CHANDLER, AZ (March 26, 2023) —- In what was billed as the final NHRA Arizona Nationals 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year Camrie Caruso wrote her name into the record books winning her first Pro Stock race at the historic venue. Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park was also the site of her first career round win last season when the rookie driver defeated Cristian Cuadra in the opening round. Today as the No. 8 qualifier Caruso outran veteran Deric Kramer, Cuadra, Arizonian Matt Hartford and finally former world champion Bo Butner in her Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro to secure her first professional victory in just her 21st start. She also became just the second female to win a Pro Stock NHRA national event joining five-time world champion Erica Enders on the short and exclusive list.

Camrie Caruso and Powerbuilt Tools Chevrolet Camaro team, photo by SR Driven Media

“Honestly, everybody from Powerbuilt Tools, Tequila Comisario, and all my marketing partners contributed as well as my awesome team at KB Titan Racing and my teammates to this win,” said Caruso in the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park media center. “It was a great day of racing. It was awesome. And I’m just thankful and blessed to have the team and the partners that have supported me. I have to thank my mom and dad and Papa for all their support too.”

Last year in her rookie campaign Caruso raced to her first final round in just her fifth professional race, a record for Pro Stock rookies. Today capturing the win in just her 21st professional start was an accomplishment Caruso had been working towards for two seasons.

“I’m just excited and thankful,” said Caruso. “I was really hoping we’d start the year off with a good bang. My crew chief Dave Connelly has had a great track record with younger drivers and new drivers in the class. Going into PRI in December we were nervous about how everything was gonna go down with the team merger and they’ve been behind us ever since and working with all of them and having teammates to lean on and like Greg Anderson, Dallas Glenn and Kyle Koretsky. It’s been way better than I could have ever imagined.”

Arizona Nationals Pro Stock winner Camrie Caruso, photo by SR Driven Media

The final round versus Bo Butner lined up the No. 8 qualifier beside the No. 11 qualifier. It was a battle between KB Titan Racing and Elite Motorsports, two of the fiercest rivals in Pro Stock. Caruso was looking to secure the first win for newly formed KB Titan Racing with a victory. The second-year driver was not thinking about that but rather just concentrating on doing her job.

“I’m not gonna lie I wasn’t really sure if I won or not until I pulled off the racetrack because I like to just focus on going straight,” confessed Caruso. “I don’t really look around, but it was so awesome. I just went up there and tried to make it just another round and tried my best to do my job because I knew the guys were going to do theirs.” 

In the second round racing No. 1 qualified Cristian Cuadra Caruso made a mistake unintentionally lighting both her pre-stage and stage bulbs almost simultaneously. Cuadra did not stage his Corral Boots Chevrolet Camaro within the seven second rule and was timed out leading to a disqualification. It was an added bit of drama but as Caruso stated immediately at the top end it was simply a young driver error and no gamesmanship. 

“I just took too much of the first bulb and then as soon as I put my line lock on it moved a little bit and turned on both bulbs,” said Caruso. “Then we were in. It wasn’t intentional. I did go over and say I’m sorry and that it wasn’t intentional at all. I don’t like to really play starting my game because I probably messed myself up to be honest, I’m still new at this and you know, we’re thankful for the win. But it was just a mistake.”

The win in the second race of the season moved Caruso up to number two in the Pro Stock point standings. This is the highest the 2022 NHRA Rookie of the Year has ever been. She finished the regular season last year in the Top Ten but this year with a new team and established teammates Caruso knows there are lofty expectations.

“I need to hold up my end of the bargain because my KB Titan teammates always hold up theirs,” said Caruso. “I was a little worried this season just because they’ve had so much success already together. And then the whole KB Titan team is extremely successful. My teammates all have wins and number one qualifiers and championships. I just wanted to be able to hold up the name and do good for all of them.” 

Qualifying Results

Q1: 6.571 sec, 210.24 mph; Qual. 6

Q2: 7.323 sec, 143.05 mph; Qual. 8

Q3: 6.574 sec, 209.72 mph; Qual. 8

Bonus Points:  +1 (3^rd quickest of Q3)

Race Results

First Round

Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Right Trailers Chevrolet Camaro, (.044) 6.564, 210.57 mph def. Deric Kramer, BioFuel Chevrolet Camaro, (.083) 24.425, 39.45 mph

Second Round

Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Right Trailers Chevrolet Camaro, (.472) 13.793, 62.27 mph def. Cristian Cuadra, Corral Boots Chevrolet Camaro, DQ-Timed Out

Semifinals

Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Right Trailers Chevrolet Camaro, (.017) 6.568 210.41 mph def. Matt Hartford, Total Seal Chevrolet Camaro, (.037) 6.566, 210.47 mph

Final Round

Camrie Caruso, Mooresville, NC, Right Trailers Chevrolet Camaro, (.044) 6.592 210.31 mph def. Bo Butner, Johnson Horsepower Garage Chevrolet Camaro, (.045) 6.593, 209.23 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Pro Stock

1.         Troy Coughlin Jr          156

2.         Camrie Caruso            149

3.         Kyle Koretsky              133

4.         Matt Hartford             130

5.         Mason McGaha          129

6.         Bo Butner                   128

6.         Greg Anderson           128

8.         Dallas Glenn               114

9.         Cristian Cuadra           95

10.       Aaron Stanfield          94

JUSTIN ASHLEY WINS FINAL ARIZONA NATIONALS TOP FUEL TITLE

CHANDLER, AZ (March 26, 2023) — Championship contender Justin Ashley bounced back from a disappointing start to the 2023 NHRA season at the historic Gatornationals by winning the final Top Fuel title at the fabled NHRA Arizona Nationals today. Ashley drove the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster powered by National Debt Relief to victory over Tony Schumacher, Mike Salinas, Steve Torrence and in an epic final round Shawn Langdon to take home his sixth career Top Fuel victory. Racing from the No. 7 qualified spot Ashley raced the gauntlet of an eight-time world champion, the 2023 Gatornationals winner, a four-time Top Fuel champion and the 2013 Top Fuel champion in Toyota teammate Langdon.

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

 “It was an incredible race day,” said Ashley. “To be honest with you it really was an incredible weekend. We knew coming into the weekend that we’re going to have to go through a gauntlet of opponents just if we wanted to give ourselves a chance to win on Sunday. My crew chiefs Mike Green and Tommy DeLago learned a lot. They really approach this the right way. We made a lot of changes in the off-season and they took Friday and Saturday to make quality laps down the racetrack and learn. We were in a good position to go rounds on Sunday. I think that proved to be the case. You have to have four perfect rounds of racing to just give yourself a chance to win and there are a lot of really great races out there. I am just proud of my team and grateful that we collected this win.

The final round against Langdon pitted Ashley, the No. 7 qualifier, against the No. 8 qualifier and two of the best leavers in the sport. Ashley was protecting a six-race win streak that included last year’s Thunder Valley Nationals final round. The competition between each of these drivers was fierce on the track. Langdon’s Toyota powered Top Fuel dragster was also one of the quickest race cars on the property on race day.

Justin Ashley, Arizona Nationals Top Fuel winner, photo by Gary Nastase/Auto Imagery

“I knew before that round that they were going to try and step it up because Shawn had been running so well,” said Ashley who posted his quickest run of the weekend in his final run. “I knew that they were going to try and take it from that 3.74 range to the 3.70 or 3.71 range. I couldn’t have been happier when I looked at the time slip. Just a total team effort and they’ve been tweaking things. They’ve been working on things and we’re able to have four rounds today and collect the win but maybe even more importantly long run we’ve got four more runs to collect data. So proud of our Phillips Connect Toyota team powered by National Debt Relief.”

Throughout the day Ashley was on point with his driving leaving first in every round of eliminations. Versus Salinas and Torrence Ashley recorded reaction times of .039 and .035 which were by far the quickest times off the starting line.

Last year Ashley started the season with a season opening win at the NHRA Winternationals but slumped the following race in Arizona. This season with high hopes the team lost in the first round at the Gatornationals but returned to championship form today. The importance of a fast start was not lost on the championship contending team.

“It’s ironic because last year we won the first race (Winternationals) and then lost in the first round at the Arizona Nationals,” said Ashley. “This time was the opposite. We lost in the first round of the first race (Gatornationals) and came back and won the Arizona Nationals. It sets the tone for the year. You know you got to start strong, but you also got to finish strong especially with the Countdown format. We learned last year that it may be more important to be able to finish strong but just learning, just growing and winning definitely helps us to collect some momentum. Every point matters, whether it’s early in the year or late in the year so we’re able to collect those points early on I think is really significant.”

Ashley and the Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel dragster moved up to the No. 4 spot in the points and locked themselves into the 2Fast2Tasty specialty race sponsored by Mission Tortilla Chips. The specialty race will pit the four Arizona Nationals Top Fuel semifinalist against each other during qualifying at next week’s NHRA Winternationals for $10,000 and additional Countdown points.

Qualifying Results

Q1: 3.724 sec, 328.06 mph; Qual. 6

Q2: 4.990 sec; 141.06 mph; Qual. 6

Q3: 3.741 sec, 329.75 mph; Qual. 7

Bonus Points: 0

Race Results

First Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.051) 3.741, 329.67 mph def. Tony Schumacher, SCAG Power Equipment dragster, (.056) 4.879, 160.33 mph

Second Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.039) 3.743, 330.80 mph def. Mike Salinas, Valley Services dragster, (.075) 3.750, 332.34 mph

Semifinals

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.035) 3.740, 327.82 mph def. Steve Torrence, CAPCO dragster, (.070) 3.743, 305.84 mph

Final Round

Justin Ashley, Phillips Connect Toyota dragster powered by National Debt Relief, (.052) 3.705, 329.34 mph def. Shawn Langdon, DHL Toyota dragster, (.082) 3.732, 329.58 mph

Camping World Drag Racing Series Top Ten – Top Fuel

1.         Steve Torrence           168

2.         Mike Salinas               157

3.         Leah Pruett                 155

4.         Justin Ashley              145

5.         Doug Kalitta                140

6.         Shawn Langdon          128

7.         Brittany Force             122

8.         Austin Prock                109

9.         Antron Brown             86

10.       Tony Schumacher       84

(3/27/23 – Ben Deatherage) Stockton, California … After a delay of a couple of weeks, Sprint Car fans will get a chance to converge towards the Stockton Dirt Track for the first race of the 2023 NARC 410 Sprint Series presented by Napa Auto Parts. The 3/8-mile San Joaquin County Fairground speed factory will have the series be a part of their coveted Asparagus Cup weekend for the second straight year and third consecutive season the tour has opened at the facility. Roseville’s Colby Copeland won the 2022 Asparagus Cup.

“I’m very excited for the return of the NARC 410 Sprint Series here for the Asparagus Cup,” commented Tony Noceti, promoter of the Stockton Dirt Track. “It should be a great show, and the weather should be just fine.”

The NARC 410 Sprint Series began visiting the Stockton Dirt Track in 2013. Thirteen drivers have tamed the field in the previous twenty-three visits, with Fresno’s Dominic Scelzi having the most success with three wins. Eight drivers have amassed two victories, while only four are one-time winners.

“We are extremely grateful that mother nature has finally given us the opportunity to go Sprint Car racing,” said NARC 410 Sprint Series General Manager Jim Allen, making reference to the originally scheduled March 18th show in Chico that was rained out. “Teams are anxious to go racing again and the Stockton Dirt Track is an extremely fast venue ready to make that happen.”

Also joining the program will be the Sprint Car Challenge Tour, Joe Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Series, and the Legends of the Kearney Bowl.

Who to Watch

Two-time defending NARC 410 Sprint Series champion Dominic Scelzi will hope to win the Asparagus Cup for the first time in his illustrious career. The Fresno phenom was second in the event last year. However, he won in the series debut at the track on August 3rd, 2013, and a triumph on June 13th, 2015, while his most recent trip to victory lane was on August 28^th, 2021. 

Corey Day will be one to watch when the NARC 410 Series rolls into town. The Clovis teenager won the November date in 2021 at SDT and was among his six wins with the tour in the last few seasons. Day has two career series top ten performances in three starts at the “Asparagus Capital of America”.

Aromas’ Justin Sanders already has victories to his credit this offseason. Justin managed to best the fields at Brisbane, Queensland’s Archerfield Speedway, and Eastern Creek Speedway in New South Wales over in Australia. He has also won to 360 sprint car races already this year.  Two of his thirteen total tour triumphs have come at Stockton, achieved in 2020 and last November. His eight starts at the track had resulted in four top ten finishes, including last year when he was sixth at the Asparagus Cup on April 2nd and won the Tribute To Gary Patterson, which marked his third top five. In addition, Sanders achieved touring victories with NARC at the Stockton Dirt Track and Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway last season.

Shane Golobic is another driver returning to “California’s Sunrise Seaport”. The Fremont flyer has two wins, eight top fives, and fourteen top tens in sixteen starts at the facility. Last year Golobic never finished outside the top five when the checkered flag dropped and included a runner-up result on July 23rd. In 2022, Shane claimed his fourteenth career NARC 410 Sprint Series win when he beat the competition at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield last October.

