Illinois driver returns home for Xtreme Outlaw tripleheader this weekend at Tri-City, Wayne County

CONCORD, NC (May 31, 2023) – In a world of Midget racing Goliaths, Chase McDermand is the proverbial David on the national scene. Armed with two cars, a few engines and his parents’ plumbing business as a sponsor on the side, he’s competing with — and beating — some of the best the sport has to offer.

The 22-year-old from Springfield, IL, is in his second full season with Mounce/Stout Motorsports and has won twice with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota already this year. Hot on the trail of his first national championship, McDermand is showing what’s possible with his mostly homegrown operation.

“I just try to do the most with what I have, and we’ve been able to do quite a bit with that,” he said. “We’ve been really blessed to have the success that we’ve had. I’m proud of the team as a whole.”

The Series returns to his home state of Illinois for a three-day race weekend this Thursday-Saturday at Tri-City Speedway and Wayne County Speedway. He’s currently 89 points out of the Series points lead with roughly three quarters of the season left to be contested.

Despite posting back-to-back third-place finishes last week at Millbridge Speedway, his gap to points leader Cannon McIntosh jumped 30 points after McIntosh swept both nights of competition. That gap doesn’t scare him, though, and neither does his competition.

“On the track, they’re all just racecars,” McDermand said. “When I can, I try to just see numbers. It doesn’t matter what engine is under the hood or who’s driving the car — to an extent — they’re all just racecars out there.”

He said it’s how he tries to approach the situation every time he straps into his car. Competing night-in and night-out against drivers with corporate sponsors, driver development programs and revered crew chiefs doesn’t faze him. It’s a challenge he’s willing to take on in pursuit of something he’s wanted for a long time.

“I remember just five or six years ago, being at the races at Jacksonville or Lincoln watching the Midget Week shows, wanting to be a part of where I am right now,” McDermand said. “Now that we’re here, we’re in contention for the championship. It just makes it real.”

Though he’s right where he needs to be in the standings, he did not begin the season in that position. A rough start to his night in the season opener in Du Quoin, IL, sent him back to the trailer early without a spot in the main event, dropping him way down in the standings. But the team rallied the next night, climbing from 12th on the starting grid to second by the checkered flag.

Since then, it’s been smooth sailing for McDermand and the team, posting podium finishes in all but two events thus far.

“After Du Quoin, I feel like it’s been uphill in terms of good progress,” McDermand said. “We’ve had good speed. Just putting whole nights together and taking advantage of good starting positions, which we were able to do in the last four or five nights … it’s important to hit the ground running every night.”

From a historical perspective, McDermand is relatively new to the national Midget scene, but has a nice resume already built. He’s a graduate of the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, garnering three consecutive championships in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

He paired with car owners Jay Mounce and Gavin Stout at the end of the 2021 season before taking on the entire POWRi national circuit together in 2022, where he won three races and placed fifth in the points standings against the toughest talent at Keith Kunz Motorsports, Chad Boat Industries and Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports.

Now in the thick of a championship battle, McDermand has reflected a bit on the impact of he and the team’s progress on their chances to win it all in 2023.

“As a whole, this is really the first time we’ve had a chance to run for a championship,” McDermand said. “The results have shown that the more experience I have, the better I am as a driver. The more experience the team has running up front, having speed, also makes them better. Both of those things combined [has been] giving us good results.”

McDermand and the Mounce/Stout Motorsports team are back in action with the rest of the stars of the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series pres. by Toyota this Thursday-Saturday, June 1-3, at Tri-City Speedway and Wayne County Speedway (IL).

Tickets for all three nights will be available at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the track to watch in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

Team going for ninth class win at final Le Mans for C8.R • Keating, Catsburg, Varrone enter as GTE Am championship leaders• Twenty-third appearance for Corvette Racing at famed French endurance classic• Another class victory would come during Centenary celebration of Le Mans• Corvette C8.R one of five General Motors entries into this year’s Le Mans DETROIT (May 31, 2023) – Corvette Racing has contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans 22 times since making its debut at the French endurance classic in 2000. This year’s running, though, might be the biggest yet. There are a number of storylines that center on the long-standing program’s appearance this year at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Those pages will start writing themselves with the annual Test Day on Sunday – when the No. 33 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R hits the track for six hours of testing – followed by official practices, qualifying and Hyperpole, finally culminating with the race on June 10-11.

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

Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone will pilot the mid-engine Corvette in its final appearance at Le Mans as next year will see the debut of GT3 cars at the 24 Hours, including the Corvette Z06 GT3.R. But first things first – sending the C8.R out at Le Mans with a victory and getting closer to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s GTE Am title. The Keating/Catsburg/Varrone trio won the first two WEC races of the season at the Sebring 1,000 Miles and Six Hours of Portimão and followed with a runner-up finish at the Spa Six Hours to take the championship lead. Le Mans is critical, though, as it is a double-points race and will go a long way toward determining this year’s title-winners. Keating won last year at Le Mans in GTE Am and finished second in 2021. Catsburg will race at Le Mans for the fifth time and third year in a row for Corvette Racing, having finished second in GTE Pro in 2021. Meanwhile, Varrone made his Le Mans debut a year ago but already has a 24-hour victory under his belt this year, having won the Rolex 24 in the LMP3 class. Corvette Racing is an eight-time winner at Le Mans with three different generations of America’s sports car. A first 24 Hours win for the C8.R – which won the Rolex 24 in 2021 – would be appropriate on a number of levels. One is that it would come during the Centenary running of Le Mans, which celebrates its 100th year at this event.  Secondly, a victory would cast a larger spotlight on GM’s involvement in this year’s race – one Corvette, three Cadillac V-Series.R entries in Hypercar and the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that will run under the Garage 56 banner this year. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is scheduled for 4 p.m. CET / 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, June 10. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage, the latter beginning with Wednesday’s opening practice. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of the Test Day, practices, qualifying and the race.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I want to win this race extremely bad! I feel in a way that I’ve been so lucky already this season winning some cool races and cool events. But I cannot deny that I really think we have a shot this year at Le Mans. That’s not always the case. I believe that we have an awesome team with all the experience there. We have awesome drivers. We have a cool car. I don’t see why we shouldn’t be fighting for the win. I’m already nervous and I already feel like, ‘Come on… let’s not make mistakes. Let’s bring it home.’ But it’s never easy. It’s still a mechanical sport. We saw what happened with the 64 car last year. You never know and you never know until the last five minutes of the race. It’ll be super cool and I cannot wait.”(GTE Am vs. GTE Pro at Le Mans): “There isn’t much difference. We are still going to end up driving against pros. The only thing that might happen is that I might be in the car and there might be a Bronze driver in the other car, and you would for sure fight them differently than you would another pro. But most of the same time, we’ll out the same time with the other pros. Like we’ve seen this year, it’s a tough battle. You have many good drivers on the grid and many drivers that used to be in the Pro class before, so I don’t feel the approach is so different.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Clearly we have a good team of drivers and a great team of engineers and pit crew at Corvette Racing. We have all the pieces of the puzzle to do well at Le Mans. I still think it’s anybody’s best guess as to who will do well. There are 62 cars on track and everyone wants to do the best they can. Twenty-four hours is a long time to expect every other driver to keep their head about them and make a good decision. Someone can make a mistake and take you out, not of your own doing. It happens often. But Le Mans is a double-points race for the championship. I don’t want to say it’s completely over, but if we were to win then I don’t know if anyone can catch us. It would be just a total dream to win Le Mans.”(Race outlook): “Everyone wants to win Le Mans, and no one is really going to show what they have until the race starts. Then the gloves come off. Who knows what’s going to happen. That’s something you can’t control. All we can control is doing our jobs to the best of our abilities. We will deal with whatever comes up. I’ve often said that it’s really special to win a World Endurance Championship race as an American driver racing an American car, racing something I sell and racing for an American team. It’s hard to imagine what that would be like at Le Mans and the 100th Le Mans. That would be on a totally different level.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Le Mans is the race that everyone wants to win. It’s our race of the year. The GTE Am championship is important, but this is the biggest race for us. Le Mans is something else. This year, we’ve done very well so far and have a great start. We have two wins, another podium and lead the championship. We’ve been doing great things together as a team. The goal is to do the same as we have been doing in the first three races – how we work, how we manage situations… the same we did at Sebring, Portimão and Spa. That is my mentality going into Le Mans.”(Learning with Corvette Racing): “One of the biggest things I’ve learned is on pit stops and how to be precise with where I stop. I’m learning to see how important it is for a pit stop to be on you marks. Corvette Racing takes it so seriously and that’s why they are so quick on their stops. We work on how to get in the box, how the procedure works and how important it is for the car to be right on the point. It’s much easier for the mechanics to do the tire changes and fuel the car. I’m also really lucky to have Nicky as a teammate. He’s one of the best drivers in the world, and he’s helping me a lot. I can see what he’s doing not only in the car but outside the car as well, how he manages situations and deals with things. He’s such a nice guy that he has no secrets with me. He shares all his experiences and all his knowledge with me just for me to get better and improve as a driver and a person. That’s something I really appreciate.”

2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am  (After three of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 822. Alessio Rovera/Lilou Wadoux/Luis Perez Companc – 433. Simon Mann/Ulysse De Pauw – 364. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 355. Michelle Gatting/Rahel Frey/Sarah Bovy – 32 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 822. No 83 Richard Mille AF Corse – 433. No. 21 AF Corse – 364. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 355. No. 85 Iron Dames – 32 CORVETTE RACING AT LE MANS: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 22 appearances at Le Mans: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette• 3: Number of wins for the Corvette C5-R – 2001, 2002, 2004• 4: Number of wins for the Corvette C6.R – 2005, 2006, 2009, 2011• 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 2000 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2021)• 8: Class victories for Corvette Racing at Le Mans – all since 2001• 9: Number of drivers who have won races at Le Mans for Corvette Racing – Olivier Beretta, Ron Fellows, Antonio Garcia, Oliver Gavin, Jan Magnussen, Tommy Milner, Johnny O’Connell, Scott Pruett and Jordan Taylor• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001• 25: Number of drivers to compete for Corvette Racing at Le Mans. That number grows this year with the additions of Ben Keating and Nico Varrone• 27: Tracks at which Corvette Racing has won races – Baltimore, Charlotte Motor Speedway, COTA, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park/Mosport, Daytona, Detroit, Houston, Laguna Seca, Le Mans, Lime Rock, Long Beach, Miami, Mid-Ohio, Monza, Portimão, Portland, Road America, Road Atlanta, Sebring, Sonoma, St. Petersburg, Texas, Trois Rivieres, Utah, VIR, Washington DC and Watkins Glen• 34: Number of drivers for Corvette Racing since 1999. Ben Keating and Nico Varrone joined that list with their participation – and victory – in the 1,000 Miles of Sebring for the World Endurance Championship.• 124: Victories worldwide for Corvette Racing – 113 in North America, eight at Le Mans and three in the FIA WEC.• 272: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 108,358.22: Number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing in its 21 previous trips to Le Mans. That represents 12,850 laps… or more than four full trips around the Earth at its equator. The two Corvettes combined to go over the 100,000-mile mark at Le Mans in the 2021 race.• 354,262.62: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some! Corvette Racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (wins in bold)2000No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Chris Kneifel/Justin Bell – 4th in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTS 2001No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Scott Pruett – 1st in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2002No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Oliver Gavin – 1st in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Andy Pilgrim/Kelly Collins/Franck Freon – 2nd in GTS 2003No. 53 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Franck Freon – 3rd in GTSNo. 50 Corvette C5-R: Oliver Gavin/Kelly Collins/Andy Pilgrim – 2nd in GTS 2004No. 63 Corvette C5-R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GTSNo. 64 Corvette C5-R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GTS  2005No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2006No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Max Papis – 7th in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen – 1st in GT1 2007No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 14th in GT1 2008No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Ron Fellows/Johnny O’Connell/Jan Magnussen – 2nd in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Max Papis – 3rd in GT1 2009No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GT1No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Marcel Fässler – 4th in GT1 2010No. 63 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Johnny O’Connell/Antonio Garcia – 12th in GT2 (DNF)No. 64 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Oliver Gavin/Emmanuel Collard – 10th in GT2 (DNF) 2011No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Olivier Beretta/Tommy Milner/Antonio Garcia – 1st in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Jan Magnussen/Richard Westbrook – 14th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2012No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 5th in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 6th in GTE Pro 2013No. 73 Corvette C6.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 4th in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C6.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 7th in GTE Pro 2014No. 73 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 2nd in GTE ProNo. 74 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Richard Westbrook – 4th in GTE Pro 2015No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ryan Briscoe – DNS (Qualifying crash)No. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 1st in GTE Pro 2016No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Ricky Taylor – 7th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Jordan Taylor – 10th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2017No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor – 3rd in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 8th in GTLM 2018No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 4th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 15th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2019No. 63 Corvette C7.R: Jan Magnussen/Antonio Garcia/Mike Rockenfeller – 8th in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C7.R: Oliver Gavin/Tommy Milner/Marcel Fässler – 16th in GTE Pro (DNF) 2021No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 2nd in GTE ProNo. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro 2022No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Jordan Taylor/Nicky Catsburg – 7th in GTE Pro (DNF)No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy/Alexander Sims – 6th in GTE Pro (DNF)

