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WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (August 21, 2022) – One thing that remained consistent during NASCAR’s annual trip to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International was seeing the reigning NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Champion, Kyle Larson, in victory lane. After driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Camaro SS to victory lane in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) race at the 2.45-mile, 7-turn New York circuit, Larson went on to sweep the weekend; piloting his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to the team’s second win of 2022.
“Proud of our guys,” said Larson. “Good to get another win here at Watkins Glen and get some more bonus points going into the Playoffs, which we haven’t had many of those this year. Hopefully this will build on some momentum and we can keep racking up some more points.”
Defending his race winning title at Watkins Glen didn’t come without a fight. After waiting out a lengthy lightning delay at the start of the race, Larson helped lead the field to the green alongside his Hendrick Motorsports’ teammate and pole sitter Chase Elliott. With pit strategy playing a vital role in track position throughout much of the race, the 30-year-old California native worked his way back up to the top-10 to complete stage two, positioning the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet team up front to battle for the win in the final stage. With a late-race caution in the closing laps, Larson lined up on the inside of Elliott for the restart with just five laps remaining. Taking the green for the race to the finish, Larson was able to power his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 to the lead and never look back, crossing the finish line first for the 18th time in his NCS career. “I knew that was my only opportunity to get by him (Chase Elliott),” said Larson. “I felt like our cars were pretty equal today. Had a lot of fun after the green flag cycle trying to chase him down.” Larson’s victory extended Chevrolet’s impressive streak of wins on the series’ road course circuits, with the bowtie brand now sitting at 11 consecutive NCS road course triumphs. Even more, a Chevrolet-powered machine has taken the win in 15 of the past 16 NCS road course races, dating back to Chase Elliott’s win at Watkins Glen in 2019. The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history, Chevrolet has now recorded wins in 14 of the series’ 25 races thus far this season, with momentum on the bowtie brand’s side as the end of the NCS regular season is now just one week away. Larson’s victory was celebrated by a strong Chevrolet showing at the conclusion of the 90-lap race, with Chevrolet drivers taking four of the top-five and six of the top-10 in the final running order. Larson’s win came after having to hold off fellow California native and notable road course master, AJ Allmendinger, who drove the No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1 for Kaulig Racing to a runner-up finish. After clinching the 2022 NCS Regular Season Championship title during stage one of the race; Chase Elliott went on to lead a race-high 29 laps en route to a fourth-place finish for his No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 team. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Princess Cruises Camaro ZL1, was fifth; Tyler Reddick, No. 8 KCMG Camaro ZL1, was seventh; and Erik Jones, No. 43 FOCUSfactor Camaro ZL1, rounded out the Team Chevy top-10. The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Saturday, August 27, at Daytona International Speedway with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage of the NCS regular season finale can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1; and CLIFF DANIELS, CREW CHIEF, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Press Conference Transcript: THE MODERATOR: We are joined by crew chief Cliff Daniels and our winning driver Kyle Larson.We’ll open it up for questions.
Q. Kyle, post-race AJ said it sucked losing to you twice. What did it feel like to beat him twice on a road course?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, obviously when he came out in second behind me, you get nervous again. I hadn’t really seen him much all day so I didn’t know how good he was. But I felt like my car today was much better than my car yesterday, so I had more confidence out in front of him today than yesterday, too.
Was able to gap him pretty well through the esses. I haven’t looked at data, but matched him pretty well everywhere probably but the bus stop, maybe a little bit in turn six. But I felt like seven and the esses I could get away from him. That helped me protect from him getting close enough to dive bomb into there.I figured day two he would be a little bit more aggressive behind me than yesterday. Thankfully our car was good enough I could gap him.
Q. Cliff, did your strategy plans change after the rains came?CLIFF DANIELS: Not necessarily. We had kind of looked at it two different ways with rain mileage or in the dry. You could really two-stop the race. It was more of a fuel race than a tire race. We kind of had a fuel number we wanted to hit either way.
What is interesting is what the 17 did, where they were one of the first ones to take dry tires, made up a lot of time that way. They pitted so early I knew they were going to have to make a third pit stop to the field. They actually did a great job. I’m curious to know the details of how they executed it, but I think they did fuel only before the end of stage one, they cycled through ahead of us. That’s a pretty interesting way to do it. Credit to them for kind of seeing that.
I believe all four of the Hendrick cars, we had seen and communicated very similar that we wanted to two-stop the race either way. Our plan the whole time was to two-stop the race. We knew with starting in wet conditions naturally you can get a dry line. There’s going to be the excitement of guys really going fast once they put on dry tires. It’s a lot to ask to make three pit stops against guys that can manage doing it in two.
Unfortunately we fell off a little bit hard at the end of our stint on the wet tires, which put us a little more vulnerable to the field. He did a good job on some of the restarts getting back up there. We knew our car had pace with dry tires.
I know that was a long-winded answer to what you asked, but that was kind of the scope of our day.
Q. Kyle, obviously contact with Chase there going into turn one. What was your perspective on that? Do you feel you have to have a conversation with Chase after the way things played out?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I had the restart before, I kind of got put in a bad spot because he had the dominant position on me with the nose ahead. Every time I was in the right lane yesterday in Xfinity, I was in the same spot, I would always get pinched into the curb. A lot of times I got passed by the time we got to turn two.
I figured it was probably going to be the last restart of the weekend. I told myself if I had a nose ahead of him before we got to the braking zone, I was going to have to try my best to maintain that, not let him get a nose ahead of me, pinch my corner off, end my chance of winning.
I had a good restart. I got in there hot. Did what I had to do to win. Again, I’m not necessarily proud of it, especially with a teammate, but I feel like I had to execute that way to get the win.
Q. You’ve had contact this year already going back to Auto Club, which was your other win. What do you feel like your relationship is with Chase generally speaking?KYLE LARSON: I feel like we’ve been in a good spot. We were able to talk after the incident at Auto Club, moved on past that pretty quickly.
I haven’t seen an interview. I haven’t seen anything about Chase today. I think at Auto Club it was more of an accident. Today it was hard racing at the end on a restart.
I’m sure it will warrant some sort of conversation, but I don’t know. So we have a quick week this week with testing at Martinsville, Saturday night race at Daytona. It’s a much shorter week. Look forward to getting back on track.
Q. Kyle, some conversations can happen about this. How do you get it all straightened out so you’re on the same page going into the Playoffs?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anybody really yet. We’ve just been taking pictures and stuff. Yeah, I’m sure I’ll have a conversation with Jeff Gordon and Rick and probably Jeff Andrews. I’m sure Chase, as well.
I think it’s risky taking the left lane here at Watkins Glen. It’s definitely the preferred lane as the leader, but as each restart gets further on in the race, whether it be at the end of the stage or end of the race, you’re putting yourself in a vulnerable position to get used up on exit.
You’ve seen it a lot of different times in the years past. You take note of that. Like I said, I did what I felt like I had to do to get the win and get some bonus points that we kind of desperately need as we head on into the Playoffs.
Q. Yesterday you said your goal is to get to second in points by the end of the season. Winning a race does a lot towards that. How confident are you right now in terms of getting more wins once you get into the Playoffs?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, our cars have been really fast all year. I feel like all of Hendrick Motorsports has been really quick. Chase’s team has done an extremely good job all year, compared to the field really, of executing. I think that’s just really the one area that we’ve tried to focus on for a while now. It’s easy to say; it’s sometimes hard to do while you’re racing.
If we can continue to have days like today where we execute as good as we could, called a great race with pit strategy, we did a great job on our pit stops, every restart I think we moved forward, and we brought a fast race car again to the track.
If we can continue to do that as we go onto these next 11 weeks, I’m pretty confident that we can go contend for another championship.
Q. At one point you were racing with Kimi. What was that like?KYLE LARSON: That was cool. By the time I got to him, he was really struggling. He looked like he was really loose in front of me. I was able to make quick work of him.
It’s just really cool for him to step out of his comfort zone and come play with us stockcar racers. It was more than just Kimi. The international drivers racing today was pretty cool. I think I passed every one of them at some point. It was fun watching them up ahead of me being really aggressive.
They’re as good as it gets when it comes to heavy braking, stuff like that. I could watch people up in front of them try to make a move on them, they wouldn’t be able to make the pass. That’s just their experience playing part today, and it was fun to be a spectator at points in the race.
Q. AJ was complimentary do you after the race. He said he believed you’re the most bad-ass racing driver on the planet right now. What does that make you feel?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, no, it’s cool. I’ve always had a lot of respect for AJ. He does a really good job in the Xfinity Series, but I feel like he’s one of if not the most underrated guys in the NASCAR, any series in NASCAR, of my career that I’ve had in stockcars.
You can just tell when drivers are really good. For AJ to put himself in position every single time on a road course, whether it be any series that he’s in, is amazing. As well as do as good of a job as he does in the Xfinity Series on ovals. I feel he really carries that car a lot of times.
You can compare him to his teammates, and he’s always outrunning them. I feel like that’s kind of a way to judge how good a driver is.
There’s no doubt in my mind if he was in equipment equal to mine, he would be winning races frequently. He continues to get better. I love getting the chance to race him.
It was a lot of fun to have him in my mirror these last two races, try to keep my nerves down enough to keep off the best road racer.
Q. How do you make sure this doesn’t carry over to the Playoffs where Chase is going to race you hard back as you’ve raced him? Is there any concern about that, coming down to a key moment, he has this memory in his head?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don’t know. Honestly I think in my position you have to expect not getting any breaks cut my way. You have to weigh all that stuff out as you roll around under caution. That is all stuff that has crossed my mind.
I don’t know. I think and I hope it will be fine, but we’ll see. I didn’t end his day today, but I did probably take a win from him. Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I think we’ve raced well in the past. The next 11 weeks, 10 weeks in the Playoffs, there’s more than just me to worry about.
But, yeah, I definitely know there may be moments throughout the Playoffs where I feel like we’re around each other a lot because we’re pretty equal on track and stuff. Yeah, there may be moments.In my position, you kind of have to accept it.
Q. Cliff, it’s obviously been six months since you won a race. For a team that won 10 times last year, how tough is it to manage that?CLIFF DANIELS: It’s been tough. A lot of that I’ve got to say starts with me, right? I’m the leader of the team, I help coach him, the pit crew, the road crew, all the guys at the shop. There’s a lot of different areas I have to cover.
I’m very I would say happy and pleased with the prep that we put into putting a fast race car on track, how to look at our strategy, all the different things until we get to the moment. In the moment, for whatever reason or another, all summer we’ve kind of been plagued like one little mistake here or there, a pit call or a pit stop, a restart or some little thing that has impacted our day, kept us from getting a good finish.
I take a lot of that to heart. We have a lot of very honest conversations within our team of what we have to do to make sure when you know you have one of the best drivers if not the best driver in the world, all the talent in our team that we had last year, all of the folks at Hendrick Motorsports giving us great cars and engines, all the things that they have given us, it really does boil down to execution.
I will say the Next Gen car has presented a completely different challenge for executing a race, managing tire falloff, strategy, a lot of things we wanted it to bring about. I certainly own the share of mistakes that I’ve made in that. We continue to kind of keep a tally in a healthy way to say here was a missed opportunity, here is what that looked like, here is the supporting evidence to look for the next time to not make that same mistake again.
Those are conversations that we have with him, within our team, of just how to be better and execute better. Very proud of the team today. Proud of him today because we needed kind of that token of confidence to say we brought another fast race car to the track this week, can we keep it up front, execute the race, have a shot at the end. If you have a shot at the end, you get a chance to capitalize, he did a great job today. Very thankful for that.
Q. Cliff, I’ll ask you this. How concerning was the weather? First off the excess water before they stopped the race, then all the downhill stuff.CLIFF DANIELS: A little bit concerning. COTA knocked the edge off, the edge of uncertainty, the nerves around what racing a Cup car in the rain would look like. I know the Next Gen car is different, but it is still a 3500 pound stock car. Still have all the rain tires, all the things you have to go through.
Not a very high level of concern because we have a little bit of experience with it. He’s raced Xfinity in the rain. I’ve been a part of Xfinity races in the past in the rain. It was more about the question surrounding tires and fuel, which would be the same questions around executing a dry race.
I think in hindsight NASCAR did a good job of how they managed the start of the race. The rain tires seemed to do a good job, like we knew they would. Goodyear had done their homework on the tire. Once it dried out, our tires got punished, which is typically what we see.
I really didn’t see anything kind of out of what we expected. I don’t know if that helps answer.
Q. Cliff, looking at next week to Daytona, I was curious about the strategy games. A lot more strategy coming into effect with the summer race at Daytona than maybe Talladega or Daytona in February. How much was that strategy changed with the Next Gen car?CLIFF DANIELS: I think it’s going to be very important as we’ve seen at the speedways. Certainly within the OEM groups, the guys do a good job of working together. I believe in our Chevrolet group; we’ve still got some non-winners that could make the Playoffs. You certainly want to help those guys any time we can.
Another big part of the strategy for us, when we’ve been aggressive on trying to get to the front, calling aggressive strategy, we get caught up in things that happen at a speedway race. Talladega in the spring, we called probably one of the calmest races, he would admit, drove one of the calmest races we have in a long time and stayed in the top four almost all day long.
Every speedway race is going to play out different. We’re going to try to be smart, be a good teammate to the Chevrolet guys, Hendrick guys how and when we can. Certainly we have to protect ourselves and make sure we have a shot at the end.
Q. What was it like from a driver’s perspective when it was pouring big-time? Was there water dripping in the race car at the time?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, compared to what I remember of COTA last time, I don’t remember there really being any water inside the car last year. This year, yeah, there was a lot of like just dripping water inside the car. No, like, running water, which was nice (smiling).
Yeah, visibility, had we gone green while it was raining, probably would have been difficult like it was at COTA. It was nice they brought us down pit road and kind of waited for the rain to stop and blew that layer of thick wetness off the track. Visibility I didn’t think was that bad when we took the green and the track was drying up fairly quickly, too.
I thought I’d be a lot better in the wet than I was. I was a little bit bummed and glad that it did dry up as quick as it did because I was struggling in the wet.
I’ll have to look at data on why that is, how I didn’t manage it better because my tires I think were ate up at the end of that run where other guys that did the same strategy as us, but I was struggling bad and getting ate up.
Yeah, no, it was fun. I mean, it’s fun to get to do it every now and then. I thought the cars handled fine in the rain, too.
Q. If Chase had gotten the lead from you, how aggressive do you think you probably would have got in there trying to get that win?KYLE LARSON: I don’t think I would have gotten close enough to him. We were pretty equally matched. Dirty air was still a thing today. In the esses, even when I would get a decent exit off of one, if I was within three or four car lengths of him or anybody into the esses all day, I was just really tight and kind of binding the car up with my steering wheel, not able to run as much throttle as normal.
That doesn’t allow me to stay close enough to him in the bus stop. He was really good in the bus stop, really good in the carrousel. I don’t think I would have ever gotten close enough to him to even try to put pressure on him and make a mistake or try and pass him.
Q. As we’ve gotten to the close of the regular season, how concerned have you been not just about winning again but entering the Playoffs without a lot of the Playoff points? Has that been a serious concern of your team?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know if we’ve necessarily talked about it a whole lot. I think it’s definitely probably been on all of our minds.
Last year I think I had like 40-something points going into the Playoffs. Let’s see, this year I’ll probably have, if I run second in the regular season, like 23 depending on how next weekend goes.Yeah, wins are important to get those bonus points. I haven’t won as many stages as I did last year, nearly as many stages as last year.
All those bonus points help. Even as I went into the Playoffs last year, was winning a lot, I think we entered the Round of 8 almost a full race ahead of the cutoff. That gives you a lot of comfort. Not that you have total comfort, but…
Yeah, so winning today, getting some bonus points, everything helps. Everything will benefit you as you go on as the Playoffs start.
Yeah, would like to have a good weekend next week and lock up that second place in points and start the Playoffs I would think as the second-seeded driver probably.
Q. On the other side of that, is it also sort of not really good, but with the way that the season has been so wide open, aside from Chase, nobody has really pulled away, does that give you a good feeling that you can still be in a good spot?KYLE LARSON: Yeah, yeah, definitely. In years past there’s been, like, two or three guys that win all the stages, seem to win all the races, they kind of can distance themselves a little bit. This year it’s, like, there’s been no consistent guy up front. I feel like all the Playoff points have been evenly spread.For me, who hasn’t felt like we’ve done a good job, we’re really still in a good spot on points, compared to our competition. So yeah, hopefully as the Playoffs come along, we can win some more stages, win some more races.
Obviously with winning races you advance to the next round. Even when you do that, you want to win stages and races to benefit yourself as you move on into the next round. It was good to get experience with points last year in our back pocket, but we aren’t there right now so we need to try and get as many points as we can.