Third-place in series points last year, Bud Kaeding has won twice at Stockton. Representing Campbell, Kaeding has started twenty-one events at the 3/8-mile oval and has been among the top ten on sixteen occasions, including wins in 2016 and 2019. Also, since 2001, the 2017 series champion has taken the green flag in 255 NARC 410 Sprint Series events, posted 202 top tens and 121 top fives, and amassed twenty wins. He was third in the main event last year on the July 23rd visit.

Also in attendance will be last season’s rookie of the year Max Mittry of Redding, Oakley teenager Dylan Bloomfield, Billy Aton of Benicia, Sebastopol’s Joel Myers Jr., and many more!

Fan & Competitor Info

The Stockton Dirt Track, is located at the San Joaquin Fairgrounds at 1658 S Airport Way in Stockton, California. For ticket information, log on to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/asparagus-cup-narc-410-scct-360-sprint-cars-and-more-tickets-570895683357 for online purchases. Tickets are priced at $30.00 for Adults and $25.00 for Children (5-12) and Seniors (65+). Also, be sure to visit the track website www.stocktondirttrack.com. 

Front Gates open at 1:00 pm, with Time Trials at 4:30 pm. Opening Ceremonies are planned to kick off around 5:00, followed by Racing at 5:30.

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

The Asparagus Cup can be viewed live on Floracing.com, along with every NARC 410 Sprint Car Series race.

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

SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
Website: www.NARC410.com
Facebook: NARCKingoftheWest
Facebook (History page): NARCSprintCarHistory
Twitter: NARC410
Instagram: NARC410
YouTube: NARC410
TikTok: NARC410
Live Stream PPV:  Floracing.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 8 – Kings Speedway (Hanford) – $10,000 to win Anthony Simone Classic + non-wing feature
April 14-15 – Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway – $18,300 to win Dennis Roth Classic
April 29 – Antioch Speedway – The Contra Costa County Clash

Former NARC 410 Sprint Series Winners at Stockton Dirt Track

Dominic Scelzi-3
Bud Kaeding-2
Cory Eliason
D.J. Netto
Jonathan Allard
Justin Sanders
Rico Abreu
Shane Golobic
Tim Kaeding
Colby Copeland-1
Corey Day
Sean Watts
Tyler Walker

NARC 410 Sprint Series Wins By Date At The Stockton Dirt Track
2013- Dominic Scelzi on August 3rd, Rico Abreu on November 2nd
2014- Jonathan Allard on August 2nd, Shane Golobic on November 2nd
2015- Dominic Scelzi on June 13th, Tyler Walker on August 1st, Jonathan Allard on November 7th
2016- Bud Kaeding on June 18th, Cory Eliason on July 10th, Tim Kaeding on November 5th
2017- Cory Eliason on November 11th
2018- Rico Abreu on November 3rd
2019- Sean Watts on June 22nd, Bud Kaeding on August 23rd, Tim Kaeding on August 24th, Shane Golobic on November 2nd
2020- Justin Sanders on November 7th
2021- D.J. Netto on March 20th, Dominic Scelzi on August 28th, Corey Day on November 6th
2022- Colby Copeland on April 2nd, D.J. Netto on July 23rd, Justin Sanders on November 5th

CHEVROLET IN NHRA NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS CHANDLER, ARIZONA TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT TEAM CHEVY TACKLES TRICKY TRACK AT NHRA ARIZONA NATIONALS WITH DOUBLE-UP VICTORIES IN FUNNY CAR AND PRO STOCK CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 26, 2023) – As the sun sets on the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park for the final time, a pair of Chevrolet Camaro SS drivers were hoisting their Wallys in the air. Robert Hight raced to his 62nd NHRA victory in Funny Car (his 27th with Chevrolet), while Camrie Caruso nabbed her first victory in Pro Stock, Chevrolet’s 368th in the division and 249th with the Camaro, on what proved to be a tricky track for many throughout the weekend. In doing so, Caruso became the second female Pro Stock winner in NHRA history. In Funny Car, the John Force Racing pair of John Force (BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS) and Robert Hight (Flav-R-Pac/Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS) qualified No. 8 and No. 9 respectively, facing each other in Round 1. With Hight coming out on top over J. Force, he then overtook the No. 1 qualifier of Bob Tasca in Round 2 to move on to the semifinals. Facing a strong-running Chad Green, Hight made a strong effort to nab the win light with his run of 3.900 ET at 329.34 MPH and advancing to the finals. Facing last year’s champion Ron Capps, Hight beat Capps on reaction time with a difference of .001, getting the jump and the winlight with his pass of 3.930 ET at 328.62 MPH to earn the Arizona Nationals Wally. With his four round winlights in Phoenix, Hight is within reach to notch his 600th round win in his next race at Pomona, now holding 597 round wins in 399 races. “This whole Funny Car field is stacked from top to bottom,” noted Hight. “To win one of these races, you’re going to have to go through four hitters. We did that today. You just never give up. When you have Jimmy Prock as your crew chief, you just know you’re one run away from fixing this thing and being back to where we need to be. He races aggressive. I don’t need to tell you guys that. He wants a low ET every round, and we had that today. We had four rounds where we were all low ET. That’s Jimmy Prock’s style of racing and it makes my job easy. I just got to go up there and stand on the gas, do my job, and keep it in the lanes. Pretty impressive that they didn’t give up.” Marking her second final round appearance of her young Pro Stock career, Camrie Caruso, in her Tequila Comisario/Powerbuilt Chevrolet Camaro SS for the newly formed KB Titan Racing, raced to her first Wally after beating Elite Motorsports’ Bo Butner, III in his Johnson’s Horsepower Garage Chevrolet Camaro SS at the start and to the line with her pass of 6.592 ET at 210.31 MPH. “It’s unbelievable,” said Caruso. “I’m so thankful and blessed for all of my sponsors and all of my teammates. It’s just been such a great start to the season and I’m so thankful. It was awesome. Honestly, I have a great team and great partners, and I couldn’t do it without any of them. It was crazy how close we were but we said it yesterday, if we all do our job, we’ll win the race.” “We were very fortunate a couple of rounds to squeeze by like we did,” said Butner, III. “We had some good luck on our side. The car made a very good run in the final. We still don’t need to be that late. We’ll try to work on that a little bit, but the car was really good today.” Hitting the track first for Team Chevy to start race day, Brittany Force and her Flav-R-Pack/Monster Energy Chevrolet Top Fuel team showed speed and strength they’re known for to post the top speed of the event with her pass at 336.23 MPH. Unfortunately for B. Force, Round 2 proved tough a second weekend in a row and was eliminated after smoking the tires on the run. With her John Force Racing teammate making his first run of the day as a solo pass, Austin Prock, in the Montana Brand/Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet Top Fuel dragster, was also knocked out in the second round of race day. Up next for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series is the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals Friday, March 31-Sunday, April 2, 2023, at the In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, California. Broadcast of Sunday’s eliminations will air live on April 2 at 7 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1 (FS1). ROUND 1 RECAPTop Fuel:No. 5 Brittany Force defeated No. 12 Josh Hart with a strong run of 3.682 ET at 336.23 MPH to clock top speed of the meet at the time of her pass.No. 3 Austin Prock defeated No. 14 Jim Maroney on a solo pass after Maroney faces mechanical issues on the starting line.Funny Car:No. 9 Robert Hight defeats No. 8 John Force after Force gets Hight on the line with reaction time but shakes the tires at half-track, Hight taking the win with a pass of 3.911 ET at 325.37 MPH.Pro Stock:No. 11 Bo Butner, III defeated No. 6 Erica Enders with his pass of 6.565 ET at 208.17 MPH.No. 8 Camrie Caruso defeated No. 9 Deric Kramer with her 6.564 ET run at 210.57 MPH.No. 4 Aaron Stanfield defeated No. 13 Jerry Tucker with his pass at 6.558 ET at 208.55 MPH.No. 5 Matt Hartford defeated No. 12 Mason McGaha with his run of 6.552 ET at 210.24 MPH.No. 2 Kyle Koretsky defeated No. 15 Chris McGaha with a .003 reaction time and a pass of 6.657 ET at 209.49 MPH.No. 10 Greg Anderson defeated No. 7 Troy Coughlin, Jr. with his run of 6.561 ET at 209.26 MPH.No. 3 Dallas Glenn fell to No. 14 Fernando Cuadra, Jr. after a strong pass by Glenn at 6.561 at 209.88 MPH. ROUND 2 RECAPTop Fuel:Prock fell to Steve Torrence in a close race after getting off the start line first with a .093 reaction time and a pass of 3.768 ET at 327.59 MPH.B. Force fell to Leah Pruett after smoking the tires on the start.Funny Car:Hight defeated No. 1 qualifier Bob Tasca with a pass of 3.936 ET at 330.07 MPH.Pro Stock:Butner, III defeated Cuadra, Jr. with a run of 6.591 ET at 208.17 MPH.Caruso defeated Cuadra after double-bulbing her opponent and Cuadra timed out, making a solo pass to the win light.Korestky gets the win over Anderson with a run of 6.589 ET at 209.20 MPH.Hartford defeated Stanfield with a pass of 6.559 ET at 209.49 MPH. SEMIFINALSFunny Car:Hight defeated Green with his pass of 3.900 ET at 329.34 MPH, setting low ET of the event at the time of the round.Pro Stock:Butner, III defeated Koretsky after Koretsky red lit on the start.Caruso defeated Hartford in a close race with her pass of 6.568 ET at 210.41 MPH. FINALSFunny Car:Hight defeated Capps with his pass of 3.930 ET at 328.62 MPH.Pro Stock:Caruso defeated Butner, III with her pass of 6.592 ET at 210.31 MPH.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE REPORT MARCH 26, 2023