Three V-Series.R Hypercars ready to compete in 91st edition of endurance classic

DETROIT (May 31, 2023) – After a 21-year hiatus, Cadillac returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with ambitions to fulfill. It will be a homecoming of sorts; the Cadillac Motor Car Co. name was derived from the French explorer who founded Detroit in 1701. Cadillac first competed in the iconic endurance race in 1950. Five decades passed until the American luxury brand again appeared at Circuit de la Sarthe with prototype challengers in 2000-2002.

Following 2004-2017 championship campaigns in GT racing and the 2017-2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship DPi era, Cadillac Racing remains at the forefront of sports car racing with the new Cadillac V-Series.R hybrid racecar that competes in IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship.The 91st running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans – the fourth race of the WEC season — will take place on the 100th anniversary of the first race on the outskirts of the city in Northwest France.

Media resources Le Mans guide:* Driver, team bios* History of winning* A look at the Hypercar* Driver, car photos Records: How Cadillac Racing drivers have fared at Le MansLe Mans notes: Facts, figures and moreHistory: Cadillac Racing at Le MansTimeline: Cadillac V-Series.R development In French: Cadillac Racing media resources

“Competing for the overall win at Le Mans with an iconic American brand like Cadillac is an honor,” said Laura Wontrop Klauser, GM sports car racing program manager. “The entire team is excited to continue building Cadillac’s racing legacy by competing against the very best internationally and in the world’s toughest race. I think we’re bringing America pretty loud and strong with our Cadillac, and we’re proud of that.” Nine drivers of the three impressive Cadillac V-Series.Rs will aim to grab the overall victory in the 16-car Hypercar class on the 8.47-mile (13.629 kilometers) course that includes public roads. Cadillac is paying homage to its first venture to Le Mans with the same car numbers 2 and 3 as 1950, along with No. 311. The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook is the full-season FIA WEC entry. Through three races, the Chip Ganassi Racing-run team is a respectable fourth in the championship standings. The trio of drivers recently were joined by Renger van der Zande and Scott Dixon, co-drivers with Sebastien Bourdais of the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, for an endurance and performance test at Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal. Both the No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R and No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Jack Aitken, already have won races this season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. “The team has put in a lot of work and focus on Le Mans, so we know we will have a good and reliable car,” said Westbrook, who earned an overall podium finish in 2022 at Le Mans. “Then it comes down to us executing and keeping everything clean and run max attack for 24 hours. If you do that, there is a good chance you’re going to get podium or something better.” On-track activity begins Sunday, June 4, with two test sessions totaling six hours. The Cadillac V-Series.R features an all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V8 engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. Cadillac is the sole GTP manufacturer with a naturally aspirated engine.The last timeSome world events in June 2002 – the last time Cadillac Racing competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans:* Ronaldo scores twice as Brazil defeats Germany 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup final in Yokohama, Japan, for its record fifth title.* Serena Williams wins her first French Open tennis title, defeating older sister Venus Williams 7-5, 6-3.* Albert Costa defeats Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-1, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 to win the French Open –his lone major title.* The Glastonbury Festival in England opens with Coldplay and Rod Stewart as headliners.* The first direct electronic communication experiment between the nervous systems of two humans is carried out by Kevin Warwick in the United Kingdom.* Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets for a 4-0 sweep and third consecutive NBA title. Shaquille O’Neal is the Finals MVP for the third year in a row.* Detroit Red Wings beat Carolina Hurricanes to win the Stanley Cup for the 10th time. Coach Scotty Bowman retires with record ninth title.* Asteroid 2002 MN missed the Earth by 75,000 miles (120,000 km), about one-third of the distance between the Earth and the Moon.* Canadian singer Avril Lavigne releases debut album, “Let Go.”

What they’re saying

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.REarl Bamber: “It’s exciting to see the talent we have at Cadillac Racing and I’m looking forward to going to Le Mans. It’s going to be tough, but we’re definitely closing the gap to Toyota and Ferrari step by step and the endurance and performance testing we have done has been important. You have to run a clean race and have good pit stops at Le Mans to have a chance at victory. I said it at Daytona that if that car was at Le Mans, it would have won because we had a clean race and a quick car. That’s what we need to repeat when we go to Le Mans, and I think this group is building towards it.” Alex Lynn: “Winning Le Mans takes perfection. It takes everything to go right. I’ve been lucky enough to do it in GT Pro with Aston Martin and I can honestly say it takes perfection to win that race because you’ll be the car that takes all the risk, doesn’t break down and the drivers are all on perfect form to win. The one that does win has all those ingredients go correctly. From our side, it’s a difficult race to win but the most rewarding. We’ll arrive with confidence in our car and team.” Richard Westbrook: “Everything has to be clean and perfect at Le Mans, especially this year. A lot of new machinery out there and it’s a big ask for a lot of manufacturers. The Cadillac has been really reliable so that gives us a lot of confidence. The team has put in a lot of work and focus on Le Mans, so we know we will have a good and reliable car. Then it comes down to us executing and keeping everything clean and run max attack for 24 hours. If you do that, there is a good chance you’re going to get podium or something better. I think the main thing at Le Mans if you are a couple of tenths (of a second) off, say the Toyota or Ferrari, you at least put pressure on them because Le Mans is all about pressure. You keep people under pressure, they can make mistakes. We’ll be going there full of confidence and knowing we have a good car.”

No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.RRenger van der Zande: “It’s a special race. It’s the most famous classic race in the world and that’s what we’re aiming to win. I think Cadillac is a super American brand. I’ve been racing in America for 10 years and most of my time with Cadillac, so going with my American racing family as I call them to go for the Le Mans overall victory is something special. A lot of people from Holland will be watching us fight for the overall win, and that would be special. It will be a busy week, tense and exciting. We’ll be having tire warmers now for Le Mans, so it’s also a little different from what we’re used to racing the whole season (in IMSA). We’ll have to learn a lot in a short period of time.” Sebastien Bourdais: “To drive for a manufacturer like Cadillac and going back to Le Mans to try to win the overall is a great honor. I’ve had the chance to do that a few times in my career and there is nothing like going for the Le Mans overall victory. Being from Le Mans, it’s very busy trying to handle all the requests from the media, but it will make it even more special if it’s a great day. It will be the first time in some time that I’m not rushing to get there and rushing to get back (to North America) for an IndyCar race or whatever. I think the last time that happened was 2011, so that will help me focus more on the event and optimizing the result.” Scott Dixon: “I’m excited to go back to Le Mans. It’s been a few years and my first time to go in the premier class. Competing with the Hypercar brings a totally different level to it. It’s a difficult race and having the opportunity to win with the Cadillac LMDh is very special.”No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R Jack Aitken: “I think some of the biggest challenges of Le Mans are off the track because it’s obviously a huge event and there is a lot of pomp and circumstance with scrutineering the car in town, the driver parade and it’s a very long week. Managing your energy levels through the week is a bit of a fine art, I believe. I have full faith on the engineering side that we’ll get up to speed quickly. That’s not going to be a problem. It’s going to be more the intricacies of Le Mans itself.” Pipo Derani: “A lot of resilience it takes to win that race. It’s a whole new game, especially coming with Action Express for the very first time. The good thing is as a team we’ve been operating together for a long time. At the same time, we’re going into a new environment with new regulations and new set of rules. It will be an extra challenge for us as a team, but it’s fantastic. It’s one of those races you look forward to and it’s special to be a part of it. I’m very much looking forward to being there with the team that I’ve achieved most of my best results in America and try to win with them at Le Mans. It will be a great challenge, but a great opportunity to be present in the centenary edition of the race. We will do our best to lead Cadillac to a good result on its return to Le Mans.” Alexander Sims: “It’s such a momentous occasion and not really comparable with any race you do. The track is fun to drive and it will be a learning curve for us in these cars. Hopefully, we can use the test day to get up to speed from a car performance point of view. I think the benefit we have going there for the first time is it’s the first time with these cars for everyone. In some ways, we’re on a level playing field and it’s who can get up to speed as quick as possible. The team has been preparing for this race for a long time already, so they’ll do a good job. We’ll give it our best shot.”

OCALA, FL (May 31, 2023) — NHRA Top Fuel championship contender Josh Hart squared off with two-time NHRA Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon on Monday, May 29, at Lucas Oil Raceway as part of the grand prize Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. Snap-on Tools hosted 24 VIP contest winners and their guests at the Indy 500 on Sunday and then at an all-day fully immersive day of drag racing that included instruction in the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School culminating with a side-by-side exhibition race between Hart’s R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster and Pedregon’s Snap-on Tools Dodge Funny Car.

“Cruz called and asked me if I would be interested in racing him in front of some of the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest winners and franchisees. I jumped at the chance,” said Hart, who has two Top Fuel national event titles to his credit. “I have never made a pass beside a nitro Funny Car and it was an awesome experience. This was a cool event Snap-on Tools hosted giving these winners the chance to check out the Indy 500 and then get a full day of drag racing.”

Cruz Pedregon and Josh Hart set to square off at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, photo courtesy of Cruz Pedregon Racing

Hart and Pedregon fired up their 12,000-horsepower land rockets while the Snap-on guests got an up close and personal experience. They each executed long and smoky burnouts before taking the Christmas Tree with Pedregon getting a slight competition advantage off the starting line to even out the elapsed times. Both Pedregon and Hart were clean off the line and as they blasted towards half-track Cruz’s Snap-on Dodge Funny Car dropped a cylinder and shut off on the exhibition with Hart making a clean pass to the finish line.

“I have to tell you it was cool to race beside a Top Fuel dragster,” said Pedregon, who spent most of the day conversing with Snap-on contest winners. “This was a great event hosted by Snap-on and I am so proud to have been a major part of celebrating these customers and franchisees. These folks are the best in the business. I can’t wait for a rematch with Josh.”

Josh Hart and Cruz Pedregon prepare for side by side exhibition run, photo courtesy of Cruz Pedregon Racing

The Snap-on Superspeedway event was the final chapter of the contest that afforded Snap-on customers and franchisees the chance to win prizes ranging from tools to Traxxas radio-controlled cars to the grand prize event. Twelve customer winners plus a guest and twelve franchisee winners and a guest were treated to an amazing two-day racing experience. On Monday, the winners enjoyed a full day of Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School instruction and racing. There was also an opportunity to take rides on a separate AutoCross course set up at the track. The Pedregon versus Hart side-by-side Funny Car versus Top Fuel dragster exhibition was the finale before the group enjoyed hospitality at the track.

