MOORESVILLE, NC (April 26, 2023) — A combination of existing sponsor relationships and a passion for supporting the North Carolina drag racing community led to NHRA rookie of the year Camrie Caruso adding Professional Staffing Solutions to her Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro livery for this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMax Dragway. Tameka Jenkins, General Manager of Professional Staffing Solutions, wanted to try a different approach to find quality job candidates and help her existing clients reach a new audience and picking one of the rising stars in the NHRA was just the avenue she was looking for. 

“The main reason I am involved in drag racing is because of my son CJ who races junior dragsters now but wants to eventually race professionally,” said Tameka Jenkins, General Manager Professional Staffing Solutions. “This is the only event in North Carolina, so we wanted to support that as well. We are aligned with Camrie already because we are both with Right Trailers, so we wanted to support her and start getting involved more in the sport besides just racing. We want to see what kind of feedback and awareness we can get for Professional Staffing Solutions and get a better understanding of the NHRA fan base. I could spend money on an Indeed search or try something unique to find people that support a sport that I am passionate about and so is my son CJ.”

Professional Staffing Solutions’ mission is to provide clients with the best opportunities possible to achieve gainful, fulfilling employment. They focus their success on the cooperative relationship between employers and employees, which is why they are committed to attracting and retaining talented, hardworking, and dedicated employees to fill positions for their clients.

They work with businesses looking to expand or businesses that are just getting started. They can help businesses increase their workload, find a temporary employee to fill a leave of absence, or find additional employees for an event. They find long-term and short-term solutions that cost less than hiring a consultant or recruiter. 

“I am excited to promote Professional Staffing Solutions, and this is an unusual marketing opportunity,” said Caruso. “I know Tameka and her son CJ through our Right Trailers sponsorship and through CJ’s junior dragster program. He is a promising young racer with a dream just like me and this is a great opportunity to show how strong the NHRA can be when it comes to marketing a company that needs to reach people. Our sport is so fan friendly we just wanted to show the possibility for Professional Staffing Solutions.” 

Caruso and the Big Jeff Audio Pro Stock Chevrolet Camaro will have two qualifying runs on Friday evening and two more on Saturday. The quickest 16 Pro Stock competitors will race four-wide starting on Sunday morning at noon ET. With 23 Pro Stock cars on the property, it will be an exciting weekend of racing with the race being broadcast on FS1.

PLAINVIEW, NY (April 26, 2023) — Heading into the fifth race of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster team have been hitting on all cylinders. Through the first four races Ashley has collected two wins, a No. 1 qualifier, won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and held the points lead. Success at the unique four-wide racing format is the last hurdle for the 2020 NHRA Rookie of the Year and championship contender to clear. Two weeks ago, Ashley was ousted in the opening round after a solid qualifying effort that saw him enter race day as the No. 4 Top Fuel dragster. Last year at the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Ashley won his first round of four-wide racing from the No. 1 spot.

“We go into four-wide racing with the same approach as usual,” said Ashley, who made his professional debut at zMax Dragway in 2019. “There is, however, a heightened awareness of everything going on around us because of the two additional cars. We are fortunate to have great support from Toyota when it comes to track conditions. (Crew chiefs) Mike Green and Tommy DeLago have a ton of experience and our Phillips Connect team gets stronger every race. Our success at four-wide races will come when the time is right. I am really looking forward to this weekend and the benefit of racing four-wide at back-to-back events.” 

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

Ashley is no overnight success considering he won the season opening Winternationals in 2022 but this year’s defense of that title on the heels of his Top Fuel win at the Arizona Nationals gave the young driver a huge boost on the competition early in the season. The weekend in Pomona was a dominant performance with Ashley, racing to No. 1 qualifier on a pass that won his team the $10,000 top prize in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday. On race day he took out three tough competitors, received a competition bye in the quarterfinals on the way to his second consecutive Winternationals title.

“Pomona was an amazing weekend,” said Ashley, who has been No. 1 qualifier at the past two NHRA national events contested at zMax Dragway. “To qualify No. 1, win the Mission Challenge, and win the Winternationals for the second consecutive year with Phillips Connect representatives in attendance was a blessing. We started our partnership with Phillips Connect at the Winternationals in 2022. (Phillips Connect CEO) Rob Phillips wasn’t at that race so to be able to share this win with him and the whole Phillips Connect team made it extra special.”

Ashley has built his program on strong marketing relationships well beyond Phillips Connect. He has represented Strutmasters.com and KATO Fastening Systems since his Top Fuel debut. In the past two years he has added additional marketing partners Lucas Oil, Toyota and Mac Tools. The personable off the track and successful on-track combination has served Ashley well just three years into his professional career.

“It is a team effort to get every win light in this sport,” said Ashley. “Chip Lofton and Strutmasters.com have supported our program for so many years. Everybody from Lucas Oil, to Toyota, KATO Fastening Systems, Mac Tools and Impact are directly responsible for our success on and off the racetrack.” 

Leading up to the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Ashley will have a full dance card. On Tuesday he joined fellow Toyota NHRA teammates Shawn Langdon and J.R. Todd along with NHRA on Fox’s Brian Lohnes in a curling event against a handful of NASCAR Toyota drivers. Thursday night he will be racing NASCAR drivers in a drag racing versus circle track grudge race at zMax Dragway. These off-track events motivate Ashley to perform on track and relax a little as well.

“Any time you get a chance to mingle with drivers from other series I think that is a plus,” said Ashley. “This is NASCAR country so getting the chance to show off some drag racing skills will be fun, but I think there is a lot to learn from any racing discipline. Thanks to Toyota we get to have some fun on Tuesday and then I am looking forward to the racing event on Thursday night.”

Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel team will get two passes on Friday and two more on Saturday before they take to the track on Sunday morning for final eliminations at noon ET. The qualifying highlights and the race will be televised on FS1 throughout the weekend.

CONCORD, N.C. (April 26, 2023) – John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car are on an upswing as they head into this weekend’s Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway. Coming off a semifinal finish at the first Four-Wide event of the season, Force and his Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi-led crew jumped from 13th to eighth in the points standings. Force is seeking his third straight victory in the Four-Wide Nationals and is bidding for his fourth four-wide win overall. He has started his BlueDef Chevy from the No. 1 qualifying position in his last four appearances at zMAX Dragway, twice in the four-wide and twice in the fall Carolina Nationals. He also qualified No. 1 at the 2011 4Wide, a year after winning the inaugural four-wide race in 2010. “I love racing in Charlotte, zMAX is the Bellagio of drag strips, what a legacy for Bruton Smith. Danny Hood, Tim Fibrisi and the guys have built a fast hot rod and we’re ready to keep improving after putting together some solid runs in Vegas. We’ve had a lot of success here in the past and I’m excited to compete for another win for Chevy, PEAK, BlueDEF, Cornwell Tools, Frank Tiegs, Auto Club, and everyone who keeps me out here each week doing what I love.” Force is the zMAX track record holder for both time and speed at 3.850 seconds and 335.07 mph, both marks set on April 29, 2022. In 12 appearances in the Four-Wide, John has advanced to the final quad seven times and in addition to his three wins, he was runner-up to Robert in 2014 and to Cruz Pedregon in 2018. The Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway starts with qualifying Friday at 4:45 and 7:45 p.m. and Saturday at noon and 4:35 p.m. Sunday eliminations are slated to begin at noon. Television coverage of the event begins with qualifying shows Friday at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). Eliminations will begin on FS1 Sunday at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Santa Pod RacewayFri.19 – Sun.21 May 2023  The Doorslammers returns with a vengeance!   Since its return in 2018, The Doorslammers has established itself as a firm favourite on the calendar for drag racing fans and racers alike, and with £90,000 on the line – it’s no surprise. The prize money is scattered throughout a variety of race classes, headlined by the VP Racing Fuels Pro Doorslammer class. Apart from the requirement for doors and the safety stuff, the rules are – there are no rules. Pro Doorslammer is where the big boys and girls go to prove who is the fastest – period. No limitations on body styles, no restrictions on engines, tyres or power adders – do whatever it takes to get to the finish line first. We’ve seen many an upset throughout eliminations but as of yet, we haven’t had a repeat Pro Doorslammer winner nor have we had a British winner – maybe it’s time for a homegrown entry to hang onto the crown.   Owing to the nature of the class structure, The Doorslammers is one of those events where you can see cars you wouldn’t normally find at a traditional championship race event and this year is no exception. After a couple of years with a limited number of overseas racers, it seems that they’ve figured out how to navigate their way around again post Brexit. Early versions of the entry list are dominated with cars from across Europe. In particular, we have a very welcome invasion from Poland with 17 cars entered at present throughout all the heads-up classes including a couple of Pro Doorslammer entries with a tasty Toyota Celica and a Turbo Powered Pontiac Firebird. They should really set the cat among the pigeons!   True Street features an impressive 1,000BHP Lamborghini Huracan Performante from Germany of Stephen Klasen that arrives with 8-second credentials. With no chassis mods allowed and strict tyre rules, a high-powered supercar is always going to be tough to beat but as we’ve seen many times before – anything can happen on the strip!   With slightly more relaxed rules, Pro Street is where the Street Eliminator racers from past and present come to play and they’ve got some quick and interesting Polish entries joining them this year   The Williams Bros Speed Shop are welcomed back as sponsors of the Big Bracket class – a class that Nic Williams himself has won in 2019. As always, the two days of independent competitions are shaping up to be a battle royal of bracket racers. Previous winners Lee Chiles and Lee Huxley both have early entries in along with racers from Germany and Switzerland. Don’t forget there’s £10K on the line EACH DAY in the Big Bracket. Prize money of that calibre is almost unheard of in Europe!   The 6-Cylinder class always produces a gem or two and the first couple of entries are certainly gems. Austrian entrant Hubert Strengberger is signed up with his insane Audi TT; the current AWD Audi world record holder has recently run a best of 7.1sec so that 6-second pass is just a whisker away. The other entry in the class of Mario Kapeller in the AWD Audi A3 is Hubert’s teammate so comes with an equal level of pedigree and from what we’ve seen of it before, it’s always an entertaining watch.   4-Cylinder is always a hugely popular class and again boasts some extremely exciting entries. There’s the usual mix of Fords, VWs and Japanese compact entries with 7-second passes being the benchmark in performance. The beauty of the class is that any 4-cylinder combination capable of running 7 seconds is at absolute peak performance and therefore reliability and consistency becomes a real factor on track. Dane Jack Krugel comes into the event as an unknown to Santa Pod but research suggests he’ll be somewhere near the front of the field with his AWD Nissan Pulsar along with Austrian entrant Johannes Haginger in his AWD VW Golf.   With elimination pairings being drawn out of a hat and a shedload of money on the line anything could happen – and probably will. Join us as the action unfolds over the weekend of the 19^th-21^st May.  

ALAND ISLANDS, FINLAND (April 25, 2023) — Today, European Top Fuel Record Holder Ida Zetterström announced a new global partnership between Edelbrock Group and KW Parts (Klintberg & Way Group) to support her efforts in winning the FIA Championship driving for RF Motorsport. Edelbrock Group helped Zetterström in her successful first FIA Top Fuel season in 2022, where the team became the first to clock a 3.7-second pass in Europe and picked up their first FIA event win together at Tierp Arena in Sweden.

For 2023, Edelbrock is expanding its commitment to become a primary partner on her dragster alongside new sponsor KW Parts. The collaboration brings together two powerhouse companies on the side of the RF Motorsport Top Fueler. The Edelbrock Group brands represent nearly 130 years of building the best-known performance parts for racers and enthusiasts. Meanwhile, KW Parts, operating in 37 European countries, is Europe´s leading distributor of OE and aftermarket spare parts and accessories for American cars from the 1900s to today.

Zetterström is excited by the prospects this partnership brings to the team.

“I saw an opportunity to bring together two great companies in KW Parts and Edelbrock in a way where we can all work together to bring business and racing forward; I see this being the start of something really outstanding,” she said.

“Just as their products, the people at Edelbrock Group are top of the line. I feel very proud to represent such a solid and recognizable global brand — a brand I have used and loved for many years — and I am incredibly excited to grow our partnership.”

“Welcoming KW Parts as a new sponsor aligns with my love for American cars, but it also represents our mutual commitment to growing drag racing and supporting enthusiasts across Europe. Having two amazing brands show faith in me to represent them at the highest level is humbling. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited to start a race season as I am this year. I can’t wait to get started.”

Edelbrock Group Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mark Campbell sees the partnership as a win-win.

“This marketing partnership between Edelbrock and KW is an excellent way for Edelbrock to grow our presence in the European market while showing our love and support of all forms of racing,” he said. “We couldn’t ask for a better brand ambassador than Ida to facilitate our message to the European audience. Not only is she a rising star with outstanding talent, but she is also an enthusiast who understands our products. 2023 is going to be a great year for Ida Zetterström racing.” 