Chevrolet Drivers Power Camaro ZL1 to Four Top-Five Finishes at COTA  TOP TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 RESULTS:POS.   DRIVER2nd     Kyle Busch, No. 8 Netspend Camaro ZL13rd      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL14th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL15th      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL17th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Blue Buffalo Camaro ZL1  TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: POS.  DRIVER1st      Tyler Reddick (Toyota)2nd     Kyle Busch (Chevrolet)3rd      Alex Bowman (Chevrolet)4th      Ross Chastain (Chevrolet)5th      William Byron (Chevrolet) The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Richmond Raceway with the Toyota Owners 400 on Sunday, April 2, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES: Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1Finished: 4th“For our Worldwide Express Chevy, heck of a recovery. I thought we were a top-five car. Nobody had anything for the No. 45. Tyler (Reddick) and those guys were on it all weekend. Congrats to Tyler and that whole group, but the rest of us, there was a group of Chevy’s there, and we were second through sixth all in a line and it was a lot of fun managing the racing. Getting spun, the engine went into low-wheel protection mode because it spun backwards. Finally got the ECU cycled and got it back going, and somehow rallied back for a top-five. I have no idea how we got through all of that.”  Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1Finished: 33rd“We had a really solid run going in our Get Bioethanol Chevrolet today, so it’s disappointing that we ended up in the garage early. We didn’t qualify where we needed to, but we worked our way into the top-15 by the end of Stage 1, and earned Stage Points at the end of Stage 2. The end of the race became a typical NASCAR road course race. It was just a mess. We drove up into the hill on a restart and everyone just pile drove into each other. I had nowhere to go. I don’t know if it would have worked out better for us if we chose the bottom or not. I hate it for all of the guys on this RCR team. We had a lot of good things going today, but nothing to show for it. There’s still a lot of racing to go. We’ll regroup and head to Richmond Raceway.” Kyle Busch, No. 8 Netspend Camaro ZL1Finished: 2nd“I don’t know if we could have (passed Tyler Reddick), even if we were on equal tires. When we tested here, they were lights out. We had speed on the front side of the runs. We needed longer runs. But even today for some reason we didn’t have really great long-run speed. We had good middle-run speed. Overall and for as much effort everything that we’ve put into coming here and focusing on this place with all the testing and everything we’ve been able to do over the offseason, we came out of here with a really good finish. Tyler obviously is a really good road racer. He proved it driving this car here last year. I was able to get in it and run right back to him. I’ve been trying to emulate the things that he did in order to make this car fast last year and just not quite all the way there. They had a whale of a car.”It was a hard-fought battle, for sure. We had a lot of ups and downs there. I really wasn’t sure we were going to have a capable opportunity to be able to finish second today. We kind of got behind on strategy a couple of times but were able to persevere. We stayed out and were on older tires than the rest of those guys around us. I had a couple of shots on restarts, but those things will come back on you. You just try to race clean and do my best to be as clean as I could be. Getting a lot of help from behind didn’t help me getting into others. Our Netspend Camaro was pretty fast but not fast enough for Reddick. Obviously he’s really good on road courses. I’ve been trying to emulate the things he’s done in the 8 car last year and try to make me better and our program continuing to evolve. I just didn’t have enough. All in all, a great day and a good points day. I’m excited to finish second for Netspend, a local partner here in Austin.” Jordan Taylor, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1Finished: 24th “Yeah, it was definitely wild. I wouldn’t say I survived; I feel like I’m beat up pretty much. Every restart, you just get smashed in the front, rear, side. So yeah, it was pretty much just survival. The guys knew I’d be a little bit more hesitant, so they would take advantage of it. At the end, I got more aggressive and made our way almost back to the top-10. On the last restart, I don’t know who went down on the inside, but they were never going to make the corner and used us to stop themselves. “I’d say it was a disappointing day. I made a couple big mistakes early on that probably put us back there, but the No. 9 UniFirst Chevy was fast. I need to thank UniFirst and Hendrick Motorsports for giving me the opportunity. We had good pace, but we just got shuffled back every restart. Tough day.” William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1Finished: 5th“It was alright. I probably could have done better on those restarts. I gotta look. I just kept getting pushed wide, and it seemed like the last one didn’t happen for some reason. I just gave up too much track position… it was really my only option. Good to get a top-five. We had a good racecar… I think a top-two racecar I think, really, with the 45. He was a lot better than everybody but I thought we were a close second. Good day for the Liberty University Chevrolet, and we’ll keep building on it.”It was really fun. Tyler is great and they were great all weekend. Tyler’s been great on the road courses. We made it a battle for sure every time with crossovers, out-braking each other… that was a lot of fun. I hate that it kind of got down to restarts there at the end. I got shoved off one time in second. We needed a top-five and probably could have done some things different. But overall a good day for the Liberty University Chevrolet. We had good speed but Tyler was so fast all weekend. I felt like when I got the lead that I was slipping and sliding. That was fun.” Noah Gragson, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Camaro ZL1:Finished 20th“Had a solid day in our Black Rifle Coffee Camaro. We ran inside the top-10 and top-15 for a large part of the day with good speed. We kept working on the car. Luke Lambert and the rest of the guys called a great strategy. The pit crew did an awesome job. We put ourselves in position during the green-white-checkers to be in the top-10. I ended up getting spun and rallied back. We never quit. I’m very proud of our Black Rifle Coffee team and excited to get to Richmond and try it again. Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL1Finished 23rd“Frustrating day here in Austin. I felt like we had a pretty fast Allegiant Chevy but it seemed like we kept getting hit. There were a couple times there on restarts that we just flat got ran over. Wrong place wrong time for sure, and it stinks that we weren’t really able to have anything to show for the speed we had. I’m thankful that we were able to show as much promise as we did early on with a good run in qualifying, and I can tell we are moving in the right direction at LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. Onto Richmond.” Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL1Finished: 3rd“We didn’t have anything for the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick), but we had a good No. 48 Ally Camaro. Just need to be a little better. We have some malfunctions inside the race car that we have to work on to be better for the next hot day, but we’ll just keep digging. Proud of all my guys.” Jimmie Johnson, No. 84 Club Wyndham Camaro ZL1Sidelined by damage sustained in an accident on lap one. Finished: 38th  This weekend wasn’t the way it was supposed to go at all, was it?“No, not at all. What a disappointing finish. Unfortunately we got off to a slow start yesterday and qualified poorly. We all know what happens when you start in the back and unfortunately we were caught up in that.”Just a wild and crazy first lap that was taking place. I thought I had the wreck missed, but I just saw a flash of red out of nowhere. I guess there was more going on the outside of the No. 6 car (Brad Keselowski) as it was spinning, and I saw him and just got collected. I’m most disappointed for Club Wyndham. They came on board for this race, and they’ll be with me at the Coca-Cola 600. Really disappointed we couldn’t give them a better show.” Kimi Räikkönen, No. 91 Onx/iLOQ Camaro ZL1Finished 29th“I think it wasn’t too bad. We got unlucky with the incidents that happened. It was one of those things, unfortunately. Then there were no tires left. They kept coming, getting more restarts and more restarts, so I think after the spin I had, the tires were just done. It’s a shame because when we were there, but then we restart, and just wrong place, wrong time. It was a case of trying to stay out of the issues in the first corners and every time. It looked like you’d be very good, then three corners later, somebody’s going the wrong direction. There’s a bit of mess and lock involved.”On doing more starts in NASCAR…“I don’t know. I mean, nobody knows. It’s such a shame how it went in the end, but I think we did the right thing. We were there. But then on the restart it’s how it was. We’ll see what the future brings. Right now, I have no clue.“It was a long race. Our cool suit didn’t work half of the race, it stopped working. So it was quite hot in the car. It was fun going through the field, but it was a bit intense on the restarts.” 

TEAM CHEVY RACE HIGHLIGHTS: Stage One·       William Byron led the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) to the green from the pole position at Circuit of The Americas. The starting lineup was stacked with Camaro ZL1s with eight Chevrolet drivers nabbing a top-10 starting spot for the series’ first road course race of the season.  ·       Chaos ensued following the drop of the green flag with an on-track accident collecting Team Chevy’s Jimmie Johnson and Ty Dillon. Both Camaro ZL1s sustained too much damage to repair, forcing Johnson and Dillon to retire from the race.  ·       On lap 11, Kyle Larson was running in the top-10 when the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 was collected in an on-track accident, bringing the event to its second caution of the day. The team assessed the damage and was able to continue after making a stop for repairs, four tires and fuel.  ·       The conclusion of Stage One took place after the field took the green for the race’s second restart of the day. Byron was sitting in the top position to give the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 team its series-leading fourth stage win of the season.  ·       Seven drivers from four different Chevrolet teams recorded stage points at the end of Stage One: 1st      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL13rd      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Farmsmart Camaro ZL14th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL15th      Ross Chastain, No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL16th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL17th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Netspend Camaro ZL18th      Jordan Taylor, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 Stage Two·       The 15-lap Stage Two ran caution-free with pit strategy during a green-flag pit cycle playing a key role in track position.  ·       With 30 laps in the book at the end of Stage Two, Chevrolet’s William Byron had recorded a race-high 16 laps led.  ·       Austin Dillon led Chevrolet to the end of Stage Two, taking second-place stage points in his No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL1.  ·       Team Chevy Stage Two: Top-102nd     Austin Dillon, No. 3 Get Bioethanol Camaro ZL16th      Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger/Blue Buffalo Camaro ZL17th      Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL18th      Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL110th    Noah Gragson, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Camaro ZL1 Final Stage·       The third caution of the day flew on Lap 42 for debris in Turn Nine, opening the door to varying strategies along pit road.  ·       With some teams electing not to pit, William Byron led Chevrolet to the restart from the fifth position. Byron made a power move on the Lap 43 restart, driving the No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 back to the top position.  ·       With a handful of full-course cautions in the closing laps, the race was forced into three attempts at an overtime finish with Bowman taking the final restart from the front row.   ·       Kyle Busch led Chevrolet to four of the top-five in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas, the series’ first road course race of the season.  ·       With six points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races in the books, Chevrolet continues to lead the series in wins (four), top-fives (16), top-10s (29) and stage wins (eight).

JUSTIN ASHLEY TAKES TOYOTA TO TOP FUEL VICTORY IN ARIZONA

Final Round Appearances for Three Toyotas

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 26, 2023) – The Top Fuel final at Wildhorse Pass Motorsports Park consisted of two Toyota teammates making an appearance – Shawn Langdon for Team Kalitta and Justin Ashley for Davis Motorsports. Ashley edged out Langdon by only three one-hundredths of a second at the line to claim his first win of the 2023 season.

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

Toyota Post-Race Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Wildhorse Pass Motorsports Park

Race 2 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Winner	W. 3.741 vs. 4.879 (Schumacher)W. 3.743 vs. 3.750 (Salinas)W. 3.740 vs. 3.743 (Torrence)W. 3.705 vs. 3.732 (Langdon)
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Finals	W. 3.716 vs. 3.702 (Brown)W. 4.007 vs. 6.511 (Kalitta)W. 3.719 vs. 3.761 (Pruett)L. 3.732 vs. 3.705 (Ashley)
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Semi-Finals	W. 3.735 vs. 3.846 (Baldwin)W. 3.737 vs. 3.768 (Prock)L. 3.743 vs. 3.740 (Ashley)
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 2	W. 3.760 vs. 11.283 (Passey)L. 6.511 vs. 4.007 (Langdon)
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	Round 1	L. 3.702 vs. 3.716 (Langdon)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR FINISHING POSITIONS 

Name	Car	Final Result	Round-by-Round
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Finals	W. 3.912 vs. 7.591 (Laughlin)W. 3.982 vs. 8.830 (Alexander)W. 3.930 vs. 3.935 (DeJoria)L. 5.534 vs. 3.930 (Hight)
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Semi-Finals	W. 3.906 vs. 3.923 (Todd)W. 3.949 vs. 4.678 (Wilkerson)L. 3.935 vs. 3.930 (Capps)
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	Round 1	L. 3.923 vs. 3.906 (DeJoria)

TOYOTA QUOTES

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

Final Result: Semi-Finals

How do you keep it together on the starting line?

“You know you’re only as good as the team that you surround yourself with and we’re a resilient group. We didn’t have the weekend that we wanted in Gainesville. We just regrouped – Mike Green, Tommy DeLago did a great job and we learned from last weekend and applied it. It was just a great, great day. There’s only one last race in Arizona and the fans were fantastic all weekend long. We are so happy for everyone at Phillips Connect, Toyota, National Debt Relief – the list goes on and on. This is because of them, our partners and we love, love, love to win.”

# # #

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships. 

Toyota directly employs more than 48,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 22 electrified options.

Through the Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.

Elite Motorsports Qualifies At Top Of Pro Stock Field For Second Consecutive Time

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 26, 2023) – It was a weekend of firsts for the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team this week at the 38th annual NHRA Arizona Nationals. Coming off of his first win of the season in his JEGS.com Camaro, Troy Coughlin Jr. won the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge during qualifying on Saturday while his teammate, Cristian Cuadra, picked up the first No. 1 qualifier of his Pro Stock career, and the first for his Leon, Mexico-based family. C. Cuadra is also the first Mexican-born driver to earn a No. 1 qualifier position in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. It was hard to tell who was happiest about C. Cuadra’s milestone moment, the driver himself or the rest of the family including his Elite Motorsports teammates, his father Fernando Cuadra Sr., and his brother Fernando Cuadra Jr. The fact that F. Cuadra Sr. did not make the qualifying field for race day was of little consequence for the proud father whose excitement about his son’s solid qualifying performance far overshadowed any disappointment he may have felt about his own performance over the weekend. C. Cuadra’s Corral Boots Mustang powered him to the top spot with a pass of 6.552-seconds at 210.24 mph. “I’m really proud that we are making history for our country,” said C. Cuadra. “It was a little weird for me because I knew I didn’t have a good reaction time. But I got up to the top end and looked at my time slip and realized, the reaction time was horrible but the time slip looks awesome. We have a really good team who has my back. They are helping me to learn how to drive and to learn how to stay calm. Thank you Rick Jones for the car you built. It only has two events and it’s already flying.” Coughlin won the new race-within-a-race competition presented by Mission wherein the semifinalists from a previous event get a chance at redemption in a rematch during qualifying. Coughlin faced Dallas Glenn again after defeating him in the semifinals in Gainesville two weeks ago. He once again emerged victorious and then defeated Greg Anderson in the final matchup of the day.  “To say I’m on Cloud 9 would be an understatement,” said Coughlin. “What an honor to be the very first winner of such a neat race. It’s exciting. Thank you to Mission for being a part of this. You picked a great sport.” In eliminations on Sunday, the Elite Motorsports Pro Stock team faced some challenging first-round pairings including the NHRA’s “Pro Stock Marquee Matchup” featuring the current world champion Erica Enders and her JHG teammate Bo Butner. With the starting line advantage, Butner defeated Enders by two-hundredths at the stripe.  C. Cuadra faced Alan Prusiensky coming from the No. 1 qualifier position for the first time in his Pro Stock career. Prusiensky cut a solid light against the driver of the Corral Boots Mustang, but C. Cuadra outpaced him early on and held on to the lead to turn on his first win light of the season. Not to be outdone, his brother, Cuadra Jr., also picked up his first win light of the season against Dallas Glenn.  Elite Motorsports teammates Aaron Stanfield and Jerry Tucker faced each other in the first round of the day. Stanfield got a solid starting line advantage against Tucker and held on to it for the early-round win in his Janac Bros. / JC3 Energy Camaro. Coughlin, however, would end the day early after coming up short against Anderson. In the second round of eliminations, Butner defeated his teammate Cuadra Jr. and would be the only Elite Motorsports driver to make it into the semifinals. C. Cuadra timed out at the starting line after his opponent Camrie Caruso double staged. Stanfield lined up against hometown favorite Matt Hartford, who resides just outside of Phoenix. While Stanfield cut a superior light on Hartford, he got out of it early giving up the round win. In the semifinals, Butner faced Kyle Koretsky who left too early and turned on the red light sending Butner into the finals where he would face Caruso and end the day with a runner-up finish.  The Elite Motorsports team will head to Pomona, Calif. next week for the Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals. ***

Photos

Cristian Cuadra powered his way to a No. 1 qualifier at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

