Nineteen-race Super Late Model regional series begins April 7 at All-Tech Raceway

CONCORD, NC (April 5, 2023) – Dirt Late Model racing’s newest regional tour, the Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series presented by Sweet Victory Apparel, has joined the DIRTcar family for its inaugural season.

All 19 races in the Series’ highly anticipated first year will be under the DIRTcar banner, adhering to the 2023 DIRTcar Late Model rulebook, starting with its inaugural event at All-Tech Raceway in Lake City, FL on April 7. Drivers will also earn points in the DIRTcar Late Model national and regional points standings.

Participating drivers with active DIRTcar memberships will also receive the extra benefits included with their membership – including points fund eligibility, additional insurance and more.

“Our goal for the regional guys was to make it feel more like what they’re used to when they go to national events,” said Series Director Joshua Joiner. “Whether it be the World of Outlaws or DIRTcar-sanctioned events, when they have them down here in the south. Or even Eldora for the World 100 or the [Dirt Late Model] Dream – it’s done professionally with the way that DIRTcar operates. Being able to be a part of that and bring some of that to our tour made sense to us.”

In considering a rules package for their inaugural season, Joiner and the Hunt the Front staff made the decision to align with DIRTcar to take advantage of the sanctioning body’s widespread reach, driver/track benefits and nationally recognized rules and regulations.

Joiner took note of the newly established Unified Dirt Late Model Car Construction Rules and National Late Model Tire specs that DIRTcar assisted in rolling out last year and knew they would be the perfect fit for his fledgling organization.

“From the driver’s standpoint, [those rules] make a lot of sense,” Joiner said. “As a race team, we’re behind that 100 percent and happy to see it, so it made sense for us to support it and be a part of it when we started our series.”

The new Super Late Model series, headquartered in Milton, FL, was born from the family of one of dirt racing’s most successful YouTube channels – Hunt the Front. The trio of brothers – Joshua, Joseph and Jonathan Joiner – and friend/driver Jesse Enterkin, brought the brand to life in the spring of 2019, producing vlogs from their experiences at the shop and the track, first as a local Crate-engine team with a single car to their present-day operation as a three-car team attending regional and national-level Super Late Model events.

Their expanding involvement in motorsports led to their first dip into event promotion in the fall of 2021 with the inaugural running of the Southern Showcase. The event’s success brought it back to Deep South Speedway in Loxley, AL, for a second edition last November, and laid the bricks for the spawning of the new regional Series in 2023.

“We just didn’t feel like there was a really good option at the regional level for drivers at the level that our driver, Joseph, was,” Joiner said. “I look at the guys like Will Herrington, Payton Freeman, Sam Seawright, and a whole list of other guys – not just us – we needed something like this to want to race.

“It’s not to discredit any of what the other series in the Southeast are doing; everyone has a different way of doing things and how they see the best way of doing it.”

The inaugural slate of races was built with the intention of attracting full-time drivers, reducing travel costs, and avoiding overlap with other national/regional events. Joiner said Hunt the Front has strategic breaks in their calendar to allow full-time teams to compete in the bigger Late Model events dotted throughout the year while still being able to attend all 19 Series events without conflict. They’re certain these principles will result in increased car counts.

“We want the guys who want to run those [national] races to be a part of our series,” Joiner said. “When there’s a World of Outlaws race in Georgia somewhere, we don’t want to schedule a race that’s less than two hours away and keep our series regulars from being able to run against the best in the country.”

The Hunt the Front Super Dirt Series begins its inaugural season this Friday with a $20,000-to-win event at All-Tech Raceway. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit HTFSeries.com.

Ahead of season’s first street circuit after bizarre finish one year ago… Corvette Racing’s Jordan Taylor participated in a media availability Wednesday to preview next week’s Acura Sports Car Challenge for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at the Long Beach street circuit. Taylor and teammate Antonio Garcia will look to better their third-place finish last year in the No. 3 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R:

PREVIEWING THIS YEAR’S RACE AND FIRST SPRINT EVENT OF THE SEASON.“It’s always nice to go back to Long Beach. It’s the first sprint race of the year. We’ve settled in with Daytona and Sebring with endurance races, and the end of those races gets pretty intense. But Long Beach, the whole event is intense, right from the start with practice. Last year we had a great car. We were on the pole and led for the whole first stint and then had a that crazy fluke incident on pitlane which kind of put us out of contention for the win. It would be nice to go back there and be as competitive as we were and execute as well as we did last year. Having a year under our belt with this car and this class, we learned a lot throughout last season that already has been beneficial this year. I’m looking forward to getting back there and seeing what we learned throughout 2022 and be able to put that to good use once the sprint races start.” HOW HAS THE CORVETTE EVOLVED AFTER A YEAR IN GTD PRO?“The car last year honestly was great to drive all year. We’d leave sessions and be nitpicking things to work on here and there… little bit of understeer, little bit of oversteer. We were just off the pace. It was hard to kind of exploit the pace of the car without taking huge measures. At some tracks we went to, we had big setup swings to try things, but for the most part it never really worked. I feel like we have our car in a great working window. It was competitive in GTLM (GT Le Mans); last year we had some competitive weekends but it depends on the track and the event to where we stack up. We still do a lot of work in the simulator prepping for each event. We always go into the weekends with a strong car. We saw last year that we’d go in with our sim setup and we’d be pretty much right in the window of where we wanted to be. Last year at Long Beach we had a great car there. We were on pole and led the whole first stint. When things are going well, they’re going very well. Last year we put ourselves in a lot of positions to win races. At Watkins Glen we were leading up until the last couple of stops and things out of our control put us out of contention. I have a lot of confidence going to Long Beach. We had a good car last year and have made strides since then. We should be right at the front of the pack.”

LOOKING AT THE VARIOUS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CARS IN GTD PRO, WHERE IS THE STIFFEST COMPETITION?“The Porsche got a pretty big change for Sebring, and they were obviously super-fast. In Practice One, the GTD car was fastest overall and the 9 car never really showed speed until when it needed to. So I feel like they’ve got some stuff in-hand to show when they need to. The Mercedes was strong all year last year, so I’m sure they’ll be strong now that they have two proper pros in the car for the sprint races. When you look at Sebring and Daytona, a lot of different cars were competitive so our eyes are on everybody at this point.” THE GTD AND GTD PRO CARS ARE MIXED A LOT ON-TRACK. HOW DOES THAT IMPACT YOUR FOCUS AND STRATEGY?“Not everyone is like Bill (Auberlen, a pro driver) in that class. Most of the guys don’t move out of the way that nicely. It’s the same thing Bill said – if there’s a guy in between you and someone you’re battling against, you’re going to fight that guy pretty hard just to have that buffer in-hand. We saw at the end of the Rolex 24 where there was GTD PRO, then GTD, then GTD PRO again. That kind of separates the race especially on those last restarts where it’s going to be difficult to see a proper battle in your own class. At the end of Sebring, we got hit by a GTD car going into Turn Seven on the last restart and put us out of contention. It’s difficult when you put everyone in the same situation without a class split, but it’s just the way things are right now.” PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCES IN BEING OVERTAKEN BY GTP CARS THIS YEAR VERSUS DPI CARS A YEAR AGO?“It’s much different. The way they make speed seems different. They come by you a bit quicker on the straights and then their cornering speeds – especially in the medium-speed corners – is quite a bit lower than back in the DPi days. At Sebring, I had a BMW come by me and it must have been on a double-stint on the tires. It passed me into 15 and was so slow at apex that I was actually able to drive back around him. It’s a much different car, it seems, for them to learn and adapt to. It makes the style of racing a bit different because now in GT, we know that they struggle on second-stint tires and it will put us in a position to probably want to be a little more defensive in those sorts of spots to not lose laptime when they go by us. It’s definitely a learning process. They come by you a lot quicker in the straights like at Daytona before the Kink and out of the Kink. They’d arrive much quicker and when you wouldn’t expect it from years past in a DPi. When we go to different tracks, it’s going to be learning where those places are, and where they can get by us and where they can’t compared to what it was like back in DPi.” AFTER YOUR CUP PERFORMANCE AT COTA AND THINKING ABOUT A STREET RACE FOR CUP GUYS AT CHICAGO, HOW MANY TRIES WILL IT TAKE FOR THEM TO GET A CHECKERED FLAG?“If it’s anything like COTA, they won’t have much green-flag running! When I got out of the car, Ricky (Taylor) was the first person I saw, and I was like, ‘Holy cow. That was ridiculous, what that was like on those last restarts just getting beaten around.’ I was glad to see that at least everyone else had same opinion, even in the paddock, saying that it was an especially aggressive finish to the race. I think it was a bit of wake-up call for a lot of the regulars to start thinking about it. Having those guys never been to a street course race and how strong those cars are, I think they’re going to be bouncing off the walls and probably doing more damage to the barriers than the cars themselves.” WITH THE NEW GTP CARS A BIT BIGGER AND BEING SLOWER THROUGH THE CORNERS, DO YOU ANTICIPATE HAVING BEING A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN TAKING THE LINE AWAY BEFORE YOU GET TO A CORNER?“I think so. We saw at Sebring that if you got passed in the wrong spot, you’d lose quite a bit of time. At Long Beach, especially, if they get by you at Turn One and they can’t really get away from you all the way through Four or Five, it could be a pretty big loss. I’m sure you’ll see guys getting pretty aggressive. Now there are also a lot of new drivers in GTP that are young and hungry to show what they can do. At Sebring and Daytona, some of those guys would come by you and were pretty aggressive even in endurance races and taking a line away from GT cars kind of unknowingly. We need to be a little more proactive in showing some of those guys our intentions as well entering the corner. For sure, I think you’ll see a lot of the guys near the front of the GT pack being especially aggressive, especially late in the runs, when those guys are on used tires.”

Transcript: Defending pole and race winner aims for repeat in No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R

Renger van der Zande, co-driver with Sebastien Bourdais of the No. 01 Cadillac V-Series.R in the Grand Touring Prototype class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, met with the media via Zoom conference to preview the April 14-15 race in Long Beach, California.  Van der Zande and Bourdais will look to successfully defend their race win on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn temporary street circuit. Cadillac has won every IMSA prototype race at Long Beach since the start of the DPi era in 2017. Q&A with van der Zande transcript:

As you prepare for this event and look back on last year, what comes to mind?“I think the Long Beach Grand Prix is always special. I finished second there a lot and then last year won it finally so happy to go there and defend the win. This year it’s with a new car. We haven’t raced the Cadillac LMDh on any street track. You never know what to expect. We know from the past that Long Beach is a hard track for tires; tire degradation can be hard. The DPi Cadillac was always good with that; I think it was an advantage compared to the competition. We have a weapon this year, which is Sebastien Bourdais my teammate. He was flying last year. I think it was very special to see him go. He even planted it in the wall and still drove back to first place. I had to drive it home and that’s a very comfortable position, though it’s never easy on a street track. Of course, I had to do some work. We got it done and we won that race. (This year) the car is a little heavier than the DPi, it has less downforce than a DPi, it has more power. At the same time are systems that under braking can be tricky, so what to do with all the bumps and different tarmac changes and the curbs. For example, around the fountain is something to consider. We are discussing that right now with our engineers to be best prepared. It’s an interesting street track. It’s always spectacular. It’s always something happening with that last hairpin, and it’s also a lot of stop and go, 90-degree corners that you have to deal with and, of course, the fountain. Turn 1 is always a guess on how much grip you have, flying toward that outside wall. It’s not an easy track and let’s see what we can make of it. Not much lost at Sebring, but at the same time I’m still digesting that one going to Long Beach.”With new homologation, closer performance level and BoP rules with the GTP cars, will that open the door for other manufacturers to be on more level ground than previously at a street circuit?“LMDh is a different platform where the weight is the same, the power is the same, the basics of the car are the same. We all have the same tires, the same weight, the same power. I do think that things are much closer. We’re all searching here and there for details and fine-tuning the setup – from the engine side, the chassis side and the aerodynamics and balance everything. What you saw at Sebring and Daytona is it’s pretty close. Going to Long Beach, I think it’s a new starting level. It have a strong feeling that it is more equal than ever before.” Are there differences in the way the GTP cars are racing each other compared to the DPi?“I feel it’s hard to overtake. The speeds are higher but we have to brake a bit earlier and the weight is higher as well, so the minimum speed is a lot lower. You rely on let’s brake super late and dive bomb someone and get away with it. I think if you dive bomb someone you’re going straight so you’re going to miss the corner. I feel that in traffic it makes a bigger difference. You can see the last part of Daytona, there were some faster cars in front of us and when there was traffic there were gaps and those gaps remained, so there are a few spots on track where you can overtake and you’re limited more than the DPi in those spots. I think with the DPi you could overtake someone on track because you have a bit more downforce, you had more minimum speed grip to get away with a mistake. These cars, if you out-brake yourself you’re actually going to out-brake yourself and go off the track. You have to be a bit more careful. Traffic management is super important. The GTs are really in cooperation with the GTPs.” Talk about the Long Beach hairpin and the role it plays in the race.“I think the steering on our Cadillac is a bit better than it was on the DPi, so I think that won’t be a problem. We’ve seen a lot of action there, some misfortune for some people stranded there. It’s one of those do-or-dies on the last corner of the last lap of the race. That makes Long Beach a difficult street track with no room for error. Around that corner there really is only one line. If you dive bomb on the inside you probably won’t get away with it. If you do, might get lucky and win that race. Also in GTP, spare parts are at a premium, we don’t have that much stock. If you keep on taking off bits of the car in the first practice, second practice and then qualifying, it’s something to keep in mind. That last corner is special, and the corner before that – the long left-hander with all the drifting rubber – it’s easy to screw it up a well.” About cold tires on the GTP car.“Our cold tires are super tricky. I had an LMP2 driver to come me and ask if we were still charging our hybrid system when we were coming out of the pits because why are you so slow. I said nothing like that, it’s just no grip at all. If you’re coming out of the pits and you’re racing each other you have zero grip. The GTP drivers must think we have a problem, but really trying to get a read on the tires, temperature and grip. So, that’s another element in this championship.”

The Series Returns to Action at 411 Motor Speedway on April 20, and Talladega Short Track on April 21-22

SEYMOUR, TN – April 5, 2023 – In the nearly two months since the last World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model event in Florida, Series regulars haven’t stayed quiet.

Before making the next weekend stop at 411 Motor Speedway, April 20, and Talladega Short Track, April 21-22, drivers have taken advantage of the extra time to prepare their programs for the rest of the season.

Reigning World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Rookie of the Year Tanner English has spent time racing in Tennessee and Missouri.

The Benton, KY driver scored a win at Clarksville Speedway and has only finished outside the top five once in those races.

That time inside the car has allowed him to regain his killer instinct.

“We haven’t panicked or anything like that,” English said.  We just put our heads down and went to work, and I feel like we’ve made our car better. 

“It’s big just knowing we can qualify up front and put ourselves in a position to run good. I started on the front row of both Heat Races, and with a lack of racing, I wasn’t as good as I needed to be. I just learned from that, and that’s what happens when you kind of lose your killer instinct.” 

It’s a killer instinct he’ll need to put himself back into championship contention.

He’s currently 11th in points—90 points behind Chris Madden. But it’s a situation he’s familiar with after climbing to a second-place finish in last year’s standings. 

“We just caught some breaks (last year); I don’t feel like we were any better,” English said. “It’s still a long season. I feel like we came from a pretty big deficit last year and still had a shot at winning the title.  

“It makes it harder, but it’s not unattainable.” 

English hasn’t been the only driver taking advantage of seat time during the long break. 

Logan Martin has also been working to find momentum after he didn’t get off to the start at Volusia Speedway Park he hoped for.

The West Plains, MO driver put together a few consistent runs since Florida, including a win at Boothill Speedway in March and a second to Series rival Bobby Pierce at Springfield Raceway. 

Those consistent runs have Martin, who’s currently 20th in points, optimistic about his return to World of Outlaws competition. 

“Obviously, we didn’t have a good run down in Florida, so it’s getting some momentum built back up and some confidence,” Martin said.  

“We’ve just been trying to go race and race when we can on these off days so we can build some confidence before we get back racing with the Outlaws. I feel like we’ve had a lot of good runs since we’ve been off, so I’m excited for 411 and Talladega.” 

However, while Martin has built up his confidence, many of the tracks on the schedule in the next two months are at places he’s never been to. 

But after racing in unfamiliar territory, he returns to the Midwest, where he had his best runs with the Series, including a top five at Boone Speedway in 2021.

