group. We’ll congratulate them and come back next year and try to do one better.THE MODERATOR: Questions.Q.Josef, in a nutshell, what do you think about a guy like Alex Palou who at the age of 24 wins the series championship in just his second full season in INDYCAR?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I think he’s done a good job about maximizing his opportunity, right? Coming up, we all dream of having that type of team around you. Certainly within your second year, that’s a dream opportunity. So he’s certainly got all the resources and people around him to make it happen.He’s done the job clearly. He’s been solid all year. Been well within the fight. I said earlier in the year I think from the young crop of drivers he looks the most complete. Maybe that’s just because he has a couple more years on a lot of the other younger guys. He’s definitely been very complete all year. Seems to be very Dixon-esque in a lot of ways. Scott has been sort of the measure over the last couple decades of how you be a champion. Alex seems to embody that pretty well.He could have a very good run over the course of his career. We don’t know. We’ll see. I’m sure he’ll have a lot of time to stick around and see what he can do.Q.Aside from today’s runner-up finish, what would you say would be the highlight of your season?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t know. Probably the two wins. I guess those are the highlights. Mid-Ohio and Gateway. I would say those two.THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Josef. Josef by the way also wins and clinches the season-long NTT P1 Award. A nice boost heading into 2022.