The Cuadra family celebrates their first No. 1 qualifier. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Troy Coughlin Jr. won the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge in his JEGS.com Camaro. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Troy Coughlin celebrates winning the Mission specialty event in Arizona. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Erica Enders powers down the track in her JHG/Melling Performance Camaro. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Bo Butner raced to a final round appearance at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Fernando Cuadra Jr. made a quarterfinal appearance at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Fernando Cuadra Sr. lays down a stout burnout in his Corral Boots Mustang. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Aaron Stanfield launches his Janac Brothers / JC3 Energy Camaro at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Jerry Tucker lays down a powerful pass in qualifying. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 26, 2023) – A caution period midway through the race was the only thing that slowed Chris Dyson and his #16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang on the way to a dominating win in the 100-mile Bennett/BridgeHaul Classic at Road Atlanta. Dyson, the defending series champion and last year’s Road Atlanta winner, started on the pole and led every lap. “You almost never have a car that is so good you just don’t want the race to end,” Dyson said in the winner’s circle. “But this was one of those days. My guys gave me an absolute rocket this weekend. I am so grateful.” Despite the mid-race caution period that bunched up the field, Dyson swept under the checkered flag 15.053 seconds ahead of the #79 Dodge Challenger of runner-up Boris Said. “I just didn’t have anything for Chris today,” he said. Not that Dyson was in cruise mode. “There are no easy laps at Road Atlanta,” he said. “You have to keep your head up and be on point all the time. This place demands your full attention and respect.” Following a mechanical DNF at the Sebring season-opener, this was Dyson’s second straight victory of the three races run so far this season. The win, which vaulted him into 2023 series point lead, also marked Dyson’s fourth Trans Am win at the North Georgia circuit and his 21st career Trans Am race win.  “I’ve driven a lot of races in different series here over the past two decades,” Dyson said, noting that he’d clinched his first IMSA American Le Mans championship at the 2003 edition of the Petit Le Mans. “But this one feels special. My first Trans Am win was here in 2018, which was my first full season in the series.” Brabham’s Bad Luck For most of the race it looked like it was going to be a third straight CD Racing one-two finish. Matt Brabham, who won at Sebring after Dyson’s mount broke down, qualified the #20 GYM WEED Ford Mustang on the outside of the front row. After an early battle with Said, Brabham was running in second place until retiring just six laps from the finish with a suspected powertrain issue.  Next Up: Lime Rock Park Following a two-month break, the Trans Am Series’ next event is March 26-29 at Dyson’s home track, Lime Rock Park. Dyson has dominated Trans Am racing in recent years at the legendary Northwest Connecticut circuit. He has won the three most recent events there, always from the front row and twice from the pole. Road Atlanta Rebroadcast Schedule A 60-minute feature on the Road Atlanta race, produced by Greenlight TV, will be broadcast this Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.  Additional Broadcast Coverage On MAVTV In addition to the livestream, 60-minute feature produced by Greenlight TV will be broadcast the following Thursday at 9:00 p.m. ET to MAVTV’s 22 million North American linear households and 175 million connected devices.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 25, 2023) – Reigning Grand National Champion Jared Mees (No. 1 Indian Motorcycle/Rogers Racing/SDI Racing FTR750) came out victorious following an epic showdown featuring two of Progressive American Flat Track’s biggest stars in an epic Yamaha Senoia Short Track on Saturday evening at Senoia Raceway in Senoia, Georgia. The Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle king entered the weekend with the knowledge that his place atop the pecking order was under threat from the fast-rising Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT), who opened his ‘23 title campaign in dominating fashion at Daytona International Speedway two weeks back. Following a quiet opener by his standards, Mees was at the top of his game in Senoia, locking down the top of the charts pretty much all day long. He then looked to exploit his prime starting position, planning to dart away early and eliminate any potential challenge before it could materialize. Daniels saw what the factory Indian ace was up to, however. He stuck a hard pass in on teammate JD Beach (No. 95 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) to slot into second and then put his head down in hopes of reeling Mees back in. Daniels ultimately arrived on Mees’ rear wheel and at last took the lead at half-distance, just as the two made their way into lapped traffic. The second half of the contest was relentless, with passes for the lead executed on nearly every lap, all the while slashing their way past slower riders. Mees reclaimed the lead with twenty seconds remaining on the clock and then leaned on his decades of experience advantage to formulate a way to cling on for the victory, as he held the Estenson Yamaha pilot off at the stripe by 0.174 seconds. “Man, that was a duel… a battle… a fist fight in a phone booth,” Mees said. “We rode super clean; we didn’t touch – we came really close – but I didn’t want to give that one up. I was fighting tooth-and-nail, and he was rolling so good. I felt if I could get in a rhythm early, I could maybe get a gap, but he hung tough. We want this championship bad. We want to keep the #1 plate. It’s going to be super tough. Dallas is super hungry, and you can see it in his riding.” While the Mees-Daniels showdown was the headliner (and quite possibly a preview of more to come), the battle for third was nearly as exciting. Beach fell into the clutches of Brandon Robinson(No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750), losing the podium position late in the Main, only to snatch the spot back on the race’s final lap. Meanwhile, Davis Fisher (No. 67 Rackley Racing/Bob Lanphere’s BMC Racing Indian FTR750) earned his second top five of the year, outdueling Jarod Vanderkooi (No. 20 JMC Motorsports/Fairway Ford Indian FTR750) following an extended tussle of their own. Seventh went to Briar Bauman (No. 3 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 890 Duke), who spent the entire Main Event clawing his way forward after an early incident dropped him well down the order. He was followed home by his younger brother, Bronson Bauman (No. 37 Fastrack Racing/2 Wheelz KTM 890 Duke), in eighth, while Jesse Janisch (No. 33 KTM/Haversack/Z-Max 890 Duke) and Ben Lowe (No. 25 Rackley Racing/Mission Foods Indian FTR750) rounded out the top ten. Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER Two-time Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship runner-up Max Whale (No. 18 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) earned his first victory of the ‘23 season in convincing fashion at Senoia Raceway. While the field was desperate to slow Whale’s teammate, defending class champ Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) after his season-opening double victory at the DAYTONA Short Track, the Australian issued a clear reminder that the Red Bull KTM team boasts not one, but two genuine title contenders under its tent with a wire-to-wire run to the checkered flag. As Whale walked away at the front, a huge scrap played out behind for second. A hugely impressive James Ott (No. 19 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450) jumped into the position from pole where he found himself under fire almost immediately from the likes of Trevor Brunner (No. 21 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Tom Drane (No. 59 Estenson Racing Yamaha YZ450F), Morgen Mischler (No. 13 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R), Kopp, and Dalton Gauthier (No. 79 D&D Racing/Certified KTM 450 SX-F), among others. Drane pulled off a remarkable save of a near highside just to stay upright, but the resultant drama dropped him from podium contention to outside the top ten. Gauthier then started his charge, slicing his way up from seventh to third with relative ease. But try as he might, he was unable to work out a way past Ott and the two ultimately crossed the stripe the final time in second and third, respectively. Kopp did threaten to overhaul both late. However, he instead saw his bid for a top-three result foiled by a resurgent Brunner, who stole back fourth and then kept the championship leader corralled behind him in fifth to the flag by a 0.177-second margin. Mischler took sixth just behind, followed by his Turner Honda teammates, Trent Lowe (No. 48 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R) and Chase Saathoff (No. 88 American Honda/Mission Foods CRF450R). Shayna Texter-Bauman (No. 52 Parts Plus/Jacob Companies KTM 450 SX-F) and Chad Cose (No. 49 1st Impressions Race Team/Husqvarna Racing FC450) completed the top ten. Race winner Whale said, “I needed a good race today. Obviously, as a racer you want to win every time. It feels good to do this coming here from Daytona, where my head was hanging low. You put in all the work before the start of the year, and to finish with a fourth and a ‘937th’ was tough. So to come out today and win? I can’t thank my team enough.” Next Up: Progressive AFT will power directly to the first TT of the ‘23 season with next weekend’s ZO CBD Arizona Super TT presented by RideNow Powersports at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Chandler, Arizona, on Saturday, April 1. Visit https://www.tixr.com/promoters/americanflattrack to secure your tickets today. For those that can’t catch the live action from the circuit, FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Sign up now and catch every second of on-track action starting with Practice & Qualifying and ending with the Victory Podium at the end of the night at https://www.fanschoice.tv. FOX Sports coverage of the Yamaha Senoia Short Track, featuring in-depth features and thrilling onboard cameras, will premiere on FS1 on April 1 at 7:00 a.m. ET (4:00 a.m. PT). For more information on Progressive AFT visit https://www.americanflattrack.com

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 25, 2023) – In front of a sold-out crowd, Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster held onto their No. 3 qualifying position Saturday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Brittany Force in the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy machine qualified No. 5 in Top Fuel. In Funny Car, John Force has the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SS team in the No. 8 spot while Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevy Camaro are No. 9. Running side-by-side in their first qualifying attempt on Saturday, Brittany Force and Austin Prock both were up in tire smoke early and shut off. Prock would have a 5.282-second pass at 142.93 mph while Force would clock in at 6.299 and 95.55. With the rest of the class struggling, Prock and Force stayed third and fourth, respectively, heading into the final qualifying session. In another side-by-side attempt, both Force and Prock had clean passes. Force would handle the Flav-R-Pac dragster to 3.739 at 328.86 while Prock would lay down a 3.758 at 324.36. Off his 3.696-second pass from Friday evening, Prock and the Montana Brand / RMT dragster team will enter race day from the No. 4 qualifying spot which sets them up to run against Jim Maroney first round. “It was a tricky day for most of the pits. The track conditions seemed to be much worse than our data was telling us, but by the end of the day our Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevy dragster was right in the hunt,” Prock said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow. I was a bit out of sync today, but I’ll be ready to attack in the morning.” With their 3.722-second pass at 323.12 mph on Friday, Force and the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team will get race day started from the No. 5 spot racing against Josh Hart. “It was definitely a strange start to the weekend for all the teams. Everyone struggled to get down there. Luckily this Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team had two passes where we got down there with a 3.72 and a 3.73,” said Force who earned a bonus point for being third quickest of the final qualifying session. “Two good solid runs getting us in the fifth position to race Josh Hart tomorrow. Looking to step it up. It’ll be nice and cool and we think we could get this thing really running tomorrow, especially in that first round.” The BlueDEF Chevy nearly made a clean pass early Saturday afternoon, Force would improve from Friday going 4.273 seconds at 220.62 mph after shutting off early near the 600-foot mark. Force would have more improvement in the final session running into trouble late in the run for a 4.057 at 272.39 landing him in the No. 8 spot for an unfortunate matchup against Robert Hight first round. The Flav-R-Pac Camaro opened Saturday qualifying with almost immediate tire smoke forcing Hight to coast to a 10.606-second pass at 77.46. Hight would find improvement in the final session with a 4.218 run at 222.95 but the improvement to No. 9 would set him up to run against John Force first round. The NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park continues with eliminations Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will continue on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with a second qualifying show Sunday at noon ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:3rd; 3.696-seconds; 324.44 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q1)BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:5th; 3.722-seconds; 323.12 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q3) JOHN FORCE, 73, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:8th; 4.057-seconds; 272.39 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Flav-R-Pac/ Cornwell Tools/AAA Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:9th; 7.538-seconds; 83.54 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

Kalitta and Alexis DeJoria Both Win Inaugural Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 26, 2023) – Doug Kalitta drove his Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel dragster to the number one qualifier position with his pass Friday afternoon at 3.679 seconds. The time held through Saturday’s two qualifying sessions for Kalitta’s 51^st career number one qualifier. In addition to the number one qualifier position, the Mac Tools team also claimed the inaugural Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge giving the team a $10,000 bonus.

Alexis DeJoria drove her GR Supra Funny Car to the number two qualifier position with her final pass on Saturday with a time of 3.914 seconds and also won the $10,000 bonus for the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge.

Toyota Post-Qualifying Recap

NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series

Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park

Race 2 of 21

TOYOTA TOP FUEL QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Doug Kalitta	Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	1st (3.679)	R. Passey
Steve Torrence	Capco Contractors Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	6th (3.724)	K. Baldwin
Justin Ashley	Phillips Connect Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	7th (3.724)	T. Schumacher
Shawn Langdon	DHL Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	8th (3.729)	A. Brown
Antron Brown	Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster	9th (3.739)	S. Langdon

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA FUNNY CAR QUALIFYING POSITIONS

Name	Car	Qualifying Position	First Round Opponent
Bob Tasca III	Ford Motorcraft Funny Car	1st (3.874)	BYE
Alexis DeJoria	Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	2nd (3.914)	J. Todd
Ron Capps	NAPA Auto Parts Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	6th (4.028)	A. Laughlin
J.R. Todd	DHL Toyota GR Supra Funny Car	15th (5.332)	A. DeJoria

(*non-Toyota driver)

TOYOTA QUOTES

DOUG KALITTA, Mac Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, Kalitta Motorsports

TF Qualifying Result: 1st

What does it mean to win the inaugural Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge and how bad did your team need this win?

“It was awesome that the Mission folks put up this event and it’s been fun all day. We’re just happy to go some rounds and definitely get the win light to come on. Hats off to Allen (Johnson, crew chief) and all my guys on this Mac Tools Toyota car. We’re happy and we’ll just roll into tomorrow and see if we can keep it going.”

When will we see another Wally in your hand and how is the momentum of the race team?

“We’re working on it. I couldn’t be more excited about what’s going on. Just have to be patient apparently because I’ve been trying to get another Wally, but we’re sneaking up on it for sure. Hopefully tomorrow.”