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CHASE ELLIOTT CLINCHES NASCAR CUP SERIES REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIESWATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN

Elliott Looking For Second Career NCS Championship

DETROIT, Mich. (August 21, 2022) – While one race still remains to complete the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) playoff field, Chase Elliott is one step closer to battling for his second championship title in NASCAR’s premier series. At the track that delivered Elliott his first career NCS win in 2018, the 26-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver is leaving Watkins Glen International as the 2022 NCS Regular Season Champion. A familiar face on top of the points standings through most of the season, Elliott entered the race weekend with a strong 116-point lead over second-place Ryan Blaney. Only needing a 61-point advantage at the end of upstate New York race weekend, Elliott was able to clinch the coveted NCS Regular Season Championship title one week early.
“Congratulations to Chase Elliott and the entire No. 9 Camaro ZL1 team on winning the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season championship,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet U.S. Vice President, Performance and Motorsports. “He has delivered consistent results all season. Chase, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew are working together as one team, as they build momentum heading into the playoffs.”
Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team has proven to be a championship contender throughout arguably one of the most unpredictable seasons in NASCAR history. In 25 races thus far, Elliott leads the series in wins with four, top-10 finishes (17), laps led (688) and accumulated playoff points (25). While his first win of 2022 at Dover Motor Speedway solidified his berth into the NCS playoff field, it was the summer stretch that the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team became a championship threat. Elliott drove to a career-best and series-best streak of five consecutive top-two finishes, which began with his victory at Nashville Superspeedway (June 26, 2022). Within that time span, the 2020 NCS Champion collected three victories and two runner-up finishes, setting the Chevrolet driver up to cruise towards his first NCS Regular Season Championship in his seventh full-time season in the series. Heading into the NCS regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway, a manufacturer-leading seven Chevrolet drivers have claimed spots in the 16-driver NCS playoff field by virtue of a win, including: all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman; and first-time NCS winners Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez and Tyler Reddick. With 25 races now complete, the bowtie brand has taken the NCS season by storm; leading its manufacturer competitors in wins (14), top-fives (59), top-10s (109), laps led (2,946) and stage wins (21). Chevrolet – the winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history – is heading into the playoffs looking to make it a three-peat in NCS Driver Championship titles. Starting with Elliott’s first career NCS Championship in 2020; Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Camaro ZL1 team took the bowtie brand to back-to-back NCS Driver Championship titles in 2021. Also sitting as reigning NCS Manufacturer Champions, Chevrolet also currently sits atop the NCS manufacturer standings in pursuit of a series-leading 41st title. The 2022 regular season for NASCAR’s premier series will come to a close next weekend with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. Under the lights on Saturday, August 27, the famed 2.5-mile Florida superspeedway will officially set the 16-driver NCS playoff field. Live coverage of the 400-mile race can be found on NBC, the NBC Sports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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Burton Finishes 28th at Watkins Glen

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

August 21, 2022

Burton and his Cup Series peers took the green flag on a wet track riding on rain tires after showers delayed the start of the race for nearly two hours.

Burton, who qualified 30^th for Sunday’s 90-lap run on the 2.45-mile Watkins Glen International track, spun in the opening laps, pitted for tires and fuel on Lap 11.

After the track dried and teams switched to standard tires, he ended the second Stage in 25^th place.

As teams employed various pit strategies, Burton moved up to 18^th place in the opening laps of the race’s third segment before making a scheduled green-flag stop at Lap 53.

Returning to the track outside the top 30, he worked his way up to 28^thplace.

Burton and the No. 21 team now head to Daytona International Speedway for Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400, the 26^th and final race of the Cup Series regular season.

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Hagan Captured 48th Career No. 1 Qualifier with Mopar 85th Anniversary Funny Car; Quarterfinal Performance at Brainerd International Raceway

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Matt Hagan captured his 48th career No. 1 Qualifier position with his Mopar 85th Anniversary-themed Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car at the 40th annual Lucas Oil National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Nationals then drove to a quarterfinal performance on race day at Brainerd International Raceway
Hagan leaves the Minnesota event second in the Funny Car championship standings as the team prepares for the final event of the regular season and the prestigious Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals
TSR pilot Leah Pruett qualified her Mopar 85th Anniversary dragster sixth for eliminations at Brainerd International Raceway and despite an early exit remains in a three-way battle for a top-five position in the Top Fuel championship battle with one event remaining before the playoffs begin
Cruz Pedregon qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the top-five for eliminations for the ninth time this season, had a clean first round pass but was unable to advance, dropping to eighth in the Funny Car standings

August 21, 2022, Brainerd, Minnesota — Carrying the Mopar 85th anniversary livery on his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car at the 40th annual Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals, Tony Stewart Racing (TSR) driver Matt Hagan captured the No. 1 Qualifier position for the fifth time this season then drove to a quarterfinal finish in the penultimate event of the regular season at Brainerd International Raceway.

The defending winner of the event earned his 48th career No. 1 Qualifier honor, the fifth most in the Funny Car category, with his final qualifying pass in the lane next to points leader and provisional pole sitter Robert Hight as the last pairing of the session. Hagan powered his Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to a 3.843-second elapsed time run at 331.36 mph, one quickest runs of the season, to steal away the pole position, collect a total of six bonus points and a bye-run for the opening round of eliminations. The Q4 run had some added drama when the body of Hagan’s racecar that sported the Mopar 85th Anniversary paint scheme honoring the legendary brand was damaged by a fiery explosion in the final feet of the qualifying run, necessitating a change to the Dodge Power Brokers Charger SRT Hellcat body for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Hagan launched his race day with the new Dodge body and a solo run that didn’t go quite as planned when a cylinder went out at the hit of the throttle. The TSR team turned the car off to save any further damage and regroup for their next round against No. 8 seed Alexis DeJoria. The quarterfinal saw both competitors hit the throttle, immediately lose traction and find themselves in a pedalfest to the finish. Unfortunately, Hagan wasn’t able to regain control of his nitro machine quickly enough to battle to the finish to extend his raceday.

While disappointed with the result, Hagan remains second in the Funny Car championship standings as his team now prepares for the cornerstone event of the season, the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, and the final regular season event before the NHRA’s ”Countdown to the Championship” playoff series.

A two-time Top Fuel winner (2017 and 2019) at Brainerd International Raceway, Leah Pruett took her Mopar 85th Anniversary dragster for a 3.702 sec./330.47 mph run on her second qualifying lap on Friday to post the third quickest pass of the session and collect a bonus point. The TSR pilot’s lap was good enough to put her sixth on the eliminations ladder and set up a first round pairing with No. 11 seed Shawn Langdon with whom she is jostling for position in the points standings.

Pruett had a decent lap going until just after half-track when her ride began to drop cylinders and put an end to her run and chance to advance. She and her TSR team now turn their attention to the “Big Go” where they will work to capture their first Wally from the storied event. While currently tied for sixth place with Langdon in the Top Fuel standings, Pruett is also among three competitors battling for the fifth place position in the Countdown with just one event remaining ahead of the playoffs.

For a ninth time this season, Funny Car driver Cruz Pedregon qualified his Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the top-five for eliminations with a 3.888 seconds pass at 326.16 mph. The driver and team owner had a clean first round pass against No. 12 seed Bobby Bode that unfortunately wasn’t enough to turn on the win light and prematurely ended his day, dropping the Cruz Pedregon Racing machine to eighth place in the Funny Car standings.

The focus now shifts on preparing for the world’s biggest drag race and the NHRA Camping World Series’ marquis event, the prestigious 68th annual Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals, August 31-September 5, at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

ADDITIONAL NOTES and QUOTES:

Leah Pruett, Mopar 85th anniversary Top Fuel Dragster

(No. 6 Qualifier – 3.702 seconds at 330.47 mph)

Round 1: (0.099-second reaction time, 3.822 seconds at 279.85 mph) loss to No. 11 Shawn Langdon (0.045/3.760/329.34)

“As we’ve gotten further into the season, we’ve gotten further into our pool of knowledge. First session, we joined the rest of the field in having traction problems. It seemed to be difficult for all the teams. Going into Q2, we had a nice and spicy 3.70, which was something we felt was right inside our target for getting down the track, especially during a night session. The next day, we felt like we could improve upon that and our avenue was new. We tried a new theory of accelerating the car. At the end of the day, it is an acceleration game when we break it into multiple parts down the track. It was either going to throw down or throw up and what did it do? We ran almost the exact same time with a 3.70. That opened up a new Pandora’s box with theories about how we can apply power. We went back to our race day tune-up for the final session to get ready for Sunday. We didn’t quite make it down the track. Going into race day, sometimes you’ve got mountains and sometimes you’ve got valleys. Race day was not our most shining moment. We dropped a cylinder and I did not have my most impressive [reaction time] against somebody [Langdon] we continue to race throughout this entire season, I think more than anyone else. We will peak again and there’s not going to be a better time to do it than at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals. We’re still in a healthy spot in the championship and now we’ve learned more and we’ll gain more.”

Matt Hagan, Mopar 85th anniversary Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Funny Car

(No. 1 Qualifier – 3.843 seconds at 331.36 mph)

Round 1: (0.074-second reaction time, 9.940 seconds at 71.63 mph) bye-run

Round 2: (0.081/5.198/259.81) loss to No. 8 Alexis DeJoria (0.126/4.638/229.31)

“What a tough weekend in Brainerd. We had canceled flights and we were down a couple of crew guys that were sick. Our Mopar 85th Anniversary Funny Car ended up No. 1 Qualifier, but blew up a lot of parts doing it. Things got hot and greasy in the second round and no one seemed to be going down the racetrack. We were one of the cars that couldn’t get down the track, so it ended up being a pedalfest. Alexis (DeJoria) smoked it a little further out there and got it to recover. It was just a tough round. As a veteran driver, you feel like you should win because of pedaling the car, letting it relax and getting it hooked back up. It’s tough when you smoke it at the hit like that and don’t get any momentum to move forward. We’ll pack everything up to head to Indy and get ready for the Countdown after that.”

Cruz Pedregon, Snap-on® Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat

(No. 5 Qualifier – 3.888 seconds at 326.16 mph)

Round 1: (0.119-second reaction time, 3.947 seconds at 322.65 mph) loss to No. 12 Bobby Bode (0.098/3.931/316.08)

“After qualifying the Snap-on Tools Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat in the No. 5 spot with a great 3.88 second run at over 326 miles per hour, we went up against No. 12 qualifier Bobby Bode who qualified with a 4.11-second run. We went up there and the car ran well and it was just a good close drag race. We lost that round by a slim margin, but I’ve gotta be better than that on the reaction time. I left a little bit on the table there and Bobby took full advantage of it so give those guys credit; they did what they had to and took us out. We’ll go back and we’ll get better. We just have to keep on working and fine tuning. The team provided me with a great car after we initially struggled a little bit with the new car. We went with our backup car and made runs of 3.93, 3.88, and then first rounds 3.94. Those are really good solid winning runs so we’ll work on that and get ready for our biggest race of the year at the Dodge Power Brokers U.S. Nationals in Indy.”

NHRA CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS STANDINGS:

Following the Lucas Oil Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway

FUNNY CAR (season wins in parentheses)

1. Robert Hight 1411 (6)

2. Matt Hagan (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 1161 (3)

3. Ron Capps: 1105 (2)

4. Bob Tasca III: 1043 (3)

5. John Force: 1033 (1)

6. J.R. Todd: 789

7. Alexis DeJoria: 735

8. Cruz Pedregon (Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat): 752

9. Tim Wilkerson: 645

10. Chad Green: 524

TOP FUEL (season wins in parentheses)

1. Brittany Force: 1206 (4)

2. Mike Salinas: 1112 (4)

3. Steve Torrence: 1076 (1)

4. Justin Ashley: 1070 (2)

5. Josh Hart: 797

6. Leah Pruett (Dodge Power Brokers): 761(1)

6. Shawn Langdon: 761

8. Tony Schumacher: 703 (1)

9. Doug Kalitta: 692

10. Antron Brown 668 (1)

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RCR NCS Post Race Report: Watkins Glen

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

Austin Dillon and the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevrolet Team Lead Laps, Rally All Day Long at Watkins Glen

“We started our day maintaining speed and position in the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops / TRACKER Off Road Chevy and then we had to make a decision with pit strategy. We went with the strategy of keeping strong track position because it was really difficult to pass. During the final stage, we got spun and ended up having to go to pit road earlier than planned and it put us way back on the restart. We fought back all day long and after our final pit stop, a few cautions came out so we were able to gain some spots. Pretty up and down day for our team but I’m proud of how hard we worked all day. We’re looking forward to Daytona.”

-Austin Dillon

Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 KCMG Chevrolet Team Grab Solid Eighth-Place Finish at Watkins Glen

“Everyone on the KCMG team did a good job today. We lost a lot of track positions when I spun in the bus stop but we fought our way back and we were in contention for a top five at the end of the race. We started off the day in wet conditions and once the track dried our KCMG Chevrolet got really tight. We made the car better by the end of the race. We finished seventh but I was hoping for a top five.”

