October 15, 2022

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 DEX Imaging team matched their best qualifying effort of the season with an eighth place in time trials for Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

In Saturday’s qualifying session, Burton turned a lap at 182.908 miles per hour to put four Ford Mustangs in the top eight starting spots.

It was his third top-10 start of the season, joining another eighth-place start in the season-opening Daytona 500 and a ninth at Gateway in St. Louis.

Burton’s qualifying speed significantly bettered his best lap in practice earlier in the day. His best lap there, at 181.178 mph came in the fifth of the 25 laps he ran in the session. 

He was ninth best among drivers who ran 10 consecutive laps, averaging 179.953 mph over his first 10 laps on the track.

Sunday’s 267-lap, 400-mile race is scheduled to get the green flag just after 11:30 a.m. (2:30 p.m. Eastern Time), with TV coverage on NBC.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 80 and 165.


 

NASCAR CUP SERIES

LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

SOUTH POINT 400

TEAM CHEVY POLE WINNER QUOTE & NOTES

OCTOBER 15, 2022

TYLER REDDICK RECORDS THIRD POLE OF 2022 AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Four Camaro ZL1’s to Start in Top-10

·       Tyler Reddick clocked-in a lap of 29.252 seconds, at 184.603 mph, to capture the pole position for tomorrow’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.   

·       This marks Reddick’s fourth career pole in 107 NASCAR Cup Series starts. 

·       Reddick’s pole gives Chevrolet its ninth NASCAR Cup Series pole win of 2022; and 732nd all-time in NASCAR Cup Series history.

TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 ALSCO CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Winner Quote

There was a moment off of turns three and four that might have slowed him down a little bit. He described that to two or three people here.. what was going on there? 

“Well, it didn’t slow me down. I was either going to hit the wall or if I didn’t, it was going to be a really good lap. It wasn’t my intentions to be that close. I knew I was going to have to get through (turns) three and four really well; and that wall off of turn four came a lot closer and a lot sooner than I initially anticipated.

Man, what a turnaround for our group from practice this morning. Everyone on this No. 8 ALSCO Chevrolet worked really, really hard. We weren’t really firing off in practice where we wanted to be. We were a bit off and we really went to work. We found some life in the second run. We tried a couple of things on the third run that didn’t really pan out. Just again, my team made some fantastic adjustments going into qualifying and got our car a lot closer. Still a little sketchy through (turns) one and two, but it carried a lot of speed. We learned a lot and we’ll be able to make some pretty good adjustments going into tomorrow’s race.”

What does this run tell you about getting the checkered flag and the trophy tomorrow? 

“It’s a long race, that’s for sure. It’s nice to have that track position. We’ve been really fast at these 1.5-mile tracks and this is one of the first practices that we really didn’t show that, so it was really nice to turn it around like we did. We’ll have a great pit stall for tomorrow.

We have a lot to digest here. It’s still morning out here, but we have a lot of things to look at. I don’t think we need to do anything crazy, but I do think we’ll need to make some small adjustments to prepare for the race.”

Is it safe to say now that anything good that happens to you and the No. 8 team, it’s nice to have them happen as you end your time with them? 

“Yeah, man. We work really, really hard as a group. We’ve come a long way in the three years. I’ve learned a lot on the Cup side as a driver and it’s been great to do it with a lot of the same people over the years. We fight together as a group. Unfortunately, we can’t always bring our families. I get to bring Alexa and Beau quite a bit. It’s tough to be away from your families, but we sure make the most of the time we have together. We enjoy working together. We have fun and we enjoy the time that we spend together at the race track and that’s the biggest thing. We get to do what we love. We get to have a lot of fun and enjoy being together as a group as we do it.”

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-20 STARTING LINEUP:  

POS.   DRIVER

1st      Tyler Reddick, No. 8 ALSCO UNIFORMS CAMARO ZL1

3rd      William Byron, No. 24 RaptorTough.com Camaro ZL1

6th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Kid Rock’s Honky Tonk Camaro ZL1

10th    Austin Dillon, No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Camaro ZL1

11th    Ross Chastain, No. 1 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1

14th    Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

17th    Noah Gragson, No. 48 Ally / Koker’s Garage Camaro ZL1

20th    Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hooters Camaro ZL1

TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  

POS.  DRIVER

1st      Tyler Reddick (Chevrolet)

2nd      Austin Cindric (Ford)

3rd      William Byron (Chevrolet)

4th      Ryan Blaney (Ford)

5th      Joey Logano (Ford)

·       At the conclusion of the Group A and B practice sessions, Ross Chastain led Chevrolet drivers to second-fastest on the speed chart, clocking in a lap of 29.452 seconds, at 183.349 mph, in his No. 1 Tootsies Orchid Lounge Camaro ZL1.

·       Joining Chastain in the Team Chevy Top-10 of practice included Erik Jones (3rd), AJ Allmendinger (4th) and Daniel Suarez (8th).

·       Pole winner, Tyler Reddick, led Chevrolet to four top-10 starting spots for tomorrow’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Joining Reddick in the top-10 is William Byron (3rd), Daniel Suarez (6th) and Austin Dillon (10th).

·       NBC will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, October 16. Live coverage can also be found on the NBCSports Gold App, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … In 78 NASCAR Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Richard Childress Racing boasts 11 top-five and 24 top-10 finishes. Tyler Reddick led RCR with a seventh-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier this season. Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … RCR has four wins at Las Vegas Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series: Kevin Harvick (2004), Jeff Burton (2007), Austin Dillon (2015) and Tyler Reddick (2019 – fall). The organization has four poles at the 1.5-mile speedway with Kevin Harvick (2007), Ty Dillon (2014), Austin Dillon (2015) and Myatt Snider (2020).  Introducing the Carolina Cowboys … Driven by the same passion for performance that guides his race team, Richard Childress’ latest endeavor brings Professional Bull Riding to the Carolinas. The Carolina Cowboys represent Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in the PBR Team Series, an elite new league featuring the world’s top bull riders in games that began in July 2022. The team is operated by Richard Childress Racing with 2018 Daytona 500 Champion Austin Dillon serving as General Manager.  Catch the Action … The NASCAR Xfinity Series ALSCO Uniforms 302 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Saturday, October 15, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.  Follow Sunday’s Action at Las Vegas … The NASCAR Cup Series Las Vegas 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, October 15, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The race will be broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

This Week’s Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Austin Dillion is entering this weekend’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with 14 NASCAR Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track. He earned a best finish of fourth in 2020. In his most recent NASCAR Cup Series appearance at the track in the spring of 2022, Dillon finished 11th.  Former Winner … Dillon is a two-time winner at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion went to Victory Lane in Xfinity Series competition at the track in March 2015, leading 183 of the scheduled 200 laps. Dillon also has a NASCAR Truck Series win in September 2010.  Career Milestone … Dillon is scheduled to make his 333rd NASCAR Cup Series start on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 32-year-old Welcome, NC native made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on October 9, 2011, at Kansas Speedway in the No. 98 Chevrolet for Mike Curb Racing.  TRACKER Off Road … Dillon’s No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 prominently features TRACKER ATVs, a game-changing new line of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides offering breakthrough performance, service, and value in the off-road industry. TRACKER OFF ROAD was born out of a powerhouse partnership formed between Bass Pro Shops and TRACKER founder Johnny Morris and Textron Specialized Vehicles, bringing together the undisputed world leader in boating with a global leader in innovation and technology.  Bass Pro Shops … Bass Pro Shops is North America’s premier outdoor and conservation company. Founded in 1972 when avid young angler Johnny Morris began selling tackle out of his father’s liquor store in Springfield, Missouri, today the company provides customers with unmatched offerings spanning premier destination retail, outdoor equipment manufacturing, world-class resort destinations and more. In 2017 Bass Pro Shops acquired Cabela’s to create a “best-of-the-best” experience with superior products, dynamic locations, and outstanding customer service. Bass Pro Shops also operates White River Marine Group, offering an unsurpassed collection of industry-leading boat brands, and Big Cedar Lodge, America’s Premier Wilderness Resort. Under the visionary conservation leadership of Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops is a national leader in protecting habitat and introducing families to the outdoors and has been named by Forbes as “one of America’s Best Employers.” Bass Pro Shops has a long relationship with NASCAR, dating back to 1998. For more information, visit http://www.basspro.com/. AUSTIN DILLON QUOTE:What are your thoughts on Las Vegas Motor Speedway?“Las Vegas Motor Speedway has always been one of my favorite tracks, so I’m looking forward to going there this weekend in the Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet. Being able to turn through the bumps in Turn 1 is very important. In Turn 3, you can’t miss the entry, the track has gotten a lot of character over the last couple of years, and that is what makes it fun to drive on. You really have to challenge yourself to be disciplined on your marks. We learned a lot at Las Vegas in the Spring with the Next Gen car, so I’m curious to see how much it has changed since then.”