ALEXIS DEJORIA, Bandero Tequila Toyota GR Supra Funny Car, DC Motorsports

FC Qualifying Result: 2nd

How does this win in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge mean to your and your team?

“Just coming back to this race track after not being here for a while. I had my very first win here in Nitro Funny Car back in 2014 so it just has all these good feelings, good vibes for me. Today, that first round against Matt Hagan, we made it past him and we ran pretty good. It was a hellacious ride at the top end, but my guys are just so badass and they’re the reason that we’re in this position in the first place. I sucked in Gainesville on my reaction times and they gave me a great GR Supra and I’m just really, really blessed right now. I’ve got a great team and a great car. Ran a 3.91 and it’s been a tough weekend trying to get down the track for everybody. Thank you to Mission Foods, I’m so excited, thank you guys! I get to give this $10,000 to my guys today and that’s the best gift ever.”

March 25, 2023

Harrison Burton and the No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Mustang are set to start 16^th in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Burton turned a lap at 92.846 miles per hour in qualifying on Saturday. His speed was up from practice on Friday, where his lap at 92.286 mph was 15^th fastest on the speed chart. His best time came on the 14^th of the 16 lap he ran in the session. 

Sunday’s 68-lap, 231.88-mile race on the 3.41-mile, 20-turn course is set to start just after 2:30 p.m. Central Time (3:30 Eastern) with TV coverage on FOX.

Stage breaks are planned for Laps 15 and 30.

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY QUALIFYING REPORT MARCH 25, 2023

WILLIAM BYRON DRIVES CHEVROLET TO POLE POSITION AT COTAChevrolet drivers take eight of the top-10 in starting lineup

·       William Byron (No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1) posted a lap of 130.76 seconds, at 93.882 mph to capture the pole position for tomorrow’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas.  ·       The pole win is Byron’s first of 2023 in the NASCAR Cup Series, and his ninth career pole in 186 starts in NASCAR’s premier series.·       Byron is now the first driver in NASCAR’s top series to win a pole at four different road course circuits: Charlotte ROVAL (2019), Road America (2021), Indianapolis Road Course (2021) and Circuit of The Americas (2023). ·       Byron’s pole win marks Chevrolet’s third in the NASCAR Cup Series this season, its second NCS pole at Circuit of The Americas, and its manufacturer-leading 737th all-time pole in NCS competition.

TEAM CHEVY UNOFFICIAL TOP-10 STARTING LINEUP:  POS.   DRIVER1st      William Byron, No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL14th      Jordan Taylor, No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL15th      Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL16th      Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Camaro ZL17th      AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Farmsmart Camaro ZL18th      Erik Jones, No. 43 Allegiant Camaro ZL19th      Kyle Busch, No. 8 Netspend Camaro ZL110th    Noah Gragson, No. 42 Black Rifle Coffee Company Camaro ZL1 TOP-FIVE UNOFFICIAL STARTING LINEUP:  POS.  DRIVER1st      William Byron (Chevrolet)2nd      Tyler Reddick (Toyota)3rd      Austin Cindric (Ford)4th      Jordan Taylor (Chevrolet)5th      Daniel Suarez (Chevrolet)

AUSTIN, TX (March 25, 2023) – Chevrolet has been a consistent frontrunner on NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) road course circuits in recent seasons and with qualifying in the books, the series’ winningest manufacturer continues to prove just that. Hendrick Motorsports’ William Byron laid down a lap of 130.76 seconds, at 93.882 mph, in his No. 24 Liberty University Camaro ZL1 to nab the pole position for tomorrow’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (COTA). The pole win marks Byron’s first NCS pole of the season, and his ninth career pole in his young NCS career. The 25-year-old North Carolina native has now earned a pole at four different road courses in NASCAR’s top series, making him the only driver in series’ history to accomplish that feat.  The Bowtie brand exuded dominance in qualifying with Chevrolet drivers taking an impressive eight of the top-10 positions on the final leaderboard. Joining Byron in the top-10 includes Jordan Taylor, who drove the No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 to a fourth-place qualifying effort to setup his first career start in NASCAR’s premier series. Fellow Chevrolet drivers Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, AJ Allmendinger, Erik Jones, Kyle Busch and Noah Gragson took the fifth through 10th positions, respectively, to give five different Chevrolet teams a top-10 starting spot for the drop of the green flag in tomorrow’s race.  FOX will broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix on Sunday, March 26, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on the PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1 – Pole Win Press Conference TranscriptWHAT DOES THIS POLE MEAN TO YOU AND THE FIRST PIT BOX SELECTION FOR THE RACE, STARTING UP FRONT, TRACK POSITION, AND STRATEGY THAT GOES INTO THAT?“It’s good. I think it’s been an up and down weekend. The Cup car we definitely had a little bit of work to do yesterday just on overall balance and grip in some areas, and areas in me as a driver. I feel like when we talked overnight with Brian and Brandon and talked on the phone with Rudy, talked about how there’s maybe three-tenths on my end and three-tenths on the car’s end. We’re able to close that gap a little bit today and put both together. Good to get the pole, but really tomorrow is what matters and there’s a lot of work to do. A lot of physical work to do in the race later today, then tomorrow is going to be tough. Excited for it. Hopefully prepare throughout today and then going into tomorrow.”  WHEN YOU SAW TYLER (REDDICK) PUT DOWN THE LAP THAT HE DID IN THE OPENING QUALIFYING, WHICH WAS A MILE AN HOUR FASTER THAN FIRST GROUP, DID YOU STILL HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO BEAT HIM IN THE SECOND ROUND? HOW DID THAT WORK OUT? “I honestly didn’t. I thought Tyler (Reddick) has been the fastest all weekend by a good bit. I thought, ‘Okay, if we can just get in the top three, maybe those guys will slow down a bit or something will change to allow us to have a better lap.’ I knew I left some on the table. I don’t think I thought I could have picked up that much, but a little bit is a lot. In each corner, you’ve got 22 corners around here, so you pick up a little bit in each corner. Maybe you keep the corners that were pretty good, you keep those the same, and all of a sudden there’s a second. That’s what I’ve always noticed with road course racing – a little bit is a lot. Just put a really good lap together. My team gave me the confidence of having a really similar car Round 1 to Round 2 that I could just hustle and I didn’t have to question whether car grip was going to be there. It was really good.”  THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THREE SEASONS (RUDY FUGLE) HAS NOT BEEN IN YOUR EAR DURING A RACE, AND HE’S BEEN UNIQUE WITH HIS MANNERISMS AND HOW HE TALKS TO YOU. HOW DIFFERENT HAS THAT BEEN NOT TO HAVE HIM IN YOUR EAR?“We’ve always had that comfort with each other. He’s honestly built the culture around the team. That culture of the race team continues whether he’s there or not. That foundation has been built. You plug in a couple of other pieces, and to do a little bit different roles, but everyone starts to step up a little bit more and makes sure that each other’s jobs are easier so that we can fill the gap that’s there without him being there. Just thankful for the work he does throughout the week, and managing this race team and getting it to where it is. He’s got his stamp on everything that we do. We’ve got personnel on the team that can pick up each other in those situations, and it’s nice to see that we have that strength at Hendrick to fill that gap.”  WHAT IS IT LIKE TO RACE AGAINST TWO F1 CHAMPIONS, A FOUR-TIME IMSA CHAMPION, ESPECIALLY AS YOUR TEAMMATE, AND DO YOU FEEL JORDAN (TAYLOR) WITH RUNNING SO WELL HAS A SHOT TOMORROW?“I think Jordan (Taylor) is really strong. The thing that’s impressed me about him is his adaptation to the lateral capability of this car. That’s probably where, I haven’t talked to the other guys, but that’s where the biggest difference is, how free the car is and how loose it can be in certain corners. His braking is phenomenal. He’s got excellent characteristics under braking and downshifting. I think he’s a right foot braker, which is crazy in the modern era of NASCAR. It’s impressive what he’s doing. And I think the other guys, too. It’s just impressive that they come over and try this because it is so different. Maybe it’s a little more similar with the NextGen but it’s still quite a bit different. The car has a lot more body roll and it’s a lot heavier.”  DOES THIS SEEM SURREAL TO HAVE THE RUN YOU’VE HAD SO FAR, AND HOW WILL YOU COPE WITH A RACETRACK LIKE COTA BEING PRETTY HOT TOMORROW?“It’s not unexpected, I don’t think. It’s great to see things come together like they are, but we’re putting in the work, putting in the effort throughout the week, throughout the weekend to make sure we’re prepared. So, I’m not really surprised by what our team is capable of. It’s nice to see it all click, but it’s a long season. We just have got to keep it up for however many weeks are left and we’ve got a lot of things to still do and accomplish. It’s a grind, so we’ve got to strap in and get ready for it. I think the other aspect of it is heat. The heat is going to be tough. Just managing the day throughout the day and getting the right amount of nutrients and hydration and sleep is probably the biggest thing. Just making sure I stretch and things like that. It’s going to be tough for sure.”  WHAT WOULD IT MEAN TO CHECK OFF THE WINNING BOX ON A ROAD COURSE WITH HOW IMPRESSIVE YOU’VE BEEN AT THEM SO FAR?“I think it’s good. I think the race is what matters. I haven’t had the success in the races that I want to have, so just putting it together for the entire three, four hours. Not making mistakes, making the critical decisions that it takes to be successful. Qualifying has always been pretty good for me. I’m typically able to just kind of get on the wheel for that lap and make the most of it. I think it’s just doing that for three hours and managing the tires, managing the brakes, the ebb and flow that it takes. Typically, we’ve had to race for stage points and cycle ourselves back. I think that’s something this year that will be different. I’ve always kind of been racing for points, so this year hopefully we can stay up front the whole time.”  HOW DIFFERENT WILL THIS BE STRATEGICALLY AND THE ADVANTAGE OF STARTING UP FRONT BECAUSE OF HOW THE STAGE BREAKS WILL BE?“It should be a little bit different tomorrow but there’s still probably going to be one or two times that others cycle forward that you kind of have to get through traffic. A race is never that easy to kind of be out front the whole time in NASCAR racing, so there’s going to be some period of time that you’re going to cycle back, like to eighth or ninth, but you’re going to have to make up that ground. You just got to focus on those time periods, and making up the track position you can, and then managing what you have so you’re not getting beat up back there, beating up the brakes, the tires. It’s management, but hopefully we can be towards the front the whole time.”  JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 9 UNIFIRST CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified fourth JORDAN ON DRIVING COMPARISONS TO IMSA VS. NASCAR…“There was no comparison. I almost crashed the car on my first two laps yesterday. Expecting one thing and realizing something different, so it was honestly a full new experience. Yesterday, I felt like I was out of control 90 percent of the time. Today, I felt like I understood what the car was doing. We made good setup changes to kind of help me with that, to give me a better sense of where the grip was. I see people talking about how close the parallels are, but I think if you talk to anybody who has driven both, it’s quite a shocking difference.” HOW WAS IT GETTING THE CALL TO DRIVE FOR HENDRICK CONSIDERING YOU’RE A BIG JEFF GORDON FAN?“The call came from Jeff (Gordon) himself. It was surreal, and honestly felt surreal until getting to the track here and getting into the car in practice. I was shaking the whole time until we actually got to driving. It’s definitely an intense experience. Obviously, it’s all rushed and last minute, but the guys have done an amazing job prepping me and getting me as prepared as possible. Getting speed out of the car and myself is one thing, I think the race tomorrow will be a whole different animal.”  HOW DOES THAT ALL FEEL, GETTING PAST ALL OF THAT TO TODAY, PERFORMING WHEN YOU NEEDED TO AND PUTTING THE CAR WHERE YOU FELT LIKE IT SHOULD BE?“It’s a relief, to be honest. Coming in here, everyone knows it’s a winning car and winning team. If the car’s not up front, there’s one different variable which is the driver not doing his job. I knew there’s a lot of eyes on it to perform. I’m just glad to make everyone proud, to be honest. I know Jeff (Gordon) and Chad (Knaus) and Mr. Hendrick all took a risk on me to put me in this car in this position with no experience in (NASCAR), so I’m just glad to make them proud so far. We’ll see how tomorrow goes.” ARE YOU PREPARED FOR RESTARTS?“I don’t think I’m prepared for anything knowing race day. We have done as much as we possibly could to prepare. Obviously, rolling through pit lane, to practice pit speed. Yesterday, during practice, doing one pulling into the pit stall to see what that’s like. We did practice at the shop. I’ve driven around by myself the 65 minutes we’ve had on track. I haven’t really seen a lot of other cars, so I think it’s going to be a much different experience tomorrow.”  ARE YOU GETTING COMFORTABLE WITH HOW YOU COME DOWN PIT ROAD? YOU MENTIONED YOU’RE USED TO PUSHING BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT?“We’re used to just going flat out like it’s on cruise control and not thinking about it. That was honestly my number one concern was coming into the weekend: not just remembering that but nailing it. I know there’s a fine window of getting it right. In the simulator, we practiced it a bunch. I told the guys I’d rather sacrifice a couple of laps in practice to roll through pit lane to practice that. So we did yesterday to get a feel for it. Hopefully it’s easier than the simulator, but it’s still a difficult variable. I still haven’t had to look for my pit stall yet with a million boards while looking at the dash. It’s going to be another element to learn tomorrow.”  HOW MUCH SIMULATOR TIME HAVE YOU HAD?“Probably an hour and a half total. It wasn’t as much as I would have wanted. I had 30 minutes the week I got the call, and then I had an hour this week. It wasn’t a ton of time. I would’ve loved to have had a whole week of simulator time. The Hendrick guys have done an amazing job. Obviously, the correlation between that Chevy simulator and real life, I was running the qualifying lap I think was an 11-zero and that’s what I ran in the simulator. Once I got comfortable in the car and exploited what was there, the simulator transferred very well. That was definitely good to have in my back pocket.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHOPARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 25, 2023