Hart and Pedregon will head from Indianapolis to Epping, New Hampshire at the end of the week for the NHRA New England Nationals from New England Dragway, June 2-4.

OCALA, FL (May 31, 2023) — The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team with driver and team owner Josh Hart are heading to New England on a mission and with a plan. Two weeks ago, Hart raced to the final round at Route 66 Raceway and was just one one-hundredth of a second away from his first win of the 2023 NHRA season. The runner-up finish was further proof that the strategy Hart and crew chief Ron Douglas have put into place following a tough start to the season is coming together. This weekend at the NHRA New England Nationals, June 2-4, Hart will be looking to pick up his first national event win of the season.

“We won the Pep Boys All-Star Callout and had a car that could have won the Gatornationals on Sunday, but the driver cost us,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “After that we went into a little slump, and we have been methodically working our way back to our rookie season performance level. No one ever panicked over here, we just went to work and figured some things out. The main thing we have seen is we are making progress and keep moving forward. Chicago was a big race for this R+L Carriers team.”

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

Hart didn’t dominate in qualifying at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals entering race day as the No. 12 qualifier, but his team managed some tricky track conditions and the veteran tuning skills of Douglas put Hart in a position to win with his driving abilities. A pedal-fest first round win over three-time world champion Antron Brown led to two solid round wins over rookie Jacob McNeal and veteran TJ Zizzo in the semis. Facing friend and long-time racer Clay Millican in the final Hart was in a no-lose situation.

“Clay is a great friend of mine and we wanted to win for sure but seeing what that win meant to Clay and his team was pretty cool,” said Hart. “We have a race car that can win rounds and we are looking to have more success in Epping than we did last year. We will have a busy weekend and I am looking forward to racing in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time. That looks like a really cool deal and it will make for a fun Saturday.”

Hart will be one of four Top Fuel semifinalists from Chicago that will get to rerun their races with $10,000 and three championship points on the line. During the first qualifying run on Saturday Millican will match up with Brittany Force who he beat in Chicago. Hart was scheduled to race Zizzo but the part-time driver from Chicago will not be racing at the New England Nationals. The next driver up is the quickest second round loser, Jacob McNeal, who will also be absent, so Hart will face Leah Pruett, who was the second quickest loser in Chicago.

“We will be ready for whoever we have to race for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge,” said Hart, who pocketed $80,000 earlier this year winning the Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout. “These specialty races are great for the fans and when you get into the Countdown those championship points could come in handy. I want to thank Mission Foods for putting this race on and I am looking forward to getting after it.”

The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will come into New England Dragway with a win light already on their record. On Monday before the race Hart raced two-time Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon during the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. 

Cruz Pedregon and Josh Hart square off at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, photo courtesy of Cruz Pedregon Racing

“Cruz called and asked me if I would be interested in racing him in front of some of the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest winners and franchisees. I jumped at the chance,” said Hart, who has two Top Fuel national event titles to his credit. “I have never made a pass beside a nitro Funny Car and it was an awesome experience. This was a cool event Snap-on Tools hosted giving these winners the chance to check out the Indy 500 and then get a full day of drag racing.”

Hart and Pedregon fired up their 12,000-horsepower land rockets while the Snap-on guests got an up close and personal experience. They each executed long and smoky burnouts before taking the Christmas Tree with Pedregon getting a slight competition advantage off the starting line to even out the elapsed times. Both Pedregon and Hart were clean off the line and as they blasted towards half-track Cruz’s Snap-on Dodge Funny Car dropped a cylinder and shut off on the exhibition with Hart making a clean pass to the finish line.

Last year during his first trip to New England Dragway Hart made quick and consistent runs entering race day at the No. 5 qualifier. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue at the start of the race grenaded his R+L Carriers engine right off the starting line costing him a first round win. It was a costly error and one that Hart has no plans to repeat.

“We were ready to go in that first round and I remember hitting the throttle pedal and then all heck broke loose,” said Hart. “The only positive was there were some amazing photos, but that isn’t really what we are after out here. My team works too hard to not win rounds and we want to win races. This season has been a progression of positive steps. I am excited to get back to New England Dragway and see the fans again and turn on some win lights.”

Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will get their first pass at New England Dragway on Friday night at 6 p.m. followed by two qualifying runs on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. which will include the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge races. Final eliminations will commence on Sunday, June 4, at 11 a.m. (ET) with the race being broadcast on FS1.

OCALA, FL (May 31, 2023) — The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team with driver and team owner Josh Hart are heading to New England on a mission and with a plan. Two weeks ago, Hart raced to the final round at Route 66 Raceway and was just one one-hundredth of a second away from his first win of the 2023 NHRA season. The runner-up finish was further proof that the strategy Hart and crew chief Ron Douglas have put into place following a tough start to the season is coming together. This weekend at the NHRA New England Nationals, June 2-4, Hart will be looking to pick up his first national event win of the season.

“We won the Pep Boys All-Star Callout and had a car that could have won the Gatornationals on Sunday, but the driver cost us,” said Hart, a two-time Top Fuel national event winner. “After that we went into a little slump, and we have been methodically working our way back to our rookie season performance level. No one ever panicked over here, we just went to work and figured some things out. The main thing we have seen is we are making progress and keep moving forward. Chicago was a big race for this R+L Carriers team.”

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

Hart didn’t dominate in qualifying at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 Nationals entering race day as the No. 12 qualifier, but his team managed some tricky track conditions and the veteran tuning skills of Douglas put Hart in a position to win with his driving abilities. A pedal-fest first round win over three-time world champion Antron Brown led to two solid round wins over rookie Jacob McNeal and veteran TJ Zizzo in the semis. Facing friend and long-time racer Clay Millican in the final Hart was in a no-lose situation.

“Clay is a great friend of mine and we wanted to win for sure but seeing what that win meant to Clay and his team was pretty cool,” said Hart. “We have a race car that can win rounds and we are looking to have more success in Epping than we did last year. We will have a busy weekend and I am looking forward to racing in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge for the first time. That looks like a really cool deal and it will make for a fun Saturday.”

Hart will be one of four Top Fuel semifinalists from Chicago that will get to rerun their races with $10,000 and three championship points on the line. During the first qualifying run on Saturday Millican will match up with Brittany Force who he beat in Chicago. Hart was scheduled to race Zizzo but the part-time driver from Chicago will not be racing at the New England Nationals. The next driver up is the quickest second round loser, Jacob McNeal, who will also be absent, so Hart will face Leah Pruett, who was the second quickest loser in Chicago.

“We will be ready for whoever we have to race for the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge,” said Hart, who pocketed $80,000 earlier this year winning the Pep Boys Top Fuel All-Star Callout. “These specialty races are great for the fans and when you get into the Countdown those championship points could come in handy. I want to thank Mission Foods for putting this race on and I am looking forward to getting after it.”

The R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will come into New England Dragway with a win light already on their record. On Monday before the race Hart raced two-time Funny Car world champion Cruz Pedregon during the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest event. 

Cruz Pedregon and Josh Hart square off at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, photo courtesy of Cruz Pedregon Racing

“Cruz called and asked me if I would be interested in racing him in front of some of the Snap-on Tools Superspeedway contest winners and franchisees. I jumped at the chance,” said Hart, who has two Top Fuel national event titles to his credit. “I have never made a pass beside a nitro Funny Car and it was an awesome experience. This was a cool event Snap-on Tools hosted giving these winners the chance to check out the Indy 500 and then get a full day of drag racing.”

Hart and Pedregon fired up their 12,000-horsepower land rockets while the Snap-on guests got an up close and personal experience. They each executed long and smoky burnouts before taking the Christmas Tree with Pedregon getting a slight competition advantage off the starting line to even out the elapsed times. Both Pedregon and Hart were clean off the line and as they blasted towards half-track Cruz’s Snap-on Dodge Funny Car dropped a cylinder and shut off on the exhibition with Hart making a clean pass to the finish line.

Last year during his first trip to New England Dragway Hart made quick and consistent runs entering race day at the No. 5 qualifier. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue at the start of the race grenaded his R+L Carriers engine right off the starting line costing him a first round win. It was a costly error and one that Hart has no plans to repeat.

“We were ready to go in that first round and I remember hitting the throttle pedal and then all heck broke loose,” said Hart. “The only positive was there were some amazing photos, but that isn’t really what we are after out here. My team works too hard to not win rounds and we want to win races. This season has been a progression of positive steps. I am excited to get back to New England Dragway and see the fans again and turn on some win lights.”

Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will get their first pass at New England Dragway on Friday night at 6 p.m. followed by two qualifying runs on Saturday at 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. which will include the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge races. Final eliminations will commence on Sunday, June 4, at 11 a.m. (ET) with the race being broadcast on FS1.

BATAVIA, Ohio (May 30, 2023) – The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series are headed to the Mountain State this Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3 – chasing a combined weekend purse of over $180,000.   The nation’s elite dirt late model teams will tackle the 5/8-mile West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells during the 3rd Annual Jan Dils Attorneys at Law “Historic 100” presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. On Friday, June 2, drivers will compete in a 30 lap A-Main for a shot at $10,000 with the weekend culminating in a 50-lap, $50,000-to-win finale on Saturday, June 3. Each night of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action will include a full program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and respective A-Main. In addition to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, the SCDRA Northeast Series will make its return to West Virginia Motor Speedway boasting a $12,000 top prize for Sport Compacts in the JWE Remodeling & Roofing Northeast Nationals. The USMPA Sport Mods and EDGE Hotmods will also be in competition. Each day, the pit gates will open at 3:00PM ET, followed by general admission gates at 4:00PM ET. On track action, beginning with Dirt Draft Hot Laps, is set to kick off at 6:30PM ET each day. To purchase tickets in advance for the 3rd Annual Jan Dils Attorneys at Law “Historic 100” presented by Arizona Sport Shirts, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/37a67jrc Since being crafted marvelously in 1984, the West Virginia Motor Speedway has played host to some of the sport’s biggest events and brightest stars. Boasting one of the most beautiful settings and seats in dirt track racing while nestled attractively into the wild and wonderful mountains of small-town Mineral Wells, West Virginia the 5/8-mile terraced hillside sits conveniently adjacent to Interstate 77 for effortless access.  Home to the ‘World’s Fastest Dirt Track’ ™, West Virginia Motor Speedway will blow you away with its incredible racing action and thrill-seeking speed. Affectionately known as “The Speedplant” the 70-acre site underwent a massive renovation before its reopening in 2021, claiming its place among the premier dirt tracks in the country. To learn more about West Virginia Motor Speedway, visit www.wvmotorspeedway.com.  Ricky Thornton Jr. continues to lead the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship presented by ARP – holding a 115-point advantage over Hudson O’Neal. Brandon Overton is third, followed by Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran rounding out the top five in the championship standings. For the latest news, results, championship standings and more about the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, please visit www.lucasdirt.com. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Purses:Friday, June 2 (30 Laps): 1. $10,000, 2. $5,500, 3. $3,500, 4. $2,700, 5. $2,500, 6. $2,300, 7. $2,200, 8. $2,100, 9. $2,050, 10. $2,000, 11. $1,600, 12. $1,400, 13. $1,200, 14. $1,000, 15. $950, 16. $925, 17. $900, 18. $875, 19. $850, 20. $825, 21. $800, 22. $800, 23. $800, 24. $800 = $48,575 Saturday, June 3 (50 Laps): 1. $50,000, 2. $20,000, 3. $10,000, 4. $5,000, 5. $4,000, 6. $3,750, 7. $3,500, 8. $3,000, 9. $2,800, 10. $2,700, 11. $2,500, 12. $2,400, 13. $2,350, 14. $2,300, 15. $2,250, 16. $2,200, 17. $2,150, 18. $2,125, 19. $2,100, 20. $2,075, 21. $2,050, 22. $2,025, 23. $2,000, 24. $2,000. = $135,275 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rule:Friday, June 2 and Saturday, June 3:Left Rear/Fronts – (90) NLMT2, (90) LM20, (90) NLMT3, (90) LM30sRight Rear – Hoosier (92) NLMT2, (92) LM20, (92) NLMT3, (92) LM30s, (92) NLMT4, (92) LM40 *Must use the same set of 4 tires for Time Trials and Heat Races

After 2000 miles, five incredible circuits, and over a week on the road; Baggsy and the SB Motorsport Team crossed the finish line of the 2023 Monster Energy Up In Smoke Tour. Tyres were shredded, memories made, and the bar for drift road road trips was forever raised.   If you weren’t able to come along, or meet the tour on the road or on the track; here’s a quick round-up of what went down.