“I’m excited for anything in the Midwest,” Martin said. “The Southeast and Northeast stuff, I’ve never really raced in that area. That dirt’s a little bit different, and I’ve never been to any of the tracks in the Northeast. I haven’t been to 411 and Talladega either.  

“I enjoy first-time visits, and I have a lot of confidence heading into it.” 

Martin and English aren’t the only drivers who’ve found success since DIRTcar Nationals in February.

Like English, defending Series champion Dennis Erb Jr. and Brian Shirley also scored a win at Clarksville this season.

And while it’s not in a Late Model, Johnny Scott and Cade Dillard have each won in a Modified.

Despite the curveball of extra time off thrown to World of Outlaws CASE Late Models drivers, many are staying sharp as Series competition resumes later this month.

The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return to action for the Seymour Showdown at 411 Motor Speedway on Thursday, April 20. Then, the Series debuts at Talladega Short Track on Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, for the Alabama Gang 100 weekend—the first $50,000-to-win battle of the season.

For a complete look at the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models Schedule: CLICK HERE. 

April 5, 2023

After a memorable trip to Richmond Raceway, Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team now are focusing the second of three consecutive short track races in the early portion of the 2023 Cup Series schedule. This Easter weekend finds them at Bristol Motor Speedway, where the high-banked, half-mile concrete oval has been covered in clay for the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday night.

“Last weekend in Richmond was a solid result for the No. 21 Ford, but it was also a great day for the Wood Brothers family,” crew chief Brian Wilson said. “To be honored by your home state with the Wood Brothers Racing Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia is a great accomplishment.”

Wilson said the upcoming dirt race also promises to be one to remember.
 
“Looking forward to this weekend in Bristol, we will continue what has become one of the most unique and dynamic events in NASCAR,” he said. “Last year we were able to score a top-20 result which we will build from this year. 
 
“With a year of dirt racing notes we can now be more detailed on our practice plan for this year.”
 
Wilson said the DEX Imaging team, like their peers in the Cup Series, will be trying to predict just what kind of racing surface they’ll see, then tune their cars accordingly.
 
“A lot of the discussion this week has centered around the weather forecast and how often NASCAR will water the track,” he said. “Keeping up with the track as it dries and slicks off will be part of the challenge for all teams.
 
“One thing we know for sure is that the No. 21 DEX Imaging Mustang will look sharp with a little bit of dirt on the paint scheme.”
 
Two practice sessions are scheduled for Friday evening, the first beginning at 6:35 p.m. and the final one at 8:32 p.m.
 
FOX Sports 1 will carry the TV coverage.
 
The first of four 15-lap qualifying races is set to begin at 6 p.m. Saturday, to be followed by the remaining three. FOX Sports 2 will broadcast those races.
 
The 250-lap feature event is scheduled to get the green flag just after 7 p.m. on Sunday with TV coverage on FOX.
 
Stage breaks are planned for Laps 75 and 150. 

 

1 MONTH ALERT: World of Outlaws Return For #LetsRaceTwo at Eldora, May 5-6ROSSBURG, OH (April 5, 2023) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are set for a May visit at Eldora Speedway, May 5-6.The two-day #LetsRaceTwo event brings The Greatest Show on Dirt to Ohio for the first time this season with a plethora of talent.Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz, four-time and reigning Series champion Brad Sweet, current points leader David Gravel, Carson Macedo, James McFadden, Logan Schuchart, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild and more will duel for $10,000 paydays each night at the Tony Stewart owned track.TICKETS: CLICK HEREEarly Storylines:GRAVEL EYES MORE: While he missed out on the bigger paydays, David Gravel still claimed two victories at Eldora Speedway during the famed Kings Royal week – bringing him to five wins overall at the “Big E” and three with the World of Outlaws.He and his Big Game Motorsports team will be poised to add couple more trophies from the historic track to their collection this May and continued to extend their points lead as they’re both chasing their first World of Outlaws title.SCHATZ’S ELDORA: Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz, driver of the CARQUEST/Advance Auto Parts #15 for Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, has one of the best careers at Eldora, scoring 18 World of Outlaws victories there – including five Kings Royal triumphs.He and his team will be looking for their first win at the track since 2019, when he won three of the six races there that year.REIGNING STARS: Rico Abreu, who won with the World of Outlaws at Lincoln Speedway this year, scored the latest Series victory at Eldora in September. Before him, Brent Marks won the Historical Big 1 and was crowned King Brett the 39th at last year’s Kings Royal.Abreu’s victory was his first Eldora win with the World of Outlaws, but seventh overall at the track, having won there with the All Star Circuit of Champions and USAC Midgets before. Marks’ two victories brought him to five victories at the track and four with the World of Outlaws.PREVIOUS ELDORA WINNERS: 2022 –David Gravel on July 13, Brent Marks on July 14, David Gravel on July 15 (Day), Brent Marks on July 15 (Night), Rico Abreu on Sept. 23 2021 – Brent Marks on May 8 (Day), Sheldon Haudenschild on May 8, Carson Macedo on July 14, Tyler Courtney on July 17 (Day), Kyle Larson on July 17, Carson Macedo on July 18, Logan Schuchart on Sept. 24 2019 – Donny Schatz on May 10, Donny Schatz on July 17, Brad Sweet on July 18, Donny Schatz on July 19, Brad Sweet on July 20, Logan Schuchart on Sept. 27 2018 – Donny Schatz on May 11, Donny Schatz on May 12, Shane Stewart on July 12, Donny Schatz on July 13, Donny Schatz on July 14, Brent Marks on Sept. 21, Christopher Bell on October 14 2017 – Logan Schuchart on May 12, Donny Schatz on May 13, Kerry Madsen on July 13, Christopher Bell on July 14, Donny Schatz on May 15, Tim Shaffer on Sept. 22 2016 – Kerry Madsen on May 6, Kerry Madsen on May 7, David Gravel on July 14, Daryn Pittman on July 15, Donny Schatz on July 16, Shane Stewart on Sept. 23 2015 – Donny Schatz on May 8, Donny Schatz on May 9, Shane Stewart on July 17, Shane Stewart on July 18, Greg Wilson on Sept. 25 2014 – Shane Stewart on May 2, David Gravel on May 3, Sammy Swindell on July 11, Kerry Madsen on July 12, Joey Saldana on Sept. 19 2013 – Kerry Madsen on May 3, Daryn Pittman on May 4, Kerry Madsen on July 12, Brad Sweet on July 13 2012 – Chad Kemenah on May 4, Sammy Swindell on May 5, Joey Saldana on July 13, Sammy Swindell on July 14 2011 – Joey Saldana on May 8, Tim Shaffer on July 15, Tyler Walker on July 16, Joey Saldana on Sept. 23 2010 – Joey Saldana on May 8, Paul McMahan on May 9, Joey Saldana on July 16, Steve Kinser on July 17, Jac Haudenschild on Sept. 24 2009 – Donny Schatz on May 9, Terry McCarl on July 17, Donny Schatz on July 18, Jason Sides on Sept. 25 2008 – Craig Dollansky on April 11, Donny Schatz on May 31, Joey Saldana on July 11, Daryn Pittman on July 13, Joey Saldana on Sept. 19 2007 – Jason Meyers on April 13, Paul McMahan on June 2, Steve Kinser on July 13, Donny Schatz on July 14, Joey Saldana on Sept. 21 2006 – Sammy Swindell on April 7, Sammy Swindell on April 8, Craig Dollansky on June 3, Craig Dollansky on July 14, Joey Saldana on July 15, Joey Saldana on Aug. 4 2005 – Sammy Swindell on April 8, Steve Kinser on April 9, Sammy Swindell on June 4, Steve Kinser on July 15, Steve Kinser on July 16, Jac Haudenschild on Aug. 5 2004 – Steve Kinser on April 9, Steve Kinser on April 10, Danny Lasoski on June 5, Dale Blaney on July 16, Jason Sides on July 17, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 6 2003 – Donny Schatz on April 18, Sammy Swindell on April 19, Steve Kinser on May 31, Steve Kinser on July 18, Steve Kinser on July 19, Jason Meyers on Aug. 8 2002 – Craig Dollansky on April 13, Steve Kinser on June 1, Daryn Pittman on July 19, Joey Saldana on July 20, Steve Kinser on Aug. 2 2001 – Stevie Smith on April 13, Mark Kinser on April 14, Andy Hillenburg on June 2, Andy Hillenburg on July 20, Mark Kinser on July 21, Steve Kinser on Aug. 3 2000 – Steve Kinser on April 22, Mark Kinser on June 3, Johnny Herrera on July 13, Sammy Swindell in July 14, Dale Blaney on July 15, Tim Shaffer on Aug. 4 1999 – Steve Kinser on April 2, Tim Shaffer on June 5, Mark Kinser on July 15, Greg Hodnett on July 16, Sammy Swindell on July 17, Stevie Smith on Aug. 6 1998 – Joey Saldana on April 10, Sammy Swindell on April 11, Sammy Swindell on June 13, Jac Haudenschild on July 17, Jac Haudenschild on July 18, Jac Haudenschild on Aug. 7 1997 – Sammy Swindell on April 4, Dave Blaney on June 14, Dave Blaney on July 18, Steve Kinser on July 19, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 8 1996 – Sammy Swindell on April 5, Steve Kinser on June 15, Mark Kinser on July 19, Johnny Herrera on July 20, Mark Kinser on Aug. 9 1995 – Dave Blaney on April 14, Jac Haudenschild on April 15, Steve Kinser on June 10, Dave Blaney on Aug. 11 1994 – Jeff Swindell on April 16, Kenny Jacobs on April 17, Kenny Jacobs on June 11, Dave Blaney on Aug. 12 1993 – Dave Blaney on Dave Blaney on April 17, April 18, Dave Blaney on June 11, Steve Kinser on June 12, Dave Blaney on Aug. 13 1992 – Sammy Swindell on April 12 1991 – Doug Wolfgang on April 20, Steve Kinser on June 7, Sammy Swindell on June 8 1990 – Steve Kinser on April 21, Steve Kinser on April 22, Rickey Hood on June 8, Steve Kinser on June 9 1989 – Lee Brewer on April 22, Jeff Swindell on April 23, Bobby Davis, Jr. on June 9, Doug Wolfgang on June 10, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 4, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 5 1988 – Sammy Swindell on April 9, Doug Wolfgang on April 10, Jac Haudenschild on Aug. 26, Steve Kinser on Aug. 27 1987 – Steve Kinser on April 12, Dave Blaney on Aug. 7, Steve Kinser on Aug. 8 1986 – Sammy Swindell on Aug. 7, Kenny Jacobs on Aug. 8, Bobby Allen on Aug. 9 1985 – Doug Wolfgang on April 13, Doug Wolfgang on April 14, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 8, Jac Haudenschild on Aug. 9, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 10 1984 – Sammy Swindell on April 7, Ron Shuman on April 8 1983 – Steve Kinser on May 21, Brad Doty on May 22 1982 – Danny Smith on May 8, Sammy Swindell on May 9, Doug Wolfgang on June 12, Jac Haudenschild on Aug. 4, Ronnie Daniels on Aug. 5, Rick Ferkel on Aug. 6, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 7, Steve Kinser on Oct. 17 1981 – Sammy Swindell on May 16, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 6, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 7, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 8, Sammy Swindell on Oct. 17, Steve Kinser on Oct. 18 1980 – Sammy Swindell on April 13, Steve Kinser on May 3, Steve Kinser on May 4, Steve Kinser on May 24, Steve Kinser on July 5, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 7, Sammy Swindell on Aug.8, Steve Kinser on Aug. 9, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 30, Doug Wolfgang on Aug. 31, Steve Kinser on Oct. 19 1979 – Ron Shuman on April 15, Dub May on May 27, Steve Kinser on July 3, Sammy Swindell on July 14, Steve Kinser on Aug. 2, Steve Kinser on Aug. 3, Steve Kinser on Aug. 4, Doug Wolfgang on Sept. 1, Shane Carson on Oct. 21 1978 – Bobby Allen on April 16, Rick Ferkel on April 30, Steve Kinser on May 21, Rick Ferkel on July 3, Randy Ford on Aug. 3, Rick Ferkel on Aug. 4, Rick Ferkel on Aug. 5, Steve Kinser on Sept. 3, Shane Carson on Oct. 29If you can’t make it to the track, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

NARC NEWSLINE – APRIL 4, 2023, By Jim Allen … Let’s be honest, motorsports have taken some serious blows in the past three years. First, we got hit with COVID-19, then a totally unexpected tire shortage, and now a lunatic Mother Nature of California acting like she’s got the world’s worst case of PMS. The Golden State headlines are dominated by record rainfall, storms, and flooding that has forced the cancellation and postponement of many racing events. Meteorologist’s call it an “Atmospheric River.”  I think I speak on behalf of everybody reading this column when I call it a “pain in the butt.” 

It’s one thing to rain, but to have so water that most dirt track infields resemble fishing ponds doesn’t work. There is literally no place left for it to drain.  Social media is loaded with track photos showing newfound lakes, ponds, swamps, leaking levees, and flooding. The Tulare Fairgrounds is now a disaster relief center for animals after a recent levee break.  The Kings Speedway  overflow pond is full and there is no place to pump the water unless the neighboring airport wants to start practicing water landings. The grounds surrounding the Stockton Dirt Track resemble swamp lands in Florida and I’m waiting for an alligator to crawl up to the staging area.  Then there is Silver Dollar Speedway where haulers entering the pits would be like a tagline for a horror movie:  “They all went in, but nobody came out.” It’s more suited for Monster Trucks.  And for places like Petaluma, Merced, Antioch, Watsonville, Placerville, KCRP, and Santa Maria, pumping water is part of the morning ritual.

In the meantime, racing teams are getting anxious, promoters wonder when it will end, and fans are enduring some serious withdrawals.  And the main reason we dislike it is because we can’t do anything about it.  It’s totally out of our control.  Don’t you hate when that happens?

Promoter Tony Noceti was all geared up for his big April 1^st Asparagus Cup at Stockton but got cannonballed in the days leading up to the show, completely drenching the place.  He held out for as long as he could but was forced to pull the proverbial plug two days before the show.  At that point, social media lit up like the press coverage of Donald Trump going to New York, proclaiming the show should be moved to Placerville Speedway or Kern County Raceway Park.  Contrary to belief, we looked into one of those options but with just 48 hours’ notice, it just couldn’t happen.  Contrary to belief, racetracks gear up for events, not just open the gate on race day and hope there is beer and food and people to work the facility. Then there is the other wild card and that is the racer and the fan correlation.  We know 100%, beyond a reasonable doubt, that most teams will show up naked to race lawnmowers in the snow.  One thing they don’t do is race for free and without a large crowd, the promoter’s wallet would bleed red ink like it was in a spaghetti strainer.  That’s not a workable scenario.  So now, we just wait.

HEY JIM, DID YOU MENTION SANTA MARIA?  By design, I actually did. Many of you are asking questions about the beleaguered facility.  Is it still open?  Will NARC go there again?  Is the track up for sale?  I heard there is five races scheduled this year – is that true?  And your answers are … SORT OF, WE WANT TO, YUP, and PROBABLY.

But seriously, what is happening at Santa Maria Raceway would make Doug Fort roll over in his grave.  What most people think is that the encroaching housing development hates racing, and the track is being sued into non-existence.  While there is some truth in that statement, it’s really not that way – in a twisted sort of way.

Let me explain: What the housing development has a problem with is the other “entertainment activities” that take place at the track. And we are not talking about something underhanded like a gambling hall or a strip club.  Promoter Nick Duggan and his group of track investors had great plans for the iconic facility and discovered a gold mine opportunity by adding “Mexican Rodeos” to the mix.  It would help make ends meet in a tough business. To put the Mexican Rodeo’s in real world terms, it’s are absolutely huge. They literally make a crowd at a World of Outlaws show look like small family picnic. SMR was literally packed with families enjoying the rodeo, live music, and other related activities.  And they left the place cleaner than when they found it.  That’s a WIN that also happens to reel in local community involvement and support for the facility.