Kimi Räikkönen, No. 91 Onx/iLOQ Camaro ZL1, and Justin Marks, Founder and Owner of Trackhouse Racing, met with the media prior to the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at Circuit of The Americas. Press Conference Transcript: WHAT DOES RACING AT COTA MEAN TO YOU IN TERMS OF YOUR EXPERIENCE IN F1 AND NOW IN NASCAR? Kimi Räikkönen: “First of all, I’m happy to be back with the team, PROJECT91, and at the track that I know. Obviously, a lot different to how it feels. It’s the same track but it feels a lot different in an F1 car to a NASCAR car. A lot of the corners are more kind of straights in F1 because of the downforce. It gets a bit trickier in a NASCAR car. It’s nice to be back and it’s a lovely place to be here in Texas. Let’s hope we can do well. We will try to improve from yesterday and today and see what we do in the race.” COMPARED TO F1, HOW HAS THIS EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU TO WORK WITH YOUR TEAMMATES ROSS (CHASTAIN) AND DANIEL (SUAREZ) IN TERMS OF GETTING THEIR INSIGHTS? Kimi Räikkönen: “It’s different. In F1, it’s a lot of meetings and a lot of other stuff. Here, it’s a bit more relaxed. You kind of have the meetings, but it’s a different way. I don’t have the experience with the cars and all the details, so we had a meeting yesterday as a group, as a whole team, and it’s nice to listen and assess what they thought about the car and what they should do with the car. I think it sounds like everybody has similar difficulties with the cars here. The rear seems to be the tricky part in the highest bit but it’s good to have teammates and to hear what they’re saying and get some advice from them.” HOW MUCH MORE COMFORTABLE DO YOU FEEL NOW THAN YOU DID AT (WATKINS) GLEN? Kimi Räikkönen: “Obviously, a little bit. It was just a different track again, and I haven’t driven any racecars since last year, so it takes a while to get used to it again even though I know the car. The car has lost some downforce, so it makes it a bit more tail-happy. At least I know that most of the things how it goes. Is it going to get any better results? We’ll find out. But I know the track so that helps, but as I said before it’s a lot different track with a NASCAR car than an F1 car. I feel more ready for sure on that side now that I know how the race goes and how everything else goes.” CAN YOU GIVE AN UPDATE ON PROJECT91 AND WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FOR THIS YEAR? Justin Marks: “I’m really happy with where PROJECT91 is right now. It’s resonating with people. We’ve got some great sponsors on the car this weekend. We’re going to definitely race this car multiple times this year. We’re not ready to make any of those announcements yet but people are taking notice. We’ve got some great sponsorships coming our way. It’ll be an exciting program we’ll be able to announce pretty soon.” WHAT’S BEEN THE GREATER TRANSITION RACING IN NASCAR – KNOWING THE CARS OR KNOWING WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE MIDDLE OF A RACE? Kimi Räikkönen: “I think it’s everything. Obviously, I have some experience on different cars and different categories. I did Rally, which is completely different to what I was used to doing in F1. NASCAR, again, it’s easy to think that they’re all kind of similar because you have a steering wheel and four tires, but it changes a lot. The racing is slightly different because in F1 with open wheels, if you touch somebody you usually lose a car or lose the wheel. You cannot really take that risk in F1 that much because you lose tiny parts of the car, and your car is suddenly a second slower than it should be. In NASCAR, you can have a bit more closer racing. Obviously, the rules are different. They’re more open here. I think it’s more of if you kind of behave, well they’ll behave a similar way against you the way I’ve understood. It makes it more exciting at the end of the races when people can be quite aggressive. Everything is different. How they run practices, how they run qualifying, it’s all kind of a learning curve. The car is obviously a lot more different to drive than any other car that I’ve driven before. I like it. It’s quite relaxed. It’s very warming kind of atmosphere. It’s good.” “I had a good experience in the last one last year. It didn’t end up like we had wished, but when you have 40 other cars, things can go wrong.” DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL MEMORIES FROM YOUR LAST VICTORY HERE (AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS)? Kimi Räikkönen: “Yeah, for sure. That was my last win and obviously, here, great memories. It was a long time coming and it was a nice race. It wasn’t an easy race, but we managed to win it. I have, for sure, good memories of that.” COMING BACK TO AUSTIN AS A FIRST WIN AS A TEAM, HOW DOES IT FEEL COMING BACK TO YOUR FIRST CAREER WIN AS AN OWNER? Justin Marks: “It definitely feels a little bit different than all of the race tracks we go to just because it was such a bit day for our company. You can’t help but drive in here and have a lot of memories from that great day. In that respect, Circuit of the Americas will always be something very special to our company. This weekend, it’s about trying to defend it. Everybody knows these cars a lot better now than they did this time last year, and the competition is tougher this time than it was last year. We’ve got three great drivers and great opportunities to have a good result on Sunday, so that’s what we’re focused on. But I would say Circuit of the Americas is always going to be a place that holds special meaning for our company, obviously.” WE’VE KIND OF SEEN A REVIVAL OF RINGERS COMING BACK, YOU KIND OF STARTING IT WITH PROJECT91. TODAY’S FIELD IS A DIVERSE TALENT POOL. FROM AN OWNER’S STANDPOINT, DO YOU SEE A POTENTIAL OF A RINGER POSSIBLY COMPETING FOR A WIN AGAIN LIKE WE SAW IN THE 90’S, EARLY 2000’S? Justin Marks: “Yeah, I certainly think it’s possible. I think because this type of racing is so unique, the car is so different – just the competition, the way the races are, pit road, and strategy. All that stuff is very unique that it’s probably going to be difficult for anybody to come in and do it their first try. But I think that if a program is built around a driver where they get multiple opportunities and they can learn that, like Kimi will be a lot stronger in this race than he was in Watkins Glen just because he’s done it once before and he knows what to expect and he will be better. I think if you get this talent in here and they can learn how to manage these races, and these races are really hard to win for someone who does this every single week for years, so I would say the talent is there. Once the experience matches up with it, I certainly think that’s a potential.” YOU’VE BEEN AT THIS TRACK A NUMBER OF TIMES, WON HERE IN 2018. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT THIS TRACK, AND WHAT’S THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE THAT MAYBE YOU DIDN’T SEE IN F1 BUT THAT YOU SEE IT IN STOCK CAR? Kimi Räikkönen: “I think generally the track is nice because at least in F1, and I’m sure in NASCAR, it creates good racing. There are places you can overtake, and especially in F1, you don’t get a lot of circuits you can have a good race. People can actually overtake without the DRS, and it feels more like a normal older-style F1 racing. So that’s how the track layout works for F1 quite well. As I said before, in F1, it’s not flat. Some of the first parts are almost flat, (turns) 17 and 18, those are pretty easy and flat for those cars. A lot of the corners that are tricky. Probably the most tricky corners for NASCAR, they’re not really for F1 cars because of the downforce. It makes a huge difference in the track. All of the bumps the track has in F1 you get away with a lot because, again, the downforce helps and you don’t really feel it but in a NASCAR car, the effect is quite big. It makes it a much more tricky track to drive and to get the car somewhat working as you wish. It’s a completely different track in many ways. It sounds stupid because it’s the same track, but the car makes it a lot different.” SINCE TRACKHOUSE’S INCEPTION IN 2021, IS YOUR VISION GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN, AND WHAT’S LEFT ON THE TABLE? Justin Marks: “It’s been tremendous. It’s been incredible. I’ve said it a number of times the plan was always to work really hard and try to build an organization to compete for wins and ultimately compete for a championship. We’ve proven that’s possible for us. We had such an incredible year in 2022 that the challenge shifts a little bit to really focusing on the things we have to focus on to make sure that that’s repeatable, and that we can do that every year, and that we’re continuing to learn these cars at the rate that all these other teams are learning and adapt to any kind of changes in the sport that are coming. That’s really what we need to focus on. But there’s a lot of people over here on this side of the room that’s really had a big role in Trackhouse being a thing and being a contender on the race track. We’ve got a lot of great partners. Our support from Chevrolet has really allowed us access to tools and knowledge that we need to be successful. We’ve got racecar drivers and great pit crews and people at Trackhouse. We’re doing exactly what we thought was possible. It’s been just a lot of fun. It’s been awesome. We’re always working on fun stuff.” DID YOU EXPECT YOU’D COME BACK TO A NASCAR RACE IN TEXAS TO RACE AGAINST JENSON BUTTON AGAIN? CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW COOL IT IS, THE FIELD, THIS WEEKEND? Kimi Räikkönen: “No, no. I didn’t. I’m not probably expected if I came back or not. It depends on so many things. I’m grateful for the team that we can have another go again, but then a lot of things. The family likes to come here, they really enjoyed last year. It’s a nice trip for all of us, but then there’s a lot of different moving parts that needs to fit – that the timing goes right, and this seems to be the right one. A lot of good drivers. The guys that do it all the time, they’re really fast not just on ovals but also on road courses, they’re good. They’re professional guys and they know how to drive these cars. It doesn’t matter if it’s a road course or an oval, they will always be fast. It’s hard to challenge them, but we will try again with our best and see what we get.”

NASCAR CUP SERIES CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS ECHO PARK AUTOMOTIVE GRAND PRIX TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT MARCH 25, 2023

DANIEL SUAREZ, NO. 99 FREEWAY INSURANCE CAMARO ZL1, met with the media Saturday prior to NASCAR Cup Series qualifying at Circuit of The Americas. Press Conference Transcript:  THIS IS KIND OF A HOME RACE FOR YOU. HOW MUCH OF A HOMEFIELD ADVANTAGE IS COTA FOR YOU?“It feels like quite a bit. My mom actually arrived last night. She drove from my hometown along with a close friend of mine and my sister. So yeah, it definitely feels like home. I’m very happy to be here in Austin. COTA is an amazing racetrack. I have my family here. Today is Justin Marks’ birthday so we have a Birthday Boss this weekend. We have fast cars, too, so everything is looking great. We have a lot of reasons to be happy and grateful. We’re looking forward to get rolling here shortly for qualifying.” HOW SPECIAL WOULD IT BE TO DELIVER YOUR BIRTHDAY BOSS A WIN?“Winning is always great. We can always find reasons why winning is so amazing. This weekend obviously we have Justin’s birthday, mom is here – I haven’t seen her in several months – and my sister is here – I haven’t seen her in almost a year. So yeah, it’s a good time to be here. And it’s a good time to be fast. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do. So far we have had a pretty acceptable weekend so far.” HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO GAUGE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ROAD COURSE/SHORT TRACK PACKAGE LAST YEAR AND WHAT YOU SAW YESTERDAY IN PRACTICE?“A lot of things changed from last year to this year, and not just on the aero package. Also the racetrack is more bumpy, in my opinion. I don’t think that’s because of the downforce package. We have a different tire, and last year here at COTA was the first road course race for the Next-Gen car. We have learned so much since then. Yeah, we’re in a different spot but I don’t think that we are exactly comparing apples to apples because a lot of things have changed. All in all, it feels good. The fall-off at the end of the day, that was the main thing NASCAR was looking for, is bigger so that’s a positive. I feel like that is going to open the doors to different strategies now that we don’t have to stop for stage breaks. It should be fun. I’m really looking forward to the race.” MORE ON DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAST YEAR’S CAR AND THIS YEAR.“Last year, I truly feel like I had the best car. This time around, I feel like we have a fast car. Right now, I don’t feel like we have the best car but I feel like we can have one of the best cars. And that’s all I can ask for. I don’t feel like I need to have the fastest car to be able to win the race. I feel that if I can have something similar to the fast guys then we can make it happen as a team. Above it all, I personally think that we are going to see a very fun race just because of the fall-off and the stage breaks is going to open the door for different strategies, and I’m very excited for that. We have made a couple of adjustments overnight. Hopefully those are the things I’m looking for. We’ll see what we can do today. I’m happy where we’re at.” YOU (AND ROSS CHASTAIN) WERE BOTH VERY FAST LAST YEAR AND NOW YOU HAVE KIMI (RAIKKONEN). WHAT ADVICE HAVE YOU GIVEN HIM AND VICE VERSA?“We’ve been talking a lot about balance, about feelings. We spent a little bit of time a couple days ago at the simulator. Kimi is very natural. He mentioned it a few minutes ago. The only thing he is lacking is time. He’s very natural. If he had a full season in NASCAR, he would be right there with us. The reason we are very fast is that we are in a rhythm. We are driving these cars every single weekend. It doesn’t matter if it’s an oval or a road course. We know the cars in and out. We know the limits, we know what’s good, what’s bad, everything. It’s not easy. You can bring the best of the best in the world. It’s not easy just to jump like that into a series this competitive and be there. It’s not easy. But I think he is going to do very well. He’s getting up to speed more and more. I think today we are going to see another step in the right direction and for sure tomorrow we are going to see another huge step in the right direction for the 91.” HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN FOCUS AND COGNITIVE FOCUS DURING A RACE? IS THERE A PARTICULAR STRATEGY YOU USE?“No, I wish I had some. I try to just stay calm and try to remind myself why I’m here. I’m here because I love racing. I’m here because I love to compete and I like to win. Everything else comes as a consequence. I feel grateful to be here. When you’re in a rhythm, like I was talking about not long ago, it’s easy to take it for granted what we do every single weekend. We are very lucky individuals that we get to do every single weekend what we love to do – drive racecars and compete. Every single driver here is very, very competitive. It’s something we just love. Just because of that we are very fortunate to be in this position. I try to remind myself all these things – to know that I’m in a very good position and go out there and have fun… prepare myself as good as possible mentally and physically and go out there and compete at the highest level that I could possibly do.” HOW WILL THE WEATHER IMPACT THE RACE TOMORROW AND BEING IN AUSTIN.“I think I have to change my weather app because I didn’t think it was going to rain (during the track walk). I think today is going to be a little less grip than yesterday just because it’s going to be hotter. I think we will continue to be fast but the fall-off is going to be bigger. Overall, it’s going to be the same for everyone so we have to adapt and try to adapt as good as possible and see how it goes. I think our car is going to do well. We are making some good adjustments, I believe, for today and I think that we’re going to be on the good side of it when it comes to the new day. We’ll see what we can do. I’m happy where we are.” DIFFERENT STRATEGIES WITH NO STAGE BREAKS.“You guys know this, in the past we were coming into a road-course race with two mentalities – either you’re going to fight for the win or you’re going to fight for points. You couldn’t do both. It was impossible to do both. I was in both situations last year. It was fun but when you were going for points, it was almost like you already knew you weren’t going to win the race or it was going to be a longshot to win the race. If you were going for the race (win) and something was happening, you gave up a lot of points. It was almost like we put ourselves in a box every time. Now I feel like it’s going to open the options a lot and the strategies and lot of things for the teams. I was talking to my team last night about all the different options – the fall-off that we have, the different strategy options and all that kind of stuff. It’s going to be dependent on a little bit of luck. When the caution depends on where you are in your pit cycle. I’m excited for that. I’m excited to bring back the smarter engineers and put them back to work!”