This Week’s ALSCO Uniforms Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway …Tyler Reddick will be making his sixth NASCAR Cup Series start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. The driver of the ALSCO Uniforms Chevrolet has reeled off two consecutive top-10 finishes in his last two races at the 1.5-mile Nevada speedway, a personal best sixth-place finish in the 2021 fall race and most recently a seventh-place effort in March. He has also won at Las Vegas in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2019 fall event with Richard Childress Racing) and in the NASCAR Truck Series (2016). Reddick won the most recent Cup Series event on an intermediate style track in September at Texas Motor Speedway, his third win on the 2022 season. About Alsco Uniforms … Alsco is a fifth-generation family-owned and operated uniform company founded in 1889 and recognized by the prestigious Hohenstein Institute for having invented the uniform rental industry. Celebrating over 130 years of business, Alsco provides uniform laundry services and other products that keep businesses clean and safe to all kinds of customers in the healthcare, automotive, industrial and hospitality industries. With more than 180 locations and 20,000 employees, Alsco provides laundry rental services to more than 355,000 customers in 14 countries, which makes Alsco Uniforms the largest uniform company in the world. Visit www.alsco.com to learn more about how Alsco Uniforms is the industry’s best kept secret.  TYLER REDDICK QUOTES:The confidence level for you and the team must be high after running so well a few weeks ago at Texas. “It certainly is. The first time we were at Las Vegas we struggled a little bit but we still had a decent car underneath us and a lot of these mile-and-a-half tracks we’ve done a decent job of bringing really stout cars to the track. I’m very excited about it. The temperatures and the conditions will be different. We’ve been really strong at Las Vegas from time to time. Actually, at this race last year we were really, really strong and we were able to battle with Denny Hamlin for a lot of it. As I recall Chase Elliott pulled some aggressive pit strategy and was able to leapfrog all of us and win the race. We had a strong outing last year and we’re looking to do that again when we go back.”    You had a strong year on the road courses this season.“We had a really good year on road courses. It’s been fun to be that competitive. In hindsight we wish we could have won more of them but we had strong days and got a lot of points. We had two races this season that went just about perfect. We dominated one and the other we picked ‘em off one at a time and eventually got there. Certainly the Next Gen car we’ve closed the gap even more to the guys like Chase Elliott and AJ Allmendinger who are really stout everywhere they go.”

This Week’s Whelen Engineering Chevrolet Camaro SS at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Sheldon Creed will make his second Las Vegas Motor Speedway Xfinity Series start on Saturday. His first start came earlier this season when he started eighth and finished seventh. During his time in the NASCAR Truck Series, Creed made six starts at the 1.5-mile track with two top-five finishes and four top 10s. Creed, who is in his rookie season, has three top-five finishes, 11 top 10s and has led 155 laps. Creed’s best finish this season came at the Fall Darlington race when he started third and finished runner-up. Last weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL, Creed started fourth and finished 16th. He was running up front and leading laps, contending for the win, before being spun by another car on track. Whelen Celebrates 70 Years … From a small garage workshop in Connecticut in 1952 to a worldwide leader in emergency warning equipment today, Whelen Engineering continues to push the boundaries of innovation. As we mark our 70th anniversary, we’re proud to continue our founder’s mission of making it safer for those who serve and protect. Whelen has been manufacturing in America for 70 years—we never left, and we’re here to stay. About Whelen … Whelen Engineering is a family-owned company with a pioneering spirit and a passion to protect the lives of those who protect and serve others. The company mission is to provide industry-defining safety solutions around the world, while creating a community of problem-solvers who are inspired to push boundaries and continue our legacy of delivering ground-breaking innovation. As a global leader in the emergency warning industry, Whelen has been trusted to perform since 1952, when George Whelen III invented the first rotating aviation beacon. Whelen now encompasses two state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Connecticut and New Hampshire with over 750,000 square feet of engineering and manufacturing space and the largest design staff in the industry. Every part of every Whelen product is proudly designed and manufactured in America. We embrace quality as our foundation, we celebrate innovative engineering in every product we produce. SHELDON CREED QUOTE:You’ve been having some strong runs recently, is that motivating as we head to Las Vegas?“Yeah, we’ve had some really strong runs recently. When we unloaded at the ROVAL last weekend, we were fast. We topped practice and then qualified fourth and had a really strong car to start the race. We were running up front and made good strides throughout the race. I think we could have had a chance to win at the end of the race if we weren’t taken out. We’ve been improving every weekend and we’re seeing the results on track. We seem to get caught up in other people’s messes sometimes, though, so our finishing results haven’t always been the best. I’m working hard and doing what I need to do and my guys are working really hard in the shop so I know we’ll get the result we deserve here soon.”

This Week’s United Rentals Chevrolet Camaro SS at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … For the second time this season and the third time of his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, Austin Hill heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hill made his first start at the track in 2020 and finished 17th. Most recently, earlier this season, Hill started 15th and was involved in a crash at the end of the race forcing him to complete only 188 laps of 200 total. Hill saw a lot of success at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during his time in the NASCAR Truck Series. He accumulated two wins (2019, 2020), four top fives, six top 10s and led 80 laps in eight starts. He had an average start of 12.5 and an average finish of 10.1. Hill’s numbers at 1.5-mile tracks have been strong this season. Keeping Tabs on the Playoffs … Austin Hill advanced to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 8 last weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. The Round of 12 kicked off at Texas Motor Speedway where Hill finished runner-up. The series went to Talladega after that and Hill won the pole award, swept both stages and finished 14th. At the ROVAL, Hill started in the top 10 but suffered from a power steering issue at the end of Stage 1 that set him back for the entire race. Luckily, he had a good points cushion and after Stage 2, he officially clinched a spot in the next round. This is Hill’s rookie season and his first Playoff appearance. About United Rentals … United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. The company has an integrated network of 1,278 rental locations in North America, 11 in Europe, 28 in Australia and 18 in New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 states and every Canadian province. The company’s approximately 20,100 employees serve construction and industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and others. The company offers approximately 4,300 classes of equipment for rent with a total original cost of $15.72 billion. United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, the Barron’s 400 Index and the Russell 3000 Index® and is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. Additional information about United Rentals is available at www.unitedrentals.com. AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:You advanced to the Round of 8 and now you’re heading to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track that you’ve seen success at. What’s your mindset?“The Charlotte ROVAL was definitely a tough race for our team. We didn’t give up all day but losing the power steering at the end of the Stage 1 put us in a really bad place. It was a relief knowing we clinched a spot in the Round of 8 but I would have really liked to have a better finish than I did. So, looking forward to getting to Las Vegas to redeem ourselves. This team has busted their tails and because of it, we had a pretty decent points buffer heading into the ROVAL. Now, we can sort of start over with a blank slate at Las Vegas. I love Las Vegas, it’s probably my favorite track on the circuit. I have two wins from the Truck Series, and I’ve always qualified really well and run upfront at the track. Earlier this season, we were running up front and leading laps until we got taken out so that was tough, but we’ll bounce back this weekend. We’ve been working hard in the shop and on the simulator all week and talking about strategy s I think we have a good setup heading into the weekend.”

(10/14/2022 – Alex Nieten) Hanford, CA… On a night when the NARC Fujitsu General Sprint Cars were honoring a man known as “Mr. Excitement,” the main event surely had the late Anthony Simone smiling from above.

Excitement might be an understatement to describe the Fujitsu Feature of Friday’s second Annual Anthony Simone Classic. The final 15 circuits of the 30-lap finale saw 12 unofficial lead changes between four different drivers. It was slider after slider and crossover after crossover that saw some of the sport’s best in Rico Abreu, Corey Day, Dominic Scelzi, and Justin Sanders waging war around the 3/8ths mile for a $10,000 payday. Ultimately, it was Abreu emerging as the winner.

With his 2022 schedule primarily focusing on racing with the World of Outlaws, All-Stars, and other major races out east, Friday was Abreu’s first NARC appearance of the year aboard the Rowdy Energy No. 24. It was his third series victory at Keller Auto Speedway and 16th overall with NARC in his 68th career feature start.

For Abreu, the celebration included not only the joy of topping one of the most entertaining races of the year that included a stout paycheck, but also the emotion of collecting another victory at the place where his sprint car career began.

“Man, I’m out of breath. That was a hell of a race,” said a winded Abreu. “My first race ever in a sprint car was at Hanford in March of 2011. This place always has a special spot in my heart. I really struggled here through the beginning of my career. Then as I matured as a driver I learned to slow everything down and breathe while I’m racing.”

Dominic Scelzi and Mitchel Moles led the field to green to kickoff the 30-lap tilt. The early pace of the race was slowed by a few cautions and one red flag for Mauro Simone getting upside down. He was unharmed.

As the field progressed through the first half, Scelzi led while Corey Day wasted no time making moves as he sliced through the field from his 15th starting spot. The Clovis teenager had made it all the way up to third before getting too sideways with 22 laps to go in turn four and nearly bringing the car to a halt.

Despite Day’s save, the yellow flag flew but was deemed an inadvertent yellow, allowing Day to blend in line where he would’ve if the race stayed green, lining him up seventh for the ensuing restart.

Scelzi brought the field back to green and continued to control the race on the bottom groove. Battles in and around the top-five raged on leading to the race’s halfway mark, and when the second half of the main event commenced, the brawl for the lead broke out.

With 13 laps to go, Abreu threw a turn one slider at Scelzi, and Scelzi promptly crossed over to regain the spot down the backstretch. The next time around, Abreu launched another turn one slide job. Scelzi couldn’t manage to crossover, but he returned the favor with a slider of his own in turn one on the next lap.

Scelzi crept away after the move as Abreu, Cole Macedo, Justin Sanders, and Day threw haymakers for the runner-up spot.

Abreu maintained second, and with six laps left, he gathered momentum for yet another turn one slide job. Scelzi matched the move in turn three, but Abreu ducked underneath him exiting turn four.

The next lap was nearly disastrous as Scelzi slid in front of Abreu in turns three and four and was bringing Justin Sanders with him. Sanders nosed ahead of both for just a moment, and Abreu launched off the cushion and between both of them, creating a wild three-wide battle, and Abreu powered away down the front stretch. After the hold-your-breath moment, Abreu was able to get a small amount of breathing room with just four laps to go.