Last year marked 20 years since Ida’s start in drag racing and her first season in the Top Fuel class. She begins her second full season in the FIA T/F European Championship this year. She will also run a Cannonball-style race at Mantorp Park and several exhibition events throughout the year. The team starts its season off at the Festival of Power this weekend, April 29th – May 1st, at Santa Pod Raceway, followed by the first event of the European season May 26-28, also at Santa Pod Raceway.

For a full schedule, check out https://www.idazetterstrom.com/schedule

Ida has been vocal about her dreams of racing in the American NHRA series in the future. “I already have my license, which is ready for NHRA racing, and I’m actively striving towards my goal of racing in the USA. I can’t give you any news of me racing there yet but know that it is something I’m working on for the future. Top Fuel and drag racing get my heart racing, and I’m here to stay.”

Second visit to Tri-City fills July 4 hole; Modifieds added to card at Moberly on June 20

CONCORD, NC (April 25, 2023) – A new points fund distribution has been established for the 38th edition of the DIRTcar Summer Nationals – one that rewards Late Model drivers for their week-to-week commitment to racing as much of The Hell Tour as possible.

Similar to the weekly bonus points funds that Summer Nationals competitors have been accustomed to competing for, the entire 2023 Late Model championship points fund will be distributed part-by-part on a weekly basis. The sum of $125,500 will be paid out in total, awarded to the top-10 finishers in each individual week’s points standings.

Overall points standings through all five weeks will still be kept, and a 2023 DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion will be determined, despite its weekly prize money distribution.

At the end of each week of racing, the top-10 drivers in that week’s points standings will be awarded points fund checks – $10,000 to first place, $5,000 to second, $3,000 for third, and so on according to the scale below.

1	$10,000.00
2	$5,000.00
3	$3,000.00
4	$2,000.00
5	$1,500.00
6	$1,000.00
7	$800.00
8	$700.00
9	$600.00
10	$500.00
Total	$25,100.00

Once a week is complete, it’s onto the next. All drivers will start from zero points at the beginning of each week and contest all events scheduled for that week, weather permitting. If weather or any other factors force a postponement/cancelation, DIRTcar officials could potentially adjust the points fund purse for that week, depending on the number of completed events to that point.

To be fully eligible to receive a points fund check in any given week, drivers must have a valid 2023 DIRTcar Membership and attempt to qualify for each race in that week. Drivers will also be required to notify DIRTcar Director Sam Driggers of their plans to compete for points in a particular week no fewer than 10 days prior to the start of that week, which will aid in each host track’s efforts to promote their event in advance.

The Summer Nationals tow money program, implemented at the start of the 2022 season, will also be available for Late Model drivers to take advantage of this year. A $500 check will be cut to drivers with perfect attendance at the end of each week – $500 for every 500 miles traveled without missing a race. At 4,788 total miles traveled over the entire schedule, nine bonus checks equates to a grand total of $4,500 pocketed should a driver attend every race.

NEW RACES

For the second time in tour history, both the Late Models and Modifieds will make a second stop in the same season to Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, IL. An Independence Day special at Tri-City will kick off Week #4 on Tuesday, July 4, paying the standard purses – $5,000-to-win for Late Models, $1,500-to-win for Modifieds. This will be the final TBA-gap to be filled on the 2023 schedule, bringing the Late Models up to a complete 28 races.

Additionally, Modifieds have been added to the program at Moberly Motorsports Park on Tuesday, June 20, making for a new total of 27 Modified races on the 2023 slate. The Modifieds last visited the Missouri half-mile track in 2020, where the event was cut short by rain.

COMBINED 2023 TOUR SCHEDULES (Updated April 25)

Week #1
Wednesday, June 14 | Peoria Speedway| Peoria, IL
Thursday, June 15 | Kankakee Co. Speedway | Kankakee, IL
Friday, June 16 | Tri-City Speedway | Pontoon Beach, IL
Saturday, June 17 | Fairbury Speedway | Fairbury, IL
Sunday, June 18 | Sycamore Speedway | Maple Park, IL (Late Models only)

Week #2
Tuesday, June 20 | Moberly Motorsports Park | Moberly, MO
Wednesday, June 21 | Davenport Speedway | Davenport, IA (Late Models only)
Thursday, June 22 | Spoon River Speedway | Canton, IL
Friday, June 23 | Fayette Co. Speedway | Brownstown, IL
Saturday, June 24 | Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 | Pevely, MO
Sunday, June 25 | Lincoln Speedway | Lincoln, IL

Week #3
Tuesday, June 27 | Springfield Raceway | Springfield, MO (Late Models only)
Wednesday, June 28 | Adams Co. (IL) Speedway | Quincy, IL
Thursday, June 29 | Benton Speedway | Benton, MO
Friday, June 30 | Paducah Int’l Raceway | Paducah, KY
Saturday, July 1 | Clarksville Speedway | Clarksville, TN
Sunday, July 2 | Lake Cumberland Spdwy | Burnside, KY

Week #4
Tuesday, July 4 | Tri-City Speedway | Pontoon Beach, IL
Wednesday, July 5 | Red Hill Raceway | Sumner, IL
Thursday, July 6 | Macon Speedway | Macon, IL
Friday, July 7 | Farmer City Raceway | Farmer City, IL
Saturday, July 8 | Highland Speedway | Highland, IL
Sunday, July 9 | Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN

Week #5
Wednesday, July 12 | Shadyhill Speedway | Medaryville, IN
Thursday, July 13| Butler Motor Speedway | Quincy, MI
Friday, July 14 | Hartford Motor Speedway | Hartford, MI
Saturday, July 15 | Oakshade Raceway | Wauseon, OH
Sunday, July 16 | Wayne Co. Speedway | Orrville, OH

33rd annual Prairie Dirt Classic (Modifieds only)
Friday, July 28 | Fairbury Speedway | Fairbury, IL
Saturday, July 29 | Fairbury Speedway | Fairbury, IL

Josh Hart Looking to Continue Rise at Charlotte Four-Wide

OCALA, FL (April 25, 2023) — Josh Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will be rolling into the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals hoping the third time’s the charm when it comes to securing their elusive first four-wide national title. The past two years Hart has raced to the final quad at zMax Dragway and as recently as two weeks ago the owner of Burnyzz Speed Shop in Ocala, Florida, reached the final quad at the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals. Hart and his Top Fuel team have yet to see the third win light on Sunday of the unique race. He has started from the top half of the field in each of the past two four-wide races and has never started a race in Charlotte from the bottom half.

“I enjoy racing at zMax Dragway and we have had some success there,” said Hart, who won his second career Top Fuel title at the Fall NHRA national event in 2021. “It has been a while since we turned on three or four win lights there to get that Wally trophy and I feel like we have a team that can compete for wins every weekend. We haven’t gotten off to the kind of start I wanted to this season, but we made progress in Pomona and Las Vegas.”

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

Hart burst onto the scene in 2021 racing a partial schedule, winning his first Top Fuel race as well as the Charlotte Countdown race in addition to nearly half a dozen semifinal finishes. Last year Hart raced to two final rounds, but a third win eluded the driver who took on the full schedule with a young team and a brand new 12,000-horsepower R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster. The learning curve was steep, but Hart was undeterred and finished the season No. 7 in the world in Top Fuel.

“We didn’t perform last season as well as I was hoping but we learned a ton,” said Hart, who is also a multi-national event winner in Top Alcohol Dragster. “We had a new car and that was the most Top Fuel races I ever raced in one season. I basically doubled my experience in Top Fuel last year. This season we knew what to expect but the competition was also ready for us. We aren’t sneaking up on anyone this year.”

At the season opening NHRA Gatornationals Hart won the Pep Boys Top Fuel Allstar Callout event and its $80,000 top prize. It was a great start for Hart and the R+L Carriers team. Unfortunately, Hart’s Sunday performance was lackluster by his own admission and the following two races challenged Hart and the rest of his team.

“I messed up in the first round of the Gatornationals and then we battled gremlins at the Arizona Nationals after that,” said Hart. “We made some progress at the Winternationals and I think we got back on track in Las Vegas racing to that final quad. I feel good coming to Charlotte about my driving and the race car. Ron Douglas is the best and I wouldn’t trade my crew for anyone else in the pits.”

The two-time Top Fuel winner won’t be the only Hart competing this weekend. His two-year-old daughter Helen will be racing in the historic five-wide Baby Walker Nationals. The race will be contested before the final round of nitro qualifying on Saturday and will pit the offspring of elite pro drivers astride upgraded vehicles for a highly anticipated sequel featuring five-across racing the event dubbed “Tykes on Trikes.” The special event was created and produced by Natalie Torrence of Innovative Creation Experts and sponsored by Mark Beatty and the folks at Red Line Synthetic Motor Oil will once again be a crowd pleaser and fun diversion for Hart.

“This event is a lot of fun and I have to thank Natalie for coming up with the idea and including Helen,” said Hart. “I am not sure who will get the bragging rights, but I know all the parents will be super proud of the effort.”

Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team will get four qualifying rounds spread out over Friday and Saturday affording the team one pass in each lane of potential competition. The quickest 16 Top Fuel dragsters will go head-to-head-to-head-to-head on Sunday in three rounds of eliminations. The race will be broadcast nationally on FS1 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. ET and will begin at noon ET at zMax Dragway.

MOORESVILLE, NC (April 25, 2023) — Camrie Caruso grew up in the Rochester, New York area but since she launched her professional Pro Stock career the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year has called the Charlotte, North Carolina, area home. The Mooresville resident is eager to take a second crack at her hometown track, zMax Dragway, the Bellagio of Drag Strips. This will be the third generation drag racers first attempt at four-wide racing at the drag strip located adjacent to Charlotte Motor Speedway. During the 2022 NHRA Countdown Caruso raced her Chevrolet Camaro to the No. 8 qualifier position, but she did not advance beyond the first round.

“We didn’t get to race four-wide at zMax Dragway last year and I was pretty mad about that,” said Caruso. “I came to the race anyway and it was my first time seeing four-wide racing in person. There is a lot going on and I feel more confident coming into this weekend than I did two weeks ago in Las Vegas. I have a good race car and with my new sponsor Big Jeff Audio I am excited to go some rounds this weekend.”

Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro Camrie Caruso will be racing at Circle k NHRA Four-Wide Nationals in Charlotte

Prior to the Las Vegas Four-Wide Nationals Caruso announced a primary sponsorship with Big Jeff Audio for this weekend that will continue all season as an associate marketing program. Big Jeff Audio is a part of Big Jeff Online Inc., a family-owned business that has been thriving since 2014, initially starting out on eBay and Amazon. With a strong commitment to customer satisfaction, they have now expanded to offer a vast array of products on their site, including car audio and CCTV security systems, all backed by their authorization as an online seller. They have a website full of products for everyone at www.BigJeffAudio.com and have a large social media platform that you can see by searching BigJeffAudio on all major platforms.

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

Caruso will have a jam-packed week of activities leading off with throwing out the first pitch at the Charlotte Knights baseball game tonight. This will be another new experience for the rising star in the NHRA as she crosses sports to promote drag racing to a new audience.

“I want to make a good first pitch and not embarrass myself,” said Caruso. “I have grown up in the NHRA so honestly, I didn’t do a lot of other sports. I am going to go out there and have some fun. I am really excited about getting a baseball jersey with my name on it for sure.”

On Thursday night Caruso will be more in her comfort zone drag racing against a handful of drivers from NASCAR in an NHRA versus NASCAR grudge racing event hosted by zMax Dragway. The battle of the strip will be a fun-filled evening pitting NHRA drivers against local NASCAR drivers. On Friday Caruso will spend some time with guests of the Charlotte chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities giving them some behind the scenes access. 

“The Thursday night race with the NASCAR drivers will be a lot of fun,” said Caruso. “I am looking forward to meeting some drivers from another series. I don’t know that much about NASCAR but when you get a bunch of drivers together that like to go fast you never know what can happen. The biggest positive is it gives us the chance to get on the track and show off the sport of drag racing. I am also looking forward to meeting the folks from Speedway Children’s Charities. I am going to do more to support that great organization through the season.”

This year has been a breakout experience for the 25-year-old driver who won her first Pro Stock national event at the Arizona Nationals and followed it up with her second career No. 1 qualifier at the historic NHRA Winternationals the following weekend. Caruso powered her Chevrolet Camaro to the semifinals and for a short time was in the Pro Stock points lead as well. Currently, she sits No. 4 in Camping World Pro Stock points.

“I always have goals in everything I pursue and getting that first win was a big goal for this season,” said Caruso, who became just the second female to win a Pro Stock national event. “My next goal is to win that second, then third national event. I want to win a world championship and I think I have a race car that can get me there. This Big Jeff Audio Chevrolet Camaro will be ready to go this weekend for sure.”