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 24, 2023) – Austin Prock and the Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist Chevrolet dragster lead John Force Racing sitting in the No. 3 qualifying spot Friday at the NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Top Fuel teammate Brittany Force has the Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy team sitting No. 4 while Robert Hight and the Flav-R-Pac / Cornwell Tools / AAA Chevrolet Camaro SS Funny Car are No. 12 and John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy are No. 14. After watching much of the nitro categories struggle, Austin Prock and Montana Brand / RMT team, crew chiefed by Chris Cunningham and Joe Barlam, laid down an impressive 3.696-second run at 330.31 mph to land in the No. 3 spot with two qualifying tries left. The effort earns the team a bonus point for being the third quickest in the session. “Great start from my Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist team. We did exactly what we needed to be in a good position for tomorrow. It always gives you confidence when you can make a nice rip off the trailer door. We’re looking forward to two more nice passes tomorrow,” Prock said. “It’s nice to be back in Arizona and back in the dragster. That first stab of the gas after being off a week gets your attention, a nice reminder of how fast these things are.” Coming off a No. 1 qualifying position at the season-opening Gatornationals, Brittany Force and the Flav-R-Pac dragster had a solid 3.722-second pass at 323.12 mph to open qualifying at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. Force will start day two of qualifying from the No. 4 spot on Saturday. The Flav-R-Pac Chevy Camaro SS was up in tire smoke early on its first attempt down Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Hight would cross the finish line at 7.538 seconds and 83.54 mph landing him in the No. 12 spot. The defending event champion, Hight will take advantage of Saturday’s two qualifying runs to move up the ladder, hoping to earn his third No. 1 at the event. John Force and the BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevy are sitting in the No. 14 spot after shutting off early in their first qualifying attempt at the NHRA Arizona Nationals. For the record, Force crossed the finish line at 8.520 seconds and 77.43 mph. Force will have two more attempts to earn his ninth No. 1 at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. The NHRA Arizona Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park continues with qualifying Saturday at 12:30 and 3:30 p.m. Race Day is set to begin with the first round of eliminations Sunday at 11 a.m. Television coverage of the event will be on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) beginning with a qualifying show Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET and Sunday at noon ET. Eliminations will air Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. -30-

AUSTIN PROCK, 27, Montana Brand / Rocky Mountain Twist DragsterQualifying:3rd; 3.696-seconds; 324.44 mphBonus Qualifying Points:+1 (3rd quickest Q1)BRITTANY FORCE, 36, Flav-R-Pac / Monster Energy DragsterQualifying:4th; 3.722-seconds; 323.12 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0 JOHN FORCE, 73, BlueDEF PLATINUM Chevrolet Camaro SSQualifying:14th; 8.520-seconds; 77.43 mphBonus Qualifying Points: 0ROBERT HIGHT, 53, Auto Club Chevy Camaro SSQualifying:12th; 7.538-seconds; 83.54 mphBonus Qualifying Points:0

Photo Credit: Gary Nastase, Auto Imagery

NASCAR CUP SERIES ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY AMBETTER HEALTH 400 TEAM CHEVY POST-PRACTICE REPORT MARCH 24, 2023

LARSON LEADS CHEVROLET IN NASCAR CUP SERIES PRACTICE AT COTAChevrolet drivers take four of the top-five in practice AUSTIN, TX (March 24, 2023) – With the 2023 season in full-swing, the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) has already taken on a variety of race track configurations – ranging from the season-opening high-banked superspeedway of Daytona International Speedway to the short track that crowns the series’ champion of Phoenix Raceway. Drivers and teams of NASCAR’s premier series will make both left- and right-hand turns at the renowned 3.41-mile, 20-turn Circuit of The Americas (COTA) this season; the first road course event of the year.  Just a few weeks prior, the series debuted a new aerodynamic package that will run on the series’ short ovals and road courses this season. Set to tackle a road course circuit for the first time with the new package, the series was given an extended practice session Friday afternoon, giving teams the opportunity to make adjustments before returning to the track for tomorrow’s qualifying session.  Kyle Larson clocked in a best-lap of 132.544 seconds to put the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Camaro ZL1 team second overall on the final speed chart. Chevrolet drivers took four of the top-five positions at the conclusion of final practice with Larson leading Ross Chastain (No. 1 Worldwide Express Camaro ZL1) in second, Kyle Busch (No. 8 Netspend Camaro ZL1) in fourth, and Daniel Suarez (No. 99 Freeway Insurance Camaro ZL1) rounding out the top five.  On the horizon of his first career start in NASCAR’s premier series, Jordan Taylor made his first laps behind the wheel of the No. 9 UniFirst Camaro ZL1 in this afternoon’s practice session. The 31-year-old Corvette Racing driver ran in the top-10 for much of the practice session, ultimately ended up 10th fastest overall.  Next on tap for NASCAR’s premier series will be a two-round, multi-vehicle qualifying session to set the starting lineup for Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. The field will be split into two groups, each partaking in a timed session. The top five fastest drivers in each group will transfer to the final round for a shot at the pole position. The Bowtie brand took the pole in the series’ first appearance in 2021 at the Austin, Texas, circuit with Tyler Reddick and the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Camaro ZL1. A pole win is one step closer for Chevrolet’s drivers and teams to keep the manufacturer’s win streak alive at the circuit as the Bowtie brand seeks its third consecutive trip to victory lane COTA.  Chevrolet’s drivers and teams will aim for the manufacturer’s third consecutive NCS COTA triumph in Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix. Live coverage can be found on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

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FansChoice.tv is the live streaming home of Progressive AFT. Complete coverage of this Saturday’s Yamaha Senoia Short Track will kick off with the day’s first practice session at 4:00 p.m. ET (1:00 p.m. PT). Catch every second of on track action on FansChoice.tv

Event Rewind: DAYTONA Short Track I

Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Event Rewind: DAYTONA Short Track II

Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER

Short Wait to Get Back on TrackThe 2023 Progressive AFT season resumes just two weeks after its thrilling Bike Week double-opener with the inaugural Yamaha Senoia Short Track. Read MoreReality CheckEven with an impressive rookie campaign under his belt, Dallas Daniels (No. 32 Estenson Racing Yamaha MT-07 DT) admitted that it’s still a bit surreal to be racing with riders he once looked to as his childhood heroes. But if Daniels continues to take it to his more established competition like he did at the DAYTONA ST, what once felt surreal is going to become all too real in a big hurry.  Read MoreSpeaking of MeesSince 2016, reigning Mission SuperTwins champ Mees has scored at least one victory in four separate season-opening weekends (‘17, ‘18, ‘20, and ‘21). Perhaps more telling is how the factory Indian Motorcycle legend responded on the occasions that he didn’t. Read MoreEncore! Encore! The continued development of Briar Bauman and the Rick Ware Racing KTM 890 Duke is one the sport will follow closely all season long. The opener has to go down as a smashing success, even if his Thursday no-brakes podium was followed up by a more down-to-earth Saturday seventh. Read MoreWho’s Next?This year’s loaded Mission SuperTwins field is stocked with premier-class winners (11 in all lined up for the DAYTONA ST Main Event). Is there anyone else who could join that historic list this season? Read MoreHome CookingYamaha stands as the title sponsor of the Senoia ST, which is located just a relatively short drive down the interstate from the firm’s American headquarters. Yamaha comes prepared to defend its home turf from a position of strength, having won eight combined Mission SuperTwins races over the past year.  Read MoreIt’s Way Too Early to Get Desperate… Right? Last year, Kody Kopp (No. 1 Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 450 SX-F) pretty much put the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles presented by KICKER championship to bed before his rivals knew what hit them, registering six wins over the season’s opening nine races. Read MoreBreakout While Kopp looks incredibly formidable, there’s a pretty decent chance that if he’s beaten this weekend, the victory will go to a first-time Progressive AFT winner. There’s currently a backlog of riders with obvious win potential backed by teams with a history of turning out race winners. Read More

Countdown The DAYTONA Short Track was a serious showcase of the diversity and parity of manufacturers that now stands as a strength of Progressive AFT in the Mission SuperTwins presented by S&S Cycle class. Count it down with us: 7: Different manufacturers competed(Yamaha, Indian, KTM, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson, Husqvarna)  6: Scored points (Yamaha, Indian, KTM, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki, Harley-Davidson)  5: Topped at least one timed session or race(Yamaha, Indian, KTM, Royal Enfield, Kawasaki)  4: Qualified on the front row(Yamaha, Indian, KTM, Royal Enfield)  3: Finished on the podium(Yamaha, Indian, KTM)  2: Finished top two twice (Yamaha, Indian)  1: Won two races (Yamaha) Short Track HerosMees and Brandon Robinson (No. 44 Mission Roof Systems Indian FTR750) are currently in a five-way tie with Kenny Roberts, Steve Eklund, and Sammy Halbert for fourth most all-time Short Track wins at five. Moving TargetIn short order, Kopp has rocketed up the all-time Parts Unlimited AFT wins list, despite only getting his first just last season. The KTM star is now tied with former class champion and current Mission SuperTwins ace Ryan Wells for fourth all-time with nine wins to his credit.   Spread the WealthParity was a key feature in the Parts Unlimited AFT Singles class as well at the DAYTONA double-opener. Three different manufacturers finished on the podium (KTM, Yamaha, Honda), while four different manufacturers finished inside the top six (KTM, Yamaha, Honda, Husqvarna).

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EASTABOGA, AL (March 23, 2023) Rarely do teams following the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car campaign enter a weekend with a mostly blank notebook.

The schedule is filled by tracks that have hosted The Greatest Show on Dirt dozens of times and even a few that have cleared 100 races.

However, this weekend, the competitors and crews face a unique challenge in the form of Talladega Short Track (Eastaboga, AL) and Magnolia Motor Speedway (Columbus, MS). The tracks have combined to host only 12 races – 11 at Talladega and a single visit to The Mag. Even the 11 nights at the Alabama oval occurred before most of the current roster’s time. Only three of 2023’s full-timers have turned Talladega laps in World of Outlaws competition. Of those three, only one of them has raced there with the Series more than once.

While this fact might create a puzzle for some, it can also present opportunity for the younger, less experienced drivers. Robbie Price and Noah Gass have spent much of the past two seasons visiting racetracks for the first time. Like many who sign in on Friday, the young duo will be debuting at Talladega. Gass has made Magnolia laps as it’s the site of Series debut in 2021, and it’ll be another new track for Price.

Going to racetracks for only the first or second time against the nation’s top Sprint Car drivers is always a daunting task. And even though that challenge still presents itself this weekend for Price and Gass, they’ll at least hit the track knowing their competition doesn’t have hundreds of more laps than them.

“Yeah, I definitely think it helps a little bit,” Price said of the more even playing field. “Hopefully, going into this weekend we can adapt a little bit quicker… We’ll see, though. I’ve watched some videos on the places, but we’ll just have to wait and see once we get there.”