Click here for photos & videos

First things first though – the only rule of the tour was… No pro-cars and no competition spec built engines. It was all about taking drifting back to its roots, and with the help of Monster Energy; reminding everybody why they fell in love with drifting in the first place. Spending time with your friends, driving street legal cars, and making tyre smoke filled memories!

For the Tour Baggsy and the SB Motorsport Team built and prepped three Nissan 350Z – adding custom parts from GKTech, ST Suspension, BBS Wheels, Hel Performance, Forge Motorsport, Zestino Tyres, Samco Sport, EBC, Japspeed, Sparco, K&N Airfilters, Abbey Motorsport and Sparco. Check out the build breakdown of Baggsy’s 350Z here…

As May 12th rolled round, it was time to hit the road. For the first time since the venue closed in 2018, Rockingham Motor Speedway in the UK opened its doors to drifting – allowing Baggsy and the Up In Smoke Tour to kick off the week in epic style. Universal Studios newest release of the Fast and Furious franchise – FastX – also jumped on board – creating an incredible atmosphere on and off the track. Baggsy took key media and influencers for laps of the track – check out the footage here…

Click to check out the action from Rockingham.

As the day wrapped – the tour headed for Ferries bound for the Netherlands; where stop number two awaited. First off a visit to X-Car Wrapping and the Dutch Monster Energy team for a cars and Monster takeover. JDM, Americana and Euro style cars all mixed together in the summer sun, with cold Monster cans for good measure. The next day, the Tour linked up with Rick Van Goethem, and headed to the Foundation Midland Circuit in Lelystad to shred the tread for a full day on the asphalt. Waving goodbye to the Netherlands – stop three called for an epic road trip leg; spanning nearly 600 miles south, with an overnight stop in Luxembourg. The drive was worth it however; as a private circuit awaited – run by former Gymkhana GRiD competitor and star of Netflix HyperDrive; Alex Claudin. BBQs and burnouts were the order of the day in France. Baggsy’s former team mate, and Monster Energy ambassador Shane Lynch ran the grill in between drift sessions, making for an unreal day four – and the half way mark of the tour.

An early start after the previous day’s action in Lyon brought more twisting roads, streeto-worthy passes, and a final night time run into the mountains to Andorra. With exclusive use of the 2400 meter-above-seal level Circuit Andorra Pas de la Casa – famous for hosting the annual Trophée Andros ice race – the surrounding snow-peak mountains echoed with limiter bashing and tyre slaying like never before.

Sadly all things must come to an end; and with Andorra fading in the rear view mirror, the Tour headed for its final stop in France – at the Circuit Bourbonnais. With a final day of tyre slaying in the books, there was only one thing left to do – light all the leftover smoke flares and fireworks… but that’s a story for another time…

MARSTONS MILLS, Massachusetts (May 30, 2023) – Jay Blake and The Follow A Dream Team were anxious to get back to the racetrack after a long off-season. The first race of the year was at Maple Grove raceway in Mohnton, PA. Longtime fans of the Follow A Dream Team will recognize this track as the first place Jay dare to dream of starting his own race team. It is also the one wally Jay desires more than any other. Stopping on the way to give an inspirational presentation to students at J.M. Wright Technical Highschool Jay recounted that moment:”I was riding through the pits on the back of a golf cart and I threw my hands up and the air and said “I’m gonna do it, I’m going for it!’, It was at that moment that I knew what I was going to do with the rest of my life, I was going to start my own race team.” The students erupted in applause and the optimism and energy was palpable in the auditorium.Sadly, even with all the positive energy, this win has eluded the world’s only totally blind crew chief once again. The Follow A Dream Top Alcohol Funny Car was warmed up and ready to roll when testing began on Thursday, May 25th. The Dream team’s first race of the year had finally arrived and although the first test run down the track was slightly disappointing, by the second test it appeared that the gremlins were worked out and the car was ready to perform. The second test launched the Follow A Dream funnycar powerfully down the track yielding a 5.50 at 267 mph. High fives and cheers broke out amongst the team member as it seemed that team tuner Anthony Terenzio and Tuning Consultant Rich Bozzelli had finally gotten the racecar set just right.The next day the team was ready to secure a top qualifying spot. After 3 rounds of qualifying runs they ended up in the 3rd position on the ladder with a qualifying time of 5.75 at 263 mph. First round of eliminations was set for 5:00 pm the next day. The team anxiously prepared the 4000+ horsepower racecar for its evening run. Cool weather and a solid warm-up had the dream team hoping for the win that has escaped them for over 20 years. The teams spirit’s were high as driver Phil Burkart Jr. perfectly staged the funnycar and all seemed well. As the funnycar took off, excitement quickly turned to shock when the left side of the funnycar exploded in flames halfway down the track. The number 7 fuel line had broke sending the car’s safety system into an automatic shutdown, sparing the car from more damage, but stripping the team of their long sough after victory. The sense of disappointment was undeniable back in the pits but Jay Blake’s optimism was unwavering. “We’ll be back for the Nationals in September and for another chance at this win. I’m proud of the whole team and thrilled to be back for the 2023 season.”The team’s next race is at New England Dragway on August 25th.

Lt. Carol Walker, USN (retired) signs the back of the funnycar, which is dedicated to the troops.

Jay Blake signs autographs for tech students while displaying his racecar at J.M Wright Technical Highschool in Stanford, CT.

Follow A Dream Clutch Specialist Lukas VanGelder pulling up tp the staging lanes.

PLAINVIEW, NY (May 30, 2023) — Last year Justin Ashley used a runner-up finish at the NHRA New England Nationals as the launching pad for a summer-long surge of consistency. This year the third-year professional is the only multi-time Top Fuel winner so far this season, has picked up two Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victories and two weeks ago announced the formation of Maynard Ashley Racing to make his Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team even stronger for the foreseeable future. The 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year is eager to get to a track that is one of the closest facilities to his hometown.

“New England Dragway is considered a home track for my family and I since we can make the drive over in a few short hours,” said Ashley, a seven-time Top Fuel national event winner. “It’s nice to race in the Northeast and give my family and friends the opportunity to join us at the racetrack. The New England Nationals are sure to be packed with a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.”

Justin Ashley and Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

This will be Ashley’s third race at the historic facility and the young driver and team owner has never started from the bottom half of the field. This season Ashley has started every race except for the season opening Gatornationals from the top half of the field. The strong qualifying efforts combined with his nearly psychic reaction times have made Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster team one of the leading championship contenders. They have two wins this season collecting Wally’s at the Arizona Nationals and the famed Winternationals and Ashley was also the No. 1 qualifier at the Winternationals. It was a stellar weekend for the team and one that he would like to continue to duplicate throughout the season.

“Getting back-to-back wins at the Winternationals from the No. 1 spot was an amazing feeling for this Phillips Connect Toyota team,” said Ashley, who sits No. 4 in the Top Fuel points less than two rounds out of first place. “It was proof that all the work our Maynard-Ashley Racing team put in during the offseason was justified.  We haven’t gone as many rounds as we expected in the races since then, but we have a great racecar surrounded by a great team. You can never get too high or too low in this sport. We are totally focused on trying to win the New England Nationals and doing whatever it takes to be successful on and off the racetrack.”

With the new team announced Ashley continues to build a solid foundation on and off the racetrack. Long-time sponsors KATO Fastening Systems and Strutmasters along with Lucas Oil, Toyota and most recently Mac Tools will all benefit from this new organization. Over three years Ashley has built his organization along with Dustin Davis to be a team corporate sponsors and fans will want to be a part of for years to come.

In 2022 Ashley qualified No. 8 and defeated Dan Mercier in the first round. He received a competition bye when Scott Farley could not make the call in the quarterfinals. A close semifinal win over 2013 world champion Shawn Langdon set up Ashley’s final round against Mike Salinas. It was a close race, but Salinas was able to get the win and Ashley took the positives from the race and parlayed that into a stretch run over the summer that saw him winning the Thunder Valley Nationals the following event and racing to five semifinals over the next seven races leading up to the Countdown.

“I really think that the two races, Epping and Bristol, gave us a lot of momentum going into the summer,” said Ashley. “We rattled off a ton of semifinal finishes over a short period of time and improved upon our performance even further during the Countdown. You want to use the regular season to get ready for the playoffs and that is what we did beginning with the New England Nationals last year. We have a championship winning team led by Dustin Davis, Mike Green and Tommy DeLago and I am proud to be a part of it.”

Two weeks ago in Chicago Ashley took another step towards the Top Fuel championship winning his second Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge race picking up the $10,000 top prize but more importantly another three championship points. As it stands right now Ashley has six championship points in the bank with the opportunity to pick up more at future events with at least a semifinal finish. The specialty race on Saturday has fired up Ashley and the rest of the Camping World Drag Racing Series competitors.

“I love what Mission Foods is doing with the #2Fast2Tasty Challenge,” said Ashley. “It gives the fans another opportunity to watch competitive racing while teams try to accumulate valuable bonus points. Our sport is built on entertainment, and I am a big proponent of doing everything we can to increase the value of entertainment.” 

This weekend Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team will get their first shot at the track on Friday night under the lights when qualifying starts at 6:00 p.m. On Saturday there will be two more qualifying sessions at 2:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. leading to final eliminations on Sunday at 11 a.m. (ET). The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1 from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (ET).