According to legal documents filed by resident lawyers in the neighboring subdivision, it was stated that the Raceway needed an“entertainment license” if they held any activities besides racing.  Not to mention, they also want to require a $100,000 EPA Study to make sure the ground was safe for farm animals and touring rock bands.  So, the track went to PLAN B in an attempt to placate the locals.  Duggan & Company did the right thing and secured the license and incorporated a little “off-road racing” into the next two Mexican Rodeo events. Sounds reasonable, eh?  The best of all worlds, right?  NOPE!  The homeowner’s association felt that effort bypassed the intention of what they were trying to accomplish and stated there wasn’t enough racing to make it a “racing” event.  Somewhere in the middle of all that, they also wanted half of the revenue from those events.  Shortly thereafter, the aforementioned entertainment license was rescinded by San Luis Obispo County officials and the track was fined $25,000.  Man, you can’t make this stuff up!

The good news is because the Raceway was an established facility, several local establishments went to bat for the track, including the police and fire departments.  They wrote letters and eventually, the fine was dropped down to $5,000. While that was good, it’s still a fine for $5000.  Just pile that on top of the other $200,000 in legal fees and just about anybody of sane mind and body would wonder why Duggan didn’t invest in a Quick Quack Car Wash instead. To put those expenses in perspective, that would take a few successful racing seasons to recuperate – and that is if nothing else goes wrong.

At this juncture, the track is still up for sale.  If you have $2.7M burning a hole in your pocket or laying around in your 401K, Santa Maria Raceway could be the business of your dreams (or nightmares if local lawyers continue on their mission.) But don’t wait too long because the land may be more valuable than the track itself.  A storage unit company offered $1.8M and wanted one-year of due diligence to make sure they were not assuming an assortment of hidden liabilities. That didn’t get accepted.

Camping World also stepped up to the offer table with $2.2M, which also included an extended “no racing” holding period.  However, that offer got pulled back when it was discovered the facility is geographically in a flood plain. To build a Camping World would require prior approval by … you ready for this … FEMA, Fish & Game, and the Army Corp of Engineers which maintains and fixes any levee issues. Then there is the ultimate trump card. It’s called CEQA, which is the California Environmental Quality Act.  It requires state and local government to inform decision makers and the public about potential environmental impacts of proposed projects and to reduce them.  So based on that statement which I borrowed off Google, if we all step back for just a second and take a deep breath, it’s actually easier to keepSanta Maria Raceway a racing facility than to actually build on the property. They just can’t do rodeos, concerts, gambling, flea markets, or strip club related activities.

In the meantime, track manager David Castaneda has scheduled a few events in an attempt to keep the track relevant.  While this is going on, legal expenses, fines, and property tax bills still need to be paid and facility maintenance needs to keep moving forward. It might not be a winnable battle.

Castaneda, who actually received a few death threats when the track was initially closed, has a handful of USAC/CRA events scheduled this summer (hopefully). The ownership group is also open for a third-party to come in and promote an event on their own. There have been a few inquiries, but nothing serious yet.  Could it be that they are leery of possibly becoming a defendant on a legal document?

Does this answer all of your questions, or just leave you shaking your head in disbelief?  I can see the heads shaking now!  No, this isn’t another April Fools story, this is the real deal!  If we think that the likes of Kyle Larson, Brad Sweet, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are going to ante up millions to buy tracks out of the goodness of their hearts, it probably isn’t a realistic expectation. In addition to being successful race car drivers, they are successful businessmen. Most investors demand a return on their initial investment within a five-year period. A $2M racetrack purchase equates to cashing out $400,000 a year. That might happen at a Knoxville or Eldora, but probably not at a dirt track in California.  If our racetracks were netting $400,000 per year, we would see Tony Noceti, Scott Russell, Steve Faria and Rick Faeth and others lined up doing the doing the “happy dance” on the front straightaway. (I apologize for that visual.)

Now you have to admit, after reading this, the problems at Calistoga Speedway don’t seem so bad compared to Santa Maria. The reality is there is a lot of work to be done and it’s not just at those two tracks. Perris Auto Speedway is located smack dab in the middle of a proposed State water project and a legal battle related to make the Perris Dam more earthquake safe. State officials want to close the facility to do the work with the promise it will be completed by 2025. Sure, you betcha!  And I’ve got some swamp land at the Stockton Dirt Track I would like to sell you or review the timeline and budget of something called the “Bullet Train to nowhere.” (For news on the Perris situation, go here …https://www.pressenterprise.com/2022/09/04/perris-dam-project-threatens-perris-auto-speedway-fairgrounds-businesses-lawsuit-alleges/)

We also heard through the grapevine that several hotel chains are drooling over the property that is now Ventura Speedway. Ocean views and a beach just 100 yards from the front lobby is in the Embassy Suites business handbook.  The bottom line is we can only dream about some big motorsport icons coming in to purchase Calistoga Speedway and restore it to its 2019 pre-covid luster. Or maybe a race fan will win one of those gigantic billion-dollar Powerball lotteries and take care of everything.  It’s probably has the same odds.

Now the purpose of sharing all of this information is not to get you depressed or upset. Just know that your beloved racetracks are under attack and promoters are fighting hard to save them. Some of those promoters are literally backed into a corner.

If you really want to step up for dirt track racing, we need you to sit down – like in a seat at your local dirt track on race day.  And while you are at it, bring a friend, or two.  We need packed grandstands at every motorsports event in California.  Maybe then, somebody will take notice and realize that the racing community pumps a lot of money into the local economy, and we are one of the best marketing demographics in the U.S.A.  Amen!

NARC NOTES:  Fire suppression systems are mandatory by May 1^st.  An informal poll of NARC regulars show most are way ahead of the curve and are already installed. … It sure is nice to see racetracks finally offering “SEASON PASSES” to diehard race fans. … Joel Myers Jr. is taking no prisoners in New Zealand these days.  He is winning everything back there and hopes to parlay that into a few NARC victories this season. … Along those lines, there are a ton of young drivers on the NARC tour looking to take the next step in their careers.  Who will win their first NARC feature event of their career this season?  Your choices are, in no particular order, Dylan Bloomfield, Max Mittry, Blake Carrick, Kaleb Montgomery, Joel Myers Jr., Tanner Holmes, Nick Parker, Tanner Carrick, Cole Macedo and Joey Ancona.  That is one heck of a heat race if you put them all together. …

… We welcome some new sponsors to our ranks this year including NAPA Auto Parts, Beacon Wealth Strategies, Williams Roofing, Diversified Machine, LifelineUSA, & D & D Roofing. We couldn’t do it without them. If you have a lead on a presenting sponsor for our series, please contact me.  Please support those who support sprint car racing. …  As you may have seen, Ben Deatherage is our new Media Specialist this season, replacing Alex Nieten who now works for the World of Outlaws.  He has already created some great marketing pieces and authors a new column called “NARC BY THE NUM*ER5!  Make sure you check it out.  You can also listen to his Inside NARCinterviews online and his multitude of interviews on Highside Racing Promotions. … You can catch NARC on Floracing, but as I stated earlier, we really need you at the track. … Tim Kaeding needs a full-time 410 ride. … It is going to be nice to see a little more of Andy Forsberg and Sean Becker this season. Both have more 410 events on their schedule. …  Let the High Limit races begin! … For those of you who may be interested in some  golf during the Fastest Four Days in Motorsports adventure, send me a DM.  I’m planning to fill in some downtime.

And finally, we’ve got a ton of racing coming up.  Peter Murphy is hard at it to make sure Kings Speedway is race-ready for Saturday’s (4/8/23) $10,000 to win Anthony Simone Classic. The pit area might not be perfect when we arrive, but the alternative is sitting at home surfing crap-shows on Netflix for the 300^th time.  I’ll take racing for $10,000 Alex!  This show also includes a 15-lap non-wing NARC feature.

By the way, if you get a chance, make sure you stop by the NAPA Auto Parts store in Hanford between 10:00 a.m. and NOON on Saturday.  Our two-time NARC champion Dominic Scelzi will have his hauler and car on display and will be signing autographs.  And … possibly handing out some free stuff.  The address is 380 W 8th St, Hanford, CA 93230.

We follow up the Simone show with the highly anticipated Dennis Roth Classic on April 14-15th at the Thunderbowl Raceway. The winner will walk away with $18,383 on Saturday night.  The extra $83 comes via a contribution by Brad Kennedy in case you were wondering.  Look for Roth Motorsports to have two or three cars running in the event.  By the way, in addition to the enhanced purse, individual event winners take home a Roth ice chest full of meat.  Fast time is worth 10 lbs. of New York Strip. Heat race winners take home 20 lbs. of Tri-Tip.  And theDennis Roth Classic winner will be loaded up with 30 lbs. of Ribeye.  Of course, the Sunnyvalley Dash winner takes home 10 lbs. of the best bacon on the planet.  A clean sweep of the program comes with a free cholesterol check.

We conclude the month of April – Mother Nature permitting – on April 29^th.  The NARC 410 sprint cars will be returning to Antioch Speedwayfor the first time since 2017.  Everybody is pretty stoked about the Contra Costa County Clash.  We will see you there!

Coming to you live from Auburn, CA.  See ya.

FOUNTAIN CITY, WI (April 4, 2023) – One of the biggest World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model events of the season lands in May at Wisconsin’s Mississippi Thunder Speedway.

The Dairyland Showdown, May 4-6, will boast a $264,000 overall purse – the second biggest of the year – between the three days with Thursday and Friday’s events featuring two $5,000-to-win Features each night and then Saturday boasting a $50,000 payday.

It makes for a massive destination weekend at the 3/8-mile track, loved by fans and drivers, in Fountain City, WI.

TICKETS: CLICK HERE

Early Storylines:

GUSTIN’S PLAYGROUND: Ryan Gustin, of Marshalltown, IA – less than 4 hours from Fountain City – has collected five wins at Mississippi Thunder Speedway. However, all five came in a Modified.

He’ll be poised to get his first with the World of Outlaws this year after a breakthrough season in 2022, which saw him pick up his first two Series victories. He hasn’t finished outside the top 10 in his last four Series starts at the track and has a career best Series finish of second there.

OUTLAW WINNERS: Three of the current World of Outlaws championship contenders have scored Series victories at Mississippi Thunder Speedway – Bobby Pierce, four-time Series champion Brandon Sheppard and current Series points leader Chris Madden.

Sheppard scored his win during the World of Outlaws’ Series debut at the track in 2021 and then Madden claimed the victory the next night. Pierce earned his third win with the Series at the track last year and will be poised to try and repeat as he chases the World of Outlaws title for the first time in his career.

TITLE HUNT: With one of the most impressive rosters in World of Outlaws CASE Late Model history, the hunt for the 2023 title is far from predictable. After securing his first Series title last year, Dennis Erb Jr. is back with two-time Crew Chief of the Year winner Heather Lyne, for a back to back run, but drivers like Chris Madden, Brian Shirley, Brandon Sheppard and Max Blair have had a strong start to the season, putting themselves at the front of the leaderboard.

Three nights at Mississippi Thunder Speedway could shake up the standings if one contenders hits a hot streak all three nights or if someone misses their setup.

PREVIOUS MISSISSIPPI THUNDER WINNERS:
2022 – Bobby Pierce, on May 5, Jonathan Davenport on May 6, Mike Marlar on May 7
2021 – Brandon Sheppard on May 7, Chris Madden on May 8

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Gravel, Sweet, and Macedo attempting to separate themselves as tour hits the Heartland

OSBORN, MO (April 4, 2023) – After Texas two-steppin’ at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars are set to begin an extended stay in America’s Heartland.

This Friday, April 7 The Greatest Show on Dirt heads to US 36 Raceway (Osborn, MO). It’ll be the sixth visit to the 3/8thmile and first since August of 2020. Then a four-hour drive southwest takes the tour to Wichita, KS where 81 Speedway hosts the fifth Jason Johnson Classic, awarding $20,000 to the winner. The World of Outlaws have visited the Kansas oval 13 times, but Saturday’s trip will be the first in six years and the first time its hosted the Jason Johnson Classic.

The double header will be the first of five consecutive weekends in the Midwest with a return to Missouri along with races in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio all awaiting the country’s best drivers.

Let’s look at some of this weekend’s top storylines:

TITLE TRIO: It’s still very early in the 2023 World of Outlaws season, but three drivers have established themselves as early championship favorites with roughly an eighth of the campaign in the books.

Ever since winning the season opener, David Gravel has refused to relinquish his spot atop the standings. The pilot of the Big Game Motorsports #2 hasn’t won since topping three of the five Volusia Speedway Park races to begin the year, but he’s maintained consistency with a streak of four straight top fives entering this weekend.

The Watertown, CT native has been strong at both tracks awaiting the tour this weekend. At 36, Gravel owns top fives in both of his Series starts. His one appearance at 81 (’17) yielded a podium.

Brad Sweet has been chipping away at Gravel’s lead and has it down to 26 markers courtesy of five top-two finishes in the last seven races. Like Gravel, Sweet owns a pair of World of Outlaws appearances in Osborn that resulted in top fives. The four-time champion finished fifth in Wichita in 2017.

Only six points behind Sweet in the standings is where Carson Macedo can be found. He’s fresh off posting his first podium since Volusia aboard the Jason Johnson Racing #41. Saturday’s race is circled for the Lemoore, CA native as he’d love nothing more than parking the JJR machine in Victory Lane on the night honoring the late legend. It’ll be Macedo’s debut at 81 Speedway.

BAYSTON BUILDING MOMENTUM: After some early struggles in Florida, Spencer Bayston continues to head in the right direction with CJB Motorsports.

The Lebanon, IN native earned a pair of top 10s at Devil’s Bowl. After posting an 11.6 average finish in the first five races of the season, he’s improved to an 8.8 in the most recent five. The 24-year-old is now tied with Donny Schatz for seventh in points.

Bayston looks to keep rolling at a pair of tracks he’s yet to visit with the World of Outlaws.

OSBORN ENCORE?: Sheldon Haudenschild is known as one of the most exciting drivers on the World of Outlaws tour, and during the Series’ most recent visit to US 36, he gave a strong piece of evidence.

The Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing gasser came out of nowhere on the last lap and ripped around the outside of Brad Sweet to steal the win in the final corner with the checkered flag in sight.

After a tough weekend in Texas with finishes of 16th and 13th, the Wooster, OH native hopes for a similar outcome at this year’s Osborn invasion to kickstart his campaign with his first win of the year.

ONE WICHITA WINNER: Only a single driver who will be in attendance this weekend has visited Victory Lane at 81 Speedway in World of Outlaws competition – Donny Schatz.

The 10-time Series champion has topped the two most recent visits (’06 & ’17) to the Kansas oval. In four total starts there, his average finish is 3.75 with podiums in three of the four.

It’s been an up and down season so far for Schatz aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing #15. He owns five finishes of seventh or better, but the other half of the schedule has seen him land outside the top 10.

HONORING THE RAGIN’ CAJUN: Saturday in Kansas is much more than a race. It’s a chance to remember and honor a man who was unanimously revered in the pit area, Jason Johnson. For fellow drivers, the best way to do so is cementing their name as a Jason Johnson Classic winner.

The first edition in 2019 provided a moment that couldn’t have been scripted better when David Gravel wheeled the JJR #41 to victory.

Next up, it was the Series’ most recent winner and current Roth Motorsports driver, James McFadden, coming out on top by leading all 41 circuits.

Two years ago, Brad Sweet wheeled the Kasey Kahne Racing #49 to glory in the third edition.

Last season Jacob Allen outdueled Brady Bacon to jumpstart his breakout 2022 campaign that saw him go on to win four races.

All four of these full-time World of Outlaws will be looking to become the first multi-time winner of the event while a bevy of others aim to add their name to the list.

LOCAL FLAVOR: A variety of drivers local to the region are expected to join The Greatest Show on Dirt this weekend.

Grain Valley, MO’s Brian Brown aims to follow the tour for a second consecutive weekend. Brown owns a few ASCS Regional top fives at US 36 and topped an NCRA show at 81 Speedway back in ’08.

After making his season debut at Devil’s Bowl, Ayrton Gennetten plans to compete with the World of Outlaws again. The Versailles, MO native finished third in a 2020 ASCS race in Osborn and claimed the runner-up spot in a 2019 NCRA event in Wichita.

Blake Hahn is fresh off earning a top-10 finish in his World of Outlaws Feature debut. The wheelman from the nearby Sooner State has been close to victory at US 36 and has won with both NCRA (’18) and the ASCS Sooner Region (’22) at 81.

For tickets to US 36 Raceway and 81 Speedway, CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the tracks, you can watch all the action live on DIRTVision.