Each Pro Stock team will get two passes on Friday and two more on Saturday, weather permitting, with the quickest 16 Pro Stock cars racing for the coveted Wally trophy in three rounds of four-wide racing on Sunday. Final eliminations will begin at noon ET and the race will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

Tri-City Speedway and Tri-State Speedway are next to host The Greatest Show on Dirt, April 28-29GRANITE CITY, IL (April 25, 2023) – A pair of historic racetracks await the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series this weekend.First up is the highly anticipated return to Granite City, IL’s Tri-City Speedway on Friday, April 28. The World of Outlaws haven’t circled the Illinois 3/8 mile in 15 years. Then, a two-and-a-half-hour drive east takes the tour to Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 29.Both facilities own the honor of being the most visited by The Greatest Show on Dirt for their respective states. Tri-City Speedway has hosted the World of Outlaws on 55 occasions. Tri-State Speedway’s 42 trips outrank all fellow Hoosier state facilities. Both ovals first hosted a race during the World of Outlaws’ second year of existence – 1979. Let’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:TRI-CITY RETURN: Despite being the 14th most visited track in Series history, Friday at Tri-City Speedway will present a new challenge for many drivers. The World of Outlaws haven’t competed in Granite City since 2008.Of the current full-time roster, only Donny Schatz and Bill Rose have turned Tri-City laps in World of Outlaws competition.Schatz’s extensive experience may prove to be an advantage as the 10-time champion owns 16 starts. During the last visit in 2008 it was none other than Schatz coming out on top. The driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 also has podiumed in half of his six most recent races at Tri-City.Rose has made a pair of Tri-City appearances with the World of Outlaws (’01 & ’05). The Plainfield, IN native posted a top 10 in Granite City with the MOWA Sprints in 2013. He’s also been productive there without a wing – earning two USAC National Sprint Car top fives, including a podium effort in 2005.MACEDO’S TRI-STATE MASTERY: Last year, Carson Macedo made history when he became the first driver to top three consecutive World of Outlaws races at Tri-State Speedway.The Lemoore, CA native could continue to cement himself as one of the best to race around the paperclip shaped track this Saturday. Only Steve Kinser (8 wins), Sammy Swindell (5 wins), and Craig Dollansky (4 wins) have won more at Haubstadt. A victory Saturday would equal him with Dollansky.Macedo and his Jason Johnson Racing crew enter the weekend atop the championship standings and hope to add to the lead.GRAVEL EYES REBOUND: After appearing invincible early in the season, misfortune has struck David Gravel in recent weeks. A crash at U.S. 36 Raceway resulted in a 21st place finish, and contact with Carson Macedo in Pevely turned a potential win into a 10th. The Watertown, CT native sits third in points after leading through the first 10 races.Fortunately for Gravel, this weekend presents a prime opportunity to rebound. The Big Game Motorsports driver’s only Tri-City experience is a 2010 American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) race, but he’s been one of the best at Tri-State. Gravel has won twice and podiumed on five occasions in 13 Haubstadt starts.HAUD’S HAUBSTADT ROLLERCOASTER: It’s been an up and down relationship for Sheldon Haudenschild at Tri-State Speedway.The Wooster, OH native always has the speed to contend for a win at the Indiana bullring, but Victory Lane has eluded him despite leading laps in three different Features. In 2017, Haudenschild looked poised for victory until an incident with a lapped car. The next year a crash while fighting for the lead ended his bid. Fast forward to 2021 when Haudenschild rocketed from the ninth starting spot to the lead before a flat tire with less than 10 laps to go extinguished his hopes.Despite the misfortune keeping him from the top spot, the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing driver’s results in Haubstadt are still impressive with three podiums and a 7.78 average finish in nine starts. “Haud” hopes to seal the deal on that elusive victory this Saturday.CAN SWEET STRIKE?: Despite being one of the most consistent competitors at Tri-State Speedway, Victory Lane has eluded Brad Sweet.In his last 10 starts at the quarter mile, Sweet has finished no worse than eighth aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 and owns a 5.4 average finish over that stretch. Two of his last three attempts have resulted in second-place finishes.“The Big Cat” enters the weekend as the most recent winner this year and sits tied for the Series lead in victories with three.FIRST TIMERS: The unique oval that is Tri-State Speedway has proven to present an opportunity at first career World of Outlaws wins.A new Series winner has arisen twice in the last seven visits to Haubstadt. In 2017, it was Kokomo, IN’s Parker Price-Miller experiencing the thrill of his inaugural triumph. Three years later, Marion, IL native Carson Short bested The Greatest Show on Dirt in only his 11th career Feature start.In total, Tri-State Speedway has produced six first time winners through its 42 World of Outlaws races.Full-time Series drivers eying their first victory – Bill Rose, Kasey Kahne, Noah Gass, and Robbie Price will hope the trend continues.MOWA MOTORS: The World of Outlaws may have not competed recently at Tri-City, but the track has still hosted some Sprint Car action over the last few years – mainly the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprints.Drivers such as Ayrton Gennetten, Joe B. Miller, Zach Hampton, and others have all performed well with MOWA in Granite City recently and could be factors on Friday with the benefit of added experience.This weekend is also expected to attract a stout crop of invaders with Anthony Macri, Tyler Courtney, Buddy Kofoid, and more all planning to be in action.For tickets to Tri City Speedway, CLICK HERE. For tickets to Tri-State Speedway, call (812) – 768-6025.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEFriday, April 28 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, ILSaturday, April 29 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, INON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (13/81 Races)1. 41 – Carson Macedo (1826PTS) 2. 49 – Brad Sweet (-12PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-20PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-56PTS) 5. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-72PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-108PTS) 7. 83 – James McFadden (-134PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-148PTS) 9. 15 – Donny Schatz (-162PTS) 10. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-172PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers):3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2), Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)2 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers):79 laps – Brad Sweet77 laps – David Gravel60 laps – James McFadden46 laps – Buddy Kofoid43 laps – Rico Abreu41 laps – Carson Macedo21 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent MarksSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):5 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo2 QuickTimes – David Gravel1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico AbreuHEAT RACE WINNERS (17 Drivers):7 Heat Wins – David Gravel6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brad Sweet2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Jacob Allen1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico Abreu, Brock ZearfossTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (24 Drivers):10 Dashes – David Gravel9 Dashes – Carson Macedo8 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen 5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz3 Dashes – James McFadden, Brock Zearfoss2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich 1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Garet WilliamsonMICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (11 Drivers):1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Robbie PriceKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (10 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Blake HahnPODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):7 Podiums – Brad Sweet6 Podiums – David Gravel5 Podiums – Carson Macedo4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid3 Podiums – James McFadden2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Logan Schuchart1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent MarksTOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):13 Top 10s – Carson Macedo11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart9 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild, Michael Kofoid7 Top 10s – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi,6 Top 10s – Rico Abreu5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Jacob Allen, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne3 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Blake Hahn1 Top 10 – Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Thurs, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)

Tri-City Speedway and Tri-State Speedway are next to host The Greatest Show on Dirt, April 28-29GRANITE CITY, IL (April 25, 2023) – A pair of historic racetracks await the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series this weekend.First up is the highly anticipated return to Granite City, IL’s Tri-City Speedway on Friday, April 28. The World of Outlaws haven’t circled the Illinois 3/8 mile in 15 years. Then, a two-and-a-half-hour drive east takes the tour to Haubstadt, IN’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 29.Both facilities own the honor of being the most visited by The Greatest Show on Dirt for their respective states. Tri-City Speedway has hosted the World of Outlaws on 55 occasions. Tri-State Speedway’s 42 trips outrank all fellow Hoosier state facilities. Both ovals first hosted a race during the World of Outlaws’ second year of existence – 1979. Let’s look at some of the weekend’s top storylines:TRI-CITY RETURN: Despite being the 14th most visited track in Series history, Friday at Tri-City Speedway will present a new challenge for many drivers. The World of Outlaws haven’t competed in Granite City since 2008.Of the current full-time roster, only Donny Schatz and Bill Rose have turned Tri-City laps in World of Outlaws competition.Schatz’s extensive experience may prove to be an advantage as the 10-time champion owns 16 starts. During the last visit in 2008 it was none other than Schatz coming out on top. The driver of the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15 also has podiumed in half of his six most recent races at Tri-City.Rose has made a pair of Tri-City appearances with the World of Outlaws (’01 & ’05). The Plainfield, IN native posted a top 10 in Granite City with the MOWA Sprints in 2013. He’s also been productive there without a wing – earning two USAC National Sprint Car top fives, including a podium effort in 2005.MACEDO’S TRI-STATE MASTERY: Last year, Carson Macedo made history when he became the first driver to top three consecutive World of Outlaws races at Tri-State Speedway.The Lemoore, CA native could continue to cement himself as one of the best to race around the paperclip shaped track this Saturday. Only Steve Kinser (8 wins), Sammy Swindell (5 wins), and Craig Dollansky (4 wins) have won more at Haubstadt. A victory Saturday would equal him with Dollansky.Macedo and his Jason Johnson Racing crew enter the weekend atop the championship standings and hope to add to the lead.GRAVEL EYES REBOUND: After appearing invincible early in the season, misfortune has struck David Gravel in recent weeks. A crash at U.S. 36 Raceway resulted in a 21st place finish, and contact with Carson Macedo in Pevely turned a potential win into a 10th. The Watertown, CT native sits third in points after leading through the first 10 races.Fortunately for Gravel, this weekend presents a prime opportunity to rebound. The Big Game Motorsports driver’s only Tri-City experience is a 2010 American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) race, but he’s been one of the best at Tri-State. Gravel has won twice and podiumed on five occasions in 13 Haubstadt starts.HAUD’S HAUBSTADT ROLLERCOASTER: It’s been an up and down relationship for Sheldon Haudenschild at Tri-State Speedway.The Wooster, OH native always has the speed to contend for a win at the Indiana bullring, but Victory Lane has eluded him despite leading laps in three different Features. In 2017, Haudenschild looked poised for victory until an incident with a lapped car. The next year a crash while fighting for the lead ended his bid. Fast forward to 2021 when Haudenschild rocketed from the ninth starting spot to the lead before a flat tire with less than 10 laps to go extinguished his hopes.Despite the misfortune keeping him from the top spot, the Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing driver’s results in Haubstadt are still impressive with three podiums and a 7.78 average finish in nine starts. “Haud” hopes to seal the deal on that elusive victory this Saturday.CAN SWEET STRIKE?: Despite being one of the most consistent competitors at Tri-State Speedway, Victory Lane has eluded Brad Sweet.In his last 10 starts at the quarter mile, Sweet has finished no worse than eighth aboard the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 and owns a 5.4 average finish over that stretch. Two of his last three attempts have resulted in second-place finishes.“The Big Cat” enters the weekend as the most recent winner this year and sits tied for the Series lead in victories with three.FIRST TIMERS: The unique oval that is Tri-State Speedway has proven to present an opportunity at first career World of Outlaws wins.A new Series winner has arisen twice in the last seven visits to Haubstadt. In 2017, it was Kokomo, IN’s Parker Price-Miller experiencing the thrill of his inaugural triumph. Three years later, Marion, IL native Carson Short bested The Greatest Show on Dirt in only his 11th career Feature start.In total, Tri-State Speedway has produced six first time winners through its 42 World of Outlaws races.Full-time Series drivers eying their first victory – Bill Rose, Kasey Kahne, Noah Gass, and Robbie Price will hope the trend continues.MOWA MOTORS: The World of Outlaws may have not competed recently at Tri-City, but the track has still hosted some Sprint Car action over the last few years – mainly the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprints.Drivers such as Ayrton Gennetten, Joe B. Miller, Zach Hampton, and others have all performed well with MOWA in Granite City recently and could be factors on Friday with the benefit of added experience.This weekend is also expected to attract a stout crop of invaders with Anthony Macri, Tyler Courtney, Buddy Kofoid, and more all planning to be in action.For tickets to Tri City Speedway, CLICK HERE. For tickets to Tri-State Speedway, call (812) – 768-6025.If you can’t make it to the track, catch all the action on DIRTVision.THIS WEEKEND AT A GLANCEFriday, April 28 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, ILSaturday, April 29 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, INON THE INTERNETWorld of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Twitter – @WorldofOutlaws Instagram – @WoOSprint Facebook – Facebook.com/WorldofOutlawsSprintCarSeries YouTube – Youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws DIRTVision – DIRTVision.com – Platinum annual FAST PASS for $299 or monthly FAST PASS for $39/monthCURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (13/81 Races)1. 41 – Carson Macedo (1826PTS) 2. 49 – Brad Sweet (-12PTS) 3. 2 – David Gravel (-20PTS) 4. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-56PTS) 5. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-72PTS) 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-108PTS) 7. 83 – James McFadden (-134PTS) 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-148PTS) 9. 15 – Donny Schatz (-162PTS) 10. 18 – Gio Scelzi (-172PTS)NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (7 Drivers):3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2), Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)2 wins – James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24)1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11), Sheldon Haudenschild (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers):79 laps – Brad Sweet77 laps – David Gravel60 laps – James McFadden46 laps – Buddy Kofoid43 laps – Rico Abreu41 laps – Carson Macedo21 laps – Sheldon Haudenschild10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Brent MarksSIMPSON PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS QUICKTIME AWARDS (8 Drivers):5 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo2 QuickTimes – David Gravel1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Buddy Kofoid, Rico AbreuHEAT RACE WINNERS (17 Drivers):7 Heat Wins – David Gravel6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo4 Heat Wins – Brent Marks3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brad Sweet2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Jacob Allen1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Rico Abreu, Brock ZearfossTOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (24 Drivers):10 Dashes – David Gravel9 Dashes – Carson Macedo8 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Brad Sweet6 Dashes – Buddy Kofoid, Jacob Allen 5 Dashes – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi4 Dashes – Brent Marks, Rico Abreu, Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz3 Dashes – James McFadden, Brock Zearfoss2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich 1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden, Garet WilliamsonMICRO-LITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (11 Drivers):1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson, Ryan Timms, Ayrton Gennetten, Robbie PriceKSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (10 Drivers):2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden, Tyler Courtney1 Hard Charger – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, Justin Peck, Blake HahnPODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):7 Podiums – Brad Sweet6 Podiums – David Gravel5 Podiums – Carson Macedo4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid3 Podiums – James McFadden2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, Sheldon Haudenschild, Rico Abreu, Logan Schuchart1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Brent MarksTOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):13 Top 10s – Carson Macedo11 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart9 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild, Michael Kofoid7 Top 10s – James McFadden, Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi,6 Top 10s – Rico Abreu5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Jacob Allen, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne3 Top 10s – Tyler Courtney2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Brock Zearfoss, Blake Hahn1 Top 10 – Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Sam Hafertepe Jr.2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)1. Thurs, Feb 9 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (1)2. Fri, Feb 10 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (2)3. Sat, Feb 11* / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / James McFadden (1)4. Sun, March 5 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / Carson Macedo (1)5. Mon, March 6 / Volusia Speedway Park / Barberville, FL / David Gravel (3)6. Sat, March 18 / Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA / Rico Abreu (1)7. Fri, March 24 / Talladega Short Track / Eastaboga, AL / Buddy Kofoid (1)8. Sat, March 25 / Magnolia Motor Speedway / Columbus, MS / Brad Sweet (1)9. Fri, March 31 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / Brad Sweet (2)10. Sat, April 1 / Devil’s Bowl Speedway / Mesquite, TX / James McFadden (2)11. Fri, April 7 / U.S. 36 Raceway / Osborn, MO / Sheldon Haudenschild (1)12. Sat, April 8 / 81 Speedway / Wichita, KS / Rico Abreu (2)13. Fri, April 14 / Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 / Pevely, MO / Brad Sweet (3)