-Tyler Reddick

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chevy racing–nascar–watkins glen–post race notes

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES

WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL

GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES & QUOTES

AUGUST 21, 2022

TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:

POS. DRIVER

1st KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1

2nd AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1

4th CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1

5th DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 PRINCESS CRUISES CAMARO ZL1

7th TYLER REDDICK, NO. 8 KCMG CAMARO ZL1

10th ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1

TOP FIVE UNOFFICIAL RACE RESULTS:

POS. DRIVER

1st Kyle Larson (Chevrolet)

2nd AJ Allmendinger (Chevrolet)

3rd Joey Logano (Ford)

4th Chase Elliott (Chevrolet)

5th Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)

The NASCAR Cup Series season continues next Saturday, August 27, at Daytona International Speedway with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at 7 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on NBC, the NBCSports Gold App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE NOTES AND QUOTES:

KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1 – Race Winner

Tell me about the move to pass your teammate, Chase Elliott. We did see the right front locked up going into turn one.

“Yeah, I knew that was kind of my only opportunity. I’m not proud of it. But being in the inside lane or the right lane.. being the leader, choosing the left lane, it definitely wins out. But when it gets too late in the race, it’s definitely risky.

Like I said, I knew that was my only opportunity to get by him. I felt like our cars were pretty equal today. Had a lot of fun after the green flag cycle trying to chase him down. Kind of burnt my stuff up a little bit.

The restarts kept me in it and kept our team in it. Proud of our guys. Good to get another win here at Watkins Glen and get some more bonus points going into the Playoffs, which we haven’t had many of those this year. Hopefully this will build on some momentum and we can keep racking up some more points.”

If the shoe was on the other foot, would you want to have a conversation with your teammate?

“I’m sure, yeah, we would ultimately have a conversation. We have a competition meeting tomorrow.

Yeah, I think if I was in his shoes; I would understand the risk that I’m taking choosing left lane also. Again, like I said, I’m not proud of it, but it’s what I felt like I had to do to get the win.”

Did you learn something on the restart before that you said you’re going to try to take advantage of it on the final one?

“Yeah, all the restarts I was in the right lane yesterday with William (Byron). I always got myself in a bad spot where my angle was pinched off. We’d always make contact and I’d end up sideways and get passed by people.

I knew everybody’s aggression was going to be higher as each restart went on. I didn’t want to put myself in that position again to get passed by AJ (Allmendinger) or Joey (Logano), who were really aggressive behind me.

Yeah, it’s just part of racing at road courses, especially this year it seems like. Again, not proud of it, but we did what we had to do.”

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 16 ACTION INDUSTRIES CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 2nd

You had a chance there on those last couple of restarts. Would you have done anything differently?

“I don’t think so. Obviously, Kyle (Larson) drove it in quite deep to get the lead there on Chase (Elliott) and I was getting shoved in the corner. Maybe if I could have gotten the car squared off a little bit earlier in the corner.. but obviously I was getting run into so hard that I was happy just to keep it on the race track and not have anybody next to me off the corner.

Just proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing. This is absolutely one of the most fun cars I have ever driven in my life. I was hustling it and it was fast. The Action Industries Chevy, can’t thank them enough. To finish second in a Cup race in your first year as a team isn’t bad. But god, when you are that close, it’s disappointing.”

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 4th

Kyle says he’s not happy about the way the pass happened. He also said if he was in your shoes, he would have understood the risk of restarting on the outside. Did you consider that risk on the final restart?

“Just a huge congratulations to Kyle (Larson) and everybody on the No. 5 team. Congratulations to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for getting another win. Appreciate Kelley Blue Book for being on our car this weekend.”

He says this would be discussed between the two of you. What would you like to say to him?

“Congratulations. He did a great job. Seriously, they deserve it. Looking forward to going to Daytona next week and trying to get one for our team.”

Your first conversation was with Mr. Hendrick; was he able to console you at all on the loss today?

“Just congratulated him. Like I said, always good to see HMS win. The boss deserves all the wins, all the great things that go on with this company. Proud of that. Looking forward to next week.”

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 PRINCESS CRUISES CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 5th

“Our No. 99 Princess Cruises Chevy was good. It was a little bit tight, a little bit loose. I felt like we had to play with the balance of the car quite a bit. But overall, I felt like our car was good. Probably not a winning car, but a solid top-five car. With the right circumstances, we probably could have won the race, but we just spent too much time trying to gain track position.”

ERIK JONES, NO. 43 FOCUSFACTOR CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 10th

“Best road course car we’ve had all year. Thanks to the 43 guys, the hard work is paying off. We need to qualify a little better, but a good day and finish for our FOCUSfactor Chevy. Honestly, I was kind of hoping for more rain. I was having fun when the track was wet. Watkins Glen is one of my favorite road courses, so I’m glad to leave with a top 10 and head to Daytona next weekend.”

TY DILLON, NO. 42 ALLEGIANT CAMARO ZL1 – Finished 16th

“I’m really proud of our result today with our Allegiant Camaro ZL1. We’re just building momentum, man, and it takes time in this sport to build relationships with a lot of new people, but it feels like Jerame (crew chief) and I are starting to click. The last three weeks, we’ve been running really strong and doing what we want to do. We cashed in a lot of stage points today, but were also able to turn it around and finish 16th. That’s really hard to do on these road courses, and we did it. Really proud of our effort, we’re building momentum at a good time.”

KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN, NO. 91 RECOGNI CAMARO ZL1, sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap 46; Finished 37th

KIMI, YOU WERE INVOLVED IN THAT INCIDENT OUT OF THE BUS STOP. WAS THERE ANYTHING YOU FELT YOU COULD HAVE DONE DIFFERENT THERE TO AVOID IT?

“I wasn’t really involved with it. I had a good line there, but everybody seemed to be coming on the left of me, and unfortunately I had no time to react. The first impact, somebody hit the tires or the wheels directly, the wheels spun and something was wrong with the race car, but that how it goes.”

I KNOW IT WAS SHORTER THAN YOU WANTED, BUT DID YOU ENJOY YOURSELF HERE IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES?

“Yeah, it was good fun. I felt more confidence all of the time. We had some good laps. It’s a shame. The car felt like it had a lot of speed, but that’s how it goes sometimes.”

TEAM CHEVY RACE QUICK NOTES

Stage One:

· After waiting out a lengthy rain delay, an all-Chevy front row led the NASCAR Cup Series field to the green in today’s Go Bowling at The Glen with two-time Watkins Glen winner Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1 from the pole position.

· Pit strategy from atop pit boxes all throughout pit road became vital early in the race.. with teams looking to make the race either a two- or three-stop race.

· Five Chevrolet drivers made up the Top-10 of Stage One:

2nd Tyler Reddick, No. 8 KCMG Camaro ZL1

3rd Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Princess Cruises Camaro ZL1

5th Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1

7th Ty Dillon, No. 42 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

10th AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Action Industries Camaro ZL1

Stage Two:

· Three Chevrolet drivers placed in the Top-10 of Stage Two:

4th Chase Elliott, No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Camaro ZL1

5th Ty Dillon, No. 42 Allegiant Camaro ZL1

8th Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1

Post-Race Notes:

· Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team goes back-to-back in wins at Watkins Glen International.

· The win is Larson’s second NCS victory of 2022; his second at Watkins Glen International; and his 18th career victory in 284 NASCAR Cup Series starts.

· Chevrolet has now recorded wins in 15 of the past 16 NASCAR Cup Series road course races, including a streak of the past 11.

· The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history; Chevrolet now has 828 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.

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ELITE PRO MOD DRIVER LYLE BARNETT SETS TRACK SPEED RECORD IN BRAINERD

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

Elite Motorsports Pro Mod And Sportsman Crews Demonstrated Teamwork At Its Finest This Weekend

Elite Motorsports Weekend Recap

FuelTech NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series The weekend was full of emotion and hustle for Lyle Barnett’s Elite Motorsports Pro Mod team at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. The talented driver experienced multiple ups and downs over the course of the event, including losing in the first round of eliminations despite setting the track speed record in the same pass.
Barnett began his first trip to the historic race track without his Crew Chief, Justin Elkes. Travel complications delayed the skilled tuner and he didn’t make it to the track until about five minutes prior to the third qualifying pass on Saturday. Pro Mod crews run on efficiency and every member is vital.
Despite the absence of his crew chief and going up in smoke near the finish line in his first qualifying pass, Barnett’s crew never lost sight of what was at stake. They knew that it would be a tight turnaround to tear things apart, diagnose any issues, and put the car back together in time for the second qualifying pass, which also served as the first round of the D-Wagon NHRA Pro Mod Shootout.
The team immediately went into thrashing mode, with the unspoken understanding that timing, precision and communication would be key if they were to get to the staging lanes in time. In the true spirit of drag racing, Barnett’s Pro Mod competitor Stevie “Fast” Jackson (who was slated to compete against Barnett in the first round of the D-Wagon Pro Mod Shootout) was there to lend a hand to help his opponent get to the starting line on time and fully prepared. Unfortunately, Barnett’s car shut off early to give the win to Jackson.
Things turned around for Barnett in the final qualifying session of the weekend. His powerful Twin Turbo Pro Mod machine hooked up early and held on for a ferocious pass of 5.806-seconds at 254.04 mph to qualify eighth. He faced Jose Gonzalez in the first round of eliminations this morning. Gonzalez got the starting line advantage and held on for the win, while Barnett’s powerful launch resulted in his best run of the weekend, a 5.774 at 256.16, setting the track speed record in the process.
“This weekend was a whirlwind,” said Barnett. “Overall it was more successful than it may have appeared from the outside. To set a speed record our first time at a new track really shows just what this crew is capable of and I’m really proud of my team. Jose and the Q80 team are as good as they come, they’re the reigning champs, and Steve Petty knows how to get down the race track.
“It may not have been the result we envisioned, but to see how everyone in the Pro Mod community rallied around us and pitched in to help when we needed it, that’s what this sport is all about – making each other better. We’ve still got a lot of racing left to do this season and I think everything we’re learning right now is about to pay off in a big way. We definitely feel like we have a car that can win, we just gotta string these good runs together! There was a huge shake-up in the points this week. The rest of the year is gonna be interesting. I’d like to thank my crew Justin Elkes, Ben Staas, Mike Earle, my dad, all of my sponsors, and the folks that stand behind my program. God bless the USA!”

Sportsman Summary – NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series In drag racing, it’s often true that you only get by with a little help from your friends. Going multiple rounds in their first national event appearances and even picking up a couple of class wins, the power of teamwork was evident in the efforts of the Patterson-Elite crew as Canadian drivers Terry Elias (FSS/B 2022 COPO), his son James Elias (FSS/A 2020 COPO), and their friend and mechanic John Harder (FSS/A 2020 COPO), all of Winkler, Manitoba, Canada, competed in their first NHRA national event in Super Stock. Their friend Larry Dyck (FS/B 2019 COPO), of East St. Paul, Manitoba, competed in the Stock Eliminator category. Kansas natives Todd Patterson (FSS/D 2019 COPO) and Aydan Patterson (FSS/F 2014 COPO) also participated in the Super Stock category for Patterson-Elite.
When any one of the gorgeous Patterson-Elite COPO Camaros takes to the line, all heads turn. These sleek, finely-tuned machines beautifully encompass all that is American Muscle. J. Elias powered his red COPO to a victory in Super Stock class eliminations thanks in part to a stunning .009 reaction time. T. Patterson also snagged a Super Stock class win while T. Elias and Harder were runners-up in their class competitions.
In addition to these impressive class wins, T. Patterson’s pass of 8.964-seconds landed him in the No. 2 qualifier position in a field of 47 competitive Super Stock entries. J. Elias and Harder also landed in the top half of the qualifying order in the No. 11 and No. 17 positions, respectively.
From there, the Patterson-Elite team managed to turn on a few more win lights. J. Elias, T. Elias and T. Patterson powered through the first two rounds of Super Stock competition. In the third round, teammates T. Elias and T. Patterson faced off against each other. T. Patterson got the starting line advantage and held onto it for the round win, advancing his Patterson-Elite COPO Camaro to a quarterfinal appearance.

Photos

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chevy racing–nascar–watkins glen post race

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

NASCAR CUP SERIES WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL GO BOWLING AT THE GLEN TEAM CHEVY RACE WIN QUOTE & NOTES AUGUST 21, 2022

KYLE LARSON TAKES CHEVROLET TO 11TH CONSECUTIVE NASCAR CUP SERIES ROAD COURSE VICTORY AT WATKINS GLENCamaro ZL1’s 14th NCS Win of 2022· Kyle Larson and the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team goes back-to-back in wins at Watkins Glen International. · The win is Larson’s second NCS victory of 2022; his second at Watkins Glen International; and his 18th career victory in 284 NASCAR Cup Series starts. · Chevrolet has now recorded wins in 15 of the past 16 NASCAR Cup Series road course races, including a streak of the past 11. · The winningest brand in NASCAR Cup Series history; Chevrolet now has 828 all-time NASCAR Cup Series victories.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CAMARO ZL1, Race Winner Quick Quote:Q. Tell me about the move to pass your teammate, Chase Elliott. We did see the right front locked up going into turn one.“Yeah, I knew that was kind of my only opportunity. I’m not proud of it. But being in the inside lane or the right lane.. being the leader, choosing the left lane, it definitely wins out. But when it gets too late in the race, it’s definitely risky.
Like I said, I knew that was my only opportunity to get by him. I felt like our cars were pretty equal today. Had a lot of fun after the green flag cycle trying to chase him down. Kind of burnt my stuff up a little bit.The restarts kept me in it and kept our team in it. Proud of our guys. Good to get another win here at Watkins Glen and get some more bonus points going into the Playoffs, which we haven’t had many of those this year. Hopefully this will build on some momentum and we can keep racking up some more points.”
Q. If the shoe was on the other foot, would you want to have a conversation with your teammate?“I’m sure, yeah, we would ultimately have a conversation. We have a competition meeting tomorrow.
Yeah, I think if I was in his shoes; I would understand the risk that I’m taking choosing left lane also. Again, like I said, I’m not proud of it, but it’s what I felt like I had to do to get the win.”
Q. Did you learn something on the restart before that you said you’re going to try to take advantage of it on the final one?“Yeah, all the restarts I was in the right lane yesterday with William (Byron). I always got myself in a bad spot where my angle was pinched off. We’d always make contact and I’d end up sideways and get passed by people.
I knew everybody’s aggression was going to be higher as each restart went on. I didn’t want to put myself in that position again to get passed by AJ (Allmendinger) or Joey (Logano), who were really aggressive behind me.
Yeah, it’s just part of racing at road courses, especially this year it seems like. Again, not proud of it, but we did what we had to do.”

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TORRENCE CLAIMS FIRST VICTORY OF THE SEASON

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

Capps earns a final round appearance at Brainerd

BRAINERD, Minn. (August 21, 2022) – Steve Torrence drove to his first victory of the season at Brainerd International Raceway on Sunday evening, besting Tony Schumacher in the final round. It was Torrence’s second consecutive win at Brainerd. In Funny Car, Ron Capps advanced to the final, where he came up just short to Bob Tasca.

It was a strong day for Team Toyota as eight of the nine Toyota-supported teams won their first round matchups.