CURRENT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (10/84 Races)

1. 2 – David Gravel (1424 PTS); 2. 49 – Brad Sweet (-26PTS); 3. 41 – Carson Macedo (-32PTS); 4. 11 – Michael Kofoid (-64PTS); 5. 1S – Logan Schuchart (-74PTS); 6. 17 – Sheldon Haudenschild (-114PTS); 7. 15 – Donny Schatz (-128PTS); 8. 5 – Spencer Bayston (-128PTS); 9. – 83 James McFadden (-144PTS); 10. 9 – Kasey Kahne (-176PTS)

NOS ENERGY DRINK FEATURE WINNERS (6 Drivers):

3 wins – David Gravel (Big Game Motorsports #2)
2 wins – Brad Sweet (Kasey Kahne Racing #49), James McFadden (Roth Motorsports #83)
1 win – Carson Macedo (Jason Johnson Racing #41), Rico Abreu (Rico Abreu Racing #24), Buddy Kofoid (CMS Racing #11)

FEATURE LAPS LED (11 Drivers):

64 laps – Brad Sweet
60 laps – James McFadden
54 laps – David Gravel
46 laps – Buddy Kofoid
21 laps – Carson Macedo
13 laps – Rico Abreu
10 laps – Anthony Macri, Cory Eliason
9 laps – Gio Scelzi, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brent Marks

LOW-E INSULATION QUICKTIME AWARDS (7 Drivers):

4 QuickTimes – Carson Macedo
1 QuickTime – Anthony Macri, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, David Gravel, Buddy Kofoid

HEAT RACE WINNERS (14 Drivers):

6 Heat Wins – Buddy Kofoid
4 Heat Wins – David Gravel, Carson Macedo, Brent Marks
3 Heat Wins – Logan Schuchart
2 Heat Wins – Spencer Bayston, Gio Scelzi, Brad Sweet
1 Heat Win – James McFadden, Brian Brown, Donny Schatz, Danny Dietrich, Freddie Rahmer, Sheldon Haudenschild, Jacob Allen

TOYOTA DASH APPEARANCES (22 Drivers):

7 Dashes – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
6 Dashes – Logan Schuchart, Buddy Kofoid, Carson Macedo
4 Dashes – Jacob Allen, Spencer Bayston, Brent Marks
3 Dashes – Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu,
2 Dashes – Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich, Sheldon Haudenschild, James McFadden
1 Dash – Anthony Macri, Robbie Price, Cory Eliason, Justin Peck, Kasey Kahne, Freddie Rahmer, Devon Borden

MICROLITE LAST CHANCE SHOWDOWN WINS (8 Drivers):

1 LCS Win – Brock Zearfoss, Parker Price-Miller, Sheldon Haudenschild, Gio Scelzi, Noah Gass, Hunter Schuerenberg, James McFadden, Wayne Johnson

KSE HARD CHARGER AWARDS (8 Drivers):

2 Hard Chargers – Brock Zearfoss, James McFadden
1 Hard Charger – Tyler Courtney, Donny Schatz, Gio Scelzi, Robbie Price, David Gravel, Logan Schuchart

PODIUM FINISHES (15 Drivers):

5 Podiums – David Gravel, Brad Sweet
4 Podiums – Buddy Kofoid
3 Podiums – Carson Macedo
2 Podiums – Jacob Allen, James McFadden
1 Podium – Danny Dietrich, Logan Schuchart, Brian Brown, Kasey Kahne, Rico Abreu, Devon Borden, Spencer Bayston, Sheldon Haudenschild, Brent Marks

TOP 10 FINISHES (26 Drivers):

10 Top 10s – Carson Macedo
9 Top 10s – Brad Sweet, David Gravel
8 Top 10s – Logan Schuchart
7 Top 10s – Sheldon Haudenschild, Buddy Kofoid
5 Top 10s – Donny Schatz, James McFadden, Spencer Bayston
4 Top 10s – Brent Marks, Gio Scelzi, Rico Abreu
3 Top 10s – Justin Peck, Jacob Allen, Kasey Kahne
2 Top 10s – Aaron Reutzel, Brian Brown, Danny Dietrich
1 Top 10 – Brock Zearfoss, Cory Eliason, Robbie Price, Tyler Courtney, Zeb Wise, Devon Borden, Blake Hahn, Sam Hafertepe Jr

2023 WORLD OF OUTLAWS SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & WINNERS:

No. / Day, Date / Track / Location / Winner (Total Wins)

1. Fri, Feb 10 / 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)

Inside Line Promotions – FRESNO, Calif. (April 4, 2023) – Mother Nature has halted the racing plans for Dominic Scelzi the last few weekends.

Fingers are crossed the weather is favorable this Saturday when Scelzi invades Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., for the Anthony Simone Classic with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series.

“The wet weather hasn’t benefitted racing, but there are people in California who needed the rain,” Scelzi said. “Hopefully we can get back to action this weekend at one of my favorite tracks.”

Scelzi was victorious at Kings Speedway six times in 2021 and he earned one triumph there last year when he posted seven top-five finishes.

“We’ve enjoyed a lot of success there throughout my career,” he said. “I feel like we are extremely confident every time we drive through the gates. Lately our biggest challenge has been Mother Nature so hopefully she gives us a chance on Saturday.”

The Anthony Simone Classic marks the third scheduled NARC Series race of the year – with the first two raining out – and the first at Kings Speedway, which hosts four total races this season for the Series. Scelzi has nine more races planned at the dirt oval this season.

“I’m excited for the Anthony Simone Classic, which honors a great guy,” he said. “We have a lot of races remaining at Kings Speedway this year so I hope we can start off on the right foot by contending for a victory.”

SEASON STATS –

2 races, 0 wins, 2 top fives, 2 top 10s, 2 top 15s, 2 top 20s

UP NEXT –

Saturday at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., for the Anthony Simone Classic with the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series

MEDIA LINKS –

Website: http://www.GaryScelziMotorsports.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DominicScelzi41

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Scelzi41

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – K&N Filters 

K&N Engineering is the world’s leading manufacturer of washable performance air filters and air intake systems. K&N is a world class filtration company selling air filters, oil filters and air intakes in more than 30 countries. K&N sells more than 5,000 products designed for cars, trucks, motorcycles, engines and industrial applications. For more information, visit http://www.KNfilters.com.

“K&N Filters gives our motors the maximum performance they can possibly have,” Scelzi said. “They are the best product on the market and we’ve enjoyed getting to know everyone at K&N throughout the years.”

Scelzi would like to thank Red Rose Transportation, Inc., Scelzi Enterprises, Whipple Superchargers, System 1, Fuel Delivery Services, Inc., Red Line Oil, FK Rod Ends, Schoenfeld Headers, Roth Motorsports, K&N Filters, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, NAPA Auto Parts, Todd Jorgensen, Sparco, Allstar Performance, Meridian Steel, Auto Meter, Kenny’s Components and Worldwide Bearings for their continued support.

(April 3, 2023 – Ben Deatherage) Hanford, CA … For the third time in about as many weeks, the NARC 410 Sprint Car Series, presented by NAPA Auto Parts, hopes to fire off the 2023 season in California. The previous two races have been washed away due to wet weather but that streak will end when the tour heads to Kings Speedway for the Anthony Simone Classic on Saturday, April 8th. Good weather is in the forecast and the winner of the 30-lap NAPA headliner will pocket a cool $10,000 at the end of the night.
“We’ve been waiting for the weather the change so that we can race,” commented Kings Speedway promoter Peter Murphy. “Hopefully we can be one of the first ones to get going here so everyone can come out and celebrate racing again, especially with the Anthony Simone being ‘Mr. Excitement’ as he was as last year’s race you had to be there.”
It will be the third edition of the Anthony Simone Classic, a tradition that began in 2021. Shane Golobic of Fremont won the inaugural event, while the defending race winner is Rico Abreu.
Returning to the program will be a non-wing, non-points race to cap the night off. The only time this happened was in the first incarnation of the event, and Indiana driver Tyler Courtney won it. It also was the first time since 1985 that NARC sanctioned a wingless event.
“I appreciate the NARC Series, Peter Murphy, and everybody at Kings Speedway that’s going to put this race on,” said Anthony Simone’s son Mauro, “It’s a great way to get everybody together, and it’s a great race. My dad started running NARC all the way back in 1978.”
Of the twenty-seven winners in the past fifty-three trips to Kings, Tim Kaeding has amassed the most wins since 2001 with eight trips to victory. In addition, Brent Kaeding has bagged five trophies, while Jonathan Allard and Dominic Scelzi have four each.
Who to Watch
D.J. Netto will make a hometown stand at Kings looking for his first win with the NARC 410 Sprint Series at Hanford. Netto has accumulated four podiums finishes, seven Top 5s, and seventeen Top 10s in twenty starts. Last season, D.J. won at the Stockton Dirt Track, the fifth of his career in 148 starts with the group.
Roseville’s Justyn Cox looks forward to hitting the 3/8-mile in the Bates Hamilton Racing #42X entry. Cox posted his lone podium finish of the 2022 campaign with the NARC 410 Sprint Series at Kings and went along with his total of two Top 5s and three Top 10s in six starts in Hanford. Cox is running his first full NARC season since 2016 when he finished third in the final championship standings. Justyn has qualified for forty-one main events throughout his career with the tour and has nineteen Top 10s and five Top 5s.
Dylan Bloomfield only made nine starts with the NARC 410 Sprint Series last season in the famed Dave Vertullo #83V machine. Nevertheless, the Oakley teenager had two Top 10 results, one happening at Hanford on October 8th during the Morrie Williams Memorial. He will be representing a large contingent of young drivers that include last seasons rookie of the year Max Mittry of Redding, Clovis driver Corey Day, Joey Ancona of Concord, Templeton driver and Oregon driver Tanner Holmes.
Billy Aton was eighth in NARC 410 Sprint Series final points last year. The Benicia-based chauffeur has five career starts at Kings and has just one Top 10, a seventh-place result on September 25th, 2021. Aton has one series career win, at Santa Maria Raceway in 2021, two Top 5s, and fifteen Top 10s in forty-six feature appearances.
Also competing for the huge winners payday will be two-time defending series champion Dominic Scelzi of Fresno, Aromas pilot Justin Sanders, Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Penngrove’s Chase Johnson, Fremont’s Shane Golobic, Geoffrey Strole from Hanford, Nevada driver Bill Smith, and many more!
Fan & Competitor Info
Kings Speedway powered by Keller Motors is located at the Kings Fairgrounds at 801 S 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. For ticket information, log on to https://www.myracepass.com/tracks/1797/tickets/1325082 for online purchases. Tickets are priced at $20.00 for Adults and $15.00 for Children (7-17), Military, and Seniors (65+). Also, be sure to visit the track website, www.racekingsspeedway.com.
Pit Gates open at 1:00 pm, Front Gates at 4:00, Hot Laps at 5:00, and Racing is scheduled to kick off around 6:00. Be sure to visit Pete’s Pub after the Front Gates open and take advantage of special deals on food and beverages before the races start.
The NARC 410 Sprint Series, presented by Napa Auto Parts, is the leading 410 Sprint Car tour west of the Rocky Mountains. Since 1960, they have enthralled countless thousands of fans from tracks up and down the Pacific Coast. For more information, visit their website at www.narc410.com or social media pages.
The Anthony Simone Classic can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race.

POMONA, CA (April 2, 2023) —- For second year Pro Stock driver Camrie Caruso last weekend’s win at the NHRA Arizona Nationals was a huge step forward. The driver of the Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro wanted to prove to herself and her fellow competitors that her first professional win was not a fluke and the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year was ready to be a championship contender. Today at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Caruso and her KB Titan Racing team proved just that point racing to the semifinals before losing to eventual winner and KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn from the No. 1 qualifier position.

Camrie Caruso and Powerbuilt Chevrolet Camaro, photo credit SR Driven Media

“Our expectations were to win this race and go back-to-back,” said Caruso, who now has two career No. 1 qualifiers in just 22 professional races. “We have a consistent racecar, a good team, and a good combo. Our engine tuner Mike Smith texted me on Wednesday and told me we were going to win from the pole this weekend. I was like that sounds like a great plan. We came off the trailer and went to No. 1 so that felt pretty good.”

Caruso and her Powerbuilt Chevrolet team rolled off the trailer and went to No. 1 on Friday before holding off the rest of the field on Saturday. Caruso competed in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and while she did not advance to the final round, she recorded the quickest losing time in the semifinals and earned one championship point for her effort. Going into race day Caruso was facing No. 16 qualifier Steven Graham for the first time. The competitiveness of the Pro Stock class had Caruso feeling on edge.

“I was more nervous for the first round today than I was for the final in Arizona,” said Caruso. “Everybody thinks you’re number one and you have the quickest car. I know that doesn’t matter on race day when anything can happen.”

Camrie Caruso rolls to lanes during Winternationals, photo credit SR Driven Media

She took the first round win with a wire-to-wire run that had her first off the line with a .017 reaction time and an elapsed time of 6.546 seconds at 209.98 mph. The win moved her into a match-up with Troy Coughlin Jr., the Gatornationals winner and only other driver besides Caruso who had stood in a winner’s circle in 2023. Once again Caruso was strong off the line with another .017 reaction time and her aggressiveness proved to be the deciding factor in the win. Her slower elapsed time of 6.576 seconds got to the finish line stripe first over Coughlin’s 6.566 second run thanks to the starting line advantage.

“I know Troy is a great racer,” said Caruso. “They have a great program over there. I kind of anticipated some starting line games but it wasn’t too bad. I knew it was going to be a tight race one no matter which way it went. I was a little nervous for that one, but we recovered well. The car started drifting left and you have to get in the mindset that you’re controlling a monster. You have to be careful because one big movement at the top end and you’re probably going to flip. You have a fine line to walk and we were able to get it done.”

In the semifinals looking to go to back-to-back finals for the first time Caruso raced her teammate Dallas Glenn. Both young stars are lethal off the starting line and Glenn was nearly perfect with a .002 against Caruso’s solid .029 to grab an early lead which he held onto for the full quarter mile. While Caruso’s day was done with a semifinal finish, she knew there was a positive side regardless.

“Racing Dallas was hard. I wanted to win but he did great. It’s an all KB Titan Final so no matter what KB Titan comes out on top,” said Caruso, who will leave Pomona sitting No. 2 in the Pro Stock point standings. 

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.518 sec, 211.79 mph; Qual. 1

Q2: 6.550 sec, 210.73 mph; Qual. 1

Q3: 6.572 sec, 210.80 mph; Qual. 1

Bonus Points:  +3 (Quickest of Q1)

Race Results

First Round

Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, (.017) 6.546, 209.98 mph def. Steven Graham, Chevrolet Camaro, (.022) 6.626, 207.46 mph

Second Round

Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, (.017) 6.576, 210.24 mph def. Troy Coughlin Jr., JEGS Chevrolet Camaro, (.037) 6.566, 211.16 mph

Semifinals

Dallas Glenn, RAD Torque Systems Chevrolet Camaro, (.002) 6.573, 209.43 mph def.Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro, (.029) 6.574, 209.59 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1.         Dallas Glenn               235

2.         Camrie Caruso            230

2.         Matt Hartford             230

4.         Troy Coughlin Jr          209

5.         Bo Butner                   182

6.         Aaron Stanfield          173

7.         Greg Anderson           165

7.         Kyle Koretsky              165

9.         Mason McGaha          161

10.       Cristian Cuadra           128

10.       Erica Enders                128

POMONA, CA (April 2, 2023) — Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by National Debt Relief roared to victory today at the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in front of packed grandstands and a host of sponsor representatives from Phillips Connect, Phillips Industries, Toyota, Lucas Oil, Mac Tools, KATO Fastening Systems and National Debt Relief. The No. 1 qualifier outran Krista Baldwin, won on a bye run and then defeated three-time world champion and Toyota teammate Antron Brown before besting Austin Prock for the second year in a row in the Winternationals final round. 

“I feel very fortunate and blessed to have the kind of relationship that we have with Phillips Connect,” said Ashley, from the Shav Glick Media Center. “You know, when we started this last year, for the most part they were new to drag racing so to be able to bring them into this community to be able to work with them as one team, not Phillips Connect and Justin Ashley Racing but as one Phillips Connect team that is really something special. You see it with the results on the race track but you also see it with the results off the race track and the culture fit is just perfect. So being able to have everyone from Phillips Industries, Phillips Connect here in their hometown and collect the Wally and give it to Rob Phillips, Amber White and Jim Epler to take back with them to the office is really something special.”

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

Over the course of the weekend Ashley qualified No. 1 for the third time in his career and won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge on Saturday outrunning Steve Torrence and Leah Pruett for the $10,000 top prize and more importantly three championship points. On race day Ashley was nonplussed by the pressure of being the No. 1 qualifier and raced his way to his seventh Top Fuel victory of his career and his first back-to-back wins.