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 30, 2023) – It wasn’t what Chris Dyson was looking for on Memorial Day at his home track, but his second-place finish behind Justin Marks at Lime Rock Park meant the two-time defending Trans Am by Pirelli series champion left the rural Connecticut circuit with a bigger point lead than before the weekend began. “Congratulations to Justin,” Dyson said following the race. “He gave me everything he had. He came back from problems in qualifying and drove a terrific race.” Dyson, who qualified his #16 GYM Weed Ford Mustang on the front row alongside the #20 GYM Weed Ford Mustang of his pole-winning teammate Matthew Brabham, wrestled with handling problems all weekend. Had the team found a solution to the #16’s chronic understeer, could Dyson have taken Marks in a straight-up fight?  “We can’t deal in hypotheticals in this game,” Dyson said. “Matty and I drove our hearts out today, and Matty did set the fastest race lap, but we honestly just didn’t have the pace to match him over the full distance. But competition is what keeps the fire burning and we are going to work very hard in the weeks before (the next series race at) Indianapolis to get back on top.”  Despite Dyson’s handling issue the race began well for the CD Racing team. Brabham, who eventually finished third in the 100-mile sprint race, took the lead at the start, before Dyson passed him on the second lap. For most of the first half of the race the GYM Weed duo kept Marks’ Camaro in third place. Eventually the vagaries of lapped traffic provided Marks with the opportunities he needed, first to get past Brabham for second place and then Dyson for the race lead. Marks then held the lead comfortably to the finish, despite a red flag period due to damage to the track’s safety barrier system when Tomy Drissi crashed heavily (but fortunately without injury). CD Racing drivers Dyson and Brabham lead the drivers’ National point standings after four rounds, with three victories between them.  For more on Chris Dyson Racing, visit https://chrisdysonracing.com/ Next Up: Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Trans Am Series’ next event for the headline TA class is June 15-19 at on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Dyson won the series most recent race there, in 2019. Lime Rock Park Rebroadcast Schedule A 60-minute feature on the Lime Rock Park race, produced by Greenlight TV, will be broadcast this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.  Additional Broadcast Coverage On MAVTV In addition to the livestream, 60-minute feature produced by Greenlight TV will be broadcast the following Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.  GYM WEED FEEL GOOD.  WORK OUT. GYM WEED by ALTWELL. The hemp infused sports nutrition products to help take your workouts to a higher level.  Gym Weed is paired with the power of Hemp Extract and additional functional ingredients to enhance performance and support recovery.  GYM WEED products are third party lab tested and THC FREE to ensure safe, high-quality ingredients at the right dose. allgram Your Data is Yours! allgram is the next generation decentralized Peer to Peer secure communication platform hosted on the blockchain and developed with cyber and information security as the core elements of the solution. Leveraging Digital IDs you can communicate securely via chat, voice, video, & social media knowing that nobody is accessing your data. DIGITAL ID – Digital IDs are authenticated through the blockchain for true identity verification. CHAT – Peer to Peer communication via text, voice and video with no central servers. SCHEDULE CALLS – Send meeting invites using allgram calendar for business or personal use. SOCIAL MEDIA – Create private or public clubs and share posts securely with no targeted advertisements.

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (May 30, 2023) – It wasn’t what Chris Dyson was looking for on Memorial Day at his home track, but his second-place finish behind Justin Marks at Lime Rock Park meant the two-time defending Trans Am by Pirelli series champion left the rural Connecticut circuit with a bigger point lead than before the weekend began. “Congratulations to Justin,” Dyson said following the race. “He gave me everything he had. He came back from problems in qualifying and drove a terrific race.” Dyson, who qualified his #16 GYM Weed Ford Mustang on the front row alongside the #20 GYM Weed Ford Mustang of his pole-winning teammate Matthew Brabham, wrestled with handling problems all weekend. Had the team found a solution to the #16’s chronic understeer, could Dyson have taken Marks in a straight-up fight?  “We can’t deal in hypotheticals in this game,” Dyson said. “Matty and I drove our hearts out today, and Matty did set the fastest race lap, but we honestly just didn’t have the pace to match him over the full distance. But competition is what keeps the fire burning and we are going to work very hard in the weeks before (the next series race at) Indianapolis to get back on top.”  Despite Dyson’s handling issue the race began well for the CD Racing team. Brabham, who eventually finished third in the 100-mile sprint race, took the lead at the start, before Dyson passed him on the second lap. For most of the first half of the race the GYM Weed duo kept Marks’ Camaro in third place. Eventually the vagaries of lapped traffic provided Marks with the opportunities he needed, first to get past Brabham for second place and then Dyson for the race lead. Marks then held the lead comfortably to the finish, despite a red flag period due to damage to the track’s safety barrier system when Tomy Drissi crashed heavily (but fortunately without injury). CD Racing drivers Dyson and Brabham lead the drivers’ National point standings after four rounds, with three victories between them.  For more on Chris Dyson Racing, visit https://chrisdysonracing.com/ Next Up: Indianapolis Motor Speedway The Trans Am Series’ next event for the headline TA class is June 15-19 at on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Dyson won the series most recent race there, in 2019. Lime Rock Park Rebroadcast Schedule A 60-minute feature on the Lime Rock Park race, produced by Greenlight TV, will be broadcast this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.  Additional Broadcast Coverage On MAVTV In addition to the livestream, 60-minute feature produced by Greenlight TV will be broadcast the following Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.  GYM WEED FEEL GOOD.  WORK OUT. GYM WEED by ALTWELL. The hemp infused sports nutrition products to help take your workouts to a higher level.  Gym Weed is paired with the power of Hemp Extract and additional functional ingredients to enhance performance and support recovery.  GYM WEED products are third party lab tested and THC FREE to ensure safe, high-quality ingredients at the right dose. allgram Your Data is Yours! allgram is the next generation decentralized Peer to Peer secure communication platform hosted on the blockchain and developed with cyber and information security as the core elements of the solution. Leveraging Digital IDs you can communicate securely via chat, voice, video, & social media knowing that nobody is accessing your data. DIGITAL ID – Digital IDs are authenticated through the blockchain for true identity verification. CHAT – Peer to Peer communication via text, voice and video with no central servers. SCHEDULE CALLS – Send meeting invites using allgram calendar for business or personal use. SOCIAL MEDIA – Create private or public clubs and share posts securely with no targeted advertisements

May 30, 2023

Harrison Burton steered the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang clear of several late-race incidents to post an 18^th-place finish in Monday’s rain-delayed Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

It was his second top-20 finish in a row and his sixth in the 14 races run this season.

Burton and the No. 21 team were racing to honor the memory of the late Sgt. Shawm Dunkin who was on his second tour of duty in Iraq on Feb. 19, 2007, when he died from injuries suffered when his vehicle was struck by a bomb.  

Burton lined up for Monday’s marathon from 13^th place as the starting spots were determined by metrics after rain on Saturday washed out both practice and qualifying.

He was running 20^th when the Competition Caution flag flew at Lap 35 and 25^th when the first of three Stages ended a Lap 100.

In the second Stage, he ran as high as third place while running long on a pit-stop sequence at the midpoint but ended that 100-lap segment in 26^th place, one lap off the pace.

He and the DEX Imaging team were able to use the wave-around in the third Stage to rejoin the lead lap and wound up 21^st at the 300-lap mark.

The final 100 laps of the race saw Burton and the DEX Imaging team work their way forward and were able to line up 12^th for a restart with just under 40 laps left to run.

But a car spun sideways and into Burton’s path on the restart. He pitted for new tires and rejoined the race in 27^th place.

Several caution flags ensued and Burton steered clear of contact and worked his way back into the top 20.

He held on for 18^th place as his Ford teammate Ryan Blaney, whose No. 21 Team Penske crew shares a technical alliance with the Wood Brothers team, took his Mustang to Victory Lane. Blaney’s win gives team owner Roger Penske wins in both of the Memorial Day classics – the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 – in the same year, a first for Penske.

Up next for Burton and the Wood Brothers team is the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis.
 

The Roth Motorsports driver moves up to eight career Series wins.LAWRENCEBURG, IN (May 29, 2023) – The last month has been a trying time for James McFadden and the Roth Motorsports team.A penalty issued at the end of April for a failed tire test sent their 2023 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car season in a tough direction.But the team stayed motivated. The Roth Motorsports organization stuck behind them. Partners maintained support. They went home to California and had a pair of encouraging races near their Fresno based shop before returning to the tour less than two weeks ago. Five races later came a revitalizing trip to Victory Lane with The Greatest Show on Dirt.McFadden dominated Monday’s Federated Auto Parts Memorial Day Spectacular at Lawrenceburg Speedway – leading all 30 laps on his way to a third victory of the season. His son, Mav, joined him atop the wing for an emotional celebration.“We’ve obviously been through a lot as a team,” McFadden said. “I’ve just got to thank everyone for sticking behind us. Obviously, Dennis and Teresa (Roth) and Toyota Racing Development. It’s hard enough doing this up and down the road, and then to have the issues we had was pretty brutal for our team. To be standing here (Victory Lane) at Lawrenceburg is pretty crazy. I never thought I would. It’s a tough joint. I’ve always felt really uncomfortable here. Hats off to Brent (Ventura), Wood (Gary Patellaro), and Rob (Beattie) for getting the car dialed in. We felt really good.” The Alice Springs, NT native is now an eight-time winner with the World of Outlaws. Prior to the night, McFadden’s seven wins had been spread in seven different states. But with a triumph at Kokomo Speedway under his belt (2021), McFadden now owns a pair of victories in the state of Indiana. And of course, another win for McFadden means another for the Toyota Development Engine – upping its total to three with the World of Outlaws.“I’m extremely happy,” McFadden said. “Thank you, Dennis and Teresa, for this opportunity. It means a lot for me to be out here and be able to race against the best in the world. Thanks to all the fans for coming out. I hope you enjoyed the race. From my point of view, it was badass.”At the drop of the green flag, McFadden immediately pulled ahead from his pole starting position after topping the Toyota Racing Dash.The driver of the Roth #83 survived a handful of early cautions and the ensuing restarts by staying at the top of his game each time the green flag flew. Behind him was a hornet’s nest of haymakers for positioning within the top-five. A collection of the sport’s best in Carson Macedo, Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu, and Buddy Kofoid continued trading spots. Eventually, Macedo established control of runner-up.As McFadden navigated slower traffic, he was able to move his machine anywhere necessary and maintain grip to move by cars – proof of their recent progress.“We’ve been struggling to get everything to the ground and stop wheel spinning” McFadden said. “The last few nights we really gained a lot on our car. I think tonight was a testament to that.”McFadden’s biggest challenge came slightly beyond the halfway point when Macedo found enough momentum to take a swing at the lead. Macedo threw a slider, but McFadden maintained momentum around the top to stay ahead and never looked back. The 34-year-old went on to cross under the checkered flag with a 1.355 second advantage.“You always know Carson is going to be there,” McFadden said of the second half of the race. “It’s his sort of racetrack. You have to get up and get your elbows up. You race with these guys every weekend, and you know you’ve got to go. So, we did that. I felt like we got through lapped traffic really, really well.“You always know someone’s coming. You know Carson is going to throw a bomb or two, and that’s why we do it. It’s badass fun. We all have a lot of respect for each other. I’m just pumped to be standing here. It’s been a rough month.”Macedo crossed the finish line after McFadden to notch his sixth consecutive top five finish and fifth podium over that stretch. He and the Jason Johnson Racing team have rediscovered some of their early season consistency, and Monday’s runner-up put them in a tie for the points lead with Brad Sweet – who finished ninth. Macedo’s finish marked his best Lawrenceburg result by far.“He (McFadden) just did a really good job,” Macedo explained. “We got to him in traffic there, and I was pacing him. And I thought if he were to make a mistake, I would have a really good shot at throwing something at him, and he just didn’t really make one. He did a really good job. Hats off to him and the Roth team for getting the win. My guys did an incredible job all night, too. I felt like my car was solid.”Completing the podium was Rico Abreu for his sixth top three effort of the year aboard his #24 machine, which already matches his single season high for podiums in a year with the World of Outlaws. Abreu felt that a red flag slowed his momentum and chance to win but still came away happy with yet another strong performance.“You just had to throw some bombs,” Abreu said of his strategy. “Our car was phenomenally good. I honestly didn’t need that red flag. These guys just kind of came right to me, but that’s just racing. Hats off to (team members) Ricky (Warner), Zack (Middlebrooks), and Brady (Forbrook). A bunch of our friends are here tonight that got to see me race, so it’s cool to get a good finish in front of them.”Rounding out the top five was Gio Scelzi (season best finish) and Buddy Kofoid.Sheldon Haudenschild claimed the night’s KSE Racing Hard Charger Award with a 19th to sixth effort in the Feature.Carson Macedo opened the night by collecting his second consecutive Simpson Performance Products QuickTime and his Series-best seventh of the season. The Lemoore, CA native is up to 26 career Simpson QuickTimes. CASE No.1 Engine Oil Heat One was topped by Donny Schatz (511th Heat win of career). Buddy Kofoid claimed NOS Energy Drink Heat Two (ninth of career), and Rico Abreu earned the win in NOS Energy Drink Heat Three (38th of career).UP NEXT: The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are northbound for the first time in 2023 with a trip to River Cities Speedway (Grand Forks, ND) on Friday, June 2 before the Series debut at Ogilvie Raceway (Ogilvie, MN) on Saturday, June 3. For tickets, CLICK HERE.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action on DIRTVision. RESULTS:NOS Energy Drink Feature (30 Laps): 1. 83-James McFadden[1]; 2. 41-Carson Macedo[2]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu[5]; 4. 18-Giovanni Scelzi[4]; 5. 71-Michael Kofoid[3]; 6. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[19]; 7. 9P-Parker Price Miller[10]; 8. 2-David Gravel[11]; 9. 49-Brad Sweet[8]; 10. 15-Donny Schatz[6]; 11. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[12]; 12. 1S-Logan Schuchart[9]; 13. 19AZ-Mitchel Moles[16]; 14. A79-Brandon Wimmer[14]; 15. 20G-Noah Gass[20]; 16. 1A-Jacob Allen[15]; 17. 101-Cody Maroske[23]; 18. 7S-Robbie Price[18]; 19. 99-Skylar Gee[17]; 20. 78-Justin Clark[24]; 21. 5-Spencer Bayston[13]; 22. 11K-Kraig Kinser[22]; 23. 29-Cole Macedo[7]; 24. 6-Bill Rose[21]; 25. 4X-Bradley Ashford[25]