“It does bring some satisfaction to know that you have a notebook and confidence in the setup and knowing what not to do,” Gass noted. “For guys like us – me, Cody (Cordell), and Robby (McQuinn), it’s tough sometimes because we’ve only been to most of these tracks once and some of them not at all.”

The obstacle that Gass mentioned is one nearly every team in the pit area will face this weekend. From the time the green flag flies in hot laps, crew chiefs will have pens handy ready to fill the empty notebook pages while the drivers jot down their own mental observations. With that said, how do those behind the wheel approach an unfamiliar track like many will during the two-night southern tilt?

“You watch hot laps, and then you run if off in there and hope it sticks,” Gass said with a chuckle. “You just kind of feel it out and see how you can make yourself faster. You see if you can find some banking in places or grip or whatever. You try not to overthink it and you just go.”

For Price, he has the benefit of 15-time World of Outlaws Feature winner, Jason Sides, in his corner as the car owner and crew chief. The Bartlett, TN native moved into the different role last season, allowing Price to climb aboard. With more than 1,000 Series starts under his belt, Sides has seen many tracks on many occasions, including eight starts at Talladega.

“It’s really good,” Price said of Sides’ help. “Obviously, every track is a little bit different. There’s always one little deal you kind of have to figure out at every place, whether it’s a part to be on the track or a point on the wall to aim at. So, it’s kind of a little shortcut for me with him being able to point some of that stuff out for me right away. I don’t have to learn necessarily the hard way.

“It helps, for sure, him having been to a lot of places we go to now. I’d say it’s a big advantage.”

While both Gass and Price may both agree to some extent on this weekend’s unique set of circumstances making them a little more comfortable in terms of a smaller experience gap, they agree even stronger on something else.

Price is amid his rookie World of Outlaws campaign, and Gass is navigating his second. Their racing careers and early experience on tour have given them the knowledge that the most comfort comes from their own personal laps and not however many they might have compared to the competition.

“Going to new places is always fun, but it’s nice going back to places where you have a notebook already and you know what to expect,” Price said.

“It’s really helpful,” Gass said of having experience. “Especially thinking of Volusia (Speedway Park). We went there five, six or seven nights in a row. It ends up being really beneficial for a feeling. It’s really helpful to just be on the same track over and over and over, figure your throttle out. Even being on the same track, it changes every night, so you’re always learning. It’s nice going back to a track that you have a lot of notes on. It makes Cody confident. I’m confident as a driver. You know it’ll stick when you run it off into the corner.”

For tickets to the Friday, March 24, event at the Talladega Short Track, and the Saturday, March 25, event at Magnolia Motor Speedway, CLICK HERE.

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

CHANDLER, Ariz. (March 23, 2023) – Troy Coughlin Jr. is coming into the NHRA Arizona Nationals with the Pro Stock points lead thanks to a stupendous showing in Gainesville. After picking up a win and a No. 1 qualifier in the season opener, his JEGS.com Camaro is in a prime position to lead the pack this weekend at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. He will compete alongside his seven Elite Motorsports teammates as they battle it out in the ultra-competitive NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock category. This will be the last NHRA event held at this iconic southwest stop on the tour, so every driver wants to get the final prize. Coughlin will also get to compete in the first Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge wherein competitors who met each other in the semifinals at the last event on the tour will race for redemption in a rematch to take place during Saturday qualifying. The winners will not only receive a bonus purse, but they will also receive extra bonus points, meaning there’s a lot more than pride on the line in these rematches. Coughlin will face Dallas Glenn in this race-within-a-race. Pro Stock standout Aaron Stanfield won the NHRA Arizona Nationals in 2022 against Coughlin. He’s looking for a repeat performance this weekend in his Janac Brothers / JC3 Energy Camaro.  Elite Motorsports Pro Stock rookie Jerry Tucker is looking forward to his second Pro Stock event after giving an impressive performance in Gainesville. Not only did he qualify for the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals in a saturated field, but he also took out the reigning Pro Stock world champion, his teammate Erica Enders, in the first round of eliminations. He’s eager to turn on more win lights this week in Arizona. Five-time world champion Enders is ready for redemption after a mechanical issue resulted in an uncharacteristically early exit for her in Gainesville. She has two wins to her name at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park and she is focused on getting a third this weekend in her JHG / Melling Performance Camaro. The driver of the other Camaro sponsored by Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, Bo Butner, has yet to get a Pro Stock win in Phoenix. He knows that this will be his last chance to score a victory at this facility and the stakes are high. The Cuadra Boys – Fernando Cuadra Sr., Fernando Cuadra Jr. and Cristian Cuadra – are each hungry for a first Pro Stock victory. C. Cuadra achieved a new personal best elapsed time in Gainesville a couple of weeks ago, demonstrating how focused he is on improving his performance behind the wheel.  ***

Driver Quotes

Erica Enders”I’m really looking forward to Phoenix, it’s like a second home track for me. I’m extra motivated and I know exactly what my team is capable of. In the past, that has proved to be a deadly combo.”

Aaron Stanfield”We are ready to redeem ourselves at Phoenix after an early exit at the first race. Phoenix was good to us last year and we are looking to go back to back!”

Troy Coughlin Jr.”I’m most excited about having two races in one weekend since we are competing in the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge. We have our work cut out for us with Dallas as he can drive really well. Team yellow and the group at Elite have a great mindset right now and they’ve been working hard to give me a great car. If I do my job and stay focused on the process going in, we should have a nice weekend.”

Bo Butner”We’ve always enjoyed racing in Phoenix and it’s going to be tough to say goodbye to this track. But we want to put on a great performance for these fans this weekend and our JHG Camaro is ready for action!”

Fernando Cuadra Sr.”We are excited to compete in Phoenix this weekend. Our Corral Boots Mustang is performing well and I continue to learn new things as a driver. This team is great and we are ready to put on a wonderful show for our fans!”

Fernando Cuadra Jr.”For Phoenix, my expectations are really high – especially after not qualifying in Gainesville. We found a lot of issues in the car and the engine that all the guys at the shop figured out. So we are ready to get better results this weekend.”

Cristian Cuadra”I achieved a new personal best elapsed time in Gainesville so we feel good about things as we head to Phoenix.”

Jerry Tucker”It was incredible to qualify and turn on a win light in Gainesville, so we’re going to take that momentum into Phoenix. I feel like the season is off to a great start. I’m getting more comfortable behind the wheel thanks to everyone in the Elite Motorsports camp.”

Photos

The Elite Motorsports team is ready to tackle the competition in Phoenix. (Photo credit: Auto Imagery)

Pre-Race Notes

Elite Motorsports: Pre-race notesNHRA Arizona NationalsChandler, Ariz. (March 24-26) The Elite Motorsports team, the largest team in professional drag racing, has expanded for 2023 and will field a total of eight entries for this weekend’s NHRA Arizona Nationals near Phoenix. The Elite Pro Stock team features eight drivers including reigning and five-time world champ Erica Enders, Aaron Stanfield, Troy Coughlin Jr., Bo Butner, Fernando Cuadra Sr. and his two sons, Fernando Jr. and Cristian, as well as newcomer Jerry Tucker. In the 19 Pro Stock events contested last season, Team Elite won 15 times and appeared in 26 of 38 possible final rounds. In addition to Enders’ 10 wins, Aaron Stanfield collected three victories while Troy Coughlin Jr. earned his first two professional victories. Enders is coming off the most dominant season of her career that produced ten wins in 13 final round appearances and an astounding 55-9 record in elimination rounds. This season, Enders’ impressive roster of supporters includes Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage, Melling Performance, SCAG Mowers, PeopleLease and Mark Stockseth. During her professional career, Enders has accumulated 43 wins in 74 final rounds and has a round-win record of 439-241 for a .646 win percentage. Enders also has a win in Super Gas (2004 Houston) bringing her career total to 44 national event victories. Enders has won at least one event at 17 different venues including Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park. Enders won the Phoenix event in 2013 and 2020 beating Mike Edwards and then-teammate Jeg Coughlin Jr. Enders currently holds both the elapsed time and speed record for the NHRA Pro Stock class with bests of 6.450-seconds and 215.55 mph. The elapsed time record was set at the 2022 Gatornationals last March. If Enders wins four events this season, she will surpass three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey as the sport’s winningest female driver. Sampey currently has 46 wins while Enders has 44. Following an impressive fourth-place finish in 2022, Troy Coughlin Jr. will begin his fourth full season behind the wheel of the familiar yellow and black JEGS.com Camaro. Coughlin enjoyed a breakout season last year with back-to-back victories in Seattle and Topeka. Coughlin also went to final rounds in Phoenix, Reading and Las Vegas. Coughlin heads to Phoenix as the championship leader after a dominating win at the Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals two weeks ago. Coughlin qualified his JEGS.com / Elite Motorsports Chevy in the No. 1 spot and defeated Mason McGaha in the final round. He currently has a 24-point lead over McGaha. In addition to his three career Pro Stock victories, the multi-faceted Coughlin has won in Top Alcohol Dragster, Super Comp and Super Gas. Coughlin’s father, Troy Sr., is a 15-time national event winner in Pro Stock, Pro Mod and Super Gas. Including his uncles, John, Mike, and Jeg Jr., the Coughlin family has combined to win 131 national event titles. Coughlin’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.515-seconds and 212.29 mph, set earlier this month at the season opener in Gainesville. Aaron Stanfield will also return to the Elite team for another season behind the wheel of the Janac Bros/JC3 Energy Camaro. Stanfield, the son of five-time Super Stock world champ Greg Stanfield, is coming off a season where he was the third-ranked driver in Pro Stock. Last year, Stanfield earned Pro Stock wins in Phoenix, Bristol and the Fall Charlotte race to go with four runner-up finishes in Pomona, Epping, Norwalk, and Denver. Stanfield finished the season with a 38-16 record in elimination rounds. Stanfield qualified solidly in the No. 4 spot in Gainesville but suffered a rare round-one loss against Matt Hartford. He enters the Phoenix event as the No. 11 ranked driver in the class. Stanfield won back-to-back titles in the FlexJet Factory Stock Showdown class in 2020-21. He will continue to drive his Janac Bros.-owned COPO Camaro in that class and will also continue to race in the Wright Trailers Top Dragster class. All told Stanfield has 21 career wins in Pro Stock, Factory Stock, Super Stock, and Top Dragster. Stanfield won the Arizona Nationals in 2022 when he faced his teammate Troy Coughlin Jr. in the final round. Stanfield’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.457-seconds and 213.47 mph, both set last year in Gainesville. Bo Butner is a two-time NHRA world champion in Pro Stock (2017) and Comp Eliminator (2006). He joined the Elite team last season as the driver of the Johnson’s Horsepowered Garage Camaro. Last season, Butner drove to a ninth-place finish in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series Pro Stock standings. While he did not win a Pro Stock event last year, the multi-talented driver did earn a pair of victories in the Super Gas class in Indy and Reading. Butner has 29 career national event victories including 11 in Pro Stock. He also has wins in Comp, Super Stock, Stock, Super Gas, and Super Street. Butner has also enjoyed success as a big-money bracket racer with a victory at the K&N Spring Fling Million in Las Vegas in 2021. Butner won the Super Stock title in Phoenix in 2002, defeating Mark Faul in the final round. Butner’s career bests in Pro Stock are 6.475-seconds and 214.28 mph, set in Dallas (2015) and Gainesville (2017), respectively. The Cuadra family including Fernando Sr., and his sons Fernando Jr. and Cristian, have returned to Elite Motorsports again this season with their three-car Corral Handcrafted Boots team. The Cuadra family will race Ford Mustangs under the Elite banner. Fernando Sr. is a two-time national event runner-up with final-round appearances at the 2019 races in Reading and Pomona. Cristian Cuadra was also the runner-up to Enders at the 2022 Four-Wide event in Las Vegas. The Cuadra family has career-best elapsed times of 6.515 (Fernando Jr.), 6.524 (Fernando Sr.) and 6.527 (Cristian) – all of them recorded in Gainesville. Their career-best speeds are 212.13 (Fernando Sr.), 211.43 (Cristian), and 210.73 (Fernando Jr.). Cristian Cuadra went to the final round of the Four-Wide event in Las Vegas last season where he finished second to teammate Enders. He finished the season as the sport’s No. 8 ranked driver in Pro Stock. Collectively, Elite drivers have combined to win 103 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 63 in the Pro Stock class. New to the Elite Pro Stock team this year is Jerry Tucker, who enjoyed a memorable debut in Gainesville. Tucker qualified his Elite Camaro in the No. 15 spot with a 6.573 and won the first round after teammate Enders encountered a mechanical issue. Tucker heads to Phoenix tied with Matt Hartford for No. 8 in the standings. Tucker, of Lindsay, Okla., has spent the last 30 years racing everything from Sprint cars to Midgets and has also enjoyed success in drag racing. Tucker previously raced in the Top Sportsman class. Tucker is expected to be one of the leading contenders for the NHRA Rookie of the Year award. Collectively, the eight current team Elite drivers have combined to win 104 NHRA national event titles across all classes including 64 in the Pro Stock class.