“I’m not sure a race weekend gets better than this to be honest with you,” confessed Ashley. “I think it was just really an incredible job top to bottom. We were saying on our way up here that to win any race is special and then to be able to win two races in a row, with the Mission Foods Challenge in between is just amazing. What makes it even greater is how much we really struggled in Gainesville. To be able to bounce back like that really shows you how resilient our team is and it started on Friday and Saturday during qualifying.”

Final round win for Justin Ashley (foreground) versus Austin Prock, photo credit Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

The competition top to bottom in Top Fuel has been tough the past three seasons and in 2023 the margin for error is zero in qualifying and on race day. Every round is important and the drivers in the other lane have strong equipment and experience behind the wheel.

“No matter who you race, it’s going to be tough, and you have to have four almost perfect rounds of racing to give yourself a chance to win. Qualifying number one did help us out because we had that second round bye so that all adds up to a really successful weekend,” added Ashley.

Throughout the day Ashley was strong off the starting line with reaction times of .039, .055, .047 and .033 in the final versus Prock who he extended his final round record to 3-1 against with today’s win. The budding rivalry is not on Ashley’s radar, and he evaluates the entire group of Top Fuel racers as a very tough selection of competitors.

“No, he’s (Prock) just another opponent in the other lane,” said Ashley. “Obviously, I have a lot of respect for Austin. I think he does a great job on the starting line. He’s a great driver and I have a lot of respect for all the drivers out here, but I think I’d be doing my team a disservice if I was focused on what’s going on in the other lane. We’re just focused on doing the very best that we can to focus on our lane, doing everything I can to go from A to B as straight and as quickly as possible. So that’s really where the focus always is.”

The back-to-back wins moved Ashley into the Top Fuel points lead after three races. For the fourth year pro and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by National Debt Relief the string start has them focused on the championship as well as the next race in Las Vegas.

“It is important to know the championships a long way but it’s important to start collecting points now because you want to be in the best possible position once that Countdown starts,” said Ashley. “Goal number one is to make the Countdown. Goal number two is put yourself in a position to win the championship and those points add up. The points that we accumulate now count just as much as the points that we accumulate in Indy before the Countdown starts. It’s never too early to start thinking about the championship. Our focus is going to stay on one race at a time. After this win it will shift to Las Vegas but I think collecting those points is something that’s always in the back of our mind.”

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.729 sec, 329.99 mph; Qual. 2

Q2: 3.751 sec; 331.20 mph; Qual. 3

Q3: 3.707 sec, 330.15 mph; Qual. 1

Bonus Points: +5 (2^nd quickest of Q1 and quickest of Q3)

Race Results

First Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.039) 3.719, 329.91 mph def. Krista Baldwin, dragster, (.058) 5.634, 120.83 mph

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.055) 3.712, 329.99 mph def. competition bye

Semifinals

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.047) 3.743, 331.77 mph def. Antron Brown, Matco Tools Toyota dragster, (.049) 3.749, 331.61 mph

Final Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.033) 3.713, 330.63 mph def. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, (.054) 3.762, 327.43 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1.         Justin Ashley              268

2.         Steve Torrence           223

3.         Mike Salinas               213

4.         Brittany Force             204

5.         Austin Prock                201

6.         Leah Pruett                 195

7.         Shawn Langdon          181

8.         Doug Kalitta                167

9.         Antron Brown             162

10.       Tony Schumacher       117

Latest points update after Federated Auto Parts Texas Outlaw Nationals (March 31-April1)

OSBORN, MO (April 3, 2023) – Keep up with the latest movers in the chase for the 2023 World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series championship.

LATEST RACE(S): Devil’s Bowl Speedway (March 31-April 1)

CURRENT POINTS LEADER: With a pair of fourth-place efforts in Texas, David Gravel continued to hold his point lead. The Watertown, CT native hasn’t finished worse than fourth in the last four races and owns a 4.1 average finish for the season.

MOVERS:

Brad Sweet (+1): The four-time and reigning champion put together another productive weekend, topping Friday’s Feature and following it with a fifth on Saturday. After entering the weekend third in points and 32 markers out of the top spot, Sweet climbed into second – just 26 points behind Gravel.

“The Big Cat” has only missed the top five once in the last seven races and owns a 2.7 average finish over that span.

Carson Macedo (-1): The Jason Johnson Racing driver lost a spot but didn’t lose a ton of ground in the grand scheme of things. On night one, Macedo finished seventh then followed it with a third on Saturday – his first podium since Volusia.

Macedo slipped into third but is still only 32 points behind Gravel after trailing him by 28 points at the start of the weekend. He remains the only driver yet to miss the top 10 this season.

Michael Kofoid (+1): Finishes of fifth and second at Devil’s Bowl elevated Kofoid into fourth in the standings. However, his time there won’t be long as he and CMS Racing are running a part-time World of Outlaws schedule.

Logan Schuchart (-1): Shark Racing’s Logan Schuchart posted results of sixth and 14th this past weekend, dropping him down to fifth in the standings.

While he would’ve preferred better finishes, the Hanover, PA native salvaged the second night by driving from 24th up to 14th, softening the blow in points and keeping the leaders not too far ahead.

TOP-10 IN POINTS:

1. David Gravel: 1424 Points (Big Game Motorsports #2)

2. Brad Sweet: -26 Points (Kasey Kahne Racing #49)

3. Carson Macedo: -32 Points (Jason Johnson Racing #41)

4. Buddy Kofoid: -64 Points (CMS Racing #11)

5. Logan Schuchart: -74 Points (Shark Racing #1S)

6. Sheldon Haudenschild: -114 Points (Stenhouse Jr./Marshall Racing #17)

7. Donny Schatz: -128 Points (Tony Stewart Racing/Curb Agajanian #15)

8. Spencer Bayston: -128 Points (CJB Motorsports #5)

9. James McFadden: -144 Points (Roth Motorsports #83)

10. Kasey Kahne: -176 Points (Kasey Kahne Racing #9)

For full Series Points, CLICK HERE.

NEXT RACE(S): US 36 Raceway (Osborn, MO) on April 7 & 81 Speedway (Wichita, KS) on April 8 ($20,000 to win Jason Johnson Classic). For tickets, CLICK HERE.

CHEVROLET IN NHRA

LUCAS OIL NHRA WINTERNATIONALS

POMONA, CALIFORNIA

TEAM CHEVY RACE REPORT

APRIL 2, 2023

DALLAS GLENN EARNS CHEVROLET’S 250TH NHRA PRO STOCK WIN AND HIS FIFTH CAREER VICTORY AT POMONA

• Dallas Glenn earned Chevrolet’s 369th win Pro Stock since 1970, the 250th in the Chevrolet Camaro.
• Austin Prock raced to his eighth career final round, finishing runner-up in his fourth straight final round at Pomona.

POMONA, Calif. (April 2, 2023) – Under sunny Southern Californian skies at the In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip, the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals saw Chevrolet racing to victory in Pro Stock once again this season, with Dallas Glenn in the RAD Torque Chevrolet Camaro SS capturing his fifth career NHRA victory in his ninth final round, Chevrolet’s 250th victory in the Camaro, and the 369th Pro Stock win since 1970.

“I looked over and he was right there,” said Glenn on racing his KB Titan Racing teammate Matt Hartford in the final round. “I knew he’s been outrunning me down the back, so I knew it was tight. It got real loose from 1,000 ft. on. It feels really good. I’ve never won here at Pomona. I’ve been in the final round once in Stock. This feels awesome right here. This is great.”

For Brittany Force, in the Flav-R-Pac/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, and John Force Racing teammate Austin Prock, in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, it came down to the semifinals facing each other to see who would move to the final round to face off for the win. With identical runs to the 60-foot mark, Prock got the win over B. Force after she smoked the tires mid-track, with Prock entering his fourth straight final round in Pomona versus Justin Ashley, finishing runner-up for the fourth time in his career on his run of 3.762 ET at 327.43 MPH.

Earning the second No. 1 qualifier of her young NHRA Pro Stock career, Camrie Caruso, in her Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, looked to kick off her Sunday strong, and raced to the semifinals until KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn, in his RAD Torque Chevrolet Camaro SS, knocked her out and raced to the finals to face teammate Matt Hartford. While Hartford beat Glenn off of the starting line in reaction time, Glenn powered to the finish line first to capture the Wally.

In Funny Car, both John Force Racing Chevrolet Funny Cars faced early ends to their race days, eliminated by their opponents in Round 1. John Force, who qualified No. 16 after an on-track incident in Q2 Saturday sent him to a backup BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car, looks to the upcoming NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for redemption. Robert Hight, in the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car, started the weekend with a strong run in qualifying to put him on the ladder in the No. 3 position. He next heads to Las Vegas’s NHRA Four-Wide Nationals to potentially compete in his 400th NHRA Funny Car event.

Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals Friday, April 14-Sunday, April 16, 2023, at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live on April 16 at 9:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1).

ROUND 1 RECAP

Top Fuel:

• No. 2 Brittany Force defeated No. 13 Ron August, Jr. on a solo run after August, Jr. faces mechanical issues on the starting line, with B. Force setting top speed of the event with the strong pass.
• No. 12 Austin Prock defeated No. 3 Leah Pruett after Prock made a solid run at 3.739 ET at 331.53 MPH while Pruett smoked the tires.

Funny Car:

• No. 16 John Force falls to No. 1 Cruz Pedregon after Force smokes the tires early on his run.
• No. 3 Robert Hight falls to No. 14 Terry Haddock after smoking the tires during the run and was unable to recover to catch Haddock.

Pro Stock:

• No. 8 Troy Coughlin, Jr. defeated No. 9 Kyle Koretsky in a close race with his run of 6.550 ET at 210.74 MPH.
• No. 10 Erica Enders defeated No. 7 Cristian Cuadra with her run of 6.547 ET at 210.01 MPH.
• No. 6 Greg Anderson falls to No. 11 Fernando Cuadra, Jr. after red lighting on the starting line.
• No. 5 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 12 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.553 ET at 209.95 MPH.
• No. 4 Dallas Glenn defeated No. 13 Chris McGaha with his run of 6.535 ET at 210.41 MPH.
• No. 2 Matt Hartford defeated No. 15 Deric Kramer with his run of 6.532 ET at 211.03 MPH.
• No. 1 Camrie Caruso defeated No. 16 Steve Graham on her run of 6.546 ET at 209.98 MPH.
• No. 3 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 14 Jerry Tucker with his run of 6.562 ET at 209.92 MPH.

ROUND 2 RECAP

Top Fuel:

• B. Force defeated Shawn Langdon with her run of 3.729 ET at 330.55 MPH.
• Prock defeated Steve Torrence with his run of 3.822 ET at 318.32 MPH.

Pro Stock:

• Stanfield defeated Cuadra, Jr. with his run at 6.576 ET at 210.67 MPH.
• Caruso defeated Coughlin, Jr. with her run of 6.576 ET at 210.24 MPH.
• Glenn defeated Butner, III with his run of 6.547 ET at 210.80 MPH.
• Hartford defeated Enders with his run of 6.545 ET at 210.70 MPH and getting lane choice in the semifinals.

SEMIFINALS

Top Fuel:

• Prock defeated B. Force after his run of 3.734 ET at 331.36 MPH in identical timing at the 60-foot mark, with B. Force smoking the tires mid-track.

Pro Stock:

• Glenn defeated Caruso with his run of 6.573 ET at 209.43 MPH after his .002 reaction time at the starting line.
• Hartford defeated Stanfield with his run of 6.558 ET at 210.44 MPH after a lengthy staging battle on the starting line.

FINALS

Top Fuel:

• Prock fell to Justin Ashley with his run of 3.762 ET at 327.43 MPH.

Pro Stock:

• Glenn defeated KB Titan Racing teammate Hartford with his run of 6.546 ET at 209.92 MPH and a reaction time of .025.

DALLAS GLENN – NHRA PRO STOCK WINNER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT:

Dallas Glenn, driver of the RAD Torque Chevrolet Camaro SS for KB Titan Racing on his win at Pomona:

“I knew I hit the tree good, and then I instantly turned my stomach when I was looking at the Christmas tree. I think I put about a half of a turn in the wheel to the right, and I wasn’t sure if it was going to come back. I pulled third (gear) and it just kind of came back. I think I feel like I had to earn it on that one, but we came back. Dave Connolly and Rob Downing turned around and we made a really good run in the final.”

On getting the win at Pomona after finishing runner-up in 2010 in Stock:

“Oh, I really wanted it. I really wanted it when Jody (Lang) got me back then. Pomona has been up and down for me. Some years, I do really good and I come up just a little short in the semis, and some years, it’s just absolutely brutal to me. To finally get this win down feels really good. I’ve always wanted to win here.”

With Pro Stock being tough this year, everybody out there is brutal on race day…

“Absolutely. When you go in for the first run on Friday, you cannot leave anything on the table because if you slow down two-thousandths, you could lose six spots. It’s just so brutal. In between Phoenix and here, Doug at our shop made me a new clutch pedal and made tweaks to it, and I really like it.”

On the final round against KB Titan Racing teammate Matt Hartford…

“I don’t know if there’s too much of a difference here in lane choice right now. We’ve made good runs in both, and I think it was probably pretty even. I just made that one run in the semis in the right (lane), so I wasn’t scared of it. I knew they were going to make some changes and I knew the track was going to be good. Hartford had been getting me by a couple of thousandths all day, so I knew I needed to get him on the tree and I felt like I missed it but it felt really nice. I kind of crossed my fingers as I ran through the gears, and it definitely made a really good run.”

Dallas on recapping his Pomona 1 race day:

“It’s obviously a great long day, and any time I’m worn out at the end of the day, I’m pretty happy about it. It started off, I mean, I’ve got an absolutely great car right now, making small tweaks to it and just running really, really good. Really happy with it. It’s a different car from last year and I really like it. I’m really comfortable in it. I feel really good. Started off just making a nice clean run. Second round come up, and it was another nice clean run. I think Bo (Butner, III) shook, and I was just clicking them off making nice clean passes, hitting my shifts. Then I came up against Camrie (Caruso), and I know she really wants to beat me. She was double-0 on me last time, and I knew she would be good. I know she’s fast; she was the No. 1 qualifier. I just kind of did everything I could to absolutely murder the tree the best I could, and when it dropped green, it was really happy because it felt really good. Then it took a hard left on me and I didn’t know if I was going to get it back until about third gear and it kind of came back real nice. I ran through the gears, and then I took a glance over and I couldn’t see her, so I was pretty thankful about that. In the final, I feel I got real lucky that Rob Downing and Dave Connolly and Nate Van Wassenhove gave me a really good car for the final round. It went nice and straight; had a great 60-foot. Hit all of my shifts good. It was spinning a little bit through the lights, but we were good enough to hold on for the win. I don’t think Matt (Hartford) made the run that he wanted, and he was really good on the tree. I was a little nervous when I left on that one because I feel like I didn’t get it all.”

You are now the NHRA Pro Stock points leader for the first time in your career. How does that feel?

“That feels really good. Obviously, it’s early in the season, but you know points at the beginning of the season mean just as much as the points near the end of the season. It feels really good. I’m probably going to take a screenshot of that when the points come out so I can see it and save it. Hopefully, that ends the same at the end of the year.”

You’re still young in your career but you’ve had a lot of big wins. What do these continue to mean to you when you’re able to win at some of the legendary tracks?

“I’ve always wanted it here. I’ve done pretty good in Sportsman here and I’ve done pretty good in Sportsman but I’ve never been able to seal the deal so to do it in Pomona, we come here twice a year, so it’s been slightly frustrating to me. I’ll have a great car then all of a sudden, it shakes in the semifinals one year, or it just goes and shakes first round. There’s always little things going on. I knew I’ve had a really good race car. I feel like it’s been one tiny little thing that’s holding me up all season so far, and it all kind of came together today. We stayed and tested Monday in Phoenix and I think we figured out a lot of stuff. So it’s going to be a really good car for the rest of the season.”

You mentioned a different clutch pedal. Could you elaborate on what you did?

“I started off with kind of a shorter one, and then I kind of went a longer for Phoenix. I feel like I went a little over-center, so I met somewhere in the middle. The shape of it is slightly different, and it feels really, really comfortable on my foot. As far as stiff or soft, this is actually one of the first races I haven’t touched it the entire race. I kind of just kept everything the same. I knew from the first run when I went perfect on the tree I could hit it good when I needed to. Other than that, I’ve just been clicking them off making sure I do a good job staging, and just kind of clicking them off.”