The breathing room didn’t last long as Day roared back into second with three laps to go. Then, as Abreu and Day crossed the stripe with two to go, Day threw a massive turn one slider to clear Abreu. Day left a gap heading into three, and Abreu returned the favor. On the last lap, Abreu rolled the bottom in turns one and two while Day ripped the cushion and built momentum. In the final set of corners Abreu slid himself to protect, and Day followed in his tracks sliding across the track but with no opening to pass. Ultimately, Abreu held on to win by just a couple car lengths.

“I just kept telling myself all night that we’ve just got to be there the last 10 laps,” Abreu said of his strategy. “My car was really, really good. It was kind of just floundering around lane choice there, and I caught Dom (Scelzi) on the top, and he kind of fishtailed up there. I got to the bottom off of (turn) two a couple times and could just run across from him.

“You get into some tense battles like tonight, and you just sense there’s cars behind you,” Abreu added. “You know if you slip up these guys here are all good enough to win this race. It was just a matter of who minimized their mistakes.”

Corey Day’s valiant drive aboard the Meyers Constructors/Four CCCCs Construction No. 14 not only earned him the runner-up spot, but it was also worth the night’s Swift Metal Finishing Hardcharger as he advanced 13 spots.

“I was just kind of hammering in,” Day said of his all-out approach. “When it curbs up around the top like that, that’s my style. Noisy had the car really good for it to be able to do that.”

Completing the podium was Justin Sanders in the Farmers Brewing Co./Mittry Construction No. 2X. It marked Sanders’ sixth NARC top-three of the season.

“I feel like I won the normal man’s race,” Sanders joked. “You got Rico who is an Outlaw guy, and Corey Day is the next Kyle Larson, so I guess I won the normal California race. I’ll take it.”

The balance of the top-10 included Dominic Scelzi, Cole Macedo, Shane Golobic, Austin McCarl, Kyle Hirst, Mitchel Moles, and Tim Kaeding.

FUJITSU GENERAL USA FEATURE (30 laps): 1. Rico Abreu 24 2. Corey Day 14 3. Justin Sanders 2X 4. Dominic Scelzi 41 5. Cole Macedo 21T 6. Shane Golobic 17W 7. Austin McCarl 88 8. Kyle Hirst 83JR 9. Mitchel Moles 01 10. Tim Kaeding 83 11. D.J. Netto 88N 12. Mitchell Faccinto 21 13. Dylan Bloomfield 83V 14. Justyn Cox 42X 15. Jonathan Allard 0 16. Bud Kaeding 69 17. Blake Carrick 38B 18. Billy Aton 26 19. Willie Croft 29 20. Tanner Carrick 83T 21. Craig Stidham 36 22. Bill Balog 7 23. Justin Peck 17 24. Kaleb Montgomery 2K 25. Mauro Simone 10.

METTEC TITATIUM LAP LEADERS: Scelzi 1-18, 20-24. Abreu 19, 25-30

SWIFT METAL FINISHING HARDCHARGER: Corey Day 15th to 2nd

ARP FAST QUALIFIER (31 Cars): Mitchell Faccinto 13.544

BROWN AND MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS HEAT ONE (6 laps): T. Kaeding, Hirst, Balog, Faccinto, Myers Jr., B. Carrick, Mittry

KIMO’s TROPICAL CAR WASH HEAT TWO (6 laps): Scelzi, Macedo, Carrick, Allard, Montgomery, Shaw

DIRT.TRAVEL CLUB HEAT THREE (6 laps): Abreu, Peck, Croft, Netto, Aton, Danell

KAEDING PERFORMANCE HEAT FOUR (6 laps): Bloomfield, McCarl, Day, Golobic, Stidham, Simone

METTEC TITANIUM HEAT FIVE (6 laps): Sanders, Moles, B. Kaeding, Cox, Forler, De Wees

SUNNYVALLEY “POWERED BY BACON” TROPHY DASH (8 laps): Scelzi, Moles, Abreu, Peck, Bloomfield, Macedo, Sanders, McCarl, T. Kaeding, Hirst

STARR PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SEMI (12 laps): Montgomery, Stidham, Aton, B. Carrick, Myers Jr., Forler, Shaw, Danell, Simone, De We

Home-state driver becomes ninth different winner in nine Series races

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Oct. 14, 2022 – He’s been one of the most dominant forces in Dirt Midget racing this season, and he’s just broken through with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

Cannon McIntosh led the last 22 laps of Friday’s portion of the 18th annual Charlene Meents Memorial at I-44 Riverside Speedway to collect his 15th national Midget win of the year. The victory also extended the different winners streak to nine in the first nine Xtreme Outlaw races.

Despite his success at the national level this year, McIntosh said it’s been tough sledding for he and the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports team as of late. They experienced engine issues in Thursday’s Feature event at Port City Raceway, taking them out of the running while contending for a win at the head of the field, but rebounded nicely with a backup car and a trip to Victory Lane Friday night.

“I feel like going into every Xtreme race, I had a shot to win and had a car to win; we just haven’t been able to put the cap on it,” McIntosh said. “To be able to rebound tonight and finally get the monkey off of my back was a good feeling.”

Taking the green from inside Row 2, McIntosh put himself in good position early. Inside of the first 10 laps, he was already chomping at the bit for the lead, hounding the tail tank of polesitter Jonathan Beason. Using the top side around the 1/5-mile track, McIntosh wound-up the momentum and surged past Beason to take the lead on Lap 9.

“I felt like we were carrying momentum up there,” McIntosh said. “The top seemed to have a little bit more speed early.

“Beason having to lift and getting tight there in the center – it was a little tricky getting by him with him running a wide lane down the strightaway. But once I was able to get by him, I was good.”

From there on out, it was all McIntosh out front. The 19-year-old from Bixby, OK, led each of the remaining 22 laps to score the $4,000 grand prize and complete a 180-degree turnaround from their 24th-place DNF on Thursday night.

“When we’re down, I think it’s been how well we’re able to turn it around and how fast we’re able to do that,” McIntosh said. “We turn things around pretty quick when things aren’t as good. Recently, we’ve struggled a little bit and kinda got out of rhythm. But tonight, we got back on the horse, pulled the backup car down and did what we needed to do.”

While McIntosh had things covered out front, the battle for position raged on behind him. Daison Pursley was going on a mission through the top-10, picking off one car every few laps until he was at the front of the field with only 10 laps to go.

“I felt like the top came in pretty good later in the race; the bottom slicked-off and I was kinda just the first one up there trying it,” Pursley said. “That definitely played to my advantage.”

Wading through several caution flags and restarts, Pursley held strong in battling with the top-five and was able to make the move for second on Beason after the final restart with three-to-go.

“I just had to be really patient with Beason,” Pursley said. “I probably waited a little bit too long; later in the race like that, you kinda gotta go. I feel like I kinda waited too long for Beason.”

Similar in style to Pursley’s runner-up finish, Chance Crum came to the front in similar fashion. From 15th on the starting grid, Crum drove the Rudeen Racing entry to the front in a hurry, advancing 10 spots inside of the first 20 laps.

“That middle lane started coming in toward the end,” Crum said. “In the second half of the race, I was able to keep my momentum up through there.

“A little bit of attrition helped, and I just kinda survived until the end.”

With three laps left, Crum was riding fifth, battling for position in a hornet’s nest with Beason, Pursley and Gavin Miller. He got around Miller for fourth on Lap 29 and nipped Beason at the finish line for the last podium spot – the second of his Xtreme Outlaw career.

“It definitely got hairy’ they were racing really hard,” Crum said. “A couple of them bounced-off each other, I think, so I was just trying to be patient, wait for a lane to open up, and it did.

“We were able to sneak by one, and then get Beason there at the line by like a foot. It was really close.”

Further back in the field was the scene for the two leading drivers in Xtreme Outlaw points – Zach Daum and Bryant Wiedeman. Daum was up front for the first half of the race, riding fifth when he suddenly lost power on his Bundy Built Motorsports #9m coming to the green on a Lap 18 restart.

He went to the work area, made repairs under yellow and was able to race back to a 12th-place finish. Meanwhile, Wiedeman was quietly advancing positions, but was only able to make up five points on Daum in the points standings with a ninth-place finish.

UP NEXT

The inaugural season finale for the Xtreme Outlaw Midgets hits I-44 Riverside Speedway Saturday night, Oct. 15, in the conclusion of the 18th annual Meents Memorial, where a champion will be crowned. Tickets will be on sale at the track on Saturday, and if you can’t be there in person, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 08-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 2. 71-Daison Pursley[8]; 3. 26-Chance Crum[15]; 4. 55-Jonathan Beason[1]; 5. 71M-Gavin Miller[6]; 6. 97-Brenham Crouch[17]; 7. 7U-Kyle Jones[12]; 8. 71K-Dominic Gorden[21]; 9. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[14]; 10. 32T-Trey Marcham[22]; 11. 21-Emilio Hoover[24]; 12. 9M-Zach Daum[2]; 13. 84-Jade Avedisian[4]; 14. 25K-Taylor Reimer[5]; 15. 17B-Austin Barnhill[10]; 16. 11A-Andrew Felker[20]; 17. 57-Daniel Whitley[19]; 18. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[16]; 19. 71E-Mariah Ede[23]; 20. 81G-Greyson Springer[18]; 21. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[7]; 22. 61-Kale Drake[13]; 23. 06-Rylan Gray[9]; 24. 14J-Jody Rosenboom[11]

Gravel Continues to Close on Championship Lead, Trails by 56 with 5 Nights Left

GREENWOOD, NE – October 14, 2022 – While I-80 Speedway ends an era this week as the track closes, David Gravel begins a new one as a father.