Stellar start to WEC season for No. 33 C8.R team with back-to-back GTE Am wins  DETROIT (April 25, 2023) – Two wins, one pole position and a 31-point lead in the GTE Am Drivers and Team championships. Any way you put it, it’s been a dream start to the FIA World Endurance Championship for Corvette Racing. Less than two weeks after a stunning triumph in the Six Hours of Portimão, the No. 33 Corvette C8.R is back in action Thursday through Saturday at famed Spa-Francorchamps for the Six Hours of Spa – the team’s final WEC race before the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

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

The championship-leading trio of Ben Keating, Nicky Catsburg and Nico Varrone will share the wheel of the Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R, which will race at Spa for the third time.

While each of the drivers have been fantastic in the two wins so far this year – Catsburg’s final hour in Portimão is an early leader for drive of the season – the results are equally due to the work by the Corvette Racing pit crew and engineering team. The strategy calls through two rounds has been spot-on with precise decisions on race and pit stop strategy. Once in the pitlane, the Corvette Racing crew has been a difference-maker. That was never more evident than on the final stop in Portugal when the Corvette crew completed their final stop five seconds faster than the runner-up Ferrari with a margin of 0.260 seconds at the finish. That result means that regardless of what happens at Spa, Corvette Racing will enter Le Mans – a double-points event – with the championship lead. It also means the No. 33 C8.R will carry 45 kilograms of “rewards weight”, per the GTE Am sporting regulations. Cars that finish the previous two races first, second or third must on-board additional weight on a sliding scale of 15-10-5 kilograms. In addition, the same amounts of ballast apply to the top-three entries in the GTE Am championship standings. The Corvette ran with 30 additional kilograms at Portimão, but it didn’t deter Keating from taking pole position – his first in the C8.R. While the task will be that much tougher to repeat at Spa, Corvette Racing can take lessons it learned from the previous two years in the Six Hours of Spa with the mid-engine C8.R. Aside from the additional ballast, the C8.R will race in much the same shape as 2021 and 2022 – similar engine power, same mechanical configuration and Corvette-specific Michelin tires. The Six Hours of Spa for the FIA World Endurance Championship is scheduled for 6:45 a.m. ET / 12:45 p.m. Central European time Saturday. MotorTrend and MotorTrend Plus will provide both live television and streaming coverage. Radio Le Mans will stream audio coverage of qualifying and the race. Live streaming video of qualifying and the race also is available through a subscription on the FIA WEC app.

NICKY CATSBURG, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Spa is one of my favorite tracks. Compared to Portimão, we have a lot more information from the last two years. But we also will have a very heavy car due to the rewards weight, so it will be difficult for us there. It’s also a good sign though; it means we have won two races, which is the best thing you can do at the start of the season. So I’m looking forward to going to Spa. It’s an amazing track with high speeds. I don’t think I’ve raced a mid-engine car around Spa, so that will be a new thing. But I’m looking forward to this event. It’s almost like a home race for me, so it should be a good weekend.”

BEN KEATING, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “Going into Spa, it’s my favorite track on the WEC schedule. I really love Spa. I qualified very well last year and put together a really good lap. Based on what I know about the track and the characteristics of the Corvette, I expect us to be strong. Both of my co-drivers have a lot of experience there so it should be good. Because we won Sebring and Portimão, and we’re still leading the points, we’ll still have more weight in the car than anyone else. But the Corvette manages the weight very well. I have a ton of convince in the team and my teammates. We all love the track. Usually, the track you love ends up loving you back! We hope that’s the case at Spa.”

NICO VARRONE, NO. 33 MOBIL 1/SiriusXM CHEVROLET CORVETTE C8.R: “I’m really looking forward to this race. Spa is one of my favorite tracks in the world. It will be really nice to drive the C8.R there and I know I’ll love it. We’ll see how it goes. We will have more success ballast but we’ll do our best and get the maximum result and points as possible. It would be good to arrive at Le Mans with good points in the championship. Let’s see what happens first at Spa.”

2023 FIA World Endurance Championship – GTE Am (After two of seven events)Driver Standings1. Ben Keating/Nicky Catsburg/Nico Varrone – 642. Christian Ried/Julien Andlauer/Mikkel Pedersen – 333. Simon Mann/Stefano Constantini/Ulysse De Pauw – 284. Davide Rigon/Francesco Castellacci/Thomas Flohr – 275. Daniel Serra/Scott Huffaker/Takeshi Kimura – 24 Team Standings1. No. 33 Corvette Racing – 642. No. 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing – 333. No. 21 AF Corse – 284. No. 54 AF Corse – 275. No. 57 Kessel Racing – 24 CORVETTE RACING AT SPA: By the Numbers• 1: As in one team, one manufacturer and one model of car for 25 years of racing: Corvette Racing, Chevrolet and the Chevrolet Corvette.• 3: Tracks where Corvette Racing has competed in each of its 24 previous years: Sebring, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta (later this year). • 4: Generations of Corvette Racing entries since 1999 – Corvette C5-R (2000-04), Corvette C6.R (2005-13), Corvette C7.R (2014-2019) and Corvette C8.R (2020-present).• 14: Manufacturer Championships for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing since 2001.• 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 and eight at Le Mans.• 271: Event starts by Corvette Racing since 1999.• 354,050.01: Total number of racing miles completed by Corvette Racing since its inception. To put that in perspective, Corvette Racing is more than halfway to the distance traveled by Apollo 13 – the longest manned spaceflight in history: 622,268 miles. That means Corvette Racing has raced to the moon… and then some! Corvette Racing at Spa-Francorchamps2021No. 63 Corvette C8.R: Antonio Garcia/Oliver Gavin – 4th in GTE Pro (Gavin’s final Corvette race) 2022No. 64 Corvette C8.R: Tommy Milner/Nick Tandy – 4th in GTE Pro

BATAVIA, Ohio (April 25, 2023) – The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will trek to the Mid-Atlantic this weekend for three events at three tracks across three states, spanning from Friday, April 28 through Sunday, April 30. Each night will include a complete program of Dirt Draft Hot Laps, Allstar Performance Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and their respective A-Mains. The weekend will ignite with Georgetown Speedway hosting the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the first time. The annual Melvin L. Joseph Memorial will include a complete program for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, culminating in a 50-lap, $18,049 main event for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. For the April 28 Melvin L. Joseph Memorial, pit gates open at 4:00PM ET. Grandstand gates unlock at 5:00PM ET with Hot Laps set for 6:30 PM ET. The Delmarva Chargers, Delaware Super Trucks, and Little Lincolns are also on the racing card. Tickets for the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial can be purchased at the gate on race day. The historic Georgetown oval was constructed by First State business and auto racing icon Melvin L. Joseph in 1949, hosting its first event in March 1950. Annually, the racing community honors Joseph’s memory with a memorial race at the four-tenths-mile oval. Joseph’s lucky number – 49 – is incorporated into the event each year.  Georgetown Speedway is a half-mile clay oval that produces high speeds and thrilling racing action. The facility has spacious grandstands, ample parking, a large, flat pit area, room for overnight camping and more. Georgetown Speedway is located at the intersection of Route 113 and Speedway Road in Georgetown, De. – a 40-minute drive from Ocean City, Md. To learn more, visit www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com.  The action shifts to Hagerstown Speedway on Saturday for the annual Conococheague 50. The stars of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will join a strong contingent of regional standouts to tackle the half-mile oval in pursuit of the $15,000 top prize. The Semi Late Models will serve as a support division. Hagerstown Speedway is located six miles west of Hagerstown, Md. On U.S. Route 40 (Old National Pike).  The pit gate will open at 2:00PM ET with the general admission gate opening at 5:00PM ET. Hot laps will begin at 7:00PM ET to kick off the on-track action. Tickets can be purchased in advance at https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1634/tickets/1313073 or onsite the day of the event. For other information, visit www.hagerstownspeedway.com.  Port Royal Speedway, better known as “The Speed Palace,” will close out the weekend on Sunday, April 30. The Battle in The Borough will be a 40-lap main boasting a $10,000 top prize. In addition to the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series action, the Limited Late Models will be chasing a $1,500 winner’s check. Port Royal Speedway is a half-mile oval located on the Juniata County Fairgrounds in Port Royal, Pa. The pits will close and be cleared at 2:30PM ET before re-opening at 3:00PM ET. General admission opens at 4:00PM ET with Hot Laps slated for 5:30PM ET. Tickets can be purchased at the gates on race day. To learn more about Port Royal Speedway, visit www.portroyalspeedway.com.    Ricky Thornton Jr. is atop the Big River Steel Chase for the Championship – presented by ARP standings, followed by Hudson O’Neal and Brandon Overton. Tim McCreadie and Devin Moran round out the top five in championship point 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 Event Purses:Georgetown Speedway – April 28th1. $18,049, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000 = Total $65,449 Hagerstown Speedway – April 29th1. $15,000, 2. $7,000, 3. $5,000, 4. $4,000, 5. $3,000, 6. $2,500, 7. $2,400, 8. $2,300, 9. $2,200, 10. $2,100, 11. $2,000, 12. $1,800, 13. $1,600, 14. $1,500, 15. $1,400, 16. $1,300, 17. $1,200, 18. $1,100, 19. $1,000, 20. $1,000, 21. $1,000, 22. $1,000, 23. $1,000, 24. $1,000, = Total $63,400 Port Royal Speedway – April 30th 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 = Total $48,575 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Tire Rules:Georgetown Speedway – April 28thLeft Front – Any Hoosier (28.5) or (90) CompoundLeft Rear/Right Front – Hoosier (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, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Hagerstown Speedway – April 29thLeft Front – Any Hoosier (28.5) or (90) CompoundLeft Rear/Right Front – Hoosier (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, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position. Port Royal Speedway – April 30th Left Front – Any Hoosier (28.5) or (90) CompoundLeft Rear/Right Front – Hoosier (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, Heat Races, and B-Mains*For the A-Main, competitors may use 3 new tires.*Can cut and/or sipe any tire.*Flat tire must be replaced with a used tire of the same compound and construction to retain starting position.