That’s two wins in a row for KB Titan Racing. What’s different since the merger from your perspective?

“The Whitleys have been doing a phenomenal job. Not saying that Ken and Judy Black haven’t, they’re great, the absolutely greatest owners. They’re the nicest people I’ve ever met. We’ve been doing a lot more testing than we have in previous years. They’ve been working really, really hard. I know that last year kind of stung really bad, especially for Greg (Anderson). We’ve been working really hard back at the shop. A lot of new things coming. I think we’re going to be really good for the rest of the season. I feel like some of our performance that appears to be, I think, maybe the Elite (Motorsports) team might’ve fallen off just a little bit kind of like we did the previous year. So, I’m sure they’re going to get it back and the racing is going to get even tougher from here.”

Looking ahead to the Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas:

“I absolutely love Vegas. Me and that track usually get along. I’m really looking forward to the Four-Wide. I feel like last year, I kind of almost got robbed a little bit. I felt really good on the tree and I had the fastest car going into the final quad and a wire broke, then everything shut off in my car. I feel like I got robbed of a win on that one so I’m really looking for redemption on that.”

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING (TEAM CHEVY QUOTES):

Austin Prock, driver of the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

“Really excellent points day for our Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. Really proud of these guys. It’s race three and they worked like champions today. We knocked out hitters in the first three rounds of eliminations and then we went head-to-head with one of the hottest cars in the class right now. We’re starting to hit our strides and I’m really excited about it.”

Brittany Force, driver of the Flav-R-Pack/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster for John Force Racing:

“Overall a good weekend for this Flav-R-Pac team qualifying second and making a semifinal appearance. We’re qualified now in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge which is excellent for u because it means bonus points at the end of the regular season. We had this car running, made an awesome lap first round, made it to semis and it was our teammate Austin Prock that got around us. A good weekend and we’re looking forward to going to Vegas.”

Robert Hight, driver of the Auto Club Chevrolet Camaro Funny Car for John Force Racing:

“Not the day this Auto Club team was looking for. Really wanted to be in that winner’s circle for Auto Club. It’s how it goes sometimes. Bit of an unexpected day in Funny Car, but that’s drag racing, any day could be your day. We’ll bounce back, I’m not worried. We’ve already proven we know what we need to do and how to do it. I have all the confidence in my guys. Jimmy Prock with Thomas Prock and Nick Hildahl, they’ll be anxious to get back out again in Vegas. I know I am.”

John Force, driver of the BlueDEF Chevrolet Funny Car for John Force Racing:

“Tough weekend for this BlueDEF Chevy team. Tougher than we’ve had in a while. It will be okay though, it’s early, we’ll get it figured out, we’ll be okay. Robert with Auto Club, Flav-R-Pac, and Cornwell Tools already has a win, Brittany and that Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is getting things figured out and Prock going to the finals with Montana Brand. It’s coming together.”

Greg Anderson, driver of the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro SS for KB Titan Racing:

“I rolled right through the lights. I put it on the wood, and she just kept on rolling. We’ve got a problem there we’ve got to figure out. It did it last night to a minor degree and I gave it extra line lock pressure this morning. It laughed at it; it just rolled right through the beams. One of those things. We’ve got to figure it out before the next race. I had a great car but another gremlin got us.”

No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 leads strong Bowtie effort in NASCAR Cup Series

·       Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1, won for the 20th time in 302 career NCS starts. It was his first victory of the 2023 season.·       He is now a two-time winner at Richmond Raceway, having won in 2017.·       Chevrolet won for the fifth time in 2023 to lead all manufacturers. The Bowtie brand now has 838 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series.·       Team Chevy won at Richmond for the 40th time in 133 Cup Series races at Richmond.·       Six Chevrolet drivers combined to lead 246 of the 400 laps at Richmond on Sunday.·       The victory gave Chevrolet a sweep of the top-three positions and wins in all three NASCAR national series on the weekend, adding to Chandler Smith’s win at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Carson Hocevar’s victory at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

RICHMOND, Va. (April 2, 2023) – Chevrolet and Kyle Larson drove to victory Sunday in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway as the manufacturer continued its strong early-season run in the NASCAR Cup Series. Larson, in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, took the lead for good with 21 laps to go to earn his first NCS victory of the season and the 20th of his career. The result also gave Chevrolet five victories this season – the most of any manufacturer in the series. Chevrolet drivers swept the top three positions Sunday. Josh Berry, in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, took advantage of a caution period with 28 laps to go and gained track position en route to a career-best, runner-up finish. Ross Chastain finished third in the No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1 to complete Chevrolet’s top-three sweep at Richmond, where the manufacturer has now won 40 times in 133 races at the track. Team Chevy drivers dominated the day with six Camaro ZL1 drivers combining to lead 246 of the 400 laps on the day. William Byron led the most laps with his No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1 – 117 laps – followed by Larson with 93 laps led. Byron dominated the 70-lap opening stage and claimed his season-best fifth stage win as Chevrolet drivers led the entirety of the segment. Stage Two ended with almost 130 laps of green-flag running and four Team Chevy Camaros in the top-eight  for the final 170-lap run. Following contact on pit road that sent him back in the field during the second stage, Larson moved back into the top-five on Lap 283 and kept coming forward until he controlled the field for the final 13 green-flag laps and took the checkered flag. The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday, April 9, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. NASCAR Media ConferencePress ConferenceSunday, April 2, 2023An Interview with:Kyle Larson THE MODERATOR: We’re now joined by tonight’s race winner, Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Once again, we’ll open it up for questions.Q. You’ve had a couple of wins slip away this year. After you had that damage from with the contact with Suarez, did you think, oh, this is another one of those days?KYLE LARSON: I wouldn’t say that ever crept into my mind. I was just kind of hoping and praying that the damage was the reason why it got slow.Obviously, couldn’t see the damage. Still haven’t seen how it was dented, but I was definitely a lot slower then. So I was hoping once we got to the end of the second stage that they could fix it and then that our car would go back to normal because I was surprised at how bad I was after that.So I felt like before that pit stop we were going to cruise to a stage two win and then I kind of fell apart there. So I was just mad at the situation and mad at just not knowing if it was the damage why I was bad or if the track had gone through transition and we were going to be average the rest of the race.But thankfully that wasn’t the case, and we were able to get refocused there to start the third stage and inch our way forward and then have some things work out for us, cautions work out at the right time, and our pit crew executed a great pit stop at the last one.Q. Talk about kind of that frustration, how did you overcome it, and then the impact of Hendrick Motorsports in your career.KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I feel like a lot of the races — even looking at last week. My race was going good in the beginning, and then one small mishap turned into me trying too hard, and I made a lot more mistakes and kind of hurt our day going forward.So when I was going backwards in the second stage and mad, I just needed a caution to take a break and then tell myself just to not overreact and just we still have 170-something laps left or whatever it was. It’s plenty of time to get back to the front. So our car was good enough to do that too.Then, yeah, the impact of Hendrick Motorsports has been amazing for my career obviously. I’ve won a lot of races with them and a championship in 2021. It’s Ricky Hendrick’s birthday today. That I learned about as well.Just a great day all around for Hendrick Motorsports. Great week especially. So, yeah, a lot of significance to this week, and I’ll probably remember it now for a long time.Q. Kyle, after the incident, what did the car feel like? Was it noticeably different from the damage?KYLE LARSON: Yeah. Typically when you leave from a green flag stop, it feels different because there’s rubber on the track and all that. So I took off when the green flag stopped, and I was, like, okay, my car is driving different than it did to start this run.I didn’t think that I hit Suarez that hard. It didn’t feel that hard from my seat. So I am, like, okay, it’s whatever. I was, like, man, I’m not good.I was really tight loading into the corner. Snapped loose off. Lap cars were driving by me. I was just, like, man, is this the track change or — and then they told me the damage. And, yeah, there was just nothing I could do to manage what I was fighting.I think when I was tight in the center, it just pissed off my exit and my rear tires. And I was really, really bad, really lacking traction that run. I was just shocked that the damage did that much to me.But thankfully it was in an area where they could pop it back out, and our car drove fine after that.Q. What about Ricky’s birthday and the paint scheme and all that? Is it an extra special thing for you to have all that come together?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, for sure. No, it definitely is. Me racing this 5 car has been special, but especially this paint scheme.I was watching just flipping through old YouTube videos this week of my 2021 season so I could remind myself that I used to be good (smiling), but I didn’t realize after watching it that Vegas was my first win with Hendrick, and that was my first race with that paint scheme and the colors that year.Kansas later on that year was — I think it was 17 years to the date of the accident and then now this, winning on his birthday. It’s all really special and kind of crazy kind of how things maybe work out from the power above. Things work out that way.So pretty special for sure. There’s a couple of other birthdays on our team also. You know, my jackman, he turned 30 today. My spotter turned 30 today. So just a special day all around. Looking forward to celebrating with them.Q. What were your thoughts about the new short track package, and what do you think we can expect when we get back on the pavement at Martinsville?KYLE LARSON: So I thought things felt more normal to the previous model car. I felt like — last year here at Richmond you could follow somebody down to the bottom, and you would just get so tight. Even if they missed the bottom a little bit in front of you, you would get tight.But today seemed like normal. Like you could wrap the paint. If somebody missed the bottom in front of you, you could throttle up and get to their back bumper.So I just didn’t feel as affected behind people in traffic. I was pleased with that. It seemed like there was more passing. It seemed like there was a little more coming and going compared to last year’s races.I’m curious what other drivers think, but I thought it was an improvement. I thought it was an improvement at Phoenix, but I thought it was even more of an improvement compared to the racing we had here last year for this race.So, yeah, I was happy about that.Q. So it seems like your close competition pretty much throughout the day were the JGR Toyotas. Were you kind of expecting them to be your closest competition, and how did the Hendrick Chevys compare to the JGR Toyotas throughout the race?KYLE LARSON: Always when you come to Richmond, you know that the Gibbs cars are going to be the ones to beat. They just have a package, I guess, for this track.So I knew — at least I thought going into the race — you know, you don’t know without practice, but I thought going into the race that they were going to be the tough ones.When I was going backwards at the end of that second stage, a lot of the cars passing me were Gibbs cars. So I was, like, okay, they’re really good.I could see them kind of chewing up on Williams’ lead in front of me and then ultimately passing him, too. So, yeah, they were probably still better than we were today.But, you know, this has historically been a really bad track for Hendrick, too. So to have all of us run up front majority of the day, come away with a one-two finish, lead as many laps as we did between William and I, it was the best day I think Hendrick has had at Richmond in decades probably.So proud of the effort and really, really proud of how we’ve been as a whole organization at every racetrack so far this season.Q. I found it funny that you said that you watched your highlights from your championship season to prove that you were quote, unquote good or at a time…KYLE LARSON: Remind myself. Not prove.Q. Sorry. Remind yourself. Can you expound on that? Why did you do it? What did you learn, et cetera?KYLE LARSON: I don’t know. Just trying to — I don’t know. I was just bored at night the other night.But it was a great season, and just kind of listening to even post-race interviews and kind of where my mindset was at then when I was winning a lot just to kind of compare to what I think I’m like maybe right now.The Next Gen stuff, it’s so up and down. It’s easy to — obviously 2021 was so strong. We were just riding a high kind of all season. Expectations were high. Execution was great. Results were amazing.Whereas since we’ve gone to the Next Gen car, it’s hard to get your confidence up. Yeah, I just really wanted to look at old tape of myself and just kind of see where my mindset was and see my confidence and, yeah, just do all that.So I don’t think it mattered for the race today, but just to, I don’t know, kind of reset your mindset a little bit.Q. Today you talked about the odds for the most part were against a good finish here today at Richmond for Hendrick Motorsports even though you all really had a great day. But having won today and then going to a track where for the most part it fits your driving style. I heard your name mentioned in different venues today as a favorite going to Bristol. What does that do for you going to Bristol, especially going in as a favorite?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I could have ran last in every single race leading into Bristol, and the media is probably going to point to me as being the favorite anyway at Bristol just because it’s a dirt track.So I don’t know. It does not matter to me. I know that we’re going to be good at every racetrack, so that’s promising.But, yeah, it is so different than the dirt racing that I do during the week. These heavy stock cars drive nothing like even a dirt late model that’s 2,400 pounds.Yes, I maybe can read a track better than people, but now this is our third year on it. So I think everybody has kind of got a good idea of what to look for.I feel like the track prep crew does a good job of making things consistent throughout the years, but the weekend especially. So, yeah, I think it’s going to be at least in the two races that we’ve ran there, your same guys that run up front here today will probably be up front at Bristol next week, too.So I think we’ll be — because we’ve been a lot better at all these racetracks so far this year, I think we’ll be better than what we were there last year. We weren’t great. We were good when the track had grip. Not great when it got slick. I’m sure we’ve learned from it and will hopefully be better going back.Q. Obviously you get the points back this week. You get the victory. How does this change your outlook for the rest of the season?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. It doesn’t really change my outlook for the rest of the season. I felt like, yes, we got hit with 100 points and all that, but I felt like our race car is really fast all year long.So I knew we were going to have many opportunities to win. Yeah, we were just able to do that today, and I know we’re going to have more opportunities going forward. It really doesn’t — nothing has changed my confidence I guess going into — sorry, I saw my buddy. I was checking that out.Yeah, I don’t know. Just try to keep executing.Q. In those last couple of restarts you’ve raced Josh there for the win. In these last couple of weeks that he has been in the 9 car and he has been in the shop, what have you seen out of him in terms of his growth?KYLE LARSON: Well, he’s an extremely good race car driver and a great short track racer. So I think — it’s hard for me to follow along when I’m out there racing, but I think due to their track position that they had throughout the race, they were on a totally different strategy there at the end just hoping to catch a caution. That’s ultimately what happened.Their team did a great job on pit road, and he came out second. Me being the leader, I was nervous because I hadn’t been around him all day. I know he is a super good short track racer. So, yeah, I knew it was going to be tough.Thankfully we got clear of him, but he has done a phenomenal job filling in. It’s been nice to have him a part of the debriefs. I feel like he describes his car really well. He seems like he is probably really easy to work with. I’m sure the 9 team probably feels he is easy to work with.I’ve enjoyed having him a part of our team throughout Chase’s injury. I hope whenever Chase comes back that Josh gets more opportunity going forward and good equipment because he is a Cup Series caliber driver. He has proven it just in the few races that he has ran.He is very, very deserving of being in the Cup Series, and he has worked extremely hard his whole career to get these opportunities.Q. We’ve kind of gotten used to you being the guy over the years where you are the first to go to the wall, run the top lane. It seemed like the package or tires, something, let it kind of — the racing groove extend a little bit here, but there’s only a couple of guys really running up against the wall, and they weren’t winning. What more do you think it needed for that to be a preferable line?KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, if your car is good, you don’t need to go up there. The guys who are up there, it’s because their cars were really bad.I think early in the race the 47 was going really good. It was kind of unfortunate to see him have his, I guess, brake issues because he was making the top work before that competition caution. Then after that you could tell he had brake issues.But who knows? Maybe had he been towards the front and showing speed up there, it would have drug others up there. Usually Richmond is like that. Richmond especially after it rains and stuff that first run, you’ll just kind of — the majority of the people run around the bottom like where you should be at Richmond.You drag and just run until the rubber gets to the wall, and then everybody comes back down. It’s just a product of this racetrack I think.There’s only been one Richmond race — I can’t remember what year, but where I remember running the wall. Again, I don’t want to run the wall at any track. I just feel like if my car is not handling how I want it on the bottom, I have to find speed elsewhere.But if your car is good, you just stay glued to the bottom.Q. When you’re battling Josh Berry there on a late restart, somebody that I assume you haven’t really raced against a whole lot, is there any question in your mind that you don’t know what he is going to do?KYLE LARSON: Sure. I mean, as far as like aggression? No, I didn’t think of that.But, I could tell that first restart he — and myself both. That was the first time I restarted on the front row on the inside. We both kind of under-drove, one, and I got clear of him pretty easy. So we got that quick caution. I was, like, dang, now he knows how much further he can run the corner and all that. He did a much better job that second time, and I had to work a lot harder to get clear of him off of two.So I was more just thinking about one and two, how are we going to get through there and if he is on my right side, he probably has a pretty good idea how to pass people because he has been in traffic the whole race.Thankfully it worked out where I got clear and could kind of just manage my stuff and take care of my tires in case we had another caution. An Interview with:Jeff GordonKevin MeenderingTHE MODERATOR: We’ll go ahead and get started. We’re joined by tonight’s race winning crew chief of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Kevin Meendering and Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports. Open it up for questions.Kevin, first, what does this mean for you on a personal level getting a win as a crew chief?KEVIN MEENDERING: It’s a big accomplishment, but like I said before, this isn’t about me, this is about this team. They’ve got a great group of guys here. They got a great leader in Cliff, and I was just happy to kind of fill a gap and help those guys out in a tough situation.But this is a testament to all the hard work from those guys on that team and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports.For Jeff, this is Ricky Hendrick’s birthday, and I’m curious, what do you see in Hendrick Motorsports that still today he had an impact on?JEFF GORDON: Yeah, I think days like today makes you wonder, you know, what Ricky’s presence would do for us if he was here with us today and what his leadership… You know, he was so passionate about Hendrick Motorsports and racing.So it’s nice, days like today, you know, when you do something special on his birthday. And I was talking to Rick, and he was emotional and excited, and so his presence is still here.I think that, you know, certainly our folks try to do everything they can to make Rick Hendrick proud. But when you know what Ricky’s impact could have been on our company and the people and the 5 car and that paint scheme and what that means to the whole company, it’s very rewarding to know that we’re still kind of thinking of him and paying tribute to him as often as we can. Maybe he is looking down on us as well.I do want to say one thing. He is going to shove all the credit to… To me what I love about seeing a guy like Kevin come in and do this is the depth of our people and our company.We’ve been put under really, really difficult circumstances with all four crew chiefs being out, and just the job that I’ve watched them do, how they’ve communicated, you know.I mean, we’re lucky we have people that have been crew chiefs that have a lot of experience, but at the same time with this car, with no practice, no qualifying there’s so much that has to be done to tie everything in together. Great job for Kevin for all the hard work that he has put in. He is still doing his other job too in that contribution.Kevin, with all that was going on in the last 30, 40, 50 laps with cautions and all, how are you dealing with the tire question? Was there any doubt that you would come in almost whenever you could to get new tires?KEVIN MEENDERING: Actually, that last set of tires we put on was our last set, so we were starting to run out of tires, but the laps were running down.We kind of planned it out, and we had a strategy going into the race, and it kind of worked out in our favor. With about 20 to go, we put our last set on, and that’s probably late enough in the race where we wouldn’t have to worry about having to put another set on.So it just kind of fell in our favor.How dramatic was the fall-off?KEVIN MEENDERING: You kind of saw with the 19, he didn’t have any stickers left at the at the end, and he dropped pretty quickly. There’s definitely a lot of fall-off especially the first five, 10 laps. It’s pretty considerable.But we were kind of on the same strategy as the majority of the field, so tire-wise we were in a good spot.Jeff, this is for you. With Josh finishing second today, he has been in the car the last month or so in place of Chase. What’s the growth you’ve seen out of him when he has been in the 9 car?JEFF GORDON: I feel like he has done a great job every time he has been in the car. You start to see a bit of a trend with him. Of course, we didn’t do him any favors by him starting 30th today.We made one adjustment there early that didn’t seem to go the right direction. They got him further behind. So to see them climb up through there and the car come to life, and staying out there paid off and caught the caution.But Josh, when you look at his lap times, he is a guy that he gets in there, he feels the car out, he doesn’t take too many risks or chances until he knows what he has. Then you just start to see the lap times come and build and the run start to come together.And every time I’m scanning, I kept hearing by the end of the run, Hey, those lap times are really good. Hey, those lap times are similar to the leaders’.So he clearly knows how to manage tires and manage a race well. It seems like the longer the race, the better he does. We’re really happy with the job that he has done.Certainly everybody has known his talent watching him in other forms of racing, late models, and the Xfinity Series. You have to put him in other cars with other teams and other people to really see how far he could take it.I think he’s got a future in the Cup Series.That was the question I was going to ask, but Jeff, for you as a driver to driver, what’s the significance of this young man at this point to have that level of success with an organization like Hendrick Motorsports?JEFF GORDON: Most young guys, they come in and they have to build up their experience and their knowledge and the confidence and everything else, and hope you get the chance to be in quality equipment.Even when I came in, it was at Hendrick, but it was a whole new team and brand new people. So it took us a while to build that.To truly measure somebody’s talent, you plug them into an existing top-caliber team, and that’s what’s taken place here. Then you say, Let’s see what you can do. Clearly he has been proving that he has the talent and the ability as well as the work ethic.That’s what you don’t see behind the scenes. He is a quiet guy, but behind the scenes he is doing all the things that he needs to do to get prepared. And he still is running Xfinity too and trying to win a championship over there.So, yeah, great job by him.Jeff, given this week and how the points penalty got rescinded, you get the 10 playoff points back, and you end up winning the race. What are the emotions kind of as a team? You get three cars in the top ten. William led a bunch of laps today. It has to feel good kind of. You have four cars theoretically earning the most points this week because they got 100 back, and they had a really good day.JEFF GORDON: Well, I’m probably looking at it a little bit different than you are because I don’t know that we should have ever had the points taken away to begin with.But, yeah, it’s been a good week. It’s been really stressful trying to prep for an appeal and not knowing what the outcome is going to be. We’re certainly happy with what the appeals committee came to that conclusion, but at the same time we feel like we laid out enough information there that it shouldn’t have ever happened, or even the monetary side of it and the crew chief side of it.We were really hoping we were going to get all of that back. But we’re going to move on from that. Then we come in here obviously with qualifying raining out, that paid off in more ways than one. Good track position and then fast race cars.I mean, once the green flag dropped, it’s all about those teams execute and doing their job. But certainly quite a few smiles around campus this day. They’ve been down with what happened. So that definitely re-energized our folks this week and coming into this weekend’s race.Certainly this win will do a lot for us as we move forward and go to Bristol.For either of you guys or both. Have you heard from Cliff yet? Was he in contact with you throughout the day or, Jeff, with you? Have you heard from him yet?JEFF GORDON: I’m not seen or heard from Cliff. I don’t know if Kevin has.KEVIN MEENDERING: I haven’t either. Obviously we’ve been in contact with him throughout the weekend and remotely. So this is a big win for him as well as all of us.JEFF GORDON: Yeah, I guarantee he is jumping up and down and excited.I was thinking about Cliff, though, during the race when Kyle made the contact with Suarez. I was seeing Cliff throw things wherever he was. Then I could see him jumping up and down, screaming and yelling when the win happened.You guys, you’ve got three wins for the team and five for the Chevy camp in seven races so far. Are we on the cusp of a historic season for Chevy and for Hendrick?JEFF GORDON: Well, it’s too early to tell. I mean, certainly we’re off to a great start. Our folks at Chevy are doing an amazing job with not only the design of this car starting last year, but also some of the new things that have been brought to all the OEMs and opportunities that they’ve had. I think Chevy did an excellent job with that as well.Then the job that the teams do collaborating together, sharing information, and trying to prepare for each and every race. They’ve done an amazing job.You know, you could have looked a little that race today, and there were times where the Gibbs Toyotas were the best cars on the long run. You had times when I thought the 22 was really, really good, the 4 was good.So I think there is a lot of parity out there. But right now I just like the way that I’m seeing our teams execute and our teams come prepared and the speed that are in our race cars.It doesn’t seem like we’re the only Chevy team seeing that, so that’s good.Jeff, you’re a guy that’s won at Richmond before. We saw you come up to Josh and congratulate him after the race. How have you seen him grow in the races he has done with Hendrick, and what did you guys talk about Richmond at all in preparation for this?JEFF GORDON: I’ve been pretty tied up this week, I’ll be honest. That’s been with Tom Gray and with Alan Gustafson and that whole team. All I know is them bragging on him a lot about the effort that he is putting in, the things he is focused on. And even watching video from last year when maybe they didn’t even ask him to, and he just kind of took the initiative to do that.I think every race gets his confidence up. But you go into a new track, different track every time, so it’s, Okay, what’s the car going to be like this weekend? Okay, what’s is it going to be like this weekend?You threw Atlanta in there on him too, and that’s a pretty unique one.It’s a much different car than what he is used to racing every weekend, and so there’s a lot of things that you have to adapt completely different to.I’m not even sure if Saturday is not hurting him for the Sunday races because the cars are so much different. The sidewall, tires, the rear input… Just from me going from an H-pattern transmission to sequential would throw me off.You know, big brakes. Car doesn’t have a lot of downforce. You can’t put the skew in it. There’s a lot of things that are different about what he is doing.So I love his approach, and it’s turning into results, which I’m sure it’s turning into confidence for him as he continues to go to each track that he is going to be behind the wheel of the car.What do you think was the reason you guys were successful with the appeal on Wednesday?JEFF GORDON: I just think we were very transparent from the beginning of why we believed there was a miscommunication and what happened.I said this in Atlanta. It should have never even come to that. I don’t want to give too much information because I want to respect the process, but it’s also a little frustrating that nothing gets shared from what determines whether there’s points given back or whether there’s money not given back and crew chief suspensions.I just feel like there was enough there that it’s not clear-cut. It’s not just a black-and-white situation because there was enough communication to justify why we showed up to the racetrack in Phoenix the way we did.I think that had it been handled in a situation more like the wheels at Daytona with RFK and Penske, I think that’s the way it should have been handled. It’s I understand it, there’s a reason why you did this, and there’s also a reason why you need to take them off the car.But it should never to me have elevated up to the level that it did. Clearly, the panel felt very similar to that.Jeff, you’re shuffling papers now and writing budgets and things and running the show, but how different are the emotions for you with these wins from when you were driving?JEFF GORDON: It’s much different. I mean, when you are in the car, the adrenaline and working with these guys and seeing what they put into it, you’re a part of the effort that’s on the racetrack, and there’s an emotion that you’ll never be able to compare to.But I can tell you when we win a championship like we did in ’20 and ’21, to me those are very, very exciting moments for me where I felt like I was driving.Today it’s exciting, and it’s emotional. But it’s mainly just seeing these guys do their job and do it well and do it at a high level and stepping up when the pressure is on. Whether it’s a pit call or whether it’s a restart or it’s a pit stop, whatever it may be, you just feel pride. You feel pride in the organization because you see how they work throughout the week, over the offseason, and what they’re focused on and then seeing that turn into results.I know everybody works hard in this garage area and probably deserves to have great results, but when you do did get it, you just feel extremely fortunate to work with such great people and have such great people on the race teams as well as behind the wheel.There’s been a lot of talk earlier this season about the new Next Gen cars and more vent holes for more breathing into the car for safety. How did you feel any of that had an affect on your strategy for this year’s race versus previous races?JEFF GORDON: You want to take that one? Not sure I completely understand the question.There’s a lot of changes with the Next Gen cars, and how did that affect…JEFF GORDON: For this year you mean?Yes.JEFF GORDON: I think it was the 15 car backed into the wall earlier, and you saw the rear of the car collapse. That’s I think what the drivers are asking, right, is to have it absorb more.We’re still not seeing any real progress when you are at places like COTA or earlier in the year when we were at the Clash with guys just running straight into their bumpers.So at low impacts I don’t think that there’s been significant progress there, but there’s a lot of discussions happening to fix that, and I’m happy about that.But if that’s the changes that you are talking about, then I did at least see something good happen there.What would be the next set of changes you would like to see for you and your team?JEFF GORDON: Well, I think there’s a lot of technology in head support foam padding and absorption. So they have to do these drop tests where they kind of — the helmet design, inner padding, the headrest itself.And then I think — and Kevin should be answering it because he knows about structures of cars. He is an engineer.I just know from a race car driver I’m seeing these guys. They’re taking these small hits, and their head is whiplashing inside the car, and that’s not good.So I think the rear bumper structure and the front bumper structure is far too stiff still. So I would like to see them find a way to make that a little bit more — it kind of gives a little bit more. I don’t know if it’s in the foam or if it’s in the metal structure because it’s all aluminum structure. That’s very, very stiff.But today we at least saw some collapse in the chassis, which I think needs — I really think that the fuel cell needs to move further forward. That’s what’s going to probably help.The Garage 56 car has that, so I think some of the things that we’re seeing on the Garage 56 car, we might be able to see that into the future in our cars that we’re racing as well.FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Spor