NASCAR CUP SERIES CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY COCA-COLA 600 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT MAY 29, 2023  Team Chevy Drivers Take Four Top-10 Finishes

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL16th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Camaro ZL17th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Coca-Cola Camaro ZL19th      Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Ryan Blaney (Ford)2nd     William Byron (Chevrolet)3rd      Martin Truex Jr. (Toyota)4th      Bubba Wallace (Toyota)5th     Tyler Reddick (Toyota)  The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at World Wide Technology Raceway with the Enjoy Illinois 300 presented by TicketSmarter on Sunday, June 4, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES: AUSTIN DILLON, NO. 3 BASS PRO SHOPS CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 9th “We never gave up all night, and it feels like we passed more cars than anyone else all race long in our Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet. It was a hard-earned top-10 finish. We started this year’s Coca-Cola 600 deep in the field – 33rd – after practice and qualifying were canceled due to weather, but I knew that we would have a chance to be in contention at the end because this is the longest race of the year and there are plenty of laps to work our way forward. It was challenging, though. Pit road was tight for us today, and it felt like every time we gained positions we would pit and get trapped in our box and lose everything we worked so hard for. We never gave up and to finish in the top-10 is a testament to the tenacity that this No. 3 team has. We were just too tight at the end to advance any further, but I think we showed how hard we are willing to work. Today is about our heroes who served and made the ultimate sacrifice. I’m thankful that I can do what I love, which is race, because of them. Thank you to the families of Navy SEAL Mark Crampton and Army soldier Rusten Smith for allowing us to recognize them on our Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevy today as part of NASCAR’s 600 Miles of Remembrance program.” KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1Finished: 6th “Coca-Cola 600’s are normally up-and-down, so we definitely had an up-and-down day. But the guys fought hard all race long and made some good repairs. We made a lot of good adjustments. There were a couple that we had to go back on, and then go back on again. But all-in-all, just proud of everyone on the No. 8 Alsco Chevy team. Our car wasn’t as fast as we wanted on the fire-off’s there – we wanted the long run to finish. Even though we hadn’t been good on the long runs all night, we adjusted for that, but we just didn’t get it. We’ll take a good solid effort and top-10 finish.” CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA PATRIOTIC CAMARO ZL1 Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 185. Finished: 34th “The No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) ran us up into the fence there. Once you tear the right-side off these things, it’s kind of over. I hate it – I thought our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was getting better. It was nice to be making some gains there throughout the race. Our pit stops were really good. We had some pretty good fortune to get up towards the front there. It was just trying to get to mile 600 and have a shot, so unfortunately failed to do that again.” Denny (Hamlin) said there was some retaliation there. Was there any retaliation on your part? “No, like I said, once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them anymore. So no, just unfortunate circumstances.” WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1Finished: 2ndByron on what else he needed for the win: “I think we just needed a little bit more. Our No. 24 Liberty University Chevy was good. We could move around and get through the field. We could get to the top-five, and then we would just kind of stay there and not have enough pace to really get further than that. That’s the way it goes sometimes, for sure. We’ll keep working.” It looked like you kept up with the track changes from the day to the evening. “Yeah, it was easier with the fact that it was cloudy and cool out when the race started, and it stayed that way for three-quarters of the race. It wasn’t as much change as it normally is here. Honestly I think everyone’s dialed their cars in so much that I don’t know how much change there would be even if it was really hot out.” How satisfying is it that you guys were good enough to win the Coca-Cola 600?“Yeah, we have some work to do. I felt like our balance was as close as its probably ever been in some ways. But we would just get out-paced for 20 or 25 laps. So I think we need a little bit more speed, but overall, it was a good day. Our balance was close every time – good on both sides of it, so that was good.” Talk about the battle with (Ryan) Blaney. Every restart, it was the two of you battling back and forth. “Yeah, it was fun. I enjoyed it. I have trust in how he (Ryan Blaney) races. He caught me off guard with the last restart. He restarted first and I thought about it – I tried it in the simulator actually, but I never did it throughout the night. I was getting good pushes from the No. 5 (Kyle Larson). When we got wrecked or whatever happened there, I had lost my help. Anytime you have the same engine, you can kind of match your push-up pretty good. So yeah, he caught me off guard there that last restart. But like I said, I think he was just that good and cleared me anyways.” JUSTIN HALEY, NO. 31 LEAFFILTER GUTTER PROTECTION CAMARO ZL1 Finished: 15th “We fired off tight today, but the No. 31 team made some great adjustments and had good pit stops. We made it as high as eighth and thought we would get a top 10 there but just got shuffled at the end. A top 15 is not a bad day, but our car was by far the best car we’ve had all year. We made some major gains today as a team.” NOAH GRAGSON, NO. 42 BLACK RIFLE COFFEE COMPANY CAMARO ZL1 Sidelined by a mechanical failure. Finished: 36th “Bummer day for the No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Chevy team. We made it through the first stage clean. Something went through the radiator. We replaced the radiator and the motor blew up. Just frustrating.  Thank you to Black Rifle Coffee Company and the Menusa family for coming out here. Wish we could have had a better run for them, but it was an honor to have Sgt. Menusa on the windshield. It makes this weekend all worth it. Wish we could have given him and his family a better run, but we’ll try again at Gateway.”  ERIK JONES, NO. 43 U.S. AIR FORCE CAMARO ZL1Finished: 32nd“We had a fast No. 43 U.S. Air Force Chevy, but nothing to really show for it. Appreciate the U.S. Air Force and their support. Just hate that we had the radiator issue, but hopefully we’ll go to Gateway with the same speed and have a good day.” RICKY STENHOUSE JR., NO. 47 KROGER / COCA-COLA CAMARO ZL1Finished: 7th How are you feeling after 600 miles? “I feel great. I got up and did the “Murph” workout this morning. My trainer wasn’t too thrilled about that, but went ahead and did that, and then came out here and ran 600 miles. Our No. 47 Kroger / Coca-Cola Chevy was so good all night. We just fought some track position every now and then, and then the No. 8 (Kyle Busch) fenced us there. I felt like we would have had a top-five if it wasn’t for that. But all-in-all, it was a great Coca-Cola 600 for us. It was what we needed after last week at the All-Star Race.. we kind of got beat up there a little bit. But it’s cool to get another top-10. This team is doing a lot of good things.” It was a wild weekend, obviously dealing with weather and no track time. As a driver with no preparation and going into 600-miles, was it easy or were you a little worried about it?“Well it’s the same for everybody, so we weren’t too concerned about it. But I think all-in-all, you’re a little cautious the first few laps. I definitely was. We were a little looser than I thought we were going to be, so that kind of caught me off guard. But my guys did a really good job on pit road making adjustments and making the car better all night. It was a fun one.” ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CAMARO ZL1Finished: 12thFirst and most importantly, how is your back? “It doesn’t feel very good at the moment, but about what I was expecting. There was no pain in the car really, but now that I’m out, I feel it a little bit.  Just proud of my No. 48 Ally Chevy team. We had a really fast long run car. Obviously the short runs was what we needed, but we were just too tight for that. We got stuck on pit road – every stop, we came in like 10th, but lost spots coming out. But that wasn’t on my guys, it was just pit stall selection. We’ll move onto Gateway. Hopefully we’ll get to qualify there, have a good pit box and just go have a normal day.” JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 84 CLUB WYNDHAM CAMARO ZL1 Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident. Finished: 37th “I just didn’t know we were put in that three-wide situation. There were a bunch of us cars that were wrecked and just trying to limp it home. Unfortunately I ended up in a situation I wasn’t aware of and got turned around. It’s a bummer for the No. 84 Club Wyndham Chevy team.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Stage One·       After a battle with weather throughout the weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series finally hit the track for the first time Monday afternoon to take the green for the 64th running of the Coca-Cola 600. ·       A scheduled competition caution flew on lap 35 with pit road opening for the first round of pit stops of the day. Polesitter William Byron was running in the fourth position at the time of the caution, and with the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 pit crew firing off a fast four-tire stop, Byron won the race off pit road – gaining four positions to take a front-row starting position for the restart. ·       The green-white checkered flag flew on lap 100 with Byron leading the field to the Stage One finish – his series-leading seventh stage win of the season and his first career stage win at Charlotte Motor Speedway. ·       Team Chevy Stage One: Top-101st      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL17th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Camaro ZL19th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL110th     Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Coca-Cola Camaro ZL1 Stage Two·       After driving to an 11th-place finish in Stage One, Erik Jones was forced to take his No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1 to the garage to replace the radiator due to damage caused after hitting debris. ·       After hitting the halfway point in Stage Two – precipitation began to fall, ultimately forcing the race to go under red flag conditions at lap 155. ·       The race took the green flag following a brief weather delay, but was quickly brought back under caution on lap 163 following an incident involving the Jimmie Johnson and the No. 84 Club Wyndham Camaro ZL1 team. Damage sustained was deemed too much to repair, forcing the team’s early departure from the race. ·       A handful of caution periods followed with an accident involving Team Chevy’s Kyle Busch and Daniel Suarez bringing out the sixth caution of the race on lap 175. Both Camaro ZL1’s obtained minimal damage and were able to make quick repairs to return to competition. ·       Stage Two ended under a caution flag, bringing the race to the halfway point. Two Team Chevy drivers scored stage points, led by polesitter William Byron and the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 team in the eighth position. ·       Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-108th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL19th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Advent Health Camaro ZL1 Stage Three·       At the conclusion of Stage Three – the 300 lap marker – the race had seen 24 lead changes among 11 different drivers. ·       For the third consecutive stage, William Byron led Team Chevy to the green-white checkered at the stage end – driving his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to fourth-place stage points. ·       Team Chevy Stage Three: Top-104th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL16th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL17th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Alsco Uniforms Camaro ZL19th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger / Coca-Cola Camaro ZL110th     Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 Stage Four / Post-Race Notes·       William Byron led Team Chevy to the finish in the NASCAR Cup Series’ Coca-Cola 600 – driving his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to a runner-up finish in the crown jewel event. ·       Byron’s runner-up finish marked his third career top-10 finish in seven NASCAR Cup Series starts at Charlotte Motor Speedway; and his eighth top-10 NCS finish of the 2023 season. ·       The No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 pit crew showcased a stellar performance on pit road throughout the 600-mile race – giving Byron the win off pit road on seven different occasions, gaining a total of 18 spots by the conclusion of the race. ·       Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain maintained the NASCAR Cup Series’ driver points standings lead with a one-point advantage over the Coca-Cola 600 winner Ryan Blaney. ·       In 14 points-paying NASCAR Cup Series race this season, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (eight), top-fives (31), top-10s (59), stage wins (11) and laps led (1,845).