Dominic Scelzi Earns First Triumph of Season and First Career Win at Merced Speedway

Inside Line Promotions – MERCED, Calif. (April 24, 2023) – Dominic Scelzi captured his first feature victory of the season last Saturday during a Sprint Car Challenge Tour event at Merced Speedway.

Scelzi qualified second quickest in his group – and fifth overall out of the 40 drivers – before he won a heat race to advance into the dash. A run from fifth to third in the dash lined Scelzi up on the inside of the second row in the main event.

“That place notoriously takes rubber, but it always races good up to that point,” he said. “They reworked the track before the feature. I ran fourth for a little bit and then got to third. First and second started racing and I was able to get by second. I raced the leader for three or four laps. We went back and forth before I was able to get the lead around halfway. Around 10 or 12 laps to go we had a restart. Carson (Macedo) drove up to second by that point. He and I slid each other for three or four laps before I was able to put it away and get away to lead the last eight laps or so untouched.”

The victory was Scelzi’s first of the season and first career at Merced Speedway. It marked his seventh career triumph with the Sprint Car Challenge Tour.

“It was cool to finally get a win there,” he said. “I feel we’ve been in contention every time we’ve raced there and we’ve led a bunch of laps, but stupid stuff had kept us from winning. We’ve had awesome speed so it felt good to show some dominance on Saturday night.”

The win had been on the horizon as Scelzi has been hamstrung while leading his previous two outings.

After advancing from 10^th to third during the Dennis Roth Classic opener on April 14 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif., Scelzi was leading the event finale the following night when contact with another competitor resulted in Scelzi crashing. He rallied from the back of the field to finish 10^th.

Scelzi then kicked off last weekend on Friday at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., where he qualified third quickest in his group, placed third in a heat race and started on the outside of the front row in the A Main.

“We started second and took the lead,” he said. “The track had big holes on the bottom and the top. They reworked it so it was fast in turns one and two. Turns three and four started getting slick so you could run the bottom or top. We were good in clean air, but lapped traffic was all over. We were just past the halfway point when a lapped car hit a hole, turned right and stopped right in front of me. I tried to spin to miss him, but slid him into him and got hit from behind.”

The contact ended Scelzi’s bid for the victory and he was credited with a 19^th-place finish.

Fortunately, the team rebounded in a big way on Saturday with the win and looks to take that momentum into a NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race this Saturday at Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif.

QUICK RESULTS –

April 14 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 11; Heat race: 3 (3); Feature: 3 (10).

April 15 – Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. – Qualifying: 5; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 1 (2); Feature: 10 (1).

April 21 – Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. – Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 3 (4); Feature: 19 (2).

April 22 – Merced Speedway in Merced, Calif. – Qualifying: 2; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 3 (5); Feature: 1 (3).

SEASON STATS –

7 races, 1 win, 5 top fives, 6 top 10s, 6 top 15s, 7 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Antioch Speedway in Antioch, Calif., for the Contra Costa County Clash with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

Concord, North Carolina – Tens of millions of people all over the world are about to say the word “Trackhouse.”In a remarkable next step for the Trackhouse brand promise of merging the worlds of motorsports and entertainment, multi-platinum Grammy-award winning artist Pitbull will release his 12th internationally distributed album on July 7, under the title “Trackhouse.”     Justin Marks, Ross Chastain, Pitbull, Daniel Suárez

Pitbull, aka “Mr. Worldwide,” joined Trackhouse Racing in 2021 in a partnership with Trackhouse Entertainment Group founder Justin Marks, with a mission to promote positivity through the unifying love of music and sports.  The team will celebrate the “Trackhouse” album drop with a co-branded primary paint scheme on its No. 99 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet driven by Daniel Suárez in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. The “Trackhouse” album will be featured on the hood of the No. 99 along with with Freeway Insurance, who will be co-promoting the album release with Trackhouse Entertainment. Pitbull was intimately involved with the album cover artwork created by Trackhouse which includes the familiar Trackhouse blue, a cityscape of his hometown of Miami, the historic landmark Freedom Tower overlayed in a form of street art as a reminder of his rise from the streets of Miami.  “When I joined Trackhouse in 2021, I told the team, we wanted to make history,” said Pitbull who became a fan of NASCAR after watching the movie Days of Thunder as a kid and is now a business partner with Trackhouse Racing.“Music is the universal language and music is culture. Our mission has been to build a culture at Trackhouse. We want to share it with the world. This is just the beginning of all we are going to do together not only in racing but music and more importantly education. Want to say Justin, Ty (Norris), Daniel, Ross (Chastain) and the entire Trackhouse team it’s an honor to make history together… now let’s step on the gas, Dale!”

Trackhouse Racing is in its third season, following a 2022 season which saw trips to victory lane for Suárez and Chastain. The team is a finalist for the Sports Business Journal’s “2022 Breakthrough Sports Team of the Year” award.

“I am honored that one of the most influential and recognized artists in the world would be so proud of his association with us that he would name his album Trackhouse,” said Marks. “He shares the vision and passion for impacting the lives of the underrepresented. We are creating and compelling a movement of positivity and possibility, using the platform and excitement of sports and music. With this album we are going to have the attention of a global demographic that is ready to be inspired into action for themselves, their families and their future.”The bilingual Trackhouse album features new singles “Me Pone Mal” with Omar Courtz and “Jumpin” with Lil Jon.Not only is Pitbull a GRAMMY® winning independent international superstar, he is also an education advocate, business entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

NHRA^® Team Report

NHRA Four-Wide Nationals – Concord, NC

Pre-Race Report

Coming off back-to-back #1 qualifying sessions for the Snap-on^® “Makers and Fixers” Dodge^® SRT^® Hellcat^®, Cruz Pedregon and team are on the road to North Carolina for the second of two NHRA season four-wide races. Cruz has taken home the Wally from the zMAX Dragway Four-Wide Nationals before and the team is looking to repeat that kind of performance. 

“We’ve been racing to the limits the tracks can hold, and I love the track in Charlotte. I’ve made some of my best runs here, so it will be exciting to watch the weekend unfold with the power we’re getting out of the Snap-on car,” says Cruz. “We plan to stick with the tuning program we have in place to continue the momentum we’ve gained in the last two races. We’ve actually had to slow the car down some, but we’re ready to see what it can do here in Charlotte.”  

On the side of Cruz’s car this weekend is Snap-on Nitro Franchisee Adam Lambert. He’s an avid drag racing fan who’s working on a car of his when he’s not busy with his Snap-on business. He’s had his franchise for almost three years now. Adam says his customers have become friends, and his favorite part of the work is getting to see them each week on his route. Even though he’s been to the Four-Wides here before, it will be his first time to meet Cruz and hang out with him in the pit. 

The Snap-on Funny Car continues to highlight “Makers & Fixers.” Check out the Makers and Fixers among us on Instagram and share your stories at makersandfixers.com. 

Follow Cruz and Snap-on on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

To see the latest Cruz news, like his Facebook page. Follow Cruz on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to follow @MakersandFixers on Instagram and share your stories at makersandfixers.com.

Second Hypercar joins the full-season No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R as prelude to Le Mans

DETROIT (April 24, 2023) – After two strong performances as a solo, the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R will welcome its sister racecar to form a formidable Hypercar duo this week at Spa-Francorchamps. The No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Vande and Jack Aitken, will make its FIA World Endurance Championship debut in the Six Hours of Spa..

The three drivers are familiar with the 7.004km (4.35-mile), 20-turn circuit that hosted its inaugural car race in 1922 and has been part of every WEC season. “I’ve done many races there since my first season in 2004,” said van der Zande, an Amsterdam resident who has amassed 18 IMSA victories. “My greatest memory is we finished second in the 24 Hours of Spa with a one-minute penalty at the start of the race, so it was an amazing drive with Felix Rosenqvist and Tristan Vautier as teammates. It’s special for me personally to drive in my own Cadillac to Spa, have a race there so close to my home with my American team and Cadillac.”

Media resources * Cadillac Spa guide (English):Driver bios, team infoCadillac Racing statisticsA look at the HypercarCar and driver photos* Cadillac Racing ‘pit notes’ * Cadillac Spa preview (French)* Cadillac Spa guide (French)* Cadillac ‘pit notes’ (French)Spa layoutTrack details: 7004km (4.35 miles), 20 turnsLocation: Stavelot, BelgiumHypercar entries: 13Race: 12:30 p.m. local/6:30 a.m. ET Saturday Up-close look: Watch the six-hour race from the driver’s view via the camera in the No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R.

The No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R, co-driven by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, has finished fourth in each of the two rounds of the season. The first-year WEC team has advanced a total of five positions – more than twice as many as any other Hypercar entry — from its qualifying spots. “We continue to learn with the program, and to have the strong performance that we did at Portimão gets us even more energized going into Spa,” GM sports car program manager Laura Wontrop Klauser said. “Cadillac will have two cars there, which will give us the opportunity to really get the team ready for Le Mans as well as think about strategy differently for the Spa race. We’re looking forward to seeing how everything goes at that racetrack.” Cadillac is tied for third in the WEC Manufacturer Championship.The gold No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R, running as the No. 01 in IMSA, earned a podium finish in the season-opening Rolex 24 At Daytona in January and qualified second and third in the succeeding races. “Cadillac and Chip Ganassi Racing believe that we are stronger when we race multiple cars on any given race weekend,” said Mike O’Gara, director of operations for Chip Ganassi Racing which campaigns the Nos. 2 and 3 entries. “The Spa event will serve as a much-needed dress rehearsal for the Le Mans 24-hour race. It will be a great opportunity for our ‘IMSA regulars’ to be immersed in the WEC rules and race procedures in anticipation of the big event in June.” The No. 311 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R will join the Cadillac stable for the centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The Action Express Racing-prepared car claimed the pole for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s Twelve Hours of Sebring and went on to post Cadillac’s 28th prototype victory since 2017 and its third in a row at Sebring International Raceway with Pipo Derani, Alexander Sims and Aitken sharing the wheel. The Cadillac V-Series.R features an all-new Cadillac 5.5-liter DOHC V8 naturally aspirated engine developed by GM’s Performance and Racing propulsion team based in Pontiac, Michigan. The body, codeveloped by Cadillac Design, Cadillac Racing and chassis constructor Dallara, incorporates key Cadillac V-Series production car design elements.

What they’re saying

No. 2 Cadillac V-Series.R Earl Bamber: “Really looking forward to Spa. It’s one of my favorite tracks in Europe and I’ve spent a lot of time there. Won one of my first big races in Europe there in Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup, so I really looking forward to going back there especially with this Cadillac. I think we’re making strides as a team. We’re learning the WEC and I think we’ll continue to improve. Two cars will be a challenge for Chip Ganassi Racing, but it’s all in preparation to bring three for Le Mans. Obviously for us, being year one, it’s all about Le Mans mainly because it’s our first season. You saw with the Corvette program first time coming to Le Mans there’s a lot to learn. We’ve got the true test at Spa. They say Spa is the closest representation with the downforce level ahead of Le Mans.”  Alex Lynn: “I love Spa and I think this car is going to be so much fun to drive there. The WEC races there always throw off something crazy with the weather. It’s always an amazing race with everything mixed in, so super excited for Spa and challenge for the podium again.” Richard Westbrook: “It will be great to get back to Spa. It feels too long since I’ve been there; over 10 years actually. It’s been that long racing in America. The only downside of racing in America is missing tracks like Monza and Spa and Silverstone. Can’t wait to get our Cadillac around there. I think it will come alive. We worked hard in Portugal to sort of tune the car for a European track and hopefully bridge that gap to the Toyotas.”No. 3 Cadillac V-Series.R Renger van der Zande: “The Spa track is very technical from a driver’s perspective and the setup is crucial to set it up for the high speed because that’s where all the time is and we don’t have many tracks like that in North America — maybe only Mosport, so it’s a good practice for that and obviously Le Mans. It’s special for me personally to drive from home in my own Cadillac, drive to Spa, have a race there so close to my home with my American team and Cadillac. It’s only about Le Mans and I think that race is a way to get into the groove of the WEC rules.” Sebastien Bourdais: “I miss the old Spa where the grass was the limit, but the layout hasn’t changed and the challenge remains. It’s one of the coolest tracks in Europe and it’s always a tough track to get the balance right and get in the window, and that’s really important or otherwise you hurt your tires. The track is a nice rehearsal for Le Mans. It’s still somewhat specific and Le Mans remains the outlier because of the straights and the different asphalt if you compare it to Spa. A lot of guys used to run their Le Mans kit at Spa to try to understand the car better, so it was always a compromise because you’ll sacrifice the Spa weekend a little bit. There’s no consideration in Hypercar because it’s the same level of downforce wherever you go, so there’s no head-scratching with this one.”

Jack Aitken: “Driving at such an incredible circuit with the Cadillac V.Series R will be an invaluable addition to our prep for Le Mans. It will be a pleasure to integrate with Chip Ganassi and work together to push the Cadillac program forward, as we have a great deal of respect between us. Partnering up with Seb and Renger will be great for me personally, as I’ll be learning off two great guys.”