April 2, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Menards/Dutch Boy team fought their way forward in the second half of the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway and scored a 19^th-place finish on Wood Brothers Racing Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin was on hand at the track to present the Wood Brothers, from Stuart, with a proclamation recognizing them for their many achievements in the sport. Youngkin also spent time atop the team’s pit box during Sunday’s race.

With qualifying and practice washed out on Saturday, Burton, whose family also is from Virginia, lined up 26^th for the start of Sunday’s 400 lapper on the three-quarter-mile oval in Richmond.
 
Burton dropped to 31^st when the Competition Caution flag flew at Lap 30. He ran in the top 25 for a time in the second half of the first Stage and ended that 70-lap segment of the race in 28^th place.
 
In the second Stage he continued to keep his Menards/Dutch Boy Mustang in the top 25 and finished that 160-lap stretch in 21^st place but a lap behind the leaders.
 
He rejoined the lead lap by taking the wave-around during a caution period following a Lap 306 spin by Noah Gragson.
 
Burton made his final pit stop from 19^th place during a caution period at Lap 381, and despite some late-race brake issues remained inside the top 20 for the remainder of the race and finished 19^th.
 
Burton and the Wood Brothers team now head to Bristol Motor Speedway for an Easter Sunday evening race on the high-banked short track now covered in red clay. 
 

POMONA, Calif. (April 02, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team earned a runner-up finish at the Lucas Oil NHRA WInternaitonals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip on Sunday. Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster went to the semifinals while John Force and the PEAK BlueDEF Chevrolet Camaro SS team and Robert Hight in the Automobile Club of Southern California / Cornwell Tools / Flav-R-Pac Chevy had first-round exits. In the final round, it was a battle of Top Fuel rising starts with Austin Prock, the 2019 rookie of the year, and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster racing against Justin Ashley, the 2020 rookie of the year. Prock would handle his Chris Cunningham and Joe Barlam tuned hot rod to a respectable 3.762-second pass at 327.43 mph, but it wouldn’t be enough for Ashely’s 3.713 at 330.63. “Really excellent points day for our Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. Really proud of these guys. It’s race three and they worked like champions today,” Prock said. We knocked out hitters in the first three rounds of eliminations and then we went head-to-head with one of the hottest cars in the class right now. We’re starting to hit our strides and I’m really excited about it.” To reach the sixth final round of his career, first of the season, fourth at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, and third at the Winternationals, Prock lined up with a slew of top competitors. In what NHRA dubbed a “marquee matchup”, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster got the better of Leah Pruett in the first round. Prock would have a solid clean pass of 3.739 seconds and 331.53 mph to defeat Pruett who ran into tire smoke for a 4.208 at 231.60 and set himself up with a match-up against four-time world champion Steve Torrence in the second round. Austin would have a clean pass at 3.822 seconds and 318.32 while Torrence ran into tire smoke for only a 4.157 at 216.55 allowing Prock to match up with Top Fuel teammate Brittany Force in the semifinals. Prock would have another solid run of 3.734 seconds and 331.36 mph while Force, after having a nearly identical reaction time to Prock (.067 for Force and .068 for Prock), would run into tire smoke to coast to a 7.067 at 80.14. En route to her semifinal appearance, No. 2 qualifier Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac dragster team had an unexpected solo run in the first round. Ron August Jr. had a fuel lever failure and had to shut off before taking the tree. The David Grubnic tuned hot rod would end up running the quickest and fastest pass of the weekend at 3.690 seconds and 334.98 mph. In the second round, Force left the starting line first and never trailed against Shawn Langdon. Her 3.729-second pass at 330.55 mph was more than enough for Langdon’s 3.743 at 331.69. The win set her up with a match-up against Top Fuel teammate Austin Prock in the semifinals. Her appearance in the semifinals also qualifies Force for the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge that will be contested in Chicago where Force and Prock will have a rematch during Saturday qualifying. “Overall a good weekend for this Flav-R-Pac team qualifying second and making a semifinal appearance. We’re qualified now in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty challenge which is excellent for u because it means bonus points at the end of the regular season,” Force said. “We had this car running, made an awesome lap first round, made it to semis and it was our teammate Austin Prock that got around us. A good weekend and we’re looking forward to going to Vegas.” Robert Hight and the Auto Club team opened eliminations with a pedalfest against Terry Haddock. Hight would eventually cross the finish line at 4.341 seconds at 303.50 mph but it wouldn’t be enough for Haddock’s 4.015 at 310.55. The first-round loss is Hight’s first in 24 events. The last time he had that early of an exit was 2021 at the NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif. “Not the day this Auto Club team was looking for. Really wanted to be in that winner’s circle for Auto Club. It’s how it goes sometimes,” Hight said. “Bit of an unexpected day in Funny Car, but that’s drag racing, any day could be your day. We’ll bounce back, I’m not worried. We’ve already proven we know what we need to do and how to do it. I have all the confidence in my guys. Jimmy Prock with Thomas Prock and Nick Hildahl, they’ll be anxious to get back out again in Vegas. I know I am.” John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy’s weekend came to a close in the first round after running into tire smoke early against No. 1 qualifier Cruz Pedregon. Force would coast to a 7.280-second pass at 89.47 mph while Pedregon had a clean 3.881 ag 322.19. “Tough weekend for this BlueDEF Chevy team. Tougher than we’ve had in a while,” Force said. “It will be okay though, it’s early, we’ll get it figured out, we’ll be okay. Robert with Auto Club, Flav-R-Pac, and Cornwell Tools already has a win, Brittany and that Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team is getting things figured out and Prock going to the finals with Montana Brand. It’s coming together.” The NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series continues with the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway April 14-16.