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Brainerd International Raceway

Race 15 of 22

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W. 3.755 v. 5.286(M. Salinas) W. 4.945 v. 5.335(A. Brown) W. 5.400 v. 10.392(B. Force) W. 3.866 v. 3.942(T. Schumacher)
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.720 v. 3.817(K. Baldwin) W. 3.726 v. 3.807(S. Langdon) L. 4.936 v. 4.336(T. Schumacher)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W. 3.688 v. 3.721(C. Millican) L. 5.335 v. 4.945(S. Torrence
Billy Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W. 4.050 v. 4.480(A. Prock) L. 4.586 v. 4.394(B. Force)
Shawn Langdon	CMR Roofing & Construction Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Second Round	W. 3.760 v. 3.822(L. Pruett) L. 3.807 v. 3.726(J. Ashley)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	First Round	L. 5.349 v. 3.940(T. Schumacher)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Finalist	W. 3.931 v. 4.022(J. Force) W. 8.539 to No Run(B. Bode) W. 3.955 v. Foul(A. DeJoria) L. 4.007 v. 3.945(B. Tasca)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Semi-Finals	W. 3.967 v. 4.241(B. Alexander) W. 5.712 v. 6.187(M. Hagan) L. Foul v. 3.955(R. Capps)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Second Round	W. 3.898 v. 4.637(J. Campbell) L. 4.451 v. 4.356(R. Hight)

TOYOTA QUOTES

STEVE TORRENCE, Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Torrence Racing

Final Result: Winner

What does a race like today mean to you?

“A day like today is one that you are most proud of as a driver because when everything goes good, you just need to do your job and drive straight, leave on time and not make mistakes. It’s days like today when the car doesn’t do what it’s supposed to do – and that is where we need to earn our keep. Richard Hogan and Bobby Lagana (crew chiefs), they didn’t go up any lap trying to smoke the tires and that is just the cards that we were dealt. I did an okay job of getting it down through there – better than the opponent in the other lane and was able to come out victorious today. Those are days that you cherish. You remember those days more than those when you drove it to the end, and everything went great. I will remember this race for a long time. It takes a lot of experience at doing that to become good at it, and I don’t have a lot of experience. I’ve had a pretty good, solid race car that just goes a-to-b, so today, I learned some lessons. I did a good job by accident in the second round, and then made a mistake in the third round, but was able to recover and get the car back going. Final round against Tony (Schumacher), but typically Tony goes in fast, so I went in fast and then he kind of made me sit there for a minute. I was a little behind. I was .080 on the tree. That is my worst light of the day, but we left together. I could tell that we were going okay and then I saw his car kind of marching around half track. I saw him wheel out, and I’m thinking, not again. Then it slid back, and I thought okay, it might have turned our way. Definitely a totally different race track than the past two days. People were coming in here running .66 or .64 and a handful of .60s everywhere, and it just totally turns around and becomes hot and greasy and just whoever could get it down through there from a-to-b with making the least mistakes. Good day. It will be one that I remember for a while.”

RON CAPPS, NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, Ron Capps Motorsports

Final Result: Finalist

How was your race?

“This whole weekend here at Brainerd was a lot of adversity. We always talk about Brainerd being intricate in a championship run because we’re into the playoff and the Countdown (to the Championship) in just a couple of races. The thing about Brainerd is that it has such a great track surface and when conditions are great, you can throw anything at it as we saw in qualifying, and when it’s hot out like race day today, you have to be savvy and that’s what Guido (Dean Antonelli) and (John) Medlen and our entire NAPA AutoCare group did all day long. We almost won and that would have been fantastic. This was a great, feel-good weekend for our team. You have to be Countdown ready at Brainerd and I don’t care where you are in the points, you need to be ready for the playoffs. We needed this. We’re going to Indy, and I’ve never won that race. We have a great Toyota race car and a lot of confidence. For me as a d

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ROBERT HIGHT AND BRITTANY FORCE LEAD JOHN FORCE RACING AT BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

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CAREER BEST PERFORMANCE WEEKEND FOR JOSH HART ENDS IN QUARTERFINALS AT BRAINERD

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

BRAINERD, MN (August 21, 2022) — Over three days in the land of 10,000 lakes Josh Hart and the R+L Carrier Top Fuel dragster team rewrote their personal performance record book at both ends of the spectrum. When two days of qualifying concluded yesterday Hart had secured his best qualifying starting position, No. 2 in a tough field, with his career quickest elapsed time of 3.668 seconds. The second-year pro and contender for the Top Fuel championship earned four qualifying bonus points by posting the second quickest passes in each of the final two qualifying rounds. Heading into race day the confidence level was high for Hart and his team.

R+L Carriers Top Fuel dragster, photo by Auto Imagery

“We really made the most of the qualifying run opportunities,” said Hart. “Back-to-back runs in the 3.60s shows we have a strong dragster for the rest of the season. We have been racing in really hot conditions and this weekend mother nature cooled it down for us.”

Once again Hart and his Ron Douglas tuned Top Fuel dragster were the first pair to get the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals underway today. Hart continued his record setting weekend with a dominant first round win over Scott Farley. The driver from Ocala, Florida, was first off of the starting line and blasted down the track with a solid 3.710 second pass at a career fastest speed of 334.73 mph. The strong run continued three days of quick and fast runs by the R+L Carriers Technet Top Fuel team.

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

“That was a big win for this R+L Carriers team because we want to keep the pressure on the teams behind us in the points,” said Hart. “We want to go into the playoffs as high in the points as possible so first round wins are critical. That was also a great run to see that speed. We made our quickest run yesterday and to come back in the first round and set a persona speed record is great for the team”

In the quarterfinals racing eight-time Top Fuel world champion Tony Schumacher for the first time Hart was not intimidated in the slightest. The second-year pro grabbed a starting line advantage with a superior reaction time, but his dragster went into almost immediate tire smoke and shut off. Schumacher’s dragster lost power just past half-track and coasted across the finish line in front of Hart. It was a bittersweet ending to a record setting weekend for Hart and the R+L Carriers Top Fuel team.

“It was getting warmer out there and we had to wait a little bit for Tony,” said Hart. “I don’t know if waiting hurt us, but I am going to look at the overall positives for the weekend and start to focus on Indy. We will have a special design on our dragster starting at the U.S. Nationals and I can’t wait to unveil it.”

Heading into the final race of the regular season the R+L Carriers team is sitting in fifth place with a decent lead over the rest of the Top Fuel dragsters in the Top Ten. The U.S. Nationals will feature points and a half which should provide Hart with enough points to hold off any pursuers as he races to qualify for the NHRA Countdown for the first time in his career.

Qualifying Results

Q1: No Time

Q2: 3.746 sec, 327.90 mph; Qual. 7

Q3: 3.668 sec, 332.34 mph; Qual. 2

Q4: 3.692 sec, 330.88 mph; Qual. 2

Bonus Points: +4 (2^nd quickest of Q3 and Q4)

Race Results

First Round

Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, 3.710, 334.73 mph def. Scott Farley, Ellington, CT, Totten Racing, 14.142, 36.59 mph

Second Round

Tony Schumacher, Austin Texas, Maynard Family Foundation dragster, 4.227, 201.16 mphdef. Josh Hart, Ocala, Fla., R+L Carriers dragster, 10.848, 78.57 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force 1206

2. Mike Salinas 1112

3. Steve Torrence 1076

4. Justin Ashley 1070

5. Josh Hart 797

6. Leah Pruett 761

6. Shawn Langdon 761

8. Tony Schumacher 703

9. Doug Kalitta 692

10. Antron Brown 668

9. Austin Prock 602

10. Clay Millican 583

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aSHLEY LANDS SEMIFINAL FINISH AT BRAINERD

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

BRAINERD, MN (August 21, 2022) — For the third time in the last four races Justin Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy raced to the semifinals. Today at the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals Ashley, the No. 3 qualifier, outran Krista Baldwin and Shawn Langdon before dropping a close race to eight-time world champion Tony Schumacher in the semifinals. The two-time winner in 2022 posted strong qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday to earn five qualifying bonus points with the second quickest run of the second session and quickest of the final session. Coming into race day Ashley was looking to close the gap on the Top Fuel points leaders with two regular season races remaining.

Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by Vita C Energy, photo by Ron Lewis

Ashley was not taking the second year pro Baldwin lightly as he jumped off the starting line with a .044 reaction time and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster stayed glued to the middle of the groove and ran away for another first round win. Baldwin posted her quickest and fastest pass of her career in a losing effort to Ashley who tripped the finish line timing beams with a winning time of 3.720 seconds at 331.94 mph.

In a race that featured the two quickest runs of the quarterfinals Ashley got the win over 2013 Top Fuel world champion Langdon. Both Toyota dragsters blasted down the track and just past the 500-foot marker Ashley got the nose of his 11,000 horsepower Phillips Connect Vita C Energy Toyota dragster in front of Langdon’s CMR dragster. Ashley posted the quickest ET and Langdon was the second quickest in a losing effort. At the finish line it was 3.726 seconds to 3.807 at over 330 mph for Ashley.

“That was a great race with Shawn,” said Ashley. “There were a lot of guys smoking the tires in front of us, but I have a lot of confidence in my crew chiefs. We made a great run and we got to move on to the semifinals.”

In the semifinals Ashley was psychic on the starting line with a .031 reaction time but his Phillips Connect Toyota dragster smoked the tires right beside Schumacher. Both dragsters started battling tire smoke and each driver was working to pedal their 11,000 horsepower racecars. The veteran was able to get more momentum and he got to the finish line just in front of Ashley.

“This was a really great race for our Phillips Connect Vita C Energy team,” said Ashley. “We didn’t accomplish our ultimate objective which is to win the race. I thought we had one of the best racecars on the property. Mike Green and Tommy DeLago did a nice job with this Phillips Connect dragster. We are going to learn for this race and apply this information at the U.S. Nationals and the Pep Boys Call Out race. I am looking forward to an exciting rest of the season and Countdown.”

The weekend was a busy three days for Ashley and his marketing partners Bendix, Velociti, Sensata Insights, Lucas Oil, and KATO Fastening Systems. The team will head to Indianapolis in two weeks for the U.S. Nationals and also the conclusion of the Pep Boys Call Out specialty race. Ashley is one of four competitors still in competition for the race with the race.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 4.461 sec, 173.58 mph; Qual. 8

Q2: 3.691 sec; 328.94 mph; Qual. 2

Q3: 8.626 sec; 71.70 mph; Qual. 3

Q4: 3.679 sec; 334.82 mph; Qual. 3

Bonus Points: +5 (2^nd quickest of Q2 and quickest of Q4)

Race Results

First Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 3.720, 331.94 mph def. Krista Baldwin, Pittsboro, Ind., Lucas Oil/McLeod dragster, 3.817, 319.52 mph

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy, 3.726, 330.63 mph def. Shawn Langdon, Avon, Ind., CMR Construction and Roofing Toyota dragster, 3.807, 324.44 mph

Semifinals

Tony Schumacher, Austin, Texas, Maynard Family Foundation dragster, 4.336, 226.32 mph def. Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by Vita C Energy,4.936, 292.71 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1. Brittany Force 1206

2. Mike Salinas 1112

3. Steve Torrence 1076

4. Justin Ashley 1070

5. Josh Hart 797

6. Leah Pruett 761

6. Shawn Langdon 761

8. Tony Schumacher 703

9. Doug Kalitta 692

10. Antron Brown 668

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chevy racing–nhra–brainerd post race

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET RACING IN NATIONAL HOT ROD ASSOCIATION LUCAS OIL NHRA NATIONALS BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY IN BRAINERD, MINNESOTA AUG. 21, 2022
Chevrolet drivers aim for regular-season championships• No. 1 Top Fuel qualifier Brittany Force extends points lead in Chevrolet dragster• No. 2 qualifier Robert Hight increases Funny Car points advantage in Camaro SS

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 21, 2022) — Chevrolet drivers Robert Hight and Brittany Force increased their points spread over their immediate challengers in Funny Car and Top Fuel, respectively, with semifinal appearances in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway.
Hight, the No. 2 Funny Car qualifier in the Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS, has advanced to at least the semifinals in 12 of the 15 regular-season races on the NHRA calendar. He has tied a career high with six victories and has topped the standings after nine events, including the past six.

CHEVROLET FROM THE COCKPITTOP FUEL:BRITTANY FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONSTER ENERGY/FLAV-R-PAC CHEVOLET DRAGSTER: “Interesting weekend for our Monster Energy/Flav-R-Pac team at BIR this weekend. We made three great runs during qualifying, our best a 3.661 at 334 mph that pushed us to the top. Today we improved in E1 running a 3.646 333. In the second round we had to work for it. The warmer track made for big changes for everyone. The car went up in smoke and I pedaled for the win light. Unfortunately, in the semis, we didn’t have the same luck. Our car got up on the tires right at the hit and that was it for us. We kept the points lead and plan to turn this thing around in a couple weeks at the U.S. Nationals in Indiana.”
AUSTIN PROCK, JOHN FORCE RACING, MONTANA BRAND/ROCKY MOUNTAIN TWIST CHEVROLET DRAGSTER: “I feel like I let the guys down there. I know how to drive the car better than that and get it hooked back up sooner. There are times when the driver has to have the team’s back and that should have been one of those times. This Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist team was having a good weekend, really started to turn things around. We’ll keep at it, move onto Indy where we get points and a half. We’ll be looking for a big points weekend there heading into the Countdown.”
FUNNY CAR:JOHN FORCE, JOHN FORCE RACING, PEAK ANTIFREEZE AND COOLANT CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Rough weekend for this PEAK Chevy team. We struggled to get down the track. But everyone else, Robert Hight in the Auto Club Chevy, Brittany in the Monster Dragster and the Prock kid with Montana Brand, they all ran well. We’ll be fine, we’ll get it figured out. We’re in the Countdown, that’s what matters. Points will reset and we’ll be ready when it counts.”
ROBERT HIGHT, JOHN FORCE RACING, AUTOMOTIVE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHEVROLET CAMARO SS: “Disappointing end to what was shaping up to be a pretty good weekend. These Auto Club guys, they worked really hard to get this Chevy Camaro ready for the semifinals. I’ve said it before, this is such a competitive field. You really have to be perfect and maybe get a little luck every once in a while. We had already planned to test tomorrow, hopefully get one step closer to being perfect, get us ready for Indy and the Countdown, that’s’ where it really matters.”