NASCAR CUP SERIESTALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAYGEICO 500TEAM CHEVY RACE WIN RECAPAPRIL 23, 2023 Kyle Busch Prevails in Overtime Finish for Talladega VictoryChevrolet’s Seventh NCS Win of 2023; Chevrolet Sweeps Talladega Doubleheader Weekend

·       The win is Busch’s second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2023 season and his 62nd career win in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Busch is now the third repeat winner in the series this season, joining fellow Chevrolet drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.·       The victory extended Chevrolet’s series-leading NASCAR Cup Series win record at Talladega Superspeedway to 44 all-time victories, including the past three races at the Alabama superspeedway. ·       Chevrolet has now won the past five NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway races, dating back to Ross Chastain’s win at Talladega Superspeedway one year ago. ·       The winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now sits at 840 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Chevrolet swept the NASCAR doubleheader race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, with Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Camaro SS team taking the victory in the Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 23, 2023) – In a double attempt at an overtime finish, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 team came out on top to score Chevrolet’s series-leading seventh NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win of the season at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory is Busch’s second trip to victory lane since joining Chevrolet and Richard Childress Racing at the beginning of 2023. The 37-year-old Las Vegas native is now alongside fellow Chevrolet drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson as the third repeat winner in NASCAR’s premier series with 10 points-paying races in the books.  “I know RCR had a lot of superspeedway love for a long, long time,” said Busch. “One of the best to ever do it and was obviously one of the winningest ones. It’s fun to be able to come out here and be a part of this team and work with Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and all my guys.” A pair of late-race cautions setup two attempts at an overtime finish at the 2.66-mile Alabama superspeedway. Forgoing pit road during the race’s eighth and final caution put Busch in the third position for the second overtime attempt. When the top-two cars (Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace) made contact on the final lap, the gamble for track position paid off as Busch took over the lead before the race ultimately ended under caution.  The victory added to Chevrolet’s storied history at NASCAR’s longest oval with Busch’s victory extending the manufacturer’s series-leading record to 44 all-time NCS wins at Talladega Superspeedway. The Camaro ZL1 has made its way to victory lane in the past five consecutive superspeedway races in NASCAR’s top series, with Busch becoming the fifth different driver to add to the manufacturer’s superspeedway win streak.  “We have a great time being able to come out here and race; be a part of Team Chevy and Chevrolet and get this Camaro in Victory Lane,” added Busch.  Four drivers from four different Chevrolet teams logged top-10 finishes in the series’ second superspeedway race of the season. A favorite in superspeedway competition, Erik Jones and the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1 team took the checkered flag in the sixth-position. William Byron (No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1) finished seventh, with Daniel Suarez (No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1) rounding out the Team Chevy top-10 in the ninth-position. Another notable run came from series’ rookie Noah Gragson and the No. 42 Wendy’s Biggie Bag Camaro ZL1 team. Gragson took top-10 finishes in both of the race’s stages – the first time this season he has accomplished this feat. The young LEGACY MOTOR CLUB driver ran in the top-five for much of the final stage, proving to be a contender for the triumph before getting collected in an accident in the closing laps.  The Bowtie brand swept the NASCAR doubleheader weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. Joining Busch with a trip to victory lane at the famed superspeedway was Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Camaro SS team who took the victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