NASCAR stars Briscoe, Stenhouse expected to compete, Shelton makes Xtreme debut

PONTOON BEACH, IL (May 29, 2023) – The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota heads back to Illinois for a three-race weekend this Thursday-Saturday, June 1-3, at two tracks the tour has yet to hold competition.

Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL, kicks things off on Thursday, June 1 with the first of three 30-lap, $4,000-to-win Features for the weekend. The following two will be held at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, IL, Friday-Saturday, June 2-3.

The three-day stretch is the last batch of Xtreme Outlaw races before a multi-week summer break which ends with the next Series event on the calendar at Doe Run Raceway on Friday, July 21. Coupled with a visit to Southern Illinois Raceway the following evening, the weekend kicks off a stretch of four consecutive race weekends – culminating with a five-races-in-five-days, Speedweek-style event at five different tracks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Aug. 8-12.

Tickets for this weekend’s races will be on sale at the gate on race day. If you can’t make it to the tracks to watch in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

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

GATEWAY TO THE DIRT – With the NASCAR events taking place in St. Louis this weekend, Cup Series regulars Chase Briscoe and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will be taking advantage of the nearby Xtreme Outlaw races and competing on the dirt.

Briscoe was scheduled to compete with the Series last week at Millbridge Speedway but suffered terminal mechanical failure in the opening Hot Laps session, ending his week early. He’ll now pilot a Mahindra Tractors, Spike Chassis #5 for Paul May Motorsports Friday and Saturday night at Wayne County.

Stenhouse is set to make his Series debut, piloting a third entry for Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports. The 2023 Daytona 500 winner took a Midget on track for the team during USAC’s marquee BC39 event in Indianapolis last year and has linked back up with them to take on Tri-City Thursday and Wayne County on Saturday.

GUESS WHO’S BACK – News of Holly Shelton’s long-awaited return to the seat of a dirt Midget broke several weeks ago, and now the time has come to get on track.

Shelton, the 27-year-old open-wheel racer from Gold River, CA, put her driving career on hold at the end of the 2018 season after three years driving for Keith Kunz Motorsports. She got the itch to compete again over the winter and has since paired with her close friends at Bundy Built Motorsports to get a car prepared for her Xtreme Outlaw debut Thursday at Tri-City.

Read More – Holly Shelton Returns to Midget Racing with Xtreme Outlaws June 1 at Tri-City

She’ll pilot a Spike Chassis with Bundy Built power in the event – a car which she tested last Thursday at Millbridge Speedway. She said it’s taken some adjustments to get used to her new power plant, compared to the Toyota Racing engine she’d driven with KKM, but is ready for the new challenge on a fast racetrack that she prefers over the smaller, more technical tracks.

GOING STREAKING – A dominant sweep of the Double Down Showdown at Millbridge last week boosted Cannon McIntosh’s lead in the Series points standings up to 89. He’s now finished either first or second in each of the last five Series races.

Next, he tackles the 1/3-mile and 1/5-mile ovals of Tri-City and Wayne County – both of which he’s done well racing in the past. In his last three starts at Tri-City, McIntosh hasn’t finished worse than seventh, and had a best finish of third there at the 2020 Gold Crown Midget Nationals. At Wayne County, he has two career top-10s with a best finish of fourth in the 2020 Jason Leffler Memorial.

He’ll play teammate to Stenhouse this weekend as part of the Dave Mac stable, now emerging as the most competitive Midget teams in the nation.

HEADING HOME – It’s been a great stretch of races since the season opener for Chase McDermand. With podium finishes in each of the last four Series races, he’s riding a great wave of momentum as the Series heads back into his home state this weekend.

McDermand, 22, of Springfield, IL, has surged from lower than 20th in the points standings after the first race in March all the way up to second, now 89 points behind leader McIntosh with 3/4 of the season remaining. He did lose some ground in the standings to McIntosh after the two races at Millbridge, but back-to-back third-place finishes kept the championship goal within reach.

Historically, McDermand has not seen much of either track on tap for this weekend, but did finish eighth at Wayne County and 15th at Tri-City a year ago.

BACK FOR MORE – Gavan Boschele made his first starts of the season with the Series last week at Millbridge, posting finishes of sixth and fourth at the controls of the Keith Kunz Motorsports, Bullet/Toyota #5G.

Boschele, 15, of Mooresville, NC, is slated to race all three nights this weekend, making his debut at both facilities. He’ll have several of his KKM teammates beside him including Jade Avedisian, Gavin Miller, Taylor Reimer, Ryan Timms and Cooper Williams.

THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCE

When and where
Thursday, June 1 at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL
Friday-Saturday, June 2-3 at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, IL

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

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

Current championship points standings (view full standings)
1. Cannon McIntosh (1520pts); 2. Chase McDermand 1431pts (-89); 3. Jade Avedisian 1422pts (-98); 4. Gavin Miller 1414pts (-106); 5. Chance Crum 1314pts (-206); 6. Kyle Jones 1288pts (-232); 7. Taylor Reimer 1279pts (-241); 8. Ethan Mitchell 1248pts (-272); 9. Zach Daum 1224pts (-278); 10. Landon Brooks 1220pts (-3000).

Toyota Feature winners (3 drivers)
4 wins – Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports)
2 wins – Chase McDermand (Mounce/Stout Motorsports)
1 win – Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz Motorsports)

Toyota Feature laps led (10 drivers)
69 laps – Cannon McIntosh
26 laps – Thomas Meseraull
24 laps – Jade Avedisian, Chase McDermand
22 laps – Shane Cottle
21 laps – Ashton Torgerson
18 laps – Zach Daum
15 laps – Gavin Miller
2 laps – Ryan Timms
1 lap – Nick Drake

Whitz RC Racing Products Quick Time Awards (5 drivers)
2 awards – Ethan Mitchell, Cannon McIntosh
1 award – Gavin Miller, Daniel Whitley, Hayden Reinbold

Heat Race winners (16 drivers)
3 wins – Jade Avedisian
2 wins – Chance Crum, Nick Drake, Cannon McIntosh, Chase McDermand, Ethan Mitchell
1 win – Austin Barnhill, Shane Cottle, Gavin Miller, Thomas Meseraull, Corbin Rueschenberg, Kyle Jones, Rico Abreu, Zach Daum, Hayden Reinbold, Briggs Danner

High-points honors (7 drivers)
1 honor – Gavin Miller, Chance Crum, Rico Abreu, Daniel Whitley, Landon Brooks, Briggs Danner, Hayden Reinbold

Last Chance Showdown wins (8 drivers)
2 wins – Kyle Jones
1 win – Landon Brooks, Karter Sarff, Howard Moore, Ryan Timms, Taylor Reimer, Henry Chambers, Chance Crum

DIRTVision Hard Charger Awards (7 drivers)
1 award – Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Ryan Timms, Chance Crum, Zach Daum, Gavan Boschele, Taylor Reimer

Podium finishes (11 drivers)
6 podiums – Cannon McIntosh
5 podiums – Chase McDermand
2 podiums – Gavin Miller
1 podium – Shane Cottle, Thomas Meseraull, Jade Avedisian, Kyle Jones, Zach Daum, Ryan Timms, Ashton Torgerson, Taylor Reimer

Top-10 finishes (28 drivers)
6 top-10s – Cannon McIntosh, Jade Avedisian, Chase McDermand, Gavin Miller
4 top-10s – Zach Daum, Kyle Jones, Chance Crum, Ethan Mitchell
3 top-10s – Landon Brooks, Thomas Meseraull, Taylor Reimer, Ryan Timms
2 top-10s – Corbin Rueschenberg, Briggs Danner, Gavan Boschele
1 top-10 – Shane Cottle, Mitchel Moles, Chase Johnson, Austin Barnhill, Daniel Adler, Sam Johnson, Rico Abreu, Ashton Torgerson, Daniel Whitley, Don Droud Jr., Mariah Ede, Nick Drake

2023 Schedule & Winners – Race No. Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)
1. Fri, March 10 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Cannon McIntosh (1)
2. Sat, March 11 / Southern Illinois Center / Du Quoin, IL / Jade Avedisian (1)
3. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Cannon McIntosh (2)
4. Fri, May 5 / Humboldt Speedway / Humboldt, KS / Chase McDermand (1)
5. Sat, May 6 / 81 Speedway / Park City, KS / Chase McDermand (2)
6. Tue, May 22 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Cannon McIntosh (3)
7. Wed, May 23 / Millbridge Speedway / Salisbury, NC / Cannon McIntosh (4)

(5/30/23) Placerville, CA … Action and tradition will meet each other on Saturday, June 3rd, when the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series returns to Placerville Speedway. A $5,000 payday will go to the driver who can slay the field of the 32nd Annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial. This will be the only time you will see the fire-breathing mudslinging monsters of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series at “Little Knoxville On The Hill” in 2023.

The popular event features a lucrative payday and pays tribute to an incredible driver, Dave Bradway Jr., who tragically passed away in a racing accident in June of 1987 at Skagit Speedway. The event was initially held at Silver Dollar Speedway from its inception in 1991 until it was relocated to Placerville in 2021. 

Several additional prizes are up for grabs, including $5,200 in additional lap money, $1,100 for a quick time, $650 for the hard charger, and much more.  

“I’m excited to get back to Placerville,” commented driver Corey Day of Clovis, the defending race winner. “It’s such a cool place and it’s really good for racing. There is no place like it, so to be good there and win there is cool too. I was pumped to win (the Bradway) last year, and it’d be great to win it in the (Jason Meyers Racing) #14 this year.” 

All of the top cars and stars of the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series will be in attendance, as well as several Placerville Speedway regulars.  The facility is an action-filled quarter-mile clay oval with high banks that will take your breath away every single lap.  

The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial weekend kicks off with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour 360 sprint cars on Friday night. The NorCal Dwarf Cars will be the companion division both nights.

Championship Chase

An electric points battle is raging for the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series points championship. Day continues to reign atop the standings, holding a slim eight-point margin over two-time defending series champion Dominic Scelzi of Fresno. With a large slate of events on the June docket, it will undoubtedly play a significant factor in determining who will be crowned the King of the West in November. Day is chasing his first-ever NARC title.

Both pilots have three wins to their credit this season, and both have yet to finish outside of the Top 10. However, Scelzi has been scorching hot lately, as he has visited victory lane the last two times that the tour has run and three out of the last four. He was fifth at this event last year and won it in 2021. 

Who to Watch

Justin Sanders, who has five top-five finishes to his credit this season. is still looking for that first win of 2023 with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series.  The Aromas racer always runs well at Placerville, with two 360 Sprint Car wins at Placerville this season. Sanders is the 2019 winner of this event, the last time it was held in Chico.

Shane Golobic has won several crown jewel events in California, but the Fremont native has yet to win the coveted Bradway trophy. Last year Golobic was third when the checkered flag dropped and is looking for his first NARC win this season.

Besides Day and Scelzi, Roseville’s Justyn Cox is the only other feature winner on the NARC tour this season.  He is currently fourth in the points standings after claiming the lucrative Dennis Roth Classic in April and posting six top ten finishes.

Campbell veteran Bud Kaeding wants to build off his incredible second-place effort at Petaluma in the most recent NARC race.  Kaeding was the 2015 winner of this event, and there is no doubt that the iconic BK Racing team is hungry for another Bradway trophy to add to the case. 