On Friday night, the two coincided as Levi’s dad, a championship hopeful, dominated all 30 laps of the final World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series event at the Greenwood, NE 4/10-mile.

The 30-year-old Watertown, CT native continued his life-changing week – after welcoming his first son with wife Jillian on Monday – by increasing his title odds as he now only sits 56-points behind Brad Sweet with five races remaining.

It’s a bittersweet win for the Big Game Motorsports #2 team, as the sport also says goodbye to a beloved track with I-80 Speedway selling and shutting down after this weekend.

“Man, I’m so sad to see this place go,” Gravel told a sold-out crowd that attended the 34th and final World of Outlaws race. “It’s so unique. We don’t get to race tracks this wide typically. We’re losing a couple of race tracks this year and that’s not what we need. It’s pretty cool to say I won the final race here, but that’s not really a good thing. Hopefully, we can do it again tomorrow and I can get back to celebrate with my new family.”

Leading all 30 laps of the contest from the outside pole, Gravel’s game plan didn’t exactly come to fruition as trouble on the opening lap took pole sitter Giovanni Scelzi out of the mix.

“I thought we were good every time we hit the track, but I was a little nervous at the start of the Feature,” Gravel noted. “I wanted Gio to lead at the beginning to try and pace off him, but obviously that didn’t happen. It feels like you’re flying around the top here so I struggle to judge my pace leading by myself.”

A handful of restarts and an #Open Red – handled by crew members Cody Jacobs, Trey Bowman, and Zach Patterson – could do nothing in deterring Gravel’s path to victory lane. While he celebrated a seventh win of the season and 76th of his career, all eyes remain locked on an increasingly intriguing battle for the $200,000 World of Outlaws championship.

“I just plan on beating him every night and wherever we end, that’s where we end up,” Gravel said as he trails Sweet by 56-points with fives races left. “We’re just going to keep racing hard and putting the pressure on them. I know that we probably need a really bad night for him to make it happen, so I’m just minding my own business. I’d love to get to 10 wins this year, that’s what is first on our mind right now.”

Storming from ninth-to-second, Sheldon Haudenschild ends his I-80 Speedway career with three top-fives in three World of Outlaws starts at the track. The Stenhouse Jr. / Marshall Racing, NOS Energy Drink #17 came on late in the running and cut into Gravel’s lead, but simply ran out of time.

“I love this place,” Haudenschild told an energetic crowd. “I wish we could keep it going and come back here every single year. Overall, a good night for us. We rallied pretty well from Qualifying to Feature and had a great car by the end. We’ve been trying some stuff as the season winds down to find what we like best.”

After battling for the lead early on, Carson Macedo slipped back to finish third and claim his Series-leading 25th podium in the Jason Johnson Racing #41. The Lemoore, CA native never finished off the podium in three trips to I-80, finishing second, third, and third at the track.

“There was a certain point where I thought I could win this deal tonight and then the very next moment, I knew I was struggling,” Macedo said on his whirlwind 30-lapper. “I thought when I got to traffic that I would be able to do something with David, but it only got tougher from there and Sheldon got me then. All in all, a good run for us to get back on the podium tonight.”

Closing out the top-five at I-80 was James McFadden in the Roth Motorsports #83 and Brad Sweet in the Kasey Kahne Racing #49, who now leads the championship by 56 markers after losing 38-points over the last three races to Gravel.

Rounding out the top-10 on Friday was Brock Zearfoss in sixth, Logan Schuchart in seventh, Brian Brown in eighth, Donny Schatz in ninth, and Giovanni Scelzi in 10th.

NOS NOTEBOOK (I-80 SPEEDWAY, 10/14/22)

David Gravel’s 76th career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win brings him within three more from tying Brad Sweet (79) for 11th on the All-Time Win List. He added I-80 Speedway as the 41st track he’s won at and Nebraska as the 23rd state he’s won in.

Gravel opened the night with his 97th QuickTime Award, topping the final My Place Hotels Qualifying session at I-80 Speedway with a run of 13.674 seconds. He’s on the verge of joining Joey Saldana (157) and Donny Schatz (106) as the only drivers to hit triple-digits in World of Outlaws QuickTimes this century.

James McFadden (35th career), Brad Sweet (215th career), David Gravel (207th career), and Spencer Bayston (12th career) topped NOS Energy Drink Heat Races. Giovanni Scelzi won the DIRTVision Fast Pass Dash to claim his third pole position of the season.

UP NEXT (Sat) – The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series is heading three hours south tonight in anticipation of Saturday’s showdown at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, KS. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (30 Laps) – 1. 2-David Gravel [2][$10,000]; 2. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [9][$6,000]; 3. 41-Carson Macedo [3][$3,500]; 4. 83-James McFadden [7][$2,800]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6][$2,500]; 6. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [10][$2,300]; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart [16][$2,200]; 8. 21-Brian Brown [5][$2,100]; 9. 15-Donny Schatz [15][$2,050]; 10. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [1][$2,000]; 11. 5T-Ryan Timms [12][$1,600]; 12. 1A-Jacob Allen [11][$1,400]; 13. 9-Kasey Kahne [17][$1,200]; 14. 8-Aaron Reutzel [22][$1,100]; 15. 2KS-Ian Madsen [8][$1,050]; 16. 24-Garet Williamson [14][$1,000]; 17. 20G-Noah Gass [20][$1,000]; 18. 3-Ayrton Gennetten [13][$1,000]; 19. 1X-Jake Bubak [21][$1,000]; 20. 7S-Robbie Price [24][$1,000]; 21. 22-Riley Goodno [18][$1,000]; 22. 1-Justin Henderson [23][$1,000]; 23. 27-Carson McCarl [19][$1,000]; 24. 5-Spencer Bayston [4][$1,000]. Lap Leaders: David Gravel 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: 1S-Logan Schuchart[+9]

NEW Championship Standings (69/74 Races) – 1. Brad Sweet (8,610); 2. David Gravel (-56); 3. Carson Macedo (-130); 4. Donny Schatz (-232); 5. Sheldon Haudenschild (-256); 6. Logan Schuchart (-390); 7. James McFadden (-482); 8. Spencer Bayston (-602); 9. Jacob Allen (-694); 10. Brock Zearfoss (-962).

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 14, 2022) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster rocketed to the top of the Top Fuel class Friday night at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. Brittany Force has the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster sitting No. 3 and, in Funny Car, Robert Hight currently sits No. 3 in his AAA Texas Chevrolet Camaro SS while John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy are No. 6. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster ran 3.804-seconds at 324.61 mph to put themselves in the No. 6 spot heading into Friday evening. Tuned by veteran crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler, Prock handled the Montana Brand dragster to a stellar 3.682-second 334.57 mph pass to jump to the No. 1 spot. Their performance earned them three bonus points and a $15,000 bonus check part of the Texas Motorplex’s Stampede of Speed Friday Night Live. If it sticks through Saturday’s final two qualifying runs, it will be the first No. 1 of Prock’s career. “I’ve dreamt of getting a No. 1 qualifier, so I hope it sticks. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster has been coming along since before Indy. It hasn’t really showed the last two weekends, but everything is still there. We just need to make the right adjustments and then you get a performance like this. We seem to be peaking at the right time. To get this $15,000 on top of it, just have to say thank you to Billy Meyer and the Texas Motorplex,” Prock said. “We have that fire under us again. We made a decent run in the first session, went sixth quick and then low this session. This is kind of how it went for us when we won in Reading [Pennsylvania], if we keep going up and down the track, you don’t want to race Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler on Sunday.” Robert Hight and the AAA Texas team were second quickest of the first qualifying session with their 3.924-second pass at 331.79 mph earning them two bonus points. With header flames lit, Hight handled his Chevy hot rod to a solid 3.854 at 333.43 to once again be second quickest of the session. “Good day for this AAA team. We’re taking it one run at a time, these qualifying points are important, we want them every run. Two qualify runs today with two more tomorrow, we’ll stay consistent and just keeping doing what we know how to do,” Hight said. “Great show tonight, second year in a row with the Stampede of Speed and the extra money on the line for all the classes. Makes it exciting for the teams and for the fans. We won it last year, would have been nice to do it again but now we’re getting set for race day.” Brittany Force and the Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team had a stout 3.777-second pass at 332.50 mph to earn two bonus points narrowly missing being quickest of the session. In the night run, lined up side-by-side with teammate Austin Prock, Force would break her previous track record speed with a 335.75 mph, 3.689-second pass that would earn her a bonus point for being third quickest of the session. “Good start to our weekend here in Dallas. We’re excited about that extra qualifying pass that we get and the money that was on the line. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it but very proud of our teammate Austin Prock who took home the big check and low qualifier for the night,” Force said. “For our Monster Energy team, we had two solid passes and that is the most important thing for us chasing down this championship. We ran a 3.77 and a 3.68 so very impressive runs for us, we picked up some bonus points and we’ll come out tomorrow sitting No. 3.” John Force and the PEAK Chevy came out of the gate running well with a 3.907-second pass at 331.93 mph that earned some three bonus points for being quickest of the first session. A clutch malfunction during the second qualifying session had the PEAK Camaro up in smoke at the hit coasting to a 12.085 at 81.14. “Had a little bit of a problem there in the second session, but we had a good run in the afternoon. The PEAK Chevy, it’s fast right now, and it’s been consistently fast. We’ll be okay. Two more tomorrow and Danny Hood and Tim Fabrisi, they’ll have it figured out,” Force said. “Great show Billy Meyer put on tonight, great for the fans. Can’t wait to get back tomorrow and keep it going.” Competition at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex continues with qualifying Saturday at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations for the event will start on Sunday at noon. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday starting with a qualifying show at 10:00 a.m. ET and eliminations at 10:30 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:1st; 3.682-seconds; 334.57 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+3 (quickest Q2)BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac DragsterQualifying:3rd; 3.689-seconds; 335.75 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+2 (2nd quickest Q1) JOHN FORCE, 73, PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:6th; 3.907-seconds; 331.93 mphBonus Qualifying Points: +3 (quickest Q1)ROBERT HIGHT, 53, AAA Missouri Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:2nd; 3.854-seconds; 333.43 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+4 (2nd quickest Q1 & Q2)

ENNIS, TX (October 14, 2022) —- The first day of the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals wrapped up with a record setting run by Funny Car driver Matt Hagan, and quick runs by Top Fuel racer Austin Prock, Pro Stock racer Erica Enders and Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Matt Smith. Hagan and Prock each scored $15,000 for their respective teams by making the quickest runs to grab the provisional No. 1 spots on the eighth day of the Stampede of Speed. Enders nabbed the $7,500 bonus and Smith went back-to-back winning the Friday Night Live bonus of $5,000 for the second consecutive year.