KYLE BUSCH, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL1 – Race Win Press Conference Transcript THE MODERATOR: We are joined by our race winner, Kyle Busch. Kyle, congratulations on that win. 10 races into the season, you now have two wins with your team at RCR. Tell us about those final laps, what it means to have two wins in the books at this point in the season. KYLE BUSCH: It means a lot obviously. Last time I won here, 15 years ago, my first year with JGR. Here we are with my first year in RCR being able to get back into Victory Lane at Talladega. It’s been a little bit.It is really cool to welcome on a new partner of ours with McLaren Custom Grills, to score a win with them and RCR, Team Chevy, to get the Camaro in Victory Lane here, really good for us. We were obviously short on fuel, kind of stretching it. I don’t think we would have taken that chance, I probably wouldn’t have taken that chance of staying out but for the win in Fontana. That opened up our playbook, gave us a chance to be up front, restart up front and go for a win today.Yeah, just being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes you got to be lucky. Feels good to have that. I’m sure all of you guys are going to be going to Cheddar’s tomorrow for your free tender meal as I probably need to send Brexton over there, we’ll get some of our own. THE MODERATOR: We’ll now go to questions. Q. It sounded like Randall was trying to call you to pit road too late, you were past it. What exactly was the sequence there of you talking about that?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, on my own mind, I was like there’s no way you come to pit road and just throw away your day, like your day is done. We didn’t have any stage points, we had nothing at that point in the race. I was why not take the chance. He said, Pit, pit, pit. I was like, It’s a good thing it’s too late anyway. I knew I wasn’t going to get it in there, but also I wouldn’t have anyways. I would have taken the chance and said, You know what, roll the dice, let’s go. Q. You struggled at superspeedways before you came to RCR. How much has joining RCR helped you gain your confidence? First two plate races this year, you have been a contender.KYLE BUSCH: I wouldn’t say today we contended much. We got up front there for a little bit, then we came off of pit road really, really good in that second stage I believe behind Chase, and the 24 was with us. Then we caught up with the Fords. Then we all got misconjobulated, shucked me to the back, I was in the back again. The 9, I think he won that stage. That must have been the finish of stage two.Yeah, our average running position and where we ran for most of the day wouldn’t have showed we contended much. But take ’em as they come. It was just like a 200-mile-an-hour parade lap. Hard to make passes, get enough room in the middle to make a move up the middle, get enough of a gap to the inside where you can fall in, try to cycle up, get a gap to the outside, cycle up. It was really hard. Q. You referenced the 15 years. Did you ever feel Lady Luck was going to shine back on you?KYLE BUSCH: Well, ever since 2015 struck, I’ve always just hoped to walk out of a speedway race at the end of the day. When you’re able to do that, you might as well take solace in it. It’s not a win, but at least you’re going home on your own two feet. Races, they’re all hard to win, but especially speedway races are hard to win. You got 30 guys out there vying for it, that have a legit shot to win, barring different circumstances. There were some wrecks in front of us today. We were able to squeak through, not get caught up in it fortunately, which isn’t a whole lot of my luck here. We’ll take this one, for sure. Q. I asked Randall about having a driver that maybe doesn’t overrule him on a call, but will say this is where we’re at, go against what he called. He said it was almost refreshing to have somebody like that. What does that mean to hear that from your crew chief?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t really voice that over the radio about, Hey, we got to win, we might as well stay out and ride this thing out. I just thought it in my head.It’s cool to work with Randall. Obviously, he gives me a lot of leeway just with my experience and stuff like that, being here. Probably a few years ago I would have pitted and just taken the finish, whatever that might have been. We probably would have been caught up in that wreck. But when I thought that we’d have a shot for a front row start at the end, I was like there’s no way we can pit. If we run out of gas coming off of turn two after we take the green flag, so be it.Yeah, just go for it, roll the dice. Q. When Richard was in here, he said you were helping build back the organization to where it used to be. Is there an area where you feel you’ve made the biggest impact so far?KYLE BUSCH: No, not yet. Have you watched our short track program (laughter)? It’s a struggle. We’re working on that. I’ve always known these guys have had a good restrictor plate program. We showed that in Daytona, we were really fast. It was fun to run as quick as we did, as good as we did with Austin to try to win that. Fontana, we were super fast there, too. They had a really good car there last year. The short track stuff has been head-scratching for sure. On my front and Randall’s front, I know we’re trying to work through what it takes to turn that around. Hopefully we can get there to make the short track stuff go our way. Q. Do you feel like you did anything better on a superspeedway today?KYLE BUSCH: No. Q. You just got lucky?KYLE BUSCH: I got lucky, yeah (smiling). Q. Do you consider the Blaney-Wallace portion of that luck or do you expect that at the end of a race?KYLE BUSCH: Well, so Bubba was pushing me on the restart. He had me squirreled up a little bit down the backstretch. Then we got separated from each other. He went back to grab whoever was behind him, brought the momentum back forward. I got out a little too far. Off of four, Bubba was coming with a head of steam. I could have turned up to get in front of him and tried to block. I’m going to get wrecked. My stuff would not take pushes anyways. I was not going to put myself in a spot where I was going to try to take one. I just let those guys go by and say we’ll sort it out down the backstretch and see what happens. We have four more corners to see what happens in this race, two and a half more miles. They got to pushing real hard, and Bubba went to block. You can’t make more than one turn being pushed. By the time you make that second one, you’re wrecked. Q. Has there been anything noticeably different about superspeedway races when it comes to now being in the Chevy camp compared to what you had for so many years?KYLE BUSCH: We’ve talked a lot about that. We’ve actually worked through some of that. The key partner group, had our meeting and stuff on trying to have our eight guys align and be part of the deal together. There was a couple moments today where that really helped, being able to get down to the bottom, have those guys build a gap so you can get in line before you come to pit road. I thought our pit road execution today was really, really good. We all come in, do our deal, ride pit road, do our stops, got organized really quick. I thought the overall orchestration of that was really good. I wouldn’t say it really materialized on the racetrack a whole lot. I saw the Toyota guys, they were I think four or five of ’em in a row on the outside towards the end of the race. We never really showed that. But there was some good cohesion. Q. Eight months ago at Watkins Glen you opened up about how it had been a hard year. Now two wins, a new organization, having success. What is it like to be Kyle Busch, what is your mindset now? How did you get from, maybe you’ll say it’s a dark place, but a darker place to this point? Eight months is a short period of time.KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, just having a good, strong support system. Obviously Samantha, Brexton, my family first. But then from there, having a great bunch of guys that I’m surrounded by that when Richard made comment to Randall about there being a chance I come over there, he was really pumped up about it, he was really excited about it. Petree was, as well, too. I remember Petree blowing me up for a couple weeks on phone calls. They didn’t think that Kyle Busch was washed up or anything like that. It was really a breath of fresh air to get over there and get to work. Trust me, I’ve probably done more, worked harder in this year than I have in the last four just because of feeling like it’s my duty, it’s my service to them to give them everything that I’ve got, absolutely everything that I’ve got, for them sticking their neck out for me at RCR. We’re working really hard in a lot of areas. I keep pushing these guys on some stuff. I hope that it will continue to get better as we progress through the year. I think next week is another big test for us as the RCR group statistically speaking at Dover was horrendous a year ago. Hopefully we can turn that around. Q. You’re among the greats, no doubt about that. I’m sure every driver has ego or self doubt. To get two wins quickly, even though you are Kyle Busch, how important is that to have come out of the gate like that as opposed to get your two wins at race 25 or 26?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, right. No, I mean, trust me, I think I said it in Fontana, I’ll say it again: the more wins you can get, the earlier you get ’em, the better your season is going to go. The points buildup is obviously what you strive for. Winning races in the Playoffs obviously moves you through automatically to the next round. That’s a good plus, you get to carry the points late in the year too. I’ve always looked at having strong starts to seasons, that kind of solidifying your base for the remainder of your season. Somebody told me this a long time ago, that any time you get to Charlotte, Coke 600, from there to the end of the season, points fluctuation, one or two spots barring something stupid happening. Three blown up motors in a row will hurt that. Other than that, the cycle of racing naturally, you’ll end up about the same spot. I always like to be having a good, strong start to build that foundation. Q. It seems like this new Next Gen racing more preaches patience than the aggressive style. Do you think this suits you more with the more mature Kyle Busch?KYLE BUSCH: What number Kyle are we talking about (smiling)? Q. 2018 Kyle Busch, how does that compare and contrast to other generations you’ve raced?KYLE BUSCH: This style is by far a lot of patience, which I don’t think the consensus within the garage area with the drivers is that we enjoy it very much. You’d like to have some areas of opportunities to where you can make some moves, cycle yourself around a little bit. Man, when you ride around there parade formation for 10s of laps at a time, it gets a bit frustrating. You know that you can do better than that. But you pull out of the line, try to make something happen, you hit a block wall of air, go backwards. Everybody is just the same. It’s just so equal. There’s not enough separation within everything to put on, in my opinion, good, exciting racing at the speedway races. I think there’s a bit of a struggle right now. Q. Can you speak a little bit on the partnership with RCR and the give-and-take in the transition?KYLE BUSCH: Yeah, to us coming onboard and being a part of RCR for me this year, I’ve had a lot of great things so far that we’ve been able to work on and really show some positivity, show some good momentum in a direction that we need for success for this year. Then there’s just some of the other areas where we’re not really seeing the fruits of our labor yet. Again, we’re all striving for the same thing. That’s one goal, and that’s to win. We want to see Austin get a win. Unfortunately he had some bum luck today. Want to get him in the Playoffs, as well, too.The Xfinity program has been on fire. They’ve been super, super strong this year. That’s been fun to see.  We just need to keep it going in the right way. THE MODERATOR: Kyle, congratulations again on that win. KYLE BUSCH: Thanks. RICHARD CHILDRESS, OWNER OF RICHARD CHILDRESS RACING, and RANDALL BURNETT, CREW CHIEF, NO. 8 MCLAREN CUSTOM GRILLS CAMARO ZL1 – Race Win Press Conference Transcript THE MODERATOR: Good evening, everyone. We’ve been joined by team owner Richard Childress of Richard Childress Racing. Richard, congratulations on another win. Tell us a little bit about the final laps from your vantage point. RICHARD CHILDRESS: I think my stomach was in knots, but not as bad as the crew chief.Randall was, Pit, pit. Kyle said, Look, we done made this deal, we done made our decision, let’s ride it out no matter what.He just stayed out. We were on the border of running out of fuel. I was just holding my breath. It wasn’t going to be fun if we run out of fuel. It was a good day, a great day. Great crowd. One of the best crowds I understand at Talladega since Dale Jr. won in 2008 or last one that he won. THE MODERATOR: We’ll take questions for Richard. Q. Your 13th win here at Talladega, second only to Hendrick. What does it feel like to win at Talladega? Such a difficult place to win.RICHARD CHILDRESS: It’s such an important win. If you win at Talladega, so much can happen during the race. But Talladega has been so great to RC. I raced here in 1969. One of the biggest breaks I got. I left here with about 1,500, 2,000 dollars, thought I’d never have to work again. Here I am still racing (smiling). Talladega has been great. Winning with Dale here in the Winston I guess 2000 was the last win for him here. Q. RCR has had such a resurgence with Kyle. How do you feel as an organization?RICHARD CHILDRESS: I think he’s helping us build RCR back to where we want to be. I have to give all the credit to Austin Dillon. He’s the one that came to me, he knew Tyler was going somewhere else. He said, Pop, what do you think about bringing Kyle Busch over here?I said, I’ll talk to him if he wants to. We sat down, put a program together. The credit goes to Austin for bringing him on. Q. You talk about Austin. How do you keep that team from not maybe getting into desperation mode?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Which team? Q. Austin’s team, considering how far back they are in points, looking at the Playoffs. Last year they won the last race to get in. Is there anything you do or want them to do to avoid being in desperation mode?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Well, you start the season out in desperation mode. That’s the way we always look at this deal. He knows now he’s got to win. We know we’ve got to get a win for him. We’ll be digging extra hard to get him there, those 60 points, we got an appeal. I feel we have a decent chance. I don’t know who the panel will be, but that will be who will decide it. I think we got a decent chance. Q. You’ve had some struggles in recent years, but now when you go back to last season, you’ve won six of the last 29 races. I don’t know if you’re going to say you’re back or you consider yourself back, but what does it mean to be more of a player than what you had been for a number of years?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Thank you, Dustin. That’s a good question. Racing is like life: there’s peaks and valleys. When you get in on a peak, it’s harder to stay there. You got to be prepared when you’re at the top. We’ve been there. We’ve also been in the valley, the very bottom. You got to work harder and have the right drive and emotion to put you up to the top. That’s what we’ve worked hard to get there. It’s took a long road. It’s been a fun deal. Q. What does it mean to you personally?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Me personally, it means a lot. I’m still doing this. People say, Why do you do it? If you see all those fans up there, that’s why we do it. We’re all in this for that reason.We got some great partners that we’ve been involved with. Chevy, Bass Pro, so many of them over the years. Just long-term partnerships drive you. And our crew chief, Randall Burnett. Can you breathe yet (laughter)? RANDALL BURNETT: Yes (smiling). Q. A lot of people dread coming to this place. It’s been good to you over the years. Why do you think it’s been good to you? What is it about this place?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Back even when I was driving, they used to say it was an Indian burial ground. I don’t know if any of you remember that. It was always supposed to be the ghost of Talladega to be here.I just always shook it off and just enjoyed it. I loved racing here as a driver. I love being an owner here. We’ve had some great runs, great wins. I’m excited about the future of RCR, Kyle, Austin, the whole team. Q. Richard, it’s been 15 races for Kyle since he’s won here. 22 for you, back since Clint Bowyer won here in 2011. Did you wonder if you would ever get back to Victory Lane? Did you see this as being one of those it’s just going to be a battle?RICHARD CHILDRESS: Talladega is always a battle of survival. That’s what the battle really is. If you can be there at the end, you got a chance to win. That’s what we wanted to do. That’s always our goal here and Daytona. You got to be there at the end. Both drivers talked about coming out here racing, racing as hard as they could, and they did. It was a good day for one. Austin didn’t have that good of a day, he was involved in that crash. But Talladega will give you that, give you the peaks and valleys. Q. Randall, obviously the pit strategy, a big question. What does it mean to you to be on the box, have your driver say, This is what we’re doing, I have control?RANDALL BURNETT: It’s hugely helpful. For him to buy into what we’re doing, the communication is there, Hey, man, this is where we’re at in the race, this is what we’ve got going on. For him to understand that, process that, do everything he can to help us along the way, is huge for us, how we play our strategy. Q. The opposite side of that is can you look at Talladega Superspeedway and say if we need something great to happen, can you come to Talladega and say maybe this is where things turn around for us?RANDALL BURNETT: Well, yeah, it’s a nice shot in the arm for us, honestly. We kind of hung out, tried to stay out of trouble all day. Everybody was kind of along the same lines of just being conscious of how much fuel they were using, all that. We’ve came off a rough three or four races for us. To be able to come back out and win this race, it’s good for everybody on the team, get a good shot in the arm. Really looking forward to going back to some of these mile-and-a-half tracks, get back to the meat and potatoes of the schedule, seeing what we’ve got there. We’ve got some work obviously to do on our short track stuff. That will give us a little bit of a break, realign on that, come back, see what we got. Q. Richard, you’ve seen a lot of races, ups and downs at Talladega. The optimism of coming to Talladega…RICHARD CHILDRESS: Like I said earlier, it’s all about survival here, one thing, to put yourself in a position to win. All day long, Kyle sit there in that bottom line, when some other lines were moving, kept moving up, moving up. Pit strategy, the calls that Randall made there for the amount of fuel, saving fuel, use less fuel to get you out in front of them. That paid off. That’s what it takes.I’m going to go celebrate with my friend J.P. Morris, Johnny Morris, all the friends at Bass Pro because we’re going turkey hunting tomorrow (smiling). Q. Randall, what happened on the final sequence when you called Kyle in? When did you make the decision?RANDALL BURNETT: Yeah, we’d had the talk when the first caution came out there like 184, 185. I’m like, Hey, man, we’re going to be in a bad spot here possibly if we get too many green-white-checkereds.He was like, Let’s try to give it a go, the first one, see what happens. He was fully aware. He was aggressively saving us fuel, doing everything he could. He knew the situation at that point. I saw a couple of ’em getting ready to duck off in front of us. They were kind of in the same fuel situation as we were. There were a bunch of us. Honestly, I called it too late. It was a fortunate mistake, you know what I mean? We kind of lucked out there. He saved enough under those cautions to make it till the end. The caution coming out on the white flag lap there, who knows if we would have ran all the way to the end. We might not have made it.Just kind of better be lucky than good at that point. Q. 11 races with him. He’s a unique talent, temperamental. Never know what you’re going to get. How has it been working with him?RANDALL BURNETT: It’s been great. His ability speaks for itself obviously. What he knows about the cars and the strategy, just how the race plays out, what he needs in a car, all that is hugely helpful.I think it helps me be better, be more detailed, and really be on top of my game because he’s going to challenge you if you’re not. I think everybody on the 8 team has really stepped it up in that manner. I think it’s been good so far. I think everything has been great. We have a good relationship, communicate a lot, communicate well. I think that shows. Q. Kyle hasn’t won at one of these tracks in a points race in a long time. When you talk about this style of racing, does he tell you he’s good or that he hasn’t won in over a decade?RANDALL BURNETT: Well, no, honestly, when he got there, that was one of the big things that he wanted to get with Derek on. He knows Derek has had some success, our spotter Derek. He came over, Man, I’ll tell you what, I’ve really struggled at these places. I don’t know what it is about my approach, what we do, but I’ve struggled at these superspeedway tracks. He was very interested to see how Derek goes about approaching his day and how that communication goes. They spent a lot of time over the winter talking about it, listening to tape, doing all that. I think it paid off. Obviously we were in a great spot at the 500. Really fast there all weekend. Just kind of missed out on winning that one. Got wadded up at the end. Obviously put ourselves in position there, as well.I think their relationship is really good. I think Kyle has put a lot of trust in Derek at these places. It’s been paying off. Q. Since you won with Tyler at Road America, you’ve won five races among the two drivers. How have you been able to build this team that when you have the talent, you can take advantage?RANDALL BURNETT: I mean, this 8 team, it’s strong. The road crew guys, they’re all racers. They’ve grown up racing. We’ve got great engineers. This team’s really strong. We’re really close, really connected. We’ve spent the last three or four years together all through Tyler’s coming up through the Cup side, now with Kyle. Everybody’s really dedicated. Everybody wants to come out and win races. Everybody works hard. They pull their weight. They take their responsibility for their part in it. It just makes a great team.Obviously we’ve been fortunate enough to have two very talented drivers. Tyler is an incredible talent. Now we got Kyle. His résumé speaks for itself. Just very fortunate to have those kind of caliber of drivers drive the car, and for our team to stay close-knit and work as hard as they do. It’s been great. Q. Even with the talent you have, how did you have to build it up as a coach?RANDALL BURNETT: It’s one of those deals, we missed a lot of opportunities when Tyler was driving the car. We finished second I don’t know how many times. Everybody sees that and they taste that and they want it, right? It’s not hard when you’re running up front to keep everybody motivated. It’s when you’re struggling and things aren’t going right. It’s tough to keep everybody pulling together in the same direction. Fortunately, like last year, we had a lot of fast cars all year long. Tyler did a great job. We finally figured out how to break that barrier. Once we did, it started working out better for us. Kyle came aboard. He’s been great to work with. He’s a proven winner many times over. Just to be able to get him in the car, us kind of adapt to him, him adapt to us, we kind of found a good middle road I think.  Looking forward to getting to more of these tracks. THE MODERATOR: Congratulations on the win.

(4/24/23 – Ben Deatherage) Antioch, California … It has been several seasons since the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series has made the trip to Antioch Speedway in the East Bay of the Golden State. The 3/8-mile clay oval will host the traveling tour on Saturday, April 29th, for the “Contra Costa County Clash.”

“The Northern Auto Racing Club is looking forward to returning to Antioch Speedway,” said NARC 410 Sprint Series General Manager Jim Allen. “It’s been a long time, 2017 to be exact; and we anticipate putting on a good show at a facility that used to be a mainstay on the NARC schedule. Hopefully, this show will get something started for the future.”

This marks the fourth of 22 scheduled events that will visit 15 different dirt oval tracks in California, Oregon, and Washington.

Thirteen drivers have hit pay dirt at Antioch since 2003 with the series out of their last twenty-one visits. Brent Kaeding and Jonathan Allard are tied with the most triumphs with four each. Giovanni Scelzi, who now competes full time on the World of Outlaw tour, scored the most recent Antioch outing on June 3rd, 2017.

 Who To Watch For

 Corey Day is one of the many NARC regulars that have yet to visit Antioch Speedway. The Clovis teenager, racing for car owner Jason Meyers, has yet to finish off the podium in the 2023 season and enters the vent as the championship point leader. Day is still the only driver to have more than one win in the current campaign.  He has already won in Hanford and Tulare.

Two-time defending champion Dominic Scelzi will be in series competition at Antioch for the first time in ten years. He ended the night seventh in 2013 and was sixth in his debut the year before. Despite two top five finishes this season, the Fresno driver is still looking for his first NARC win of the year.

Justin Sanders hopes to score a significant result for the Mittry Racing Team in Antioch. He was tenth in his lone 410 appearance at the facility, but that was all the way back in 2011. The Aromas-based driver has amassed two podium finishes in three starts with the NARC series and is still on the cusp of that breakthrough win.

The Bay Area will be well represented by the significant youth movement from Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Oakley teenager Dylan Bloomfield, Joey Ancona of Concord, and fresh from New Zealand Joel Myers Jr. representing Sebastopol. Amazingly all four drivers have Antioch experience, but none have it with the NARC series.

Others expected in the star-studded field are Roseville’s Justyn Cox, Andy Forsberg from Auburn, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Benicia’s Billy Aton, Shane Golobic from Fremont, Dylan Bloomfield of Oakley, Arizona driver Nick Parker, Nevada driver Bill Smith, and many more.