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John Force Racing–Brainerd

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

BRAINERD, Minn. (Aug. 20, 2022) – The Automobile Club of Southern California Chevrolet Camaro SS and Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster took Robert Hight and Brittany Force, respectively, to the semifinals of the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway. Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist dragster as well as John Force and the PEAK Antifreeze and Coolant Chevy had first round exits.
Unwavering through qualifying, No. 2 qualifiers Robert Hight and the Auto Club Chevy kept consistent in the first round with a 3.874-second pass at 330.63 mph to defeat Steven Densham’s 3.967 at 327.43. Much like teammate Brittany Force in Top Fuel, Hight had to work for his second-round win. Up in tire smoke against J.R. Todd, both Funny Car champions pedaled to the finish line hurting their engines. Hight would have a 4.356-second run at 284.27 mph to send Todd’s 4.451 at 221.16 home.
Facing most recent event winner Bob Tasca III in the semifinals Hight and the Auto Club Camaro would again smoke the tires. Hight would be unable to get the Chevy hooked back up and have to watch Tasca go past for a 3.926 at 326.08. Hight would officially go 4.646 at 200.44.
“Disappointing end to what was shaping up to be a pretty good weekend. These Auto Club guys, they worked really hard to get this Chevy Camaro ready for the semifinals,” Hight said. “I’ve said it before, this is such a competitive field. You really have to be perfect and maybe get a little luck every once in a while. We had already planned to test tomorrow, hopefully get one step closer to being perfect, get us ready for Indy and the Countdown, that’s’ where it really matters.”
Coming into the day as the No. 1 qualifier, Brittany Force and the Monster Energy team earned a bye in the first round of eliminations. The David Grubnic and Mac Savage tunes dragster did not waste the uncontested pass laying down the quickest run of the entire event at 3.646-seconds and 333.58 mph. In the second round, it was Force who showed her skills pedaling her way to a 4.394-second pass at 255.63 mph to defeat Billy Torrence’s 4.586 at 213.40.
It would be from one Torrence to the next for Force. In the semifinals, Steve Torrence, Billy’s son, and Force would go up in smoke at almost identical times. Force would have a wild ride, pedaling the Monster machine once before having to lift and coast to 10.392-seconds and 66.09 mph while Torrence would pedal his way to a 5.400 at 276.07.
“Interesting weekend for our Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac team at BIR this weekend. We made three great runs during qualifying, our best a 3.661 at 334 mph that pushed us to the top. Today we improved in E1 running a 3.646 333,” Force said. “In the second round we had to work for it. The warmer track made for big changes for everyone. The car went up in smoke and I pedaled for the win light. Unfortunately, in the semis, we didn’t have the same luck. Our car got up on the tires right at the hit and that was it for us. We kept the points lead and plan to turn this thing around in a couple weeks at the U.S. Nationals in Indiana.”
After a turnaround qualifying effort that consisted of four solid passes down Brainerd International Raceway, something the team hadn’t done since the season opener, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster got into a pedal fest in the first round against Billy Torrence. Prock would come up short with a 4.480-second pass at 237.21 mph to Torrence’s 4.050 at 236.38.
“I feel like I let the guys down there. I know how to drive the car better than that and get it hooked back up sooner. There are times when the driver has to have the team’s back and that should have been one of those times. This Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team was having a good weekend, really started to turn things around. We’ll keep at it, move onto Indy where we get points and a half. We’ll be looking for a big points weekend there heading into the Countdown.”
John Force and the PEAK Chevy made their best run of the weekend in the first round of the Lucas Oil Nationals. Unfortunately, their best wasn’t enough. Force would handle the Camaro to a 4.022-second pass at 284.99 mph that was bettered by Ron Capps’ 3.931 at 325.45.
“Rough weekend for this PEAK Chevy team. We struggled to get down the track. But everyone else, Robert Hight in the Auto Club Chevy, Brittany in the Monster Dragster and the Prock kid with Montana Brand, they all ran well,” Force said. “We’ll be fine, we’ll get it figured out. We’re in the Countdown, that’s what matters. Points will reset and we’ll be ready when it counts.”
Next for the John Force Racing drivers is the conclusion of the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series regular 2022 season on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 02-05, with the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. The NHRA Countdown to the Championship, NHRA’s six race playoffs, kicks off Sept. 15-18 with the Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania.
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Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

Unofficial NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten Points Standings
TOP FUEL – 1. Brittany Force, Monster Energy / Flav-R-Pac dragster, 1206;2. Mike Salinas, 1112; 3. Steve Torrence, 1076; 4. Justin Ashley, 1070; 5. Josh Hart, 797; 6. Tie, Leah Pruett and Shawn Langdon, 761 each; 8. Tony Schumacher, 703; 9. Doug Kalitta, 692; 10 Antron Brown, 668. Also, 12. Austin Prock, Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist dragster, 639. FUNNY CAR – 1. Robert Hight, Auto Club of Southern California Chevy Camaro SS, 1411; 2. Matt Hagan, 1161; 3. Ron Capps, 1105; 4. Bob Tasca III, 1043; 5. John Force, PEAK/Blue Def Platinum Chevy Camaro SS, 1033; 6. J.R. Todd, 789; 8. Alexis DeJoria, 775; 7. Cruz Pedregon, 752; 9. Tim Wilkerson, 645; 10. Chad Green, 524; 11. Jim Campbell, 520.

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Davenport Garners First COMP Cams Topless 100 Victory

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

LOCUST GROVE, AR (August 20, 2022) – It was Jonathan Davenport’s night, winning the COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions for the first time in his career. Davenport held off a hard charging Hudson O’Neal and Dale McDowell to win the richest late model race in the history of Batesville Motor Speedway – a $50,000 payday in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and COMP Cams Super Dirt Series Presented by Lucas Oil co-sanctioned event. O’Neal was looking to become the first back-to-back winner in the history of the crown jewel event that began in 1993. He climbed from the 16th starting spot to finish second, 1.120 seconds behind the winner. McDowell came home in third, with Tim McCreadie finishing fourth, and Brandon Sheppard in his first Topless 100 start since 2015 rounding out the top five finishers. The win was especially meaningful to the three-time Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series National Champion as his car owners Lance and Darla Landers call Batesville home. It was one year ago when Davenport lost a last-lap shootout with O’Neal who won the race after the two swapped the lead four times on the final lap. This year history nearly repeated itself as O’Neal and McDowell had climbed to with one-car length of Davenport in the race for the lead when a caution came out with six laps to go in the race. Davenport was able to fight off the two and come home with his first Topless 100 title. In Lucas Oil Victory Lane for the 64th time in his career, Davenport can know check one more bucket list race off of his impressive resume. “That was lot closer than I wanted it to be. I guess Hudson [O’Neal] came from way back, so congratulations to him. I couldn’t quite run the top as good down there in three and four. I never really went all the way out there. There was a whole lot of flats. I didn’t want to run over a rock and get a flat leading it. I just kept moving around little-by-little. Thanks to Mooney [Starr] and his whole staff here, I mean what a turnaround from last night.” “I see the cushion was pushed all the way to the wall, I don’t believe I have ever seen that at this place. Like I said I never wanted to go up there and tear my stuff up so I kind of paced myself. I was just trying to keep my tires under me and if one of those late cautions would come out, I still had the stuff to go with. Man, this is so awesome, thanks to Lance and Darla Landers for giving me this opportunity, this one is special,” said the winner. O’Neal earned a $20,000 payday for second, but for a moment he thought he might make history by winning in back-to-back years. “I felt like I stood a better chance when we were racing before that caution. Once that caution came out, he has a good clean air car. I knew it was going to be hard and slim to none to get by him unless he would have made a mistake or if I could have put together a couple of good laps who knows. We will take a second from where we started. We have kind of struggled here all weekend and at these types of tracks in general. I feel like we made some good progress here this weekend. We still need to get a little better to start winning these things.” McDowell, who won the race in 2004, took home $10,000 for third. “It seems the long runs are better for me. We were able to get to him [Davenport] in traffic, that was the real hope we had, but once the caution came with six laps to go and he got back in the clear it’s just hard to do anything. The track raced awesome. You could race all over it tonight.” The winner’s Lance and Darla Landers-owned, Double L Motorsports, Longhorn Chassis is powered by a Cornett Racing Engine and sponsored by Nutrien Ag Solutions, Spartan Mowers, ASC Warranty, Bilstein Shocks, VP Race Fuels, Midwest Sheet Metal, Mark Martin Automotive, and Mega Plumbing of the Carolinas. Completing the top ten were Jimmy Owens, Spencer Hughes, Garrett Alberson, Earl Pearson Jr., and Kyle Beard.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt SeriesRace Summary 30th Annual COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag SolutionsSaturday, August 20th, 2022Batesville Motor Speedway – Batesville, AR
FAST Shafts B-Main #1 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 1R-BJ Robinson[5]; 2. 2-Tyler Stevens[2]; 3. 21-Billy Moyer Jr[9]; 4. 11K-Jon Kirby[10]; 5. 14M-Morgan Bagley[3]; 6. 86-Rick Rickman[11]; 7. 21XXX-Neil Baggett[7]; 8. 1ST-Johnny Scott[4]; 9. 86B-Kyle Beard[8]; 10. 65H-Dewaine Hottinger[15]; 11. 1G-Bryan Glaze[12]; 12. 17-Jeremy Tharp[14]; 13. 90-Brian Rickman[6]; 14. 7-Ross Robinson[13]; 15. 24H-Dustin Holmes[16]; 16. 93-Mason Oberkramer[1]
UNOH B-Main #2 Finish (15 Laps, Top 3 Transfer): 1. 10G-Garrett Smith[2]; 2. 12-Scott Crigler[1]; 3. 18D-Daulton Wilson[3]; 4. 66-Hayden Ross[5]; 5. 37-Joseph Long[9]; 6. 7S-Jeff Sloan[14]; 7. 16-Geoff Aitken[15]; 8. 26R-Cole Farmer[7]; 9. 32P-Preston Farmer[6]; 10. 45-Kylan Garner[4]; 11. 53-Eckie Harrison[11]; 12. 19M-Colby Moore[8]; 13. 7P-David Payne[10]; 14. L51-Travis Ashley[16]; 15. 995-Manny Falcon[12]; 16. (DNS) 15-Blake McClain
COMP Cams Topless 100 Presented by Nutrien Ag Solutions Finish (100 Laps):

Entrants: 48Lap Leaders: Jonathan Davenport (100 LapsWrisco Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportArizona Sport Shirts Crown Jewel Cup Feature Winner: Jonathan DavenportBrandon Ford TV Challenge Feature Winner: n/aMargin of Victory: 1.120 secondsStop-Tech Cautions: Billy Moyer, Sr. (Lap 1); Jared Landers, Morgan Bagley, Tyler Stevens, Scott Crigler (Lap 1 restart); Brandon Overton (Lap 8); Brian Rickman (Lap 21); Kyle Beard (Lap 26); Debris (Lap 43); Tyler Erb (Lap 59); Daulton Wilson (Lap 65); David Payne (Lap 72); Stormy Scott (Lap 94)Series Provisionals: Ross RobinsonHighest Topless 100 Point Provisional: Mason OberkramerSeries Emergency Provisionals: n/aCCSDS Provisionals: Brian Rickman; Morgan BagleCCSDS Emergency Provisionals: Kyle Beard; David PayneBig River Steel Podium Top 3: Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal, Dale McDowelPenske Shocks Top 5: Jonathan Davenport, Hudson O’Neal, Dale McDowell, Tim McCreadie, Brandon SheppardOptima Batteries Hard Charger of the Race: Kyle Beard (Advanced 17 Positions)Hot Rod Processing Most Laps Led: Jonathan Davenport (100 Laps)Midwest Sheet Metal Spoiler Challenge Point Leader: Tim McCreadieSunoco Race for Gas Highest Finisher: Brandon SheppardO’Reilly Auto Parts Rookie of the Race: Spencer HughesDirty Girl Racewear Fastest Lap of the Race: Jonathan Davenport (Lap 2 – 14.843 seconds)DirtonDirt.com Tough Break of the Race: Tyler ErbOuterwears Crew Chief of the Race: Jason Durham (Jonathan Davenport)ARP Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing EnginesMiller Welders Chassis Builder of the Race: Longhorn ChassisDirt Draft Fastest in Hot Laps: Daulton Wilson (14.0384 seconds)Time of Race: 62 minutes 49 seconds
Lucas Oil Championship Point Standings:

Results are unofficial until Close of Business on the Tuesday following Race Day

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CLOUD NINE: Carson Macedo Nets Ninth World of Outlaws Win with Jackson Nationals Title

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

$25,000 Payday Marks 50th World of Outlaws Win for Jason Johnson Racing

JACKSON, MN – August 20, 2022 – The 44th annual AGCO Jackson Nationals offered the lowest of lows to highest of highs for one team within a span of seven hours.

Carson Macedo and Jason Johnson Racing lost the Saturday afternoon show in heartbreaking fashion with a last-lap pass from Logan Schuchart. They returned to the pit area down and dejected, but still determined with more racing ahead in Saturday’s $25,000-to-win nightcap.

As day turned to night, Macedo turned from zero to hero as he went from the worst King of the Hill time to easily the best Feature car. The Lemoore, CA 25-year-old wheeled the Albaugh #41 from eighth to first in the 35-lapper and outlasted a different Shark Racing teammate, Jacob Allen, to score a redemption-filled ninth World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series win.

The win not only puts him back atop the pedestal as the winningest driver on tour in 2022, but it also makes Macedo the winningest driver (20 wins) in JJR’s short, but storied history with The Greatest Show on Dirt. It was a fitting moment as the team earned their 50th World of Outlaws win at Minnesota’s Jackson Motorplex, the site of Jason Johnson’s final victory on June 9, 2018.

“Losing that one earlier stung a lot, so it feels extra good to find some redemption in the one that counts,” Macedo said in Victory Lane. “It’s incredible to stand up here with nine wins this season. I hadn’t won even five races prior to joining JJR, and now we’re able to click off wins and execute as a team when it matters most. When I was a little kid I thought the World of Outlaws was the most amazing thing in the world, so this is all still a dream come true for me.”

Macedo’s latest breakthrough, which returns the claim of the winningest team on tour to JJR, was mainly accredited to revered crew chief, Phil Dietz. The #41 timed in dead last during the King of the Hill and things looked bleak ahead of the big dance, but then the wrench came out and Dietz turned his magic up.

“I can’t brag enough on Philip,” Macedo spoke on his crew chief. “We were horrible in that King of the Hill and I came in complaining, and he just went right to work. He did what he does best and put an incredible setup on this deal. I could go anywhere I wanted in that race. One thing we’ve learned more than anything this year is that it truly does take a team. Every piece of the puzzle matters here, especially my guys Clyde Knipp and Nate Repetz.”

Once officially in the lead on Lap 17, Macedo never looked back and cruised to a 2.757-second margin of victory at the checkered flag. However, his path to the top spot, included a dogfight with Allen’s #1A as the young duo swapped command on multiple occasions before Macedo’s high-side momentum ultimately paid off.

In pursuit of a third consecutive Jackson Nationals title for Shark Racing, Jacob Allen paced the opening 16 circuits before Macedo seized control. The Hanover, PA native was chasing the richest win of his career at $25,000 but instead settled for another impressive runner-up result as he continues to shine aboard the Pells Tire Service, Low-E Insulation entry.

“I’m thrilled with our performance today,” Allens said after another podium effort. “A third and second is nothing to hang your head about against these guys. It feels awesome to contend for these wins. I felt like my pace was good on the bottom, but I just flat-out lost that race to Carson on the top. He’s a fantastic driver and that entire JJR team is top-notch, so I know I didn’t lose to a slouch by any means. It’s a lot of fun working with my crew during stretches like this.”