In addition to the racing action the fans were treated to a live performance by Grace Good, nationally known fire performer and a pair of high-performance jet dragsters. The fire and power of Friday Night Live wowed the fans but it was Hagan’s record setting run that was the buzz of the evening.

Fire performer Grace Good, Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I want to say thank you to Billy and Christie Meyer Johnson because without them there was no money to win,” said Hagan. “I have been out here all week promoting this event to a PBR crowd and then the Stars Over Texas concert with Brett Young and Wade Bowen. It feels good to get the bonus after you have been camped out here. It is exciting to get in the car and get up on the wheel. You have your adrenaline going and you are chewing on your mouthpiece because there is money on the line.”

Funny Car driver Matt Hagan, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

Hagan’s run of 3.825 seconds at 334.85 mph knocked Bob Tasca III’s best run of 3.879 seconds at 328.66 mph off the top spot and out of the saddle.

Before Hagan took his bonus Enders, who is racing for her fifth Pro Stock world championship, ran to the top of a tough Pro Stock field moving around Elite Racing teammate Cristian Cuadra’s 6.533 second run out of the bonus money. Enders flew across the finish line and to the Provisional No. 1 spot with a 6.524 second run at 210.53 mph. She is chasing her fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and she was quickest of both sessions today collecting six bonus points in addition to the $7,500 Friday Night Live bonus check.

Erica Enders with $7,500 bonus cash, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“When we saw Cristian go out there and run 6.53 seconds, we knew we could run right there with him,” said Enders. “I was surprised to hear over my radio from my crew chief that we were No. 1. The Stampede of Speed is so neat thanks to the Meyer family and the Texas Motorplex team. It is definitely fun and it adds a really cool environment up on the starting line and being able to run up there under the lights is not something Pro Stock gets to do very often. It makes for a very fun Friday night.”

Smith, the reigning Texas NHRA Fall Nationals winner and five-time Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion is racing for his sixth world title and holding off a tough field of motorcycle racers. For the second year in a row Smith made the quickest run of the Friday Night Live session outrunning his wife and teammate Angie Smith for the $5,000 bonus check. Ironically, Smith’s run in the second qualifying session was quick enough for the bonus cash but only moved him up to No. 2 in the provisional qualifying with a 6.734 second at 203.58 mph run which was just behind provisional No. 1 Angelle Sampey’s run of 6.728 seconds at 202.05 mph.

Top Fuel driver Austin Prock closed out the show with a 3.682 second 334.57 mph pass to upend Clay Millican’s hold on the top spot with his 3.685 second 332.08 mph blast early in the Top Fuel season. Millican withstood runs from five pairs of Top Fuel drivers before Prock rocketed past the veteran driver. If the time holds as the No. 1 qualifier it would be a first for the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year. He was running beside teammate and championship contender Brittany Force at the end of the second qualifier of Friday.

Austin Prock, $15,000 bonus winner, provisional No. 1, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I have dreamt of getting a No. 1 qualifier, so I hope it sticks,” said Prock. “The coolest part was doing it beside my teammate Brittany and going 1-2 in qualifying. We won the $15,000 grand last year and this performance just shows how strong our team is. This car has been coming along since before Indy. We seem to be peaking at the right time to do something good like winning this $15,000.”

The final day of qualifying for the Texas NHRA Fall Nationals will get under tomorrow at noon and 4:00 pm. With final eliminations starting at noon CT. The conclusion of the Stampede of Speed will be highlighted by the quickest and fastest race cars on the planet duking it out for a purse in excess of $1 million and a custom cowboy hat from Motorplex sponsor American Hat Company.

PORTSMOUTH, OH (October 14, 2022) – Teenager Garrett Smith and veteran Tim McCreadie will make up the front row for Saturday night’s 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship Presented by Optima Batteries at Portsmouth Raceway Park.  In Friday night’s six preliminary heat races, sixth heat race winner Earl Pearson Jr. is the only driver who has previously gone to victory lane in the crown jewel event. Pearson’s win came in 2010 at West Virginia Motor Speedway. The final event of the 2022 season for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will pay $100,000 to the winner. The 68 cars entered marked the highest car count of the event in five years. Smith earned his first-ever start in the Dirt Track World Championship by dominating the first heat race. Smith, who just celebrated his 19th birthday on October 11, won over two-time Dirt Track World Championship winner Shannon Babb who was making his first appearance at Portsmouth since 2016. Defending Dirt Track World Champion Ricky Thornton Jr. came home in third. In his last three starts at Portsmouth, Thornton has two wins and a runner-up finish, which came in the 2020 running of the Dirt Track World Championship. McCreadie, who clinched his second consecutive Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National title by registering for Friday’s racing action, walked away with the fourth heat race to earn the outside front-row starting spot for Saturday night’s season finale. McCreadie led wire-to-wire to take the win over Spencer Hughes and Eddie Carrier Jr., a former Portsmouth Raceway Park track champion. The second heat race of the night saw 2022 Lucas Oil Show-Me 100 champion Chris Ferguson taking the win. Devin Gilpin, the four-time and defending Brownstown Speedway track champion came from the fifth starting spot to take the runner-up spot. Camaron Marlar claimed the third and final transfer spot to qualify for his first Dirt Track World Championship. Heat race three saw the driver that ended up as the #1 ranked dirt late model driver in the country Brandon Overton taking the win to earn the fifth-starting spot in Saturday night’s Dirt Track World Championship. Zack Dohm and Mason Zeigler stayed close to Overton for most of the 12-lap race as as they crossed the line in second and third place respectively to earn a starting spot in the 100-lapper tomorrow night. The fifth heat would see a good battle between Mike Marlar and four-time Dirt Track World Champion Brandon Sheppard go down to the wire with Marlar securing the victory. Marlar will start fourth in tomorrow night’s finale. Sheppard with a win on Saturday night would equal Freddy Smith’s five career Dirt Track World Championship wins, the most all-time for any driver. Hudson O’Neal caught Jonathan Davenport on the final lap to take the third and final transfer spot. The final heat of the night was all four-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion Earl Pearson Jr. He took the win ahead of a heated race from second on back between several drivers. Ryan Gustin was able to claim the second spot at the finish over the 2022 O’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Year, Garrett Alberson. Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Race Summary 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship Presented by Optima BatteriesFriday, October 14th, 2022Portsmouth Raceway Park – Portsmouth, OH Entrants: 68Dirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Garrett Smith (14.302 seconds) Allstar Performance Time TrialsFast Time Group A: Garrett Smith / 14.774 seconds (overall)Fast Time Group B: Tim McCreadie / 15.002 seconds Penske Race Shocks Heat Race #1 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 10G-Garrett Smith[1]; 2. 18-Shannon Babb[2]; 3. 20RT-Ricky Thornton Jr[3]; 4. 21H-Robby Hensley[4]; 5. 71C-RJ Conley[5]; 6. 20-Jimmy Owens[12]; 7. 0K-Freddie Carpenter[9]; 8. 95J-Jerry Bowersock[10]; 9. 25-Mike Benedum[6]; 10. 3-Austin Neely[8]; 11. 5T-Erick Christian[11]; 12. 12-Jason Jameson[7] Summit Racing Equipment Heat Race #2 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 22F-Chris Ferguson[1]; 2. 1G-Devin Gilpin[5]; 3. 99-Camaron Marlar[3]; 4. 66C-Matt Cosner[4]; 5. 40B-Kyle Bronson[2]; 6. 55-Jesse Wisecarver[6]; 7. 33-Kevin Wagner[8]; 8. 1C-Lucas Crooks[10]; 9. 16S-Steve Sabo[11]; 10. 145-Chase Frohnapfel[7]; 11. 5M-Garet McCloud[9] Simpson Race Products Heat Race #3 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 76-Brandon Overton[1]; 2. 17D-Zack Dohm[2]; 3. 9Z-Mason Zeigler[4]; 4. 18D-Daulton Wilson[5]; 5. 7H-Zach Hill[3]; 6. 28-Tyler Carpenter[9]; 7. 59-Larry Bellman[8]; 8. 29K-Clint Keenan[7]; 9. 11A-Ryan Abel[10]; 10. 354-Chris Nash[11]; 11. 17C-Chris Carpenter[6] Ohlins Shocks Heat Race #4 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 39-Tim McCreadie[1]; 2. 11-Spencer Hughes[2]; 3. 66JR-Eddie Carrier Jr[4]; 4. 11H-Jared Hawkins[5]; 5. 111V-Max Blair[6]; 6. 11R-Josh Rice[8]; 7. 12D-Doug Drown[7]; 8. 0-Scott Bloomquist[3]; 9. 10-Nathon Loney[12]; 10. 2-Justin Carter[11]; 11. D8-Dustin Linville[10]; 12. 21K-Kirk Phillips[9] Wrisco Industries Heat Race #5 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 157-Mike Marlar[2]; 2. 1-Brandon Sheppard[1]; 3. 71-Hudson O’Neal[7]; 4. 49-Jonathan Davenport[3]; 5. 44B-Colten Burdette[5]; 6. 7-Ross Robinson[6]; 7. 81-Brandon Fouts[4]; 8. 1BN-Nick Bocook[8]; 9. 71R-Rod Conley[10]; 10. 1B-Shane Bailey[9] Lucas Oil Heat Race #6 Finish (12 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 46-Earl Pearson Jr[1]; 2. 19R-Ryan Gustin[6]; 3. 58-Garrett Alberson[2]; 4. 1T-Tyler Erb[3]; 5. 9-Devin Moran[5]; 6. B1-Josh Bocook[7]; 7. 22-Cody Rogers[9]; 8. 17T-Shannon Thornsberry[8]; 9. 00-Justin Cooper[4]; 10. W1-Ronnie Whitt[12]; 11. 79R-Fast Eddy[11]; 12. 73-Charlie Mullett[10] FAST Shafts B Main 1 | 15 Laps | Top 2 transfer to A-Main | Line-ups