Andy Forsberg is the defending track champion at Placerville Speedway. Despite all his Placerville success, like Golobic, Forsberg has yet to win the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial. However, the Auburn veteran is coming off his best run of the current campaign with the tour, as he posted a fifth-place finish at Petaluma on May 20th.

No doubt, another favorite that the Placerville crowd will be roaring for is Michael Faccinto. The Hanford driver drives the #X1 entry owned by Alan Bradway and Steve Tuccelli. Faccinto has had some strong runs in the 360 Sprints with the local Placerville scene and will look to apply that experience on Saturday night.

Despite a limited schedule, Willie Croft is a driver you don’t want to discount. Now residing in Colfax, Croft collected a Bradway win in 2018 and boasted an impressive fourth-place performance at Petaluma a couple of weeks ago despite being out of the race car for nearly two months.  He has earned the Mike Avilla fast time award at the event for five-years running.

Also running will be Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Billy Aton of Benicia, Tucson native Nick Parker, Oakley teenager Dylan Bloomfield, Joey Ancona of Concord, Roseville driver’s Colby Copeland,  Ryan Bernal and Sean Becker, Kaleb Montgomery from Templeton, and many more!

PAST RACE HISTORY:  Jonathan Allard has accumulated the most Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial wins in the race’s storied existence. The Chico chauffeur, now living in New Zealand, has won the Bradway five times over the years, with the most recent achievement in 2012.

Fan & Competitor Info

Placerville Speedway is located at the El Dorado Fairgrounds at 100 Placerville Drive in Placerville, California. Front Gates open at 3:00 PM with cars on the track around 5:15 with Hot Laps and ARP Qualifying to follow. Tickets are $28.00 for Adults, Junior/Senior/Military $25.00, Kids (6-11) $10.00, and 5 & Under are FREE. For more information, log on to www.placervillespeedway.com. 

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

The Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race. 

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

NARC 410 SPRINT CAR SERIES 
CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS
(AFTER SEVEN EVENTS IN 21-RACE SERIES – 5/29/23)

1. Corey Day, Clovis – 976
2. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 969
3. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 950
4. Justyn Cox, Roseville – 933
5. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 926
6. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 924
7. Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 892
8. Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ (R) – 858
9. Billy Aton, Benicia – 829
10. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 800
11. Joey Ancona, Concord (R) – 773
12. Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton (R) – 741
13. Ryan Bernal, Roseville – 656
14. Tanner Holmes, Central Point, OR – 641
15. DJ Netto, Hanford – 499
16. Colby Copeland, Roseville – 630
17. Craig Stidham, Fresno – 607
18. Cole Macedo, Hanford – 513
19. Joel Myers Jr., Sebastopol – 511
20. Dawson Faria, Tipton – 493

Former Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial Winners
2022- Corey Day
2021- Dominic Scelzi
2019- Justin Sanders
2018- Willie Croft
2017- Rico Abreu
2016- Kyle Hirst
2015- Bud Kaeding
2014- Rico Abreu
2013- Rico Abreu
2012- Jonathan Allard
2011- Peter Murphy
2010- Shane Stewart
2009- Jonathan Allard
2008- Tim Kaeding
2007- Brent Kaeding
2006- Sean Becker
2005- Jonathan Allard
2004- Jason Statler
2003- Jonathan Allard
2002- Tim Kaeding
2001- Jonathan Allard
2000- Brent Kaeding
1999- Brent Kaeding
1998- Randy Tiner
1997- Jimmy Sills
1996- Paul McMahan
1995- Brent Kaeding
1994- Randy Tiner
1993- Eric Rossi
1992- Greg DeCaires
1991- Jason McMillen

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Fastest Four Days in Motorsports
June 15 – Southern Oregon Speedway (Central Point, OR) – Thursday Night Thunder
June 16 – Douglas County Dirt Track (Roseburg, OR) – Friday Night Frenzy
June 17 – Willamette Speedway (Lebanon, OR) – Sprint Car Invasion
June 18 – Grays Harbor Raceway (Elma, WA) – Timber Cup

June 22-24th – Skagit Speedway (Burlington, WA) – $62,000 to win Super Dirt Cup

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (May 29, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi returns to action this weekend with a doubleheader at Placerville Speedway during the 32 ^nd annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial.

Scelzi invades the bullring in Placerville, Calif., on Friday with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour and on Saturday with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series.

“I feel like I put Placerville and Petaluma, where we just raced, on the same page,” he said. “I haven’t had a bunch of success overall, but have gotten better in recent years. Placerville has been really, really tough for me historically, but in the last three or four races I’ve been in the top five and we’ve led laps.”

Scelzi’s lone victory at the track came during the Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial in June 2021. He’s also finished inside the top six in all five of his races there during the last two years.

“We’ve had good runs,” he said. “I just want to go in there and be as good as my race car has been.”

Scelzi enters Saturday’s NARC 410 Sprint Car Series show ranked second in the championship standings – only seven points behind the leader. Statistically, Scelzi has led in five races this season for a series-best 78 laps. He’s closed out three with victories – tied for the most in the series.

Scelzi has won two straight series races and three of the last four.

SEASON STATS –

13 races, 4 wins, 10 top fives, 11 top 10s, 11 top 15s, 13 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Friday and Saturday at Placerville Speedway in Placerville, Calif., for the 32 ^nd annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series and Sprint Car Challenge Tour

(Indianapolis, IN) May 29, 2023 – It was an emotional day for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Cusick Motorsports on Sunday for the 107thRunning of the Indianapolis 500 that saw a huge crowd at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.   The Sunday morning garage visit by the injured Stefan Wilson, who received back surgery Wednesday after a Monday practice crash at IMS, had the entire two-car organization in high emotions as Wilson greeted his racing team members as well as drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal, who filled in for Wilson in the No. 24 DRR/Cusick Motorsports/CareKeepers Chevrolet in the Indy 500.

High hopes for the squad went throughout the garage in the morning engine warm-up, but, unfortunately, the emotions dropped before the race when Rahal’s engine failed to start due to a faulty battery. When the engine was started, Graham was two laps behind the 32 other drivers, but fought his way back to finish 22nd in the 200-lap race. “First, I’m very thankful to get the opportunity to race at the 500 and thank you to Dreyer & Reinbold and Cusick Motorsports for allowing me to be here and be a part of the 500 with them,” said Rahal. “Obviously, a tough start to the day. We never really got going. We actually had a decent day from there on moving forward up until the very end as I filled in for Stef. We just didn’t get to see it through after the battery issue. Again, I’m thankful and lucky to have been here, but I’m certainly already eager to come back next year and have a shot at winning this race. It was great to spend time with Stef before the race.”

After fracturing his 12th thoracic vertebrae in a crash on Monday and going through surgery on Wednesday, Stefan Wilson made a surprise visit to the track on Sunday morning that had media, fans and team members in awe. The 33-year old British racer was due to make his fifth start at the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, but is now driven to come back for the 108th Running of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.   “The finish of the 2023 Indianapolis 500 was disappointing, but there are a lot of positives to take away from this year,” said Stefan Wilson. “I think the performance that we showed in the No. 24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Cusick Motorsports CareKeepers Chevy for most of the month was really encouraging. There are a lot of positives that I take away from my side as well on the driving front. I am looking forward to getting through this recovery process and focusing on next year and the 2024 Indy 500. The goal for me is to get back to being fully fit and making a return next year. Obviously, it was disappointing to not be out there on race day representing all the partners that made this year possible. I think Graham did a great job stepping in for me, but I’m already excited about the prospect of returning next year and taking the next step with this incredible team and group of partners we have.”

“This past week has been an emotional rollercoaster unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” said Don Cusick, Founder & CEO of Cusick Motorsports. “While our primary concern remains on Stefan’s recovery, we are so proud of the effort put in by Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Graham Rahal to make the most of a very difficult circumstance. The No. 24 CareKeepers car fought back hard after going two laps down at the start, but you just can’t make that up in such a competitive field. But despite the setbacks, we’ve built some fantastic relationships with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and our partners over the last few weeks. And we will be back.”   Dreyer & Reinbold Racing’s No. 23 car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay went on to finish 11th after starting 18th, with Cusick Motorsports and Stefan Wilson partner Sierra Pacific Windows added as the co-primary partner ahead of the race weekend.

The 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 saw the biggest group of partners associated with Cusick Motorsports to date. With a mission to make racing more accessible, build relationships and drive business, Cusick Motorsports is proud to be trusted by CareKeepers, Sierra Pacific Windows, LOHLA SPORT, Fizzy Beez, Liberty Group, Kitchen Mart, the Law Offices of Gerald L. Marcus, CarBlip, 181 Fremont Residences, Romak Iron Works, Agromin, Mosaic Animal CareGroup, The Thermal Club, ProviderScience, High Alpha, Rite-Way Thermal, Menlo Ventures, Westin Homes, Westlake Yoga and Mr. and Mrs. James Lowes.    As the dust settles on the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500, Cusick Motorsports is fully focused on expanding its endeavors and partnerships for the future.

The #50 ABEL Motorsports Chevrolet of RC Enerson gets service from his crew during the 107th Indianapolis 500 Photo Courtesy Lumen Digital Agency: Gavin Baker First Indy 500 Effort Shows Team, Driver Strengths; Mechanical Woes Cause Early Retirement (May 28, 2023) SPEEDWAY, In- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: First-year Indy 500 entrants ABEL Motorsports of Louisville, KY and Speedway, IN, and their rookie driver RC Enerson of New Port Richey, FL combined for a strong first few stints in their first appearance in the Memorial Day classic.  Mechanical issues though forced an early exit from today’s 107th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Enerson was scored 32nd after completing 75 laps of the 200-lap distance. The 26-year-old Enerson qualified the Abel Construction Chevy/Dallara 29th for the race last Saturday, an amazing performance for the Indy newcomers.  Enerson rolled off from 28th spot in today’s 500-miler after a driver change was needed for another team.   “It’s still an amazing accomplishment for this team, considering we’ve been an IndyCar team for what, 7 days on track this month” noted the Rookie of the Year contender.    “To just be here, qualify for the race on the first day and avoid Bump Day, everything we’ve done here has been nothing short of amazing.   Bill (Abel) and (Team Manager) John Brunner have put together an amazing crew.  We’ve been flawless all month.   We had settled into a nice rhythm by our second stint and we were much better in our third stint before the problem hit.  It’s just a shame for this team and all our partners.   A big thanks to Team Chevy and Firestone and all the partners that came on board with us these last few days.” Team Principal Bill Abel was disappointed with the short day for his team but thrilled with the effort his driver and crew put in to make this year’s Indy 500. “For us, mission accomplished (just to qualify) We’d have loved to have gone a lot further in the race but for our first time out in IndyCar and the 500, that’s ok. I hate it for RC and the team but sometimes that’s just what happens in this sport.This is the pinnacle of our sport, so just to be here with the car, with the team, to qualify, we exceeded expectations,” said Abel.“We hope to be back, maybe next year, maybe the year after, just the fact that we’ve been here and had as much success as we have, hopefully that paves the way for us to come back.” Team Manager John Brunner was disappointed as well but applauded the effort his squad put together at IMS.  “The guys have all worked so hard on this car.  We just hadn’t had any problems until today.  The car has been flawless.  It’s heartbreaking for these guys, it’s very disappointing, but the car’s in one piece.  We’ll take this and learn from it and see what we can do in the future.” ABEL Motorsports returns to action in the Indy NXT Series by Firestone at the Detroit Grand Prix next weekend.   The team’s two-car effort featuring Jacob Abel in the #51 and Colin Kaminsky driving the team’s #57 entry will compete in a doubleheader weekend June 3 and 4.