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:12th; 3.816-seconds; 322.34 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 Race Results: Beat Leah Pruett, Steve Torrence, Brittany ForceBRITTANY FORCE, 36, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:2nd; 3.712-seconds; 328.86 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+5 (quickest Q1; 2nd quickest Q3)Race Results: Beat Ron August Jr, Shawn Langdon; Lost to Austin ProckJOHN FORCE, 73, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:16th; 4.162-seconds; 230.61 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0Race Results: Lost to Cruz PedregonROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:3rd; 3.892-seconds; 329.99 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (third quickest Q1) Race Results: Lost to Terry Haddock

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten Points Standings TOP FUEL – 1. Justin Ashley, 268; 2. Steve Torrence, 223; 3. Mike Salinas, 213; 4. Brittany Force, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy dragster, 204; 5. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 201; 6. Leah Pruett, 195; 7. Shawn Langdon, 181; 8. Doug Kalitta, 167; 9. Antron Brown, 161; 10. Tony Schumacher, 117.                                                                      FUNNY CAR – 1. Ron Capps, 271; 2. Matt Hagan, 257; 3. Alexis DeJoria, 213; 4. Robert Hight, Auto Club / Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools Chevy Camaro SS, 206; 5. Bob Tasca III, 203; 6. Chad Green, 181; 7. J.R. Todd, 168; 8. Terry Haddock, 136; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 133; 10. Blake Alexander, 126; 11. Cruz Pedregon, 125; 12. Alex Laughlin, 115; 13. John Force, Blue DEF PLATINUM Chevy Camaro SS, 113.

NASCAR CUP SERIESRICHMOND RACEWAYTOYOTA OWNERS 400TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTESAPRIL 2, 2023

Team Chevy Drivers Sweep Top-Three in Short-Track Battle

Kyle Larson drove his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to victory Sunday in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway as Team Chevy drivers swept the top-three positions and won for the fifth time this year in the NASCAR Cup Series. ·       Larson won for the 20th time in 302 career NCS starts. It was his first victory of the 2023 season. ·       He is now a two-time winner at Richmond Raceway, having won in 2017. ·       Chevrolet won for the fifth time in 2023 to lead all manufacturers. The Bowtie brand now has 838 all-time victories in NASCAR’s premier series. ·       Team Chevy won at Richmond for the 40th time in 133 Cup Series races at Richmond. ·       Six Chevrolet drivers combined to lead 246 of the 400 laps at Richmond on Sunday. ·       The victory gave Chevrolet a sweep of the top-three positions and wins in all three NASCAR national series on the weekend, adding to Chandler Smith’s win at Richmond in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Carson Hocevar’s victory at Texas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner Quote“It’s really cool. We’ve been close to winning a couple. William has been extremely good this year. It was going to be between probably him, the 19, us, and the 20 was really good. So just things worked out. My pit crew had a great stop. So, shout out to Brandon Johnson. He is our jackman. He just turned 30 today. Our spotter, Tyler Monn, he turned 30 today. Great day for them guys. What an awesome Hendrickcars.com Chevy. I can’t say enough about it. I got into the 99 on pit road there sometime in the second stage, and we were awful after that. I was hoping the damage was the reason why, but they had to calm me down a little bit and get refocused and was able to get it done. Thanks to everyone on this team, Cliff Daniels, for everything he does to prepare the team to be as strong as we are without him on the box. So good to get a win, and hopefully many more.”

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER1st       Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL12nd      Josh Berry, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL13rd       Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL18th       Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st       Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)2nd      Josh Berry (Chevrolet)3rd       Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)4th       Christopher Bell (Toyota)5th       Kevin Harvick (Ford) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Bristol Motor Speedway with the Food City Dirt Race on Sunday, April 9, at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL1Finished: Third“We definitely needed more to fight for the lead. For our Jockey Chevy, it was probably more about clean air. There were better cars throughout the race that got cycled back on strategy. For our group – the 5, the 9, the 20 was probably a little better – but out of the Chevys I thought that in clean air that any of us – the 5, 9 or us – could lead. Hats off to the 5 team, Kyle, and everyone at HMS. Chevrolet keeps locking down these wins with the Bowtie. We’re proud to be part of it.” Josh Berry, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1Finished: Second“Man, this is really cool. I have to give all the credit to this NAPA team. Tom (Grey, interim crew chief), Alan (Gustafson, full-time crew chief) remotely, of course, and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. They made some great calls. When we got some clean track, we weren’t running bad lap times. I’m so glad they tried something different to get us there at the end. I felt like we were decent the whole time. Just getting in cleaner air (was key). We were free to race with Kyle. Man, what a huge day. You know, to come here and start in the back, no practice, qualifying, get spun out, work through the field like that, just second place, it’s pretty cool.” William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1Finished: 24th“It looked like the 1 was inside the 20 and the 20 just overcooked the corner and had the fronts locked up and nailed us in the left rear. So I was just kind of restarting fourth there and trying to stay tight to the 9 and get a good restart. I just got tagged in the left rear. So, yeah, just a dive bomb move on the inside on his part and it is what it is. I had a great race car. The Raptor Chevrolet was awesome all day and we will just keep bringing fast race cars like that and we will get a lot more wins. It was looking like it could be another win before the caution. That’s the way it goes.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS:  Stage One·       Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Ally Camaro led the field to green ahead of Team Chevy drivers Kurt Busch, William Byron and Ross Chastain.·       Three different Chevrolet drivers led in the first 30 laps ahead of a competition caution on Lap 30. Byron led Chastain with Bowman fourth and Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in fifth.·       After the field all stopped for fuel and tires during the first yellow, Chastain led on the restart in the No. 1 Jockey Chevrolet before Byron moved back ahead on Lap 50 and led to the end of the stage break.·       Byron claimed his series-leading fifth stage victory at the end of Lap 70 to close Stage One. Chevrolet drivers led the entirety of the opening stage with Byron out front for 44 laps and Chastain 16.·       Four Team Chevy drivers recorded stage points at the end of Stage One:1st        William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL12nd      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL13rd       Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL17th       Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1 Stage Two·       William Byron continued to lead from the start of Stage Two to the race’s fourth caution period. Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain and Alex Bowman continued to pace Team Chevy’s strong opening start to the race.·       Larson in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 took the race lead for the first time on Lap 124 as he went around the outside of Byron. He was the fifth different Chevrolet driver to lead at least one lap in the opening 125 laps.·       The majority of the field made green-flag pit stops on Lap 159 with Byron stopping for fuel and four tires from second place. Larson and Chastain stopped the next lap, and Larson cycled back to the lead on Lap 167, despite contact in pitlane with Daniel Suarez. Byron ran second with Bowman fourth and Chastain fifth into the second half of Stage Two.·       Byron move back into the race lead for the third time on Lap 197 by getting around Larson just before the halfway point.·       Stage Two ended with almost 130 laps of green-flag running.·       Four Team Chevy drivers recorded stage points at the end of Stage Two:3rd       William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL15th       Ross Chastain, No. 1 Jockey Camaro ZL17th       Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL18th       Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1Final Stage / Post-Race Notes·       Four Chevrolet drivers – William Byron, Alex Bowman, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain – were in the top-10 as the final stage began with 170 laps left.·       Green-flag pit stops began on Lap 288. Once the field cycled through, Chevrolets were second (Larson), third (Byron), fourth (Bowman) and sixth (Chastain).·       The race’s sixth caution flew on Lap 305 for a single-car incident. All cars on the lead lap stopped on Lap 307 for fuel and tires. Byron came out second followed by Larson and Bowman with Chastain sixth.·       The race began again on Lap 313 with Chevrolet drivers in positions two through five. The race continued green when part of the field began making another round of green-flag stops with 50 laps to go. Among the leaders, Byron stopped first followed by Larson, Bowman and Chastain a lap later. Byron won the race for track position and was the first of the cars among those who decided to pit completed their stops. Byron moved back into the lead on Lap 367.·       The race’s seventh caution came out with 28 laps to go for a car that spun at Turn One with Byron leading, Larson third and Josh Berry – No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, who didn’t stop with the rest of the field – in fourth.·       The green flag flew with 22 laps to go with Larson in front alongside Berry. Byron was spun on the restart and went into the outside wall from fourth place, bringing out another caution.·       Larson led the final 13 laps for his first Cup Series victory of the season while Berry finished second for his best career NCS result.

Capps Makes Final Round Appearance in GR Supra Funny Car

POMONA, Calif. (April 2, 2023) – Justin Ashley drove his Toyota Top Fuel dragster to a second consecutive nation event win in Sunday’s NHRA event at In-N-Out Dragstrip in Pomona. Ashley claimed the number one qualifier position during Saturday’s qualifying session and went on to claim his second event win in the first three races of the 2023 season. It was also Ashley’s 10th consecutive win light.

The GR Supra of Ron Capps represented for Toyota in the final for Funny Cars on Sunday afternoon, but had to settle for a runner-up result to race-winner Matt Hagan.

The Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car team of J.R. Todd had a difficult weekend in Southern California. Their DHL GR Supra was involved in an incident on Saturday afternoon that resulted in the team having to go to a backup chassis and body for Sunday’s race. Then in Round One on Sunday morning, the car exploded toward the end of the run resulting in the loss of another chassis and body. Todd walked away from both incidents. The team will regroup and prepare for the next event in Las Vegas in two weeks.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

In-N-Out Pomona Dragstrip

Race 3 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Race Winner	W. 3.719 vs. 5.634 (K. Baldwin)W. 3.712 vs. BYEW. 3.743 vs. 3.749 (A. Brown)W. 3.713 vs. 3.762 (A. Prock)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.690 vs. 6.548 (D. Kalitta)W. 3.733 vs. 3.769 (M. Salinas)L. 3.749 vs. 3.743 (J. Ashley)
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round Two	W. 3.740 vs. 3.738 (T. Schumacher)L. 3.743 vs. 3.729 (B. Force)
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round Two	W. 3.715 vs. 3.756 (J. Hart)L. 4.157 vs. 3.822 (A. Prock)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round One	L. 6.548 vs. 3.690 (A. Brown)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Final Round	W. 3.947 vs. 4.412 (P. Lee)W. 3.997 vs. 4.598 (C. Pedregon)W. 3.987 vs. 4.078 (B. Tasca III)L. 4.303 vs. 3.967 (M. Hagan)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round Two	W. 3.945 vs. 12.709 (J. Arend)L. 4.060 vs. 3.950 (M. Hagan)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round One	L. 4.154 vs. 4.066 (A. Laughlin)

TOYOTA QUOTES

JUSTIN ASHLEY, Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Davis Motorsports

Final Result: Race Winner

How are you able to remain so focused during the race weekend and what does it mean to have turned on your 10th consecutive win light and go back-to-back with national wins?

“It becomes much easier when you have the kind of team that we do, I’ll tell you that much. It really takes an entire team effort from start to finish. Not only on the race weekends, but during the week and I mean on and off the racetrack. This car has been on absolute rails, and I think it’s now 10 straight win lights. One thing that I’ve learned, that’s one win light that you never get sick of looking at. Just really proud of our guys all day long. They brought the smarts to this Phillips Connect team. For everybody at National Debt Relief, Toyota, Kato, Matco Tools, Lucas Oil and all the guys that do such a great job supporting us. We are really going to enjoy this one.”

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

Final Result: Final Round

How would you evaluate your race weekend at Pomona with another final round appearance?

“Great weekend. It was almost a fantastic weekend. You hate to get that close. Qualifying, I said I really wasn’t worried, but to not be qualified going into one session to go and feel that type of pressure, which I told my NAPA Auto Parts team, that’s the same type of pressure I felt going into a World Championship on Sunday of last year. It’s the same type of pressure for different situations and it builds character of course. But I looked at my guys when I was sitting in the car and there was no way that they were even worried, which made me much calmer as a driver. To start from eighth and last pair, a lot of things that would have been obstacles for a lot of teams, I thrive in that moment with Guido and our team because they’re so good at adapting. As a driver, I feel so good driving this Toyota Supra. There’s nothing better than to know that they’re on top of everything and they’ve thought of everything and the car goes up and runs great every time and it just builds confidence. Two finals in a row. The car was out in front of (Matt) Hagan on that one and I thought we could hang onto it and I couldn’t keep it from going to the center lane. Definitely my fault. But we’ll go on to Vegas and I told Guido to download that same run into Vegas and we’ll start out the weekend great. We’re the defending champions of that event and I can’t wait to go back.”

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

Final Result: Semi-Finals

After making it to the semi-finals, how would you evaluate your race weekend overall?

“It was a good weekend here at Pomona for our Matco Tools team with Lucas Oil and Toyota and FVP and our great partners. We came out and qualified where we wanted to and that’s in the top five. We got the number four spot and felt good about it. We wanted to go for that number one spot on Saturday and had a few gremlins, but threw down first round with that 3.69 for low ET w/Brittany (Force) and a big mph. We ran big speeds all weekend. I’m super pumped and super happy with how this team is progressing. We made the semifinals after a tough first round race a week ago at Phoenix and made it into the Mission 2 Fast 2 Tasty (Challenge) at Joliet (Ill.) in May and we’re looking forward to (Las) Vegas in a few weeks. It’s a four-wide and we love those and so do the fans and our goal is to do well.”

J.R. TODD, DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Kalitta Motorsports

Final Result: Round One

What did you experience from the cockpit with the explosion in Round One?

“Nowadays, the way we run these things, as soon as it spins the tires, you have to get off the throttle and I was too late doing that. As soon as I got off the throttle, there was stuff starting to fly in my face. Really just a bad weekend for us all in all. I hate it for my guys, they’ve been busting their asses. Going through what they went through yesterday, which didn’t need to happen and now to have this, just a lot of work that we have to get done before Las Vegas. That’s two chassis and obviously two bodies. I’m just at a loss for words.”

It’s been a difficult weekend for the DHL GR Supra Funny Car team with Saturday’s incident with John Force and now the explosion in Round One.

“If you knew a weekend like this was coming, you’d rather stay home,” Todd said. “More than anything, I just hate all the work that’s been created for all my guys – especially right before an off weekend. With all the work the DHL team’s been doing up to this point, my guys needed that off week badly. Now they have a ton more work to get done before we go to Las Vegas. 

How was the DHL GR Supra running before the explosion?

“The DHL Toyota Supra was running ok early, and I didn’t see Alex Laughlin next to me. The next thing I knew, after it got down the track quite a ways, it started spinning the tires. I learned in the Gainesville (Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.) final that when it starts spinning like that, you gotta get out of the throttle as soon as possible. Sure enough, it happened in the first round today, and we saw what can happen. Looking back on it, I wish I could go back and lift sooner; if you do that, you’ll lose the round, but we would have come back with a race car and body instead a lot of extra work for these guys. 

How will the team prepare for Las Vegas after losing two chassis and two bodies this weekend?

“We’ll see where we are this week with cars and parts. If I need to go to the shop in Ypsilanti (Ypsilanti, Mich.) or Brownsburg (Brownsburg, Ind.) to deliver parts and pieces, I’ll do whatever the DHL team needs; I just want to do anything I can to contribute on my end to get us ready for Las Vegas.” 

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