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 14, 2022) – Despite all the advance hype of a four-way title fight, Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) stole the show by earning his long-awaited maiden Progressive American Flat Track premier-class victory in Friday night’s Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida. After working past holeshot winner Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) approximately one minute into the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event, ‘VDK’ spent the remainder of the race with the title contenders packed up close behind him, each one viewing him as a potential points buffer should they prove capable of slotting him between themselves and their rivals. But after coming oh-so-close so often before, Vanderkooi refused to be their pawn and was instead the king, on this night at least. “I’ll always remember getting my first win here in Barberville, Florida,” Vanderkooi said. “I’ve been racing here for a long, long time – 85s, 250s, 450s. I’ve got a lot of laps around this place, but that didn’t help my nerves any with two champions right behind me. “That was awesome. Thank you to everyone who believed in me so much. My mechanic, my girlfriend, my parents, Ben Evans, everyone on the Mission Roof Systems team… I can’t wait to line them back up tomorrow – this was the spark I needed.” Still, the championship complexion was altered drastically even with the 25-point prize off the board. Daniels ultimately crashed out of fourth with less than three minutes to go. Forced to start from the back of the staggered restart, the rookie ace could manage just 12th and was mathematically eliminated from title contention as a result. At the same time, Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) pulled off a sensational, around-the-outside overtake on Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) to steal away runner-up honors in the race’s final corner, which all but eliminated Bauman as well. Just behind, JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) took full advantage of the restart to leap up the order and then hold off Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) for fourth by 0.060 seconds at the checkered flag. Due to Mees’ last-lap heroics, the reigning champ now leads Beach and Bauman by 23 and 25 points, respectively. That means Mees needs just a 16-place finish to take the title even in the event of a Beach victory. Meanwhile, Bauman’s only hope is to win and beat Mees via the tiebreaker in the unlikely chance that Mees goes home empty-handed tomorrow evening. Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) finished sixth. He was followed to the stripe by Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Latus Motors Racing Harley-Davidson XG750R), Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), Brandon Price (No. 92 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07), and Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750), who rounded out the top ten. Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines title leader Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) took a major step toward the acquisition of his first-career Progressive AFT championship by scoring his seventh win of the year on Friday night. Janisch was hounded throughout – yet ultimately aided in his championship aspirations – by a hungry pack of decorated part-timers that consisted of Dan Bromley (No. 62 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), Kolby Carlile (No. 36 KC36 Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R), James Rispoli (No. 43 Wally Brown Racing/Haversack KTM 890 Duke), and Mikey Rush (No. 15 Helipower Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R). The Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson ace managed to fight off their advances, placing them between himself and his title rival, defending class champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07). In the end, Texter could only muster a sixth-place finish in a race he really needed to win to retain realistic hopes at the crown. It could have been (slightly) worse. Rispoli crashed out of fourth late, bringing out a red flag and providing Texter another shot with a bunched up field. While he was unable to mount a charge, he did pick up one position due to Rispoli’s absence and still has an outside shot heading into tomorrow’s finale. Just how far outside? Janisch now leads by 21 points (309-288), which means he needs just a 15th-place result on Saturday to secure the coveted #1 plate. “Oh, this is a high,” Janisch said. “Today didn’t start well; we were 15th in practice and 10th in the first qualifying session. But the team was awesome. We just kept working at it and ended up getting on pole. I looked over (on the grid) and thought, ‘Today is an awesome day to have good friends,’ because I had a whole front row of people I’m friends with. “We’re stoked. The Vance & Hines team is amazing. It’s been an unreal year. We’ve got one more. Let’s try to finish it off. Anything can happen, but we just need four more points.” Runner-up Bromley continued his perfect podium streak on the season, notching up his seventh top-three in seven attempts. Meanwhile, Carlile’s third saw him return to the podium for the first time since the season’s second round after missing ten rounds while recovering from injury. Rush came home fourth, followed by Bromley’s teammate, Cole Zabala (No. 51 Memphis Shades/Corbin Seats/Vinson Construction Yamaha MT-07), who kept Texter at bay for fifth. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER With his championship campaign successfully done and dusted, recently crowned Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER champion Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) reminded the field exactly why he’s the category’s new master. Freed up to once again push at his maximum, Kopp made a stunning restart from the second row following an early red flag, winding his way through tight quarters and all the way up into second. Moments later, he executed an aggressive inside strike on Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) to take control of the lead. Once clear at the front, Kopp set sail toward his seventh victory of the season, moving him to within one of equaling Dallas Daniels’ single-season class record of eight. The triumph was not just Kopp’s first win in six races, but his first podium over that span full stop. He said, “We went a long three-and-a-half months without a podium or a win. This feels so good. It’s really hard to race a championship and not think about the points. As much as I want to say I wasn’t, the whole time I was. We got that done last time out, and now we just won Volusia. Let’s do it again tomorrow.” Just as the fight for second place in the championship continues to rage, so it did as well in Friday’s Main Event. Brunner battled hard but was ultimately displaced and left in the wake of Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R) and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R). In the end, Lowe edged Gauthier for the position, while Brunner picked up fourth less than a second back. Meanwhile, Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) edged Chase Saathoff (No. 106 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) and Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) for fifth. As a result, the struggle for second is only that much tighter. Brunner currently leads that effort with 237 points, followed closely by Mischer (233), Gauthier (230), and Whale (220). The Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I will premiere on FS1 on Sunday, October 23, at 11:00 a.m. ET/8:00 a.m. PT, while the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale II will air one week later, on Sunday, October 30, at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT. Both broadcasts will include exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary. Next Up: The Progressive AFT season concludes with tomorrow’s Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/4054/ to reserve your tickets today. You can catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tv provides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tvsubscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 14, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Track is excited to confirm that Randy and Daniel Dye will serve as the Grand Marshals of the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD at Volusia Speedway Park, in Barberville, Florida, on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15. Former race car driver Randy Dye is the owner of Daytona Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM and Maserati Alfa Romeo of Daytona. An active supporter of Progressive AFT, Dye serves on the NASCAR Foundation board of directors, the Daytona State College board of trustees, and various other community organizations. His son, Daniel Dye, is one of auto racing’s brightest young talents. The teenager recently completed his first full ARCA Menards Series campaign with GMS Racing, finishing as the championship’s runner-up while earning both Rookie of the Year honors and the Bill France 4 Crown title. Dye, who has been racing for most of his young life, previously demonstrated his vast potential in quarter midget competition before transitioning to late model racing with Ben Kennedy Racing. Together Randy and Daniel are heavily involved with the suicide prevention initiative, “Race to Stop Suicide.” Randy serves as its Chairman while Daniel utilizes his national platform to be an effective spokesperson for the campaign, including prominently featuring its logo on his race cars. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/4054/ to reserve your tickets for the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBDtoday. For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com. To score the latest gear for the Progressive American Flat Track fan, visit our official merchandise store at https://store.americanflattrack.com. How to Watch: FOX Sports and FansChoice.tv are the official homes for coverage of Progressive American Flat Track. For the 2022 season, all races will premiere in one-hour telecasts on FS1 during highly desirable weekend time slots. The complete schedule can be viewed athttps://www.americanflattrack.com/events-foxsports. FansChoice.tv provides livestreaming coverage of every Progressive AFT round at http://www.FansChoice.tv.

The St. Charles, MO driver scored a second-place finish at 81 Speedway in April

HUMBOLDT, KS– October 14, 2022 – Gordy Gundaker knew his first season with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models would be a learning curve. And as the season enters its final six races of 2022, one lesson has stood out—consistency.

It’s a lesson the St. Charles, MO driver hopes to build off as the Series makes its final Midwest swing of the season, with stops at Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, KS, on Friday, Oct. 21, 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS on Saturday, Oct. 22, and US 36 Speedway in Osborn, MO on Sunday, Oct. 23.