David Gravel closed out the podium in third place aboard his Big Game Motorsports, Billion Automotive #2. The Watertown, CT native started from the outside pole in the 35-lapper but faded back to fifth early on before rallying and returning to a podium spot at his car owner’s home track.

“I felt like we had a good car, but we just came around too late to make anything happen,” Gravel said following his 14th podium of the season. “I really want to get this Billion Automotive car into Victory Lane. We deserved one at Huset’s and I think we were close tonight.”

After challenging for the top spot early on, James McFadden slipped back to finish fourth aboard the Roth Motorsports #83. The Australian was joined in the top five by leading rookie contender, Spencer Bayston, who recovered from a rough afternoon program by driving to fifth in the CJB Motorsports, TrueTimber #5.

Rounding out the top-10 in the Jackson Nationals finale was Knoxville Nationals champion Donny Schatz in sixth, KCP Racing’s Giovanni Scelzi in seventh, championship leader Brad Sweet in eighth, Pennsylvania standout Anthony Macri in ninth, and Sheldon Haudenschild with another KSE Hard Charger Award for driving from 21st-to-10th.

UP NEXT (Fri-Sat) – The Second Leg of the Northern Tour takes The Greatest Show on Dirt back to North Dakota next weekend. The World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series will stop at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, ND on Friday, August 26, and then at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, ND on Saturday, August 27. Fans can BUY TICKETS HERE, or watch every lap LIVE on DIRTVision.

NOS Energy Drink Feature Results (35 Laps) – 1. 41-Carson Macedo [8][$25,000]; 2. 1A-Jacob Allen [1][$10,000]; 3. 2-David Gravel [2][$7,000]; 4. 83-James McFadden [4][$6,000]; 5. 5-Spencer Bayston [7][$5,500]; 6. 15-Donny Schatz [6][$5,000]; 7. 18-Giovanni Scelzi [5][$4,500]; 8. 49-Brad Sweet [3][$4,000]; 9. 39M-Anthony Macri [14][$3,500]; 10. 17-Sheldon Haudenschild [21][$3,000]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [9][$2,500]; 12. 24-Rico Abreu [10][$2,400]; 13. 83JR-Kerry Madsen [15][$2,300]; 14. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss [19][$2,200]; 15. 20G-Noah Gass [12][$2,100]; 16. 21-Brian Brown [11][$2,000]; 17. 7S-Robbie Price [17][$2,000]; 18. 22-Riley Goodno [23][$2,000]; 19. 1AU-Marcus Dumesny [22][$2,000]; 20. 10-Matt Juhl [13][$2,000]; 21. 11K-Kraig Kinser [24][$2,000]; 22. 24T-Christopher Thram [20][$2,000]; 23. 3-Tim Kaeding [16][$2,000]; 24. 17X-Kevin Thomas [18][$2,000]. Lap Leaders: Jacob Allen 1-16. Carson Macedo 17-35. KSE Hard Charger Award: 17-Sheldon Haudenschild[+11]

Uncategorized

Unbreakable Daniels Wins Sacramento Mile

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (August 20, 2022) – Rising Progressive American Flat Track star Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) passed the ultimate test of nerves and skill to win the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Main Event in Saturday night’s Mission Legendary Sacramento Mile powered by Law Tigers at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California. Daniels grabbed the holeshot from pole, putting him directly in the sights of defending Mission SuperTwins king Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) with two-time champ Briar Bauman (No. 3 Indian Motorcycle/Progressive Insurance FTR750) right in tow. The Sacramento Mile has long favored experience over youth, and Mees called on every bit of the experience he’d gained in winning the last four Sacramento Miles to challenge Daniels. The factory Indian ace applied heavy pressure throughout, showed his front wheel on a handful of occasions, and then rehearsed a finish-line strike as the clock ticked down. But none of it was enough to force the unflappable rookie into a costly error on circuit where such a mistake could have come all too easily. All the while, Bauman remained in their draft, never quite close enough to attempt a move, but close enough to take advantage should either Daniels or Mees bobble. The eventual third-place finish was Bauman’s fifth consecutive podium finish, although Mees’ runner-up allowed him to stretch his advantage out to nine points over Bauman (229-220). Daniels, meanwhile, drew nearer with his triumph, now just 16 points back at 213. Daniels said, “It was definitely tough. These guys are so good. The talent in this class is insane. Leading that whole race was stressful. I was riding super tight and struggling really bad in Turns 3 and 4. I knew those guys were right on me. “Me and the boss – (Tommy) Hayden – went over a little strategy to use at the end that I think played well. I don’t have a lot of experience out here, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can. This is great for me – learning how to lead a whole Mile race. At the Red Mile, I was able to follow Jared and see what he was doing. But I had to set the pace tonight, and it was tough – really tough. It wasn’t easy by any means. Sacramento is such a legendary track – I’m so pumped to win here.” Any hopes for a four-rider clash for victory were extinguished from the start; JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) just didn’t have the pace to battle with his title rivals on this night, instead falling into a scrap with Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) for fourth. Beach eventually shook free of the Mission Roof Systems runner to come home clear in the position and up his championship tally to an even 200. Behind Robinson, sixth-place went to a lonely Davis Fisher (No. 67 Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) while Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750), Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R), Cameron Smith (No. 34 Thee Cathy Gray/Al Barker Yamaha MT-07), and Andrew Luker (No. 11 Rackley Racing/Keeran Racing Indian FTR750) rounded out the top ten. Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines Jesse Janisch (No. 33 Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson XG750R) took another huge step in his march toward the ‘22 Mission Production Twins presented by Vance & Hines throne. The Wisconsin native had been all but unstoppable over the past five races, a trend that’s carried over from Half-Mile to TT to Mile alike. And again, it was the now familiar story on Saturday night, as the Vance & Hines ace topped practice, both qualifying sessions, and his Semi – and typically by significant margins – ahead of the Main Event. Once there, however, Janisch found himself pushed to the limit by a hugely motivated Mikey Rush (No. 15 Helipower Racing/Las Vegas Harley-Davidson XG750R), who was desperate to win in front of his home-state fans. The two powered away off the start and soon became embroiled in a tense all-XG750R struggle for the victory. Both riders took their turn at the front before Janisch finally eked out a bit of breathing space just as he opened the final two laps. He was then forced to navigate one final potential pitfall, encountering a pair of lappers as he tiptoed around Turns 3 and 4 for the final time. With that out of the way, Janisch put his head down to reel in his sixth win of the season. “I was just trying to be smooth,” Janisch said. “The track was getting brutal out there. It was super technical, and Mikey was showing me some lines out there. I tried to latch on to him and follow him and learn where I could be a little bit better. I’ll be honest – I thought he was going to be there at the end, so I tried to get ahead of him and slow him down a little bit. “The Vance & Hines guys brought me one heck of a horse today. It was awesome and gives me some good confidence going into two Miles at Springfield.” Cameron Smith (No. 34 Thee Cathy Gray/Al Barker Yamaha MT-07) made Janisch’s night that much better. Smith won out in a three-rider melee for the final spot on the podium, edging defending class champion Cory Texter (No. 1 G&G Racing/Yamaha Racing Yamaha MT-07) for the position with Nick Armstrong (No. 60 Competitive Racing Frames/Lessley Brothers Yamaha MT-07) just behind in fifth. As a result, Janisch boosted his title advantage to 24 points (264-240. With just four races to go, that strips Texter of control over his own destiny as four runner-ups would now be enough to seal the championship for Janisch even if Texter managed to win out from here. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER The streaking Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F) made it three straight Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER wins in Sacramento, picking right back up where he left off at Cal Expo a season ago, despite swapping his Turner Racing Honda for an Estenson Racing Yamaha in the meantime. Brunner married his Sacramento Mile success with his spectacular ‘22 midseason form and proved more than a match for the rest of the field. He sent a bold overtaking maneuver around the outside of early leader Kody Kopp (No. 12 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE) and went on to register a commanding victory Despite getting his campaign off to something of a rocky beginning, Brunner has now logged two wins, a second, and a third in his last four outings. After chalking up a 2.138-second margin of victory, he said, “This team is amazing to ride for. We were way back in qualifying, and they tweaked it, and it made a world of a difference for the Semi. They tweaked it a little more, and it got a little better for the (Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda) Challenge. They tweaked it a little more, and it was just phenomenal in the Main Event. It really is a pleasure to ride for Estenson Racing Monster Energy Yamaha. These guys work their tails off for me, and I can’t thank them enough.” By contrast, second-place was heated affair, featuring Kopp and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) early and then Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-FFE), Brandon Kitchen (No. 80 Vance & Hines/Husqvarna Motorcycles FC450), and Trent Lowe (No. 48 Mission Foods/Al Lamb’s Dallas Honda CRF450R) late. Kitchen, who looked to be Brunner’s biggest threat coming out of the Semis, fought his way back from a poor start to finally blast into second. But his charge then reversed, with Whale countering to take back the runner-up spot and hold it over Kitchen by a scant 0.003 seconds at the stripe. Lowe finished another 0.108 second back in fourth with Kopp rounding out the top five. Second-ranked Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Progressive Insurance CRF450R) finished one position behind teammate Gauthier in seventh, but it could have been much worse. Mischler was forced to use his provisional start after a rear brake issue spoiled his Semi. He then snaked his way up to seventh from the fifth row in an admirable effort to minimize the damage done to his championship position. Kopp remains well clear in front, now 48 points up on Mischler (257-209). However, the race for second is officially on, with Brunner (204), Gauthier (198), and Whale (193) all firmly in the hunt. The Mission Legendary Sacramento Mile powered by Law Tigers will premiere on FS1 on Saturday, August 27, at 2:00 p.m. ET/11:00 a.m. PT, including exclusive features, cutting-edge aerial drone and onboard footage, and expert commentary. Next Up: Progressive AFT continues its late-season run of fabled Miles with a Labor Day Weekend doubleheader. The Mission Springfield Mile I & II will take place on September 3-4 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois. Visit https://store.americanflattrack.com/ebooking/ticket/view/id/3668 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.

Uncategorized

chevy racing–indycar–post race

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

CHEVROLET RACING IN NTT INDYCAR SERIES BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY MADISON, ILLINOIS TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT AND QUOTES AUGUST 20, 2022 MADISON, Ill. (August 20, 2022) – Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden won again at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday as he drove his Chevrolet-powered No. 2 PPG entry to victory in the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 for his fifth win of this season’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES.Team Chevy won at WWTR for the fifth time since 2017 – four of those coming in tandem with Newgarden. He won Saturday night with a pass on teammate Scott McLaughlin on a restart 36 laps from the end and following a nearly two-hour, 10-minute delay for weather. Team Chevy drivers took three of the first four spots in the race as the Bowtie Brand won for the 10th time in 2022. “Congratulations to Josef and everyone on the No. 2 PPG Chevrolet and Team Penske for another win at World Wide Technology Raceway,” said Rob Buckner, Chevrolet Program Manager for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. “The race went in a lot of different directions with strategies, the weather delay, and how close it was at the end. We’re proud of the performance, reliability and efficiency of the Chevrolet 2.2-liter, twin-turbo V6 engine that has now won 10 times this season on a variety of tracks. We’re hoping for similar strong finishes to close out the season on the West Coast.” Newgarden is a now a four-time winner at the track. More importantly, he moved to second place and within four points of Penske teammate Will Power, who finished sixth Saturday, in the INDYCAR Drivers Championship.
McLaughlin placed third in Penske’s No. 3 Odyssey Battery Chevrolet, one spot ahead of Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy. Chevrolet’s leading quartet combined to lead 228 of the 260 laps. Power led the most of any driver – 128 after starting from pole position. Team Chevy and the rest of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES next head to Portland International Raceway for the Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, Sept. 4.