 Fan & Competitor Info

Antioch Speedway is located on the Contra Costa Fairgrounds in Antioch, CA.  The address is 1201 W 10th Street. Grandstand tickets are priced at $30.00 for Adults, $28.00 for Seniors, and Children (6-12) $15.00. Bleacher tickets are priced at $25.00 for Adults, $25.00 for Senior/Military, and for Children (12 and Under) $20.00. For more information, log on to www.antiochspeedway.com.

Also on the race card is IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, Delta Dwarf Cars.  Pit Gates open at noon.  The front gate open at 4:00 p.m. with qualifying set to get underway at at 5:30 p.m.  Racing starts at 6:00 p.m.

Race teams are required to put down tarps in their respective pit areas.

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

 The Contra Costa County Clash 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 THREE EVENTS IN 22-RACE SERIES)

1. Corey Day, Clovis – 423
2. Justin Sanders, Aromas – 413
3. Chase Johnson, Penngrove – 406
4. Dominic Scelzi, Fresno – 405
5. Justyn Cox, Roseville – 403
6. Tim Kaeding, San Jose – 402
7. Bud Kaeding, Campbell – 497
8. Shane Golobic, Fremont – 394
9. Ryan Bernal, Roseville – 389
10. Joey Ancona, Concord – 385
11. Tanner Holmes, Central Point, OR – 383
12. Dylan Bloomfield, Oakley – 378
13. DJ Netto, Hanford – 374
14. Craig Stidham, Fresno – 369
15. Michael Pombo, Easton – 367
16. Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton – 365
17. Nick Parker, Tucson, AZ – 357
18. Bill Smith, Sparks, NV – 330
19. Billy Aton, Benicia – 329
20. Trey Starks, Puyallup, WA – 274

UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 6th- Silver Dollar Speedway – David Tarter Memorial
May 13th-14th-Kings Speedway-Peter Murphy Classic
May 20th-Petaluma Speedway
 
Former NARC 410 Sprint Series Winners At Antioch Speedway (Since 2001)
Brent Kaeding-4
Jonathan Allard
Tim Kaeding-3
Craig Stidham-1
Dennis Moore Jr.
Giovanni Scelzi
Jason Statler
Kyle Hirst
Kyle Larson
Lawrence Edlund
Robert Ballou
Tyler Walker
Willie Croft

April 23, 2023

After starting 25^th, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang worked their way to the front and showed good speed midway through Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. But like a lot of their competitors they ended up being knocked out of the race in a multi-car crash. Burton wound up 36th in the final rundown.

After finishing fifth in the second Stage, earning six bonus points, Burton restarted the third segment of the race from third place. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 127 and led on two other occasions for a total of 11 laps, swapping the lead several times with fellow Ford driver Ryan Blaney. But on Lap 142 Burton spun from the lead after a drafting push from Noah Gragson didn’t produce the desired result.

Burton managed to regain control of the Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang without incurring significant damage. He rejoined the field at the back of the pack and worked his way up into the top 20. 

With five of the scheduled 188 laps left to run, Burton was swept up in a crash that started ahead of him. He was knocked into a skid and struck the inside wall. The Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang was too damaged to continue.
 
“Proud of our team!” Burton posted on Twitter after the race. “Always fun to put the 21 in the wind. Sorry [it] didn’t work out, but we’re working.”
 
Next up for Burton and the No. 21 team is next Sunday’s Wurth 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.
 

NASCAR CUP SERIES TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY GEICO 500 TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES APRIL 23, 2023 Kyle Busch Prevails in Overtime Finish for Talladega VictoryChevrolet’s Seventh NCS Win of 2023; Chevrolet Sweeps Talladega Doubleheader Weekend

In a double attempt at an overtime finish, Kyle Busch and the No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 team came out on top to score Chevrolet’s seventh NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2023 season.  ·       The win is Busch’s second NASCAR Cup Series win of the 2023 season and his 62nd career win in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Busch is now the third repeat winner in the series this season, joining fellow Chevrolet drivers William Byron and Kyle Larson.·       The victory extended Chevrolet’s series-leading NASCAR Cup Series win record at Talladega Superspeedway to 44 all-time victories, including the past three races at the Alabama superspeedway. ·       Chevrolet has now won the past five NASCAR Cup Series superspeedway races, dating back to Ross Chastain’s win at Talladega Superspeedway one year ago. ·       The winningest manufacturer in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet now sits at 840 all-time wins in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Chevrolet swept the NASCAR doubleheader race weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, with Jeb Burton and the No. 27 Jordan Anderson Racing Camaro SS team taking the victory in the Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race.  Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL1 – Race Winner Quotes“Sometimes you gotta be lucky. Some of these races comes down to that, and you have to take them when they come your way. The seas kind of parted there when they went up the racetrack. They were trying push draft, and these cars just aren’t stable enough to do that. I saw the 23 just turn a little bit sideways and I was like, ‘Get out of the way.’ Just missed it and tried to see if I was ahead of the 12 when it was called. A great day for another new sponsor at RCR with McLaren Custom Grills. If you ain’t got a custom grill yet, these McLarens are pretty bomb so you gotta check them out. We have a great time being able to come out here and race and be a part of Team Chevy and Chevrolet and get this Camaro in Victory Lane.”HOW CLOSE WERE YOU ON FUEL? “Well, it shut off here when I was trying to do a burnout so maybe it’s out. I went left instead of right. The fuel-pickup is on the right so maybe I ran it out. We were sweating it being close. I thought back to California and Fontana earlier this year where we have a win, and I’m like we have to gamble. We’re up here, you have to take the track position when you have it and go give it what you can on the restart and see what happens. Lo and behold, it worked out.”MORE ON THE WIN: “You never know what’s going to happen, right? We had the track position and had the opportunity to be up front there. Short on fuel, you just don’t know so you take that chance. Luckily I thought about it, and I’m like, ‘We gotta take the chance.’ That win at Fontana really opened that door for us today. If we didn’t have that, I felt like we would have to come in to get some fuel to get points. You know, I guess I’d rather be lucky somedays and we were certainly that today. It feels good to see the seas part finally and me squeeze through and not get torn up in a couple of those wrecks late. Thanks to McLaren Custom Grills. Appreciate them, another new RCR partner for us this year. It’s awesome to get them up to Victory Lane. I hope their website is blowing up right now and they’re getting a lot of likes and selling some grills. We need all the help we can get. Our sport is doing well but things can always be better. We want to see full fields of sponsored cars.”HOW WAS YOUR DAY BEFORE THE LAST LAPS? “Every time I got near the front, I got shuffled. That’s about what happens in these restrictor plate races for me. There in that last lap, Bubba Wallace was helping push and getting us out there and getting us to the lead. I got a little too far out, and I knew they were going to have a run so I was like, ‘You know what… take the run. We’ll see what happens in the next corner.’ Lo and behold they got crossed up. Sometimes you’re quiet sometimes and you just kind of squeak one out.”WINNING FOR RCR WITH RICHARD CHILDRESS AT THE RACE: “It’s awesome. I know they’ve had a lot of superspeedway love for a long, long time. One of the best to ever do it was obviously one of the winningest ones. It’s fun to be able to come out here and be a part of this team and work with Randall (Burnett, crew chief) and all my guys. Pit stops today were fine. We were never really in a position to push hard, but we got everything to go our way and came out on top.” TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st      Kyle Busch, No. 8 McLaren Custom Grills Camaro ZL16th      Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL17th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL19th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)2nd      Ryan Blaney (Ford)3rd      Chris Buescher (Ford)4th      Chase Briscoe (Ford)5th      Brad Keselowski (Ford) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Dover Motor Speedway with the Würth 400 on Sunday, April 30, at 2 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 Finished: 33rd“Thankfully I’m OK but my car is absolutely destroyed. The cockpit’s a mess. I’m just thankful that I’m alright and all that. It’s just a bummer. We put ourselves in position once again on a superspeedway and the results don’t show it. Another wreck not of my doing on a superspeedway. I just hate it but we’ll keep getting better, and eventually it’ll have to work out I would think.” Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1Finished: 18th “This one stung a little. We had a fast No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy and had really good pit strategy all day. We thought we would set ourselves up for the end there and avoided all the wrecks, but we just couldn’t quite the track position back that we had all day.” Noah Gragson, No. 42 Wendy’s Biggie Bag Camaro ZL1Involved in a crash on Lap 189“I’m good. It was a really solid day for our Wendy’s Biggie Bag team and Legacy Motor Club. This 42 team was really on top of it today. Good pit stops and a fast car there in the race. I felt like we were in a good position restarting on the front row on a green-white-checkered. I got kind of shoved out there and bobbled a little bit by the 1. I just gotta look back and see what I could do better. Obviously not let the 1 get inside me. Overall it was a good day until it wasn’t. The results have sucked here lately, but we’ve been running strong. We ran in the top-five, the top-10 all day and I’m really proud of that. I appreciate Wendy’s and everybody coming out to Talladega and all the fans. We’re close. We’ll get there one day.” Erik Jones, No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1Finished sixth“It was kind of an up and down day. We weren’t really running how we wanted to during the day. But obviously there at the end some attrition got us toward the front. I felt like our car was good and that the Air Force Chevy had speed. We just weren’t up there to show it. We’ll take it, thought. A (top-six) is obviously a strong run. I was hoping to come here and have a good day for us and get us rolling with some momentum to Dover and forward. We’re on to some good tracks for us, so hopefully we can repeat the same next week – bring a good car and kind of keep this momentum rolling.”GRAGSON WAS UP THERE UP FRONT PRETTY MUCH ALL DAY, SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU GUYS GOING TO DOVER? “It was good. I was rooting for him at the end. Obviously I, at that point, didn’t have much of a shot. I was hoping just to get up in the top-10. I saw he was up there on the front row and was hoping he could grab one for us. It would have been pretty cool for him and the team. I hate to see how it worked out for him. I felt like we had good speed too, but just some stuff didn’t go our way to get track position. Some runs didn’t work out. I thought it was good. The team definitely had more speed this weekend than what we’ve had. Hopefully we can translate it.”WHY DID THREE-WIDE SEEM A BIT EASIER TODAY? “I don’t know. We were a big proponent of most of them up there kind of pushing and leading. I felt like we could get the third lane rolling really well a couple of times. We got to the front and just couldn’t quite clear myself down. I think people are just getting more confident with their pushes and more aggressive with them. I think that’s leading to more three-wide racing.” Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1Finished: 9th “It was an up and down day for the No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Chevy team. I felt like we had a very, very fast car. The guys did a very, very good job with that. This is probably one of the best cars I’ve had at a superspeedway. We did a good job in the first stage. In the second stage, we just couldn’t recover on track position and the final stage was the same story. It’s part of it. We will learn from it and see what we could have done differently. But the positive is that we finished in one piece for the most part and the car was very fast.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Stage One ·       Defending NASCAR Cup Series winner Kyle Larson led Chevrolet to the green flag from the ninth starting position in today’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. ·       A single-car spin brought out an early caution on lap three. A handful of cars opted to hit pit road during the caution, including Team Chevy’s Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez to make a fuel only stop. ·       The first green flag pit cycle started during the latter part of Stage One, with a majority of the Bowtie brigade coming to pit road together on lap 39. ·       The second caution of the day flew after an incident entering pit road on lap 43. The top-six of the running order were occupied by Team Chevy drivers that had yet to make a pit stop, led by LEGACY MOTOR CLUB’s Erik Jones and the No. 43 U.S. Air Force Camaro ZL1 team. ·       The field took the green for the restart at lap 47, with the top-six positions taken by Team Chevy drivers who had already made a green flap pit stop. ·       After starting 29th, Elliott moved his way up through the field throughout the stage, ultimately taking the green-white checkered flag for his first stage win of 2023. ·       Seven Team Chevy drivers scored stage points in Stage One, including a sweep of the top-five positions: 1st Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL12nd Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL13rd Ross Chastain, No. 1 Moose Fraternity Camaro ZL14th William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL15th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL17th Noah Gragson, No. 42 Wendy’s Biggie Bag Camaro ZL110th Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1 Stage Two·       The majority of the field came to pit road during the Stage One break. Kaulig Racing’s Justin Haley came down for a fuel only stop, gaining 14 spots on pit road to take a front-row spot for the start of Stage Two. ·       A relatively quiet race throughout the first half of Stage Two, a third line began to form with 24 laps remaining in the stage, led by a string of Camaro ZL1’s coming from four different Chevrolet teams.·       During the closing laps of Stage Two, manufacturers began another round of green-flag pit stops with Chevrolet leading the charge to pit road with 17 laps to go in the stage. ·       Once green-flag pit stops cycled through, Elliott regained the top spot with a continued battle for the lead building in the closing laps of the stage. ·       With a side-by-side battle to the line, Aric Almirola edged out Elliott at the line for the Stage Two win, with Elliott taking second-place stage points. ·       Elliott led Chevrolet to three top-10 finishes in the stage, including Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (ninth) and Noah Gragson (10th). This is the first time this season that Gragson has tallied top-10 finishes in both stages in a single race.