“I’ve kind of struggled with that, whether it’s been bad luck or just things we’ve done to kind of kick ourselves,” Gundakersaid. “It’s been a bit of a learning curve, and I think it’s just something as the year’s gone on, and as you race nationally, you just kind of find a way around those things.

“Just finding ways to get better consistently is something I’ve really learned, and we’ve done a better job here recently.”

While he’s trying to stay consistent and build on his three top-fives and seven top 10s, he also has a leg up on his competition entering the Midwest tripleheader. Gundaker and Ryan Gustinare the only two full-time drivers who’ve made stops at 81 Speedway this season.

“Earlier in the year, I ran 81 (Speedway) and ran second there,” Gundaker said. “That, to me, is a confidence booster just in itself going to a place I know. We’ve been working hard the last couple of weeks doing some testing, and I’ve been on the phone with some guys and found a few things that we’ve been doing incorrect.

“So, I think we have everything squared away now, so I really got some confidence heading into the three-day swing.”

Gundaker hopes to use that confidence boost as an advantage as he pushes toward his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win.

“Anytime you can have a notebook of races you’ve been to already, and nobody else has, it’s obviously an advantage,” Gundaker said. “You go there knowing some things you did right and knowing some things you did wrong, where some guys are unloading fresh and don’t really know.

“So, yeah, it’s a big deal for us, and it gives us a confidence booster heading into the weekend.”

Even though Gundaker’s first run at a national tour is uncharted territory, he didn’t do it alone. On many occasions, his 19-year-old brother Trevor joined him—most recently during the Quad Cities 150 at Davenport Speedway.

The elder Gundaker stated it’s something he wishes he could’ve done when he was Trevor’s age.

“It’s awesome getting to run up and down the road with my little brother,” Gundaker said. “Obviously, this is something we both love doing and have a major passion for and getting to do it together is neat. Getting to travel to some of the new places together and do things makes it even better.

“Especially because at his age, I wasn’t really getting to travel quite like that, and I really didn’t for a while. Getting him the experience earlier in his career is going to be better for him.”

Racing with his brother on a national stage isn’t the only experience he’ll get to enjoy this season, as Gundaker prepares to compete in his first World of Outlaws World Finals, Nov. 2-5,at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

He’s looking forward to the atmosphere of racing on one of the biggest stages in motorsports.

READ MORE: 1 MONTH ALERT: All Dirt Roads Lead to World Of Outlaws World Finals, Nov. 2-5

“It’s awesome,” Gundaker said. “I’ve been to the World Finals a few times. I haven’t raced it. But I’ve been there as a spectator, and it’s a hell of an event. They do a great job with the atmosphere. Bringing the people there. And the fact that you have three major Series under the same roof for a weekend there in front of all those people.

“It’s going to be a tough weekend, but it’s definitely going to be a lot of fun.”

Gundaker hopes his lessons in consistency propel him to the top of the mountain in one of the final six races of his World of Outlaws rookie season and into his first trip to Victory Lane.

The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet kick off the Midwest weekend with a trip to Humboldt Speedway in Humboldt, KS, on Friday, Oct. 21, before a stop at 81 Speedway in Wichita, KS, on Saturday, Oct. 22. Then, the weekend finishes with a return to the “Show-Me” state for a battle at US 36 Speedway in Osborn, MO on Sunday, Oct. 23. FOR TICKETS: CLICK HERE.

If you can’t make it to the track, watch all the action live on DIRTVision – either online on with the DIRTVision App

BATAVIA, Ohio (October 13, 2022) – Tim McCreadie is set to claim his second consecutive Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion on Saturday at Portsmouth Raceway Park. In addition to the championship chase, McCreadie also leads the Arizona Sport Shirt Crown Jewel Cup standings into the season finale. Ricky Thornton Jr. trails McCreadie by 150-points, followed by Earl Pearson Jr., Brandon Sheppard, and Hudson O’Neal. The Arizona Sport Shirt Crown Jewel Cup is a mini-series within the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series schedule comprising 13 events that pay $30,000 or more to the winner. The Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Champion will receive a $15,000 cash bonus at the year-end awards banquet. The drivers who finish second through fifth in the Crown Jewel Cup standings will earn $6,000, $4,000, $3,000, and $2,000 in cash, respectively for a total point’s fund of $30,000 for these 13 events. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will close out the 2022 season this weekend in Portsmouth, Ohio. The 42nd Annual General Tire Dirt Track World Championship presented by Optima Batteries takes place October 13th-15th, at Portsmouth Raceway Park. 2022 Arizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Schedule (winner):May 28, 2022- Lucas Oil Speedway- Show-Me 100- $50,000 to win (Chris Ferguson)June 4, 2022- West Virginia Motor Speedway- Historic 100- $50,000 to win (Jonathan Davenport)June 18, 2022- Smoky Mountain Speedway- Mountain Moonshine Classic- $50,000 to win (Chris Madden)June 25, 2022- Lernerville Speedway- Firecracker 100- $50,000 to win (Tim McCreadie)July 3, 2022- Muskingum County Speedway- Freedom 60- $30,000 to win (Brandon Sheppard)July 9, 2022- Deer Creek Speedway- Gopher 50- $50,000 to win (Brandon Overton)July 23, 2022- I-80 Speedway- Silver Dollar Nationals- $53,000 to win (Jonathan Davenport)August 13, 2022- Florence Speedway- North/South 100- $75,000 to win (Jonathan Davenport)August 20, 2022- Batesville Motor Speedway- Topless 100- $50,000 to win (Jonathan Davenport)August 27, 2022- Port Royal Speedway- Rumble by the River- $50,000 to win (Earl Pearson Jr.)September 17, 2022- Knoxville Raceway- Late Model Nationals- $50,000 to win (Jonathan Davenport)September 29, 2022- Tyler County Speedway- 54th Annual Hillbilly 100- $30,000 to win (Kyle Larson)October 15, 2022- Portsmouth Raceway Park- Dirt Track World Championship- $100,000 to win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 14, 2022) – Progressive American Flat Trackannounced today a multifaceted initiative to raise funds toward Hurricane Ian relief and recovery efforts entered around the series’ high-profile season finale, the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD, at Volusia Speedway Park, in Barberville, Florida, on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15. While Progressive AFT previously confirmed the venue suffered relatively minor damage in the storm, many others in the area were not nearly so fortunate. Based in nearby Daytona Beach, Progressive American Flat Track is dedicated to giving back to, and supporting, its local community, and thus announced the following actions:$1 from every ticket sold will go to Hurricane Ian relief effortsEvery lap counts – $5 will be donated for every lap completed in practice, qualifying, Semis, and Main Events across the entire weekend (as determined by the lap leader in each session)Continued encouragement of series partner donations, which are currently in excess of $8,00050/50 raffle (half goes to fans, the other half is donated)Organizing and accepting fan donations on siteProgressive American Flat Track is working in conjunction with Jeep Beach for proper distribution of the donations. With input and guidance from county and city officials in order to be both effective and intentional, all proceeds will be making direct impacts to those in dire need. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/4054/ to reserve your tickets for the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD today.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (October 14, 2022) – The 2022 Progressive American Flat Track season concludes this weekend with the Mission Volusia Half-Mile Finale I & II presented by Daytona Dodge and Zo CBD at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida, on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15. All three Progressive AFT classes – Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle, Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines, and Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER – will be back in action with the first practice scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT) on Friday and 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT) on Saturday. Catch the livestream of all the weekend’s racing activities on FansChoice.tv. FansChoice.tvprovides free-to-view livestreaming of Practice and Qualifying. FansChoice.tv subscribers will then be able to watch the drama unfold from Opening Ceremonies through the Semis, Main Events, and podium celebrations. FansChoice.tv offers two subscription options, granting unlimited access to premium AFT content. Monthly subscriptions start at just $7.99, while a six-month subscription is available for $44.99.

Becomes Eighth Different Winner in Eight Races

Boschele drives 19th-to-second; Hinton 21st-to-third in first national Midget Feature start

TULSA, OK – Oct. 13, 2022 – In the chase for the inaugural season championship, there was one big thing missing from Zach Daum’s season – a Feature win. Thursday night at Port City Raceway, he finally got it.

Daum, the current Series points leader from Pocahontas, IL, was forced to fend-off challenges from several contenders in the Keith Kunz Motorsports stable over the course of 55 laps around the high-banked, 1/8-mile. But he pulled through, riding the bottom groove all the way to Victory Lane to collect his first career Feature win with the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota.

Going winless through the first seven Series races was starting to cross Daum’s mind more frequently as of late, and he decided to do something about it. The win Thursday night makes him the eighth different winner in eight Series races, earning him a $5,555 check for his first career victory in the Donnie Ray Crawford Sooner State 55.

“It means a lot to Bundy [Built Motorsports], it means a lot to Whitz Racing Products, it means a lot to PME Engines, just everybody that helps this deal,” Daum said. “They work hard at this and I just wanted to get them a win. They’ve been gracious enough to let me race their car this year, and we just needed to get a win. I’m glad we got one.”

After winning Schoenfeld Headers Heat Race #3, Daum pulled the #6 pill from the inversion draw bucket, placing him outside Row 3 on the Feature starting grid. He made quick work of the top-five in the opening laps, passing his way into the top-three by Lap 6.

By Lap 20, he was up to second, getting past Brenham Crouch one lap prior and working the bottom lane to his advantage. Behind him, KKM entrant Brent Crews was winding-up the momentum on the top side and knocking on Daum’s door.

Crews soon drove around Daum and leader Gavin Miller to take the top spot and continued the torrid pace around the track. That was, until a Lap 30 restart, when the cushion began giving him issues and Daum was able to drive back by him on the bottom.