TEAM CHEVY QUOTESJOSEF NEWGARDEN, NO. 2 PPG TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – RACE WINNERRANGE OF EMOTIONS AND WINNING AGAIN AT WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY RACEWAY? “All I can say is that this 2 car crew has been very patient with me. I’ve lost my cool probably a couple of time in closed doors just out of frustration for us. I feel like we’ve had small miscues timing-wise. That’s not really anybody’s fault. Sometimes you’re wrong time, wrong place. I feel like it’s been happening a lot this year. It kind of happened again tonight. I felt like we were in position and it was time to close. There was a barrier that got in front of us again, but fortunately we were able to get back out. I was so happy we could finish this race. Scott McLaughlin, he wanted to win too and I love that about us. We have a good relationship obviously. Each of us want to win but we he drove me super-fair there at the end, and we had a good fight.“I can’t thank PPG and Team Chevy enough. Team Chevy absolutely crushed it with fuel mileage, reliability, power… everything you want from an engine. It’s a big night for everyone at Team Penske.”HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO GET BY ON THE RESTART? “We just had to have a good start. I knew Scott was going to be good at the end there, and he had a good restart. I just tried to work the high lane. The high lane worked earlier for me and I tried to do it again at the finish there. We just had enough to get by him. He was no slouch this weekend. He was very, very good. Scott has done an amazing job. He could have easily won this race himself, so you have to give him credit. But I’m glad we were able to come back out on top. We’re going to have a lot more races together, that guy and I.”THAT WAS NOT EASY. “It was tough at the end. I felt like it was getting ripped away again. We hung in there and had a good restart. Scott (McLaughlin) wasn’t easy to beat tonight. He was super-fast so you have to give it him. But I felt like we were in position with the final stop. This PPG car was on rails tonight for sure. We just needed to get into position, and we did that. Team Chevy, I can’t forget them… it was a big fuel mileage race in the first half of this thing, and I feel that Team Chevy absolutely crushed it as far as reliability, fuel mileage and the whole deal. They are a big part of why we were able to win.”AFTER 25 INDYCAR WINS, DOES WINNING STILL HIT YOU THE SAME? “It’s pretty cool. It’s almost gotten harder. For sure, the competition has gotten more difficult. But internally and mentally, it’s gotten harder for me because I’ve come into this without ever believing I’d had have a career in motorsports. To have a career with a top-line team in a top-line series like INDYCAR with Team Penske… the more success you find, the more you want it. The more disappointing it is when it slips away. There is a mental shift that has to happen there. I’ve been so lucky to be here. I love working hard, love working with the people I do, and I want to do it for as long as I can.” SCOTT McLAUGHLIN, NO. 3 ODYSSEY BATTERY TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED THIRD:“That’s oval racing, and we love it. I want more of it. David’s (Malukas, runner-up) move on the last lap… credit to him. He’s a phenomenal young kid and I hope he goes far. The way he’s been coming up through the ranks and getting into the Fast Sixes, he’s been great all year. Full credit to him.”DID YOU EXPECT HIM TO MAKE THAT MOVE? DID YOU FEEL YOU WERE SAFE? “He was coming, and I was a little loose. I got a bad run off turns Three and Four. I took the inside line and he went on the outside. The grip was still there and it was a hell of a move. He’s a good kid. Good points for us today. The Odyssey Battery Chevy felt awesome. I glad we put on a good show for the fans today. A lot of people stayed out tonight, so that’s fantastic.”WHERE ARE YOU IN YEAR NUMBER TWO LOOKING AHEAD TO WHERE YOU’RE HEADED IN YEAR NUMBER THREE? “I’m feeling good. I’m loving INDYCAR. I’m really proud of everything. Last year was hard. There were times last year where I wondered what I’m doing here – running around at the back hanging out. I’m just really proud to do it for the team. The pit stops have been unreal. I’m working with some really good people, I have great teammates and the people in America have been really nice to me. I’m excited for what the future holds.”MORE ON THE FINISH. “Credit to David. He did a great job. His tires were really good. I just lacked a little bit balance there in that last stint. It started oversteering and getting loose. It’s very hard to commit to that. But good points for us and another podium. So all good.”ONCE JOSEF WENT BY, WAS IT SETTLING IN FOR SECOND OR DID YOU THINK YOU HAD SOMETHING FOR HIM? “The main aim for the team was a team win today. The Odyssey Battery Chevy was good. We all did our parts.” PATO O’WARD, NO. 5 ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET – FINISHED FOURTH:“We had a good race up until the red flag. That bunched us all up. Will (Power) and I were on quite older tires than the guys we were fighting against. It seemed to be a very significant difference this year. It usually is not as big of a difference with tire deg from the past couple of years, but this year was different. We didn’t have enough. I was hanging on there in the end and having a lot of moments. I’m glad we brought it home and didn’t end up in the wall.”DID THE TRACK CHANGE THAT MUCH AFTER THE RAIN? “Yeah. A lot of rubber went away so that obviously over-tipped the car. Our car was working really, really well in the conditions that we had in 85 percent of the race. At the end, we were extremely loose and it was extremely tough to handle.” WILL POWER, NO. 12 VERIZON 5G TEAM PENSKE CHEVROLET – FINISHED SIXTH: “Once again, it was a good day with P6. Obviously we wanted more. We made a mistake and didn’t take that yellow. That’s INDYCAR. It’s never straight-forward. You expect that in the championship. It might come back to us in the next two in a different way. That’s how it is. We’ve got some good tracks coming up. Like I predicted, it will be a tough battle all the way to the end. I’ve been around a long time and know how these things go. The best thing about today is that we finished in the top-six, so that’s still pretty good.”WHAT HAPPENED ON THE RESTART? “(Simon) Pagenaud’s guys, I don’t know what they were doing, but they sent him out in that battle a lap down. He came out and was just in the way. He was on the line I was, and I lost the (clean) air and lost a couple of positions. I don’t know what they were doing there, but that’s how I lost those. Otherwise we were going to be looking pretty good.” FELIX ROSENQVIST, NO. 7 ARROW McLAREN SP CHEVROLET – FINISHED 16TH: ”That was a tough evening. Actually, it started really good, up to P13 on the first lap from P26 so it was pretty mega at the start of the race. Then, I couldn’t really do much more. I just kind of sat there and couldn’t really pass. After the red flag, we went in to put on new tires – which lost us a couple of spots – but we hoped to get them back which we did. Then I got trapped on the inside in Turn Two, and I just got swallowed by like literally every car back to P16. We have to risk it in that position. It was not our weekend; it was a tough one. We’ll recharge for Portland.” KYLE KIRKWOOD, NO. 14 BOMMARITO AUTO GROUP AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 17TH: “We gained some positions and overall had an OK race. We would have liked to have been further up on the field, of course. We made a couple of calls that probably didn’t play in our favor and ultimately we gained positions. We could have had the pace especially in the middle of the race when it was light out to do something a lot better with our car. Once it got dark, those were conditions we had never driven in before. We were more off the pace than we had been the entire day. That was unfortunate that we couldn’t capitalize on having new tires, maybe passing some cars and getting ahead of some people that we needed to. Nonetheless we’ll go into Portland with a clean car and a clean mindset.” DALTON KELLETT, NO. 4 K-LINE AJ FOYT RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 18TH: “We started 24th and finished 18th, so I’m happy we were able to make up some spots in the race. That’s always the goal when you don’t have a good qualifying session. The situation was looking really good for us before the rain came. We wouldn’t have had to pit before the end, there were probably four or five cars that we might have jumped if it had gone green to the finish. So Mother Nature doesn’t always play in your favor, but we got the race back under way for the fans under the lights, which is what matters. I’m happy we moved up but we would have liked to have been a little further up the grid when all was said and done.” CALLUM ILOTT, NO. 77 JUNCOS HOLLINGER RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 21ST: “We had a lot of pace. I think we overtook maybe 30 people throughout the race, so that was really strong. I made a small mistake on the pit stop… locked up and hit the tire and my outside front mechanic. I’m sorry to him but he’s OK. I’m sorry to the team because that cost us with the penalty and then from there we were hanging in. It was annoying because we found quite a bit of pace compared to yesterday, and I was quite confident and making moves on the outside. That’s the way it goes. We’ll take it and move on to Portland and Laguna.” ED CARPENTER, NO. 33 ALZAMEND NEURO CHEVROLET – FINISHED 22ND: “Tonight was a really disappointing way to end my season. I really appreciate the support from Todd Ault for the No. 33 this year and I was proud to represent Alzamend Neuro and carry their colors. I’ll be back to try again next year.” CONOR DALY, NO. 20 BITNILE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 23RD: “To look at the positives tonight, I think we had a great racecar. I felt well capable of racing into the top-10. I had a great start. I made a bit of a mistake myself trying to pass Simon (Pagenaud) on the high line in Turns 3-4 and lost some time. We had an issue tonight that was out of our control and that was really tough. I love racing here so much, I thought we had a great chance at a great result for the team today. It is definitely a tough one to take.” RINUS VEEKAY, NO. 21 BITCOIN RACING WITH BITNILE ED CARPENTER RACING CHEVROLET – FINISHED 26TH: “The whole dash froze electronically. I couldn’t see the shifts and couldn’t hear the tones, so I was doing it on feeling. I couldn’t see the adjustments on the weight jacker, and the pit limiter didn’t work. I came into pitlane and had no clue how fast I was going. We tried to do a power cycle but the car wouldn’t go into neutral either. We’re trying some stuff to hopefully finish the race, get some laps in and hopefully get a few points. This is a bummer. With electronics, nobody can do anything about it. The reliability of this team has been amazing but there’s nothing they can do about it.”On the start: “I heard the green and I wanted to pass guys in front of me because I had a bit of a run. I had to get out there and got a big wheel spin. I touched the wall but there wasn’t anything damaged. I tried to get a few positions there and had to get out of it. I guess it didn’t matter in the end.” NTT INDYCAR SERIES News ConferenceSaturday, August 20, 2022Josef NewgardenScott McLaughlinPress Conference Transcript THE MODERATOR: Joined now by the four-time champion here at World Wide Technology Raceway, Josef Newgarden. First time in your career five wins in a season. 25th career win, which ties you with Gordon Johncock. More to come. Your thoughts on a big night tonight.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: It was a great night. Very big night. You got to win these races when you’re in position to do it. I wanted to close that one out really badly, really badly.I was elated. Elated that we were able to get back going and I had the opportunity on the restart. I’m thankful to my teammate. I thought Scott drove me with a tremendous amount of respect. He raced me hard, he wasn’t giving me anything, but just gave me a lot of respect like you would expect from a teammate. I think he goes above and beyond sometimes.Big night for us, PPG, Team Chevy. Can’t talk enough about Team Chevy. Had the engine to beat tonight, no doubt. We had great fuel mileage, reliability, power, all the things we always want. A big night for everybody on Team Penske. Very good for us in the championship fight.THE MODERATOR: Seemed like your car came alive after the red flag.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I was pleasantly surprised and very, very satisfied with my car tonight. I thought it was hooked up tremendously once we got about midway through the race. It was a bit processional in the first half. Literally every car just went to fuel save. Everyone wanted to try to make the three-stop work. I was surprised at how many people committed. Seemed like the whole field flipped to it. Wasn’t a lot happening then.As soon as that caution 150, 155, something like that, when it provided that opportunity to pit again, it changed things up, put people on different strategies. That made it really exciting.I thought that our car was able to maximize that strategy opportunity. So I’m real thankful to my team for picking that out. You can’t win this race without nailing calls like that, being good in the pits. There was a moment I thought it was slipping away from us, too. Ultimately they made the right calls and did it right and we were able to close it out.THE MODERATOR: Questions for Josef Newgarden.Q. What was the conversation with you and McLaughlin during the red flag? Before the red flag, kind of got spread out, wasn’t a lot of passing. How do you stay patient throughout that?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yeah, I mean, first with Scott, it’s a little bittersweet because we have a great friendship. He’s a tremendous competitor. I rank Scott as one of the most elite drivers in the world, not just here but in the world. He’s top class. Very difficult to beat.We get along really great. He’s a tremendous teammate, hard worker. It’s not the easiest friendship to have because we’re competing.At the end of the day he wanted to win the race and I wanted to win the race. I was frustrated that we slipped behind him on the pit cycle. I felt like we had the position on him, and that frustrated me.I think ultimately we have a tremendous working relationship. Nights like this are good. At the end of the day if we’re battling together, things are going well. We want to see that pretty often. I think we will see that often. Scott is not going to go anywhere. He’s only going to get better. I hope we have more battles. They will be tough because I respect him a lot, consider him a friend, but he’s also a competitor.We just talked about Bus Bros, how he was pissed, how we were going to race each other hard. Normal stuff.Q. (No microphone.)JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I just wish we could get a second lane going. Man, this race would be awesome, like gnarly, if you could get a second lane. It would be really, really cool.I think we made some progress this weekend. I really do. The extra session was positive. I they we worked that lane in a bit more. We used it. I used it. I never thought I’d get up there. It definitely was usable. I think we made progress.We need to continue to examine this track and how we can make it even better for racing. I don’t think it was a dud by any means, got exciting in the middle. But what can we do in the future to make it better? I think we got some ideas.Q. (No microphone.)JOSEF NEWGARDEN: These decisions aren’t up to me, but I would always race in the lights here. It looks cool, feels cool. I think the grip is better. We could look at our downforce package for this track specifically and see how we could improve it. I think if we changed it a bit we could make it a lot better. There’s a lot to digest and a lot of good things to come out of here.Q. I don’t know how much of a student of racing you are, but 25 victories already, Gordon Johncock was a real stud as a race driver. To tie a guy as legendary as that, how cool is that?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I mean, I forget about my job sometimes. I get so focused on the day-to-day, just the process of I want to be the best in any facet, whether it’s the way I examine data, the way I work with the team, my fitness regimen. I get lost in that perfection. I forget how cool this has been.I’ve been doing this for over 11 years now. I never as a kid thought I’d be doing this. I didn’t. I really didn’t. I loved racing carts. I met a lot of friends in motorsports. Now to reflect at times, to see the opportunity I’ve had, it’s been a real privilege and pleasure.I get to work with the best, I really do. I believe that. Team Penske is absolutely the pinnacle. We’ve got a lot of people there. I’ve worked with a lot of them different years, different people. They’re all tremendous.Yeah, to be here 11 years on still has been a real honor for me.Q. You got your first victory seven years ago. Now you’re at 25. Whip off a few more five-win seasons, do you think you could get to 50? That would be a huge number for a career mark.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Hey, I’m not stopping. Let’s see what happens. We need to get more 10 wins a year, that’s where my mind is at (smiling).This year, honestly, just this year, I think we had the potential for maybe seven. Then you got two more to go. So we’re getting better for sure. I think if we can figure out how we can rip off a season with 10 or 12 wins, that would be impressive.That’s where my mind is at. I don’t know if that’s possible. It’s getting more difficult to do that. People in here may think I’m joking by saying that, but I really am thinking that way.It’s more than just the wins, it is the consistency. How often can you be on the podium? That’s become more and more important these days, top fives, podiums, being there every single weekend, not having any hiccups. Blending that with great races where you’re winning is ultimately the package you have to have. If we can just keep accelerating the wins, I think that’s good for all of us.Q. I’ll agree with you underneath the nights here is really cool. When you say you don’t get to make that decision, how often do they take the drivers’ input on situations like this or other things to make a track better?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I don’t say that lightly, that it’s not in my decision power. The series, the ownership, the promoters, they absolutely weight, everybody weights our decision plenty. I think we get to lot of say in what happens. Our opinion absolutely matters. I don’t feel like we are unheard. There’s a lot more going on that factors into when we run a race.I love night races. To me they’re just better. It’s fun. It’s fun to race these cars at night. They’re exciting, they look good, they feel good. The atmosphere is there. My vote would be to be at night.But there’s a lot more that goes into it than just saying, Hey, we’re going to run at night. Maybe we can work more in. I would be all for that if you had my vote.Q. How do you go about explaining so much success at one place in such a short period of time? When you first got here, was there something about the track that you found to your liking or style?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I think it starts with having the best cars. You can’t do this unless you have a dominant car. I’ve had that. Team Penske has more than delivered the best cars for me. It’s more than just, Hey, do you like the track? Why do you have success here?Look at the team I have. I have all the resources possible. I have the best of the best on pit lane, the best strategist, most of the time the fastest car in the field. It’s a pretty good recipe for putting wins together. We’ve been fortunate to do that at multiple tracks, we can say that about multiple areas.I do love this style of racing. If we could get more short ovals, my hand goes up every time we ask.Q. How much were you planning the move between the rain delay?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: That wasn’t really planned. I was just going. I don’t know where I’m going, I’m just going. He’s going to go as hard as he can to the corner, I’m going to go harder. It may work out, it may not. That’s sometimes my mentality. It seemed to work tonight.But it wasn’t super premeditated, the actual maneuver. It can good so many ways. If I get a big run on Scott, go inside of him, that’s one thing. If I go outside of him, that’s another thing. I didn’t have a big run on him.I’m just reacting. I’m going to bullet this first lap quicker than him and I was ready to do that. Fortunately we were prepped and ready and it worked out.Q. Your relationship with Tim, it feels like it couldn’t get any better, then here comes another one. How much has that evolved over the years?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: He’s absolutely no slouch. I would consider him one of the best if not the best strategists on pit lane. Sometimes he doesn’t look like the best strategist because things that we can’t predict happen. I don’t put that on him. I don’t put it on the team. It’s INDYCAR racing. There’s sometimes unknowns. The yellows are so difficult to predict these days.I think he’s a tremendous competitor, very good. He’s obviously been a student of this sport for many years. If you know Tim, he’s very passionate about INDYCAR. He wants to win more than anybody on the team. He doesn’t always show that, but it’s in there and it’s very alive.I feel confident that I got the boss on the stand with me and we’ve had a tremendous relationship. There’s been no cracks in it up to this point. I don’t know that we’re getting better. I feel like we’ve been good for five-plus years. Definitely have no issues in that department.Q. Cindric is a real kneeslapper.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Doesn’t like to show a lot of emotion, that man.Q. You and Will are now three points apart. I assume Roger’s rules are similar to his NASCAR rules: you can race each other, just not wreck each other. How does it work out the next two weeks?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Hard to say. I think we’re just going to race like we always do. It’s kind of as simple as that. We race all year, we race hard. It’s not going to be the first time Will and I have raced together. We’ve had many, many races that have been in lockstep, 1-2, pit strategy, the whole thing. We’ll just fight it out as normal.Clearly we don’t want to do something that jeopardizes the whole group because it is bigger than us. At the end of the day we’ve got three cars in the fight still. There’s nothing that matters more than putting a Team Penske car in Victory Lane.As much as I want that to be, believe me I do, I will work to be that person, we also have to just make sure we remember that it’s about all of us and it’s about all the effort we put in. We have to make sure one car secures the championship.It’s just a balance. We’re just going to race like we always do. Hopefully it doesn’t turn ugly at some point.Q. What did you think when you saw Malukas coming?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I thought wow, that kid is hungry probably. Probably send it around the outside if he had an opportunity.Q. And he did on McLaughlin.JOSEF NEWGARDEN: I bet he did. I didn’t quite see that, but I assumed it was what happened.I was real happy it was the last lap (smiling).Q. Do you think he would have had anything for you with one more lap?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Hard to say. I think he would have had a shot. There is no doubt. He was a little better on tires it sounds like. I think McLaughlin went loose. I was not. I was sort of managing the gap. I was actually trying to help Scott. I didn’t want to stay too far away to bunch Scott up to David, so I was trying to push the pace a bit. But I still had some on hand.I think if David mounted like a real effort on me, I would have had more to push on him. But I don’t know. 10 more laps, maybe he gets me. It’s impossible to say. I think time worked out for us.Q. This is a hypothetical. If he does get to you, you’re in this championship battle, are you at all nervous with a rookie, what’s he going to do to get his first win?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Yes, sometimes. Yeah, for sure, when you see rookies, I think you definitely are a bit more cautious or reserved or at least you’re second-guessing what you think you should be doing.I would give Malukas a lot of respect. He’s probably been one of the cleanest rookies I’ve ever seen. He’s been almost too respectful. They talk about that on the broadcast. It’s funny to watch back. Malukas, he puts his elbows out, Townsend keeps saying that. Poor David. He’s been doing a great job.It is true that if you’re too respectful you can get run over in this series. I said that in Nashville. I didn’t say it in joking fashion. That’s how people race these days. You have to put your elbows out, you got to fight people now. If you don’t, they’re going to fight you back and you’re going to end up passed or in the wall.He’s just been like the most respectful driver I’ve seen out of a rookie in a long time. I think he’s starting to, How much can I push on people? He probably would have done that tonight. But I would have felt comfortable racing with him. I think he’s the best rookie I’ve seen in a long time to be racing respectfully.Q. What changed from last year to this year with yellows? How much more does that impress you it was just the one yellow for the one bit of contact?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: For sure the track improved. Like I said earlier, I think the second lane session was helpful. There was not as much marbles. Normally what you would see from the wrecks in the previous years if you touched the second lane, touched it with your outside tire, let alone getting a whole car out there, you’re skating off and getting sent into the wall. That didn’t happen tonight.You could get up there and you could make a mistake, end up in the second lane, recover the car. A lot of what you saw I think was better track conditions. For whatever reason, I think some of it is that second session that we ran, the second lane was more forgiving tonight. People didn’t get bit as often.Q. The rain earlier today, wash off all the rubber from yesterday’s sessions?JOSEF NEWGARDEN: Not much. Maybe a little bit. It’s funny, when the whole track is clean, the second lane is actually better in some respects because it’s not as polished. You haven’t had people run up there a lot so the aggregate is a bit more rough. When you have a rough surface, it can sometimes be conducive to grip. When you polish a surface, it can be less conducive to grip.Yeah, the rain wasn’t a big deal I guess is what I would say.THE MODERATOR: Thank you. THE MODERATOR: Scott McLaughlin, third place finisher, is joining us, sixth podium of the season, seventh podium of his career. Four of those seven coming on ovals.Congratulations, Scott. Disappointed or what? What are the emotions?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: I think our car was very good in the afternoon, late evening when the sun was still out. After the sun went away, lost my balance in that last stint. Didn’t have what Josef and David had. David (Malukas, Honda) was strong, coming at us really hard. Obviously me and Josef pulled away. I sort of knew I didn’t have much.Midway through the stint, started loose. Hard to get runs similar what I had in the daylight. Yeah, that second-to-last lap, I got a little bit loose off of three and four. Dave got a good run. I could see what he was doing. I couldn’t get out wide because of the confidence I had in the rear of the car.But he did a phenomenal job. He’s been doing an amazing job all year. First podium in INDYCAR is pretty hard to come by, especially on a short oval.THE MODERATOR: You expected him to come around the outside?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. I mean, I did what I thought. I went the high line against Josef, that didn’t work. I went low line against Dave thinking, He’s a rookie, he might not, he might not. Then he did. Oh, well, I was wrong. Went around the outside.It was a solid move. Credit to you. It was awesome. That’s what oval racing is all about. I left him enough room, he left me enough room, we got through there two-by-two. It was a stellar pass. What we’re doing with building the lanes, making them really nice for oval racing is really cool.I’m absolutely disappointed. I felt like we were really solid there today in the daylight. Yeah, sort of lost it there at the end.THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.Q. Scott, two more races left, how much are you thinking points right now?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Look, a win would have been really nice tonight. Ultimately top five would be fantastic right now. But we’re still in the fight, which is the main thing. Two races to go, who knows what will happen.Yeah, still feeling like we’re just going to attack these next two races with nothing to lose, have a bit of fun.Q. Scott, you had a nice jump on the restart. Were you surprised Josef got you so quickly?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No. I think the slipstream effect here, when you can get a run, it works pretty good. Not surprised. I did all I could to try and break away as much as I could. I went into one pretty hard. I think if we had got through the turn three, maybe I could have held him off. He was quick.Like I said, I think my car, it just wasn’t quick enough once the sun went down. That’s part of it. Unfortunately I think if we just keep going green, it would have been different things if it hadn’t have rained.Q. How does that happen that all of a sudden his car looks like a rocket ship and you look like you’re standing still?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t know.Q. They giving him something special?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: No, no. I don’t know. I mean, I don’t know.No, look, the main thing was that Penske won. For our team and Roger, it was a big deal. He just wanted us to get home. That was a big sort of talking point for us before the restart as well.Look, like I said, I’m disappointed with third, which is a great thing. I’m feeling like we’re really building for the end of the year but also start of next year.THE MODERATOR: A year ago you would have taken third in a heartbeat.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah. Starting to learn who I am now (smiling).Q. Scottie, I heard something you said recently, that you feel more at home now, at home in the U.S. and the INDYCAR SERIES itself. A place you feel you belong. 18 months ago the oval racing was very limited for you. Now looking at the performance this year, looks like you’ve been on ovals for years. You seem to be enjoying the ovals as much as the road courses.SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: Yeah, I think oval racing for me, it’s just special to be able to race in INDYCAR on an oval. It’s part of the DNA of INDYCAR racing. Certainly hope there’s more ovals in the future. I think many others would agree with me.I’ve just had good teammates, got a good team, good cars, for me to be able to extract the speed and be really comfortable with it and learn quickly. I’m very thankful for that.Yeah, I think off-track life is a lot easier. I feel a lot more at home in the INDYCAR SERIES. Know a lot more faces. It doesn’t feel as unknown, even in the media, sponsorship land, even the Penske organization. It was a lot to take on last year. I’m very happy with where we’re at right now.Q. Because of the size of the delay, something you haven’t come across, does that play into the mind?SCOTT McLAUGHLIN: It’s not that hard. Kind of like a practice in some ways. You have a couple of hours off, then you get ready to get back into it again. It’s just a bit more high intensity once everything gets going.Like I said before, I don’t think my car was as good once the lights came on. We were really hooked up with the sun. It got a little loose, a lot more looser than it did in the daylight. That’s what it’s all about. Unfortunately we can’t run in the rain. It’s just how it is.