“I knew that them guys would start missing the bottom, and that’s when it would kinda get into my wheelhouse,” Daum said. “We caught lapped traffic, and then Brent [Crews] drove by… I needed someone to go to the top first. That way, the other two – the 71 and the 97 – I knew as soon as they saw someone go to the top, they would both abandon ship and that would leave me free on the bottom.”

Now with the lead again and a clear track ahead of him, Daum set his sights on Victory Lane. He kept it locked to the bottom and was pulling away as the laps wound down, until he reached the rear of the field with five laps remaining.

KKM driver Gavan Boschele, the 14-year-old sensation from Mooresville, NC, was on a mad-dash to the front in the final laps and had taken second on Lap 41 after the last restart. Charging all the way from 19th, Boschele was bound and determined to get to Daum’s rear bumper as he approached heavy lapped traffic.

“The first 15-20 laps, I was just kinda rolling the bottom, kinda taking it easy and picking cars off,” Boschele said. “Halfway through, I was just on go-mode. After I dodged all the wrecks and stuff, my mind was set on getting to the front.”

With five-to-go, Boschele’s gap to Daum was down to only a half-second and he could see Daum also getting held-up by the slower cars. It was all he could do to slide it deep into the corners and get by as many as possible, but Daum found a way through faster, freeing himself from the traffic web and crossing the stripe to taste victory.

“I think that would’ve won me the race if I could’ve just got by those two lapped cars in front of me,” Boschele said. “I think I could’ve caught up to [Daum] if I had a clear racetrack in front of me.”

Now on the brink of clinching the Series points championship with two races remaining, thoughts of points scenarios begin to cross everyone’s mind. However, Daum has found his own way to stay cool in pressure situations.

“I’ve been in this situation before, so I try not to think about it too much,” Daum said. “It’s always in the back of your mind a little bit, but you just try to keep doing what you’re doing.”

Louisianan Chelby Hinton made his first national Midget Feature start Thursday night and made it count, crossing the stripe P3 after charging from 21st on the starting grid. The young Micro Sprint regular made it to second at one point and began working on finding a way around Daum for the lead, but was soon met with an infield tractor tire.

“I knew Daum was going to be tough on the bottom, and he always is,” Hinton said. “I tried to mimic him; I mimicked him for about two laps, and then I hit the tire in Turns 1-2 and I lost him. Then, Boschele got by me.”

UP NEXT

The Xtreme Outlaw Series presented by Toyota is back in action Friday night, Oct. 14, at I-44 Riverside Speedway in Oklahoma City for the kickoff to the 18th annual Charlene Meents Memorial race. Tickets will be on sale at the gate. If you can’t be at the track, stream all the action live on DIRTVision.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (55 Laps): 1. 9M-Zach Daum[6]; 2. 5-Gavan Boschele[19]; 3. 14X-Chelby Hinton[21]; 4. 7U-Kyle Jones[12]; 5. 01-Bryant Wiedeman[15]; 6. 71-Daison Pursley[4]; 7. 97-Brenham Crouch[5]; 8. 25K-Taylor Reimer[18]; 9. 84-Jade Avedisian[9]; 10. 71M-Gavin Miller[2]; 11. 71K-Dominic Gorden[8]; 12. 19M-Ethan Mitchell[14]; 13. 19AZ-Hayden Reinbold[13]; 14. 55-Jonathan Beason[7]; 15. 26R-Corbin Rueschenberg[17]; 16. 72J-Sam Johnson[23]; 17. 21-Emilio Hoover[25]; 18. 71E-Mariah Ede[24]; 19. 57-Daniel Whitley[1]; 20. 97K-Brent Crews[10]; 21. 61-Kale Drake[20]; 22. 40-Chase McDermand[11]; 23. 8-Alex Sewell[16]; 24. 08-Cannon McIntosh[3]; 25. 26-Chance Crum[22]

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 13, 2022) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex looking to ruffle some feathers in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship battle. Prock, the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year, turned his season around at Reading, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 18 when, after qualifying No. 4, he beat four-time reigning champion Steve Torrence in the second round and points leader Justin Ashley in the final to claim his second career win in Top Fuel. Although he is only 10th in points halfway through the Countdown, he and his Montana Brand / RMT dragster have shown they could play an enormous role in determining this year’s champion. “I’m looking forward to the ‘Stampede of Speed’ at Texas Motorplex. We had a great car at the FallNationals in 2019 and I’m hoping we can build from that,” Prock said. “I’m ready to be back in the seat, I’ve been dreaming of driving the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist car the last few nights. We’ve hoping for a big weekend for all of John Force Racing in this Countdown.” Prock is making just his second start at Dallas where he reached the semifinal round of the Texas FallNationals in 2019. Although he has made only 45 career starts, the third generation drag racer benefits from the presence of veteran crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler, the latter the only crew chief to have won series championships with three different drivers in two different classes.  Competition at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex begins with four qualifying session Friday at 3:30 and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations for the event will start on Sunday at noon. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday starting with a qualifying show at 10:00 a.m. ET and eliminations at 10:30 p.m. ET.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 13, 2022) – At the halfway point of the NHRA Countdown to the Championship, John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevrolet Camaro SS team have kept themselves in the championship conversation and could make serious headway for a bid at a 17th championship with a win at this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex. Force and the PEAK Camaro are entering the weekend from the No. 4 spot. Their three final round appearances that included a victory at the Charlotte Four-Wide event, nine semifinal appearances, including the PEAK car’s current streak of four-in-a-row, and two No. 1 qualifiers (both at zMAX Dragway) have kept them only 114 points back from teammate and points leader Robert Hight. “It’s tough out there, trying to keep up with these kids. But we’re doing it. This PEAK Chevy team has been working hard, giving me a consistent race car. I’m just trying to do my job behind the wheel,” Force said. “You know, halfway through the Countdown and we still have a shot at it. Just have to keep on plugging away at it. This weekend is sure to be a show, everything Billy Meyer has going on, the extra fanfare, and then the competition at it’s all-time high. It’s going to be exciting.” Force remains the career leader in victories at Texas Motorplex with wins in 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2005 and in the discontinued spring race in 2000. At no other track has Force started from the No. 1 qualifying position more often than he has at Texas Motorplex – 12 times (matching his total at Lucas Indianapolis Raceway Park). In addition to starting the Texas FallNationals from No. 1 in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2019, Force also was No. 1 in three of four starts in the spring (1997, 1999 and 2000). The 16-time champion has also had two runner-up finishes at the FallNationals in 2010 and 2013. Last year, after qualifying his PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy Camaro SS 11th, he had a second-round exit. Competition at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex begins with four qualifying session Friday at 3:30 and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations for the event will start on Sunday at noon. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday starting with a qualifying show at 10:00 a.m. ET and eliminations at 10:30 p.m. ET.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 13, 2022) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex looking to ruffle some feathers in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship battle. Prock, the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year, turned his season around at Reading, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 18 when, after qualifying No. 4, he beat four-time reigning champion Steve Torrence in the second round and points leader Justin Ashley in the final to claim his second career win in Top Fuel. Although he is only 10th in points halfway through the Countdown, he and his Montana Brand / RMT dragster have shown they could play an enormous role in determining this year’s champion. “I’m looking forward to the ‘Stampede of Speed’ at Texas Motorplex. We had a great car at the FallNationals in 2019 and I’m hoping we can build from that,” Prock said. “I’m ready to be back in the seat, I’ve been dreaming of driving the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist car the last few nights. We’ve hoping for a big weekend for all of John Force Racing in this Countdown.” Prock is making just his second start at Dallas where he reached the semifinal round of the Texas FallNationals in 2019. Although he has made only 45 career starts, the third generation drag racer benefits from the presence of veteran crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler, the latter the only crew chief to have won series championships with three different drivers in two different classes.  Competition at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex begins with four qualifying session Friday at 3:30 and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations for the event will start on Sunday at noon. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday starting with a qualifying show at 10:00 a.m. ET and eliminations at 10:30 p.m. ET.

ENNIS, Texas (Oct. 13, 2022) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster team enter this weekend’s Texas NHRA FallNationals at Texas Motorplex looking to ruffle some feathers in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship battle. Prock, the 2019 NHRA Rookie of the Year, turned his season around at Reading, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 18 when, after qualifying No. 4, he beat four-time reigning champion Steve Torrence in the second round and points leader Justin Ashley in the final to claim his second career win in Top Fuel. Although he is only 10th in points halfway through the Countdown, he and his Montana Brand / RMT dragster have shown they could play an enormous role in determining this year’s champion. “I’m looking forward to the ‘Stampede of Speed’ at Texas Motorplex. We had a great car at the FallNationals in 2019 and I’m hoping we can build from that,” Prock said. “I’m ready to be back in the seat, I’ve been dreaming of driving the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist car the last few nights. We’ve hoping for a big weekend for all of John Force Racing in this Countdown.” Prock is making just his second start at Dallas where he reached the semifinal round of the Texas FallNationals in 2019. Although he has made only 45 career starts, the third generation drag racer benefits from the presence of veteran crew chiefs Joe Barlam and Rahn Tobler, the latter the only crew chief to have won series championships with three different drivers in two different classes.  Competition at the Texas NHRA FallNationals at the Texas Motorplex begins with four qualifying session Friday at 3:30 and 8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 1:00 and 5:00 p.m. Eliminations for the event will start on Sunday at noon. Television coverage will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) Sunday starting with a qualifying show at 10:00 a.m. ET and eliminations at 10:30 p.m. ET.