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Front-Row Start for Ericsson, Honda at World Wide Technology Raceway

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

Marcus Ericsson completes career-best INDYCAR qualifying run, will start on the outside of the front row in Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Teammates and championship contenders Alex Palou and Scott Dixon qualify fifth and sixth for Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing
Devlin DeFrancesco leads rookie field with 10th-place qualifying run

MADISON, Ill. (Aug. 20, 2022) – In the best qualifying performance of his nearly four-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson qualified second today for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway and will start on the outside of the front row in the 260-lap twilight contest.

Third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, just 12 points out of first, Ericsson heads a Chip Ganassi Honda effort that saw teammates Alex Palou and Scott Dixon qualifying fifth and sixth, respectively. Dixon is currently second in the championship standings, just six points out of first with three races remaining; while defending champion Palou is fifth, 33 points back.

Takuma Sato, winner of the 2019 race here, will start eighth for Dale Coyne Racing, while Devlin DeFrancesco led the rookie contingent with a 10th-place qualifying effort as Andretti Autosport Hondas qualified ninth through 12th. In all, Honda drivers posted 11 of the top 15 qualifying speeds in the 25-car starting field.

Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Honda Race Results
2nd Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
9th Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda*
10th Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda
12th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
13th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
14th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
15th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
17th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
18th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
19th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
21st Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
25th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 15 of 17 rounds)
Honda 1,092 points
Chevrolet 1,057

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings

Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP 435 points [2 wins]
Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 425 [2 wins]
Josef Newgarden, Team Penske 413 [2 wins]
Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 392 [1 win]

Quotes
Marcus Ericsson (#8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) will start second, career-best INDYCAR start: “

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Honda) will start fifth: “

Fast Facts
This weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will mark the 14th Indy car race to be held in the St. Louis area, and the seventh at the repaved and updated 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval. The 260-lap event is the fifth and final oval race of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.

World Wide Technology Raceway has been the scene of several significant Honda Racing INDYCAR milestones since it returned to the series schedule in 2017.

In 2018, a second-place finish for Alexander Rossi and third for Scott Dixon was enough for Honda to clinch the 2018 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, the first in an ongoing streak of four consecutive manufacturers’ titles for the company.

One year later, Takuma Sato won a thrilling night race, besting Ed Carpenter in a tense closing-lap battle. Honda went on to win a second consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship that season.

Dixon scored his 50th career win in 2020 at World Wide Technology Raceway, in the opening race of a double-header weekend. He went on to claim his sixth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship at the end of the season; with Honda winning a third consecutive Manufacturers’ title. Earlier this month, Dixon recorded his 53rd career victory in Nashville, moving him to sole possession of second on the all-time Indy car winners list.

Next
After a run of seven races through July and August, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES now takes one week off before concluding with a tow-race swing to the US West Coast, starting with the Sept. 4 Grand Prix of Portland in Portland, Oregon and then concluding the 2022 season on Sunday, September 11, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

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HISTORICAL DELIVERY: Ohio’s Devin Moran Wins Battle at the Border at Sharon

August 22, 2022 ARP Trish

Ryan Gustin and Shane Clanton score second consecutive podium finishes

HARTFORD, OH – AUGUST 20, 2022– Devin Moran added a mark to his record book on a milestone night in World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series history.

While the Dresden, OH driver has won at many tracks across his home state, Sharon Speedway was a missing piece of his resume.

That changed on Saturday night when he ripped the lead away from Ryan Gustin and held on to win the Battle at the Border—the 800th Feature in Series history.

Moran started fourth in the 40-lap, $10,000-to-win Feature and quickly worked to second in the race’s first five laps.

It wasn’t long before he saw his opportunity to pounce, lurking behind Gustin as they caught the back of the field.

As “The Reaper” dealt with traffic on the top, “The Mailman” switched his line to the bottom—thundering under Gustin’s Rocket XR1 in Turn 4 to take the lead on Lap 11.

From there, Moran went unchallenged to earn his first World of Outlaws CASE Late Models win of 2022.

“I didn’t know how it was going to be at the start because they did a little bit of track work,” Moran said. “Obviously, the top was pretty fast at the start. I got a good start, got into third, and then Jared (Miley) messed up off of (Turn) 4 a little bit, so I slid him and knew I had to take advantage of it.

“From then on, I just tried to run down Ryan (Gustin) a little bit, and once we got into traffic, we pounced on it.”

Despite his strong start on the outside lane, he credited how well his Longhorn Chassis handled through the corners. Moran stated that his ability to change lanes was a factor in his ninth career Series triumph.

“My car was really maneuverable,” Moran said. “I didn’t have to go all the way up there, and I could make time up in the middle, so I knew I was going to be alright. Those two lap cars were slicing and dicing, and he hit the brown the lap before when I about got him, and the next lap put it in there before he could do it.

“The car was just really, really good, and it was really fun to drive.”

Gustin, from Marshalltown, IA, settled for second—his third straight top-three finish at Sharon Speedway.

Despite leading the first 10 laps, “The Reaper” said Moran was the man the beat.

“I think Devin was just a bit better than us regardless,” Gustin said. “Once I cleared them lap cars, I didn’t really gain any ground. We were probably pretty close to the same speed there; he just executed a little better than I did.”

Shane Clanton, the 2015 Series champion, finished third—his second podium finish of the weekend and second podium at Sharon this season.

The Zebulon, GA driver said he didn’t want to make too many adjustments after the Heat Race, even though it may have cost him.

“We just weren’t tight enough,” Clanton said. “We were on top of the ground a little bit and just taking our time trying to get to the front. It’s just one of them things where I didn’t want to go too far because I was pretty good in my Heat Race. I just didn’t go far enough when I put the hard tire on.”

Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. finished fourth, extending his points to 164 over Tanner English, who finished seventh. Erb, from Carpentersville, IL, stated he hoped the race would stay green to keep his momentum going.

“Tonight, the track is a little more my taking here,” Erb said. “We had a pretty good car. I would’ve rather it stay green instead of that caution there at the end, but we came home fourth, and I’m happy with that.”

Jared Miley finished fifth, his second top five with the Series in 2022. The Pittsburgh, PA driver stated he was thrilled with his performance after not making the Feature at Sharon in May.

“I feel way better than when we were here back in May,” Miley said. “We didn’t even make the race; we were so bad. Tonight, to come out and qualify well, win the Heat (Race) and run in the top five; we know what we need to do next time for sure.”

While Tanner English lost points to Dennis Erb in the battle for the championship, he gained points on Max Blair, who finished 12th, in the race for Rookie of the Year. The Benton, KY driver leads Blair by 26 points with 16 races remaining.

Devin Moran lived up to his nickname Saturday night at Sharon Speedway, delivering another column on his dirt Late Model resume. It’s a victory he’ll remember as he can cross Sharon off the list of tracks he’s won at in Ohio.

UP NEXT: The Most Powerful Late Models on the Planet return to Pennsylvania for a trip to Tri-City Raceway Park in Franklin, PA, on Sunday, Aug. 21.

ARP Racing News

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